Prayer

Transcription

1 The question of the Kingdom of God is one of the most controversial issues under scrutiny and study today. The nature and character of the Church as it relates to the Kingdom is also hotly debated, and depending upon your particular outlook, it colors much of your attitudes and opinions regarding your worldview and your personal philosophy of life, the universe and everything. In the 28 th chapter of Matthew, the Lord spoke these words to His disciples: "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." This is an incredible statement! It contains a commandment and a promise, with some very serious implications. We see here that this Great Commission had been given directly to the disciples, but does it also pertain to believers today? Is the Church of Jesus Christ still expected to disciple the nations in 1999? Did Christ Himself expect that His commandment would be obeyed? Did the Lord think we would succeed or fail in this task? Does this mean the Kingdom of God is here, or are we still waiting for it to come? What is the Kingdom of God like? In our time together, we are going to look at what the Bible says about the Kingdom and the Church, and what Christ s expectations are for His people Prayer Let us begin by considering the nature of the Church. What does scripture say the Church is? The word for church is the Greek word ekklesia which means assembly or gathering together. The church of God is the gathering or assembly of His people. And as it tells us in 1 Cor 12: For even as the body is one and {yet} has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ. 13 For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit. 14 For the body is not one member, but many. 15 If the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I am not {a part} of the body," it is not for this reason any the less {a part} of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, "Because I am not an eye, I am not {a part} of the body," it is not for this reason any the less {a part} of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But now God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He desired. 19 And if they were all one member, where would the body be? 20 But now there are many members, but one body. 21 And the eye cannot say to the hand, "I have no need of you"; or again the head to the feet, "I have no need of you." 22 On the contrary, it is much truer that the members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary; 23 and those {members} of the body, which we deem less honorable, on these we bestow more abundant honor, and our unseemly {members come to} have more abundant seemliness, 24 whereas our seemly {members} have no need {of it.} But God has {so} composed the body, giving more abundant honor to that {member} which lacked, 25 that there should be no division in the body, but {that} the members should have the same care for one another. 26 And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if {one} member is honored, all the members rejoice with it. 27 Now you are Christ's body, and individually members of it. We see here the nature of the church, which is the body of Christ, and the significance of every single member. Each individual person is crucial to the health and the completeness of the entire body, with Christ as the head. Each member is uniquely qualified to provide that special part that no other member can. We see also in Ephesians 4:4-16 that the body is to be growing towards unity and maturity and a complete love in Christ. 4 {There is} one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; 1

2 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all. 7 But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift. 8 Therefore it says, "When He ascended on high, He led captive a host of captives, and He gave gifts to men." 9 (Now this {expression,} "He ascended," what does it mean except that He also had descended into the lower parts of the earth? 10 He who descended is Himself also He who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.) 11 And He gave some {as} apostles, and some {as} prophets, and some {as} evangelists, and some {as} pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fulness of Christ. 14 As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves, and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; 15 but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all {aspects} into Him, who is the head, {even} Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by that which every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love. We see especially in verse 13 that the Apostle Paul expects to succeed in attaining to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fulness of Christ. He expects victory in the character of the church. We should also expect victory and here is why: Eph 1: {I pray that} the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. {These are} in accordance with the working of the strength of His might 20 which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead, and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly {places} 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in the one to come. 22 And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, 23 which is His body, the fulness of Him who fills all in all. Eph 5: Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her; 26 that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27 that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she should be holy and blameless. 28 So husbands ought also to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself; 29 for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also {does} the church, 30 because we are members of His body. Christ LOVES His church and has cleansed her in order to sanctify her and purify her. The Lord Himself expects the church to become perfectly holy and blameless because He will personally see to it that this happens. He is currently seated at the right hand of His Father far above all rule and authority. He is the head of the church and the Lord will present to Himself a perfect church. Christ expects victory in the character of His church because He will accomplish it Himself. Rom 8:

