Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Review 03/29/09: Kingdom of God Series Part V: "A Kingdom Without Walls"
Kingdom Series
Part 4: “A Kingdom Without Walls”
Review
- Jesus came to Earth and began preaching about the Kingdom of God
- The kingdom he speaks of his not a physical one, but a spiritual reality
- Luke 4:18: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor. (Is. 61:1)
- Two polar ways to approach Christianity. We need to look at both.
- 1. Jesus came as a substitute to die for the sins of those who put their faith in
Him. (Last week)
- 2. (Luke 4) Jesus came to restore and redeem everything that is screwed up in
this world
A. World
1. The world is screwed up.
a. The United Nations estimate that 850 million people go to bed hungry.
b. People shooting up schools (Hospitals)
c. 27 million men, women and children are held as slaves.
d. Millions of antidepressants a year
e. Friends, family, ect. If not someone, you don’t know them well
f. Ourselves – First step in coming to know God – seeing our need for
Him.
g. Can attempt to ignore it (go to all the right places) but it will
be there more subtly
2. God cares about the screwdupness of the world (OT/NT)
a. Scripture
1. Scripture - Deut. 10:17-19, 2. Ps 146:6-9 3. 3. Rev. 21:1-5
2. Reason – Humans choosing to do what we want to do (greed, ect.)
3. God himself came to Earth to serve (Luke 4: not distant – but
personal)
3. God’s plan: A perfect God uses imperfect people to accomplish His
perfect plans
a. Jesus (perfect) and Disciples (imperfect) – Luke 9:51-56
b. What do we do after we become Christians?
1. We try are hardest to be really good – straight A’s, smile a
lot, go to church
2. We continue to rely on God’s grace to take part in God’s Kingdom
movement to restore and redeem everything around us.
is looking for a great adventure or purpose while
living. People use their entire lives knowing that there is
something adventurous that they are missing out on. Jesus fills
that void by offering us to take part in his redemptive work on
this Earth. Entering into suffering
3. God is working in us (Phil 2:12)
4. We serve Jesus when we serve others (Matthew 25:1-40)
______________________________________________________________________________________
B. Application: There is No Secular
1. The application for living for God’s Kingdom is very difficult because of how we
see our life due to church ect.
2. Secular vs. Sacred Exercise
3. If you grew up in church, more than likely you have heard the word "secular"
tossed around in many ways. "Secular world," "Secular music," "Secular movies,"
ect. I have heard this word countless times in church culture used in similar
ways. The idea behind this word is one of contrast. The concept is that there
are some things that are inherently spiritual. These include the evangelical
church, Christian music, Rated G or PG movies, and Chick-fi-la. On the other
hand is the secular world, exemplified by public schools, the business world,
Starbucks, and the Simpsons
4. The identity crisis that results from this. Fragmented. Different people to
different friends. Church life v. outside the church. Church friends v. non
church friends. Ect. The world offers other identities that keeps us fragmented.
Kingdom perspective keeps our identity stable no matter the situation.
5. Everything is spiritual because God cares about every aspect of this world and
our life. Also, everything exists to bring honor to God no matter how small or
insignificant it may be. This is good news because it means everything in our
life has meaning. Even the janitor that works at a school has a life
(Corinthians 10:31)
completely filled with spiritual meaning because he has the opportunity to
glorify God.
6. Being prayerful and creating. This Bible study may be easy to see how it
glorifies God. But the other aspects of our life take thought. Plumber 3:16
example. Tipping at a restaurant example.
______________________________________________________________________________________
C. Missional Living
1. Remembering God’s care for the world
2. Fragmentation to God’s Kingdom
3. Ignoring world pain v. entering into suffering
4. Finding identity and purpose in God’s Kingdom.
Part 4: “A Kingdom Without Walls”
Review
- Jesus came to Earth and began preaching about the Kingdom of God
- The kingdom he speaks of his not a physical one, but a spiritual reality
- Luke 4:18: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor. (Is. 61:1)
- Two polar ways to approach Christianity. We need to look at both.
