Citygate Church

About this talk:

“But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.” - Acts 2:24

'You can’t keep a good man down!' 

We often think that if we work hard and are generally good we will rise up, but this isn't quite the case in the bible. The people of Jesus' day saw his kingdom as a threat and so wanted to take him down. Yet God’s plan meant his death and resurrection would pave the way for all the righteous to live forever - if they put their trust in Christ.

About this series:

Throughout 2023 all our teaching series will be looking at The Kingdom Of God. The essential goal is to help people understand the Bible’s teaching on the kingdom of God and raise confidence in God’s plans for his kingdom’s expansion / multiplication.

Our first series on the kingdom starts with an introduction to the king and his kingdom and then develops that biblical theme from the establishing of God's kingdom in creation to his choosing of a special people who would be set apart for him, how God's kingdom clashes with that of the world and the choices we therefore have to make, how we're to be a blessing while we live in the world but not of it, the promise of a coming anointed king bringing to reality the rule of God in / through the life of his people, the coming of the kingdom in a new way in Jesus as promised in the OT, what Jesus expected life in the kingdom of God to look like, what Jesus taught about the kingdom in parables, how the church relates to the kingdom and the future kingdom.

Preaching about The Kingdom Of God is a great way to address life as a church community - this is how life together under God’s reign should look like. And to address our lives in the world - demonstrating to those in our sphere of influence the reality of God and what life looks like when God is your king.

About this talk:

Scripture: 2 Timothy 4:18

One of the basic points about the kingdom of God is that it is both here and not yet here. God has always been the king, his kingdom is here; and he ruled through a particular people in Old Testament times, the people of Israel; and then Jesus comes saying the kingdom has now come, in a new way through him. But the kingdom is also future because not until Jesus returns and renews all things will we see everything enjoying and recognising his kingship; only then will all his enemies be banished forever.

So Jesus regularly spoke of the kingdom as being present, as having arrived (come near) in his actions:

- Matthew 4:17: “From that time on Jesus began to preach, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.’”

- Luke 10:9: “Heal those there who are ill and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’”

- Luke 11:20: “if I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.”

And he just as regularly spoke of the kingdom as being future, as having not yet arrived:

- Matthew 7: 21: “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.”

- Matthew 8:11: “I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.”

- Mark 14:25: “Truly I tell you, I will not drink again from the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.”

When he speaks of the future kingdom, he is envisaging what Revelation tells us: “I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Look! God’s dwelling-place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death” or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away’ (Revelation 21:3-4). In this magnificent vision the reign of God is no longer challenged but is perfectly expressed by the total presence of God and the total absence of evil. This is the goal of salvation that Paul looks forward to: “The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen.”

Until then we work and pray to bring as much of the future into the present as God will allow - “Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” - until the day when the new earth is the new heaven, the dwelling place of God.

Application ideas:

- How do you hold in balance the kingdom being both now and not yet?

- If the full revelation of God’s reign in the future is our ultimate destiny, why do we so often remain firmly attached to this world? Can you help us to become less attached?

- In what ways does the future kingdom most excite you?

About this series:

Throughout 2023 all our teaching series will be looking at The Kingdom Of God. The essential goal is to help people understand the Bible’s teaching on the kingdom of God and raise confidence in God’s plans for his kingdom’s expansion / multiplication.

Our first series on the kingdom starts with an introduction to the king and his kingdom and then develops that biblical theme from the establishing of God's kingdom in creation to his choosing of a special people who would be set apart for him, how God's kingdom clashes with that of the world and the choices we therefore have to make, how we're to be a blessing while we live in the world but not of it, the promise of a coming anointed king bringing to reality the rule of God in / through the life of his people, the coming of the kingdom in a new way in Jesus as promised in the OT, what Jesus expected life in the kingdom of God to look like, what Jesus taught about the kingdom in parables, how the church relates to the kingdom and the future kingdom.

Preaching about The Kingdom Of God is a great way to address life as a church community - this is how life together under God’s reign should look like. And to address our lives in the world - demonstrating to those in our sphere of influence the reality of God and what life looks like when God is your king.

