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Pastor Scott L. Harris
Grace Bible Church, NY
September 29, 2024
◘Two Kingdoms
Selected Scriptures
Introduction
◘ I was asked to address the topic of “Two Kingdoms” at the Men’s Conference this weekend, so this is an adapted version of what I spoke about last night at Camp of the Woods. The concept of “Two Kingdoms” is an interesting topic from the standpoint that there are many ideas about what that means and systems that developed within those ideas. It can easily become very confusing. A common idea about this in the United States is expressed in the phrase, “separation of church and state” signifying that they are two separate kingdoms and neither should control the other. More commonly the phrase has been improperly applied as a means for the state to treat the church as an inferior to secular institutions. More on that later.
◘ Jonathan gave me a book by W. Bradford Littlejohn entitled “The Two Kingdoms” in preparation for a future discussion about this on his podcast. Its subtitle, “A Guide for the Perplexed” is a good indicator of the complexity of this subject. I do recommend the book as a good primer on the subject. I will begin with a very quick overview of what he writes before getting to a more basic approach to the layers of allegiance and responsibility the Christian is to have to the various entities to which he belongs.
◘ Development of Two Kingdoms Theology
Littlejohn begins the book with a discussion of what is referred to as the “Reformed two-kingdoms” (R2K) doctrine which seeks to understand the relationship between the public and private dimensions of faith which should provide a framework for Christian faith and citizenship in a state. ◘ It sets itself against theonomy, neo-Calvinism and evangelicalism. Critics of theonomy describe it as an effort to recover “the civil laws of the Old Testament as a Christian blueprint for modern society.” Critics of neo-Calvinism describe it as followers of Abraham Kuyper and traditions under the slogan of “take every thought captive to the lordship of Christ.” It differs from theonomy as being “concerned more with philosophical ‘ground-motives’ than legalistic prescriptions, with more the spirit than the letter.” Critics of evangelicalism describe it has having a “low ecclesiology that devalues the institutional church, its ministries and sacraments, in favor of a naive biblicism that thinks there’s a Bible verse for every problem,” and which “lead to a confusion of the kingdom of Christ with worldly politics.”
Those are of course caricatures of those systems, but useful to contrast with the R2K desire to re-emphasize the Church in the Christian life with a suspicion and cynicism of the other views and “a stress on the wide area of commonality between believers and unbelievers in our mundane lives.” ◘ Littlejohn also includes critiques of R2K use of “neatly correlated dualism” and its appearance as a “kind of privatized, other-worldly religion” that is variously tied to the “pernicious fruit of Platonism, or the Enlightenment, or postmodern pluralism.” Littlejohn then goes on to point to what he believes is “a richer, more fundamental, more liberating and insightful” approach which was the original doctrine as “articulated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and Richard Hooker.” ◘ Littlejohn spends the rest of the book arguing that the original magisterial Protestant two-kingdoms doctrine offered a “compelling account for a faith that is thoroughly public without being either triumphalistic in the civil sphere or oppressive in the ecclesiastical sphere.” For the Reformers, “The two kingdoms were not two institutions or even two domains of the world, but two ways in which the kingship of Christ made itself felt in the life of each and every believer.” After reading the book, I think Littlejohn makes a good case for magisterial Protestant view as compared to R2K.
Since the book is small, just 104 pages, Littlejohn’s discussion of the development of this doctrine from Luther to Calvin to Hooker is also brief. Tracing the historical development is interesting as you see men carefully consider what they had received and refine it as they examined the Scriptures and applied what they learned. That is an important aspect of the development of any doctrine and in the learning process in our own life. ◘ Take what you have been handed down and carefully apply the Scriptures to make sure you are following Christ according to His word instead of the musings of men. Our to put it another way, we should always be reforming as our understanding of God’s word increases.
◘ Littlejohn makes that case in pointing out the contributions of the Reformers two-kingdom thought. It rejected the idolatry of the Roman Catholic church and the human heart. Icons and relics were tossed out and the sacraments and rituals rejected in favor of the priesthood of the believer. The Pope and the like could no longer claim and exercise temporal authority over the magistrate nor exemption from appropriate authority of the magistrate. It also removed the state from injecting itself into ecclesiastical affairs such as making heresy a civil crime and the claim of divine right absolutism of kings. Littlejohn comments, “the magisterial Reformers sought to transform the notion of the ‘spiritual kingdom’ from an institutional realm of the clergy alone to a dimension of existence animating every aspect of a Christian’s life.”
