A Kingdom that Cannot be Shaken

… Daniel chapter 2 and verse 31 Thou, O King, sawest, and behold, a great image. This great image, whose brightness was excellent, stood before thee, and the form thereof was terrible. This image's head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass, his legs of iron, his feet parts of iron, parts of clay. Thou sawest still that a stone was cut out without hand, which smote the image upon his feet, that were of iron and clay, and broke them to pieces. Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer's second thaw, and the wind carried them away, that no place could stand for them. And the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth. This is the dream, and we will tell the interpretation thereof before the King. Thou, O King, art the King of kings, for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory. And wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the heavens hath he given into thine hand, and hath made thee ruler over them all. Thou art this head of gold. And after thee shall arise another kingdom, inferior to thee, and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth. And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron, for as much as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things, and as iron that breaketh all things shall it break in pieces and bruise. And for as thou sawest the feet and toes part of potter's clay and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided. But there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, for as much as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay. And as the toes of the feet were part of iron and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly broken. And for as thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the feet of men, but they shall not please one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay. And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed. And the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever. For as much as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hand, and that it breaks in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold, the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass, he laugheth, and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure. The tongue prays to 2 Timothy, chapter 4. 2 Timothy, chapter 4. I will read from verse 14. Alexander the coppersmith did me much evil. The Lord reward him according to his words. Of whom be thou aware also, for he hath greatly withstood our words. At my first answer no man stood with me, but all men pursued me. I pray God that it may not be late to their charge. Notwithstanding, the Lord is with me and strengthened me, that by me the preaching might be fully known, and that all the Gentiles might hear, and I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion. And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. Now lastly, in Hebrews chapter 12. Hebrews chapter 12 and verse 25. See that ye refuse not him that speaketh, for if they escape not to refuse him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven. Whose voice then shook the earth, but now he hath promised saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven. And this word, yet once more, signifies the removing of those things that are shaken, and of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. Wherefore should we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace whereby we may share God acceptably with reverence and God with fear, for our God is a consuming fire. It's interesting to find that the first mention of a kingdom in the Bible is in the book of Genesis, and it's connected with a man who founded the kingdom of Babylon. Nimrod, the mighty hunter before the Lord, and he was the founder of that great system that meets its final doom recorded for us in the book of Revelation. I believe God's original intention for man was that he should dwell in family conditions. Man, moving away from God, established a kingdom for himself in independence of God, in opposition against God. And as those kingdoms developed, they grew into mighty empires, and the center of them was opposition to God. Idolatrous, powerful, independent, blasphemous, these kingdoms were in continual opposition to God and to his people. I believe that when the world to come is in operation, while it is described as an everlasting kingdom, the kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ, men and women will be living together in those family conditions that God intended they should enjoy. You remember it says that every man shall dwell under his own victory, under his own value. And I believe this is an indication that there will be small groups instead of large centralizations, and that these little units, we might say family units, will constitute strength for God instead of those centralizations that often indicated opposition to God and to his families. I think whenever we get to kingdom, the kingdom of God, I mean, we see God's operation against evil. He is operating against the evil principles that prevail in man's kingdom. And his kingdom is intended to demonstrate the great principles that belong to himself. We find them mentioned in many places, but I believe they are found in the expression in Romans 14, that today the kingdom of God is not meat and drink, but righteousness, joy, and peace in the Holy Spirit. And even when we come to the Old Testament and we look carefully at the glorious promises, especially in the book of Isaiah, and see the coming kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ, we'll see that these things are found therein too. Righteousness, joy, and peace