The Kingdom of God in Acts From Beginning To End

The kingdom of God is one of the most central themes of the Bible. If you find yourself perusing through the Old Testament (OT) historical accounts of Israel’s kings, it won’t take you too long to come to this conclusion: as the king goes, so goes the kingdom. Let’s consider this reality in the book of Acts.

Luke has the distinction of being the most prolific of the New Testament (NT) authors, if you measure production by the amount of pages written. As the author of most of our NT, we may find it surprising that Luke only refers to the kingdom of God eight times in Acts, when it is such a prominent theme in the Bible. The specific phrase “kingdom of God” occurs six of those times. Here are the relevant verses:

 

Acts 1:3—He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.

Acts 1:6—So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?”

Acts 8:12—But when they believed Philip as he preached good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.

Acts 14:21–22—When they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.

Acts 19:8—And he entered the synagogue and for three months spoke boldly, reasoning and persuading them about the kingdom of God.

Acts 20:25–And now, behold, I know that none of you among whom I have gone about proclaiming the kingdom will see my face again. 

Acts 28:23—When they had appointed a day for him, they came to him at his lodging in greater numbers. From morning till evening he expounded to them, testifying to the kingdom of God and trying to convince them about Jesus both from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets.

Acts 28:30–31—He lived there two whole years at his own expense, and welcomed all who came to him, proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance.

 

While Luke only refers to the kingdom of God these eight times, it would be a mistake to think it isn’t a major theme in his book. For starters, notice the strategic, fairly even distribution throughout the book. Luke places references to the kingdom at the beginning, middle, and end, with a few one-offs in between for good measure. You can’t go more than a few pages in Luke’s twenty-eight chapter work of theological history without finding yourself confronted by a “kingdom of God” statement that Luke uses to summarize the early church’s work. Let’s zoom in on a couple of those statements

Notice that Luke frames his book with this all important theme. That is, he begins and ends his book with the kingdom of God.

Luke begins Acts with the kingdom of God—He (Jesus) presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God (Acts 1:3). Jesus spent forty days moving in and out among his disciples after his resurrection. That’s a good chunk of time. Notice how Jesus used it. Luke tells us Jesus did two things: (1) Jesus repeatedly proved that he was alive, and (2) Jesus spoke to the disciples about the kingdom of God. Luke doesn’t want us to miss this: Jesus’ resurrected life ties directly to the kingdom of God. That’s how he starts Acts. The right question to ask is, “What exactly did Jesus speak to his disciples about regarding the kingdom, and how does that relate to his resurrection?” To answer that question, to the end of Acts we go.

Luke ends Acts with the kingdom of God where he gives us one final account of Paul’s ministry in Rome, writing, He (Paul) lived there two whole years at his own expense, and welcomed all who came to him, proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance (Acts 28:30–31). The last sentence in Acts that Luke carefully selects and writes tells us that Paul continued to proclaim two things (1) the kingdom of God and (2) Jesus. Acts 28:23 fills this out a little more by telling us that Paul aimed to convince [those who visited him] about Jesus from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets. This is precisely what Jesus did for his disciples in his forty days.

In Luke 24:25–27, we see Jesus appear to two of his disciples on the road to Emmaus. This is what how Luke captures the moment: [Jesus says to them] “Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he [Jesus] interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.” Likewise, when Jesus appears to his disciples later he offers the same message:

 

Then he [Jesus] said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things (Luke 24:44–48).

 

What exactly did Jesus speak to his disciples about regarding the kingdom, and how does that relate to his resurrection? Jesus’ message to his disciples is essentially this: the kingdom of God is inaugurated and here because the king of God’s kingdom lives and reigns. Peter proves this conclusion for us in his very first public proclamation of the gospel in Acts 2:14–41.

In his Pentecost sermon, Peter climactically heralds that when David wrote Psalm 16:27 he was prophesying about Jesus’ resurrection as the true king of God’s kingdom,

 

he (David) foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses (Acts 2:31–32).

 

And for the final touch, Peter exclaims,

 

Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified (Acts 2:36).

 

Jesus’ resurrection proves he is the rightful king of God’s kingdom. And if the king is here, the kingdom of God is here. King Jesus conquered death and lives forever. And because he lives forever, he reigns forever. And because he reigns forever, his kingdom, God’s kingdom, will never end. As the king goes, so goes the kingdom.

The book of Acts from beginning to end is all about King Jesus reigning over the kingdom of God. This is the story Luke tells. This is the story Jesus’ people, citizens of his kingdom, in Acts tell. And, it’s a story that did not end at Acts 28:31. It continues. If you are in Christ today, this is your story. Go and tell it.

You Are of Heaven

If I asked you to tell me about yourself chances are you would, at some point, tell me where you were from. You would, most likely, tell me the name of your hometown or the city in which you grew up. You may tell me the name of your state. This is normal. We often associate our identity with where we are from. For the next few weeks, we will be seeing a lot of this type of identity and place association. That’s because, this weekend marks the start of the 2024 Paris Olympics.