About this talk:

Scripture: Colossians 1:9-14

The kingdom of God is broader than the church - God rules over everything. And yet the church - a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession - are a very important part of the kingdom because they are those God has specially chosen to reign in / through and who, in turn, have chosen to submit to his reign.

So the kingdom of God is especially expressed in and through the church because those are the people God has brought under his reign in calling them to himself. And the Bible is clear that at the end of the day there are only two kingdoms - “the dominion of darkness and…the kingdom of the Son he loves” (Colossians 1:13). And it is only by God’s activity in any one of us that we have been rescued from the one and brought into the other.

The question then becomes: how does the church enjoy and express the reign / kingdom of God? The answer is found throughout the New Testament, the main message of which is concerned with how people live now that God is their king. Hence the teaching of Jesus addresses that, as probably did the 40 days of teaching we don’t have (Acts 1:3), as do the New Testament letters, which explain both the good news of what God has done for us in bringing us into his kingdom.

Just as Jesus has made the invisible God visible, John Calvin said it is the task of the church to make the invisible kingdom visible. Or to put it another way, the role of the church is to pray, “Your kingdom come” and to live in such a way that his reign is on display in our lives - to work and pray that God’s dynamic reign may be increasingly manifest in our lives, families, churches and communities until it is fully and finally known in the new heaven on the new earth.

At times the church has been guilty of hindering the display of God’s kingdom either by a) becoming entangled in sin and in allegiance to the kingdom of this world or b) by withdrawing from the world or sitting in judgement on it while having little salt and light effect upon it.

Application ideas:

- In what ways are you (and others) in danger of hindering the display of God’s kingdom by either a) or b) above?

- How could we make progress in making the invisible kingdom visible?

- What would a church enjoying the reign of God look like?

About this series:

Throughout 2023 all our teaching series will be looking at The Kingdom Of God. The essential goal is to help people understand the Bible’s teaching on the kingdom of God and raise confidence in God’s plans for his kingdom’s expansion / multiplication.

Our first series on the kingdom starts with an introduction to the king and his kingdom and then develops that biblical theme from the establishing of God's kingdom in creation to his choosing of a special people who would be set apart for him, how God's kingdom clashes with that of the world and the choices we therefore have to make, how we're to be a blessing while we live in the world but not of it, the promise of a coming anointed king bringing to reality the rule of God in / through the life of his people, the coming of the kingdom in a new way in Jesus as promised in the OT, what Jesus expected life in the kingdom of God to look like, what Jesus taught about the kingdom in parables, how the church relates to the kingdom and the future kingdom.

Preaching about The Kingdom Of God is a great way to address life as a church community - this is how life together under God’s reign should look like. And to address our lives in the world - demonstrating to those in our sphere of influence the reality of God and what life looks like when God is your king.

About this talk:

Scripture: Matthew 13:1-52

The word parable is a translation of the Greek word παραβολην (parabolēn) from παρα (beside) and βαλλω (to cast) meaning to cast beside: it is, therefore, ‘a teaching aid cast alongside the truth being taught’ (biblehub.com). Some definitions of the biblical genre of parable:

- Klyne Snodgrass: ‘Stories with intent’ and ‘an expanded analogy.’

- William Mounce: ‘A story from everyday life used to illustrate a moral or religious truth.’

- C. H. Dodd: ‘At its simplest the parable is a metaphor or simile drawn from nature or common life, arresting the hearer by its vividness or strangeness, and leaving the mind in sufficient doubt about its precise application to tease it into active thought.’

Jesus’ parables usually involve a number of elements as he uses a situation familiar to his hearers to bring out a truth about God and life in his kingdom. However, parables do not need to be extended stories. In Luke 4:23, for example, the same word is used for a short saying - “Physician, heal yourself!” (though the NIV translates παραβολην here as “proverb”).