in the Holy Spirit. It's a wonderful thing to belong to God's kingdom. Wonderful thing to be members of that kingdom, to be under this wonderful rule, the will of God, that can only produce for us the greatest possible gain, and also a return to God that is worthy of him. We hope to touch some of these things as we have these beginnings this week, if the Lord will. I thought that this passage in Daniel 2 indicates, I believe that no other passage does, how the kingdoms of man are shaped. You remember Daniel, Nebuchadnezzar had a dream, and in his dream he saw a great image. His head was of gold, his shoulders were of silver, his breast and belly were of brass, and his legs and his feet were of clay mingled with iron. He forgot the dream, and his wise men couldn't help him to remember the dream. And eventually Daniel, the man of God, receiving wisdom from God, was able to remind Nebuchadnezzar of the dream that he saw. But not only that, he gave him the interpretation of it. And within a few short verses, we see the great kingdoms of men, their empires, and all the evil that's connected with them, and one by one they're shaping to their foundation, they're overcome, they're displaced, and we get a view of things right on to the end, until finally the kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ takes over, and all that marked those kingdoms rush to the side, like chaff on the threshing floor. It all disappears. The gold, the silver, the brass, the iron, the clay, all that speaks of man's system, they remove forever every feature of it, and in its place we have the kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ, the stone cut out without hand, doing all this damage, this destruction, this removal, and then that stone killing the whole thing, and by this we understand the everlasting kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ. And that kingdom will never be displaced. That kingdom will never fail. Neither from eternal detention or outside attack, that kingdom will remain in violence. It will remain for a thousand years for the glory of God, for the greatness of Christ, and for the blessing of all who are blessed to take part in it. We know that the assembly brought to Christ through his death, and because of the place that he has taken on high, will reign with him over the earth for a thousand years. What a wonderful thing to look forward to, dear brethren, to reign with Christ for a thousand years, and Israel, the small nation at the present moment, beset with enemies all around, the future very uncertain as far as they can see, will occupy proper place according to the mind of God, and all her enemies will be destroyed, and she will be the head and not the tail. Oh, how wonderful that we, true simple people like ourselves, know the outcome of all that's going on at the present moment. All that our hearts may be relying simply upon the declared will of God, and naturally we do get concerned about the way things are going, but oh, how valuable it is to know that Communism is not going to dominate the sea, nor any other rhythm is going to dominate the sea. Let the stone cut out without hand, Christ, in all his greatness and glory, will deal with all the pride and pretension of man, and put it down, and bring him to being a kingdom that shall never be moved. Do you remember in 1 Corinthians 15? It says that, Then shall the Lord hand over the kingdom to his Father. Hand it over. A thousand years of reign, and it hasn't deteriorated in glory, in splendor, in administration, in value. No economic problems there, or inflationary spirals, or all the other kinds of things that we need of today. A kingdom administered in perfect righteousness. Men and women blessed universally. Peace for a thousand years, and plenty to enjoy. And all because the will of God is expressed in righteousness among individuals and nations. This is what we believe will be seen in the world to come. I don't suppose Nebuchadnezzar ever thought for one moment as he strutted around Babylon and looked at all the works that he had envenomed or planned of steam and set afoot, as he would run and say, Is not this great Babylon that I have built? Oh, the pride that fills his heart. He forgot about God. And God took him very low. And God in his grace and mercy recovered him, this mighty king, the head of gold, not knowing that there was a God, a person greater than Nebuchadnezzar, that the God who was the God of Daniel was a greater person than mighty Nebuchadnezzar. Absolute monarch indeed. Whom he would, he killed. Whom he would, he kept alive. His word was absolute. No one could dispute it. He was the head of gold. And in that sense, depicts the absolute honours of a coming day, the Lord Jesus Christ. When God said to Nebuchadnezzar, Thou art the head of gold, he was indicating that this is the form of government that God approved of. Anything else is subject to corruption from many sources. And we see this as we read in the book of Daniel about the courtier of the king who engineered a move against Daniel, the man of God, and put the king in a position where he couldn't go back in his work. Now this was a weaker form of government. And as we go down, as we've often seen, the deterioration of metals indicates a deterioration of government. And dear brethren, what we see today in all the preoccupant mess in this world economically and morally is because of the deterioration of government. Men have given up the principles that God has placed in their hands. And because of sin and the corruption of human nature, we find all the chaos that exists in this world. And I thank you in living to see the inability of folk democracy to deal with the problems that exist. The