During the opening ceremony, hundreds of athletes from countries all over the world parade into the Olympic festivities. TV hosts, reporters, and personalities will acquaint us with different individual athletes, by interviewing them or by sharing an insightful story of their fight to make it to the games. And when they introduce them to us, they will often say something like this: “This is So-and-So of Kenya” or “So-and-So of Japan” or “Such-and-Such of Czechia” or “Such-and–Such” of the United States of America.” The point is, the prepositional phrase of [Insert Name of Country Here] identifies who the athlete is. Their identity for the next two weeks is bound up with their country perhaps more than it will be at any other given time.

What’s even more interesting is that some of these athletes may be from one country but compete for another. That’s because, of course, it is possible to become a citizen of another country. That is, an athlete may have emigrated from one country where they were a natural born citizen to live as a citizen in another for which they now compete. You may be “So-and-So originally from the United States” and yet compete as “So-and-So of Mexico.” So it’s possible, then, to change your identity relative to your country. But identity is bound up with one place that cannot be changed.

What place can you be identified with beyond your country? Well, the next logical step would be planet Earth, right? So, in a very true sense, I am Jacob Smith, of Earth. In fact all of us, every human is of Earth. So you are, “[Insert Name Here] of Earth.” In one sense, this is our most fundamental identity as humans. We are humans of Earth. There is no gaining citizenship of another planet. There is no changing your earthly identity. Or is there? Well, the Apostle Paul has something to say about that.

Paul tells the Colossians that a change in their earthly identity is exactly what happened to them when God saved them. Consider what he says to them in Colossians 2:20:

 

If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations…(Colossians 2:20).

 

By way of question, Paul essentially says to the Colossians, “You have died to the world.” Paul goes on to expound on this idea in Colossians 3:1–3:

 

If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God (Colossians 3:1–3).

 

Again, by way of question, Paul says, “Colossian Christians, you have been raised with Christ, made alive with him, and your life is hid with Christ in God.” And in light of this—their dying to the world and being made alive with Jesus—Paul says, “Seek out and set your mind on heavenly things, not earthly things” (Colossians 3:1–2). Paul’s goal here is to convince the Colossians and ultimately us as Christians that our citizenship, our identity has fundamentally changed.

It’s obvious enough that our dying to the world would warrant our no longer seeking out and setting our minds on the things of earth. Having died in Christ, we are no longer citizens of the world and no longer bound by earthly things. Well, if we’re not citizens of Earth, where is our citizenship? What is our new home? Colossians 1:13 tells us:

 

He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son (Colossians 1:13).

 

We are now citizens of the Kingdom of God. And even though we don’t see the fullness of that kingdom on earth right now, spiritually, we are fully in the Kingdom of God. We have been raised with Christ (Colossians 3:1). Our life is hid with Christ in God (Colossians 3:3). And where is Jesus Christ right now? Jesus is in heaven seated at the right hand of God (Colossians 3:1). And what Paul alludes to here in Colossians, he makes explicit in Ephesians 2:4–6:

 

God…raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2:4–6).

 

Spiritually, we are in Heaven right now.

As Christians, the place most associated with our identity is no longer the world or even our planetary home, Earth, that is destined to pass away. The place our identity is most bound up with is Heaven.

If you are in Christ, You are [Insert Your Name Here] of Heaven. And because we are of Heaven we should seek out and set our minds on the things of Heaven.

The first command Paul gives the Colossians is to walk in Jesus (Colossians 2:6). The only way, we as Christians can walk in Jesus here on Earth with all that entails is to first realize that we are no longer first and foremost of Earth. We are of the Kingdom of God. We are of Heaven. Recall the example of Olympians above. They come from over 200 countries. And, to be sure, they will make known where they are from. Athletes proudly wear their national colors, wave their country’s flag enthusiastically, and perhaps even shout over and over the name of their nation. Every athlete brings their nation with them. Well, Christian, you are of Heaven. Don’t be outdone by Olympians. Make it your aim to wear the colors of Heaven and wave the flag of Heaven, as it were. Shout the gospel that is of Heaven. Christian, make it your ambition to bring Heaven to Earth wherever God sends you, for you are of Heaven.

Advent: Jesus Came To Reign as Your King

And they came to Jericho. And as he was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a great crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the roadside. And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” (Mark 10:46–47).

 

Why did Jesus, the Son of God, come to earth over two-thousand years ago—his first advent? And what awaits us at his return—his second advent? As we noted last week, these are the questions we should always ask, but they are especially fresh on our minds in the Advent season. And there are a myriad of ways to answer this question from Scripture. We saw last week that according to Mark 10:45, Jesus came to serve and to give his life as a ransom. And at his return, he will welcome us home into the kingdom of God. This reality of Jesus bringing the kingdom of God to us and bringing us into the kingdom of God dovetails with this week’s devotion that looks at another answer to the same question of why Jesus came. That answer: Jesus came in order to reign as your king.