The rest of the book is an examination of the two kingdoms idea in application to church, state and market. Littlejohn has good criticism of modern R2K while showing the doctrine of the Reformers to be valid and helpful. He concludes stating that “at the root of this doctrine is the claim that Christ reigns mysteriously and invisibly over the kingdom of the conscience, and no human authority may dare to interpose itself as the mediator of this rule; it is by faith alone that we participate in this kingdom, so we must not be deceived into identifying it with external works or rituals.”
◘ Summary and Answering the Critics
I recommend Littlejohn’s book as a primer into understanding this area of theology and for its bibliography which can guide you to dig deeper into this subject as you desire. For myself, I will leave it to the theologians to wrangle about these things in the modern world since much of it is more about philosophy than necessarily understanding Biblical directives. Like the Reformers, I think striving to understand God’s word and apply its truth to life is much more profound and useful. Perhaps that is because I consider myself to be among the fundamentalist evangelicals which the R2K critics deride as being of “low ecclesiology,” and “in favor of a naive biblicism that think there’s a Bible verse for every problem.” Let me give you a quick response to that criticism before moving on to what I believe actually is important for us in considering the idea of two kingdoms.
◘ First, since aspects of high ecclesiology with its hierarchy and rituals are extra Biblical, it creates a great danger for those churches of being or becoming institutions of man instead of God. The Church is the body of Christ and therefore its structure and practices need to be in keeping with what God has revealed in His word about it.
◘ Second, the critics do not seem to be very familiar with 2 Peter 1:2-3, 2 “Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; 3 seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.” The Bible declares itself to be sufficient. To claim otherwise is to elevate the musings of men above the revelations of God. The idea that the Bible must address all possible specifics is foolishness for the principles and precepts of the general commands cover the specifics. For example: there is no need for a specific Scriptural command about copyright law because the prohibition on stealing which is a specific in how to fulfill the command to love your neighbor and Jesus’ command in Matthew 7:12, “In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets” is enough. ◘ It would also seem the critics fail to recognize that the major occupation of carrying out the Great Commission in Matthew 28:19-20 is “teaching them to observe all that I commanded you.” Every Christian should be growing in godliness as they learn God’s commands and how to carry them out in the specific events and situations they encounter throughout life.
I also reject the accusation that evangelicalism will “lead to a confusion of the kingdom of Christ with worldly politics.” ◘ Frankly, a current problem among evangelicals is a two kingdom approach in which those who belong to the kingdom of Christ are avoiding worldly politics. This is grounded on the false idea common in this nation there must be a “wall of separation between church and state” which has become institutionalized by erroneous court decisions and politicians that want to increase the power of the state and marginalize the influence of the Church. Christians have bought into it because it has been repeated so often and it fits into a false idea about the two kingdoms being “Church and State.”
◘ The fact is that phrase is not in our Constitution nor does it occur in any of our founding documents. It comes from a letter written in 1802 by President Thomas Jefferson in response to a letter of concern from the Danbury Baptist Association in October 1801. The Baptists were concerned that as minority group in Connecticut their religious privileges were being enjoyed “as favors granted” from the state instead of “as inalienable rights,” and that those favors were being received “at the expense of such degrading acknowledgments as are inconsistent with the rights of freemen.” Jefferson wrote back in reference to the First Amendment “building a wall of separation between Church & State.” This was in keeping with protection of religion from the state and not the state from religion as it is now erroneously applied. Jefferson’s letter must be read and understood in the light of the letter from the Danbury Baptist Association or modern ideas will be read into it and destroy its meaning. The establishment clause in the First Amendment was to prevent there being a national church as was the case in the European countries from which the people had originated. It was in no sense meant to marginalize churches and promote secularism as has become the practice and which violates the free exercise clause.