iron mingled with the clay, partly strong, but all for goodness. Great principles have been great blessings in the way of liberty, and at the same time, a liberty that allows evil, wicked elements to operate to set at snot these features of liberty. What contradictions there are in the world at the present moment. And so I believe the time is right for the coming of the one who is depicted here, the stone cut out without hands. Wherever you find this expression, it indicates what is divine. You remember in the Epistle to the Hebrews, the first tabernacle is described first, and then we read of a tabernacle not made with hands. A tabernacle that we see that's being from God himself through our Lord Jesus Christ. You remember in 2 Corinthians 5, we are waiting for a body, eternal in the heavens, not made with hands. Something made with hands indicates what belongs to the human race. But not made with hands is something that belongs to God himself. And this glorious one, this stone cut out without hands, is an indication of the greatness and glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. We're looking for a superman. Thank God we know who he is. When this man comes, he'll set down every rule and authority, he'll subdue every opposition against God, and he'll bring every man into obedience to the will of God. All the prophecies in the Old Testament indicate this. Now we want to speak about the kingdom as it exists for us today. We hope to see something of the features of those who belong to it in our future addresses, if the Lord will. Tonight, I want to refer to Paul as a man who was a subject of Christ's kingdom, and who experienced in conditions that were far from congenial the help of his king, his Lord. I know that we don't get the expression in relation to the saints, Christ is king. He is king of kings and Lord of lords, and this will be exercised in a future day. But I just want to use that type of a feeling in connection with our Lord Jesus, as we view Paul as subject of the kingdom here upon earth, subject to his Lord, his king as you like, and seeing all the resources of that king for him in the circumstances in which he was. Now, we are not called upon to go to prison, as Paul was. Paul lived in a dark day, he did nothing criminal, he was a servant of the Lord Jesus Christ, he loved the Lord, he loved the Lord's people, but because he was a minister of the gospel, because he was faithful to Christ, he landed in prison. We know eventually he laid down his life in faithfulness to his Lord and Master. But in this last chapter of 2nd Timothy, we have a very black picture. He speaks about those who executed him, he speaks about Alexander the coppersmith who did him much harm. We hear him saying, when he gave his first answer to Nero in defense of himself, everybody left him, no one stood by him, no one was there to help him to stand and witness. But he said, the Lord stood with me. What a wonderful thing this is for those who are subjects of the kingdom today, to realize that all the resources that is in the Lord Jesus Christ is available for them as they stand and seek to be faithful to the Lord. This is what Paul experienced. And I want to point out one or two things to you in this very important chapter. At my first answer, no man stood with me. But all men pursued me, I pray God, and it may not be the nature of chance. Notwithstanding, the Lord stood with me and strengthened me, or another translation says, gave me power. That's the first thing, power. Then the teaching, that by me the teaching might be fully known. Then the protection, and I will deliver out of the mouth of the lion. And then the preservation, and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom. And lastly the praise, that it will be glory forever and ever. Amen. Simple things, and yet how important they are. We ought to say that the kingdom in its present aspect is viewed particularly in the light of the king's absence. The king has been rejected. The king has been refused. Those who ought to have accepted him as king refused him. And now we read in the gospel by Matthew that the aspect of the kingdom is the kingdom of the heavens. The kingdom is not operating upon earth in a natural way. The king is in glory. And his subjects are in reproach. They share his rejection. And I believe this section here at the end of the second synopsis just illustrates this point. Here was a natural moment. Nero, man possessed with great power, and he's trying one of the subjects of the kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ. We might say there was a clashing of authorities here. Here is this humble man standing in the presence of this tyrant. And he might well have quaked naturally, but we don't find any evidence of it. We find confidence. We find a man superior to these circumstances. And the reason is the Lord stood with him. Nero didn't see the Lord. No one else saw the Lord. But Paul was conscious of the Lord standing by him giving him all the resources and power that was necessary to bear witness. What a wonderful thing this is. Here is a subject of the kingdom. And he's rightly representing his Lord and Master, his King and his Almighty. There was nothing in Paul's demeanor that in any way belittled the rights of Christ. There was nothing in Paul's attitude that suggested that he was bowing down to this earthly monarch and seeking favor from him. Rather the opposite. He was standing there in all the power and dignity that the Holy Spirit had given to him. Standing there in all the power of the presence of Christ. And what a wonderful witness he rendered. And so dear brethren, I believe that we too experience this. I'm sure of it. That in spite of our