The Kingdom of God, Part 1

If you have your Bible, turn with me to Luke chapter 17. Luke chapter 17, and we're going to talk about a topic that is absolutely crucial for us to understand. The topic is the kingdom of God. The choir sang about Christ being the king of the nations. They sang about bowing down before that one king. We're going to talk to you this week and next week and the weeks after about the kingdom of God because the rest of chapter 17 is about that kingdom. When we come to chapter 21 of Luke, we will again address the issue of the kingdom of God.

But we need to understand how important it is to talk about the kingdom. Because the kingdom is your chief pursuit in life. The Bible says in Matthew 6, 33, seek ye first the kingdom of God.

And his righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you. So let's ask the question, did you pursue the kingdom of God this week? Or were you too busy pursuing your kingdom, the one you're trying to build? The Bible says that we are to pursue the kingdom of God.

The Bible says that we are to pray about the kingdom of God. Luke chapter 11, verse number 1. The disciples came to Jesus and they said, Lord, teach us how to pray. I mean, after all, that's all we see you doing. You're sneaking away in the middle of the night. You're getting up early in the morning. And all you're doing is praying. We want to be able to commune as you commune. So teach us how to pray. So Jesus says, when you pray, pray this way.

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. You want to pray my way? You better pray about the kingdom. Let me ask you a question.

In your prayer life this morning, did you pray about the kingdom of God? Throughout this week, was your prayer life consumed with the kingdom of God? Or was it consumed with your needs and your wants, your health, your financial issues? You see, we forget that in the Lord's Prayer, He tells us it's all about God and His glory. And then it's about man and his needs. It's about hallowing the name of God. It's about the kingdom of God. It's about the will of God. And then it's give us to stay our daily bread.

Then it's forgive us. And then it's lead us not into temptation. But it's all about God and His glory first.

Before you can ever pray about man and his needs. But you will notice that in our prayers, it's usually about our needs.

They become paramount. Instead of the kingdom of God. We address the topic of the kingdom of God because it is to be our pursuit in life. Matthew 6.33 It is to be that which we pray about most. That the kingdom of God would come to earth. And the rule of Christ would be here as it is in heaven. But on top of that, we are to portray the kingdom of God. Matthew 5, 6 and 7 It's all about how to live like a child of the king. It's all about being poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. It's about mourning over your sin.

It's about being merciful. It's about being a peacemaker. It's about living for the glory of God to hunger and thirst for righteousness. Those are the blessed people because they are consumed with the kingdom. So Christ in his very first sermon talks about citizens of the kingdom.

The children of the kingdom. That's what they look like. This is what they do. This is who they are. So he addresses on the Sermon on the Mount. Kingdom living. We are to portray the fact that the kingdom is where we live. We are not citizens of this world. We are citizens of another world. The world of God. And therefore we should portray heaven. We should portray the fact that Christ is our king. And we as the choir has just sung that we bow down before him. We sing no other song but the song of the king.

This past week did you portray to those around you that you are a child of the king? That you are a citizen of his kingdom? We are to pursue the kingdom of God. We are to pray about the kingdom of God. We are the people who are to portray the kingdom of God. The Bible says we are to proclaim the kingdom of God.

Luke chapter 8 verse number 1. Jesus went about preaching in the villages and the synagogues. Things pertaining to the kingdom of God. As well as his disciples. They did the same thing. You read the book of Acts. It was all about the kingdom of God. Jesus throughout the gospels preached things concerning the kingdom of God. When John the Baptist came he came preaching. Repent for the kingdom of God is at hand. Jesus followed saying repent for the kingdom of God is at hand. We are to proclaim the kingdom of God.

Our message centers around the king. A king that demands submission to all that he says. And we are to proclaim the fact that this king has a kingdom. And that kingdom will one day come to earth. That's our message. It's the message of the king. In a few weeks we will celebrate the birth of that king. But it's all about the kingdom of God. So we are to pursue the kingdom. We are to pray about the kingdom. We are to portray the kingdom. We are to proclaim the kingdom. We are to be preoccupied with the kingdom of God.

It should preoccupy everything we do. We should be so preoccupied with God and his kingdom. That's all we can think about. We are to be so heavenly minded we are no earthly good. But we're not. In fact Paul would say it this way in the book of Colossians. Chapter 3 verse number 1. If then you have been raised up with Christ. Keep seeking the things above where Christ is. Seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above. Not on things that are on the earth. For you have died and your life is sitting with Christ and God.