◘ The take away here is that the “two kingdoms” are not “Church and State.” Don’t fall prey to what in the end is a concept of Church and State as political entities striving for power against each other such as between the “Holy Roman Emperor” and the Pope in the Medieval period in Europe. A more modern concept paralleling this is that Church is to be holy to the Lord and the State is to be secular. This idea underlies the practice of advocating that Christians stay out of political involvement even to the point of not giving godly advice about voting or in some circles of even voting itself. This idea fuels the practice of elevating Christian ministry, especially full time or leadership positions, over serving in political government. ◘ Frankly, I find it hypocritical to emphasize Romans 13:1-2 calling on submission to the governing authorities because authority comes from God and then ignore the verses that follow about the God given purpose of government of these same authorities being “a minister (diavkonoV) of God to you for good” (vs. 4). In verse 5 the governing rulers to whom are paid taxes are labeled as servants (leitourgovV – we get our word “liturgy from it) of God.
For the remainder of this time I want to point out some simple Biblical truths that will help you understand your proper priorities of allegiance and responsibilities to the multiple governing entities in which you exist.
◘ Many Kingdoms
First, the Scriptures speak of all sorts of kingdoms and realms with many of them being multilayered. Some kingdoms were small with very limited geographical authority such as those mentioned in Genesis 14 in which four kings of four cities waged war against five kings of five cities. The realm of a king was determined by what areas he could control. Pharaoh in Egypt extended his realm by conquest or had it shrink when defeated. King Solomon reigned over not only all of the children of Israel, but also over many of the surrounding nations. It split under Reheboam into the two kingdoms of Judah and Israel when Jereboam broke away the ten northern tribes to form a separate kingdom. The realm of Israel grew or shrank under different kings. Sometimes it reigned over surrounding states and sometimes it became a vassal state of a superior power such as Assyria which eventually destroyed it and carted its people away. The same was true for Judah which ended its existence as a vassal state of Babylon before it was finally destroyed and deported.
◘ Whether the term kingdom is used or not, nations exist as either independent entities that govern themselves or in subjection to a stronger power. Examples: Soviet Union – states within it and nations in its sphere. United States – States with in it, Territories under its control, nations under its influence. Within a State there can be counties, cities and districts (boroughs) or their equivalents.
◘ You exist within realms of multiple authorities. What is your allegiance to each? To whom do you submit to if there is conflict in the laws / commands given by each? A proper understanding of the two kingdoms Jesus talked about will help navigate those questions.
Living in Two Kingdoms
There are two kingdoms existing at the present time both of which are spiritual in nature and both of which influence both political and religious entities. There is Christ’s kingdom and Satan’s Realm
◘ Satan’s Realm – Reality
Satan fell at some point after initial creation which was “very good.” He goes by many different name – devil, Belial, the dragon, the serpent of old, Lucifer, prince of this world, god of this age, accuser of the brethren, father of lies, star of the morning, and more. He was the anointed cherub who covers and was blameless until unrighteousness was found in him – a heart that was lifted up resulting in a multitude of iniquities (Ezek. 28:13-18). Isaiah 14 describes this pride in a series of“I will” statements culminating in “I will make myself like God.”
◘ Satan has power in this world – 1 John 5:19, “We know that we are of God, and that the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.” He deceives as the father of lies (Jn 8:44). He is “the god of this world [who] has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God” (2 Cor. 4:4). The devil is our adversary “who prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). ◘ He influences individuals to evil, and because every human is born with a sin nature (Psalm 51:5; Job 25:4), every human was born subject to him as described in Ephesians 2:1–3, 1 And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, 2 in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. 3 Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.
◘ Satan also influences nations. Notice the description given in Ephesians 6:12 regarding preparing for spiritual warfare – 12 “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.” Daniel 10 gives a specific description such a struggle between angelic beings at a national level. Daniel 10:13, “But the prince of the kingdom of Persia was withstanding me for twenty-one days; then behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left there with the kings of Persia.”
◘ Satan also has a presence in the visible Church because there are “tares among the wheat” even within the kingdom of heaven in this age (Matthew 13:24-30). Believers have to be mindful that there will be apostates and anti-Christs that will arise from among us. Paul lamented in 2 Timothy 4:10 that “Demas having loved this present world, has deserted me.” 1 John gives warnings about anti-Christs that would be among them and how to recognize them. In Acts 20:29–30 Paul warned the Ephesian elders, 29 “I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; 30 and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them.”