Most of Jesus’ teaching about the kingdom of God was given in parables - “What shall I compare the kingdom of God to?” (Luke 13:20) and he spoke in parables for a variety of complementary reasons:

- To make truths about God’s kingdom plain to his disciples, while keeping them hidden from those outside: “When he was alone, the Twelve and the others around him asked him about the parables. He told them, ‘The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables so that, “they may be ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding; otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!”’” (Mark 4:10-12). However, a quick reading of Mark 4 shows that, by using parables, Jesus was not trying to be mysterious, but was speaking in relatable language that yet required a sincere, humble heart if the spiritual truth was to be understood. The meaning of some parables evaded the understanding of even his disciples: “His disciples came to him and said, ‘Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.’” (Matthew 13:36; see also Matthew 15:15).

- To fulfill prophecy: “Jesus spoke all these things to the crowd in parables; he did not say anything to them without using a parable. So was fulfilled what was spoken through the prophet: ‘I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter things hidden since the creation of the world.’” (Matthew 13:34-35).

- To answer a question or illustrate a principle related to life in the kingdom of God: for example, Jesus’ telling of the parable of the good Samaritan was to illustrate, “Who is my neighbour?” (see Luke 10:29ff) and, “Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up” (Luke 18:1ff).

- To make his teaching both accessible and memorable.

Matthew 13 contains seven parables of varying length and meaning, in all of which he is teaching about the kingdom of God which he terms “kingdom of heaven”), especially about some aspects of God’s reign. Two of the seven - the parable of the sower and the parable of the weeds - are explained by Jesus. The first parable describes different responses to, “the message about the kingdom” (v 19), while the others all describe what, “the kingdom of heaven is like” (vs 24, 31, 33, 44, 45, 47).

It’s important not to impose on these parables ideas about the kingdom of God they do not contain. Rather, they each tell us about one or two key things:

- The parable of the sower: different responses to the message of the kingdom.

- The parable of the weeds: alongside the good seed of the kingdom, Satan sows weeds, both of which will grow until the day of judgement.

- The parable of the mustard seed and the yeast: the kingdom of God has very small beginnings but grows to become, “the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree” and until, “it worked all through the dough.”

- The parable of the hidden treasure and the pearl: the kingdom of God is the greatest treasure imaginable, worth selling everything for.

- The parable of the net: not until the day of judgement will the wicked finally be separated from the righteous.

In short, these parables tell us that having God as king is the greatest possible treasure, that his reign is growing (though not everyone responds positively to it) and that both God’s kingdom and Satan’s kingdom coexist until the day of judgement.

Application ideas:

- Focus on applying one or two of the parables in Matthew 13 or focus on applying their common themes.

- What does Jesus mean by, “the secrets of the kingdom of heaven” (v 11)?

- In what ways do these parables encourage you about the expansion / multiplication of God’s kingdom?

About this series:

Throughout 2023 all our teaching series will be looking at The Kingdom Of God. The essential goal is to help people understand the Bible’s teaching on the kingdom of God and raise confidence in God’s plans for his kingdom’s expansion / multiplication.

Our first series on the kingdom starts with an introduction to the king and his kingdom and then develops that biblical theme from the establishing of God's kingdom in creation to his choosing of a special people who would be set apart for him, how God's kingdom clashes with that of the world and the choices we therefore have to make, how we're to be a blessing while we live in the world but not of it, the promise of a coming anointed king bringing to reality the rule of God in / through the life of his people, the coming of the kingdom in a new way in Jesus as promised in the OT, what Jesus expected life in the kingdom of God to look like, what Jesus taught about the kingdom in parables, how the church relates to the kingdom and the future kingdom.

Preaching about The Kingdom Of God is a great way to address life as a church community - this is how life together under God’s reign should look like. And to address our lives in the world - demonstrating to those in our sphere of influence the reality of God and what life looks like when God is your king.

About this talk:

Scripture: Matthew 5-7 (The Sermon on the Mount)

Having recorded that Jesus was travelling throughout Galilee, “proclaiming the good news of the kingdom,” Matthew then proceeds to give the most famous explanation of life in that kingdom, of the culture Jesus is establishing in his kingdom, of the demands God makes on those who are living under his reign.

