May we look to the Lord in prayer.
O heavenly Father, we do praise and thank Thee that Thou hast opened the new and living way through the veil, that we may enter into Thy very presence and behold the glory of the Lord with unveiled face.
O, we do praise and thank Thee that the blood has taken away all distance and all hindrances. We do praise and thank Thee for the ready access that we have through the throne of grace.
Lord, we just desire that Thou should give us the spirit of wisdom and revelation, that we may know Him in a real way. We acknowledge that in ourselves there is no ability to do that. Unless Thou dost reveal Thyself, we will not be able to enter into the reality of Christ.
So, Lord, we just look to Thee. We praise and thank Thee because we know it is Thy good pleasure to reveal Thy Son in us. So we ask Thee, O Lord, that Thou wilt do this at this hour through Thy Holy Spirit. We just commit ourselves to Thee and ask Thee to anoint us all with Thy Holy Spirit, and quicken us to Thyself, in the name of our Lord Jesus. Amen.
We thank God for gathering us together at this time in His presence. The burden that our Lord has given to our brother Montret Hala is found in Matthew 16:18:
“I will build My church.”
And the burden that our Lord has given to our brother Lance Lambert is found in Romans 9:23: “Vessels of mercy afore prepared for glory.”
And the burden that the Lord has given to me for this time is also in Matthew—Matthew 24:14.
“And these glad tidings of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole habitable earth for a witness unto all the nations; and then shall come the end.”
I repeat it:
“And these glad tidings of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole habitable earth for a witness, or a testimony, unto all the nations; and then shall come the end.”
We mentioned during the first evening, in the opening remarks, that there is only one gospel. It is the gospel of God, the gospel of God’s Son, the gospel of Jesus Christ the Son of God, the gospel of Christ, the gospel of the glory of the blessed God, the gospel of the glory of Christ. It is the gospel of grace. It is also the gospel of the kingdom, the gospel of your salvation, and, as Paul said, “my gospel.”
Now, with all these different descriptions, we know that there is only one gospel, not many gospels. If anyone should come and preach another gospel—another of a different kind—then he has deviated from the truth.
But the gospel of God is so full that it has many aspects. At this time, we would like to emphasize one of these many aspects. The reason why we would like to do that, as we said before, is because this is an aspect that has been greatly overlooked. It is the aspect of the gospel of the kingdom.
Now, do remember that this is not in any sense in contradiction to the gospel of grace, because the gospel of the kingdom is the gospel of grace, and the gospel of grace is the gospel of the kingdom. They are just two aspects of the same gospel.
The gospel of the kingdom must be preached in the whole habitable earth for a witness and a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.
I believe, brothers and sisters, we are living at the end of the end. We know that an end is coming soon, but before the end comes, this gospel of the kingdom must be preached, that the nations may know there is a King and His kingdom is coming soon.
What is a kingdom?
The word kingdom, in an abstract sense, means sovereignty, royal power, dominion, or rule. But in a concrete sense, a kingdom means a territory or a people over which a king reigns and rules.
Now, because the kingdom of God is where God rules, it is the sphere of His reign.
If you read Psalm 145, verses 1 and 13:
“I will extol Thee, my God, O King;
And I will bless Thy name for ever and ever.
Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
And Thy dominion endureth throughout all generations.”
Or turn to Psalm 45:6:
“Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever:
A sceptre of equity is the sceptre of Thy kingdom.”
Or Psalm 22:28:
“For the kingdom is the Lord’s;
And He is the ruler over the nations.”
So the kingdom of God is from eternity to eternity. The kingdom of God extends through all the ages, and the kingdom of God rules over the earth—all the nations. That is the kingdom of God. Wherever God reigns and rules, there is His kingdom.
But we know something happened in this universe. Once upon a time, there was a rebellion of the angels. Because of the rebellion of the archangel, this earth entered into ruin and emptiness.
Even as God restored it to be a habitable place for man, we also know how man sinned against God. Because of such rebellion and the fall of man, the kingdom of God, in a strict sense, is where His rule and authority are acknowledged and recognized.
In a broad sense, the kingdom of God covers the whole universe. The kingdom of God extends through all the ages. There is nothing that is not under His rule. But in the strict sense, the kingdom of God is where He is recognized and His rule and reign are acknowledged.
Now, that does not mean that God has ever given up His ownership or His sovereignty. On the contrary, we find that even after the rebellion that had happened upon this earth, God is working to restore and recover that which He has ordained from the very beginning.
After the rebellion of man, God began to work. You remember our Lord Jesus said, “My Father worketh even until now, and I work.” After man’s fall, God had no rest. He began the work of recovering and restoring His kingdom.
