I heard a sermon yesterday that was full of error. The speaker talked about the Kingdom of God like it was to come in the future.
If one is a Christian, that is to say, he is “in Christ” then he is a member of the Kingdom of God. Today.
The Kingdom arrived on the day recorded in Acts 2.
In Mark 9:1 Jesus told the group that was with him “there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God after it has come with power.” In Acts 2:1-4, we have the account of that prophecy coming true. We can also see upon Jesus’ arrival in Mark 1:14-15 that the prophecies of the Kingdom were fulfilled and it was “at hand.”
If the Kingdom is not here and complete, either there are some really old guys running around or Jesus is a liar.
Here are some other references to God’s kingdom to help reinforce my point:
- The church and the kingdom of heaven are used interchangeably in Matthew 16:18-19.
- Paul spoke of him and the Colossians being in the kingdom (Col. 1:13)
- Jesus said the Lord’s Supper was given to be observed in the kingdom (Matt. 26:29), Paul said it was given to be observed in the church (1 Cor. 11:23-30)
- We can also read the parable of the tares (or weeds) in Matthew 16:24-30. Jesus’ explanation in Matthew 16:36-43 is his placing the “sons of the kingdom” into the world (v38). At the end, all causes of sin will be removed “from the kingdom” (v41)
This is a quick listing of proof presented for your personal study. We are in the last days serving in God’s kingdom right now. The next event is the judgment.
Daily Bible reading for May 6
Psalm 125
Numbers 6
Isaiah 42
Philippians 2:12-30
May 6, 2013
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