- 1. Jesus came as a substitute to die for the sins of those who put their faith in
Him. (Last week)
- 2. (Luke 4) Jesus came to restore and redeem everything that is screwed up in
this world
A. World
1. The world is screwed up.
a. The United Nations estimate that 850 million people go to bed hungry.
b. People shooting up schools (Hospitals)
c. 27 million men, women and children are held as slaves.
d. Millions of antidepressants a year
e. Friends, family, ect. If not someone, you don’t know them well
f. Ourselves – First step in coming to know God – seeing our need for
Him.
g. Can attempt to ignore it (go to all the right places) but it will
be there more subtly
2. God cares about the screwdupness of the world (OT/NT)
a. Scripture
1. Scripture - Deut. 10:17-19, 2. Ps 146:6-9 3. 3. Rev. 21:1-5
2. Reason – Humans choosing to do what we want to do (greed, ect.)
3. God himself came to Earth to serve (Luke 4: not distant – but
personal)
3. God’s plan: A perfect God uses imperfect people to accomplish His
perfect plans
a. Jesus (perfect) and Disciples (imperfect) – Luke 9:51-56
b. What do we do after we become Christians?
1. We try are hardest to be really good – straight A’s, smile a
lot, go to church
2. We continue to rely on God’s grace to take part in God’s Kingdom
movement to restore and redeem everything around us.
is looking for a great adventure or purpose while
living. People use their entire lives knowing that there is
something adventurous that they are missing out on. Jesus fills
that void by offering us to take part in his redemptive work on
this Earth. Entering into suffering
3. God is working in us (Phil 2:12)
4. We serve Jesus when we serve others (Matthew 25:1-40)
______________________________________________________________________________________
B. Application: There is No Secular
1. The application for living for God’s Kingdom is very difficult because of how we
see our life due to church ect.
2. Secular vs. Sacred Exercise
3. If you grew up in church, more than likely you have heard the word "secular"
tossed around in many ways. "Secular world," "Secular music," "Secular movies,"
ect. I have heard this word countless times in church culture used in similar
ways. The idea behind this word is one of contrast. The concept is that there
are some things that are inherently spiritual. These include the evangelical
church, Christian music, Rated G or PG movies, and Chick-fi-la. On the other
hand is the secular world, exemplified by public schools, the business world,
Starbucks, and the Simpsons
4. The identity crisis that results from this. Fragmented. Different people to
different friends. Church life v. outside the church. Church friends v. non
church friends. Ect. The world offers other identities that keeps us fragmented.
Kingdom perspective keeps our identity stable no matter the situation.
5. Everything is spiritual because God cares about every aspect of this world and
our life. Also, everything exists to bring honor to God no matter how small or
insignificant it may be. This is good news because it means everything in our
life has meaning. Even the janitor that works at a school has a life
(Corinthians 10:31)
completely filled with spiritual meaning because he has the opportunity to
glorify God.
6. Being prayerful and creating. This Bible study may be easy to see how it
glorifies God. But the other aspects of our life take thought. Plumber 3:16
example. Tipping at a restaurant example.
______________________________________________________________________________________
C. Missional Living
1. Remembering God’s care for the world
2. Fragmentation to God’s Kingdom
3. Ignoring world pain v. entering into suffering
4. Finding identity and purpose in God’s Kingdom.
Review 03/22/09: Kingdom of God Series Part IV: "Finding Worshipers"
The Kingdom of God IV: Finding Worshipers
Review:
- Jesus ministry proclaimed that the Kingdom of God had come
- His followers looked for physical Kingdom.
- Jesus told Pilate that he was in fact a King but his kingdom was not of this world
- Jesus Kingdom did come – he invites us into his Kingdom to know God through
repentance and faith in His sacrifice on the cross. His kingdom also includes
redeeming and restoring all that is screwed up in this world.
- The kingdom has not yet come
- The kings we serve: Other things, ourselves, or Jesus
Two parts to Jesus bringing God’s kingdom to Earth
a. Bringing people into God’s kingdom
b. Redeeming everything else that is screwed up
Why both are necessary: Social Gospel vs. Evangelism
Bringing the Kingdom to People
A. Access to the King
B. Spreading the news of the Kingdom
C. Application
A. Access to the King
The Fall
The Temple
Elaborate Laws
Exodus 19:9-25
The Message of the Old Testament: We are separated from the Holy King by our sin. The Old Testament is physical symbolism of a spiritual reality. The OT is our story.
When Jesus brought the Kingdom of God, he was bringing us access to the King.