First of all, we find how He redeemed a people out of Egypt. He brought them to Himself, and He told them that if they kept His commandments and obeyed His commandment, they would be His people and He would be their God.
God brought these people to Himself to make them a nation of priests. Over this nation of Israel, a people whom He redeemed out of Egypt, He was to be their King. He wanted to have His kingdom on earth among them.
Now, if you read Exodus 15, after God brought them over the Red Sea, you find the song of Moses being sung. In this beautiful song, you find that it begins with God as their salvation, and it ends in verse 18:
“The Lord shall reign for ever and ever.”
In other words, God redeemed this people; God saved these people, that He might reign over them forever. God was their King; they were His kingdom on earth.
Moses led the people through the wilderness, and toward the end of the fortieth year they were on the plains of Moab, ready to enter into the promised land.
You remember the story in Numbers 23: how Balak, the king of Moab, was frightened when he saw this multitude of people coming near his border; how he engaged a prophet by the name of Balaam, who tried to sell his gift for money and reward; and how Balaam tried to curse the children of Israel.
Then you find in Numbers 23:19-21:
“God is not a man, that He should lie;
Neither the son of man, that He should repent:
Hath He said, and shall He not do it?
Or hath He spoken, and shall He not make it good?
Behold, I have received commandment to bless:
And He hath blessed, and I cannot reverse it.
He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob;
Neither hath He seen perverseness in Israel:
The Lord his God is with him,
And the shout of a King is among them.”
In other words, you find God brought these people to Himself to be King over them.
Under Joshua, these people entered into the promised land. These people, being an earthly people, needed someone on earth who could be seen to represent God as King.
Now, even though they tried to get their own king, like the kings of the nations, we find Saul, whom they chose, failed to represent God as King. In other words, he was a misrepresentation.
So in God’s time, God raised up David, a man after His own heart. When David sat on the throne, he was a true representation of God as King over His people.
But unfortunately, his seed did not continue on with the same spirit as David. On the contrary, you find how they led the people away from God. Because of this, God allowed the nation of Israel and the nation of Judah to be taken into captivity.
In outward appearance, it seemed as if, during that period, there was no kingdom of God on earth. God was called the God of heaven, but during that period God was never addressed as the God of heaven and earth because He had no kingdom represented on earth.
Even after a remnant of the children of Israel came back to Jerusalem and rebuilt the temple, there was no representative on earth to represent God as King over His people.
When we come to the New Testament, you find the royal seed of David, Joseph. He was not sitting on the throne of David in Jerusalem; he was a humble carpenter in the hilly country of Nazareth. And who sat on the throne of Judah and Idumea? Herod.
But God was working. Suddenly, you find a voice in the wilderness, and the voice said, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” The kingdom of God was drawing nigh. That was the message of John the Baptist. He prepared the way of the Lord. He even identified the King.
As we find prophesied in Isaiah 9:6-7:
“For unto us a child is born,
Unto us a son is given;
And the government shall be upon His shoulder:
And His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of His government and of peace there shall be no end,
Upon the throne of David, and upon His kingdom,
To establish it, and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness
From henceforth even for ever.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.”
Unto us a child is born. Now, this Child was born in a manger, and yet unto us a Son is given. The Child who was born in the manger is a Son given to us. He is the Son of God who came into this world, and the government shall be upon His shoulder.
He is the Son of David, and yet He is greater than David, for He is the Lord of David. He shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, Mighty God, Father of eternity, Prince of Peace. His government shall know no end, and the zeal of the Lord will perform this.
When our Lord Jesus was born, He was born a King. Though He was born in a manger, yet He was born a King. That is the reason why you find the wise men from the east, as they were led by the star, coming to worship Him.
But this King was very different from all the kings of this world. Why? Because His kingdom is not of this world. So the way the King came into this world was different. The way the King grew up was different. The way the King was trained was very different.
There, in the hilly country of Nazareth, He grew up. He was unknown to man, but known to God. For thirty years He was hidden. He was hidden from the sight of this world.
During those thirty years, He was being trained to be the King of the kingdom of God. You know, a king has to be trained, and the training of a king is the strictest and most difficult, because he wants to sit on the throne and rule over a people.
Our Lord Jesus was trained in a way that was very difficult and very different from all the training that the world gives. He never went to a rabbinical school and learned, and yet He was in the school of God. He learned all the lessons of the kingdom.
So when He came out to preach, He was the very embodiment of the laws, the principles, the nature, and the character of the kingdom.
When He was twelve years old, He went to Jerusalem. He was the Son of the Father. He was conscious that He must be occupied with His Father’s business. He stayed behind in the temple, and when His parents, His mother, found Him, He said:
“Knew ye not that I must be in My Father’s house?”
