Reading John chapter 18 verses 28 to 38

The Kingdom of God

How many Kingdoms are there in this world? My Atlas says 17. Kingdoms of Belgium, Bhutan (North of India - near Nepal), Cambodia, Denmark, Lesotho (in Africa), Morocco, Nepal, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Swaziland, Sweden, Thailand, Netherlands, Tonga, Jordan and The United Kingdom (where we all live at the moment.) We have a Queen today rather than a king and power is held by the Government but it is The Queens Government and she is a Constitutional monarch.

What is a kingdom? Historically a Kingdom is an area of land and the people in it ruled by a King. The king rules and makes provision for the people. He runs an army to defend them. In return the King rightfully expects the loyalty of his subjects.

A Unique Kingdom. There is a kingdom not listed in my Atlas that is more important than any other kingdom. It is a great, far-reaching kingdom unlimited by national borders. It is a kingdom where there is peace and safety, freedom and harmony. The Kingdom of God is a unique kingdom. All other kingdoms arose out of violence and suffering for the subjects. The Kingdom of God is only possible because The King of the Kingdom suffered so that His subjects might be welcomed into His kingdom and be delivered from the most terrible suffering imaginable.

All others basically the same. All other kingdoms have so much in common. They have all used violence and warfare to promote their interests and enlarge their kingdoms. All worldly systems might be increased by violence and physical warfare but not The Kingdom of The Lord Jesus Christ.

November the Fifth is the day we remember the defeat of some terrorists who wanted to blow up the king of England, James l and his parliament.
Terrorism, the practice of using violent and intimidating acts, especially for ones own ends. It is used by some nations, some religious groups and by pressure groups like animal rights activists. Terrorism is a cowardly way to get things done. You do not find terrorists facing up to powerful military forces and attacking them. Terrorists choose easy targets, unarmed men, women and children: people who cannot fight back as they do not have the means or the skill. Guy Fawkes was a terrorist no different to the people who crashed those planes into the world trade centre. Guy Fawkes wanted to impose his way of government on this country, government by a foreign power.

There is no such thing as a Christian Terrorist or a fighter for Christ who uses bombs and bullets. John 18:36 Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence.

If I were to say this in some circles the subject of the Crusades would be raised. This was not terrorism but a reaction to it. All the same it was a group of men, calling themselves Christians, who launched five violent campaigns into the Middle East. The Crusades were a series of expeditions (11th-14th century) to secure Christian rule over the Muslim-controlled holy places of Palestine.
The First Crusade was called by Pope Urban II, and was provoked by interference with traditional pilgrimage to Palestine. The pope promised spiritual benefits to warriors willing to fight under Christian banners. The Crusaders captured Jerusalem in 1099 and massacred its inhabitants, establishing a kingdom there under Godfrey of Bouillon. Four more crusades followed, achieving little except death and destruction all around the Middle East.
All, except the peaceful Sixth Crusade (1228-9), were marred by greed and brutality. Jews and Christians in Europe were slaughtered by rabble armies on their way to the Holy Land. The crusades deepened the hostility between what many thought of as Christianity and Islam.

It is important to check things out by Gods Word. We must be careful about what we think of as "Christian". Not everyone who calls himself or herself a Christian is one. Not every organization that calls itself Christian is really a Christian organisation and is following The Lord Jesus Christ.
Matthew 7:15-21 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. 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.

We must apply scriptural principles to the way people behave and the things they teach. If what we observe follows what God says then we can see that people are genuinely followers of The Lord Jesus. If not, then serious doubts arise about where such people really stand.

How did The Lord Jesus send out his disciples? Luke 9: 1-3 Then he called his twelve disciples together, and gave them power and authority over all devils, and to cure diseases. And he sent them to preach the kingdom of God, and to heal the sick. And he said unto them, Take nothing for your journey, neither staves, nor scrip, neither bread, neither money; neither have two coats apiece. The command of The Lord Jesus when He ascended back to heaven was Mark 16:15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He sent His disciples out trusting in God not their own capability. (Missionaries like David Brainerd, Adoniram Judson and John Paton did not go out with armies and guns. They went out to talk to people about Gods truth. They went out trusting God to extend His kingdom using what God gave them to say.)

Jesus set an example. When The Lord Jesus came out of 30 years of obscurity to begin His public ministry He began to preach. He did not train an army to fight for His cause. He preached the gospel of The Kingdom Of God. He taught about turning away from sinful ways and about trusting God and believing His Word. Even when, from a worldly point of view, it seemed He was in the power of His enemies He did not order a violent defence by His followers. When Peter struck a servant of the High Priest with a sword The Lord Jesus healed the wound and stopped further action by His disciples. Matthew 26:52 Then said Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword. John 18:11 Then said Jesus unto Peter, Put up thy sword into the sheath: the cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it? He would not have His cause defended with a sword. The Lord Jesus was intent on building His Kingdom His way. That is why He went to the cross and died there. He gave up His life in the place of sinners. No man took His life from Him: He lay down His life. In dying on the cross The Lord Jesus defeated sin. I said before that it was the suffering of The King that made The kingdom of God, not the suffering of His subjects.

The Kingdom of God grows by Gods power working in people's minds and souls not by threatening them with bombs and guns. He sends His servants out as He went, to talk to people about The Truth of The Lord Jesus and what He has done to save sinners. No man can claim any praise or glory over extending Gods Kingdom because all the praise and glory is Gods because it is only by His power that anything happens.

The Kingdom of The Lord Jesus is a Spiritual Kingdom. Luke 17:20-21 And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.
The Kingdom of God is not like any other kingdom because it is not of this world. It is a kingdom in people's hearts. No matter what their background, their nationality, their skills or their abilities God welcomes of all kinds of people into His Kingdom.

The big question is " Is The Kingdom of God in your heart? Does God rule there? Are you loyal to Him or to someone else? Have you known the power of God and been enabled to turn away from things that displease God. Have you trusted The Lord Jesus for the forgiveness of your sins?"

If the answer is no then you are in the kingdom of this world. John 8:23 And he said unto them, Ye are from beneath; I am from above: ye are of this world; I am not of this world. The Lord Jesus spoke to His enemies as being "of this world". If you are not in His kingdom then you too are of this world and you are enemies of The Lord Jesus refusing to have Him rule over you. John 14:30 Hereafter I will not talk much with you: for the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me. He refers to satan as the prince of this world. You are in satan's kingdom if you are not in The Kingdom of God. Satan uses his army to hold his people down rather than to watch over them as God uses His.