natural humility, in spite of the great powers that are against us, we can experience this, the Lord standing with us. Don't let's be afraid of men's faces. They're only men. However great they may be, however powerful they may be, they're only men. There is one standing with us who can help us and encourage us to witness for the Lord Jesus Christ. When John Knox, the former, died, there was one at his grave site who said, there lies a man who has never feared the face of man. And that was true. Nor human either. That was expressed in his opposition to Mary, Queen of Scots. And an eminent historian, not a theologian, said that in his opinion, the victory secured by John Knox was far more important than the victory gained over their mother. Because if the Queen, by her seductive methods, had gained the victory, then Britain would have been subject to poverty. Oh, how thankful we are for men of God who feared not the face of man, but because of the power that Christ gave, were able to stand firm and not to give way and maintain the rights of Christ. And so it's a wonderful thing in any small measure to experience this, the Lord standing with us. Then he says, and strengthened me, or gave me power. Here's the first thing I received, power. Now it might have seemed that Nero, surrounded with all the evidence of his power, the Emperor of Rome, undisputed authority, it was very, very unlikely that Paul could ever get free from this man. But we know that Paul was given a period of liberty before he laid down his life. But we do know one thing also, that in Paul's imprisonment there was enacted, or written rather, those wonderful epistles that are for our blessing and benefit. And also we have his testimony here, that by him, the preaching was coming on. A testimony was rendered to this man in all his pomp and glory and wickedness. A testimony was rendered as to our Lord Jesus Christ. Is this not the fulfillment of the Lord's testimony to Paul? Fear not, Paul. You'll stand before King. And here he is, empowered by the Lord, given the power and ability to witness for the King. Thank God for this man's testimony. When you read about this tyrant, what a terrible life he had, what a monster he was. And yet, when you think of Paul witnessing to him of the Lord Jesus Christ, we would trust that perhaps in his last moments he may have remembered what Paul said. He may have remembered the message he heard. And we know that the grace of God is such that mercy can be extended even at the last moment. That may be wishful thinking, but at the same time we can be assured that that emperor heard the truth of God as to Christ and salvation. The Lord strengthened him, gave him power, that by him, the preaching was moving on. Quite a common thing to have a herald in connection with kingdoms in bygone days heralding the approach of the King. Maybe something of this was in the preaching of Paul. By me, the preaching was moving on. What would he preach about? We know what Paul preached about. Christ was his King, all was his King. The man who died, who was buried, who rose from out amongst the dead and was centered in glory, seated at the right hand of God. This was Paul's message wherever he went. And I'm sure that he would never vary when he was in the presence of Nero. And so receiving power, he maintained this testimony and preaching, preaching concerning the Lord Jesus Christ. Then we find the protection as I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion. Whether Paul is speaking metaphorically here making Nero like the lion or whether he was referring to actually being thrown to the lions in the arena, I'm not in a position to say. But there is one thing that is evident. Paul is indicating that he was delivered, protected in this place where there was so much power of the enemy. And this is another thing that we have to remember. Not only are we subjects of the King, but our King is able to protect us. He has inimitable resources of power at his disposal. He has strength, he has wisdom, and he knows just what to do and just when to do it. And here this beloved man witnessing for Christ in the court of Nero, he was protected from all the evil that was around. I suppose there was a moment in the history of the British Empire when many of the insults that we experience today would never have been born. There would have been instant action, protection of the Empire's subjects in whatever part of the world they were. They wouldn't have allowed such things to develop as they have developed in these last years. But now she can't protect the subjects that she once did. There isn't the power, there isn't the ability, but here we have a King who is able to support the subjects at all times. And in his will, he allows them to pass through circumstances in which they are unable to witness for himself positions where they have to bear a great deal of reproach and shame and scorn and yet at the same time bear witness to himself. Poor John the Baptist couldn't understand this. Do you remember when John was in prison? He said to his disciples, to the Lord, and he said, Ask thou the coming one or ought we to look for another? Because John, I'm sure, was reasoning this way. If he is the Messiah, if he's the coming King, why am I languishing here in prison? Why am I here with all this hardship if he's the coming one? Because the coming one is going to possess great power and is going to put down all evil. So this shouldn't exist if he's the coming one. But we know too that the prophecies about the coming one depict him as the despised one, the rejected one. And we know that this is a tragic moment of rejection. And the Lord says, They'll hate you also. If reproach has followed up on