 

Blind Bartimaeus in Mark 10:46–52

Immediately following Jesus’ proclamation that the Son of Man came to serve and give his life as a ransom, we see Jesus pass through Jericho. And as he is leaving a blind beggar named Bartimaeus called out to Jesus, saying, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” (10:46). He immediately faced stiff rebuke from many people who told him to be silent, but Mark tells us, “he cried out all the more, ‘Son of David, have mercy on me!’” (Mark 10:47). We can learn something from Bartimaeus both regarding our human condition and our faith. And we learn something about the object of our faith as well.

 

Condition: Blind Beggar

Nothing is coincidence in God’s redemptive narrative. Bartimaeus’s condition, then, is not merely circumstantial. It is rather a gracious picture that God gives us for our instruction. We are all Bartimaeus. Apart from Christ, in our sin we are all blind. We are blind to our depravity and blind to our need for God’s mercy. And we are all wretched beggars. However, in our blindness we actually think that we are rich as we hold close the sinful treasures we’ve collected not realizing that those sinful treasures are sucking the very life and wealth that God promises to give us from his repository of riches in glory. In our sinfulness, we are like the Laodiceans, over whom Jesus makes this pronouncement, “For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked” (Revelation 3:17). We are blind beggars in need of God’s mercy. But here’s where we learn about something else from Bartimaeus. We learn about saving faith.

 

Saving Faith

Bartimaeus may be blind, but he has eyes to not only see his condition but to see the cure, or rather ears to hear his cure pass by. And true to his description, Bartimaeus begs. And what does he beg for? He begs for mercy to receive his sight. This is a picture of saving faith. Saving faith recognizes one’s helpless, wretched condition. Thus, saving faith recognizes the need for mercy and begs for it. And saving faith finds the object of their faith in Jesus, who happens to be the Son of David.

 

The Object of Our Faith: The Son of David

Why did Bartimaeus call Jesus the Son of David? What do we learn from that title? Bartimaeus called Jesus the Son of David because he recognized Jesus as the promised King, the promised Messiah. Jesus is the promised Son of David who would reign on God’s throne over God’s kingdom forever (2 Samuel 7:12–13; 1 Chronicles 17:11–14). He is the promised just and righteous Davidic king of Isaiah 9:6–7:

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore.

His is the promised son of David who is also the Son of God, whom God will establish as king on his holy mountain, over all the nations (Psalm 2:6–8). When Bartimaeus cries out to Jesus calling him the Son of David, this is who he cries out to, God’s promised king—even if he doesn’t realize all the implications of that title. He is the servant king who opens blind eyes and sets the captive free (Isaiah 42:1–7). And Bartimaeus receives the blessing of this king, restored sight, and he runs after him (Mark 10:52).

 

Jesus Came to Reign as Your King

Just to confirm everything we’ve just seen, the biblical narrative in Mark immediately moves to one of the most iconic scenes in all of Scripture. Jesus enters into Jerusalem, riding on a donkey’s colt as the people sing for joy. The picture clearly fulfills Zechariah 9:9, “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” The people’s song of choice is Psalm 118:25–26, which speaks of God’s salvation. The scene is clear: Jesus is the promised, long awaited Son of David who has come to save his people and reign over them as king. And reign Jesus does. However, the path was not what we’d expect.

Remarkably, such fanfare would not mark Jesus’ final path to the throne. Rather, it is through the cross that Jesus worked the salvation Zechariah 9:9 and Psalm 118 prophesy. And it is through the cross that Jesus the Son of David ascended to the throne of heaven to reign forever (Acts 1:6–11; 2:22–36; Hebrews 1:3). Indeed, Jesus came to reign as king and he does reign as king right now on the throne at the right hand of God. But Jesus also came to reign as your king on the throne of your heart. The cross, salvation, and Jesus’ kingdom is for you.

 

Jesus’ Second Advent: Jesus Reigns as King, the Root and the Descendant of David

Jesus is the promised, long-awaited Son of David who came to reign as king. And Jesus is the promised, long-awaited for Son of David who came to reign as your king. We see ourselves in blind, begging Bartimaeus. And we see that King Jesus, the promised Son of David, came to save those who cry out to him for mercy. We also see ourselves in the people of Jerusalem, rejoicing at the arrival of this promised Son of David, the long-awaited king. And we see that through the cross, King Jesus, the promised Son of David does indeed reign on the throne right now in heaven. But he will come again to reign on earth as well. Is it any wonder why the last time Jesus ever describes himself in Scripture, he chooses to say, “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you about these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star…Surely I am coming soon.” (Revelation 22:16, 20). Jesus will come again to earth to reign on David’s throne forever.

 

Remembering Jesus’ First Advent, Looking to Jesus’ Second Advent

Jesus came to reign as King. Jesus reigns on the throne in heaven now and on the throne of our hearts now. And Jesus will come again to reign on earth with his people forever. This is why Jesus came. This is what we remember and this is what we look forward to this Advent season.

