Sermon Series: THE DOCTRINE OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD

Matthew 11:15
"Now it came to pass, when Jesus finished commanding His twelve disciples, that He departed from there to teach and to preach in their cities.
And when John had heard in prison about the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples and said to Him, "Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?"
Jesus answered and said to them, "Go and tell John the things which you hear and see: The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me."
As they departed, Jesus began to say to the multitudes concerning John: What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind?
But what did you go out to see? A man clothed in soft garments? Indeed, those who wear soft clothing are in kings' houses.
But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I say to you, and more than a prophet. For this is he of whom it is written: Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, who will prepare Your way before You."
Assuredly I say to you among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.
And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.
For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. And if you are willing to receive it, he is Elijah who is come. He who has ears to hear, let him hear."
Verse 12 in the Amplified reads: "And from the days of John the Baptist until the present time, the kingdom of heaven has endured violent assault, and violent men seize it by force [as a precious prize-a share in the heavenly kingdom is sought with most ardent zeal and intense exertion]."
Luke 13:24-30 [Amplified Bible]
"Strive to enter by the narrow door [force yourselves through it], for many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able.
When once the Master of the house gets up and closes the door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door [again and again’, saying. Lord, open to us! He will answer you, I do not know where [what household—certainly not Mine] you come from.
Then you will begin to say. We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets.
But He will say, I tell you, I do not know where [what household—certainly not Mine] you come from; depart from Me, all you wrongdoers!
There will be weeping and grinding of teeth when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but you yourselves being cast

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forth (banished, driven away).
And [people] will come from east and west, and from north and south, and sit down (feast at table) in the kingdom of God.
And behold, there are some (now) last who will be first (then), and there are some (now) first who will be last (then)."
Ephesians 6:10-18 [Amplified Bible]
"In conclusion, be strong in the Lord [be empowered through your union with Him]; draw your strength from Him [that strength which His boundless might provides].
Put on God's whole armor [the armor of a heavy-armed soldier which God supplies], that you may be able successfully to stand up against [all] the strategies and the deceits of the devil.
For we are not wrestling with flesh and blood [contending only with physical opponents], but against the despotisms, against the powers, against [the master spirits who are] the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spirit forces of wickedness in the heavenly (supernatural) sphere.
Stand therefore [hold your ground], having tightened the belt of truth around your loins and having put on the breastplate of integrity and of moral rectitude and right standing with God.
And having shod your feet in preparation [to face the enemy with the firm-footed stability, the promptness, and the readiness produced by the good news] of the Gospel of peace.
Lift up over all the [covering] shield of saving faith, upon which you can quench all the flaming missiles of the wicked (one).
And take the helmet of salvation and the sword that the Spirit wields, which is the Word of God.
Pray at all times (on every occasion, in every season) in the Spirit, with all [manner of] prayer and entreaty. To that end keep alert and watch with strong purpose and perseverance, interceding in behalf of all the saints (God's consecrated people)."
2 Corinthians 10:4
"The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds."
1 Timothy 6:12
"Fight the good fight of faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses."

LESSON

The coming of Christ two thousand years ago was to launch His Kingdom! And He came to a hostile world under the dominion of Satan.
God's Word recognizes the earth as the domain of Satan.
Job 1:6-7
"Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came also among them. And the Lord said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the Lord, and said, From going to and fro in the earth and from walking up and

