Two Kingdoms
Theme: Life with the King of kings changes everything.
Text: Matthew 3:1-2 and Matthew 4:17
Here’s a thought: Please stop saying that we go to church. We are the church! This is not just a nitpicky detail but a call to recognize Christ’s Lordship over every area of our lives.
Matthew, a tax collector, is making money hand over fist. Despised by all the people for collaborating with the Romans, he absorbs himself in his world of money. Then, one day (in Matthew 9:9), Jesus passes by, looks at Matthew, and simply says, “Follow Me.” And for one brief moment, Matthew has a dilemma. A split-second image of all his gold, silver, house, and possessions. Then he looks at Jesus and realizes he must make a choice - he can’t have both. But there was no comparison. He recognized instantly that he was looking at the True Treasure, the true riches. And he left everything [eventually]: He made a sacrifice that turned out to be no sacrifice at all. He chose the kingdom (from https://hotsermons.com/sermon-illustrations/sermon-illustrations-sacrifice.html). Everything changed for him!
This Matthew is probably the same man who wrote the Gospel of Matthew. He records in Matthew 3:1-2, “1 In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the Desert of Judea 2 and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.” NIV
He also records in Matthew 4:17, “From that time on Jesus began to preach, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.’“ NIV
Life with the King means we:
Leave the Kingdom of Self
Earl Jabay writes on pages 7 and 8 of “The Kingdom of Self”:
The first thing a baby does when he comes into the world is to establish his kingdom. He, of course, is the king. He is Number One. Because there is none higher than himself, he is in the position of a god.
Babies do all this their first day among us.
Shortly after birth, the baby is hungry. He is exhausted by a humiliating eviction from quarters which, quite frankly, he thoroughly enjoyed. Besides, his source of food is cut off. A complaint must be registered immediately.
The baby cries. He wants service.
A weary mother hears, understands, and responds, for nothing in all the world is more precious than her baby. The little fellow is introduced to the breast, and though he is not too happy with the considerable effort which is now required on his part, his stomach is soon satisfied.
But now our little friend has a new problem. There is an uncomfortable feeling around his buttocks, and because his skin is very tender, he again lets out a cry. Mother quickly responds. She changes the diaper, caresses her beautiful baby, and lovingly places him back in the bassinet.
Each time the king cries out, he is obeyed.
In a typical day, the king has about six feedings and three bowel movements. Roughly nine times each day, he tests the authority of his kingdom, and each time he is gratified with the results. All he has to do is cry, and someone will come running to attend his needs. Obviously, he is the center of the world. The world exists for him.
He is a god!
The first man and woman – Adam and Eve – were a family. They did not need to have children to become a family, but children were added to their family. Adam and Eve had a purpose or a mission – they were created for fellowship and partnership with God and each other, tending to the Garden of Eden, filling the earth and managing it for the Creator. The children were added to the family and were called to join the parents to fulfill the mission. The children were and are not to be the centre of the family. If children think they are the centre of the family and the universe, a wake-up call is coming! Child-centred parenting is an unnoticed pandemic in the Western world.
When is a “piece of wood” like a king? When it’s a ruler!
The kingdom of self is ruled by the unholy trinity of me, myself and I. As we grow up in the kingdom of self, we become clever and sophisticated in hiding our crowns. Our self-focus is exposed, or we cover it with socially acceptable clothes. We can end up in a life of crime despised by mainstream society or become well-mannered, well-dressed and well-educated self-seekers admired by the world. The saying applies, “You can put lipstick on a pig, but it’s still a pig.”
Martin Luther (1483-1546) confessed, “I dread my own heart more than the pope and all his cardinals, for within me is the greater pope, even self.”
Jesus warns us in Matthew 6:1-2 that when we do good deeds in the kingdom of self, the rewards are short-term:
1 Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven. 2 Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. NIV
Here is the age-old illusion of the kingdom of self - the kingdom of darkness. A human being did not establish the kingdom of darkness, but the archangel Lucifer (now known as Satan or the devil) rebelled against God and decided to go his own way. The kingdom of self is marked by pride, rebellion, isolation and darkness. We might think we assert freedom when trying to establish our kingdom, but we are mayors of our little hamlets within the kingdom of darkness. Satan rules over the kingdom of self. We don’t realize it, but when we fool ourselves into thinking that we serve ourselves, we serve Satan and the powers of darkness.