 

 

An Extraordinary Request and Ordinary Things in Ordinary Ways

Extraordinary Request

When you think of great prayer requests in Scripture, what comes to mind? Joshua’s request to God for the sun to stand still at Gibeon so Israel could rout their enemies? Jabez’s prayer for God to bless him and increase his borders? Hezekiah’s prayer for deliverance in the face of the Assyrians? The options are endless. And at least a couple of these have been coopted as formulaic means for unlocking blessing in your life, which is probably not the wisest approach to them. But what other great requests? What about this request in Matthew 6:9–10:

“Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be your name.

Your kingdom come,

your will be done,

on earth as it is in heaven.

Is this not the most earth-shaking request that could possibly be made?! Father, may your name be made holy in all the earth, and may your kingdom come, and your will be done on earth just as it is in heaven. What an colossal request—that all the earth would recognize the holiness of God and that God’s kingdom would break out from eternity and break into creation, invading all of earth with God’s will!? This must be the greatest request in all of Scripture. Could this possibly happen? Will this actually happen? (Spoiler Alert) Yes. If you skip ahead to the end of your Bible, you will find this in Revelation 21:1–4:

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

Simply stunning. What, then, are we to do in the meantime? What do we do in anticipation of such an earth-shaking request? How do we participate in this coming reality now? What do we do? We do ordinary things in ordinary ways.

 

Ordinary Things in Ordinary Ways

Given this awesome reality, given that we sit on this freight train called creation and time that is charging toward this extraordinary end, does it surprise you that I say we should busy ourselves with doing some very ordinary things? Well, just consider what follows this extraordinary prayer request in Matthew 6:11–13.

Give us this day our daily bread,

and forgive us our debts,

as we also have forgiven our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil.

This prayer, then, could sound something like this.

“Father, in light of this extraordinary, amazing request that your name will be hallowed in all the earth, that your kingdom and your will would come crashing into and cover the earth just like in heaven, will you

  • Provide my food for me today on my lunch break, and please give me something to eat for dinner too.
  • Also, help me to see, believe in, and depend on the life you offer in Jesus, the bread of life, when I go to the Word today.
  • And please forgive my sins. Especially for lashing out in anger earlier, and for caring too much about money, and for my self-absorption and pride that causes me to criticize and manipulate my wife (or husband), children, that guy I work with, and for my laziness, and for my obsession with everything but you.
  • Also, help me to forgive my wife (or husband), my coworker, my friend, that one guy who doesn’t like me very much, when they wrong me, and help me not hold a grudge like I am prone to do.
  • Also, God, please keep me from those things that tempt me so much—anger, lust, pride, coveting, spending too much time on social media. These things end up turning my heart toward evil.
  • So please, I’m asking that you would keep me from evil and the evil one who prowls around seeking to destroy me.”

What do we do in the midst of these extraordinary realities of the inevitable kingdom of God? (1) Depend on God for our ordinary, everyday physical and spiritual provisions, (2) confess and repent of sin, (3) forgive others’ sin, and (4) turn away from sin and evil in dependance on God. You could categorize these broadly as (1) depending on God to provide and (2) fighting sin.

These are some of the most basic, ordinary things we are called to do as Christians. Yet, this is God’s will in the midst of his coming kingdom.

 

God’s Will

(1) Depending on God to Provide

Depending on God for our daily physical and spiritual provisions is his will, because it indicates our belief and trust in his sovereignty, care, and sureness of his coming kingdom. Perhaps that’s why only a few verses later we read this in Matthew 6:31–33:

Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.

This is normal, ordinary dependence on God for daily physical food. But this is also, normal, ordinary dependence on God for spiritual food. John 6:29, 35:

Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent… Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.

We depend on God to provide our physical and spiritual needs. And then we actively go to the pantry and grab some cereal, and we actively come to Jesus in the Word and prayer in dependence that he will give us grace and mercy to help in time of need (Hebrews 4:16).

 

(2) Fighting Sin

Depending on God in this way leads to God’s name being made holy in all the earth because his name is made holy in individual lives—your life. Depending on God in this way leads to his will being done on earth just as it is in heaven. And this dependence on God characterizes our fight against sin. First Thessalonians 4:3 begins this way:

For this is the will of God, your sanctification:

God’s will for your life is your sanctification. Now in this context, the specific sin in view is sexual sin, but this is a concept that applies to all sins. We depend on God’s grace and mercy for when we do sin. And so we actively confess and repent. And we depend on God to keep us from being tempted beyond our ability and to always provide of escape (1 Corinthians 10:13). And so we use wisdom and actively seek to avoid and put up safeguards against the things that might tempt us. And we depend on God to keep us from evil and our adversary, the devil. So we actively renounce his ways and pray for God’s authority over him to come to bear on our lives. This is seemingly basic, ordinary Christianity. We depend on God and so we actively fight sin.