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down in it."
Matthew 4:8-9
"Again, the devil taketh Him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth Him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;
And saith unto Him, All these things will I give Thee, if Thou wilt fall down and worship me."
2 Corinthians 4:3-4
"But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost, in whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believeth not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them."
Ephesians 2:1-2
"And you hath He quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience.
THE PURPOSE OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS TO DEFEAT THE KINGDOM OF SATAN AND TO PRESENT TO THE FATHER THE FINISHED VICTORY.
"Then the seventh angel sounded; And there were loud voices in heaven saying, The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!" (Revelation 11:15-16).
BUT UNTIL THEN, The kingdom of God is at war!
The conflict is real. It is fierce and the stakes are high! At stake are major issues like God's glory, our happiness, peace of mind, clear consciences, the testimony of Christ and His Church in a dark and crooked world!
Satan established his kingdom in Genesis 3 when he introduced the "fallen factor" by seducing the edenic pair into choosing to serve him instead of God. As Romans 8 states, this introduced sin and its devastation into the human form, creation and universe.
Since mankind and creation were the glory of God, the introduction of sin and the satanic forces into creation would deface the glory of God and give Satan a continuing base of operation against God.
The earth is governed by a system of sin and godlessness. And as Christians, we are the targets of this domain of Satan!
Jesus said: "Indeed the hour is coming, yes, has now come, that you will be scattered, each to his own, and will leave Me alone. And yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me.
These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." (John 16:32-33)
"If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you." (John 15:18-20)

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When John wrote the proceeding words, the Church was living under the constant threat of persecution. Christianity was illegal. A magistrate needed only to ask whether or not a man was a Christian, and, if he was, no matter what he had done or had not done, he was liable to punishment by death.
One thing is certain—no Christian who was involved in persecution could say that he had not been warned.
On this matter Jesus was quite explicit. He had told His people beforehand what they might expect. "They will deliver you up to councils; and you will be beaten in synagogues and you will stand before governors and kings for My sake, to bear testimony before them...And brother will deliver up brother to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death, and you will be hated by all for my name's sake.
The Roman government hated the Christians because it regarded them as disloyal citizens. To worship any other god than Caesar brought persecution because the Christians insisted they had no king but Christ.
Christians were not only hated by the government, but also by the mob! Why?
Because the mob believed certain slanderous things about the Christians. They were said to be insurrectionaries. Even though the Christians could prove the fact that they were good citizens, because they would not burn their pinch of incense and say, "Caesar is Lord," they were branded as dangerous and disloyal people.
The mob believed that Christians were cannibals. This charge came from the words of the sacrament, "This is My body which is for you." "This cup is the new covenant in My blood." On the basis of these words, it was not difficult to disseminate amongst ignorant people, prepared to believe the worst, the story that the Christians' private meal was based upon cannibalism.
The Christians were also said to be incendiaries. They looked to the Second Coming of Christ. To it they had attached all the Old Testament pictures of the Day of the Lord, which foretold of the flaming disintegration and destruction of the world. "The elements will be dissolved with fire, and the earth and the works that are upon it will be burned up" (2 Peter 3:10). In the reign of Nero came the disastrous fire which devastated Rome and it was easy to connect it with people who preached of the consuming fire which would destroy the world!
Another charge was laid against the Christians. It was that the Christians "tampered with family relationships," divided families, split up homes and broke up marriages. In a way that was true. Christianity did not bring peace but a sword (Matthew 10:34). Often a wife became a Christian and a husband did not. Often children became Christians and parents did not. Then the home was split in two and the family, divided.
Such were the causes of hatred in the early years of the Church. It is still true today that Christians are hated. When John used the phrase, "the world," he