And yet, even so, He went back with His parents. He submitted Himself to His earthly parents. He learned the lesson of submission and obedience.
When He was thirty years old, He came forth. The way He showed Himself to His people was by receiving the baptism of John.
Now, dear brothers and sisters, we know the baptism of John is the baptism of repentance: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Now there was nothing in Him to repent of. Our Lord Jesus was perfect. There was nothing He needed to repent of.
And yet we find how He went into the water. He received the baptism of John. He said, “Suffer it now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness.” There you find He humbled Himself. He identified Himself with us, and He even took that baptism.
After the baptism, He was driven by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness to face the archenemy. For forty days and forty nights He fasted, in constant conflict. And thank God, we find He overcame His enemy, and He came back in the power of the Holy Spirit.
When the Lord Jesus came back from the wilderness, He began to preach. What did He preach?
“Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
He preached the gospel of the kingdom. Why did He preach the gospel of the kingdom? He was not just a teaching; He was a reality. Why? Because the gospel of the kingdom that He preached is embodied in Him. He is the kingdom. He is the gospel of the kingdom.
Why is it that He said the kingdom of God has drawn nigh? Is He not the King? He is. Is not the kingdom embodied in Him? Yes. But in another sense, He said the kingdom of God had drawn nigh because, even though the King was already in their midst, He had not yet gained a people.
Without a people, in a sense, a king without a people does not have a kingdom. That is the reason why you find our Lord Jesus, in the beginning of His ministry, saying, “The kingdom of God has drawn nigh.” The King is in your midst, but He is to gain a people unto Himself, that He may have His kingdom.
The people began to gather, and they gathered to Him. You remember Luke 17? When people asked Him, “When will the kingdom of God come?” the Lord Jesus answered, “The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: neither shall they say, Lo here! or, There! for lo, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.”
Why? Because He was in their midst. The King was in their midst, and where the King is, there is His kingdom.
He told His disciples, “From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and men of violence take it by force.” He began to call people to follow Him, and those who responded to the call left everything and followed Him.
When He had His disciples around Him, He had His kingdom. But His kingdom is so different from the kingdom of this world.
He told His disciples that the kings and rulers of this world rule over the people, lord it over them, and give commands and orders. But He said, “It shall not be so among you.” If you want to be great, you have to be a servant. If you want to be first, you have to be a bondservant.
The Lord said:
“The Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give His life a ransom for many.”
Here, brothers and sisters, our Lord Jesus, while on earth, presented a kingdom to the children of Israel. But it was a different kingdom.
The children of Israel were expecting the kingdom to come because, at that time, they were under Roman rule. In essence, the Jews never accepted Roman rule. They were looking forward to the Messiah coming. They believed that when the Messiah came, He would deliver them out of Roman rule. They would become the first of the nations, the head of the nations instead of the tail of the nations.
They were looking forward to the restoration of Israel as an earthly nation. The Lord presented them with the kingdom. The Lord presented Himself to them as their King, but the kingdom He presented to them was of a different nature.
They could not understand it. In the very beginning they listened to Him. In the very beginning they flocked to Him, hoping that He was the Messiah. But as they listened and watched, they became more and more disappointed in Him.
They saw that He was not the King they expected. They realized that He did not come bringing them the kingdom that they desired. So finally, you find they cried, “Away with Him! Away with Him! Crucify Him!” They would have nothing to do with Him. Why? Because they did not understand the kingdom that He offered to them.
Not only did those Jewish people not understand, but as you read the four Gospels, you find even His disciples did not understand. In one sense, they did leave all and follow Him. They did put themselves under His rule. Yet, in another sense, they never understood Him.
Again and again, our Lord Jesus tried to tell them of the nature of His kingdom, the character of His kingdom, and the kingdom that He was to establish among them. Yet through the three years that they were with Him, our Lord Jesus was straitened because His disciples simply did not understand.
Even after His resurrection, He talked to them of the kingdom of God for forty days. But when He led them to the Mount of Olives before He ascended, they still asked Him, “Lord, dost Thou at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?”
In other words, you find that nobody seemed to understand the kingdom. Nobody seemed able to grasp the gospel of the kingdom. Therefore, nobody seemed able to know the King in a real way.
Now, dear brothers and sisters, this was not only true two thousand years ago with the Jews at that time, or even with the disciples of our Lord Jesus at that time. How true it is even with us today.
There was a teaching called the postponement theory. Some people think that our Lord Jesus, when He came and presented Himself to the Jews, was actually presenting to them an earthly kingdom. But because they did not receive Him, the kingdom was postponed.