◘ Christ’s Current Realm
Jesus made it very clear in His response to Pilate that at the present time “My kingdom is not of this world . . . not of this realm” otherwise His servants would be fighting (John 18:36). Jesus’ present kingdom is a spiritual one that will be manifested in the lives of His followers. The disciples of Jesus, His followers, make up the members of Christ’s body, the universal church (1 Cor. 12; Eph. 4:11-16). Christ’s body will manifest itself in local assemblies of believers in the areas in which they live. Very basic directions are given in the writings of Paul and by his example on how a local “church” (called out assembly) is to organize themselves.
◘ Historically, churches developed very elaborate organizational structures far beyond what little is said in the Scriptures about it. This brings about confusion because the “church” is then identified as the organizational entity and its structures instead of the redeemed people themselves. ◘ Properly speaking, the church organizes itself and meets to worship, receive teaching, fellowship, pray together and celebrate communion, but the members of the church live throughout the community doing all sorts of jobs and have all sorts of relationships with others in the community. ◘ Or to put it another way, the church continues to exist and minister throughout the week and throughout the community in which the disciples of Christ live and not just when they are assembled together. That is the proper understanding of the kingdom of Christ in the present age. Do not confuse the church with either the buildings used by a church or the organizational entity. ◘ Many of the entities that call themselves a church do not have any members of the church – actual disciples of Jesus – who are part of them. They are dens of Satan. Conversely, the church – actual disciples of Jesus – live throughout the community doing all sorts of jobs with in the community and are involved in all sorts of community affairs including politics.
◘ Change of Citizenship
One of the ways in which salvation from sin by faith in the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ is expressed is a change of kingdoms. ◘ For example, Colossians 1:13–14, 13 “For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” The preaching of the gospel by both John the Baptist and Jesus began with “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” The gospel itself is a message of good news of how God those who were “sons of disobedience” – sinners (Eph. 2:2) – could be made “sons of light” (John 12:36) – receiving imputed righteous by faith in Christ. The apostles continued to preach “the kingdom of God and teaching concerning the Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 28:31). As pointed out in Philippians 3:20, in contrast to those who are enemies of the cross of Christ and whose minds are set on earthly things, “our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.”
◘ That puts the Christian in a position of having citizenship in more than one realm for he is both a citizen of heaven and also whatever temporal government realm he is part of on this earth. The one realm he no longer has citizenship in is the realm of Satan though he still has to live in a world where Satan and sin are active. Paul makes this point in Romans 6 in his discussion about being baptized as a symbol of the old self being crucified with Christ and the new self raised with Him to walk in newness of life so that neither sin nor Satan is your master but righteousness instead.
◘ When someone becomes a Christian there is a radical change. In Ephesians 2 that radical change is described as what was dead being made alive. In 2 Corinthians 5:17–21 Paul describes it this way: 17 “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. 18 Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, 19 namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation. 20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21 He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” In this passage that radical change is becoming a new creation which includes a change in citizenship. ◘ Note that the Christian becomes an ambassador for Christ. An ambassador is a citizen who represents his government in a foreign land. That is why 1 Peter 2:11 refers to us as aliens and strangers on this earth. The believer is now of God’s household and a fellow citizen with the saints (Eph. 2:19).
◘ These Scriptures and many others call on the believer to live according to this radical calling of God and no longer as what you were before. Paul’s list in 1 Corinthians 6:9–11 of the unrighteous who will not inherit the kingdom of God concludes with the declaration that “Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.” That change is a manifestation of being a new creation and having a new citizenship. The longer you walk with Christ, the less this world into which you were born feels at home. The longing for a home in a place you have never been – heaven – just continues to increase.
◘ Being a citizen of Christ’s kingdom is to direct everything you do for your first allegiance is to Him for He is your Lord & Savior. That is why secular and non-Christian governments do not like Christians. They want your first allegiance but you cannot give it to them. Your purpose in life becomes being an ambassador representing Christ on this earth. Your desire becomes doing all you can to glorify God and being used by Him to get as many people as possible to change kingdoms. Your responsibility becomes to obey and follow Christ above all else regardless of any layer of earthly authority that may be over you as you live on this earth.