When Christ who is our life is revealed. Then you also will be revealed with him in glory. See the reason you can't function on earth. Is because you're not focused on heaven. It's as simple as that. The reason you can't function from day to day. Is because you are not focused above on heavenly things. And so we are to be so preoccupied with the kingdom. We are to be so preoccupied with the king that rules in that kingdom. That everything around us pales in comparison to God and his glory. So let me ask you.

Today are you preoccupied with the kingdom of God? Or does something else preoccupy your thinking? This past week were you preoccupied with the kingdom of God? Or were you preoccupied with work? Preoccupied with where you are financially? Preoccupied with your marriage? Your children? What preoccupies your time? It should be the kingdom of God. That's why it's so important to talk about the kingdom. And the reason we do is because the kingdom of God is priceless. Matthew 13. 45, 46 and 47. Speak about the fact that the kingdom of God is like a treasure.

The kingdom of God is like a pearl. That is that when you hunt for the treasure. Or when you come across the treasure. Or seek after the pearl. You will give away, sell everything that you have. In order to obtain that treasure or pearl. Because there is nothing on earth more important to you. Than the kingdom of God. And Christ when he gives us parables on the kingdom. In Matthew chapter 13. Talks to us about how priceless the kingdom is. There is nothing that compares to the kingdom of God. You see the reason we are not preoccupied with the kingdom.

Is because we don't see it as priceless. There is something more valuable to us than the kingdom of God. And that will always, always cause us to live fleshly carnal lives. And so it is important for us to realize that. But in spite of the fact that the kingdom of God is that which we are to pursue. The kingdom of God is that which we are to pray about. That we are to portray and proclaim and be preoccupied with. We find ourselves puzzled about the kingdom of God. We find ourselves perplexed about the kingdom of God.

Because we don't understand it. Thus we put ourselves in the sandals of the Pharisees. In the sandals of the disciples. Because they were perplexed as well. They were puzzled as well. The disciples should not have been puzzled. But they were. Up until the very end. When they would eventually say in Acts chapter 1. After Jesus would spend 40 days talking to them about what? The kingdom. Jesus rises from the dead. He spends 40 days according to Acts chapter 1. With his men talking to them about things pertaining to the kingdom.

That's what consumed their 40 day conference. It was all about the kingdom of God. That would allow them to ask this question. Is it at this time now Lord that you're going to restore the kingdom to Israel? Is now the time you're going to do that? They were prompted by the discussion about the kingdom of God. But yet they were still perplexed. And still puzzled as to why the kingdom had not yet come. So Jesus says these words.

Luke 17. That's our text. Two verses. 20 and 21. Which we'll consume this week. And next week. Now having been questioned by the Pharisees as to when the kingdom of God was coming. He answered them and said the kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed. Nor will they say look. Here it is. Or there it is. For behold the kingdom of God is in your midst. Or literally entos. Within you. Now these two verses open up to us the whole picture of the kingdom of God. And the succeeding verses will tell us more about the future kingdom of God.

But it's absolutely imperative that we be consumed with the king and his kingdom. It's absolutely imperative that we as believers understand the kingdom of God. And so we're going to spend some time talking to you about that kingdom. When we talk about kingdoms we don't necessarily understand kingdoms. Or kings. We are immediately drawn back to medieval times. And we think about King Arthur and Knights of the Round Table. And Camelot. And horses. And chariots. And that's what we think when we think about kingdoms.

Swords and gladiator fights and all that kind of stuff. Kingdoms are foreign to us. Kings are foreign to us. Oh there are some kings and queens still around today. But they're more symbolic than they are in terms of their rulership of their land. We don't understand in America kings and kingdoms. We live in a democracy. We don't live in a monarchy. But when you think of a king you think of someone who has authority. Power. Supremacy. Sovereignty. They can act at will. They can do whatever they want.

They're the king. It's like being the king of your house. Whatever you say goes because you're the king. As long as you ask your wife, right? But the fact is you're a king. And kings have sovereignty. Supremacy. Authority. Rulership. And yet that's foreign to us. In fact we live in a world that if somebody rises to power and they have too much power we do all we can to squelch it. Because we don't like dictators. We don't want people to have absolute sovereignty. We don't want one man making all the decisions.