Well, dear brothers and sisters, not so. When our Lord Jesus came into the midst of the children of Israel, He did present them with a kingdom, but it was not the kingdom of this world. It was not an earthly kingdom. It was a spiritual and heavenly kingdom. But they rejected Him because they did not understand.
And yet, dear brothers and sisters, when they crucified Him on Calvary’s cross, they thought that would be the end of His claim as the King of the Jews. They thought this would be the end of His kingdom. But this was the beginning.
What is the symbol of the kingdom of God? The symbol of the kingdom of God is the cross.
To the world, the cross is shame. It is curse. It is death. It is the end of life. It is the end of everything. But, dear brothers and sisters, when our Lord Jesus was crucified on the cross, that was the very signal of His kingdom.
If we want to understand what His kingdom is, if we want to know the nature of His kingdom, brothers and sisters, we have to know the cross.
There on the cross, He overcame sin. There on the cross, He overcame the old creation. There on the cross, He overcame the world. There on the cross, He overcame Satan and all the powers of darkness. And, of course, we know that in resurrection He overcame death.
In other words, the cross is the very symbol of the kingdom of God. If you want to know what the kingdom of God is, you have to accept the cross. You have to enter into all the meanings that the cross is.
The cross is the very demonstration of the character of the kingdom that the King has brought in.
Brothers and sisters, I think we need, first of all, to know the nature of the kingdom of God. If you want to know the nature of the kingdom of God, you have to know the character of the King.
As you see Him, you see all that He is: how He is poor in spirit; how He is meek and lowly; how He thirsts after righteousness; how He is merciful; how He is pure in heart; how He is a peacemaker; and how He suffers for righteousness’ sake.
In other words, the Beatitudes are just an expression of what the King is. This is what He is. Even when He entered Jerusalem as the King, you find He sat upon an ass, even the colt of an ass—meek and lowly.
The nature of the kingdom of God is revealed to us in the life of Christ. The nature of the kingdom of God is fully demonstrated by the cross.
It is by knowing Christ and knowing the cross, dear brothers and sisters, that we live in the reality of the kingdom. Or, to put it another way, we become the kingdom of God.
Now turn to Romans 14:17.
“For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.”
The kingdom of God is not eating and drinking. It is not physical or materialistic.
When you think of the kingdom of this world, what is its nature? The nature of the kingdom of this world is eating and drinking. In other words, the very nature of the kingdom of this world is pleasure, enjoyment, satisfaction, happiness, prosperity—what to eat, what to drink, what to be clothed with, and how to enjoy ourselves.
This is the nature of the kingdom of this world. If a kingdom can offer you much eating and drinking, then it is considered a prosperous kingdom, a first-class kingdom. If a kingdom cannot offer you much food, enjoyment, or luxury, then it is considered a poor country, an undeveloped country.
The kingdom of this world is in eating and drinking. If we seek the kingdom of this world, these are the things we seek for.
Therefore, the Lord Jesus said:
“Seek ye first His kingdom, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”
In other words, the Lord said, “Do not worry about what to eat, what to drink, and what to be clothed with.” These are the things that the nations seek after because these belong to the kingdom of this world. But with you it is different. Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.
What is the nature of the kingdom of God? It is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.
Where do you see righteousness? You see righteousness on the cross of our Lord Jesus.
“Him who knew no sin He made to be sin on our behalf; that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”
The righteousness of God is revealed and demonstrated to us through the cross of our Lord Jesus. Before the cross, we had no righteousness. Our own righteousnesses were as filthy rags. But thank God, through the cross of our Lord Jesus, the righteousness of God has come upon us.
We are today clothed with Christ, our righteousness. Because we are clothed with Christ, our righteousness, we can stand before God in boldness.
And not only are we justified, but God too is justified. Before the cross, how our God was misunderstood! When He did not punish sin right away, He was misunderstood. Because sin was not punished immediately, people would say, “Now where is God? If God is righteous, why did He not punish? Why does He forbear?”
During the time of His forbearance of the sins of this world, God was misunderstood. But by the cross He demonstrated to the world that He is just in justifying sinners. God is justified.
And, dear brothers and sisters, this righteousness is not merely a position that we receive in Christ Jesus. This righteousness is a life. Why? Because Christ is our life. The life within us is a righteous life.
Therefore, he who practices righteousness is a child of God. We have this very life in us, a righteous life, as righteous as Christ is. If we live by this life, then we will live righteously before God and before man. This is the kingdom of God.