The New Testament is about God bringing his Kingdom to us through Jesus (who is God). We see this in the way he heals sinners and loves the sick. It is amazing that God brought his kingdom to us personally
a. John 11:25 (Faith in Jesus)
b. Hebrews 9:11-13 (Christ as Priest)
c. Hebrews 12:18 – 24 (Mountain)
d. Hebrews 12:25
Think of what this new teaching meant for NT. Think of what this means for Gentiles. Think of how blessed we are to call God our Father. Think of what this means for prayer. Let us not take advantage of this. If we look at this historically we will see how blessed we are to have access to God.
Religion is man's attempt to work his way to God. Christianity is the only religion where God pursues us.
______________________________________________________
Spreading the News
For those who not have access through believing in Jesus, they cannot relate to God in the way that we do. Their relationship to God is still symbolized by the OT. They are still separated from God in every way possible.
John 4:35 (Context): It is hard to ignore that fact that people around us are in need of a Savior. They are separated from God and need access to him.
We will not be effective for the Kingdom if we simply see sharing the Gospel as a duty. When we are truly convinced that bringing people into the Kingdom of God is the solution for their life: we will do it not out of duty but out of love. How can we not? They will ultimately destroy themselves otherwise. Many people in the NT spread the word about Jesus just because “Hey, I’m blind but now I see.”
2 Corinthians 5:20 – Ambassadors of Christ
As part of the Kingdom of God, we should follow in the footsteps of Jesus by giving people access to God by sharing the Gospel. Sharing the Gospel does not mean making somebody become a Christian. We cannot provide access but we can point them to Jesus. So, we extend the Kingdom spreading its influence so that everything in our life is given access to God.
______________________________________________________
Application
A. Faith in Jesus is the only access we have to God. Good works and trying to be good enough are evidenced by the OT rituals.
B. We live among a broken and fallen people who do not have access to God. When our lives are ending, these are the things that will suddenly become important. When we hear about family, friends, ect. Whose lives are out of control, remember that you are an ambassador of Christ who can point people to access to the King.
C. Highland – Access for a lost people who do not have any direction or hope.
D. Live Missionally. Think of people in your life and how they can access the Gospel.
Now – Authenticity. Invite to coffee hour?
Review:
- Jesus ministry proclaimed that the Kingdom of God had come
- His followers looked for physical Kingdom.
- Jesus told Pilate that he was in fact a King but his kingdom was not of this world
- Jesus Kingdom did come – he invites us into his Kingdom to know God through
repentance and faith in His sacrifice on the cross. His kingdom also includes
redeeming and restoring all that is screwed up in this world.
- The kingdom has not yet come
- The kings we serve: Other things, ourselves, or Jesus
Two parts to Jesus bringing God’s kingdom to Earth
a. Bringing people into God’s kingdom
b. Redeeming everything else that is screwed up
Why both are necessary: Social Gospel vs. Evangelism
Bringing the Kingdom to People
A. Access to the King
B. Spreading the news of the Kingdom
C. Application
A. Access to the King
The Fall
The Temple
Elaborate Laws
Exodus 19:9-25
The Message of the Old Testament: We are separated from the Holy King by our sin. The Old Testament is physical symbolism of a spiritual reality. The OT is our story.
When Jesus brought the Kingdom of God, he was bringing us access to the King.
The New Testament is about God bringing his Kingdom to us through Jesus (who is God). We see this in the way he heals sinners and loves the sick. It is amazing that God brought his kingdom to us personally
a. John 11:25 (Faith in Jesus)
b. Hebrews 9:11-13 (Christ as Priest)
c. Hebrews 12:18 – 24 (Mountain)
d. Hebrews 12:25
Think of what this new teaching meant for NT. Think of what this means for Gentiles. Think of how blessed we are to call God our Father. Think of what this means for prayer. Let us not take advantage of this. If we look at this historically we will see how blessed we are to have access to God.
Religion is man's attempt to work his way to God. Christianity is the only religion where God pursues us.
______________________________________________________
Spreading the News
For those who not have access through believing in Jesus, they cannot relate to God in the way that we do. Their relationship to God is still symbolized by the OT. They are still separated from God in every way possible.
John 4:35 (Context): It is hard to ignore that fact that people around us are in need of a Savior. They are separated from God and need access to him.
We will not be effective for the Kingdom if we simply see sharing the Gospel as a duty. When we are truly convinced that bringing people into the Kingdom of God is the solution for their life: we will do it not out of duty but out of love. How can we not? They will ultimately destroy themselves otherwise. Many people in the NT spread the word about Jesus just because “Hey, I’m blind but now I see.”