That's a bad thing. We disdain that. And the very thing that we disdain God claims. He claims absolute supremacy. Absolute authority. Absolute sovereignty. Over you. And that's one of the problems we have unfortunately with God. He tells us what to do. And we can't change any decision he makes. Because he's king. In fact it's best described in Paul's epistle in Romans chapter 11 verse number 33. Oh the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God. How unsearchable are his judgments and unfathomable his ways.

For who has known the mind of the Lord or who became his counselor? Or who has first given to him that it might be paid back to him again?

For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever. Paul says everything in the world is about God. It originates from God. It goes through God. It comes back to God. Because he is the ruler of the world. He is the king of the universe. Back in the book of Isaiah. The prophet Isaiah said in chapter 40. Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand and marked off the heavens by the span. And calculated the dust of the earth by the measure. And weighed the mountains in a balance.

And the hills in a pair of scales. Who has directed the spirit of the Lord? Or who has or as his counselor has informed him. With whom did he consult? And who gave him understanding? And who taught him in the path of justice? And taught him knowledge? And informed him in the way of understanding? In other words all these rhetorical questions are asked. Who did this for God? The answer is nobody did. Why? Because. Do you not know? Verse 21. Have you not heard? Has it not been declared to you from the beginning?

Have you not understood from the foundation of the earth? It is he who sits above the vault of the earth. And its inhabitants are like grasshoppers. Who stretches out the heavens like a curtain. And spreads them out like a tent to dwell in. He it is who reduces rulers to nothing. And makes the judges of the earth meaningless. It's God who does that. Because God is supreme. God is sovereign. He rules over all. Isaiah 46. Remember this and be assured. We call it to mind you transgressors. Remember the former things long past.

For I am God and there is no other. I am God and there is no one like me. Declaring the end from the beginning. And from the ancient times things which have not been done. Saying my purpose will be established. And I will accomplish all my good pleasure. He does whatever he wants to do. He accomplishes his good pleasure. He declares the end from the beginning. God is absolutely sovereign. He is absolutely supreme. He is in absolute control of everything. He is the supreme dictator of the world. The world is a theocracy.

It's run by God. And yet so many times we miss that. Over in Psalm 33. It says this in verse number 6. By the word of the Lord the heavens were made. And by the breath of his mouth all their host. He gathers the waters of the sea together as a heap. He lays up the deeps and storehouses. Let all the earth fear the Lord. Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him. For he spoke and it was done. He commanded it and stood fast. The Lord nullifies the counsel of the nations. He frustrates the plans of the peoples.

The counsel of the Lord stands forever. The plans of his heart from generation to generation. Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord. The people whom he has chosen for his own inheritance. God frustrates the plans of the people. Let me ask you a question.

Are your plans frustrated today? Guess who does that? God frustrates your plans. He just wants you to understand. You're not in charge. He is the king. You are his subjects. He rules over all. The Bible says this.

A passage we read on Wednesday night. Ecclesiastes 3 verse number 14. I know that everything God does will remain forever. There is nothing to add to it. There is nothing to take from it. God is so worked that men should fear him. God does everything he does for one ultimate purpose. That you fear him. If you're having a problem with what God is doing. It's simply because you have not learned to fear him. That's why the Bible says in Psalm 99.1.

The Lord is in his temple. Let all the people tremble. He's in charge. He's running the universe. He runs it as he wills. Ecclesiastes 7 verse 13. Consider the work of God. For who is able to straighten what he has spent? In the day of prosperity be happy. But in the day of adversity consider. God has made the one as well as the other. So that man may not discover anything that will be after him. In other words Solomon says that God is so in control of everything. That in the day of adversity. Realize that you will never understand.

No matter how hard you try. What God is doing. You just can't. You must learn to rest in the fact. That he is a sovereign ruler of the universe. And that's why Charles Spurgeon said these words. There is no doctrine more hated by the world. No truth of which they have made such a football. As the great stupendous yet most certain doctrine. Of the sovereignty of the infinite Jehovah. Men will allow God to be everywhere except on his throne. They will allow him to be in his workshop. To fashion the worlds and make the stars.

