The Top 10 Things to Know About the Church (Eric Hall)
The Kingdom of God (Eric Hall) (Handout)
The Undenominational Nature of the Church (Jess Hall)
Misconceptions About the Church (Eric Hall)
The Old Testament Church (Eric Hall) (Handout)
In Matthew 16:18, Jesus promised to build a church. In Acts 2:47, Luke tells us that people were being added to that church. Thus, we can conclude that Jesus built His church sometime between His promise in Matthew 16 and Luke’s statement in Acts 2. Indeed, a closer study of the events in Acts 2 reveals that the Lord’s church was established on that first day of Pentecost following the Lord’s resurrection when Peter preached the first gospel sermon. That church is the church of Christ.
A common misconception about the church of Christ is that “The Church of Christ” is its name. It is not. The “church of Christ” is its description. The church of Christ is the church that belongs to Christ, that was established by Christ, that was built by Christ, and that was bought by Christ. It is not our church; it is His church, the Lord’s church. We are not voted into the church by men, and we do not join a church the way some might join a country club. Instead, God adds us to His church when we obey His gospel.
Are those in the church of Christ the only people who are going to be saved? Of course they are! God adds people to His church when they are saved. If you are not in the Lord’s church, then you are not saved. If you are saved, then you are in the Lord’s church. To be saved outside of the church of Christ is to be saved outside of the body of Christ – and that can never happen. Jesus is not just a way to the Father; he is the way to the Father. As Jesus said in John 14:6, “ I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”
Thus, the real question is not what is the church of Christ, but is rather how do you become a part of the church of Christ? That question was asked in the first century as it is asked today, and the answer remains the same. We are saved and added to the Lord’s church when we obey the gospel of Jesus Christ. Like the Apostle Paul, we are saved when our sins are washed away at our baptism.
There is one church of Christ. If you are a member of something else or something more or something less, then you are not serving God according to His plan or according to His will. He wants you to be a Christian and only a Christian, wearing only the name of His Son, Jesus Christ, who is the head and the savior of the church, His body.
Fact #1: There is one and only one church.
Fact #2: The one church is the church of Christ - and that is not its name.
Fact #3: The church is not our church.
Fact #4: The church is not man-made.
Fact #5: God, not man, adds people to the church when they are saved.
Fact #6: Jesus Christ is the head of the church.
Fact #7: The church is powerful.
Fact #8: The church is beautiful.
Fact #9: The church is eternal and indestructible.
Fact #10: The church has a mission.
Fact #1: The kingdom of God is universal.
Fact #2: Israel became a special kingdom within the universal kingdom of God.
Fact #3: God promised to establish an eternal kingdom and he told us when he would do so.
Fact #4: God made a covenant with King David regarding the kingdom.
Fact #5: Jesus reigns as king today under the Davidic covenant.
Fact #6: The eternal kingdom spoken of by Daniel was established in the first century.
Fact #7: The eternal kingdom spoken of by Daniel is the church of Christ.
Fact #8: There are conditions for entry into this eternal kingdom.
Fact #9: Christians are today in the eternal kingdom.
Fact #10: One day the eternal kingdom will be delivered up to God.
I want to talk today about my favorite subject - the church of Christ. And when I say church of Christ I mean just that - the church that belongs to Christ, the Lord's church. It is the church that Jesus promised to build in Matthew 16, and the church that he did build in Acts 2, just as Daniel had prophesied 600 year earlier in Daniel 2. The church is the eternal kingdom of Christ, and that is what I want to talk about today.
But there is a problem when it comes to the church, and that problem can be stated in one word: confusion. There is a great deal of confusion in the world about the church, and sadly there is often quite a bit of confusion about the church in the church.
We know the source of that confusion, and we know that source is not God (1 Corinthians 14:33). Instead, the source of that confusion is Satan.
Satan has sown confusion in the church for 2000 years, and he delights in creating confusion about the word of God and about the church of Christ. Satan was twisting the word of God right from the start in the Old Testament (Genesis 3) and right from the start in the New Testament (Matthew 4), and Satan still twists the word of God today. Revelation 12:9 tells us that Satan's goal is to deceive the entire world.
How do we fight that confusion about the church? The same way we fight any confusion; we fight it with the word of God.
Confusion is one of Satan's most effective tools. He would love nothing better than to bury the Lord's church in a sea of confusion. He wants the world to view the Lord's church as a needle in a haystack of needles, and the best way to do that is to fill the world with false churches, which is what he has done.
A Google search on the word "church" yields nearly 3 billion results! Is it any wonder that there is so much confusion about the church? Satan has been busy for 2000 years creating that confusion.
We have a responsibility to fight back. We must shine the light of God's word through the confusing fog that surrounds us. If we do not, then who will?
What I want to do in our time this morning is to look at 10 things about the church that I wish everyone in the world understood.
Ravi Zacharias (author of The Real Face of Atheism) tells the story of a man who was stranded all by himself on a deserted island for 30 years. When he was finally discovered after all that time alone, his rescuers noticed that the man had built three huts on the small island. When asked what they were for, he said, "One hut is where I live. The second hut is where I go the church." But what about the third hut, they asked? What is the third hut for? "That hut," he said, "is where I used to go to church."
The message of the religious world is to go to church of your choice, but that is not the message of the Bible. The message of the Bible is that there is one and only one church.
In Ephesians 5:23, Paul tells us that Jesus is the head and savior of the church, his body. And a chapter before that, in Ephesians 4:4, Paul tells us that there is one body. And that makes sense, doesn't it? How many bodies would we expect Jesus to have?
And notice something else about Ephesians 4. Paul tells us there is one Spirit, and one Lord, and one faith, and one God. Paul uses the same word "one" to tell us about the one body that he uses to tell us about the one God. If there are many churches, then are there also many gods?
There is one body just as surely as there is one God. And that one body is the body of Christ, which is the church of Christ.
But, some might ask, what about the letters to the seven churches (plural) in Revelation 2-3 or the churches (plural) of Christ in Romans 16:16?
The problem there is that both we and the Bible sometimes use the word "church" to mean what we today usually call a "congregation," and in that sense there are many churches, but those churches are all congregations of the one body that Paul calls the church (singular) in Colossians 1:18 and that Jesus calls the church in Matthew 16.
The word "congregation" does not appear in the Bible in the same context as we are using it here. Should we even use that term at all in describing the church? In the first century there was little chance of confusion with using the word "church" to refer to a local congregation. But now that there are groups that call themselves churches on every street corner, confusion is much more likely.
