HAS THE KINGDOM COME?

Today I want to talk an aspect of the Gospel of Grace that, the more I learn about it and study it, the more I am enthralled with its depth of meaning.  When Jesus’ disciples asked him to teach them to pray, the model is what is commonly referred to today as the Lord’s Prayer.  After the initial adoration of, “Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed by your name”, the next sentence is my topic of discussion for today; “thy kingdom come, they will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”  What is meant by “thy kingdom come…on earth as it is in heaven?”

The first century Jews were certainly watching and hoping for God’s kingdom to come.  They had been praying for a Messiah who would bring an end to Roman rule and restore Judea as an independent nation, a nation that would again experience victory over its enemies.  No doubt the concept was attractive – and there was a variety of speculation about how this would be done, although no clear-cut plan of implementation was ever in place.  Unfortunately Jesus’ didn’t fill the bill for “their” Messiah. But even worse, the nation of Israel was not restored; and the temple was destroyed; and the Jews were scattered.  Even now – 2000 years later, the Jewish hopes are still unfulfilled.

As followers of Jesus Christ, we know His kingdom was not, and is not, a kingdom of this world.  As Jesus proclaimed in Mark 1:13, “At last the time has come.  The Kingdom of God is near. (meaning, It’s me!)  Turn from your sins and believe the Good News.” And later Jesus tells Nicodemus how to enter into His Kingdom in John 3:3, “I assure you, unless you are born again, you can never see the Kingdom of God.”  Jesus took a term that was well known to first century Jews, “the Kingdom of God” and turned it into a truth that is clearly defined in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me.” The Kingdom Jesus was talking about in the model prayer above is found in him and in his teachings. He is the door through which we must pass to enter into God’s kingdom.

While the message of forgiveness of sins and eternal life is the linchpin of Christianity, the great news that accompanies the Good News is…we don’t have to wait until we die to begin experiencing God’s Kingdom on earth.  We are told in Ephesians 1:3, “…we are heir to all the spiritual blessings in the heavenly realm because we are in Christ.”  And what are some of those blessings?  Well…our sins are forgiven; we are a new creation in Christ; we are made the righteousness of Christ; we are now acceptable in His eyes and therefore can come boldly before the throne of God without any fear of condemnation; and we are grafted into his family and are now his children (which makes Jesus our brother.  Wow! Try wrapping your head around that.)  Plus, we are also heir to every other promise in the Bible, so in reality, our eternal life (can) begin right here and now.  Why?  Because we are in Christ!  (Why is the word “can” in parentheses?  Only when we get this truth from our head to our heart, and it begins affecting how we live our life, do we begin experiencing the blessings of eternal life right here and right now.)

So as followers of Jesus, we are called to be obedient to his teachings and to be his light in this fallen world.  I gotta tell ya from personal experience, those are two formidable challenges!  But don’t be discouraged.  God knows us better than we know ourselves, and he is well aware of our human short- comings. Therefore, His plan for our salvation goes beyond forgiveness of sin and eternal life, and the next part shows itself to be the key ingredient for Christians committed to living the “abundant” life Jesus promised in this fallen world.

On the eve before his crucification, Jesus was telling his disciples again about his impending death.  He knew this message struck fear in the hearts of each of men sitting around the table with him, that’s why he told them in John 14:16-18, 26:  “I will not abandon you as orphans.  I will ask the Father and he will give you another Counselor, who will never leave you.  He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth.  The world at large cannot receive him because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him.  But you do, because he lives with you now and later will be in you. The Holy Spirit will teach you everything and remind you of everything I myself have told you.”

This message is vitally important.  Jesus knew as he looked at these twelve men, they were a weak lot. But he also knew that the job of carrying the message of his teachings, hope and salvation into the world would rest on their shoulders.  He was keenly aware that they drew whatever strength they had from him.  That’s why he revealed to them in the scripture above, “you don’t need the Holy Spirit now because he lives with you (meaning it’s me!). But later the spirit will dwell in you to be your comforter, counselor, teacher, guide and will lead you into all truth.”  In other words, the Holy Spirit would empower them to accomplish their mission in the world after He is gone.

So…you may be asking yourself, “How does that translate for to us in 2014?”  As followers of Jesus, we were given our marching orders in his last statement before being taken up to heaven: “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always until the end of this age.” (Matthew 28:19-20)   Jesus knew what this world was like.  He certainly experienced persecution, and he also knew that not everyone would be receptive to his message.  That’s why he bluntly told his disciples in Matthew 10:16, “I am sending you out like sheep among the wolves.” That statement is as true for us today as it was when Jesus proclaimed it to his Apostles.  We are also called to be his ambassadors to the world around us, but the good news is…God, in his loving kindness and through his perfect salvation plan, has already prepared us for victory.

An incredible transformation takes place the moment we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.  Our old self (our sin nature) is taken away from us and replaced with a new spirit, the Holy Spirit. The purpose of the Holy Spirit is to empower us to live the life we are called to live in this fallen world.  Not only are we to be Jesus’ ambassadors in terms of carrying the message, but we are called to live to a different standard than the one proclaimed by the world. So think about this.  Prior to our conversion to Jesus Christ, we were “slaves” (not my word but Apostle Paul’s word) to our sin nature.  We just did what came naturally. We were #1!  We were subject to the desires of our flesh; we were caught up in the worldly portrayal of life.  We were right in line with Satan’s plan, but also on the road to destruction, as pointed out in Romans 6:23, “the wages of sin is death…” 

The Holy Spirit is a life-giving spirit. This is clearly portrayed in Galatians, 5: 17-18:  The old sinful nature loves to do evil, which is just opposite from what the Holy Spirit wants.  And the Spirit gives us desires that are opposite from what the sinful nature desires.  These two forces are constantly fighting each other, and your choices are never free from this conflict.  But when we are directed by the Holy Spirit,we are no longer subject to our sin nature.” This, my friends, is how we rise above, and become victorious in this fallen world.  It is not because we commit ourselves to try harder.  It is because of the Gift of Grace we received at rebirth.  Now we call on the Holy Spirit to empower us to do what we have heretofore not been able to do ourselves.  1 John  4:4 tells us, “He (the Holy Spirit) that is in me is greater than the spirit in this world.” (Satan)   See…we are already victorious!

This is how we experience the “abundant” life Jesus promised us.  This is also what it means to experience His Kingdom on earth right here, right now. The joy; the fulfillment; the peace and serenity that results from living the spirit-filled life surpasses all understanding, but I believe it is what we ALL are seeking. Unfortunately, many of us – including myself – “looked for love and validation” in all the wrong places for way toooo long!  My prayer today is…that you find God’s truth much quicker than I did, because when you find it…there’s no mistaking it!!  May God bless you in your endeavor.

 My question to you is…Are you experiencing the spirit filled life?  Why or why not?

Dan Presgrave (a.k.a. Pastor Dan)