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Kingdom Power

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Kingdom Power

Acts 1:4-8

 

Introduction:

 

I want us to continue our study of the Book of Acts.  Our study titled Authentic Christianity.  There is no better place for us to be on this mission's emphasis weekend.  It is my desire before we close our worship in the Word; that each of us come to a greater understanding of the mission of the church.  The advancing of the gospel is not left in the hands of missionaries alone.  There is a very close partnership that must happen.

 

The title of our study is Kingdom Power.   Acts 1; Ps 72, Matt 12, Matt 16

 

We would think of a king ruling over a kingdom.

Who are some kings and queens you can think of?

Wesley Deuwell was to meet the queen of England while she was on a trip to India.  He was told "Wesley, do not speak to the Queen unless she speaks to you first.  You do not speak to royalty unless royalty speaks to you"

 

The followers of Jesus, while he was walking the streets of the towns and villages of Israel, were mesmerized by the thought and possibility of Him establishing his kingdom.

 

Why the big concern over the kingdom of God.  Why is it that the disciples, Pharisees and many others in the New Testament are so infatuated with the idea of the Kingdom of God?  Why is the last question which the disciples asked Jesus, before His ascension back to heaven, about the kingdom?  Do they just have a one track mind?  Is it out of selfish ambition they are questioning Jesus.  We must note here the exact form of the question.  "Will you at this time restore the kingdom of God"?

 

Read Acts 1:4-8

 

The question itself gives us a clue to the importance of the kingdom.  Something can only be restored if had and existence in the past.   If we restore a piece of heirloom furniture we take it back to its original condition.  So, at some point in the past the Kingdom of God must have been in existence.

 

I want to bring to your attention a brief overview of the Kingdom of God as we find it in both the Old and New Testaments.  A correct understanding of the nature and importance of the Kingdom of God in the past, now in the present and at some point to the final culmination in the future will help us grasp the importance of Jesus' answer to their question. It has tremendous importance and impact on us as the followers of Christ, as the community of believers here in October 2008.

 

If you would say this morning, Pastor Ed I have come to an understanding that my sin has separated me from God.  And I understand that Christ died on the cross to pay the penalty of my sin so that I can be restored to a right relationship with my creator, then you are a child of the kingdom we will talk about today.

 

If you cannot say the above, then I exhort, encourage you and if necessary beg you, to lay aside the pride that is keeping you from acknowledging you are a sinner and place faith in Christ.  If you will do that, then you will become a child of the kingdom found here in the book of Acts.

 

 

Let's begin our overview.  I will abbreviate large spans of history so as not to keep you here all day. Here is our first point.

 

The Kingdom of God.

 

The story begins back in the Garden of Eden.  From the moment sin entered into God's newly created kingdom there has been a restoration project in process.  Later God is saving His kingdom in the saving of Noah and his family from the judgment of the flood.

 

That brings us to the land of Ur and a man named Abram, who later was name Abraham by God. God speaks to Abraham and tells him to take his family and possessions and set out on a journey to a land that God will show him.

 

Genesis 12:1-3

(1) Now the Lord said to Abram, "Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. (2) And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. (3) I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed." 

 

The story of the kingdom of God is the unfolding of the promise made by God to Abraham before he left the land of UR to travel to what would later be called the Promised Land, the land of Israel. 

 

In His covenant with Abraham, God set up a principle of mediation by which he would relate to the rest of humanity through the descendants of Abraham.

 

 

When God rescued Abraham and his extended family from the land of Egypt He made them into a nation.  And to this nation He makes a covenant with them through His servant Moses.

Most of what the Old Testament has to say concerning the Kingdom is found in this covenant relationship with Abraham and the following Mosaic covenant.

 

 

The kingdom of God is seen to be placed in the hands of leaders such as Moses, Joshua, Judges and finally a king in the person of King David.

 

 

The reigns of Kings David and Solomon typify the ideal of God's earthly kingdom during the Mosaic dispensation.  The king was to exemplify the nations covenant response to God, loving the Lord with all his heart, trusting in Him alone and walking in His ways.  The king would be an instrument by which God's kingdom over Israel and over all nations would be established.  So went the King's relationship so went the relationship of the people of Israel to God.  We have the record of both good and bad kings. 

 

It is through King David that God promises a King who will rule for all eternity.  He is speaking of none other than the Lord Jesus Christ, who humanly speaking came as an ancestor of David and in fulfillment of the promised kingdom given to David.

 

All the time there is the promise and the hope of the establishing of a kingdom in which there would be no more war, famine or turning away from God.

 

2 Samuel 7:16-17

(16) And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.' " (17) In accordance with all these words, and in accordance with all this vision, Nathan spoke to David.

 

The Psalms present the kingdom as a kingdom of righteousness.  Let me give you just one example.  Look in Psalm 72 with me please.

 

(Read Ps 72

 

As time progresses, God reveals more and more concerning the coming eternal kingdom that will be ruled over by his son, the promised Messiah.

 

Daniel makes mention of the coming kingdom.

 

Daniel 2:44

And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall the kingdom be left to another people. It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand forever,

 

Daniel 7:13-14

(13) "I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. (14) And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.

 

Daniel 7:27

And the kingdom and the dominion and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High; their kingdom shall be an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey them.' 