 ‘The Sermon on the Mount is the most complete delineation anywhere in the New Testament of the Christian counter-culture’ (John Stott). In it Jesus turns upside down who it is that God considers to be blessed and turns inside out both Jewish and pagan ideas of how to relate to God and to people. 

The good life, as defined by the majority of Jews in Jesus’ day, was seen as the prosperous life, the life honoured by the rest of one’s community, the life kept ‘pure’ by remaining separate from the unclean, the outcast and the Gentile. One’s positive outward circumstances were believed to be evidence of God’s blessing and it was clear to all that God’s blessing had been withdrawn from those whose circumstances were negative. In fact, such negative situations were often seen as evidence of God’s judgement. All of which Jesus challenges as he calls blessed those who are poor in spirit, those who mourn, are meek and are persecuted because they follow him.

And Jesus brings fresh teaching, with authority that amazed the crowds (Matthew 7:28-29), about what it means to live righteously. In his kingdom it is heart attitude that matters, not just outward actions; in his kingdom purity is an internal matter, not an external one; and spiritual actions that God accepts are those done with him in mind, not those done to gain reputation among people. Above all, in the kingdom of God he demands to be at the centre of people’s lives, with anyone not trusting him completely and not putting his words into action being branded as foolish and destined for eternal ruin (Matthew 7:26).

The culture of the kingdom of God is defined by the fact that God reigns; and Jesus embodies uniquely and completely. So as we think about what this looks like in practice we always come back to the questions: what did Jesus say and what would Jesus do?

Application ideas:

- Can you give some current examples of how the culture of God’s kingdom is different from the culture of other human kingdoms (bearing different national / racial cultures in mind)?

- Which parts of the Sermon on the Mount are most challenging / shocking.

- Mahatma Gandhi: ‘They (the Beatitudes) contain a message that would save the world. What a pity that Christians have been listening to the message for two thousand years, but they (the Christians) are like stones lying in the water for centuries, never soaking up a single drop.’ Can you help us to soak some of it up?

About this series:

Throughout 2023 all our teaching series will be looking at The Kingdom Of God. The essential goal is to help people understand the Bible’s teaching on the kingdom of God and raise confidence in God’s plans for his kingdom’s expansion / multiplication.

Our first series on the kingdom starts with an introduction to the king and his kingdom and then develops that biblical theme from the establishing of God's kingdom in creation to his choosing of a special people who would be set apart for him, how God's kingdom clashes with that of the world and the choices we therefore have to make, how we're to be a blessing while we live in the world but not of it, the promise of a coming anointed king bringing to reality the rule of God in / through the life of his people, the coming of the kingdom in a new way in Jesus as promised in the OT, what Jesus expected life in the kingdom of God to look like, what Jesus taught about the kingdom in parables, how the church relates to the kingdom and the future kingdom.

Preaching about The Kingdom Of God is a great way to address life as a church community - this is how life together under God’s reign should look like. And to address our lives in the world - demonstrating to those in our sphere of influence the reality of God and what life looks like when God is your king.

About this talk:

Scripture: Matthew 4:12-17

What John the Baptist announced (Matthew 3:2), Jesus now announces in exactly the same words; but in a new way because the king himself has come. While the fullness of God’s kingdom awaits Jesus’ return, a decisive unveiling of his kingdom and demonstration of it has now arrived in the ministry of Jesus. The enormity of this cannot be overstated - after centuries of waiting, God’s decisive reign in history is about to be revealed. Which is exactly what the angel had said to Mary: “The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants for ever; his kingdom will never end” (Luke 1:32-33).

The particular point is that Jesus is the bringer of God’s kingdom in a unique way; as the Son of God he reveals the king like no other; as the Son of God he expresses the king’s rule like no other; as the Son of God he has the anointing and authority to bring into being what had been long-promised.

After calling his first disciples, “Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and illness among the people.” This is his central announcement - the kingdom of God is now here as never before and evidence for his reign is being displayed as he heals “every disease and illness.”

And he then sent his disciples out in the same way - “he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal those who were ill” (Luke 9:2; cf John 20:21). And this is still what Jesus is doing - bringing the kingdom of God near by his Spirit and through his people.

