Thinking about the Kingdom of God

Matt. 4:17; 5:3-10, 19-20; 6:10, 33; 7:21; 10:7; 13:11, 19, 41,43,44; 18:1, 3-4; 19:23; 24:14; 25:34;26:29; Jn. 3:3,5; Acts 1:3,6; 8:12; 19:8; 28:23, 31; Rom. 14:17; 1 Cor. 6:9; 15:23-28, 50; Eph. 5:5; Col. 1:13-14; 1 Thess.2:12; 2 Tim.4:1, 18; Heb.12:28; 2 Pet. 1:11; Rev. 11:15ff.; 12:10; Rev. 19:6

KEY IDEA: The coming of the kingdom of God means God’s re-assertion of his rightful reign/rule (the way He wants things to be/Shalom) through His activities of saving and judging…. God saves those who repent and believe, and finally judges those who persist in rebellion and unbelief.

The kingdom of God means “…God’s people in God’s place under God’s blessing and rule (by His Word)” -- cp. Vaughan Roberts, “God’s Big Picture” (IVP)

“The [goal] of the divine rule is the redemption of men and their deliverance from the powers of evil [cp. 1 Cor. 15:23-28]. “As the dynamic activity of God’s rule the kingdom is supernatural. It is God’s deed – His action….

‘Only the supernatural act of God can destroy Satan, defeat death (1 Cor. 15:26), raise the dead in incorruptible bodies to inherit the blessings of the kingdom (1 Cor.15:50ff.) and transform the world, re-creating a new heaven and a new earth where righteousness is at home.’ (Matt.19:28; 2 Pet. 3:13)

“…Men may sow the seed by preaching the kingdom; they can persuade others concerning the kingdom; but they cannot build it. It is God’s deed…God’s work. Men and women can receive the kingdom, but they are never described as establishing it. Human beings can rejected the kingdom, and refuse to receive it or enter it, but we cannot destroy it.

“We can look for it, pray for its coming, and seek it, but we cannot bring it.

The kingdom of God is totally God’s work, and yet it works in and through his people. The Bible says that men and women can do things for the sake of the kingdom, work for it, suffer for it, but they are not said to act upon the kingdom itself. We can inherit it, but we cannot bestow it on others. Only God, the King, can do that.” – Evang. Dict. Of Theol., G.E. Ladd

Remembering the reality of the reign of God…

…is a call to authentic, God-focused worship, because our great and gracious King deserves to be praised and listened to, as we regularly re-affirm our devotion to Him, in response to the News of what He has done (Ps. 95; Rev. 5)

…is an incentive to trust (including as we serve), for God is the one who will establish his kingdom. (Isa.9:7; Rev.11:15ff.)

…and it is a motivation to obey, because the Lord is King! (Matt. 28:18ff.; 1 Thess. 2:12)

…and it is an incentive to serve, because one day the Master will call on us to give an account for the stewardship he entrusted to us, and because we know our labor in the Lord is not in vain (Matt.25:14ff.; 1 Cor. 15:58)