 

 

Yes, I am abbreviating much concerning the Kingdom in the Old Testament.  When we get to the New Testament the idea of a coming kingdom is anticipated as that time when God would set up a restored kingdom through the promised Messiah.

 

Israel's hope is thus rooted in history, or rather in the God who works in history. God will finally break into history in a glorious theophany to establish his rule in all the earth. The source of the kingdom is not history itself, but God.

 

A theophany is the appearance or manifestation of God.

Theophanies served to forcibly impress upon God's people the existence and sovereignty of God as well as to assure them of God's presence with and concern for his people.

 

Christ is the greatest of Theophanies, because he is God himself in the flesh.

 

The angle says to Mary, the mother of Christ.

 

Luke 1:32-33

(32) He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, (33) and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end."

 

John the Baptist' preaching is in preparation for the kingdom.

 

Matthew 3:1-3

(1) In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, (2) "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." (3) For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said, "The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord; make his paths straight.' "

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Kingdom is the central theme of Jesus' teaching.

 

Mark 1:14-15

(14) Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, (15) and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel."

 

He says to Nicodemus.

 

John 3:5-8

(5) Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. (6) That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. (7) Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.' (8) The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit."

 

 

 

 

Matthew 12:22-30

(22) Then a demon-oppressed man who was blind and mute was brought to him, and he healed him, so that the man spoke and saw. (23) And all the people were amazed, and said, "Can this be the Son of David?" (24) But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, "It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this man casts out demons." (25) Knowing their thoughts, he said to them, "Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand. (26) And if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? (27) And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. (28) But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. (29) Or how can someone enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? Then indeed he may plunder his house. (30) Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.

 

 

 

 

Jesus asks the disciples who they thought he was.

 

Matthew 16:15-19

(15) He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" (16) Simon Peter replied, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." (17) And Jesus answered him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. (18) And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. (19) I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."

 

 

The disciples had every reason to expect the inauguration of the promised kingdom in which the Messiah would rule from the throne.

 

Matthew 19:28

28 Jesus said to them, "Truly, I say to you, in the new world, when the Son of Man will sit on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

 

 

The Power of the Spirit of God

 

Kingdom is present because Jesus is present

 

The Gospels present Jesus speaking of the kingdom being present in his own day by virtue of the fact that he Himself, the Christ, is present and ministering by the power of the Holy Spirit.

 

Luke 17:20-21

²⁰Being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, he answered them, "The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed, ²¹nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!' or ‘There!' for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you."

 

 

Kingdom means power

 

Kingdom was present because Jesus was there and because the Holy Spirit was upon him.  It was through the power of the Spirit that Christ performed miracles.  It is the power of God that advances and presents His kingdom. 

 

 

 

 

John 5:19

(19) So Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise.

 

Matthew 12:28

(28) But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. 

 

Look at verse eight with me.

 

Acts 1:8

8But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." 

 

 

When we look at Acts, the Kingdom is not leaving because Jesus is leaving.  Jesus had told the disciples earlier that it was important for them to wait because He was sending another helper to them.  A helper that would take up residence within them.

 

The Church must be looked at as the presence of a phase of the kingdom of God.  This presence guarantees the future coming of the kingdom in all of its fullness.  In the fullness of both political and spiritual power.

 

 

The kingdom of God did not leave the day Christ left.  It remains today in the form of the Church.  NO it is not the eternal kingdom from which Christ will rule.  However it is present in the spiritual sense.  It is the progressive unfolding of the restoration of the kingdom of God that began way back in the Garden and was later ratified to Abraham and all of Israel.  That kingdom has now been extended to us, the Gentiles.

 

 

 

 

 

 

So What?

 

Why is it important for us to recognize the connection between verses 6-7 and verse 8?  Because it is the lifeline by which we are to live and move about this world that we have been placed in.

 

Key Thought: All the power of God resides with His Church because it is the present kingdom of God that is leading to the eternal Kingdom of God.

 

 

 

The power that was upon Christ to walk on water, heal the blind and to teach with life changing power is now present and available to every believer in Christ.  Why?  For the purpose of advancing the kingdom of God, in this Church age, as we prepare for the establishment of the eternal kingdom.

 

 

It is not by human strength I am to expand the kingdom of God to the utter most region of earth.  It is not by human strength that I am to give testimony to others concerning the Messiah, Jesus Christ.  It is not by human ability that I can say no to the demons that haunt my life.  When I say demons I do not necessarily mean those cohorts of Satan.  But the own demons we create that become huge challenges in life.

 

Let me remind us of our recent study in the book of Ephesians.

 

Ephesians 1:17-20

(17) that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, (18) having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, (19) and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might (20) that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, 

 

Ephesians 2:4-6

(4) But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, (5) even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ-by grace you have been saved- (6) and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 

 

 

 

Ephesians 3:11-19

(11) This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord, (12) in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him. (13) So I ask you not to lose heart over what I am suffering for you, which is your glory. (14) For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, (15) from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, (16) that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, (17) so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith-that you, being rooted and grounded in love, (18) may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, (19) and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

 

 

So What?

 

My Faith Promise Offering

 

• Through prayer ask God how much to give.
• By faith be a conduit of financial support to missions through Grace Church
• Trust the power of the Spirit to provide

 

 

 

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