Another option is to speak of the church in a certain locale just as the New Testament refers to the church in Jerusalem (Acts 5:11) or the church in Corinth (1 Corinthians 1:2).
At this point, some might wonder what the difference is between a congregation and a denomination?
Perhaps, some might argue, there are many denominations and all of those denominations together make up the one body of Colossians 1:18.
To denominate something means to name that thing, and a denomination in its broadest sense is simply a name or a title. Here are some definitions:
Disciples of Christ: "Approval of the Provisional Design [in 1968] marked the passage of the Disciples into denominational maturity. Officially named the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), they became a church."
If you wonder if people are really running around today creating man-made churches, that admission should make the answer pretty clear!
Southern Baptist Convention: "Why belong to a denomination? Well, denominations give churches a way to collectively express their convictions and realize their vision. In such a free land as ours, it is natural that churches would take the opportunity to identify with like-minded churches. Denominations allow churches to be a part of a larger enterprise, pooling their resources to establish and advance Great Commission work. A denomination can have an impact larger than the sum of the impacts of the individual churches."
Having various groups of "like-minded churches" would seem to run afoul of the repeated command in the Bible that we be of one mind.
1 Corinthians 1:10 - Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.
By their own admission, denominations have different faiths, different minds, different teachings, and different organizations - and they do not seem to view that sad situation as something that needs to be corrected!
Congregations are established in the faith.
Acts 16:5 - And so were the churches established in the faith, and increased in number daily.
Congregations approve the same things.
Rom. 16:16 - Salute one another with an holy kiss. The churches of Christ salute you.
Congregations have the same customs.
1 Corinthians 11:16 - But if any man seem to be contentious, we have no such custom, neither the churches of God.
Congregations obey the same commands.
1 Corinthians 14:33-34 - For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints. Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law.
Congregations have the same organization.
Acts 14:23 - And when they had ordained them elders in every church, and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord, on whom they believed.
Congregations follow the same teachings.
1 Corinthians 4:17 - For this cause have I sent unto you Timotheus, who is my beloved son, and faithful in the Lord, who shall bring you into remembrance of my ways which be in Christ, as I teach every where in every church.
Congregations are very different from denominations.
Denominations are the result of division - a division, incidentally, that is often applauded and trumpeted by those denominations.
The denominational mindset encourages the notion that the freedom to differ on major points of doctrine is a healthy spiritual phenomenon. The Bible has a very different view:
1 Corinthians 11:18 - For first of all, when ye come together in the church, I hear that there be divisions among you; and I partly believe it.
There is one church, and that should not have come as a surprise to anyone living in the first century. The Old Testament the prophets often spoke of the oneness of the coming kingdom of Christ:
The New Testament has the same message. Jesus spoke of the time when his people would be "one flock" (John 10:16), and Jesus prayed for the abiding unity of that one flock (John 17:20-21).
If God had wanted us to have more than one church, more than one body, then he could have had a church for the Jews and a church for the Gentiles. That might have solved a lot of the problems faced by the early church that were caused by friction between Jew and Gentile - but God did not do that. God wants his church to be one body, both Jew and Greek.
That unity of Jew and Gentile in the church was what was promised to Abraham long ago when God promised to bless the entire world through his seed. God wants his people to be one, and that happens in the one church, the one promised eternal kingdom, the one house of the Lord, the one body of Christ.
We have made the point many times, but it deserves repeating - the "church of Christ" is not our name - it is our description. We are the church that belongs to Christ; we are the Lord's church. This point is simple, but my experience is that many people don't really understand what it means. The church of Christ is not our name; it is our description. We are the church that belongs to Christ, the church of Christ.
And that is not our only description. We find many descriptions of the church in the Bible. For example:
Acts 20:28 - Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.
If anyone ever asks you if you are a member of the church of God, your answer should be "Absolutely I am!" You should certainly then take a moment to explain your answer, but you should never deny that you are a member of the church of God just because some group has turned that description into the name of their denomination. Some people are doing the same thing today with the description "church of Christ"!
Some wonder why we often write "church (lower case) of Christ" rather than "Church (upper case) of Christ." One reason is that that one small lower case letter opens up all sorts of teaching opportunities when it causes people to ask us about our "typo"!
The main reason, though, is that it is another way that we can be distinctive in a world of religious confusion. People are searching for the church, and we fail in our God-given mission if we ever try to just blend in with the denominations that surround us.
The story is told of a large, prominent denomination in town that was raising money from community businesses to build a new building. They approached a business man who was a Christian, and he made them an offer. "I will give you $1000 if you put up a sign in front saying 'This is a church of Christ.' "We can't do that," they said, "this is a [BLANK] church" (where the blank was filled in with the name of that local denomination). "Well," the Christian business man responded, "I'll still give you a $1000 if you will put up a sign saying 'This is NOT a church of Christ.'"
I have often said that when you get that joke, you understand the non-denominational nature of the church. When you get that joke, you understand that the church of Christ is our description rather than our name.
Ask your denominational friends whether their religious group is the church of Christ. They will likely say no, and when they do they may recognize the admission they have just made. Would they be willing to put a sign in front of their building proclaiming "We are not a church of Christ"? Whose church are they? In truth, they are not the church of Christ if they teach and practice things that are contrary to the word of Christ.
We need to be certain that we never contribute to the world's view that we are just another denomination. And we need to aware that there is a movement among us to turn the Lord's church into a denomination. Those in this movement speak of our religious heritage and our movement, and they trace the history of what they call "our movement" back only a few centuries, when they say that we began. That is not when the church began.
The church of Christ began with power in the first century on the first day of Pentecost following the resurrection of Christ. That great event was prophesied throughout the Old Testament in, for example, Daniel 2, Joel 2, and Isaiah 2. It came about in Acts 2.
If the religious group to which you belong has a different history then it is not the blood-bought church of Christ. Instead, it is a work of man, and no work of man can ever claim to be the stone cut without hands in Daniel 2.
We must never fail to proclaim to the world that the church of Christ is not a denomination, but is the one church established in the first century to which God has been adding the saved ever since.
We sometimes fail to proclaim this message by the language we use. When we treat "church of Christ" as our name rather than as our description, then we have taken the first step down the road to becoming just another man-made denomination. We are the church of Christ, the church that was built by Christ and that belongs to Christ. We are the Lord's church.
We did not purchase the church. We did not build the church. We did not establish the church. The Lord's church is not our church. We did not purchase the church with our own blood. There is no church of Eric or church of Martin Luther. The one church is the church of Christ. It is the church that belongs to Jesus.