The one thing Jesus calls people to do in response to the arrival of the kingdom is to repent (v 17; or in Mark 1:15, “Repent and believe the good news”). In order to enter under the reign of God, a person needs to turn from their current direction in life and turn to him in faith and obedience.

Application ideas:

- In what ways did the ministry of Jesus mark a decisive departure with the reign of God among people in previous times?

- If Jesus still sends his people to, “to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal those who [are] ill” how can we take up that challenge?

- What does Jesus’ call to repent and believe actually mean in practice?

About this series:

Throughout 2023 all our teaching series will be looking at The Kingdom Of God. The essential goal is to help people understand the Bible’s teaching on the kingdom of God and raise confidence in God’s plans for his kingdom’s expansion / multiplication.

Our first series on the kingdom starts with an introduction to the king and his kingdom and then develops that biblical theme from the establishing of God's kingdom in creation to his choosing of a special people who would be set apart for him, how God's kingdom clashes with that of the world and the choices we therefore have to make, how we're to be a blessing while we live in the world but not of it, the promise of a coming anointed king bringing to reality the rule of God in / through the life of his people, the coming of the kingdom in a new way in Jesus as promised in the OT, what Jesus expected life in the kingdom of God to look like, what Jesus taught about the kingdom in parables, how the church relates to the kingdom and the future kingdom.

Preaching about The Kingdom Of God is a great way to address life as a church community - this is how life together under God’s reign should look like. And to address our lives in the world - demonstrating to those in our sphere of influence the reality of God and what life looks like when God is your king.

About this talk:

Scripture: Isaiah 61

The king reigns everywhere, over everything and everyone. And yet, until he returns and eliminates Satan and evil we do not see every place, thing or person submitted to him. Hence Vaughan Roberts writes, ‘That is what is meant by ‘the kingdom of God’; not the area where he rules (for he always rules everywhere) but the sphere where his rule is gladly accepted.’ And Isaiah 61, along with many Old Testament passages depicts what life looks like where his rule is gladly accepted.’

Isaiah 61 is part of Isaiah’s vision of a post-exilic future for God’s people, a new Jerusalem headed by the Servant-Messiah-King on whom Isaiah’s prophecies are focussed. Isaiah 60 has just spoken of the blessings that God’s people will enjoy and chapter 61 now brings into focus the one who will deliver those blessings.

“The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor,” v 1. The anointed servant brings freedom, favour and comfort (vs 1-2); he changes the fortunes of his people for his own name’s sake (v 3); he sets his people to work in rebuilding what has been broken down and to minister to him (vs 4-6); shame and disgrace will become instead a joyful double-portion inheritance (v 7); his covenant will be marked by faithfulness and justice, with his people being renowned among the nations (vs 8-9); the result is both delight in God and delight in what he has done (vs 10-11).

This is what life is like under the reign of king Jesus, who announces his manifesto in Nazareth by quoting Isaiah 61. Kevin de Young: ‘When Jesus read from the Isaiah scroll in Luke 4:16-21, his simple message was, in effect, “I am jubilee.” “I am good news for the poor because I can meet their needs,” Jesus was saying, “and good news for the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. I am good news for the captives in chains because I can them free (sic), and good news for those in spiritual bondage because I can be their deliverer. I am good news for the physically blind because I can restore their sight, and good news for the spiritually blind because I will open their eyes to the glory of God. I am good news for the oppressed because I hear their cries for justice, and good news for the spiritually oppressed because I will conquer sin, self, and Satan.”’

While we know that the fulness of all this will not be seen until Jesus returns, it is clearly his expectation that we will enjoy and demonstrate the foretaste of it now.

Application ideas:

- Which parts of Isaiah 61 excite you most?

- What are some of our hopes and vision for life under the rule of God (in your family, workplace, neighbourhood, Citygate)?

- Why is Jesus the answer to all this?

About this series:

Throughout 2023 all our teaching series will be looking at The Kingdom Of God. The essential goal is to help people understand the Bible’s teaching on the kingdom of God and raise confidence in God’s plans for his kingdom’s expansion / multiplication.