When was the last time we stepped back and asked ourselves, “Why am I doing this? “How much of my life, work, and relationships are about me?”
Life with the King means we:
Leave the Kingdom of Self
and
Enter the Kingdom of Heaven
Keep in mind that Matthew writes for the Jews and that Jews would, out of reverence, avoid saying the name of God. Matthew calls it the kingdom of heaven, while Mark, Luke and John call it the kingdom of God.
What did John and Jesus mean when they proclaimed, “The kingdom of heaven is near?” Their listeners would have interpreted this phrase to mean, “The Lord is going to deliver His chosen people from the Romans and establish a new kingdom here on earth.” However, Jesus revealed (in John 13:36), “My kingdom is not of this world.”
John the Baptist understood the kingdom of heaven more than most. He prepared people’s hearts for his cousin Jesus, the Messiah. He lived and led with the awareness that Jesus must increase, but he must decrease (John 3:30). He let his disciples leave him to follow Jesus. He went to prison and had his head cut off for faithfully upholding the King’s plans and purposes.
Jesus said of him in Matthew 11:11-13:
11 I tell you the truth: Among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. 12 From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it. 13 For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John. NIV
In declaring “the kingdom of heaven is near,” John and Jesus were saying the conflict between the kingdom of self (also known as the kingdom of darkness) and the kingdom of heaven was coming to a head with Jesus’ death and resurrection. This conflict continues in the hearts and minds of people as they decide who they will serve. We serve ourselves by default but were designed to serve the King of kings. If we don’t choose to serve the King of kings, we serve ourselves. We enter the kingdom of heaven if we decide to press in against our natural inclinations. The Prince of Peace rules in our hearts when we surrender to Him.
History records that kings sometimes found that uprisings were a peasant surprise.
This intentional, monumental decision to leave the kingdom of self and to enter the kingdom of heaven is what the Bible calls repentance. To repent is to change your mind, but it doesn’t stop there. Repentance bears fruit – not only a change of thinking but a change of speaking and living.
We in Canada think of the monarchy as a figurehead, but the Jews recognized the supreme power and authority of the king. The Romans would declare, “Caesar is Lord!” Followers of Jesus would risk imprisonment and even death when they stated, “Jesus is Lord!” The King’s love language is obedience, so we express our love for Him by surrendering to Him. The decision to leave the kingdom of self and to enter the kingdom of heaven is not a “once and for all” decision. It is a daily decision to surrender to the King.
Jesus described it this way in Luke 9:23, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” NIV
We have drawn unbiblical, unhealthy and unhelpful distinctions between the sacred and the secular. The kingdom of heaven does not draw these lines. In other words, how you and I live on Monday is just as important as how we live on Sunday.
We have done this individually and corporately – as the church. Please stop saying that we go to church. We are the church! This is not just a nitpicky detail but a call to recognize the Lordship of Christ in every area of our lives. Unless we adjust our thinking, we will drift toward a small, limited vision of who we are and how the King wants us to live. As much as the Lord values the church and us individually, He wants us to see a bigger picture. It is time to think outside the building!
Tyrone Daniel, leader of the New Covenant Ministries International apostolic team, compares and contrasts a focus on the church with a focus on the kingdom of heaven. Here are just a few examples …
Church Focus Kingdom Focus
Growth Impact
Restrict Release
Business Life
Striving Living
Goal-oriented Christ-oriented
Superstar King
Defense Offense
Us Him
Pressure Presence
Excellence Authenticity
Fill Buildings Fill the Earth
Control Order
Gather Go
Please Her Please Him
Having a kingdom vision redefines the purpose of our lives – whether we are noticed by others or not. We can stop thinking or saying that pastors and missionaries are more important in the kingdom than people in the home, business, education, the trades, politics, etc. If we serve the King, we are all in “full-time ministry” (generally an unhelpful term). We no longer need to compare ourselves with others as we keep our eyes on the King of kings.
Watch “Work is Beautiful: The Florist’s Story” at www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwaiE7tW6kw.
The Apostle Paul reminds us in Colossians 3:23-24:
23 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, 24 since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. NIV
Someone has warned, “Busyness in the King’s business is no excuse for neglecting the King.” Life in the kingdom flows out of life with the King every minute of every day. Life with the King changes our purpose, priorities and motives. He has certainly changed my life and my work! Will you let Him change yours?
Life with the King means we:
Leave the Kingdom of Self
and
Enter the Kingdom of Heaven
Life with the King of kings changes everything.