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meant human society organizing itself without God. There is bound to be a cleavage between the man who regards God as totally irrelevant for life, and those who do not want God to reign over their, lives.
The world acutely dislikes people whose lives are a condemnation of it. It is in fact dangerous to be good. The classic instance is the fate which befell Aristides in Athens. He was called Aristides the Just; and yet he was banished. When one of the citizens was asked why he had voted for his banishment, he answered: "Because I am tired of hearing him always called the Just."
That was why men killed Socrates; they called him the human gadfly. He was always compelling men to think and to examine themselves, and men hated that and killed him. It is dangerous to practice a higher standard than the standard of the world.
To put it at its widest—the world always suspects nonconformity. Anyone who does not conform to the pattern of the world is rejected, ignored, mocked, scorned and ridiculed. Christians should be different because their life-styles and value-systems are different than those who live in the kingdom of darkness with Satan as their master. The basic demand on the Christian is the demand that he should have the courage to be different.
Though we remain in Satan's domain, we are uniquely different, reflecting the glory of Christ in the face of Satan's system.
"Thou therefore endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please Him who enlisted him as a soldier" (2 Timothy 2:3-4).
"Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen and settle you." (1 Peter 5:8-11).
As Christians, we have been snatched and rescued from Satan's kingdom of darkness. We have become a part of the Kingdom of God, redeemed and forgiven, a new creation, a child of the King of kings!
And until we are raptured from this world, or leave by death, we will continue to make our earthly sojourn through enemy territory. We have noted that this world is Satan's domain. He is the prince of the power of the air, and spiritual forces of evil are at work in this world.
As Christians, we are aliens, enemies of Satan. He hates us! He hates our Christ! He carries on a constant spiritual war against us by using the lust of the eyes, the cravings of our sinful desires, and the pride of trying to live independent from God's power and presence.
The war goes on in our mind, our thoughts, and our emotions. The enemy seeks to detract us from our commitment to Christ, he tempts us with sinful acts and evil pleasures, he tries to distort our spiritual values and principles. He discourages us and causes

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doubts to arise in our hearts.
The spiritual war goes on inside us every day of our life! Paul, in Romans 7, speaks of this spiritual conflict:
"We know that the Law is spiritual; but I am a creature of the flesh [carnal, unspiritual], having been sold into slavery under [the control of] sin.
For I do not understand my own actions [I am baffled, bewildered]. I do not practice or accomplish what I wish, but I do the very thing that I loathe [which my moral instinct condemns].
Now if I do [habitually] what is contrary to my desire, [that means that] I acknowledge and agree that the Law is good (morally excellent) and that I take sides with it.
However, it is no longer I who do the deed, but the sin [principle] which is at home in me and has possession of me.
For I know that nothing good dwells within me, that is, in my flesh. I can will what is right, but I cannot perform it. [I have the intention and urge to do what is right, but no power to carry it out].
For I fail to practice the good deeds I desire to do, but the evil deeds that I do not desire to do are what I am (ever) doing.
Now if I do what I do not desire to do, it is no longer I doing it [it is not myself that acts], but the sin [principle] which dwells within me [fixed and operating in my soul].
So I find it to be a law (rule of action of my being) that when I want to do what is right and good, evil is ever present with me and I am subject to its insistent demands.
For I endorse and delight in the Law of God in my inmost self [with my new nature].
But I discern in my bodily members [in the sensitive appetites and wills of the flesh] a different law (rule of action) at war against the law of my mind (my reason) and making me a prisoner to the law of sin that dwells in my bodily organs [in the sensitive appetites and will of the flesh].
O unhappy and pitiable and wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from [the shackles of] this body of death?
O thank God! [He will!] through Jesus Christ (the Anointed One) our Lord" (Romans 7:14-25—Amplified Bible).
In Christ, we are superconquerors...we have more than victory...we have super-victory!
"Thanks be to God, who giveth us the victory through the Lord Jesus Christ." (1 Corinthians 15:57)
"Now thanks be unto God, who always causeth us to triumph in Christ." (2 Corinthians 2:14)
"Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God" (1 John 5:5).
"And this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith" (1 John 5:4).
BUT THE SECRET TO VICTORY IS FOUND IN THE PASSAGE WE NOTED IN THE BEGINNING OF OUR LESSON. "Put on the whole armor of God." With it, we will win in our day-to-day spiritual battles...within and without.

