The Kingdom Is HERE!
Col 1:13-14
13 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
ESV
The Kingdom of God is HERE!
(Col. 1:13-14)
Intro:
A. This is the day the LORD has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it! As we listen to God speak to us this day from His word, challenge us to live in righteousness and encourage us to see the blessings of the resurrection of Jesus, I hope that on this day you will leave here more empowered and with a greater sense of unity with God than you had before you came today.
B. Last Sunday we knelt at the cross of Christ and witnessed through scripture the pain he endured so that our sin could be removed. There is sadness that we feel at the cross, but there is also thanksgiving for what Jesus did. But God did not leave Jesus on the cross. The good news is more than just end of our sin. God didn’t end the story of Jesus at the cross and neither should we.
C. Two wealthy men who also served on the Jewish council asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. I want to share with you part of that story (READ Lk 23:50-53). The part that I want you to notice is that Joseph was looking for the kingdom of God.
D. The ministry of John the Baptist was a calling to repent because the kingdom was at hand. Many times Jesus taught people about the kingdom of God and its value. Joseph was looking for that kingdom. Joseph was wanting a time when God reigned again. I don’t know what his idea was about the kingdom that Jesus taught, but I do know he wanted to be a part of it. Do you remember what one of the thieves that was crucified with Jesus asked? “Remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Jesus died and was buried and laid in a tomb.
E. We come to a place where the body of Jesus lay wrapped and a stone seals the tomb. The Jewish religious leaders wanted Rome to seal the tomb and place guards to protect it so that the disciples wouldn’t steal the body of Jesus and say he was alive.
I. The Empty Tomb
A. But we know the truth. Jesus laid in that tomb until the third day; a Sunday morning, when the stone was rolled away by the power of God, the soldiers faint and when awaken they run away. We know that angels stood where Roman soldiers once stood.
B. We know they told the women who came, not looking for an empty tomb, but one with a stone still sealing it that Jesus is risen just as he said.
C. We know that when the disciples hear of it, Peter and John run to the tomb and find it empty just as the women said. We know that Jesus would appear to Mary Magdalene, then to the rest of the disciples in that locked upper room except for Thomas who wasn’t with them. We know that a week later, Jesus appears to them again and told Thomas to put his hand into scars left by the nails, and called upon him to stop disbelieving and start believing.
D. We know that for 40 days after that resurrection Sunday Jesus walked on the earth and talked and taught people. We know the topic of during those 40 days – Jesus was speaking about the kingdom of God. (READ Acts 1:3)
E. We know that at the time of the ascension, Jesus was with the disciples outside of Jerusalem and we hear this conversation (READ Acts 1:6).
F. There are great blessings that have come to us because Jesus rose from grave that Sunday morning 2000 years ago, but the blessing I want us to consider is that the kingdom of God is now open to you and me.
G. The Apostles were told to stay in Jerusalem until the power of the Holy Spirit came upon them, then they were be witness of Jesus in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the to the end of the earth. But what was it that they were to tell people? What was the good news for all mankind?
II. The Kingdom Has Come!
A. Before I answer that question, think about what why so people became a Christian in the first century. The message that was preached beginning on the day of Pentecost found in Acts 2 is that Jesus died for our sins and that he rose again on the third day and is now with the Father back in heaven. That good news made a change in the understanding of the kingdom that was preached by John the Baptist and Jesus during their ministries.
B. In Acts 26 Paul has been in prison in Caesarea for at least 2 years. He has gone through a change in political leadership while in prison and now has a chance to state his case before Festus, the Roman Governor and King Agrippa, a man with a Jewish background that has known much about the one called Jesus. When Paul gets done telling the king about why he became he a disciple of Jesus, he says these words (READ Acts 26:22-23).
C. The reason Paul concludes with the death and resurrection of Jesus the Christ is that it gives hope to both the Jew and the non-Jew. The hope we share is that we are now one, not two groups of people. The hope we share that there is one fold, not two. The hope that we now share is that the kingdom of God on earth is open to all people, not just the Jews. The resurrection of Jesus ushered in the visible kingdom Jesus called the church.
D. The idea that Jews were no longer God’s only chosen people was difficult for them to accept. In fact, that was a large part of why the religious leaders wanted to kill Jesus; because he was opening doors for people to know God in a way they didn’t want.
E. You and I are a part of God’s kingdom because the resurrection of Jesus opened a pathway for us that his death alone could not do. When Jesus shared with them the bread and the cup, listen to what he said (READ Luke 22:18).
F. When we gave ourselves to Jesus, he took us from the kingdom of sin and about us into his kingdom. (READ Col. 1:13-14) When the book of Acts closes, Luke tells us what Pau teaching as he was in prison (Acts 28:30-31)
Conclusion:
A. People around the world come together today and many remember the empty tomb and the resurrection of Jesus in one way or another. The joy we celebrate that you and I can be a part of God’s eternal kingdom because Jesus rose up from grave.
B. Because he lives I am able to live on high. Because he lives I am part of this great family of God. My heart is filled with joy knowing that my redeemer lives. May your life know that your redeemer lives and ever prays for you. Live life in the great kingdom of God knowing that your redeemer lives.