If you do not know what righteousness is, you do not know the kingdom. You are not under the rule of the King. If you are under the rule of the King, dear brothers and sisters, it is inevitable that you not only receive the position of being right before God—that is, justified—but you must also live in a state of holiness—that is, sanctified.
Why? Because the very life in you is a righteous life. This is the kingdom of God. Unless we live in righteousness, we do not know what the kingdom of God is.
And peace. Did we know peace before we met the cross of our Lord Jesus? No. There was no peace. “There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked.” Peace, peace, and there is no peace.
There is no peace in our hearts. There is no peace with one another. There is no peace between us and God. There is no peace in this world.
But, dear brothers and sisters, if you read Ephesians and Colossians, you find how Christ is our peace. How He has brought the Gentiles and the Jews together. How, by the cross, He takes away the wall of partition between the Jews and the Gentiles. He has brought them into one body.
He has become peace to us, and He has made peace for us, that we may have peace with God, peace in our conscience, and peace with one another. If we receive Him as the Prince of Peace, one day there will be peace upon this earth.
Dear brothers and sisters, where do we see peace? On the cross. The cross is the very sign of the kingdom.
Again, it is not only a matter of position; it is also a matter of condition. The Lord Jesus said:
“Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
That is peace. But He also said:
“Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me;
For I am meek and lowly in heart:
And ye shall find rest unto your souls.”
Dear brothers and sisters, we know peace by coming to the Lord and accepting Him as our peace. We know peace when we truly take up His yoke upon us, bear the cross, and learn of Him. Then the peace of God will rule in our hearts. There will be rest in our souls. This is the kingdom of God.
And also joy in the Holy Spirit. What is joy in the Holy Spirit?
You remember Hebrews 12:2. It is said of our Lord Jesus:
“Who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising shame, and hath sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
In other words, our Lord Jesus endured the cross and despised the shame. Why? Because He had joy before Him. What was the joy that was before our Lord Jesus? It was the joy of knowing that He was doing the Father’s will. It was the joy of knowing that the Father’s heart was satisfied.
Dear brothers and sisters, this is joy in the Holy Spirit. In all this world, we seek for pleasure. We seek for happiness. We say this is one of our inalienable rights—that it is our right to have happiness. But what is happiness?
Lots of people profess that they are happy, and yet they are not. The joy in the Holy Spirit—that is real happiness.
What is joy in the Holy Spirit? When we are able to say, “Not my will, but Thy will be done.” When we really let Christ be King of our lives, when we know that He is satisfied, that is all that is needed.
I remember a story. Of course, it did not happen in this country, because you do not do it now. Maybe in the old days you did. In the beginning days of the railroad, you got your ticket and got on the train. When you got off, before you left the gate, you had to give that ticket to the conductor at the gate of the railway station. That is what we did in China.
It happened in a northern country. It was very cold, bitterly cold, and everybody was wrapped up with gloves, heavy gloves, and everything. When the train arrived at the station and people got off, trying to get out through the gate, there was a conductor standing there asking for the ticket.
People had to take off their gloves and search their pockets, and everybody gave him a bad look. People said, “Of course we have the ticket, but it is too cold.” “No, give me the ticket.” Everybody looked at him and was angry with him, but this conductor stood there smiling and kept on asking for the ticket.
Somebody had something to say over him and said, “How can you bear all this shame, reproach, and ridicule? How can you bear all these things and smile?”
He pointed his finger at a window. There was the stationmaster. He said, “As long as he is satisfied, I am happy.”
Dear brothers and sisters, this is joy in the Holy Spirit.
You know, as we walk on this earth, as we follow the Lord, there will be opposition, misunderstanding, persecutions, and afflictions of many kinds. We may think that these things deprive us of our joy, but no, brothers and sisters.
If you see Him, if you look up unto Jesus, and if you know He is satisfied, you have joy in the Holy Spirit. This is the kingdom of God.
The King has already come. He has demonstrated to us what His kingdom is. He gave Himself on the cross for us because this is the very character of His kingdom.
And now He is calling us to follow Him. If we follow Him, then we will be His kingdom, and we will demonstrate to this world that the King has come and the kingdom is already on this earth.
May the Lord help us. Shall we pray?
O heavenly Father, we do praise and thank Thee because Thou didst send Thy Son into this world to demonstrate to us what Thy kingdom is—the kind of kingdom that He is to establish upon this earth and among men.
O Lord, we just ask Thee that by Thy Holy Spirit our eyes may be opened to see the King, and, seeing Him, see Thy kingdom; that we are willing to forsake everything, take up our cross, and follow Thee; that He may be known, and His kingdom may be known to the nations as a testimony.
Our prayer is: “Thy kingdom come.” In the name of our Lord Jesus. Amen.