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Remember...the battle is fought and won on a day-to-day basis, hour by hour, moment by moment!
"Therefore put on God's complete armor, that you may be able to resist and stand your ground on the evil day [of danger], and having done all [the crises demands], to stand [firmly in your place].
Stand therefore [hold your ground], having tightened your belt of truth around your loins..." In order to stand therefore in the heat of this spiritual battle, Christians need every piece of God's armor. This belt of truth that Paul lists first, was also called a girdle. It was six inches wide. Probably made of leather, it held together the clothing underneath as well as holding the other pieces of armor in place. This belt formed the foundation of the soldier's armor. The truth is the foundation of the Christian life! This "truth" refers to the believer's character as a person who can be relied on for the truth, but it certainty also refers to the truth of God's Word and His message of the gospel. God's truth, as revealed to us through Jesus Christ, forms the foundation of victorious Christian living. We must be filled with the truth of God's Word. His Word must be the bread of our life, the light for our pathway, the source of our wisdom and guidance. Neglect His Truth, His Word, and we are terribly weakened in the time of battle. Jesus defended Himself when the devil tempted Him with the Word! When the enemy, the father of lies, attacks with his lies, half-truths, and distortions, we believers can stand on the truth we believe. Jesus prayed for His followers: "Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth." (John 17:17).
"And put on the breastplate of righteousness..."
For the fighting Roman soldier, the breastplate was made of metal and formed a covering for his body, from the neck to the thighs. The heart and the bowels, the organs of his body...were protected from the sword in hand-to-hand combat. In the Scriptures, the heart is symbolized as the thoughts and the thinking process of our fife. The bowels were symbolic of the emotions and feelings that govern our actions.
The breastplate represents our consecration to holiness. There must ever be that passion for what is sacred, that which is honest, that which is pure, that which is holy! There can be no secret sin allowed to remain and contaminate our soul. There must be that constant confession and repenting and turning from sin. Satan will come to us through the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life. Our thoughts and emotions must be kept pure and holy. "As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he." When a man is clothed in righteousness he is impregnable. Words are no defense against accusation but a good life is.
The next piece of armor that Paul lists...And having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace. He is talking about the special sandals worn by the Roman soldier.
A soldier wore special sandals or military shoes that protected his feet without slowing him down. They were made of soft leather and the soles were studded with steel spikes. This allowed them to march farther and faster as well as giving them the ability to dig in to

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the ground so the footing would be firm and not slip. The Christian soldier's shoes are symbolic and representative of conviction and confidence in the eternal truths of the Scriptures...a settled conviction in the person of Jesus Christ and His salvation that He offers to all who win repent and believe. It is eternally important what we think about the Bible. It is not just another book. "All Scripture is given by God. It is His mind and thoughts and ways for us. It is authoritative, it will stand forever. It is inerrant. Everything else shall pass away, but His Word will stance for ever!
The Word of God is the gospel of peace, or Good News, that brings peace. Believers are ready for battle because the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard their hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. They can stand firm, with peace, even in hand-to-hand combat, because they know that they are doing right and that they are on the winning side!
"With all these, take the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one." For Christians, the shield of faith represents complete reliance upon God. We cannot battle the evil one in our own strength! Faith means total dependence upon God, His promises, and a willingness to do His will at all times. It means believing in His promises even though we don't see those promises materializing yet.
"In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ." (1 Peter 1:6-7).
When the enemy, the ruler of the world, sends his flaming arrows of temptation doubt, wrath, lust, despair, vengeance, problems, and trials into our lives, we can hold up our shields and quench them. Faith gives us the strength to stand against Satan with firm courage, even when he uses his most fearsome weapons.
"And take the helmet of salvation..." First Thessalonians 5:8 calls believers to put on "the hope of salvation as a helmet." This "hope" is a certainty—believers have complete assurance that God will do all that He has promised. "Who then can ever keep Christ's love from us? When we have trouble or calamity, when we are hunted down or destroyed, is it because He doesn't love us anymore? And if we are hungry, or penniless, or in danger, or threatened with death, has God deserted us? No, for the Scriptures tell us that for His sake, we must be ready to face death at every moment of the day. We are like sheep awaiting slaughter, but despite all this, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ who loved us enough to die for us! That is our helmet of hope!
Finally, Paul comes to the greatest weapons of all...the Word of God and Prayer! We can never win God’s battles without God's Book. God has given us the total victory of the power of the cross through the weapon of prayer. No believer is exempt from being Satan's target. With our minds filled with the promises of God, and our hearts in fellowship with God Almighty, we can win. In Christ, we are promised victory. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you!