2 Corinthians 5:20 – Ambassadors of Christ
As part of the Kingdom of God, we should follow in the footsteps of Jesus by giving people access to God by sharing the Gospel. Sharing the Gospel does not mean making somebody become a Christian. We cannot provide access but we can point them to Jesus. So, we extend the Kingdom spreading its influence so that everything in our life is given access to God.
______________________________________________________
Application
A. Faith in Jesus is the only access we have to God. Good works and trying to be good enough are evidenced by the OT rituals.
B. We live among a broken and fallen people who do not have access to God. When our lives are ending, these are the things that will suddenly become important. When we hear about family, friends, ect. Whose lives are out of control, remember that you are an ambassador of Christ who can point people to access to the King.
C. Highland – Access for a lost people who do not have any direction or hope.
D. Live Missionally. Think of people in your life and how they can access the Gospel.
Now – Authenticity. Invite to coffee hour?
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Review 03/15/09: Kingdom of God Series Part III: "The Kings We Serve"
Jesus told Pilate that He was a King but that His kingdom was not of this world. The same applies to us. The tension we deal with is the kingdom of God is invisible, does not look powerful, and does not always seem relevant to most of our life. When we say this, we really mean that our Heavenly King does not feel as real, relevant, and able to provide as the other kings in this world.
1. Worldly Kings: The Things Besides God that Rule Our Hearts
These are things that seem powerful and desirable. These things seem fit to rule
because of what they can give us.
White Witch and Edmund Example (Chronicles of Narnia)
Think of the things in our life that we lean on for support. We allow worlds kings to rule our lives because we think they will consistently give us everything we want. However, we ultimately find them to not be as powerful and consistent as we think. Our service to these kings will always be performance based and their satisfaction will always be conditional on our performance. They breed insecurity when we realize that we cannot meet their standards and they cannot adequately provide for us.
Ex. Relationships, GPA, Money, Business, Role Model, Pastors, Friends, Parents
Edmund Thrown in the Icy Prison (Chronicles of Narnia)
Whose blessings we want the most of and whose curses we are most afraid of determine who we serve and how we will live. You must please the Kings to get what you want! Kings aside from Jesus are never as powerful as we want them to be and always demand performance for acceptance.
2. Becoming Kings: Putting Ourselves on the Throne
"Everyone carries a kingdom in their heart" (John Calvin).
We want to control people, things, and situations for our security. Eventually we realize that we are unable to control the things around us because we are not God.
We then become insecure and operate using a blessing and cursing system and we put every person in our life on a merit based system of control...
Ex. "They can be my friend as long as they…" or "You do this and I am leaving……"
Being the King of our lives will end up being a disaster. When we are finished manipulating everything around us for control, we will find a very empty, insecure way of living.
3. Serving Jesus as King
You either serve a King that constantly demands everything from you which makes us insecure because we are unsure we can’t meet his demands or a King that provides for us and loves us unconditionally.
The kingdoms of this world operate on fear, flattery, and insecurity. Jesus is truly powerful and reliable. He is secure in his power and therefore does not coerce us with the worldly system and manipulation.
Even salvation itself is not merit based but the result of a King who provided his Son as a perfect sacrifice for us. He knows us, loves us, and has forgiven us. He can always provide us with what we need. That is grace. .
Colossians 2:13-14
We then do not serve a domineering God who conditionally loves us to control us. We serve a Heavenly Father and King who only disciplines us for our good, not out of insecurity, but out of love.
How does your relationship with God look? Is it a merit based relationship based on your daily standing before God or is it one who rests in the sufficiency for all that God has done in Jesus? How will the first type of service contrast with the second?
1. Worldly Kings: The Things Besides God that Rule Our Hearts
These are things that seem powerful and desirable. These things seem fit to rule
because of what they can give us.
White Witch and Edmund Example (Chronicles of Narnia)
Think of the things in our life that we lean on for support. We allow worlds kings to rule our lives because we think they will consistently give us everything we want. However, we ultimately find them to not be as powerful and consistent as we think. Our service to these kings will always be performance based and their satisfaction will always be conditional on our performance. They breed insecurity when we realize that we cannot meet their standards and they cannot adequately provide for us.
Ex. Relationships, GPA, Money, Business, Role Model, Pastors, Friends, Parents
Edmund Thrown in the Icy Prison (Chronicles of Narnia)
Whose blessings we want the most of and whose curses we are most afraid of determine who we serve and how we will live. You must please the Kings to get what you want! Kings aside from Jesus are never as powerful as we want them to be and always demand performance for acceptance.
