What Is Ahead for 2019 is the Study of the Kingdom of God
Matthew 6:33
Dec 30, 2018 AM
Pastor Craig Ledbetter
Bible Baptist Church, Ballincollig, Cork, Ireland
I. Introduction (Matthew 6:33)
A. Today is ‘Vision Sunday’
1. Today is a day when I as your pastor set our course as a Church for the next year
2. Studying things that grow and change, both ME and in everyone of you that assembles here on Sundays and Wednesdays
a. On Wednesdays, we will begin a study of the Psalms of David
b. Our children will begin a study of Exodus through Deuteronomy in Children’s Church
c. For men’s Camp we will discover just how far we can trust God with things
d. At Youth Camp, we will go all the way back to the beginning, to learn about life and decisions and relationships from Adam and Eve
3. Next year is going to be rich – Lord willing, we will never be the same!
B. Goodbye Nehemiah – I taught you more than 30 specific study lessons from the life of Nehemiah
1. Rebuilding the Place of Prayer
2. What God Can Do
3. When is Faith, Not Faith?
4. What Do You Want to Do?
5. The First Steps Are The Best!
6. Since God Will, Therefore We Will
7. Where to Begin
8. Wall to Wall Workers – Parts 1, 2 & 3
9. The Enemies of the Christian, and How to Respond
10. Arming the Saints
11. What Keeps Us Going?
12. Gates That Matter
13. Building A Better Priesthood
14. God’s Beloved - The Special Place of the Jews
15. Building the People Who Built the Walls
16. Church as It Ought to Be
17. Let’s Finish What We Started
18. Letting God Finish His Work
C. For 2019, it’s “Hello Matthew, Mark, Luke and John!”
D. What do you think of when I say “Kingdom?”
1. Do you think of things like, the British kingdom? Or the kingdom of Saudi Arabia?
2. Do you think of people over “there” in England, or in France, or in Spain?
3. You see, when I mention, “a kingdom”, most people think of a place, a realm, like, someplace over in England, or a time (like, Once upon a time, a long time ago).
E. What about when I say, “the Kingdom of Heaven?”
1. Or The Kingdom of Israel?
2. Or, The Kingdom of David?
3. What about the kingdom of Darkness?
F. But what if I say, “the Kingdom of God”?
1. What do you think of?
2. You might be brave enough to ask…
a. Well where is it? Where is this kingdom?
b. What power does it have, what influence does it have?
3. Very good questions
4. And they need some very good answers
5. You see, you won’t ever see a flag flying over the kingdom of God
6. You can’t get a VISA for it and go visit it
7. And yet, the Kingdom of God is what Jesus seemed to preach and teach most about
8. And, the apostle Paul constantly preached and taught people about this kingdom everywhere he went
G. Whatever it is, Jesus said we needed to desperately seek after it (Matthew 6:33)
1. To seek it FIRST, before finding a mate, deciding a career, or having fun!
2. Mat 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
3. That means, hunger for the kingdom, yearn to live IN it… or else everything that we know that we need to be happy will always slip through our fingers, and our lives will end up a waste.
4. As C.S. Lewis said, Don’t be surprised when nothing in this world fully satisfies your longings for happiness, your desires for peace, or your hopes for the future. God made you for a different world – He designed you and me to live in a different kingdom.
5. That kingdom is called, the Kingdom of God!
II. Background
A. There are Many Kingdoms
1. Some of them are at different times in history, but some overlap – exist at the same time as other kingdoms
2. As a matter of fact, there are Seven Kingdoms to worry about – we will learn about these over the next few months
a. The Kingdom of Men – Jesus called them, the kingdoms of this world
b. The Kingdom of Darkness – spiritual kingdom co-existing in this universe with the kingdom of men
c. The Kingdom of God – spiritual kingdom also co-existing in this universe
d. The Kingdom of Heaven – yet future – Millennium – Jesus called it, the world to come – at resurrection, and the restoration of all things
e. The Kingdom of Israel – it is a kingdom in the midst of the kingdom of this world
f. The Kingdom of Hell
g. The Everlasting Kingdom
B. So, The Christian, the Bible believer, the disciple of Jesus comes to the Bible and needs to ask:
1. What kingdom am I in?
2. What kingdom is most important to worry about?
3. What is so important about the Kingdom of God?
4. And why should I seek it first like Matthew 6:33 says?
5. Why should I even be interested in it?
6. What will it do for me?
7. And what am I to do for it?
C. All of these are very important questions that MUST be answered
1. Because how you answer those questions will determine your life, and how you live it, and how you respond to problems, how you see others, how you will put up with others
D. It is Vital to Learn about “Kingdoms”
1. Good universities, good colleges used to explore ALL kingdoms
2. Great teachers used to focus on history, on learning from all the kingdoms
3. Didn’t focus on social issues only - did not just talk about a utopia world, and social studies, and how to overcome repressed feelings and how to develop progressive feministic theologies???
4. They sought to learn the lessons of history and learn from the failures of the kingdom of men as much as they learned math, and science and literature!