Let me quickly point out here that for the citizen of heaven submission to human authority is because, as Paul points out in Romans 13:1-3, it comes from God. Submitting to governmental authority is because I am in submission to God. However, as the rest of the Romans 13 passage points out, that human authority has a specific God given purpose of promoting good and suppressing evil. That is a manifestation of the fact that God’s kingdom even at the present time rules over the affairs of men. If an authority is not fulfilling God’s purpose for it, then it is a manifestation of Satan’s realm rebelling against God. What does that mean for the Christian?
◘ We submit to government until it demands that you either do something contrary to God’s word or refrain from something God tells us to do. In those situations we must respectfully but firmly refuse. Why? Because Jesus is Lord, not human government. That is why we did everything we could to get people to come to the church campus during the Covid crises setting up different environments in which those coming would feel safe. As citizens of Christ’s kingdom we needed to worship God corporately and be able to put into practice the many one another commands, and that cannot be done properly if you are not meeting together. It is also why we gave strong warnings about many of the government mandates and things the media was pushing because they were not medically safe. These same principles are why we are strong advocates of and supporters for homeschooling including sponsoring our educational co-op.
I will quickly point out here that for the citizen of Christ’s kingdom, submission to human authority is only because God directs me to do so as Paul points out in Romans. This applies with your employer too. Your employer directs you in what needs to be done and pays you, but your boss is the Lord Jesus Christ. Colossians 3:23 states, “Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men.” This is why Christians should be the best employees. We are to be honest and hard work giving our best effort to our employer because we are doing it as to the Lord. However, because of that, I can never do anything contrary to God’s will and commands even if demanded to do so by my employer. It is better to be fired than disobey God.
There is much more that I could say about this subject of being a citizen of Christ’s kingdom representing Him on this earth and how that will affect your interaction with temporal authorities, and I will address some of those issues in future sermons, but I want to conclude today with at least a brief mention about our future hope as part of His kingdom.
◘ The Ultimate Kingdom
We believe the Scriptures clearly teach that Jesus Christ will physically and bodily return one day in the future. If your Jesus is not coming back as He said (John 14:3; Acts 1:9-10), then you have a different Jesus. We looking forward to the fulfillment of all the prophecies concerning Christ’s kingdom when, ◘ as stated in 1 Corinthians 15:24, “then comes the end, when He hands over the kingdom to the God and Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power.” Zechariah 14:9 states it this way, 9 “And the Lord will be king over all the earth; in that day the Lord will be the only one, and His name the only one.” There will no longer be two kingdoms, only one. This is prophesied in Daniel 7:13–14, Isaiah 9:6–7 and other prophecies.
◘ Revelation 20:10–15 describes the end of Satan’s realm when he is “thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone.” Those judged at the Great White Throne whose names are not written in the book of life will be judged and also thrown into the lake of fire. ◘ Revelation 21:1–8 then continues on to say, 1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, 4 and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.” 5 And He who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” And He said, “Write, for these words are faithful and true.” 6 Then He said to me, “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost. 7 “He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son. 8 “But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”
◘ Every Christian can take courage and comfort in that. But until then we need to heed the admonition of 2 Peter 3. The apostle jumps from the beginning of the Day of the Lord to its consummation in the destruction of the present heavens and earth with fire and new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells being created. Peter then concludes, 14 Therefore, beloved, since you look for these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless, 15 and regard the patience of our Lord as salvation.
That is a good place for us to conclude as well. Live out the reality of being a citizen of heaven who is an ambassador on this earth seeking to point to those who are still in the domain of Satan to Christ who can rescue then and bring them into His own kingdom.