That is what Jesus said in Matthew 16:18 when he promised to build "my church" - the only place in the Bible where that phrase "my church" occurs.
Again, we should watch our language. We should never speak to our friends about "our church" and "your church." That language just reinforces the world's false view that we can each have our own church and that no church is different from any other church.
There is one church, and it is the church of Christ, the church that belongs to Christ and that was built by Christ. It is the Lord's church.
When we talk about the church as "our church," that leads to the attitude that the church is ours to do with as we please. And don't we see the results of that attitude all around us in the religious world today?
The church is not ours to do with as we please. It is the Lord's church, and Jesus is the head of the church, his body (Colossians 1:18).
Writing 600 years before the establishment of the church, Daniel prophesied that it would be established during the days of the first century Roman emperors, and that happened in Acts 2.
In Daniel 2:34, while speaking of this eternal kingdom that would arise, Daniel said that - unlike all of the earthly kingdoms that it would destroy - this promised kingdom would not be made with human hands.
Daniel 2:34 - Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces.
No man-made organization can ever claim to be that stone cut out without hands!
An interesting study is to go through Scripture and see what God has to say about the works of human hands.
Hebrews 9:11 - But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building.
Colossians 2:11 - In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ.
2 Corinthians 5:1 - For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.
Mark 14:58 - We heard him say, I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and within three days I will build another made without hands.
Acts 17:24 - God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; Neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things.
In fact, that verse from Acts 17 is a good starting point for teaching someone why we do not use mechanical instruments of music in our worship service. God is not worshipped with men's hands. Instead, God wants to be worshiped with the instrument that he built, the human voice.
The church was not built by human hands. Any group that was built by human hands cannot be the church that was built by Christ.
If more people understood this one point, it would go a long way to clearing up much of the confusion in the world about the church. And all it takes is just one verse to clear up this confusion.
Acts 2:47 - And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.
If there is one church and only one church, and if God adds people to that church when they are saved, then how can anyone who is saved be outside of that one church? And how can anyone who is outside of that one church be saved? The two sets are equal: the set of people who are saved is the same as the set of people who are in the church. In fact, the church is defined by that verse as the assembly of the saved - the church is the called out.
So if someone says that one outside the church of Christ is saved, then that person must be speaking of the church of Christ as if it were something other than the one church to which God adds people when they are saved. They must see the church as a man-made denomination, which it is NOT.
"You people in the church of Christ think you are the only people going to heaven!" How should we respond to that charge? The same way we should respond to any charge; let's open the Bible and see what it has to say.
And what does the Bible say? It says there is one church, and that one church was built by Christ and established in Acts 2 according to the prophecy of Daniel 2. It says that when someone obeys the gospel and is saved, then God adds that person to that one church.
So how then, if we believe that, could we ever believe that anyone outside the church is saved? Did God forget to add them to the church?
"You people in the church of Christ think you are the only people going to heaven!" The problem with that charge is that it is premised on the false notion that the church of Christ is just another in a long line of man-made religious groups. The solution is to see the church for what it really is: the church of Christ, the church built by Christ, the church that belongs to Christ.
The Bible is very clear about who is the head of the church.
Ephesians 1:22 - And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church.
Ephesians 5:23 - For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing. Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it.
Colossians 1:18 - And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.
But what does it mean when we say that Jesus is the head of the church? What does it mean when we read that the church is subject unto Christ?
As with the head of any organization, it means that what is done in the church must be done with the approval of the head of the church. We must do nothing of which the head of the church does not approve.
How do we know what Jesus approves and does not approve? There is one and only one way for us to know the answer to that crucial question: we must read his word, the Bible.
Jesus has not said one word to mankind since the last word of the New Testament was penned. So if we can determine what the church at that point in time could do or not do, then we will know exactly what we can or cannot do. That answer cannot have changed if, as the Bible clearly tells us, Jesus is the head of the church.
The test is simple: those who have Jesus as their head do what meets with approval in his word and do not do those things that meet with disapproval in his word. No group that does anything to the contrary has Jesus as its head.
Jesus and not anyone else is the head of the church.
Ephesians 3:20 - Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.
The church is powerful, but the world does not see us so, and I fear that often we do not see ourselves so, but rather we see ourselves as weak. In truth, we wield more power than any army on earth ever has or ever will wield. We are the people of God!
Psalm 118:6 - The LORD is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me?
2 Timothy 1:7 - For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
But our power, of course, does not rest in us, but comes from Christ.
The church in the first century no doubt saw themselves as powerless against the mighty Roman empire, and yet John gave them a very different message in the book of Revelation.
Matthew 21:21 - Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done.
Revelation 8:8 - And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood.
The early Christians had the faith necessary to move mountains! The mountain of Rome was cast into the sea by God.
The church is the most powerful organization on earth, but how does the church exert that power?
The church exerts its power through our knowledge of and obedience to the word of God.
Hebrews 4:12 - For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
The church exerts its power through our faithfulness to Christ.
1 Corinthians 2:5 - That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.
The church exerts its power through our unity in Christ.
1 Corinthians 1:10 - Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.
The church exerts its power through the gospel of Christ.
Romans 1:16 - For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
1 Corinthians 1:18 - For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.
The church exerts its power through our love of Christ and each other.
2 Timothy 1:7 - For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
The church exerts its power through our prayers to God in the name of Christ.
2 Thessalonians 1:11 - Therefore we also pray always for you that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness and the work of faith with power.
James 5:16 - The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.
There is nothing more powerful on this earth than a faithful, loving, praying congregation of God's people. God is ready to move mountains on our behalf!
Where in the Bible is the most beautiful description of the Lord's church?
Each of those is beautiful, but none of those would be my choice for the most beautiful description of the church.
Instead, I would turn immediately to the very end of the Bible - to Revelation 21 and 22. In my opinion, those two chapters contain the most beautiful description of the Lord's church found anywhere in the Scriptures.
Revelation 21:18-21 - And the building of the wall of it was of jasper: and the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass. And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones. ... And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; every several gate was of one pearl: and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass.
What a beautiful description! The foundations of the city are adorned with 12 precious jewels and the 12 gates are made of 12 pearls.
The church is described as a precious and beautiful city in the shape of a huge golden cube with golden streets. The number 12 appears in every measurement where 12 is symbolic for the people of God - this city is for the people of God.
We often apply these descriptions to heaven, and they no doubt could apply to that beautiful home that God has prepared for his church. But the context suggests that those descriptions are used in Revelation 21 to describe the church on earth - not the future home of the church in heaven.