5. Yet, no one seems to be learning about the kingdoms of men anymore, and so… are doomed to repeat absolutely every failure of every kingdom 100 times over!
6. Which is exactly what is happening with the past three generations!
E. Starting next week, and all this next year, we will Learn about GOD’S kingdom, the Kingdom of God, that is right here and right now – and how to live by its rules and under its dominion, instead of under the bondage of the kingdom of men, and worst, under the kingdom of ourselves!
F. We will learn from the Beatitudes, from the Parables, and from Christ’s miracles!
III. Message (Matthew 6:33)
A. What is the Kingdom of God?
1. Whatever it is, it is the central theme of Jesus’ message everywhere He went.
a. It was GOOD news – glad tidings!
b. Mar 1:14,15 Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.
c. Luke 8:1 And it came to pass afterward, that he went throughout every city and village, preaching and shewing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God: and the twelve were with him.
2. Paul loved preaching about the Kingdom of God
a. Act 19:8 And he (Paul) went into the synagogue, and spake boldly for the space of three months, disputing and persuading the things concerning the kingdom of God.
b. Not concerning health, wealth and prosperity
c. Not concerning Roman and Jewish politics
d. Not concerning economics and science and poetry
e. But about the FIRSTNESS of the Kingdom of God!
3. To be sure, There is a lot of confusion about the Kingdom of God
a. Many mistakes have been made because of misunderstanding “the kingdom”
1) Doctrinal mistakes and heresies – so grieving
2) Political mistakes and wars have been fought because of making the kingdom of God a church or denomination or nation or political leader
b. People have imagined that “the church” is a kingdom
1) Hence the Catholic and many protestant churches see themselves as God’s kingdom on earth
2) And believe themselves in power over all other kingdoms
c. Wars fought purely from a religious standpoint – the catholic kingdoms fought against the renegades of the protestant kingdoms
d. To this day, there are many big debates over “the kingdom”
1) What it is
2) Who is in it
3) How to get into it – by baptism, by proxy
4) Who will control it. Did you know that almost no wars were ever not fought over religion – people USE religion - but the fighting is always over WHO is in control!
4. What the Kingdom of God IS
a. It is a mystery to this world, only explained by Jesus - uses parables
1) The Kingdom of God is a mystery to solve
2) Mar 4:11 And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables:
b. It is NOT of this world – cannot be found here
1) Joh 18:36 Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence.
c. It is not physical or visible
1) Rom 14:17 For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.
2) Luk 17:20,21 And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you,
d. Yet it IS a kingdom, with laws, and citizenship, and a King, and subjects
1) Where sinners have been FORGIVEN, saved, born again
2) Where people are ALIVE and enjoying life, every moment
3) And where people are FREE of the dominion of sin and Satan and of the curse of their self
e. And everyone MUST get into it! (John 3:3)
B. In simple words, The Kingdom of God is…
1. God ruling in the hearts of willing men and women - overruling anything or anyone else!
2. That’s why it is called, SALVATION! Because GOD is allowed to take possession of your life, and take responsibility for your sin!
3. And it is THEN, while living under His rule, are we blessed / happy / satisfied!
4. This next year, we are going to study and learn how to LIVE in the Kingdom of God
C. Why is it so Important?
1. Because there is no life, no real life in any other kingdom – and remember, there are SEVEN to choose from
a. The unsaved live in two kingdoms
1) They live in the kingdom of this world
2) Which is under the dominion of the kingdom of Satan
b. Until you have been born again, you will never know or enjoy the riches of the kingdom of God
c. 1Co 2:12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.
d. 1Co 2:13 Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
e. 1Co 2:14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
f. 1Co 2:15 But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man.
2. Because you can fail at it
a. The entire Old Testament is a preview of what we are going to be learning about, and what we are to be striving to live in, and how easy it is to FAIL at living in the kingdom that God has designed for us to live in
b. The kingdom of Israel is a preview of the Kingdom of God – and Israel failed at trying to live in it
1) This Bible study will blow your mind!
2) You will never read the Old Testament the same again!
3.
There is a THIRD reason why it is
important to study…
Because you can also SUCCEED at living it and be more than a conqueror – you
can walk and live in victory over sin, and defeat, depression, sorrow and worry
D. What if you miss it?
1. You will live your life, like a vapour, and then die in your sins
a. John 3:3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
b. John 3:36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.
c. 1Cor 6:9-10 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.
2. You will miss the only reason for your life – to discover God as He is, and life as it was meant to be (1Cor 6:11) And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.
IV. Invitation
A. Today is Vision Sunday – I want you to see what you can be:
1. Forgiven, saved, born again
2. Alive and enjoying life
3. Free of the dominion of sin and Satan and of the curse of your self
B. But having a Vision is not enough. Having all the plans, and doing my best preaching and teaching will make no difference at all
C. Unless the HEARERS
1. Hunger, yearn for something greater than what THIS world could ever give you
2. Decide, commit to a kingdom greater than all the sorrow, all the failures, all the sins you have battled and lost to
D. Seek ye all first THIS kingdom! THAT will make the difference in your home!
E. Don’t miss getting into it by faith in Jesus Christ alone!