They will allow him to sustain heaven and earth. And bear up the pillars thereof. They will even let him light the lamps of heaven. And rule the waves of the ever moving ocean. But when God ascends to his throne. His creatures gnash their teeth. And when we proclaim and enthrone God as preachers. And his right to do as he wills with his own. To dispose of creatures as he thinks well. Without consulting them in the matter. Then it is that we are hissed and execrated. Then it is that men turn a deaf ear to us.

For God on his throne is not the God. That the men of the world want to love. And that's true. There is a time that comes in every person's life. Where we have a problem with God and his sovereign rule over life. God is so sovereign. He determines who enters his kingdom. And who doesn't. If that bothers you. You have a problem with God. You have a supreme problem with God. And you better get that right. Because God is absolutely in control of every single thing in this world. And we need to understand that.

You can't even begin to address the topic of the kingdom of God. Unless you understand that God is king. And he is completely sovereign. He is completely supreme. He is completely authoritative. He rules over everything. And he rules everything. That is who our God is. So let me begin with an introduction about the kingdom of God.

And then we'll address the question about the kingdom of God. And then we'll look at the explanation that Christ gives about the kingdom of God.

Those are the three points we'll cover this week and next week. First of all, the introduction about the kingdom.

You must understand this about the kingdom of God. Number one, God is a universal king. He is king universally. That is, he is king over the entire universe. That's number one.

That is, he is an external king. He is king over everything physical, material, and immaterial. He is king over all. The Bible says this in Psalm 16, verse number 10.

The Lord is king forever. And then it says in Psalm 29, 10. The Lord, listen to this, sat as king at the flood. Do you believe that? He sat as king at the flood. That is, as king, he orchestrated and directed and designed the flood that would destroy everybody except eight. I wonder if in New Jersey that verse was read this year. The Lord sits as king at the flood. And then it says, yes, the Lord sits as king forever. Psalm 103, 19. The Lord has established his throne in the heavens. His sovereignty rules over all.

Jeremiah 10, verse number 10. The Lord is an everlasting king. 1 Timothy chapter 1, verse number 17 says this. Now to the king eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen. He is the only God. He is immortal. He is invisible. He sits on his throne. He rules over everything. That is, he is a universal king. You say, well, if he's the king of the universe, then why, why sin? Well, don't you know that as king who controls everything, God in his sovereignty simply directly causes or consciously permits everything that happens in the world.

As sovereign ruler, he directly causes or consciously permits everything that happens in the world. And God would consciously permit Adam and Eve to choose sin so that the greatest purpose of God would be accomplished in the end. In other words, we are better off because sin entered the world than if sin had never entered the world. I mean, if all God is king, right? He rules over all. He does as he pleases. He does everything as he designs it to happen. And so therefore, for sin to enter the world, it was the best way.

It was the only way for us to understand God. If sin would have never entered the world, what would we know about God's forgiveness? We wouldn't. How about his mercy? Wouldn't get it. How about grace? Wouldn't get that one either. Justice? Who knows? Judgment? Nothing. God wants us to know him all. He doesn't want us to know bits and pieces of him. He wants us to know everything about him. So for him to consciously permit sin to take place and run its course, he does it because the best way he will receive the greatest amount of glory is that way.

It's his kingdom. He's the king. He is a universal king. He's also the devil's king. Did you know that? He's the king of the devil. Now the devil doesn't get that yet. I'm not sure he ever will. He's such a master deceiver, he has deceived himself into thinking that one day he's going to win. And he can read the book of Revelation. He doesn't win. He loses. But he still thinks he's going to win. In spite of the fact that God has ordained the future. But our God is the devil's God. He rules over Satan.

Satan can't do anything unless he asks God's permission. He can't do anything unless he goes to God and says, Can I do this? And God will consciously permit Satan to do certain things. Ask Job. Job chapter 1, read it. The most righteous man on the face of the earth. And Satan had to ask God's permission to touch him. And God qualified each time what Satan could do. See, God's in charge. And if that doesn't clarify that for you, then nothing will. Because he is the devil's God as well. He is a universal God.

And so we understand the kingdom of God as the kingdom being a universal kingdom. An external kingdom over everything material and immaterial. God is over. He brought it into existence, how? By the word of his power. Oh, by the way, that's how he holds it all together. Remember back in Hebrews chapter 1? God, after he spoke long ago to the fathers and the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in his son. Oh, by the way, in the last of these days, which days are those?