Revelation 21:2 - And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
Whatever is being described in Revelation 21, don't we know just from verse 2 alone that it is not heaven? Verse 2 says that it comes down out of heaven.
When studied in context, what we see is that this chapter is describing the church. (As for why the church is shown coming down from heaven, that question will need to be addressed in another class!)
The key thing to note about Revelation 21 is that John is describing a people - not a place!
The church is the city of God filled with the people of God - and how does God see his church? He sees it as a huge golden city with streets of gold. John is telling us here how God sees his church!
Do we see ourselves as God sees us? Do we truly understand how beautiful the church is? Do we truly understand how important the church is?
When God looks down at a world full of wickedness and sin, what does he see? He once looked down and saw only a single righteous family, and he destroyed that evil world with a flood. Today, he sees not a single righteous, physical family, but he sees his own righteous, spiritual family - the church. And what does that church look like to him? He sees it as a huge, beautiful, golden city reflecting his glory to a lost and dying world!
We often read these closing chapters of Revelation and conclude that God is describing something we cannot see (heaven) in terms that we can understand. But if these chapters are describing the church (as I believe they are), then God is really describing something we can see (the church) - but God is telling us that we are not seeing it right! We are not seeing the church as the beautiful, golden city of God that it is. These chapters are giving us God's view of his church!
Ephesians 5:27 - That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.
If we could only see the church as God sees the church, we would never again doubt its power or its importance. The church of Christ is the most beautiful thing on Earth! When we see that, then the book of Revelation will become a book of revolution!
Daniel 2:44 is a prophecy about the establishment of the church.
Daniel 2:44 - And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.
That verse tells us when the kingdom would be established (during the days of the early Roman emperors), and it tells us what that kingdom would be like (an eternal kingdom not made with hands). These characteristics of the kingdom in Daniel 2:44 are applied to the church in Hebrews 12:28.
Hebrews 12:28 - Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear.
Foy Wallace: "Daniel's kingdom is indestructible. Paul's kingdom is immovable. If they are not one and the same thing, how can Paul's kingdom be moved to let Daniel's kingdom begin?"
The writer of Hebrews tells us that the church cannot be moved or shaken, and that it is received by man - not created by man. These are the same things that Daniel told us about the church.
We often hear about people splitting the church or dividing the church, but although Christians can be divided from each other as occurred to the church in Corinth, the church cannot be split or divided by man. There is one church and it is indestructible. Men cannot divide it into two churches.
It is tempting today to be a pessimist about the future of the church, but if ever there was an oxymoron it is in the phrase "pessimistic Christian"! We have every reason to be optimistic about the church, and no reason to be pessimistic!
The church has defeated much tougher foes than we face now. Would anyone in the first century have bet on the church to outlast the mighty Roman empire? And yet Daniel had told the world what would happen 600 years earlier. Not only would the church outlast Rome, but it would sweep Rome away along with all of the other kingdoms of this earth.
We should be nothing but optimistic when it comes to the church. Yes, people are attacking the church today both from within and from without. But when has that not been the case? And the church is still here. The church is eternal. The church is indestructible.
Two passages immediately come to mind when we think of our mission.
Matthew 28:19 - Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
Ephesians 3:20 - Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.
Our mission is to proclaim the gospel and glorify God.
But evangelism has a very bad name in our modern pluralistic society.
John 14:6 - Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
That verse is impossible to misunderstand. We can accept it or reject it, but we cannot misunderstand it. There is no other way to God other than through his son, Jesus.
When God looks at the world, he sees only two groups - those who are saved and those who are not. Those in the church and those out of the church. And those are the only two groups we should see. That is the only wall - the wall between those outside of Christ and those who have been baptized into Christ. And the good news of the gospel is that there is an open door in that wall, and all who are outside are invited to obey the gospel and enter through that narrow gate.
There is one way to God, and only one way to God, and we do no one any favors if we ever teach or suggest otherwise.
1 Corinthians 3:11 - For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
Acts 4:12 - Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.
What is NOT the mission of the church?
What IS the mission of the church?
If we ever find ourselves ineffective, it is likely because we have a flawed view of the church. The first step to being the church that God wants us to be is to see the church as God sees the church.
There is a lot of confusion about the kingdom of God.
What is it? Where is it? When is it?
Some equate the kingdom with Heaven, and they tell us that we are not yet in the Kingdom.
Others equate the kingdom with a Premillennial Kingdom on earth that will not appear until Christ returns.
Some tell us that God intended to establish his kingdom in the first century, but things didn't go quite as planned, and so God postponed the kingdom, and in its place we have the church.
Some even tell us that the Sermon on the Mount describes how we will eventually live in this yet future kingdom, and that the Sermon on the Mount really does not apply to us today, but it might be a good idea to start living that way now anyway. You see this view in books such as "Kingdom Living Here and Now."
Some commentators say that the kingdom and the church are the same thing. Other commentators say that the kingdom and the church are different but overlap. Still other commentators say that the kingdom and the church are completely separate things.
Some say that Jesus is reigning today. Others say that Jesus has the right to reign now, but he is not exercising that right today. Some say the kingdom is with us now.
There is a lot of confusion about the kingdom.
There is also a lot of confusion about the church.
When the New Testament was written, there was (as today) only one church, but the difference is that the one church in New Testament times was not (as today) surrounded by countless man-made religious organizations also calling themselves Christian.
Men today approach churches as they would food in a cafeteria line - take what looks good, and if you don't like it, just take something else the next time you go through the line.
As members of the Lord's church, our job is to cut through this confusion.
We know that God is not the author of confusion. Neither should God's people be the source of any confusion.
If we leave people confused and wondering what we are saying, then we have not done what we need to do in proclaiming God's word. Our job is to bring clarity rather than confusion.
How do we bring clarity? By our focus on the Bible. That is the only way to bring clarity to religious confusion.
Our goal today is to look at some clear facts about the kingdom of God lifted right out of God's word. Each fact is based on a key verse about the kingdom.
These are things all who believe God's word should be able to agree about. We can think of them as firmly planted tent pegs that we can use to assist us and guide us as we explore other issues about the kingdom. And they are good starting points if we want to teach someone else about God's kingdom.
Of course, we must be careful lifting verses out of the Bible.
Bibliomancy describes the practice of opening the Bible and selecting a verse at random to use as a guide for your life. We need to be careful we don't study the Bible that way. Each verse has a context, and we need to make sure we understand that context as we interpret that verse.
The term "kingdom" is used in many different ways in the Bible.
Are these statements contradictory? Of course not. They all are just speaking of either different kingdoms (such as Satan's kingdom) or different aspects and manifestations of the kingdom of God.
