February 28, 2016 A.D., by Pastor Ben Willis

Acts 28:17-31 [NLTse]
17 Three days after Paul’s arrival, he called together the local Jewish leaders. He said to them, “Brothers, I was arrested in Jerusalem and handed over to the Roman government, even though I had done nothing against our people or the customs of our ancestors. 18 The Romans tried me and wanted to release me, because they found no cause for the death sentence. 19 But when the Jewish leaders protested the decision, I felt it necessary to appeal to Caesar, even though I had no desire to press charges against my own people. 20 I asked you to come here today so we could get acquainted and so I could explain to you that I am bound with this chain because I believe that the hope of Israel—the Messiah—has already come.”
21 They replied, “We have had no letters from Judea or reports against you from anyone who has come here. 22 But we want to hear what you believe, for the only thing we know about this movement is that it is denounced everywhere.”
23 So a time was set, and on that day a large number of people came to Paul’s lodging. He explained and testified about the Kingdom of God and tried to persuade them about Jesus from the Scriptures. Using the Law of Moses and the books of the prophets, he spoke to them from morning until evening. 24 Some were persuaded by the things he said, but others did not believe. 25 And after they had argued back and forth among themselves, they left with this final word from Paul: “The Holy Spirit was right when he said to your ancestors through Isaiah the prophet,
26 ‘Go and say to this people: When you hear what I say, you will not understand. When you see what I do, you will not comprehend. 27 For the hearts of these people are hardened, and their ears cannot hear, and they have closed their eyes—so their eyes cannot see, and their ears cannot hear, and their hearts cannot understand, and they cannot turn to me and let me heal them.’
28 So I want you to know that this salvation from God has also been offered to the Gentiles, and they will accept it.”
30 For the next two years, Paul lived in Rome at his own expense. He welcomed all who visited him, 31 boldly proclaiming the Kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ. And no one tried to stop him.

Sermon
The Kingdom of God is the main theme of Jesus’ life and ministry.
At the beginning of His ministry on Earth, Jesus said, “The time promised by God has come at last! The Kingdom of God is near! Repent of your sins and believe the Good News!” (Mark 1:15) The majority of the Lord Jesus’ parables described the Kingdom. The sign Pontius Pilate had posted on Jesus’ cross read – in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek – “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” And even after He was raised from the dead, as the Lord was preparing His disciples for His return to Heaven, Luke wrote of Jesus, “During the forty days after His crucifixion, He appeared to the apostles from time to time, and He proved to them in many ways that He was actually alive. And He talked to them about the Kingdom of God.” (Acts 1:3)

But the Kingdom is not just a “Jesus” or a “New Testament” reality. Israel saw itself as the Kingdom of God.

When the Lord had brought Israel safely through the Red Sea but had drowned Pharaoh’s chariots in the waters, Moses and his sister, Miriam, sung a victory song that ends, “You will bring Your people in and plant them on Your Own mountain – the place, O LORD, reserved for Your Own dwelling, the sanctuary, O Lord, that Your hands have established. The LORD will reign forever and ever!” Moses and Miriam and the Israelites saw their victory over Egypt as the victory of God’s Kingdom over Pharaoh’s kingdom! “The LORD will reign forever and ever!”
Before Saul and David became the first kings of Israel and Judah, judges ruled over the united tribes of Israel. The prophet Samuel was the last of those judges, and when he was growing old the leaders of the people came to him and asked him to appoint them a king like the nations around them had. Samuel was not happy with their request, but he took it to the LORD. And God told him, “Do everything they say to you, for it is Me they are rejecting, not you. They don’t want Me to be their king any longer.” (1 Samuel 8)

Of course, the kings of Israel and Judah were always supposed to govern in God’s name. And sometimes they did. (King David sang of God’s Kingdom: “The Lord has made the heavens His throne; from there He rules over everything.” [Psalm 103:19]) But most of the time the kings didn’t.