3 28 And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to {His} purpose. 29 For whom He foreknew, He also predestined {to become} conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the first-born among many brethren; 30 and whom He predestined, these He also called; and whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified. 31 What then shall we say to these things? If God {is} for us, who {is} against us? We should expect victory because Christ has called us to Himself to be glorified and He is for us. Let us now consider the function of the church and its relationship to the Kingdom. In Matthew 16:18, we read: "And I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades shall not overpower it. Please notice that there is something very significant here. The image here seems to be that of a stronghold with gates shutting things out as well as keeping things in. But the gates cannot withstand the onslaught of the church! The church is to have victory over Hell itself. And since the church is the body consisting of individual believers, does this not imply that believers have this power over hell also? And what about the Devil? Luke 10: And the seventy returned with joy, saying, "Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name." 18 And He said to them, "I was watching Satan fall from heaven like lightning. 19 "Behold, I have given you authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall injure you. 20 "Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are recorded in heaven. We see here that the Lord stated that he was watching Satan fall from Heaven. The Lord stated that the position of authority Satan had had until Christ came was taken away from him. Rev 12: And there was war in heaven, Michael and his angels waging war with the dragon. And the dragon and his angels waged war, 8 and they were not strong enough, and there was no longer a place found for them in heaven. 9 And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. 10 And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, "Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, who accuses them before our God day and night. 11 "And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even to death. 12 "For this reason, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them. Woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, knowing that he has {only} a short time." 13 And when the dragon saw that he was thrown down to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male {child.} Matt 12: And knowing their thoughts He said to them, "Any kingdom divided against itself is laid waste; and any city or house divided against itself shall not stand. 26 "And if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself; how then shall his kingdom stand? 27 "And if I by Beelzebul cast out demons, by whom do your sons cast them out? Consequently they shall be your judges. 28 "But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. 29 "Or how can anyone enter the strong man's house and carry off his property, unless he first binds the strong {man} And then he will plunder his house. 3

4 We see here that Satan has been bound in some manner by Christ in order that the Lord might plunder his house. I would suggest that this binding had something to do not only with Satan s power of death, but also regarding his ability to deceive the nations and keep them in blindness and ignorance regarding the gospel and the things of the Lord. Why would the Lord command us to go out and make disciples of all nations if they were still being held captive by the Devil to do his will? Rev 20:1-3 1 And I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand. 2 And he laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, 3 and threw him into the abyss, and shut {it} and sealed {it} over him, so that he should not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were completed; after these things he must be released for a short time. John 16: "But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper shall not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you. 8 "And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin, and righteousness, and judgment; 9 concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me; 10 and concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you no longer behold Me; 11 and concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged. We see here that the Holy Spirit has come and Satan has been judged. Rev 1: And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as a dead man. And He laid His right hand upon me, saying, "Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, 18 and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades. We see here that the resurrected Lord has the keys of death and Hell. I Jn 3:8 8 the one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, that He might destroy the works of the devil. We see here that Jesus came to destroy the works of the Devil. Heb 2: Since then the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil; We see here that the Devil has been rendered powerless in regards to death. 1 Cor 15: For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54 But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, "Death is swallowed up in victory. 55 "O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?" 56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; 57 but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not {in} vain in the Lord. We see here that we have the victory through The Lord Jesus and that we need to be steadfast and determined because we KNOW that our work is NOT in vain. We will have the victory. However, even 4