The days in which God was speaking. By the way, God is no longer speaking. No longer speaking. In the last of these days, the days in which God was speaking, he spoke to us through his son, Jesus Christ. Those were the last days that Jesus spoke. And it says, God is so powerful that he upholds everything with a word. A word? He just speaks it. And it holds together. Over in the book of Colossians. Colossians chapter 1. It says this, verse 15. In other words, God is so directly and actively involved in the universe, that if at one time he decides not to hold it together anymore, guess what?

It will absolutely disintegrate. He holds it all together. By the word of his power. And we know that because of sin, that the second law of thermodynamics is in effect, that everything is going from bad to worse over time, and that as 2 Peter 3 says, that one day this whole world will be destroyed with fervent heat, and will absolutely go out of existence, and God will create a new heaven and a new earth.

How? By the word of his mouth. You see, that's how powerful God is. But when you think about the kingdom of God, you must think about him being a king universally. Over the material, as well as the immaterial. But there's a second aspect to the kingdom.

And that's this. He is a king spiritually. A king spiritually. In other words, the universal kingdom is external, and the spiritual kingdom is internal. It's personal. He is a king spiritually. This is crucial. Oh, by the way, he spoke the universal kingdom into existence. He also speaks the spiritual kingdom into existence. How did you get into the spiritual kingdom? Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word about the Christ. How were the words about the Christ given? They were inspired by the Spirit of God.

You are spoken into existence. By creation, God spoke. It existed. By recreation, God spoke. And you enter into his spiritual kingdom. That is absolutely astounding. God is so powerful that through the spoken word, lives are transformed. They are recreated. You become a new creature simply by the spoken word of God. As I said earlier, he is sovereign over who enters the kingdom and who does not enter the kingdom. I would hope that that doesn't bother you. Because it is God's kingdom. He is in charge.

You say, well, I've been praying for my husband or for my wife or for my children to get saved, and they're not. I've been praying for years, and they're not saved. How is it that God cannot elect or call or choose one of my family members not to be saved? Well, first of all, you don't know that he hasn't done that.

So why would you even ask the question? You have no idea. And number two, if he chooses not to, he is still the king.

He can do whatever he wants. And how dare you question his kingship? That is blasphemy. That is absolute blasphemy for you to say, you know what? Who is God not to save my husband? Why does he do that? I have no idea. I'm not God. I'm just praying like you are that God will save him. Should we pray for their salvation? Absolutely. Because God works through our prayers. Should we preach the gospel? Absolutely. But God is still sovereign over who enters his kingdom and who does not enter his kingdom because he is the king.

See, we must learn to rest in the fact that he is absolutely sovereign. He is absolutely supreme. He can do whatever he wants to do however he wants to do it because he is the king. That riles our feathers. We have a hard time with that because we so desperately want to be in charge. And God keeps doing things to remind you you're not. And until you submit to his kingship and come to that place, he will keep reminding you that you're not in charge. And will do everything he can to keep you abreast of the fact that he is the king.

He rules over all. So important to understand. As he is personally involved and directly upholds all things by the word of his power, so too he is directly involved not only in the universal kingdom but in the spiritual kingdom, the personal kingdom, your life. Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. God resides in you. God the Spirit's in you. God the Father's in you. And God the Son is in you. All you got to do is read John's Gospel and realize that the whole triune nature of God resides within your body.

Your body is a temple of the Spirit of God. And he is actively and directly moving in your life. That's why you can talk about the security of the believer with confidence because God's in charge. He is in absolute charge of your spiritual destiny. And when the Lord came, the Lord came to this earth. He was the exact representation of God, the express image of the Father. When he came to the earth, he did not come to establish his authority over the universal kingdom. He already has that. He's in charge.

He didn't come to establish his authority over the external kingdom, which is the universal kingdom, the material as well as the immaterial. He already has that. So why did he come to earth? He came to earth to establish his rule in the personal kingdom, the spiritual kingdom. That's why he came. So that people's hearts and lives would personally submit to the authority and sovereignty and supremacy of Jesus Christ as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. How do you know he didn't come to establish his authority over the universal kingdom?

Because he already has that. How do you know that? Because when he was here, when he said, hush, be still to the waves, they immediately became still. And the sea became calm like glass. When he wanted to create food, he created food with a spoken word. When he wanted to heal somebody, he healed them with a spoken word. Some he touched, but for the majority, he healed with a spoken word. When someone was diseased, he healed the diseased. When someone was demon possessed, he cast out the demon. Why?