So the prophets began expecting a day when God would again be their king, and yet with Israel having the human king they’d asked for, as well. The prophet Isaiah foretold this most specifically when he said: “A Child is born to us, a Son is given to us. The government will rest on His shoulders. And He will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His government and its peace will never end. He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of His ancestor David for all eternity.” (9:6-7)

Jesus Christ has established the Kingdom of God, and He also makes the Way for human beings to enter into it. “For God loved the world so much that He gave His one and only Son, that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16) And the Lord Jesus said, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one can come to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6) And speaking about being baptized with water and being baptized with the Holy Spirit, Jesus said, “I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit.’” (John 3:5)

The Kingdom of God is made up of every created being, both in Heaven and on Earth, that has willingly subjected themselves to the Lord and is in fellowship with Him. So, the Kingdom of God includes created angels and human beings, as well. It is eternal, as God is eternal, and it is spiritual—found within and among all born-again believers. We enter the Kingdom of God when we are born again by our faith and trust in Christ, and we are then part of that Kingdom for eternity.

The gospel of the Kingdom is the good-news message of repentance, redemption, and restoration offered by God to all who will receive Jesus Christ. Those who accept Christ become part of God’s eternal Kingdom (John 1:12). Those who choose to remain in their sin cannot be a part of this Kingdom (1 Corinthians 6:9–10; Galatians 5:19–21). Although God’s grace makes Christ available to anyone who will receive Him, even so, Jesus warned that it would be very difficult to enter His Kingdom, and that few would do so (Matthew 7:14).

The gospel of the Kingdom is the news that there is freedom from our slavery to sin if we will repent of our sins and turn to God, that is, changing our ways in favor of God’s ways (Romans 6:18–19). Our Redeemer has come! But it is difficult to enter God’s Kingdom. Not because God has set impossible standards for us, but because human beings don’t want to repent and change. In John 3:19, Jesus says that humanity tends to love the Darkness more than the Light. Many would rather cling to their old sinful identities than allow Jesus to create them anew (2 Corinthians 5:17).

Those who receive the gospel of the Kingdom become citizens of Heaven and are freed from bondage to this world (Galatians 4:3–9). In 2 Corinthians 5:20 the apostle Paul refers to God’s children as “ambassadors” for our heavenly Father. Just as an earthly ambassador retains his national identity when representing his country in another country, we who are the spiritual ambassadors of God’s Kingdom owe our allegiance to God even as we live in this world. We must follow our heavenly Father’s code of conduct while dwelling on earth. We don’t need to conform to this world’s habits, values, and lifestyle, because this world is not our home (Romans 12:1–2; 1 John 2:15–17).
Jesus said to Pontius Pilate, “My Kingdom is not of this world” (John 18:36). So, although we must live here until God calls us home, we are not to live for ourselves or according to this world’s value system. Those who have been bought by the blood of Jesus have been given the right to live according to God’s value system and to call upon God’s empowerment as we carry out the assignments given us by our Father the King.

Of course, this empowerment comes from our being filled with and cooperating with God’s Spirit. “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you,” Jesus said (Acts 1:8). And we’ve been reading about God developing His Kingdom as we’ve been reading through the Book of Acts. We’ve seen the Church growing in loving, practical fellowship with one another (Acts 2:42-47), and, we’ve seen the Church growing in empowered witness and ministry to show the love, grace, and reality of Jesus Christ in all they said and did, inviting people to receive salvation and join the Kingdom as they’ve gone along. (Acts 3, 4:1-21)
And so the Lord Jesus charges us to seek God’s Kingdom first, and God’s righteous-lifestyle, promising that, as we do so, that God will then take care of all our needs.
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But, as we close, how do we know if we’re truly seeking God’s Kingdom first? I charge each of us today and this week to look at our lives and ask ourselves. “Where do I primarily spend my self and my stuff? Do I spend my time, money, and energy on goods and activities that will certainly perish with this world? Or do I live for and invest in the service and priorities of God—the results of which live on for eternity?” Christians who have learned to truly put God first can truly rest in the Kingdom’s promised economy: As Jesus promised, “…He will give you everything you need.”