Kingdom of God
The kingdom of God is a present reality in the hearts of believers, but it will be fully established on earth when Christ returns.
Paul exhorts Timothy to continually keep the gift of God within him at full flame, using the metaphor of kindling a fire to emphasize the need to keep the zeal and passion for ministry burning brightly. Various commentators and theologians stress the importance of not allowing spiritual gifts to diminish but to actively stir them up, using them for the benefit of others and for the glory of God. The present tense in 'stir up the gift' conveys the idea of continuous action, urging Timothy to keep the flame of his spiritual gifts blazing despite challenges and difficulties.
Text
The kingdom of God really means the reign of God; it means the law and the rule of God. . . . In one sense the kingdom of God has already come. It came when the Lord Jesus was here. He said, "If I with the finger of God cast out devils, no doubt the kingdom of God is come upon you." He said in effect, "The kingdom of God is here now; I am exercising this power, this sovereignty, this majesty, this dominion; this is the kingdom of God" . . . . The kingdom of God is also here at this moment in the hearts and lives of all who submit to Him, in all who believe in Him. The kingdom of God is present in the . . . heart of all those who are truly Christian. Christ reigns in such people. But the day is yet to come when His kingdom shall have been established here upon the earth. . . That day is coming. The whole message of the Bible looks forward to that. Christ came down from heaven to earth to found, to establish, and to bring in this kingdom. He is still engaged upon that task and will be until the end, when it shall have been completed. The He will, according to Paul, hand it back to God the Father, "that God may be all in all."
. . . When we pray, "Thy kingdom come," we are praying for the success of the gospel, its sway and power; we are praying for the conversion of men and women; we are praying that the kingdom of God may come. . . everywhere in the world. . . . It means that we should be anticipating the day when all sin and evil and wrong and everything that is opposed to God shall finally have been routed . . . that the name of God may be glorious and magnified over all. (D. M. Lloyd-Jones, Studies in the Sermon on the Mount, Vol. II, p. 63-64).
Jesus answered and said to Nicodemus, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God" (John 3:3).
Sermon Outline
- The Kingdom of God
- The Future Establishment of the Kingdom
- Praying for the Kingdom
- Praying for the success of the Gospel
- Praying for the conversion of men and women
- The Kingdom of God is present in believers
Key Quotes
“The kingdom of God is here now; I am exercising this power, this sovereignty, this majesty, this dominion; this is the kingdom of God.” — Martyn-Lloyd Jones
“Unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” — Martyn-Lloyd Jones
“That God may be all in all.” — Martyn-Lloyd Jones
Application Points
- We should be praying for the success of the Gospel and the conversion of men and women.
- We should be anticipating the day when all sin and evil shall be routed and God's name shall be glorious and magnified over all.
- We must be born again to see the kingdom of God.