Because he has absolute authority over the physical and the immaterial realm. He has all that authority. He can do whatever he wants. See? He's in charge. So when he came to earth, he didn't come to establish his reign over the external kingdom, the universal kingdom. He has that. He came to establish his reign in the internal kingdom. That is the spiritual kingdom, the hearts and lives of people that he will call his own. This is important to understanding the text and the future kingdom of Israel.

Now, the Jews, they didn't get that. They didn't see that because they could read Isaiah chapter 11 and Isaiah chapter 12. They could read Psalm 2, Isaiah 65, Joel chapter 2. They could read all those verses. And they didn't understand a spiritual rulership. Because, you see, a Jew didn't see himself in need of a savior because he didn't see himself in need of saving. He didn't see himself as a sinner separated from God. So when Jesus came and spoke about his kingdom, they were baffled. They were confused.

They were puzzled because it didn't seem to ring true of what they read in the Old Testament. Because when they read the Old Testament, they read about cataclysmic events, signs in the sky that would happen. The stars would roll up like a scroll. The earth would become, or the sky would become dark. It would become gloomy. There would be huge signs that would take place. And here is Jesus saying that he's a king, but there are no external signs happening in the skies. They don't see anything happening.

So they're a little puzzled. Even John the Baptist, he was puzzled. And he came proclaiming that Jesus was Messiah and that the kingdom of God was at hand. And yet when he was in prison, what did he do? This doesn't ring true. It can't be true. If God's a king, why am I in prison? You've asked the same question. If God is king, why are things so bad in my life? If God is sovereign, why am I in prison? If God is sovereign, why are things falling apart in my life? John the Baptist asked that question.

If you're the Messiah, if you're the guy presenting the kingdom, you're the king of the kingdom, how come I'm here? How come you're not getting me out of here? And then he ended up dying and getting beheaded to make matters worse. But he went to glory. Praise be to God for that. But the bottom line is this. We get to the place where we become disillusioned about the kingship of the Messiah, don't we? How many times have you been disillusioned about the sovereignty and the kingship of Jesus Christ, our Lord?

Things just aren't going your way. Your job's not. Your marriage isn't. Your kids aren't. Things are just falling all apart. Does that mean that God has stepped off his throne for a moment? Nope. Still there. Still ruling. Still reigning supreme. And so the Jews, they're looking at this thing thinking, where are all the signs? In fact, in fact, there was a time they tried to force Christ to be king. Remember that? John chapter 6. He fed the 5,000. And they wanted to take him by force and make him their king.

Why? Because if he can do this with food, what can he do in battle? What can he do personally for us? He had healed so many people. He fed 5,000, which really was around 20,000 to 25,000 people, with just a spoken word. If he can do this, he's got to be the king. So they wanted to take him by force to make him their king because, you see, he was going to do for them. You see, God's okay to be king if he continues to do for me. If he continues to satisfy me, I enjoy him as king. But the moment he makes a decision that I don't agree with, he says, I don't like his kingship.

Is that not true? Sure it is. And, boy, he's feeding the 5,000. They want to take him by force and make him their king. In fact, right before the triumphal entry in Luke 19, turn there with me if you would for a second, please.

This is one page over. Luke 19. This is right before the triumphal entry. And while they were listening to these things, he went on to tell a parable because he was near Jerusalem, and they supposed that the kingdom of God was going to appear immediately. Boy, it's going to come. It's going to happen right now.

He's on his way to Jerusalem. Something's going to happen in the sky. And that's why when he went into Jerusalem, they had the palm branches out. They were singing Hosanna, save now.

They recognized Jesus as their king. They thought for sure that all the cataclysmic events of Joel chapter 2, Isaiah chapter 65, Isaiah 11 and 2, everything that was going to take place, that the wolf would lie down with the lamb, that the lion would eat straw with the ox, and that everything would go well, and that a child would put their hand in a snake pit and not get bitten, and that everything would be peaceful on the earth. There would be no more death and no more disease and no more pain. But it's got to be commenced with a cataclysmic event in the sky.