 

Conclusion

As Christians, we are aware of and participate in the most extraordinary realities. God’s eternal name, his kingdom, and his will shall all come to bear on this earth. Heaven will flood the earth, and God will dwell with us. And, God wills ordinary rhythmic disciplines of grace—active dependence on God for physical and spiritual provision, confessing of and repenting of sin, forgiving others’ sins, and turning away from evil—as one of the primary means to bring this about. I confess I was partly inspired to write this specific post because I have recently been listening to a new album called Ordinary Ways by John Guerra. In that album, Guerra hits on this very reality. One lyric in his song titled, “Thank You, Lord” is especially fitting:

Daily bread

Daily breath

Ordinary

Faithfulness

Christ in me

More and more

Let it be

Thank You, Lord

Through seemingly ordinary things in seemingly ordinary ways, God makes us look more and more like his Son, Jesus. In doing so, God grants this extraordinary request that his name would be hallowed, that his kingdom would come, and that his will would be done on earth as it is in heaven. And, what we’ll discover in the end, is that none of this is very ordinary at all.

The Kingdom of God in Psalms from Beginning to End

God’s eternal kingdom and his eternal reign in Psalms is hard to miss. Consider:

Psalm 9:8— But the Lord sits enthroned forever; he has established his throne for justice…

Psalm 10:16— The Lord is king forever and ever; the nations perish from his land.

Psalm 45:7— Your throne, O God, is forever and ever. The scepter of your kingdom is a scepter of uprightness;

Psalm 47:8–9— For God is the King of all the earth; sing praises with a psalm! God reigns over the nations; God sits on his holy throne.

Psalm 95:3— For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods.

Psalm 103:19— The Lord has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all.

Psalm 145:13— Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures throughout all generations. The Lord is faithful in all his words and kind in all his works.

And this is just a small sampling—a taste.

In light of this, have you ever noticed how Psalms begins and ends? Psalms literally begins and ends with God reigning over his kingdom through his Son the King. As we read with the grain of the Psalms, this wonderful reality moves us to praise our God who reigns forever.

 

The Beginning of Psalms

Psalm 1 and 2 are wildly recognized as the introduction to the book of Psalms, and therefore they should be taken together. Psalm 1 describes the righteous man who delights perfectly in God’s law. Psalm 1 begins with “Blessed is the man.” Psalm 2 describes God’s Son, his Anointed, the King, whom he has set on Zion to rule over the nations. Psalm 2 ends with “Blessed are all who take refuge in him.” This intentional framing of Psalm 1 and 2 with promised blessing intends to reveal that the blessed man of Psalm 1 is God’s royal Son, the King in Psalm 2. Therefore, those who take refuge in this king, the righteous one will be blessed.[1]

 

Jesus is the Righteous Man of Psalm 1, the King of Psalm 2

We know this promised king to be Jesus, our resurrected Lord. The saints in Acts 4:23–31 recognized Psalm 2 to be about Jesus. And Peter in Acts 2 makes clear, that Jesus was the promised Son of David, the Messiah and King, who lives forever and sits at God’s right hand until his enemies are made a footstool for his feet (Acts 2:22–36; see Psalm 16:8–11; 110:1).

So Psalms begins with a proclamation of God’s eternal kingdom and his King who will reign from Zion, and all who take refuge in him will be blessed. Jesus is that King. Therefore, this prophecy is for us—we are those who have sought refuge in the King of Zion. Well, if this is how the Psalms begins, how does it end?

 

The End of Psalms

Psalms ends with five Psalms of praise to God for who he is and all his works throughout history (Psalm 146–150). David himself leads into these five Psalms of praise with this declaration in Psalm 145:1:

I will extol you, my God and King, and bless your name forever and ever.

Psalm 149, then, begins to close out the entire book by picking up with where Psalm 1 and 2 left off. It exhorts “the assembly of the godly”, the saints, “the children of Zion” to “rejoice in their King” (Psalm 149:1–2), to “Sing to the LORD a new song” (Psalm 149:1). Who then are these saints? Who are these children of Zion? They are all those who took refuge in the blessed, righteous man of Psalm 1. They are those who took refuge in God’s King of Psalm 2, who sits “on Zion my (God’s) holy hill” (Psalm 2:6). They are those who have taken refuge in Jesus. So when God ultimately executes his justice on all his enemies and the enemies of his people at the return of Jesus the King, these godly ones are blessed and honored; therefore they praise the LORD (Psalm 149:9). Indeed, they are the redeemed who will stand with the Lamb on Mount Zion and sing “a new song” before the throne of God (Revelation 14:1–3; see Psalm 149:1).

 

Praise God

Psalms begins and ends with God reigning over his kingdom through his Son the King. Psalms lays out for us a royal roadmap. It reveals the trajectory of all of history. God has established his kingdom in his Son, the King, Jesus. Those who take refuge in him are and will be his children, children of Zion, when his kingdom comes in its fullness at Christ’s return. Until then, we sing and praise God our King now, just as Psalm 150 exhorts us to:

 

Praise the Lord!

Praise God in his sanctuary;

praise him in his mighty heavens!

Praise him for his mighty deeds;

praise him according to his excellent greatness!

Praise him with trumpet sound;

praise him with lute and harp!

Praise him with tambourine and dance;

praise him with strings and pipe!

Praise him with sounding cymbals;

praise him with loud clashing cymbals!

Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!

Praise the Lord!

 

Amen. Praise the Lord.