In one sense the kingdom appeared when the king appeared.
This is the sense that the word is used, for example, in Luke 17:21 - "for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you." Jesus said that prior to the establishment of the church in Acts 2.
In another sense the kingdom appeared when the king came in judgment against Jerusalem and against Rome. Those judgments were specific manifestations of the king coming in judgment.
In yet another sense the kingdom will appear when the king comes again to claim his own at the final judgment.
In Matthew 6:10, in what we often call the Lord's Prayer, Jesus said that we should pray, "Thy Kingdom come."
I have heard people say that we should not pray that way today since the kingdom already came in Acts 2. But I think that is taking a much too narrow view of the kingdom.
Yes, the kingdom came when the kingdom was established in Acts 2.
But the Bible also tells us that the kingdom came when Jesus came in judgment in AD 70 - and the great final judgment of the world has not yet come.
And Matthew 12:28 tells us that the kingdom came when the king appeared - and Hebrews 9:28 tells us that our great King will appear a second time.
So, yes, we can continue to pray, "Thy Kingdom come!"
As we enter our own political season, perhaps we should start with a threshold question: What is God's favorite political system?
You would think that the answer must be a Democracy if you listened to many modern (and not so modern) flag-waving politicians and preachers.
Everyone knows that Athens is the birthplace of democracy.
That birth occurred around 500 BC, and it lasted for about 100 years. 100 years after that, Alexander was dead and his empire fragmented. Fast forward another 100 years, and Greece was at war with Rome, and we all know how that story ended.
In fact, Daniel told us in 600 BC how it ended, 100 years before democracy was born in Athens!
It is interesting that as Daniel tells us what would happen with the kingdoms of the world in the 600 years between his day and the first century, he skips right over the birth of democracy. (And yet, as we will see, Daniel does tells us about an eternal political system.)
I think a good argument could be made that if God has a favorite political system, it is a monarchy rather than a democracy.
Israel was a monarchy under God until they rejected him as king and sought an earthly ruler instead to reign over them.
The church (as we will see) is a monarchy as well.
But as with Israel, people today have rejected Christ as king and have replaced him with earthly rulers. And that is particularly true for religious bodies today.
Denominations today vote to determine truth, as if such a thing could be done.
Truth is not subject to the democratic process. Even a unanimous vote of men against God would not change the truth in the slightest.
Romans 3:4 - Let God be true, but every man a liar.Many modern-day denominations operate as democracies, but the church is not a democracy. Instead, the church is an authoritarian system. What we do is governed by the authority of God as found in his word. Christ is our king; he is the head of his church.
What is it like to live in a kingdom, at least an earthly one?
Samuel told us in 1 Samuel 8:11-18.
And he said, "This will be the behavior of the king who will reign over you: He will take your sons and appoint them for his own chariots and to be his horsemen, and some will run before his chariots. 12 He will appoint captains over his thousands and captains over his fifties, will set some to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and some to make his weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. 13 He will take your daughters to be perfumers, cooks, and bakers. 14 And he will take the best of your fields, your vineyards, and your olive groves, and give them to his servants. 15 He will take a tenth of your grain and your vintage, and give it to his officers and servants. 16 And he will take your male servants, your female servants, your finest young men, and your donkeys, and put them to his work. 17 He will take a tenth of your sheep. And you will be his servants. 18 And you will cry out in that day because of your king whom you have chosen for yourselves, and the Lord will not hear you in that day."For starters, you pay a lot of taxes and you don't get to vote!
We in America have a particularly negative reaction when it comes to kings and kingdoms.
The history of earthly kingdom does not present us with a very pretty picture, but that is because earthly kingdoms are ruled by earthly kings. Let's look instead the kingdom of God, which is ruled by a Heavenly King.
Why should we study about the Kingdom of God?
A central theme of Jesus' teaching (and some say the central theme) was the kingdom of God. He spent much time talking about it, and many of his parables were directed toward it.
The word "kingdom" appears 342 times in the KJV. Of those appearances, over a third (127) are in the gospels. By comparison, the word "church" appears 3 times in the gospels, and the word "grace" appears 5 times in the gospels. Clearly, the kingdom was very important to Jesus. Shouldn't it then be of the utmost importance to us?
God is King over all because He is the creator of all.
The first reference to a kingdom in the Bible is an indirect reference and occurs in Genesis 1.
I say indirect because it does not mention the kingdom directly but instead shows God giving man dominion over a part of his kingdom.
Genesis 1:26 - Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth."God must have dominion to give us dominion.
The first key point to understand about the kingdom is that God is King, and the entire universe is included within his kingdom. If we ever find ourselves saying that God is king over some things or some people and not king over others, then we must have taken a wrong turn somewhere. God is king over all creation, and all creation is subject to him.
David tells us that God is king over the whole earth.
That last verse is important because it tells us that God is still King even when the world is in a mess. Some people today argue that Jesus cannot be reigning as King because the world is in such a mess. But wasn't the world in a mess at the time of the flood? God reigned (and rained!) as king then.
Isaiah 37:16 connects God's kingship with his having made heaven and earth.
These verses were written during the monarchy of Israel. That is, King David tells us that God is king. Why is that important? Because it tells us that God did not abdicate his kingship when he set up earthly kings over Israel. God reigned then and he reigns today as King over all the earth.
How God reigns may change, however. At one time, he reigned through King David. Indeed, the throne of David and the throne of Solomon are often called the throne of God. Today he reigns through the Messiah.
Even during the monarchy of Israel, God reigned over all the kingdoms of the earth.
Did you ever wonder why Jonah went and preached to Nineveh? Nineveh was full of Assyrians, not Jews. God reigned over Assyria just as he reigned over Israel.
From this we have a very important truth about the kingdom of God - God is king over all without regard to whether they accept him as king. God rules the righteous, he rules the ungodly, and he rules the indifferent. He has a special relationship with the righteous, but he rules over all.
Transgressing the royal law of God does not mean that God is no longer your king. It just means that you are no longer his faithful subject.
In the same way today, Christ is king over His church - but he is not king just over the church. He is King of kings and Lord of lords. He has all authority in Heaven and on earth. Jesus reigns over the entire universe and everything and everyone in it.
And it should go without saying that God crowned Jesus king; we did not. We may sing songs proclaiming that we crown Jesus king, but there is not a word in the Bible about such a thing. The only crown that man ever placed on Jesus' head was a crown of thorns.
Israel became a special kingdom within a kingdom.
