1 Chronicles 29:10-13
And David blessed the Lord before all the assembly; and David said, Blessed be Thou, O Lord, the God of Israel our father, for ever and ever.
Thine, O Lord, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty; for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is Thine; Thine is the kingdom, O Lord, and Thou art exalted as head above all.
Both riches and honour come of Thee, and Thou rulest over all; and in Thy hand is power and might; and in Thy hand it is to make great, and to give strength unto all.
Now therefore, our God, we thank Thee, and praise Thy glorious name.
Psalm 145:10-13
All Thy works shall give thanks unto Thee, O Lord;
And Thy saints shall bless Thee.
They shall speak of the glory of Thy kingdom,
And talk of Thy power;
To make known to the sons of men His mighty acts,
And the glory of the majesty of His kingdom.
Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
And Thy dominion endureth throughout all generations.
Mark 1:14-15
Now after John was delivered up, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God,
And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe in the gospel.
Revelation 11:15
And the seventh angel sounded; and there followed great voices in heaven, and they said, The kingdom of the world is become the kingdom of our Lord, and of His Christ: and He shall reign for ever and ever.
In some versions it says, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord, and of His Christ; and He shall reign unto the ages of the ages.”
Dear Lord, we want to thank Thee for gathering us together here this morning. We do say that we are in Thy presence.
And Lord, we do desire to remove the shoes of our feet and to open our hearts to Thee, and say to Thee, “Lord, what hast Thou to say to us? Speak, for Thy servants hear.” In the name of our Lord Jesus. Amen.
Dear brothers and sisters, as I waited upon the Lord for this time, I felt burdened to consider with you all—not to speak to you, but to consider together—this very important matter of the kingdom: the kingdom of God and of His Christ.
I do not know how you feel, but so far as I understand, it seems to me that the message of the kingdom is not being preached in our days. According to the Word of God, the end will not come until the gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the habitable world as a witness to all nations; and then the end will come.
So, to me, I feel that it is very urgent, very important, seeing that the coming of the Lord is so near, that the message of the kingdom should be proclaimed.
Unfortunately, among God’s people today, it seems as if the kingdom is not very well understood. By the grace of God, we understand a little bit about the church. Thank God for that. But so far as the kingdom is concerned, it is very much neglected and misunderstood.
This is such a vast subject that we are not able to cover everything. All we would like to do is bring out some of the main points concerning the kingdom.
God willing, in the four sessions that we have, probably this morning we will lay the foundation concerning the kingdom of God. Next time, we will consider the kingdom of the heavens. Then we will consider the kingdom and the church. Finally, we will consider the kingdom and the Christians—the kingdom and you and me.
What is kingdom in the Scriptural sense? Of course, we all have some idea of what a kingdom is, but according to Scripture, what is the meaning of that word, kingdom?
In Greek, the word kingdom is primarily an abstract noun. It means dominion, power, reign, sovereignty, and kingship. It also has a concrete sense, meaning the territory or people over whom the king rules.
Brother Sparks likes to explain the kingdom as kingship. In other words, as the King rules over His people, He imparts His own character into their lives. His kingdom, therefore, is a corporate expression of what He is.
Now we know that God is the great I AM. From eternity to eternity, He is God. He is the Creator of all things. Therefore, the Bible tells us that His kingdom is without end; it is an everlasting kingdom. His dominion is from generation to generation.
Because He created the heavens and the earth, the heavens and the earth are His kingdom. Everything is under His rule.
In the beginning, when God created, the Bible tells us that there was harmony in the universe. We remember that when God created, He first created angels.
When God laid the foundations of the earth, the Bible tells us that the morning stars sang together for joy, and the angels of God shouted for joy. So, after the heavens and the earth were created, there was harmony in the universe.
Everything spoke of the glory of God. The heavens declared His glory, and the firmament showed His handiwork. There was no discord. Everything was in harmony.
We do not know how long this blessed situation continued—not until one of the archangels began to think of himself.
You know, brothers and sisters, in the beginning everything was focused upon God. Nothing and nobody thought of himself or herself. The heavens never thought of themselves, nor did the earth. The angels never thought of themselves. Their eyes were upon the Lord; they sang unto the Lord; they glorified the Lord. They were conscious of nothing but God.