[1] See Jason S. DeRouchie, “Lect 19-Psalms” (Jason S. DeRouchie 2022: 6) at https://jasonderouchie.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Lect-19-Psalms.pdf

What is the Gospel?

“The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” That’s how Mark begins his Gospel. Similarly, Jesus’ first statement in Mark is: “”The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:15).

But what is the Gospel? What are we to believe?

Consider these eight elements of the Gospel stated or implied in this passage.

1) God is King!

Jesus says the Kingdom of God is at hand. Who is king in the Kingdom of God?

  • Not Joe Biden
  • Not Donald Trump

God is king in the Kingdom of God.

And though we see all around us sin and misery and disaster, rebellion against God, anger at God, despising of the name of Jesus, God assures us: “I am in control; I am bringing about My wise and good purposes.”

In Daniel 7, God appears on His fiery throne, with ten thousand time ten thousand standing before Him. Then one like a Son of Man comes to Him – picturing Jesus coming to the Father – and the Father gives Jesus “dominion and glory and a kingdom” – that is, all authority. Daniel then tells us He is the king not only of the Jews, but of all peoples and nations. His kingdom will never end; He reigns forever.

So God is King. Jesus is King. No one rivals His power. As Jesus says in Matthew 28, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me.”

Thus the Gospel begins with this truth: God is King. Jesus is King.

2) His Kingdom is at hand!

God gave Daniel that vision more than 500 years before the time of Jesus. The people have waited centuries for God’s Kingdom to come. Finally, John the Baptist comes to prepare the way for the promised King, in fulfillment of prophesies through Isaiah and Malachi. John knows he is only a forerunner, saying, “After me comes he who is mightier than I” (Mark 1:7). Finally, the time is at hand (Mark 1:15). The return of the King is soon.

3) This is terrible news for God’s enemies

The Gospel, the Good News, is terrible news for those who remain God’s enemies.

From the first man and woman, from Adam and Eve, all men have been rebels against God. All of us are “by nature children of wrath” (Ephesians 2:3). We have rebelled by saying:

  • We know better than God how to run our lives
  • We know better than He who we really are
  • We know better than He how we can have security, joy, fulfillment

Since God created us to love Him, to delight in Him, to show what He is like, we have thus violated the very purpose of our creation. God therefore has a perfect right to dispose of us – as we would dispose of a mug that leaks when we fill it with coffee. Indeed, the Apostle Paul tells us in that when Jesus comes from heaven, He will inflict “vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might” (2 Thessalonians 1:7-9).

You do not want to be among God’s enemies on that day. But you need not be His enemy:

4) This can be Good News for you!

Mark says this is the beginning of the Good News of Jesus for you do not have to remain a rebel against God. You do not have to suffer the eternal punishment away from the Lord who is the source of everything good in you.

How can that happen? I can I change from being God’s enemy?

  • You don’t have to make yourself presentable before God
  • You don’t have to do some great task to prove you are worthy
  • You don’t have to do thousands of acts of penance

Instead, Jesus says you must simply “repent and believe the Gospel.” That is, you must repent and believe the four elements of the Gospel we’ve already stated: God is King, the Kingdom of God is at hand, this is terrible news for God’s enemies, and this can be Good News for you. And you must believe the four remaining elements:

5) Jesus is the Son of God

We see this in Mark 1:11. Jesus comes to John the Baptist at the Jordan River. John baptizes Him, lowering Him under the water, and raising Him up. Then: “A voice came from heaven, ‘You are my beloved Son; with You I am well pleased.’”

If Jesus is the Son of God – what must be true about Him?

Picture your biological children. Or picture your biological parents. Can’t you see your likeness in them? There is a family resemblance to you, isn’t there?

Just so with Jesus.

Jesus is the Son of God, “the exact imprint of His nature” (Hebrews 1:3). Indeed, Jesus tells His disciples. “He who has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:9).

  1. Jesus is man, but without sin

So Jesus is the Son of God – but as we have seen, Daniel 7 calls Jesus the “Son of Man.” Indeed, Jesus refers to Himself by this title dozens of times.

The son of Mary, the one born in Bethlehem, who grew up in Nazareth, who taught in Galilee, who was crucified rose from the dead outside of Jerusalem, was a genuine man. Like you and me, He ate, He drank, He got tired, He had flesh and bones. He was human. Really human.

He was like us in every way except one.

Jesus is the only human who never sinned, who never rebelled against God. That’s why God says at His baptism: “With You I am well pleased.”

  1. Jesus died for the sins of all who believe the Gospel

Jesus tells His listeners, “Repent and believe in the Gospel” – because that is the only way to be put right with God. Your sin, your rebellion, your arrogance separates you from God. You are by nature under His wrath, condemned to that eternal punishment. But if you believe in this Gospel, if you believe in Jesus as Lord, Savior, and Treasure, God takes your sin, your condemnation, and assigns it entirely to Jesus hanging on the cross. Once Jesus takes the punishment you deserve, you yourself, united to Him, become well-pleasing to God. For when God looks upon you, He sees His well-pleasing Son.