Our first series on the kingdom starts with an introduction to the king and his kingdom and then develops that biblical theme from the establishing of God's kingdom in creation to his choosing of a special people who would be set apart for him, how God's kingdom clashes with that of the world and the choices we therefore have to make, how we're to be a blessing while we live in the world but not of it, the promise of a coming anointed king bringing to reality the rule of God in / through the life of his people, the coming of the kingdom in a new way in Jesus as promised in the OT, what Jesus expected life in the kingdom of God to look like, what Jesus taught about the kingdom in parables, how the church relates to the kingdom and the future kingdom.

Preaching about The Kingdom Of God is a great way to address life as a church community - this is how life together under God’s reign should look like. And to address our lives in the world - demonstrating to those in our sphere of influence the reality of God and what life looks like when God is your king.

About this talk:

So how are God’s people to live in these in between times, when the kingdom of God has come but not fully, when the clash of kingdoms continues? There are three basic options: quietly withdraw, aggressively oppose, or positively integrate. In Jeremiah 29 the prophet writes to the Jewish exiles in Babylon with God’s advice about how they should live, given that God’s deliverance of them was still going to be 70 years in the future. And what he advises may have been a great surprise - it was not to quietly withdraw or to aggressively oppose, but to positively integrate while retaining their distinctive identity.

After God reminds them that it was he who took them into exile, he says they are to settle down and embrace Babylon as their physical home; to increase through marriage; and to work and pray for the peace and prosperity of Babylon. The dangers and temptations involved in integrating were not to stop them being a positive influence and force for good where God had placed them.

The same remains absolutely true for us, as is made clear in the New Testament:

- We are in the world, but not of it (John 17:14-19).

- We are to love our neighbours (Mark 12:31).

- We are to “let [our] light shine before others, that they may see [our] good deeds and glorify [our] Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).

- We are not expected to remove ourselves from the rest of the world (1 Corinthians 5:9-10).

- Jesus has sent us into the world as witnesses (John 20:21), as salt and light in the world (Matthew5:13-16).

But the challenge remains too. The challenge to be a blessing to those around us without falling in love with their values; to be fully involved with our neighbours without losing sight of who the true king is; to become neither isolated nor compromised.

Application ideas:

- Give some examples of times when you’ve quietly withdrawn or aggressively opposed rather than positively integrated.

- What does it mean to be in the world but not of it? What bearing do James 4:4-5 and 1 John 2:15-17 have on this?

- What would it look like for you to positively integrate; to “seek the peace and prosperity” of the place (neighbourhood, workplace, social settings) where God has placed you?

About this series:

Throughout 2023 all our teaching series will be looking at The Kingdom Of God. The essential goal is to help people understand the Bible’s teaching on the kingdom of God and raise confidence in God’s plans for his kingdom’s expansion / multiplication.

Our first series on the kingdom starts with an introduction to the king and his kingdom and then develops that biblical theme from the establishing of God's kingdom in creation to his choosing of a special people who would be set apart for him, how God's kingdom clashes with that of the world and the choices we therefore have to make, how we're to be a blessing while we live in the world but not of it, the promise of a coming anointed king bringing to reality the rule of God in / through the life of his people, the coming of the kingdom in a new way in Jesus as promised in the OT, what Jesus expected life in the kingdom of God to look like, what Jesus taught about the kingdom in parables, how the church relates to the kingdom and the future kingdom.

Preaching about The Kingdom Of God is a great way to address life as a church community - this is how life together under God’s reign should look like. And to address our lives in the world - demonstrating to those in our sphere of influence the reality of God and what life looks like when God is your king.

About this talk:

In calling a people to specially belong to him, God set his people on a collision course with the surrounding nations. Israel’s job was to stand firm in loyalty to God in the face of every other god; to not conform to the other kingdoms but retain their distinctiveness as the people of God. And yet they consistently failed to do so, either forgetting God altogether or mixing their loyalties.