But somehow, one of the archangels turned away from God unto himself. I believe, brothers and sisters, that Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28 seem to give us a picture of something that was unknown to us in the former world, but has been revealed to us.
There was an archangel called Lucifer, the brilliant star, son of the morning. Most likely, he was the first-created being. He was the supreme one of all the created beings at that time, because when God created him, he was perfect and complete.
He was beautiful. He was talented. He was given great dominion and rule. He was the cherub, the anointed cherub, that covered the throne of God. In other words, there was nothing above him except the Creator.
In the beginning, when God created him, he was perfect. We do not know for how long this continued. Most likely, he was the one who led all the angelic host to praise God. He led the singing because he was very musical and most talented.
But somehow, he turned upon himself—upon his own beauty, his own talent, and his own power. He began to be proud of himself, and violence began to fill his heart.
Ambition came into his heart. He was not satisfied to be above all but one. He wanted to be like God. He wanted to ascend himself to the mountain of God, in the council of God.
Because of this, there was rebellion in heaven. Harmony was broken, and God’s judgment came upon him and upon all that were under his control.
So we find that this archangel, Lucifer, turned himself into Satan, the adversary of God. He was thrown out of the Eden of heaven.
But one third of the angels followed him, and so he set up his own kingdom. In the beginning there was only the kingdom of God. There were no rival kingdoms. Everything was under God’s control, and everything redounded to God’s glory. God was all and in all.
But now we find that, because of the rebellion, another kingdom was set up: the kingdom of darkness. Satan set up his kingdom to oppose the kingdom of God.
Strictly speaking, even though Satan rebelled against God and set up his own kingdom, yet he was still under God’s control. He was not completely free to do whatever he wanted to do. He was created by God and was still under God. Later on, without God’s permission, he could not do anything.
On the one hand, the kingdom of God continues forever. But on the other hand, the kingdom of God, in a sense, is now restricted to those angels who submit to His authority, who willingly come under His rule and obey Him with all their hearts. That is the reality of the kingdom of God.
But thank God, God’s purpose never changes. He may change His ways, but He never changes His purpose. God cannot be defeated.
Even after the rebellion of Satan, we do not know how long a period passed before God began to restore this earth and make it habitable. We come to Genesis 1:3. God began to restore the earth into a habitable place.
Why did God do that? God did it because He was going to create man. There was a council in the Godhead. God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness.” So God created man; male and female created He them.
Now the question is, why did God create man? What is the purpose behind God’s creation of man? Why, when He created man, did He create him in such a special way that he was created in the image of God?
When He created angels, He did not create them in His image. But only man was created in His image. Now why? It cannot be meaningless. God must have a sublime, glorious, wonderful purpose behind it.
The Bible says that man was created a little lower than the angels. Why did God do that? We might think that man should be superior to the angels, but the Bible says that man was created a little inferior—not as powerful, not as wise—and yet he was created in God’s image.
Brothers and sisters, why? Because God had in mind to build up His kingdom upon this earth.
This earth was under judgment, under the dominion, as it were, of that fallen angel, because dominion was given to him in the beginning. Now God was going to take away that dominion from the fallen angel and give it to man, so that man would obey God and His kingdom would be established upon this earth.
That is the reason why man was created.
Unfortunately, we find that man was deceived by Satan, and man rebelled against God. Instead of listening to God and obeying God, man listened to Satan.
Man began to turn his eyes upon himself, away from God. Brothers and sisters, whenever we turn our eyes away from God and unto ourselves, there is danger.
Man also began to desire to be like God. So we find that this earth, together with man, fell into the power of darkness.
All who are born into this world belong to that kingdom of darkness. Our eyes were blinded. We were alienated from God: sin, death, no hope, no God.
But thank God, God did not give up. His purpose never changes. He began to regain the man whom He had lost.
God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son. Our Lord Jesus came into this world. The Word became flesh and tabernacled among men, full of grace and truth.
He came as the Man—the second Man. Throughout His life, we find that He was exactly the Man that God had in His mind from the beginning. He was the Man God desired.