me, then reproach will follow up on you. But always says, Those who suffer with me shall reign with me. You remember those who came to David in the cave of Adonai. Those who were distressed. Those who were in debt. Those who were discontented. They bore shame and reproach in the dignity of the rejected king. But there's something else that he had got. He had all the protection that was with the king. Do you remember what David said to him? With me there is safety. You'll be safe with me. And beware. And beware with David through all his trials and difficulties. And there came a time when David began to write his roll call of honor. And those who shared the reproach with him, they were in the list. There they were. Men who had endured suffering, shame and sorrow with a rejected king now found themselves in the place of honor and supremacy. And oh, how many dear saints of God have been laughed at, feared, scorned and despised. People have mocked them. Think of the indignities that were hurled upon John Wesley as he went from one side of the land to the other, from top to the bottom, preaching Christ and salvation. Mud thrown at him, assaulted. All kinds of things happened. And thousands of others, men and women, have to have endured insults for Christ's sake. Time will be good. Thank God there will be a rejection of the tradition. The day will come when you'll shine in the kingdom with Christ in glory. And then there will be seen those who are worthy of the kingdom. It's such a unit in the Bible to walk worthy of the kingdom. And so, dear brethren, what a wonderful thing it is to know something of the protection of the Lord Jesus Christ, the one who at the moment is rejected and yet in heaven is in the place of supremacy and will bring into being a sea of glory while those who are rejected now will have their part. And now we find Paul says, and the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom to whom be glory forever and ever. Here we find the last two things I've mentioned, preserving and praising. I suppose it's a simple parable that the Lord told about a merchant man who was seeking woodland pearls and when he had found one pearl of great price, he sold all that he had and he obtained the pearl that he set his heart upon and he had great pleasure and joy from it. I'm sure he preserved that pearl for its intrinsic worth, for its beauty, for the pleasure it gave to him, for how carefully he was preserving and protecting too. He wanted it for himself and all his skills and strength was the exercise to preserve that pearl for his own pleasure. Here we find Paul in confidence saying, the Lord will deliver me from every evil work and he'll preserve me for his heavenly kingdom. I know where I'm going, I know the destiny that I have, I know what's in mind. Yes, I'm sure he knew that eventually he would face death, but that wasn't the end for Paul. That was only the transfer from a scene of destruction into a scene of glory with Christ. And so he was confident. Dear brethren, this verse has often been a great encouragement to my soul. That while it was true of Paul, I believe every believer should take hold of this. Because we are precious to Christ, we may take account of ourselves and think of what we are naturally, and we certainly can speak much about our own failure and weakness and folly and stupidity. I'm sure we would all be happy to do this. Or rather, should I say, we all ought to be ashamed to admit that it's true. But Lord, dear brethren, we belong to Christ. We are precious to him. And you only preserve something that's of value, that's of worth, that's of use. If something's worthless, you just throw it away. Put it in the bin. You have no compliment of it. But something that's valuable, then you preserve it, you look after it, you care for it. Because it's worthwhile. And I believe this is what Paul says. I know, he says, the Lord's going to preserve me for his heavenly kingdom. And each one of us can say this. Trusting in our Lord Jesus Christ, knowing him and our Savior and Lord, knowing that we belong to him, we can all have good things, but in spite of what we might be, naturally, we'll be preserved for his heavenly kingdom. We're not going to see the kingdom set up here in power upon earth. I believe we're wasting our time if we think that eventually the forces of law and order are going to assume control and the militants, either extreme left or right or whatever party they belong, are eventually going to be dealt with. No, dear brethren. We've got to face what the Bible says. The perilous days are going to arise and things are going to get worse and worse. Some things, sad things for man when he hopes that things might take a turn for the better, but we as Christians know that they'll get worse. And we're not going to see in our days, in our lifetimes, the setting up of a kingdom upon earth and we partaking of it upon earth. What we are wanting is the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ to take us out of this sea altogether. And then in that brief period there will be the arising of those evil, wicked powers that will seem to gain control and eventually will be destroyed by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. When man rises up in all his impious blasphemy and arrogance and pride and sets himself up as God and arranges a system that is independent of God and then the crash will come. The storm cut out without hands. Then we will see the kingdom set up. Then we'll be part of that glorious reign where Christ will be supreme and the rain will be from heaven over the earth and what a wonderful thing it will be to reign with Christ for the earth's brethren. What a wonderful destiny we have. And