Thus, the only possible forgiveness of sins is through faith in risen Savior.

8) Finally: God not only saves us from condemnation but God grants us Himself!

John says, “I have baptized you with water, but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit” (Mark 1:8). That is: In Christ, you will be covered with, filled with God Himself!

Once the Spirit fills you, He bears fruit in your life: Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). Thus, by the Spirit God is transforming you into the likeness of Jesus. You are being made like Him now and will be perfected on the Last Day.

Thus the Gospel includes not only freedom from condemnation, but freedom from slavery to sin now, and the promise of perfection when Jesus returns:

  • No more sin
  • No more temptation
  • No more lust
  • No more jealousy
  • No more fits of anger

God will delight in you as He delights in His Son, and you will delight in Jesus as the Father delights in Him.

This is the Gospel, friends. Know it. Believe it. Proclaim it. Live it. Submit to your King. Rejoice in Your Savior. By the Spirit, walk as children of light. And eagerly anticipate Jesus’ return.

[This devotion is based on part of the October 3, 2021 sermon on Mark 1:1-15. You can watch that service at this link; the sermon audio is available here.]

God Is Faithful To His Promises

“Not one word of all the good promises that the LORD had made to the house of Israel had failed; all came to pass” (Joshua 21:45).

Think of the promises God had made to the house of Israel – including those made before Israel existed!

  • God promised that Abraham’s descendants would inherit the land of Canaan (Genesis 13:14-17).
  • God promised Abraham that He would bring his descendants out of slavery with great possessions (Genesis 15:13-14).
  • Hundreds of years later, God promised that He would use Moses to rescue the people from slavery in Egypt (Exodus 3:7-10).
  • God promised that He would harden Pharaoh’s heart so that he would not let Israel go, even after Moses conducted miracles (Exodus 4:21).
  • Yet God promised eventually Pharaoh would drive the Israelites out of Egypt (Exodus 6:1).
  • God promised that He would not just bring the people out of Egypt, but that He would bring them to Himself (Exodus 6:6-8).
  • God promised plague after plague after plague on the Egyptians – and they all came about (Exodus 7 to 10).
  • God promised that the firstborn in every house in Egypt would die, but not in the houses of the Israelites (Exodus 11:4-7).
  • God promised that the Israelites would walk across the Red Sea on dry land, but the Egyptians would drown (Exodus 14:13-18).
  • God promised that He would provide meat and bread to the people in the desert (Exodus 16:11-12).

We could go on and on. God promised direction in their travels, defeat of enemies, parting of yet more waters – and all came about.

The people had doubted and murmured; the enemies had been strong and powerful. But God fulfilled every promise – despite the enemy, despite the people’s lack of faith.

So, what about you? Do you trust God to fulfill His promises? And do you recognize the greatness of those promises? Here are a few on which to meditate:

  • Jesus will return with power and great glory (Matthew 24:30).
  • He will reign over an eternal Kingdom of righteousness and peace (Isaiah 9:6-7).
  • Jesus will destroy Satan and his minions (Revelation 20:10).
  • God will complete the good work He has begun in you (Philippians 1:6).
  • Indeed, we will be like Him (1 John 3:2).
  • God will bring to Himself through faith in Jesus those from every tribe and tongue and people and nation (Revelation 7:9-10).
  • Throughout this life, He will watch over you and guide you, and then bring you to Himself forever (Psalm 23:6).
  • He will work all things together for your good and His glory (Romans 8:28).
  • God will so work that at the Name of Jesus every knee will bow and every tongue confess that He is Lord, to God’s glory (Philippians 2:10-11).
  • God will wipe every tear from your eyes, having ended death and mourning and crying and pain (Revelation 21:6).
  • God will rejoice over us, His people, with loud singing (Zephaniah 3:17).
  • By the blood of Jesus, you are declared fully righteous; He will remember your sins no more (Romans 3:21-25, Hebrews 10:11-18).

He has sworn by Himself that this is so – and it is impossible for God to lie! So hold fast to the confession of your hope without wavering (Hebrews 6:13-19); stand firm on His level ground, not sliding down into unbelief (Psalm 26); eagerly anticipate the fulfillment of every promise. For He is the faithful God, who keeps His covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love Him and keep His commands (Deuteronomy 7:9).

 

Reflections on a New US Citizen

Today Ed Conrad and I accompanied Janey to her being sworn in as a US citizen. Forty-eight others joined her, from thirty different countries of origin, including Congo (Janey’s former country), Vietnam, Iraq, Bhutan, Ghana, Colombia, Ecuador, and Hondurus. Most took new name’s; Janey’s legal name is now Mary Jane Rebecca. All forty-nine new citizens joined together in affirming that they:

absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state, or sovereignty, of whom or which [they] have heretofore been a subject or citizen; that [they] will support and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States of America against all enemies, foreign and domestic; . . . that [they] will bear arms on behalf of the United States when required by the law; . . . and that [they] take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion.

The mood was celebratory. Each new citizen rejoiced in swearing allegiance to the United States of America.