How He denied Himself. How He obeyed His Father in all things, even unto death, yea, the death of the cross. And because of that, brothers and sisters, salvation came upon this world.
So far as the history of the kingdom of God is concerned, we find that God began the work of recovery. In Christ, everything is recovered.
Colossians 1:13 tells us that He has delivered us out of the power of darkness and translated us into the kingdom of the Son of His love.
So, dear brothers and sisters, we who believe in the Lord Jesus do not belong to the kingdom of darkness anymore. When we believe in Him, when we are born from above, we receive a new life, and we are translated into the kingdom of the Son of His love.
That is the history.
During this dispensation of grace, this gospel of the kingdom is preached. When our Lord came to this earth, the message He preached was the kingdom.
Even when He was resurrected, during those forty days, Acts 1 tells us that He taught them concerning the kingdom of God. That was the message.
Peter, on the day of Pentecost, preached the gospel of the kingdom. Why? Because he said, “The One whom you have crucified, God has raised up and has made Him both Lord and Christ.” That is the kingdom message.
When you come to the end of Acts 28, Paul, in his hired apartment in Rome during those two years, preached the kingdom of God and taught the things concerning Christ.
So, brothers and sisters, the message of the church today is the kingdom message: the gospel of the kingdom. We believe not only that our Saviour is Saviour, but we believe that our Saviour is King.
It is only right for us to submit our lives to His kingship and allow His character to be built into us. Then one day, even this kingdom of the world will become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ.
Brothers and sisters, we believe that the days are very short. That is why the kingdom of God is so important.
First of all, the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking; it is righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. You find that in Romans 14:17.
The kingdom of God is different from the kingdom of this world. The things of the kingdom of this world are eating and drinking. First John 2 tells us that the things of this world are the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.
In this world, eating and drinking are the most important things. Why? Because without these things, we cannot live. We live on this earth, in the body and in the flesh, and we need eating and drinking. That is what people today are living for.
“What shall I eat? What shall I drink? What shall I be clothed with?” We are anxious about all these things—the anxieties of this life.
But, brothers and sisters, this is the way the people of the world live. Our Lord Jesus said very clearly that these are the things the Gentiles seek after. They have nobody else to look after them. They have to seek their food, their drink, and their clothing for themselves.
But not so with you. We who belong to the kingdom of God—how shall we live? If we live merely for eating and drinking, then, brothers and sisters, we are no different from the people of this world.
Even though we have been translated into the kingdom of God, if we still live no differently from the kingdom of darkness, something is wrong.
Our Lord Jesus warned us, “Do not worry about these things.” We need these things, because we have bodies; but our heavenly Father knows.
He said, “Look at the birds,” and see how our heavenly Father takes care of them. “Look at the lilies of the field,” and see how the heavenly Father clothes them with such beauty. Even Solomon in all his glory cannot be compared with that beauty.
But seek ye first His kingdom, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
—Matthew 6:33
Brothers and sisters, do we believe that? Look at the way we live today. Are we living here for eating and drinking, or are we living here for righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit? What is the manner of our living?
Are we really seeking righteousness? Thank God, we are made righteous before Him. We are clothed with Christ, our righteousness. That is the only way we can stand before God.
Every time we come before God, we come clothed with Christ, not just on our own. We have no right and no place before God on our own. It is in Christ; it is by being clothed with Christ. He is our robe of righteousness.
But after we are clothed with the robe of righteousness, God says, “Now seek righteousness.” Seek the righteousness of the kingdom of God, because this is the way of the kingdom; this is the very nature of the kingdom of God.
If we do not seek righteousness while we are living in this world, then, brothers and sisters, though we are in the kingdom, we are not living according to the kingdom.
First John tells us that God is righteous, and therefore he who practises righteousness is of God. So, in this world, dear brothers and sisters, our first responsibility is to practise righteousness.
We who have been made righteous need to practise righteousness. In other words, do what is right in the sight of God. That is the principle of our living.
Do we, in our daily life, really practise righteousness? Do we really seek the will of God in every detail of our life? Are we willing to sacrifice eating and drinking, the treasures of this life, for the sake of righteousness? Are we willing to be persecuted for righteousness’ sake?