5 though the Devil has been stripped of his authority and the power of death, he is not by any means inactive as we see in 1 Pet 5:6-9: 6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, 7 casting all your anxiety upon Him, because He cares for you. 8 Be of sober {spirit,} be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 But resist him, firm in {your} faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world. James 4:7 7 Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. The Devil is still very active and very dangerous and NEVER to be underestimated. Yet we are also promised if we firmly resist him he must flee. Let us consider now the church as it relates to the Kingdom and the nature of the Kingdom itself. Eph 3: For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles-- 2 if indeed you have heard of the stewardship of God's grace which was given to me for you; 3 that by revelation there was made known to me the mystery, as I wrote before in brief. 4 And by referring to this, when you read you can understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, 5 which in other generations was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed to His holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit; 6 {to be specific} that the Gentiles are fellow heirs and fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel, 7 of which I was made a minister, according to the gift of God's grace which was given to me according to the working of His power. 8 To me, the very least of all saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ, 9 and to bring to light what is the administration of the mystery which for ages has been hidden in God, who created all things; 10 in order that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly {places.} 11 {This was} in accordance with the eternal purpose which He carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord. Please notice that the church is an instrument through which the Lord is demonstrating His wisdom to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. This is so that He can reveal a great mystery which for ages had been hidden in God Himself. The mystery that the church is the complete body of Christ consisting of ALL believers whether Jew or Gentile. In Romans 11 we see that the privileged place of Israel has been replaced by the church for the time being. Rom 11: I say then, they did not stumble so as to fall, did they? May it never be! But by their transgression salvation {has come} to the Gentiles, to make them jealous. 12 Now if their transgression be riches for the world and their failure be riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their fulfillment be! 13 But I am speaking to you who are Gentiles. Inasmuch then as I am an apostle of Gentiles, I magnify my ministry, 14 if somehow I might move to jealousy my fellow countrymen and save some of them. 15 For if their rejection be the reconciliation of the world, what will {their} acceptance be but life from the dead? Why did the Lord choose to take the privilege from Israel and give it to the church? Because of their obstinate and sinful rejection of God finally culminating in the crucifixion of Christ. The Lord Jesus spoke a parable that gives the details. 5

6 Matt 21: "Listen to another parable. There was a landowner who planted a vineyard and put a wall around it and dug a wine press in it, and built a tower, and rented it out to vine-growers, and went on a journey. 34 "And when the harvest time approached, he sent his slaves to the vine-growers to receive his produce. 35 "And the vine-growers took his slaves and beat one, and killed another, and stoned a third. 36 "Again he sent another group of slaves larger than the first; and they did the same thing to them. 37 "But afterward he sent his son to them, saying, 'They will respect my son.' 38 "But when the vine-growers saw the son, they said among themselves, 'This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and seize his inheritance.' 39 "And they took him, and threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him. 40 "Therefore when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vine-growers?" 41 They said to Him, "He will bring those wretches to a wretched end, and will rent out the vineyard to other vine-growers, who will pay him the proceeds at the {proper} seasons." 42 Jesus said to them, "Did you never read in the Scriptures, 'The stone which the builders rejected, this became the chief corner {stone;} this came about from the Lord, and it is marvelous in our eyes'? 43 "Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you, and be given to a nation producing the fruit of it. 44 "And he who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; but on whomever it falls, it will scatter him like dust." 45 And when the chief priests and the Pharisees heard His parables, they understood that He was speaking about them. Let us all realize that this casting away of Israel is only temporary, for the Lord promises to restore Israel to a place of privilege through salvation by faith in Christ after the fulness of the Gentiles has come in. Rom 11: For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery, lest you be wise in your own estimation, that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fulness of the Gentiles has come in; 26 and thus all Israel will be saved; just as it is written, "The Deliverer will come from Zion, He will remove ungodliness from Jacob." 27 "And this is My covenant with them, when I take away their sins." 28 From the standpoint of the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but from the standpoint of {God's} choice they are beloved for the sake of the fathers; 29 for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. 30 For just as you once were disobedient to God, but now have been shown mercy because of their disobedience, 31 so these also now have been disobedient, in order that because of the mercy shown to you they also may now be shown mercy. 32 For God has shut up all in disobedience that He might show mercy to all. In light of what we have seen so far, how then are we to understand the Kingdom? During this present age, where is the Kingdom of God? Matt 12: "But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. 29 "Or how can anyone enter the strong man's house and carry off his property, unless he first binds the strong {man} And then he will plunder his house. 30 "He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me scatters. Jesus states here that the Kingdom has come upon us already! This is so wonderful for us who believe because we know that we presently have the privilege of enjoying the benefits of heavenly citizenship. When the Lord Jesus sent His disciples out to preach, He instructed them: Matt 10:7"And as you go, preach, saying, 'The kingdom of heaven is at hand.' Luke 17:

7 20 Now having been questioned by the Pharisees as to when the kingdom of God was coming, He answered them and said, "The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed; 21 nor will they say, 'Look, here {it is!} or, 'There {it is!} For behold, the kingdom of God is in your midst." (within you.) The Kingdom in this age is seen here as spiritual and ever present within the believer today. Eph 2: Therefore remember, that formerly you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called "Uncircumcision" by the so-called "Circumcision," {which is} performed in the flesh by human hands-- 12 {remember} that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 For He Himself is our peace, who made both {groups into} one, and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall, 15 by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, {which is} the Law of commandments {contained} in ordinances, that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, {thus} establishing peace, 16 and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the enmity. 17 And He came and preached peace to you who were far away, and peace to those who were near; 18 for through Him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father. 19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God's household, 20 having been built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner {stone} 21 in whom the whole building, being fitted together is growing into a holy temple in the Lord; 22 in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit. God is causing us all to become unified in Him so that He might dwell with us in both an individual and a corporate way even in this day of mortality. We do see the paradox of the Kingdom however in its Here now, but not yet fully realized nature. We all know that there will come a day in the future when heaven is going to fully be realized in the new heavens and the new earth. Let us look at a few examples of the Lord Jesus own words regarding the Kingdom. Matt 13: He presented another parable to them, saying, "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field. 25 "But while men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed tares also among the wheat, and went away. 26 "But when the wheat sprang up and bore grain, then the tares became evident also. 27 "And the slaves of the landowner came and said to him, 'Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?' 28 "And he said to them, 'An enemy has done this!' And the slaves said to him, 'Do you want us, then, to go and gather them up?' 29 "But he said, 'No; lest while you are gathering up the tares, you may root up the wheat with them. 30 'Allow both to grow together until the harvest; and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, "First gather up the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them up; but gather the wheat into my barn."'" We see here that good and evil will exist side by side until the end. However, please remember that this is a wheat field, not a tare field which would seem to imply that the majority of the plants in the field are wheat. 31 He presented another parable to them, saying, "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field; 32 and this is smaller than all {other} seeds; but when it is full grown, it is larger than the garden plants, and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches." 33 He spoke another parable to them, "The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three pecks of meal, until it was all leavened." 7

8 We see here in these two parables the character of progressive as well as pervasive growth. 44 "The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid; and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has, and buys that field. 45 "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls, 46 and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had, and bought it. We see here that the Kingdom is more desirable and more valuable than anything and everything else. SUMMARY We should marvel at the wonder of the victory promised us both personally and as part of the corporate body of Christ. We can have confidence that the Lord has indeed come to destroy the works of the Devil and render him powerless. We have no reason short of unbelief why we cannot have victory over personal sin as well victory in the world today in spreading the good news of the Lord. APPLICATION We need to take these glorious promises and facts to heart and realize that we are called to fight the good fight faithfully with an eye for victory. We all need to serve the Lord with a heart of pure devotion to Him and to His Kingdom that we may pray confidently: Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. Eph 6: Finally, be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of His might. 11 Put on the full armor of God, that you may be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual {forces} of wickedness in the heavenly {places.} 13 Therefore, take up the full armor of God, that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. 14 Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming missiles of the evil {one.} 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. BENEDICTION Eph 1: {I pray that} the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. {These are} in accordance with the working of the strength of His might 20 which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead, and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly {places} 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in the one to come. 22 And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, 23which is His body, the fulness of Him who fills all in all. This message delivered to the church of God at Calvary Fellowship American Fork, Utah for the building up of God s Kingdom. TAS 10/24/99 8