Kingdom
Christmas 2017 • Sermon • Submitted
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· 12 viewsChristmas is a time to look forward to the Kingdom established by the coming king.
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Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet: “ ‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’ ”
Intro:
last week, we talked about hope. Christmas, is an incredible message of Hope. The prophecies of the Messiah’s advent, gave hope to many… looking forward..
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And the fulfilment of that prophecy, gives us all hope, looking back..
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But with the miracle of His birth… His incredible, sinless life, and His resurrection..
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We still have a hope that looks forward. Jesus declared, that there were great things yet to come…
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BEFORE JESUS BEGAN HIS PUBLIC MINISTRY… there was a predecessor. A man named “John The Baptist” - Who fulfilled the prophecy from - BY BEING: - ‘the voice of one crying in the wilderness.
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For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord; make his paths straight.’ ”
Matt 3.
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John the Baptist began to preach the very message, that would become the number one topic for Jesus:
“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
Jesus spoke frequently about the Kingdom of Heaven. - It was His number one sermon topic.
-IT WAS SOMETHING THAT THE OT LOOKED FORWARD TO.
This coming King:
Would rescue them, and be their shepherd (Ez. 34)
He will put His law in their hearts (Jer 31)
There will be no need to teach each other about God… everyone will just know. (Jer 31)
They will be forgiven completely and eternally. (Jer 31)
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When the NT speaks of the Kingdom, it doesn’t refer to land, territory, or those being ruled. - The word that we interpret as being ‘Kingdom’… emphasizes and defines the power of the one who rules.
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So, when we think about the Kingdom of God… the citizens of that kingdom are secondary -
The primary focus of this kingdom… IS THE KING.
The primary focus of this kingdom… IS THE KING.
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The church is not the kingdom… it is a product of the Kingdom.
The Kingdom of God is not something that we build…
It is rather.. something that God is building.
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To sum it up, from a NT perspective, the KOG is a matter of what God is doing, and where God is reigning.
-jesus brought this to light in the lord’s prayer- when He said:
“may Your Kingdom Come, Your will be done.” -
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Jesus knew, that God’s Kingdom has always been established… and that God has always reigned… - But this prayer, regarded the advancement of His Kingdom..
THAT IS…May our King, reign in the lives of people.. On earth, as it does in heaven.
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God’s Kingdom advances here on earth… in those places where His will is being done
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God’s Kingdom is evident, active and in motion… in those places where His will is being done.
+ In the Lord’s Prayer… Jesus is expressing His desire, for the will of God to be done amongst the people of earth…
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So, in a nutshell… it could be said… that...
Jesus came to be our King, so that His will would be done in our lives.
Jesus came to be our King, so that His will would be done in our lives.
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It’s strange that we don’t think about the Kingdom of Heaven around Christmas time…
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SURELY, WE THINK OF JESUS AS BEING A KING… but we don’t always follow through with that term, and consider the KINGDOM… where He reigns… as king.
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WE SING ABOUT IT.
Born a King on Bethlehem’s plain
gold I bring to crown Him again.
King forever, ceasing never,
over us all to reign.
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Come to Bethlehem and see
Him whose birth the angels sing
Come adore on bended knee
Christ the Lord the newborn King
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Hark the herald angels sing
Glory to the newborn King
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Silent night, holy night
Wondrous star, lend thy light
With the angels let us sing
Alleluia to our King
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CHRISTMAS IS ABOUT THE ADVENT OF THE MESSIANIC KING. THEREFORE, CHRISTMAS IS ALSO ABOUT THE REIGN OF THIS KING, IN THE LIVES OF THOSE WHO FOLLOW HIM.
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We cannot truly sing these songs, and declare Him as King… if we are not willing to consider the implications of His rule and His reign in our lives.
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I recently heard a church leader who was promoting His church growth program… use the Kingdom of God as a motivation for numbers… -WE SHOULD BRING MORE PEOPLE INTO OUR CHURCHES.. because this is what it means to advance the Kingdom of God.
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In a small way, some truth can be found in that statement.
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More people coming into contact with the Gospel will lead to more salvations which will lead to more opportunities for people to surrender their lives to the rule and reign of Christ.
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but… the reign of our King… isn’t a matter of numbers. The reign of our king, is about the surrender of our hearts to His will.
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-This is where His Kingdom is evident… this is where His Kingdom advances…
-Yes, the angels rejoice when a new believer comes into the fold..
-But when an old believer finally gives up their complacency… their apathy… their stubbornness… their selfishness… AND THEY ALLOW CHRIST TO FULLY REIGN IN THEIR LIFE… AND THEY SET ASIDE THEIR PERSONAL AGENDA TO DO THE WILL OF GOD…
THEN… We will see the advancement of God’s Kingdom.
God’s Kingdom is more evident, in the midst of ten Christians who are living for His glory… than in the midst of ten thousand Christians, who are living for themselves.
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So with this in mind… the revelation of CHRIST, THE NEW BORN KING…
-the recognition of the KING FOREVER, CEASING NEVER...
-the very declaration of - ALLELUIA TO OUR KING…
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-stands as a challenge to our very hearts.
WHEN WE SING:
Come desire of nations come, Fix in us Thy humble home
We are singing words of invitation… for our King, to come and set up His throne in our very lives..
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Far too often… Christmas is an external observance to us… IT’S A TRADITION WE PLUG OUR WAY THROUGH… -We acknowledge certain aspects about it… -BUT WE DON’T REALLY STOP AND CONSIDER THE REALITY BEHIND THE VERY WORDS WE ARE SAYING.
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But this is a reality… we must consider. For it’s far bigger than the season we find ourselves in at the moment.