If we have not done that, it proves that we do not know what the kingdom of God is. We are not living in that kingdom.
Thank God, we have peace with God through Christ Jesus. But, brothers and sisters, is there always peace between us and God?
There are times when we fall, when we slip, when we sin, when we do not do the will of God. That peace is broken. We need to regain that peace through confession. Repent, confess, and have peace with God restored.
Our conscience should always be at peace with God. Paul said that he maintained a blameless and clear conscience before God. Peace reigned in his life.
Are we at peace with God? Are we at peace with ourselves? Are we at peace with our brothers and sisters?
How sad it is that among God’s people there are strifes, emulations, jealousies, and all these things. That is the kingdom of this world.
In the kingdom of God, there is perfect peace. Therefore, you find that in the letters the apostles wrote, they always said, “Peace be unto you.” Christ Himself, when He appeared to His disciples after the resurrection, said, “Peace be unto you.”
Are we seeking that peace?
In this tragic world, people are seeking happiness. But, brothers and sisters, real joy is joy in the Holy Spirit.
You may be very joyful outwardly—happy, laughing, enjoying yourself—but if the Holy Spirit within you is grieved, do you have joy? Outwardly you may appear to have it, but inwardly you suffer.
I believe we have all had such an experience. Outwardly, you are enjoying yourself, laughing, joking, having a good time; but the Holy Spirit within you is speaking, convicting you. Suddenly, you find that all these things vanish away.
Not until you repent and return to the Lord does joy fill your heart. The joy of the Lord is our strength.
If we really have joy in the Holy Spirit, we will be able to stand and withstand any circumstance. But when joy is lost, it seems as if your strength just leaks away.
So that is the kingdom of God, dear brothers and sisters. The kingdom of God is a spiritual reality. Are we really living in the kingdom of God today? Do we really seek kingdom righteousness, peace from above, and joy in the Holy Spirit?
That is the nature, the character, of the kingdom of God.
The second thing is this: the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power. First Corinthians 4:20.
The apostle Paul, in writing to the Corinthians, challenged them. He said that the kingdom of God is not in word. People can speak very persuasive, beautiful, high-sounding words, but if there is no power, it is empty.
This world goes for words. Corinth at that time was noted for eloquence, and the Corinthian believers sought after these things. But Paul showed them that it is only words.
Think of that. In this world, if you are eloquent, if you have charisma, you can sway people. That is what the world looks for. But in the kingdom of God, it is not word; it is power.
It is the power to save, the power to transform, the power to change, the power to conform us to the image of God’s Son. That is the kingdom of God.
Unfortunately, you find among God’s people today that people do seek for power, but not the power of the kingdom of God.
If there is power in the kingdom, it changes people. It changes yourself, and it changes other people. That is the kingdom of God.
Thirdly, the kingdom of God is not by observation. You remember in Luke 17 that people asked the Lord when the kingdom of God would come and how they would know that it had come.
Our Lord said, “The kingdom of God cometh not with observation.” But the kingdom of God is in your midst. Some translations say, “The kingdom of God is within you.”
What is the kingdom of God? It is not by outward appearance. People are looking for something great, something spectacular. But the Lord said, “No. The kingdom of God is inward. It is in you: Christ in you, the hope of glory.”
Thank God, we have Christ in us. Where He is, there is the kingdom of God. Because He is in us, there is a hope of glory. Glory simply means the manifestation of God.
Christ in us is transforming us and changing us until we are like Him. That is the kingdom of God.
Shall we say that the kingdom of God is His kingship? When He rules over us, when we really put ourselves under His authority, it is not merely an outward thing. Something within us begins to transform and change.
What He is begins to work into us. We begin to take up His character, the character of our King, to be like Him. It is an extremely inward thing. So do not look for something outward, but see that Christ in you is the hope of glory.
Fourthly, the kingdom of God is love. Colossians 1:13 tells us that He has translated us out of the power of darkness into the kingdom of the Son of His love.
In other words, in the kingdom of God, it is love that rules over everything, because God is love.
We must love God with all our heart, all our mind, all our soul, and all our strength. We need to love one another as He has loved us.
These are just a few illustrations of what the kingdom of God is. In the Word of God, you will find other characteristics. But these illustrations show us that the kingdom of God, in which we now are, is of such a nature and such a character.