2. Becoming Kings: Putting Ourselves on the Throne
"Everyone carries a kingdom in their heart" (John Calvin).
We want to control people, things, and situations for our security. Eventually we realize that we are unable to control the things around us because we are not God.
We then become insecure and operate using a blessing and cursing system and we put every person in our life on a merit based system of control...
Ex. "They can be my friend as long as they…" or "You do this and I am leaving……"
Being the King of our lives will end up being a disaster. When we are finished manipulating everything around us for control, we will find a very empty, insecure way of living.
3. Serving Jesus as King
You either serve a King that constantly demands everything from you which makes us insecure because we are unsure we can’t meet his demands or a King that provides for us and loves us unconditionally.
The kingdoms of this world operate on fear, flattery, and insecurity. Jesus is truly powerful and reliable. He is secure in his power and therefore does not coerce us with the worldly system and manipulation.
Even salvation itself is not merit based but the result of a King who provided his Son as a perfect sacrifice for us. He knows us, loves us, and has forgiven us. He can always provide us with what we need. That is grace. .
Colossians 2:13-14
We then do not serve a domineering God who conditionally loves us to control us. We serve a Heavenly Father and King who only disciplines us for our good, not out of insecurity, but out of love.
How does your relationship with God look? Is it a merit based relationship based on your daily standing before God or is it one who rests in the sufficiency for all that God has done in Jesus? How will the first type of service contrast with the second?
Friday, March 20, 2009
Review 03/08/09 Kingdom of God Series Part II
(From Ryan Willoughby)
Matthew 6:33, Romans 14:17, Luke 17:21
Primarily, we discussed the idea that God's kingdom is not a limited, finite thing. Rather, it's fluid and dynamic. For believers nowadays, the kingdom of God is Jesus Christ living and working in believers as the Holy Spirit. Eventually, this spiritual kingdom will manifest itself during Christ's millennial reign then be consummated at the coming of the New Jerusalem. We also discussed quite a bit on exactly how the Spirit lives in us today through prayer (Romans 8:26-27), worship (John 4:24), service (Romans 1:9), study of the Word (John 6:63), and building of the Body of Christ (Ephesians 2:18-22).
Matthew 6:33, Romans 14:17, Luke 17:21
Primarily, we discussed the idea that God's kingdom is not a limited, finite thing. Rather, it's fluid and dynamic. For believers nowadays, the kingdom of God is Jesus Christ living and working in believers as the Holy Spirit. Eventually, this spiritual kingdom will manifest itself during Christ's millennial reign then be consummated at the coming of the New Jerusalem. We also discussed quite a bit on exactly how the Spirit lives in us today through prayer (Romans 8:26-27), worship (John 4:24), service (Romans 1:9), study of the Word (John 6:63), and building of the Body of Christ (Ephesians 2:18-22).
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Ryan Willoughby to be Guest Speaker this Week!
Ryan Willoughby, a good friend, former Highland Community Church member, and current UGA graduate student will be leading the "Hope for Highland Coffee Hour" this coming week. This will not be something to miss! Ryan will be continuing our series on the Kingdom of God, a subject he is very passionate about.
Review: 03/01/08 Kingdom of God Series: "My Kingdom is Not of this World"
While on Earth, Jesus spoke of the "Kingdom of God" more than any other subject.
Read:
Matthew 3:12-17
Luke 17:20
Jesus grew up in a Jewish society that was awaiting the coming of a Messiah to bring forth a physical Kingdom. The Jewish people had been ruled by numerous nations since 600 BC when Nebuchadnezzar conquered Israel. Leading up to the time of Jesus and the nation anxiously awaited for their eventual freedom from Roman rule and the establishment of a peaceful kingdom on the Earth. Most were looking for a physical kingdom.
Read:
Matthew 20:20
Matthew 16:21-22
Luke 22:47-49
The ministry of Jesus was marked by displays of miracles, authoritative words, and the proclamation of the coming Kingdom of God. Though many revolutionaries had came before Jesus, his ministry was marked by authority. There was an expectation, even by the disciples of Jesus, that he was ultimately going to set up a physical kingdom on the Earth.
This is analogous to the movie "The Chronicles of Narnia." The children enter into Narnia, a frozen land where it is always winter but never Christmas. Then, they hear of the coming of Aslan, the Messiah figure, who was rumored to be back in Narnia. This is evidenced by the icy kingdom of the White Witch beginning to melt as spring finally begins to approach. Many thought that Aslan would instantly kill the White Witch and establish His Kingdom.