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If Jesus is our King… then we are citizens of His Kingdom.. which means.. our citizenship has changed… from worldly … to heavenly.
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He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
Jesus… our King… went to war against death and the grave.. And He won.
And He won.
Jesus, our King…. Returned victorious to His Father’s side.. And sat down on His heavenly throne..
(1) And sat down on His heavenly throne..
-And millions have been granted the privilege of being His subjects…
-Subjects… who are free from the eternal tyranny of death and sin.
-Subjects… who benefit fully from the victory of Jesus.
The Kingdom that Jesus is over… is a spiritual kingdom… that we embrace by faith…
2. It’s a spiritual kingdom… embraced by faith…
-The reality of it is eternal..
- And the promise of it… is transformational.
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This Kingdom… is in fact… the future reality of the world we live in.
In / Jesus said… ‘behold, I am making all things new…
He didn’t say… ‘I am going to make’
-He didn’t say, “I already made..”
No… it’s an ongoing promise…
- I am making all things new..
WHAT THIS MEANS IS… THAT JESUS’S KINGDOM… IS AN ON GOING, PRESENT REALITY…
-Which means… to me, as a citizen… I am called to the ongoing reality, of allowing Him to reign completely in my life.
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The arrival of Jesus in our world… introduced to it, a new kind of King.
-A King that inspired wise men from afar, to bring gifts of great worth.
-A King that provoked a jealous and paranoid leader, to go to horrendous efforts in an attempt to exterminate him.
-A King that angels appeared for.. singing songs and declaring His wonder.
-A King, that came into being, by miraculous means.
WHEN WE SING OF CHRIST OUR NEWBORN KING… may we be reminded… that we have a DIFFERENT KIND OF KING.
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He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.
imagine a kingdom where everyone loves the King..
Imagine a kingdom where every human under His leadership serves Him completely from a heart of love and loyalty.
Imagine the unified devotion.
Imagine, if every decree was perfect, and everyone saw the perfect wisdom in it.. -And stood behind it whole-heartedly.
And stood behind it whole-heartedly.
Imagine a leader who is all powerful and awe-inspiring..
And yet… down to earth, personal and approachable.
Imagine a leader who identified all evil, and all wicked opposition…
And completely wiped it out…
…leaving for us… a kingdom where man would have no use for weapons…
A world where the scars of battle, war, and hatred were taken away..
A world where nature itself found peace and unity within itself.
I believe in faith… that all of these things will one day be a physical reality…
But I also believe in faith..
That I am serving that King right now…
He has earned my love and loyalty without question.
He is the creator of all things… all things were created through Him, and for Him.
He pre-existed all things..
He holds all things together.
He is the head of the church..
He is the first one, risen from the dead… leaving a promise that others will follow in His resurrection.
The fullness of God dwells in Him.
Through Him… all things will be reconciled back to God… because of His mighty work on the cross.
This is the kind of King that we want to serve, love, follow and extend our loyalty to…
This is the kind of King… that brings unity in the world to come…
When we sing - GLORY TO THE NEWBORN KING… I would hope that we might think… just what it means to be citizens under that King.
When we sing - GLORY TO THE NEWBORN KING… I would hope that we might think… just what it means to be citizens under that King.
and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
matt 18:3-4
Our King came to us as a child… and then… later on, that very King tells us, to come to Him as a child.
They take responsibility for one another..
They care… they are cared for.. they show love… they show compassion… they help… they teach… they reconcile.
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Little children might fight…
But they don’t hold grudges.. they forgive and move on.
Little children don’t have agendas.
-Little children are accustomed to being told that they are wrong..
-They know what it’s like to be told ‘No!”
Little children haven’t developed pride… they don’t have elevated opinions of themselves.
Little children haven’t developed pride… they don’t have elevated opinions of themselves.
Little children don’t need everything proven to them.
They love and trust their parents… and they believe them…
Little children could teach us a lot about unity.
They fight and cry..
And so will we….
But they get over it.
And so should we…
If, in our offenses, we focused more on the King who forgives us and extends grace to us, then we might be more inclined to forgive others and extend grace to others..
If, in our offenses, we focused more on the King who forgives us and extends grace to us, then we might be more inclined to forgive others and extend grace to others..
Then we might be more inclined to forgive others and extend grace to others..
When we sing: King forever, ceasing never… over us all to reign…
-I hope: we are challenged to consider… just what that reign looks like.
-Remember… His Kingdom is present… in the places where He is reigning… and He is reigning… in the places where His will is being done.
-TO DO THE WILL OF GOD… WE NEED TO REALIZE, THAT WE HAVE A NEW PURPOSE. Before, we served our will…
-BUT NOW THAT JESUS IS OUR KING… - we serve His will.
And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.
Because of our King… we are able to stand before God as those who are blameless..
Because of our King…
We are motivated to continue in the faith…
We are called to maintain our hope in the Gospel.
…and then, from Paul… we get a little testimony..
He said… of this great gospel..
That He became a minister..
A word which means… ‘servant’
A word that was commonly used to refer to those who waited on tables.
I think Paul lays before us… a good example.
We are transferred from the domain of darkness… into the Kingdom of His beloved son..
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We are citizens of this great Kingdom..
And in this Kingdom… we have a great King.
And a good King should produce good citizens. And good citizens. Should have a good purpose.
And a good King should produce good citizens. And good citizens. Should have a good purpose.
And good citizens..
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Should have a good purpose.
Paul declared… that he was a servant of this good news…
And I believe… that we are all called to be servants of the good news..
CONCLUSION:
In this season… when we sing, “Let Earth Receive Her King.”
-I pray that we would be mindful… of what that means.
-May we be those, who receive our King… into our lives right now… and may we be those… who look forward to His Kingdom come.
END.