Moses recognized that God was king (and therefore had a kingdom) at the time of the Exodus from Egypt. In Exodus 15:18, Moses looked at the dead bodies of the Egyptians in the Red Sea, and he declared that God was the eternal king.
Exodus 15:18 - The LORD shall reign for ever and ever.
Yet Israel was not yet a kingdom in Exodus 15. This changed in Exodus 19:5 when God began to view Israel as a separate kingdom that was special to him (long before King Saul was placed on the throne).
Exodus 19:5-6 - Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: 6 And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation.
(We will see this concept again later in our lesson!)
Here in chapter 19, we see God promising to enter into a special kingdom relationship with Israel.
God was not giving up any sovereignty. He was not reducing the size of his kingdom. Indeed, he affirms in verse 5 that "all the earth is mine." He was simply entering into a special relationship with Israel.
Although God reigned over the entire Universe as King, God chose a special people, and he called that special people a kingdom. They became a kingdom within a kingdom. We are going to see this happen again later in our lesson.
Although Israel was a special kingdom of God, God promised that there would one day be another special kingdom. (We will learn in a moment how these two special kingdoms are connected.)
As the earthly kings of Judah and Israel descended into wickedness and rebellion, the prophets began to speak of the kingdom of God in future terms.
Although God is always king and always exercises his kingship, the prophets said there would be a time in the future when the kingdom of God would be manifested among his people in a special way.
Isaiah 24:23 - Then the moon will be disgraced and the sun ashamed; For the LORD of hosts will reign On Mount Zion and in Jerusalem and before His elders, gloriously.
Zechariah 14:9 - And the LORD shall be King over all the earth. In that day it shall be - "The LORD is one," And His name one.
We see this most clearly in Daniel 2:44.
Daniel 2:44 - And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.
Daniel said that one day God would set up an eternal kingdom. When would this eternal kingdom be established? Daniel tells us that it would be set up "in the days of these kings."
A study of Daniel shows that "these kings" are the first century emperors of Rome. These kings did not arise until 600 years after the book of Daniel was written.
Thus, Daniel gives us a very important time frame for the establishment of this eternal kingdom. We will refer to this time frame later in our lesson.
Something else we learn from Daniel 2 is that this eternal kingdom would not be made with human hands.
Daniel 2:45 describes that eternal kingdom as "a stone [that] was cut from a mountain by no human hand."
Jesus told us the same thing in John 18:36 - "My kingdom is not of this world."
As does Hebrews 12:28 - "let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken."
The world is full of man-made religious organizations - none of them could possibly be the eternal kingdom promised in Daniel 2 because that kingdom was not made by human hands.
A very interesting topic of study is to trace this idea of "without human hands" through the Bible. You will see it from beginning to end, and sometimes in unexpected contexts.
For example, I think there is a close tie between the kingdom made without hands and the issue of instrumental music in worship.
Acts 17:24-25 - God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; 25 Neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things.
Did you notice verse 25? God is not worshipped by human hands. The instruments that God wants to hear in worship are the instruments that He made! Our voices! What instrument made with hands could possibly be proper for worship in the eternal kingdom made without hands?
God made a covenant with King David that is still in force today.
Psalm 89 is a crucial chapter in our study of the kingdom.
Psalm 89:3-4 - I have made a covenant with my chosen, I have sworn unto David my servant, 4 Thy seed will I establish for ever, and build up thy throne to all generations.
This covenant is called the Davidic covenant. It is separate from God's covenant with Abraham and it is separate from the Mosaic covenant.
The prophets spoke of a day when a son of David would sit on the throne of David and the Mosaic covenant would NOT be in force!
In Zechariah 6:9-13, the prophet placed a crown on the High Priest and then referred to him by the Messianic title "the Branch." (Isaiah 11:1) Thus, he pictured a son of David (from the tribe of Judah) as the High Priest.
Yet, under the Mosaic covenant the High Priest could be only from the tribe of Levi. (See also Hebrews 7.) Thus, the picture in Zechariah 6 could not become a reality while the Mosaic covenant remained in place.
Similarly, in Psalm 110:1-7, we see that Messiah would be "priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek." Likewise, this passage could not be fulfilled while the Mosaic covenant was in force - and yet Acts 2:29-36 tells us that it was fulfilled in the first century.
Premillennialists argue that the Mosaic covenant will return during the so-called 1000 year reign of Christ. And yet, Hebrews tells us that Christ is our High Priest. Jesus cannot be our High Priest under the Mosaic covenant.
We also see from Psalm 89 that the Davidic covenant had a punitive element.
Psalm 89:30-34 - If his children forsake my law, and walk not in my judgments; 31 If they break my statutes, and keep not my commandments; 32 Then will I visit their transgression with the rod, and their iniquity with stripes. 33 Nevertheless my lovingkindness will I not utterly take from him, nor suffer my faithfulness to fail. 34 My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips.
History tells us that for a long time the house of David did not rule over the kingdom of Israel. Instead, the kingdom was first divided, and then the two halves were taken into captivity by the Assyrians and the Babylonians.
But the prophets looked to a restoration of that former kingdom of David.
Amos 9:11 - In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen, and close up the breaches thereof; and I will raise up his ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old.
Why did the prophets look for a restored kingdom of David? Because the covenant with David remained in force even while sons of David were no longer ruling. That is what Psalm 89:34 tells us. The Davidic covenant remains in force today.
Jesus reigns today under the Davidic covenant..
Isaiah and Luke tell us that Jesus would rule a kingdom while sitting on the throne of David.
Isaiah 9:6-7 - For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever.
Luke 1:31-33 - And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. 32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: 33 And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.
And John tells us in Revelation 3:7 that Jesus was ruling with Davidic authority during the first century. ("The words of the holy one, the true one, who has the key of David…")
But while Jesus sits on the throne of David in the restored kingdom, his reign is universal in scope. He is King of kings and Lord of lords.
Jesus rules the Universe from the throne of David. Every person on earth today (including every Arab in the Middle East) is ruled by a son of David!
A second thing we learn from Luke 1 is that the eternal kingdom is a restored kingdom.
Luke 1:32 tells us that Jesus did not get a new throne. He received the throne of his father David. His kingdom is a restored kingdom. ("and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David")
Acts 15:15-16 - And to this agree the words of the prophets; as it is written, 16 After this I will return, and will build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down; and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up.
The kingdom of the gospels is a restored kingdom! It is not a new kingdom, but is instead the Davidic kingdom of Psalm 89. There is certainly much about this kingdom that is new (as Jesus said repeatedly), but the kingdom itself is a restored kingdom.