There are great parallels between what happened today in the US District Court of Western North Carolina and what happens in the life of every Christian. We all have been subject to a foreign power. And there is war between this power and the Kingdom of God. Indeed, we have marched in the army of this foreign power, taking up arms against God’s Kingdom. Yet now, pardoned by God’s grace through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, we must “absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity” to that foreign power, Satan’s Kingdom of Darkness. We must bear arms against that Satanic Kingdom, putting on the full armor of God and taking up the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God. We must battle also against the “domestic” enemy within each of us, the rebelliousness that would lead us to revolt against our rightful King and renew our allegiance to Sin. Furthermore, we can’t become citizen’s of the Kingdom of God half-heartedly, or to aim for selfish gain. We must freely offer ourselves “without any mental reservation” to our Lord and Master, for Him to do with us as He sees fit.

Those are wonderful parallels. But there is an important difference between that swearing-in ceremony and our allegiance to the Kingdom of God: Janey was born as a citizen of Congo. There was nothing wrong with that citizenship. She was right to be loyal to her country as long as she was a citizen.

Not so with us. From the creation of mankind, we humans were by right under God’s rule and authority. At Satan’s prompting, we rebelled against our rightful King.

Thus, rather than Janey renouncing her allegiance to Congo, the following would be a closer parallel: A native US citizen leaves this country, joins ISIS, and participates in terrorist acts. He even burns his US passport, and posts a video of that act on the internet. The US government revokes his citizenship. Then, coming to his senses, this terrorist freely gives himself up, accepts just judgment and punishment, and eventually takes the above oath in becoming once again an American citizen.

That’s a closer parallel. But in our case, the rebellion is even more heinous. For our Ruler is perfectly loving, perfectly good, and perfectly just.

And yet, in our case, the just punishment is not administered to us. Jesus became man, and took our punishment on Himself. When we admit our rebellion, absolutely and entirely renouncing all allegiance to Satan’s Kingdom, trusting in Jesus as crucified and risen, we are citizens in the Kingdom for which we were created – the Kingdom of Light – the Kingdom of love, joy and peace.

Praise God that He has “delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son” (Colossians 1:13) so that “our citizenship is in heaven” (Philippians 3:20). May we live out that right allegiance faithfully.

Entering the Kingdom of Heaven

Who will enter the Kingdom of Heaven?

In Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus speaks explicitly five times about entering the Kingdom. Let’s look at these verses plus some context to help us answer the question.

Matthew 5:17-20, 48  “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.  18 For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.  19 Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.  20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. . . . [Jesus then elaborates on the true meaning of the Law. He concludes this section:] 48 You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

Matthew 7:21-23  “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.  22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’  23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’”

Matthew 18:3 “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”

Matthew 19:23-26   And Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly, I say to you, only with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven.  24 Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.”  25 When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?”  26 But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

Matthew 23:13 “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. For you neither enter yourselves nor allow those who would enter to go in.”

The Pharisees expected the promised Kingdom to come, in which their Messiah would reign (Luke 17:20). They rejected Jesus as that Messiah – but they believed they would be in the coming Kingdom.

In these verses, Jesus makes at least 11 points about entering the Kingdom:

1)      “Salvation” and “entering the Kingdom” are at least very similar concepts – perhaps identical, according to Jesus (Matthew 19:23-26).

2)      Those in the Kingdom do not rejoice in shutting out others (Matthew 23:13).

3)      Entrance to the Kingdom does not come about through external obedience to a set of rules. The Pharisees were experts at such obedience (Matthew 5:20).

4)      Nor does the entrance to the Kingdom come about through calling Jesus ‘Lord,’ or through speaking in His name, or through performing great deeds in His name (Matthew 7:21-23).

5)      The rich have no special access to the Kingdom – on the contrary, there are tremendous barriers blocking their entrance, seemingly impossible to overcome (Matthew 19:23-24).

6)      Jesus is the ultimate arbiter of who enters the Kingdom (Matthew 7:23).

7)      Anyone can enter the Kingdom (Matthew 19:25-26).

8)      Entrance into the Kingdom is a result of God’s work, not ours (Matthew 19:26).

9)      We must humble ourselves like children if we are to enter the Kingdom. We cannot think we deserve to enter, or that we can earn the Kingdom if we just work a little harder. We must look to Jesus as our hope, our joy, and long for relationship with Him (Matthew 18:3).

10)   Thus, Jesus’ conception of the Kingdom is markedly different from the Pharisees’ conception, and if they continue in their ways, they have no hope of entering the true Kingdom (Matthew 23:13). Jesus teaches that we enter into the Kingdom by God’s grace through coming to our Savior humbly, confessing our sin and seeking His favor.

11)   The Law is a reflection of the character of God – and if we are citizens of His Kingdom, if we are His children, we are to take on this character through being transformed by His power (Matthew 5:17-48, in light of Romans 8:29).

So: Enter the Kingdom!

Invite others to join you in the Kingdom!

The invitation is to all. The joy is for all.

The glory is all His.