It's got to happen. It didn't. So a few days later, they yelled the crucifixion. Because Jesus didn't do what they wanted him to do. That's a lot of people today. Jesus is not doing for me. He's not coming through for me. Really? I'm sorry. I'm not sure Jesus is supposed to come through for anybody. Jesus does what he wants to do, when he wants to do it, and how he wants to do it. He's king. He's sovereign. He's the ruler of the world. He can do whatever he wants. See? And who are we to question?

Job questioned for quite a while until he finally said in Job 42, I know that the plans of God cannot be thwarted.

I can't change them. I repent in dust and ashes. I've heard thee with the hearing of the ear. But now my eyes have seen thee. What has he seen? What did Job see? He saw the absolute sovereign rulership of the king. He had not seen that before. And once he recognized that God is the king, he rules over all, he realized that no purpose of God can be thwarted. God is going to carry out his plan in his own time, in his own way, just as he wills. And so when you come to verse number 20, let's at least get into one part of the verse today.

Now having been questioned by the Pharisees as to when the kingdom of God was coming, when's it going to come? When? If you're the king, if you're the Messiah, you keep saying you're the king, you're preaching about the kingdom, if that's the case, when's it going to come? We're waiting. Show it to us now.

Later on, in answering that his disciples said to him, where, Lord, is the kingdom? Where? The Pharisees asked when, the disciples asked where? Where's the kingdom? When's it coming? And Jesus would respond to a question they asked by saying, I got news for you. It's not coming like you think it is. And you see, they prized themselves on being experts of the law. They prized themselves in being the exact interpreters of the law. And you see, the Old Testament clearly taught two comings of the Messiah.

They only saw one coming. But the Old Testament taught both comings of the Messiah, very clearly. Because for them to think their Messiah would come and die was absurd to them. But the Old Testament taught the death of the Messiah. And it taught the resurrection of the Messiah. You see, it wasn't that they were the experts on the law because they weren't. They thought they were. The problem was, is they didn't understand the law. They didn't understand what the prophets had said. That's why Jesus kept going back after his resurrection, filling in all the blanks, saying this was all said in Moses, in the law of the prophets.

This is what was prophesied. My death and resurrection, it was all there. You missed it. Why did they miss it? Because they didn't want to know that part about God that didn't appeal to them. Why is it we miss so much about God? Those things don't appeal to us. It doesn't benefit me to know that my Messiah will die. It doesn't benefit me to know that Messiah won't do for me as I hope he will do for me. What benefits me is that he'll feed me, he'll heal me, I'll get better, and things will get easier.

That's the Messiah I want to serve. But if I have to serve a Messiah where I have to give up my life to submit to his kingship and his rulership, I'm not so sure I want to do that. And Jesus came preaching the kingdom of God. It's at hand. And Jesus said to them, you know what, it's not going to happen like you think it's going to happen. Because you see, there will be a millennial reign of Christ. There is a universal reign when it comes to the kingdom. That's external. There is a spiritual reign, that's internal.

There will be a millennial reign, that is literal, over the earth. And that millennial reign will lead into the eternal reign of God forever and ever and ever. With a new heaven and a new earth where righteousness only dwells. And that's where we will be forever for those of us who know him. So the question comes for all of us. Where is the kingdom in your mind? In your life? Have you pursued the kingdom of God? Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness.

Do you pray about the kingdom of God? That God's kingdom will come to earth and rule as it is in heaven? Do you portray the kingdom of God? Do you portray the fact that you are totally submissive to the king of the universe, to those around about you? Do you portray to your children that whatever God says we will do no matter what it costs us?

Do you portray that? Do you portray that there is a king and you are a citizen of that kingdom and whatever the king says you obey? Do you proclaim that kingdom? Are you the kind of person that speaks about the king and his glorious kingdom? I would trust that you are that kind of person. Because as we embark on this Christmas season it's all about the birth of the king. What does that mean? Well hopefully we've helped you begin to understand that today and the weeks to come we'll even make it more clear to you.

Let's pray. Father we thank you lord for your word that so clearly tells us and details for us you as our king. We are grateful lord for your salvation. We are grateful lord for your sovereign control of this universe. That we can rest in the fact that you rule over all. And we pray lord that you will be ruling in the hearts of those who are here today. That no one would leave rejecting your rulership. No one would leave rebelling against your rulership. But living in submission to the king of kings and lord of lords.

We pray in Jesus name. Amen.