Daniel, deported to Babylon around 600BC, stands out as one who stood up for the kingdom of God under enormous pressure from king Nebuchadnezzar and his kingdom. Given a new name, Belteshazzar, he refused to eat or live as the people of the kingdom he’d been taken to, refused to bow down to the gold image of Nebuchadnezzar, refused to give up praying to God - all under extreme pressure to conform to the ways of the Babylonians and the word of their king. He remains a magnificent example of living under the reign of God in the clash of kingdoms we too experience.

Old Testament expectation was that when the Messiah came he would transform everything and establish the people of God under the reign of God once and for all, banishing evil in the process. And yet, in one of so many ways in which he confounded expectations, Jesus the Messiah did not banish evil and the kingdom of the world when he came. He decisively defeated Satan, but did not banish him - not yet!

So the parables about the kingdom in Matthew 13 (the parables of the sower, the weeds, the yeast, the mustard seed and the net) show two kingdoms living side-by-side until a future decisive elimination of evil. The clash of kingdoms was not ended by the Messiah’s coming, but continues until his return. Until then, God’s people are engaged in a battle to remain loyal to the King and committed to establishing his kingdom above all others.

This clash and ultimate defeat of other kingdoms is expressed prophetically in Daniel 2 with God’s reign ultimately triumphing over all others - “In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure for ever” (v 44).

Application ideas:

- What lessons can we learn from Daniel’s courageous example?

- In what ways does the kingdom of this world seek to reign in our lives?

- Give some examples (including personal ones) of where you’ve found this clash of kingdoms to be most challenging.

About this series:

Throughout 2023 all our teaching series will be looking at The Kingdom Of God. The essential goal is to help people understand the Bible’s teaching on the kingdom of God and raise confidence in God’s plans for his kingdom’s expansion / multiplication.

Our first series on the kingdom starts with an introduction to the king and his kingdom and then develops that biblical theme from the establishing of God's kingdom in creation to his choosing of a special people who would be set apart for him, how God's kingdom clashes with that of the world and the choices we therefore have to make, how we're to be a blessing while we live in the world but not of it, the promise of a coming anointed king bringing to reality the rule of God in / through the life of his people, the coming of the kingdom in a new way in Jesus as promised in the OT, what Jesus expected life in the kingdom of God to look like, what Jesus taught about the kingdom in parables, how the church relates to the kingdom and the future kingdom.

Preaching about The Kingdom Of God is a great way to address life as a church community - this is how life together under God’s reign should look like. And to address our lives in the world - demonstrating to those in our sphere of influence the reality of God and what life looks like when God is your king.

About this talk:

Scripture: Exodus 19:4-6, 1 Peter 2:4-5

Exodus 19 records God’s encounter with Moses on Mount Sinai just ahead of the giving of the ten commandments in Exodus 20. Exodus 19:6 contains a biblical theme that began with the call of Abraham and continues through to the end of Revelation: “Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation”. Out of everything that belongs to him, God had graciously chosen a particular people to belong to him and through whom his reign would be expressed as that people lived in submission and obedience to him.

So from the earliest times, while the tribe of Levi were specifically called to function as priests, everyone was, in a very real sense, a priest - everyone served God and ministered to him; knowing him, loving him, obeying him. And while every nation belonged to God, this one nation was called out to specially belong to him as his chosen people.

As we move from the Old Testament to the New, we find that this kingdom of priests, this holy nation is no longer an ethnic people, but all people who put their faith in God through his Son, Jesus Christ. So:

- 1 Peter 2:9: “You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession.”

- Revelation 1:5-6: “To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, 6 and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father - to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen.”

- Revelation 5:10: “You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God.”

This has huge practical implications for those who follow Jesus: we have been decisively called out from the world and called to belong to God - called “out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession” (Deuteronomy 7:6). Being his “kingdom of priests and a holy nation,” we are therefore called to a distinctive trust and a distinctive lifestyle in obedience to his Word. And especially for this series, we are the people who have been transferred from one kingdom to another - “For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves” (Colossians 1:13).

We look at:

- How this theme of God having a particular people in whom he reigns runs through the Bible.

- What does it mean to be a holy people, those called out from the world to belong to God?

- How can we live as those called out from the world while we still live in the world? What does that look like?