As Jesus moved throughout the towns and cities displaying miracles, many Jews saw this as a sign of the coming spring when the nation of Israel would be free.
Read:
Matthew 21:1-11
Matthew 21:12
Jesus enters Jerusalem with people welcoming him with palm branches and calling Him Hosanna. They anticipated him to enter the nations capital with power.
Jesus is then arrested by the Romans. The people realize that Jesus did not bring the kind of kingdom they wanted. He did not come to conquer their oppressors. As this realization sets in, their affection for this "King" and "Messiah" wains and many support his crucifixion.
Read: John 18:33-37
Jesus tells Pilate that He is a King but His Kingdom is not of this world. Jesus is eventually nailed to a cross and killed. He then arises three days later.
Question: Did the Kingdom of God come?
A. Yes: Jesus has come to begin the process of redeeming all that is screwed up in the world. He invites us to participate in this process through missional living by sharing the Gospel, ministering to the poor, and redeeming our culture. Believing in Jesus allows us the enter this Kingdom as children of God and allowing Him to be the Ruler of our lives. Being part of this gives us identity and purpose in our lives.
B. Not Yet: One day, Jesus will come back and establish a physical Kingdom where death and darkness will be completely swept away. Christians eagerly await this day.
Much like Jesus, living for the Kingdom of God requires sacrifice and will not always be easy. We are forced to give up the idea of having our own little Kingdom to be fully part of his much larger, more permanent Kingdom. God helps us do this as he works in us to continually establish His Kingdom on the Earth.
Read:
Matthew 3:12-17
Luke 17:20
Jesus grew up in a Jewish society that was awaiting the coming of a Messiah to bring forth a physical Kingdom. The Jewish people had been ruled by numerous nations since 600 BC when Nebuchadnezzar conquered Israel. Leading up to the time of Jesus and the nation anxiously awaited for their eventual freedom from Roman rule and the establishment of a peaceful kingdom on the Earth. Most were looking for a physical kingdom.
Read:
Matthew 20:20
Matthew 16:21-22
Luke 22:47-49
The ministry of Jesus was marked by displays of miracles, authoritative words, and the proclamation of the coming Kingdom of God. Though many revolutionaries had came before Jesus, his ministry was marked by authority. There was an expectation, even by the disciples of Jesus, that he was ultimately going to set up a physical kingdom on the Earth.
This is analogous to the movie "The Chronicles of Narnia." The children enter into Narnia, a frozen land where it is always winter but never Christmas. Then, they hear of the coming of Aslan, the Messiah figure, who was rumored to be back in Narnia. This is evidenced by the icy kingdom of the White Witch beginning to melt as spring finally begins to approach. Many thought that Aslan would instantly kill the White Witch and establish His Kingdom.
As Jesus moved throughout the towns and cities displaying miracles, many Jews saw this as a sign of the coming spring when the nation of Israel would be free.
Read:
Matthew 21:1-11
Matthew 21:12
Jesus enters Jerusalem with people welcoming him with palm branches and calling Him Hosanna. They anticipated him to enter the nations capital with power.
Jesus is then arrested by the Romans. The people realize that Jesus did not bring the kind of kingdom they wanted. He did not come to conquer their oppressors. As this realization sets in, their affection for this "King" and "Messiah" wains and many support his crucifixion.
Read: John 18:33-37
Jesus tells Pilate that He is a King but His Kingdom is not of this world. Jesus is eventually nailed to a cross and killed. He then arises three days later.
Question: Did the Kingdom of God come?
A. Yes: Jesus has come to begin the process of redeeming all that is screwed up in the world. He invites us to participate in this process through missional living by sharing the Gospel, ministering to the poor, and redeeming our culture. Believing in Jesus allows us the enter this Kingdom as children of God and allowing Him to be the Ruler of our lives. Being part of this gives us identity and purpose in our lives.
B. Not Yet: One day, Jesus will come back and establish a physical Kingdom where death and darkness will be completely swept away. Christians eagerly await this day.
Much like Jesus, living for the Kingdom of God requires sacrifice and will not always be easy. We are forced to give up the idea of having our own little Kingdom to be fully part of his much larger, more permanent Kingdom. God helps us do this as he works in us to continually establish His Kingdom on the Earth.
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