Today, we conclude our four-week series on discovering the Kingdom of God. What a journey of discovery it’s been!
During week one, we saw that Jesus preached “the gospel of the Kingdom of God.” His gospel includes the good news of forgiveness of sin, AND it’s actually greater than we first imagined … Jesus invites us to consider the possibilities of changed lives here and now, even as we pray for His will to be done “on earth as it is in heaven.”
In week two, we discovered that the values of God’s Kingdom differ radically from the values of this world. That’s not really a surprise to us. But this means for followers of Jesus, we will have radically different priorities in our daily choices.
In week three, we explored the Old Testament and discovered that the gospel of the kingdom is hidden inside of the Exodus story and inside of King David’s story. We also discovered that Isaiah prophesied about a glorious and eternal kingdom with Jesus as King that would last forever.
Now, in this final week, perhaps we could take some time to use our imagination about what it would be like … IF we lived our lives truly as subjects of King Jesus.
How would your world be different, if you lived today under the lordship of Jesus as King?
And not just each of us individually, but also how would our lives be different together as a community – because a kingdom is a community … a community of believers, a community of disciples of Jesus. With God’s help, we will explore these questions today.
You’ll notice that I earlier used the word “imagination.” This is an important word, because in order to experience spiritual transformation in our lives, we must be able to …
SEE and BELIEVE … that there is a new way to live.
I think that’s one reason why Jesus said unless you are born again you cannot see God’s Kingdom. In John chapter 3, Jesus talked about seeing the Kingdom of God, and then He talked about entering the Kingdom of God.
It all starts with the new birth, which enables us to see God’s Kingdom. To be able to effectively see and enter God’s Kingdom in our day-to-day lives, I believe requires a little bit of sanctified imagination.
So, right now, I would like you to imagine the answer to a very simple question. Here is the question…
“What if you woke up tomorrow morning to find that heaven had come to earth … what would your world be like?”
I am essentiality asking you to imagine heaven on earth. The rules for this little exercise are simple…
Imagine that Heaven has somehow come to earth.
Now, you are still the same person. Everyday your life still goes on. If you’re a student, you’re still a student. If you have a job, you still go to work. You still live in the same neighborhood with the same family. But now use your imagination to consider how, exactly, the world changed?
When others have been asked this question, here are some actual answers people in a focus group have given…
- “Heaven’s nature would begin to alter the workings of the earth and wipe out the impure creations of man.”
- “God would be everywhere. God would give you advice, spend the day with you, make sure everyone was fed, and most importantly share His wisdom with us all.”
- “No one would be lonely or without a companion.”
- “No one would have to suffer, because in God’s home you can find everything you need.”
- “Famine would be completely erased. Sadness would be no more. Not one tear would be shed.”
- “The people on earth would be 100% stress free. No one would ever need to worry about anything at all. They would laugh and carry on as if they had no sense of time or worry, and the normal stress I feel would be gone.”
- “How could you be sad with so much love and compassion around you?”
- “You could be yourself and be with Jesus.”
Do all these comments give you a sense of confident hope? This question is an invitation to consider what your world would be like, if God answered the prayer we found in the Sermon on the Mount, “Your kingdom come; your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.”
Theologians DID NOT give these answers that you just heard. They were real answers from real people – some may not have even been Christians! But these answers demonstrate that most people have the seed of the Kingdom of God already within their hearts. They intuitively know what the coming of God’s Kingdom looks like.
You see, the good news isn’t SOLELY about going to heaven when you die; it’s about what Jesus has done to bring heaven here to earth.
One Pastor (John Ortberg) put it like this …
“Salvation is less about getting you into heaven than getting heaven into you.” That idea changes our perspective, doesn’t it?
And heaven does not “get into” us accidentally. We don’t accidentally fall down the stairs and stand up as a radically changed person. No, it takes spiritual discipline to put God’s words into practice. And those who begin to do so grow into and experience the peace and joy He promises.
It’s astonishing to see how many people think that because Jesus’ words in the Sermon on the Mount are poetic, or beautiful, that somehow He really didn’t expect us to give them a try.
We began our series three weeks ago by paying close attention to what Jesus said about His Kingdom. Right in the middle of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus instructs us to pray that His Kingdom could somehow find expression on the earth (Matthew 6:10). Then, in that very same Sermon on the Mount, He commands us plainly…
“Seek first His kingdom … and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Matthew 6:33)
First there is praying; then there is seeking. These are things within our reach – we can do them both. There is a grand future awaiting us when we determine to put the words of Jesus into practice.
Yes, heaven is a part of that future for believers, but we don’t have to wait until we die in order to see the beginnings of this grand future.
Listen to the words of Jesus as He closes His Sermon on the Mount…
“Therefore, everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock … it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.
But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand … it fell with a great crash.” Matthew 7:24-27
I think everyone wants to build their house on the rock. No one wants to have their life’s work come crashing down around them. That being said, here is the most important question we should ask about Jesus’ parable … “What is the rock?” What say you?
I have heard some people answer quickly and say that, “Jesus is the Rock.” Well, to be sure, there are other places in the Scriptures where Jesus is compared to a solid, firm rock or foundation – but that’s not the answer here.
Still others might answer, “The Word of God,” which is always a good answer – but it’s not the right answer either, in this case. So, what IS the rock in this story? Listen to the text again where Jesus says,
“Everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.”
In this case, the correct answer is putting Jesus’ words into practice. In this particular parable, it’s the only difference between the house built on the rock and the house built on the sand.
Think of it … at the end of this great sermon, Jesus challenges His listeners (including us today) to actually try to put His words into practice.
Notice that Jesus does not demand complete and perfect obedience … not at all … He says “practice.” He knows we cannot ever be perfect this side of heaven, but we can practice carrying out His words daily.
The way to build your life on a firm foundation, one that will not be destroyed in the storms of life, is to do your very best to carry out the words of Jesus.
For example, everything that Jesus talked about previously in chapters five, six, and seven are given to us for life in His Kingdom. In fact, biblical scholars call the Sermon on the Mount “the constitution of the Kingdom of God.”
This great sermon of Jesus is all about living in God’s Kingdom in the here and now. The Lord’s instructions to us reveal the values of God’s Kingdom and the practices of His Kingdom subjects. Jesus is teaching us a new way to live – in a new kingdom … His Kingdom.
At the end of this Kingdom of God sermon, Jesus simply invites his listeners to take His words and put them to the test. When we put them into practice, we will discover that the blessings of heaven can begin to break into our lives now.
As we continue to commit our lives to Jesus, we need to increasingly put Jesus’ words to the test.
Not as a philosophy test, but as a practical application for daily life decisions and choices.
To be sure, there are some things that are only reserved for us in heaven, but I suspect that there is far more peace and joy available to us right now then we ever imagined. After all, the apostle Paul, quoting the Old Testament, entices us with these words…
“What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived – the things God has prepared for those who love him – these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit.” 1 Corinthians 2:9-10
Here’s one final question, for believers and seekers alike – when does eternal life begin? The surprising answer? Right now … through faith in Christ, we can live forever with Jesus … starting right now.
I invite you to taste and see that the Lord is good. Even if you already know Him, there is more to taste daily in the Kingdom of God, since one’s faith needs to always grow … there is no such thing as a stable faith … faith always increases as we learn to better practice daily living in God’s Kingdom in the here and now. Amen.