What should be our attitude toward the kingdom of God? We who are in the kingdom of God, how should we behave?
You may be in the kingdom positionally, but you may not be living in that kingdom conditionally. So what should be our attitude?
First of all, we have already mentioned Matthew 6:33: “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”
You know, the word seek is a very strong word. It means that you have to apply yourself. You have to really desire it, and you must be willing to sacrifice to gain it.
We should be diligently seeking after the kingdom of God and His righteousness—not merely lying back and saying, “Now, because God has already translated us into His kingdom, that is all.”
One day you will discover, to your own sorrow, that it is not all. Since God has put you in His kingdom, we should apply ourselves, give ourselves totally to it, and make it the pursuit of our life. We pursue the kingdom of God.
Paul, in Philippians 3, shows us the way he pursued after the kingdom of God: forgetting the things behind, reaching forth toward the goal, to win the prize of the high calling.
Brothers and sisters, are we doing that? Or are we seeking the world—seeking advancement in this world, seeking the wealth of this world, the fame of this world, and putting our heart in it? Where is our heart?
Since God has given us this glorious kingdom, should we not seek Him earnestly and diligently, that we may really gain the kingdom?
Number two: pray for the kingdom of God. You remember the so-called Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6:10: “Thy kingdom come.”
What is our prayer life? What are we praying for today? Probably, for too many of us, the most important things in our prayer are ourselves and our family.
But have we ever prayed for the kingdom? “Thy kingdom come.” Brothers and sisters, when you look into this world, does your heart cry out, “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven”?
This is not our home. It becomes more and more foreign to us, impossible to us. Is there such a longing desire that we will pray, “Thy kingdom come”? Have we ever prayed for the kingdom of God?
You know, in 1904 and 1905 there was a great revival in Wales. The instrument of God was Evan Roberts, a young man, not highly educated, a miner; but God greatly used him.
After that great revival, for a number of years he was hidden. Then, when he came out again, people asked him, “What were you doing during these years?” His answer was, “I prayed kingdom prayers.”
Brothers and sisters, are we praying with all our hearts, “Thy kingdom come”? Are we so satisfied, contented, and happy with this kingdom of the world that we do not even look for the kingdom of God to come?
Or do you so long for the soon coming of that kingdom, when we will be home? The Lord says, “Pray. Pray for the kingdom to come.” Let us pray for it.
And then, of course, wait for that kingdom.
In Luke 23, we are told that Joseph of Arimathea was one who waited for the kingdom of God.
Before Christ came the first time, there were a few who really waited for the King, the Messiah, to come. Although the whole nation seemed to be waiting for the Messiah, really only a few were waiting: Zacharias, Elizabeth, Mary, Joseph, Simeon, and Anna.
These people were really waiting for the kingdom to come. Waiting is more than merely a word. Waiting is a life.
If you wait for someone, you have to change so that when that person arrives, he will be pleased. Are we waiting in such a manner for the kingdom to come?
Then, of course, we need to preach the gospel of the kingdom. Tell people of our King. Tell people that He is coming. He is coming to set up His kingdom even upon this earth.
The apostles in the early days—that was their commission. In Luke 9:2, when Christ sent them out, He said, “Preach the kingdom.”
Finally, be worthy of that kingdom. Second Thessalonians 1:5: be worthy of that kingdom. In other words, when that kingdom shall come, be worthy to inherit it.
So, dear brothers and sisters, remember: we do not belong to the kingdom of darkness, the kingdom of this world. We are foreigners and strangers. We are passing through.
We are in the kingdom of God now and forever. Because of this, may the grace of God make us fit for that kingdom. God bless.
Dear Lord, how we praise and thank Thee that Thou hast, in Thy grace and mercy, already translated us out of the power of darkness into the kingdom of the Son of Thy love.
Oh, what a glorious day! What mercy! What love!
Dear Lord, give us grace that we may be fit to be sons and daughters of Thy kingdom. Even in this world, in this life, may we glorify Thee. May we show the nations what the kingdom of God is.
May we be those who hasten and bring back the King. We ask in Thy precious name. Amen.