Sermons About Kingdom-of-god
Who are the Merciful (Matthew 5:7)
We are continuing our study in what is the Lord Jesus’ most extensive and detailed explanation of what it means to be in the kingdom of God. This is not an instruction manuel on how to enter the kingdom, but a description of those who are already in the Kingdom; a description of all true believers, what it means to be a genuine Christian. I have noted repeatedly, and will continue to do so, that being a Christian is not about what you do, but is a matter of who you are. God is utterly unconcerned about externals in themselves, but is intensely concerned about the condition of your heart. The Certainty of your Christian profession is not about what you do, but what defines you in your inner man, your character, your view of God, sin, Christ, self, others, and the world. This morning we will continue to examine what the inner man of a genuine Christian looks like, by looking at verse 7 of Matthew 5, “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.”
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The Riches of Meekness (Matthew 5:5)
Sermon on the Mount the Lord is describing the inner character of genuine repentance; and the picture He paints is of one who stands in absolute contrast to the spirit and philosophy of the world. It makes no sense to an unregenerate world that has no “no fear of God before their eyes”. It goes against every natural (fallen) inclination of their heart and mind. The character displayed here is to the world the height of foolishness. Man always tends towards thess things that exalt man: self-confidence, self-assertiveness, self-will, self-love, self-glory. But the character of those in the kingdom, who are truly blessed of God, who are in a right relationship with Him turns all of the world’s thinking, under the influence of the evil one, upside down. The Kingdom of heaven is so foreign to man because they are so utterly and uncompromisingly God-centered; it begins and ends with the exaltation and glory of God and the right response of humility, brokenness, meekness, suffering. “If you and I are not, in this primary sense, problems and enigmas to the non-Christians around us, then this tells us a great deal about our profession of the Christian faith.” The character presented here is and unbroken chain; it is a unit; they are not qualities that a person picks and choses from, but flow in logical sequence. So, the first mark of those in the Kingdom is poverty of spirit is to have a self awareness of spiritual bankruptcy and destitution before a holy God - to say, “nothing in my hand I bring, simply to Your cross I cling.” It is to come to God claiming no merits, but bowing before Him as a spiritual beggar holding empty hands to receive His grace. To be truly poor in spirit, is not just intellectual knowledge but is one who mourns, grieves over sin; hates the sin that so robs God of glory and destroys men, but mostly mourns and grieves over the sin that remains in your own heart. Meekness is the character produced by the spiritual mourners. This is not second level Christianity, nor is it instructions on how to enter the kingdom, but is the mark of those who have have been born again, and truly responded to the command of repentance. Those who are truly in the Kingdom of Heaven. Genuine believers.
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Spreading the Gospel on a Knead-to-Know Basis
The Kingdom of God grows slowly and though we may not see it, we can rest knowing that the Gospel is working in and through people's lives for God's glory.
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A Day in Capernaum Versus Three Hours on a Cross
A Day in Capernaum Versus Three Hours on a Cross
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Expectations Management
This sermon was preached at Christ Memorial Church in Williston, VT. Here Chris was asked to preach in the midst of sermon series on the parables of Jesus. This sermon was on the parable of the wheat and tares and Chris demonstrates that the main thrust of the passage is to help us with our expectations of the Kingdom of God.
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The Kingdom of Righteousness (Matthew 5:1-2)
God has always called His people out to be separate from the world - you could say that God’s design for His people has always been counter cultural. Religiously: (a ) OT - (be holy) “Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, ‘Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, “I am the LORD our God. You shall not do what is done nit eh land of Egypt where you lived, nor are you to do what is done in the land of Canaaan where I am bringing you; you shall not walk in their statutes. you are to perform My judgements and keep My statutes, to live in accord with them; I am the LORD your God.’” (Lev. 18:1-4) “You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy” (19:2) (b) NT “Be Holy” “As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy.” (1 Pet. 1:14-16). Christians are to be different than the world, not like it. That is because the current culture and world is fallen. In Adam all sinned and all died; by nature all are born in hating true righteousness, hostile to God’s holy standard, selfish, self-willed, and earth bound in thinking. In other words, the world sits in darkness and “in the shadow of death,” God came as light and calls His people out to be light; that necessarily means that His people live, think, feel, act, love, and relate to one another in a way different than the world them. It is to be a part of another kingdom - and there are only two [!] - the kingdom of the world/”Domain of darkness”; and the “Kingdom of God” “kingdom of His beloved Son,” the kingdom wherein righteousness reigns. It is the kingdom of this righteousness that the Lord now brings before the eyes of those who would follow Him.
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Your Kingdom Come Your Will Be Done
Everyone wants to be a king, at least in their own lives. This desire to rule ourselves and rule others has been mankind’s biggest problem throughout human history. The landscape of history is littered with would be kings who sacrificed everything—even their lives—for the power that comes with being king. God tells us that he too has a plan for a king. One day, God’s king will come and will destroy all his enemies and carry out a rule of righteous judgment. In this kingdom, there will be no more corruption, politicians, fund raising, or scandals. Jesus, the perfect king, will reign perfectly. As followers of Christ, we should pray for his soon return, that all the world may be brought under his righteous rule in submission to him. Today, in our teaching on prayer, we look at Jesus’ command to pray “Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”
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Prayer: Striving With God For The Kingdom
As we go to God in prayer, we impact the world and ourselves.
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The Kingdom of God is At Hand, Repent and Believe in the Gospel
The Kingdom of God is At Hand, Repent and Believe in the Gospel
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The Demon
Last week we explored Jesus being the master of nature, now we see Jesus as master of the spiritual. What evil intends for harm, Jesus uses for the kingdom of God.
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