Sermon Notes – September 29, 2024
Two Kingdoms – Selected Scriptures
Introduction
Two Kingdoms:
The Two Kingdoms: A Guide for the Perplexed by W. Bradford Littlejohn:
Development of Two Kingdoms Theology
“Reformed two-kingdoms” (R2K) doctrine:
Criticisms by R2K:
Criticism of R2K:
Original magisterial Protestant two-kingdoms doctrine :
Take what you have been handed down & carefully apply the __________to ensure you are following Christ
Benefits of Magisterial Protestant two-kingdoms doctrine :
Summary and Answering the Critics
Churches following “high ecclesiology” are in danger of being institutions of _______, not God
2 Peter 1:2-3 – The Scriptures are _______________for everything pertaining to life and godliness
The Great Commission (Matt. 28:19-20) concludes: “teaching them to observe all that I ____________you”
A false Two kingdom idea is keeping evangelicals out of politics where they ______________________
“Church & State” – Jefferson’s letter:
The “two kingdoms” are not “___________and __________”
Romans 8:1-5 – Submission to governing authorities – & them being “____________” & “servants” of God:
Many Kingdoms
The Scriptures speak of all sorts of _____________and realms with many of them being multilayered
Nations exist as either independent entities that govern themselves or in ____________to a stronger power
What is your proper allegiance to authoritative entity in which you exist?
Satan’s Realm – Reality
Satan is our adversary who is a deceiver & he has power in this ___________: 1 Pt 5:8; Jn 8:44; 1 John 5:19
He influences ______to evil & everyone is born subject to him because of sin: Psalm 51:5; Ephesians 2:1–3
Satan also influences ____________: Ephesians 6:12; Daniel 10
Satan also has a presence in the _______: “tares among the wheat” (Mt. 13:24-20), Wolves (Acts 20:29-30)
Christ’s Current Realm
Not of this world / realm (John 18:36), but ____________in His body, the church (1 Cor. 12; Eph 4:11-16)
Churches developed elaborate organizational ___________far beyond what is said in the Scriptures about it
The church organizes itself to ________, receive teaching, fellowship, pray together & celebrate communion
The church is the _________, not the buildings or organization – it exists 24/7 everywhere its people may be
Organizations that may call themselves a church may actually be a ___________________
Change of Citizenship
Colossians 1:13–14 – Rescued from Satan’s realm & transferred to Christ’s ________. Acts 2:38; Phil. 3:20
The Christian is a citizen of ____________and also whatever temporal government realm he is in
A Christian is radically changed – becomes a new ___________(2 Cor. 5:17), from dead to alive (Eph)
The Christian becomes an ____________for Christ (2 Cor. 5:20) – an alien representing Christ here
The Christian is to live out the reality of these ____________________________
A citizen of Christ’s kingdom owes _____________________to Him – He is our Lord and Savior
You must respectfully resist & disobey & government directive that is _________to God’s commands / will
The Ultimate Kingdom
Jesus Christ will physically & bodily ____________one day in the future (John 14:3; Acts 1:9-10)
There will then be only _____________- 1 Corinthians 15:24; Zechariah 14:9; Daniel 7:13–14, Isaiah 9:6–7
Satan’s realm _________for he will be “thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone” Revelation 20:10–15
We look forward to the _________ heavens & earth – Revelation 21:1–8
Heed the admonition of 2 Peter 3 to _________________of the consummation of this age & start of eternity
KIDS KORNER – Parents, you are responsible to apply God’s Word to your children’s lives. Here is some help. Young Children – draw a picture about something you hear during the sermon. Explain your picture(s) to your parents at lunch. Older Children – Do one or more of the following:1) Count how many times the word “kingdom” is used. 2) Talk with your parents about Christ’s kingdom & how you can be part of it.
THINK ABOUT IT – Questions to consider in understanding the sermon and its application. If you have interest in the various ideas about the “Two Kingdoms,” read Littlejohn’s book mentioned above. How would you answer the critics of evangelicalism? What is the origin of the phrase “wall of separation between church & state”? What does it mean in its original context? Read Romans 8:1-5. What submission should we have to governing authorities? What relationship do they have with God? What is their purpose? When is it proper to resist / disobey them. What authorities do you have over your life? Discuss the reality of Satan and his power and influence in this age? How does Satan affect the church? What is the nature of Christ’s kingdom in this age? How does He manifest Himself in this age? Discuss out those in the realm of Satan can be transferred to Christ’s kingdom. What is the church? What influence is it to have on society & how does it do that? When will Satan’s realm end? Describe the nature of the future kingdom of Christ.
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