We hear a lot today about the restoration movement, but that was not the first restoration involving the church. The first century church itself began as a restoration movement!
Daniel told us very clearly when the eternal kingdom would be established.
As we saw earlier, Daniel writing 600 years before the fact, told us that in the days of the Roman empire God would set up a kingdom that would never be destroyed.
Jesus also told us very clearly when the eternal kingdom would be established.
The New Testament did not waste any time in telling us when the eternal kingdom would be established. Jesus began his ministry by announcing that the time for the kingdom was at hand.
Mark 1:14-15 - Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, 15 And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.
Later, Jesus told his listeners that some of them would be around to witness the establishment of the eternal kingdom.
Mark 9:1 - And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That there be some of them that stand here, which shall not taste of death, till they have seen the kingdom of God come with power.
In fact, the Bible tells us the very day when the eternal kingdom was established.
Acts 1:6-8 is one of the most important passages in the Bible regarding the kingdom.
Acts 1:6-8 - When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? 7 And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. 8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you.
Although this passage is one of the most important passages in the Bible regarding the Kingdom, we often discount it. Why? Because for some reason we have concluded that the apostles were confused and were still looking for an earthly kingdom in Acts 1.
There is no reason to believe that the apostles in Acts 1 misunderstood the nature of the kingdom - and there is every reason to conclude that they knew by that time exactly what type of kingdom was about to be established.
Luke 24:45 - Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures.
Acts 1:3 - To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God.
Further, Jesus' answer gives absolutely no indication that the apostles were mistaken in their view about the kingdom.
So, if we assume that the apostles actually knew what they were talking about in Acts 1, what then can we learn about the kingdom from that passage?
Verse 6 confirms that the kingdom is a restored kingdom, and it tells us that the kingdom had not yet been restored. The apostles spoke of it as a future event.
Verse 8 tells us how we could know when it was restored. Jesus told them that they would receive power when the Holy Spirit came upon them.
Remember that Mark 9:1 told us the kingdom would come with power, and remember that the Holy Spirit fell with power upon the apostles in Acts 2.
Acts 1 is a bridge between the gospels and the establishment of the kingdom. The eternal kingdom spoken of by Daniel 600 years earlier was established in Acts 2 on the first day of Pentecost following the resurrection.
So far we know that Jesus established an eternal kingdom in the first century. But we also know that he built a church in the first century. How are the church and the eternal kingdom related?
Jesus clearly identifies his church as the eternal kingdom in Matthew 16.
Matthew 16:16-19 - Simon Peter answered and said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." 17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. 18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. 19 And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
One commentator wrote "Jesus preached the kingdom, and the church came" as if the two were unrelated. Yet here Jesus identifies his church with his kingdom.
There is no indication of a change in subject between verses 18 and 19. The church in verse 18 is the kingdom in verse 19.
We know this as well from Acts 2. It was there that the church was established, and it was there that Peter unlocked the door to the eternal kingdom by preaching the first gospel sermon. The eternal kingdom is the church of Christ.
Hebrews confirms that the church is the eternal kingdom.
At the end of Hebrews 12, the author describes a kingdom that had already been received, and he describes it in the same way that Daniel described it in Daniel 2.
Hebrews 12:28 - Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken.
Foy Wallace: "Daniel's kingdom is indestructible. Paul's kingdom is immovable. If they are not one and the same thing, how can Paul's kingdom be moved to let Daniel's kingdom begin?"
The writer of Hebrews tells us that the church cannot be moved or shaken, and that it is received by man – not created by man. These are the same things that Daniel told us about the eternal kingdom.
Daniel 7:13-14 also confirms that the eternal kingdom is the church.
13 I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. 14 And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.
Notice that the Son of Man in Daniel 7 is pictured as going to the Ancient of Days, not coming from the Ancient of Days.
Daniel 7 is describing the ascension of Jesus Christ in Acts 1 – not the return of Christ at the end of the world.
And the kingdom in verse 14? That kingdom is the church that was established in Acts 2. It is the same eternal and indestructible kingdom that Daniel told us about in Daniel 2 – the one that Daniel told us would be set up during the Roman empire. It is the same immovable kingdom that we see in Hebrews 12. It will not pass away; it will never be destroyed.
That eternal kingdom is the church of Christ; the Lord's church; the one body.
God said that he would establish it, and he said when he would establish it. And God did what he said he would do! How could any Bible-believer reach any other conclusion than that the promised eternal kingdom is the church that Jesus built and that was established in the days of the Roman kings?
Like Israel, the church (the eternal kingdom) is a kingdom within a kingdom
Jesus has all authority and reigns over the Universe from the throne of David as the King of kings. Yet, the church (the eternal kingdom) consists only of those who are in God's favor. Those in rebellion against God are in his universal kingdom, but they are not in the eternal kingdom; they are not in the church.
God has established conditions for entry into the eternal kingdom.
John 3:3 - Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
We enter the universal kingdom of God with our first birth. We enter the special kingdom within a kingdom with our second birth.
Matthew 7:21 - Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
In Acts 2, those who heard the first gospel sermon wanted to know what they had to do to be saved. They were asking Peter what they had to do to enter this eternal kingdom of Jesus Christ – his church. Peter told them to repent and be baptized for the remission of their sins. There are conditions for entry into the eternal kingdom – but entry is open to all who will obey their Lord and King.
Notice that Peter did not tell them that they needed to make Jesus Lord of their life or crown him King.
In Acts 2:36, Peter told them that Jesus was already their Lord!
And in Acts 2:30, Peter told them that Jesus was already their King!
They needed to obey his gospel (Acts 2:38), not to make him Lord and King, but because he is already Lord and King!
God adds people to the church when they obey the gospel, and the church is the eternal kingdom.
Acts 2:47 - And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.
Colossians 1:13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son.
1 Peter 2:9 - But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light.
The church of Christ in Matthew 16 is the kingdom of Christ in Colossians 1:13. If you have been added to the church of Christ, then you have been added to the kingdom of Christ.
Is it possible to be saved outside of the church of Christ?
If so, it is possible to be saved while outside of the body of Christ.
If so, it is possible to be saved while outside of the promised eternal kingdom.
When people are saved they are added by God to his church. How then could any saved person possibly be outside of the church?
Are those in the church of Christ the only people who are saved? Yes, of course they are!
The only reason anyone has trouble with that statement is that they are thinking of the church of Christ as just another denomination.
The church of Christ is the church that belongs to Christ. It is the body of Christ. It is the church that Jesus promised to build in Matthew 16 and that was established in Acts 2. It is the church to which God adds people when they are saved.
There is no lost person inside the church, and there is no saved person outside of the church.
Despite what countless premillennial preachers have taught, Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 15 that Jesus is not returning to set up a kingdom.
1 Corinthians 15:24-28 is a crucial passage in our understanding of the kingdom.
1 Corinthians 15:24-28 - Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. 25 For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. … 28 And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all.
We are told here that the kingdom of Christ that began soon after his resurrection will experience a transition at the final resurrection. At that time, the eternal kingdom will be delivered to God.
Notice that verse 25 tells us that Jesus is reigning now – not that he will start to reign at some point in the future.
When the eternal kingdom is delivered to God, Jesus will cease to reign as the Messiah, and he will start to reign instead as part of the Godhead ("that God may be all in all" in verse 28).
When Jesus comes again it will not be to set up a kingdom (as many teach), but instead will be to deliver up or hand over to God an already existing kingdom.
Jesus already has an eternal kingdom – one purchased with his own blood – he does not need another one.
It is critical to recognize the continuity of the story of the kingdom from Genesis to Revelation.
In Genesis, we discovered that God rules over the Universe as its King and Creator.
In Exodus, God made Israel to be a special kingdom within a kingdom.
As we read in Psalms, God made a covenant with David that is still in force today.
Jesus began his earthly ministry by announcing that the kingdom of God was at hand. That kingdom was established in Acts 2. (We read about it in Daniel 2, Isaiah 2, and Joel 2.)
Today, God is reigning over the Universe through Jesus Christ, the Messiah, who reigns under the Davidic covenant.
Those who are in God's favor are part of a restored kingdom, which is the promised eternal kingdom of Daniel 2. This eternal kingdom is the church of Christ in Matthew 16.
At the end of time that special eternal kingdom, the church, will be delivered to God, and those outside the eternal kingdom will be eternally lost.
Perhaps if we called the church the kingdom more often, it would help us see the church as God sees the church.
It is often said that Revelation was written to help us understand what Heaven looks like even though we have never seen it. But is that really the case?
I think that, instead of describing Heaven, Revelation 21 and 22 are are describing the church here and now.
If so, then God is not describing something we can't see, but rather God is describing something we can see (the church) – and he is telling us that we are not seeing it right!
We are not seeing it as the beautiful, golden city of God that it is. The final chapters of the Bible are giving us God's view of his church!
Do we see the church as the eternal kingdom not built with hands that will sweep away all of the kingdoms of the earth? Do we see it as the immovable unshakable indestructible kingdom of Christ? Or do we see it as a footnote, as insignificant, as powerless in the great tide of history?
God ends the Bible by telling his people to open their eyes! He wants us to see the church as it really is! The church of Christ is the beautiful golden city of God shining forth the light of Christ in a world filled with darkness and despair. That is what the church was in Acts 2, that is what the church was during the Roman persecutions, and that is what the church is today.
Perhaps our own limited view of the church is holding us back from being what God wants his church to be!
We have looked at 10 facts about the kingdom. Let me end with an 11th fact: Whether you are in the eternal kingdom or out of the eternal kingdom is the only thing that ultimately matters in this life.
We all live in the universal kingdom of God, but not everyone is in the eternal kingdom of Daniel 2 and Acts 2.
That eternal kingdom is the most valuable thing that a man could ever find or hope to find. Isn't that what Jesus told us in the kingdom parables of Matthew 13?
"The kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field."
"The kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it."
Is the kingdom worth all that you have and all that you are? Yes, and in fact, it demands it! It must be our our one goal and our one focus. "See ye first the kingdom of God!" (Matthew 6:33)
Our proper understanding of the kingdom is one more reason why we are distinctive and unique in a world that is awash with man-made churches. The church of Christ is not a man-made church; it is the eternal kingdom made without hands. And nothing is more important today than being in that kingdom.
You Must Hear the Gospel
Romans 10:17
You must hear the gospel and then understand and recognize that you are lost without Jesus Christ no matter who you are and no matter what your background is. The Bible tells us that “all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23) Before you can be saved, you must understand that you are lost and that the only way to be saved is by obedience to the gospel of Jesus Christ. (2 Thessalonians 1:8) Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6) “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12) "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." (Romans 10:17)
You Must Believe
Hebrews 11:6
You must believe and have faith in God because “without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6) But neither belief alone nor faith alone is sufficient to save. (James 2:19; James 2:24; Matthew 7:21)
You Must Repent
Acts 3:19
You must repent of your sins. (Acts 3:19) But repentance alone is not enough. The so-called “Sinner’s Prayer” that you hear so much about today from denominational preachers does not appear anywhere in the Bible. Indeed, nowhere in the Bible was anyone ever told to pray the “Sinner’s Prayer” to be saved. By contrast, there are numerous examples showing that prayer alone does not save. Saul, for example, prayed following his meeting with Jesus on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:11), but Saul was still in his sins when Ananias met him three days later (Acts 22:16). Cornelius prayed to God always, and yet there was something else he needed to do to be saved (Acts 10:2, 6, 33, 48). If prayer alone did not save Saul or Cornelius, prayer alone will not save you. You must obey the gospel. (2 Thess. 1:8)
You Must Confess
Romans 10:9
You must confess that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. (Romans 10:9-10) Note that you do NOT need to make Jesus “Lord of your life.” Why? Because Jesus is already Lord of your life whether or not you have obeyed his gospel. Indeed, we obey him, not to make him Lord, but because he already is Lord. (Acts 2:36) Also, no one in the Bible was ever told to just “accept Jesus as your personal savior.” We must confess that Jesus is the Son of God, but, as with faith and repentance, confession alone does not save. (Matthew 7:21)
You Must Be Baptized
Acts 2:38
Having believed, repented, and confessed that Jesus is the Son of God, you must be baptized for the remission of your sins. (Acts 2:38) It is at this point (and not before) that your sins are forgiven. (Acts 22:16) It is impossible to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ without teaching the absolute necessity of baptism for salvation. (Acts 8:35-36; Romans 6:3-4; 1 Peter 3:21) Anyone who responds to the question in Acts 2:37 with an answer that contradicts Acts 2:38 is NOT proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ!
You Must Be Faithful Unto Death
Revelation 2:10
Once you are saved, God adds you to his church and writes your name in the Book of Life. (Acts 2:47; Philippians 4:3) To continue in God’s grace, you must continue to serve God faithfully until death. Unless they remain faithful, those who are in God’s grace will fall from grace, and those whose names are in the Book of Life will have their names blotted out of that book. (Revelation 2:10; Revelation 3:5; Galatians 5:4)