knowing these things in a practical sense it sets us free from any wasting of our time to try and set things right here by natural methods. We know that things won't be set right so why waste our time with the efforts of men. We know that Christ has everything in control and eventually will express it. Well Paul, with this filling his soul bursts out into this exclamation of praise to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. If for a few moments we could sit down quietly and take account of the truth of these things would it not position our souls a note of joy and blessing? Would it not position our hearts a desire to respond to Christ with praise and worship? Amen. We saw in Daniel how great empires could be shaken to the foundations and overcome this place. Here the apostle is saying we have received a kingdom that cannot be shaken. There is no power able to overcome this kingdom. There is no power that is able to work in a insidious way as other powers do to the overthrowing of this kingdom. This kingdom belongs to Christ, it belongs to God and because of this all the power that they have is in opposition to the powers that are against it. Maybe it's another way of expressing what the Lord stated in Matthew 16. Upon this rock I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. This is confidence, this is assurance this is certainty and the apostle says having received this kingdom and having grace, favour if you like, favour to belong to this kingdom let us whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. This word reverence is only once used in the New Testament apart from this two occasions. One I think is in Peter's epistle and one here. The other occasion in which it's rendered, it's rendered showing peace in this peculiar way to express this word reverence and yet this is what the translators have done. I think it indicates that in the presence of the glory of God we would bow our heads in this way. We would be impressed by the greatness of God. This is what we understand by the meaning of the word shame bitterness. We bow our heads at our faces we are not marked by a brazen facelessness by a what shall I say impudent arrogant pride haughtiness but in the presence of a superior we would acknowledge that superiority and our heads and our faces would be averted. Now it seems to me that this is what the apostle is rendering that if we're going to serve this God in relation to this kingdom we must have in our souls a sense of his greatness and glory and superiority and conduct ourselves in a way that is fitting to him. God we fear means much the same thing and yet not exactly the same thing. I think the first thing reverence would be what would be due to being in his presence but God we fear would be the way we would conduct ourselves in a general way in testimony for him. A God we fear is in keeping with the position that we occupy in this kingdom because we are subjects of the kingdom and we ought to serve God in a way that is pleasing to him. And so how wonderful that belonging to this kingdom cannot be shaken. There should be proper feelings in each one of us in relation to God that indicate we appreciate the privilege of belonging to this kingdom. The Jews they're very proud of their race they're born into that place and that's why they look down the noses at the poor Gentiles they cannot have the same privilege impossible for them they come in his proselyte but they're born into the nation and they're proud of the fact this is why the Lord had to say to Nicodemus, Nicodemus your natural birth doesn't count for anything, you must be born again, you need a new start a new beginning, a new nature Oh dear brethren if natural man is proud of his race and I suppose the Scots and the English in their own way they are proud of their race too, but the persons who belong to the kingdom ought to be proud of this I don't mean a natural pride, a pride that comes from understanding the wonderful privilege, the blessing of belonging to this kingdom having grace, that is understanding the favour of belonging to it, we ought to conduct ourselves in a way that befits such a blessing So dear brethren with these few remarks this evening we seek to introduce these thoughts concerning the kingdom and we trust with your prayers we'll get help as we go along to understand something of its value and blessing today, may it be so for the day …

… Matthew chapter 13 and we'll read from verse 51. Jesus saith unto them, Have you understood all these things? They say unto him, Yea, Lord. Then saith he unto them, Therefore every scribe which is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is a householder which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old. Now turn over to chapter 19. We'll read from verse 8. Matthew 19 and verse 8. He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives but from the beginning it was not so. And I say unto you, whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, or shall marry another, commit adultery. And whoso marryeth her which is put away, doth commit adultery. His disciples say unto him, If the case of the man be so with his wife, it is not good to marry. But he said unto them, All men cannot receive the same, save they to whom it is given. For there are some eunuchs which were so born from their mother's womb. And there are some eunuchs which were made eunuchs of men. And there be eunuchs which have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake. He that is able to receive it, let him receive it. Now Luke chapter 18. Gospel by Luke chapter 18. And we'll read from verse 18. And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? None is good save one, that is God. Thou knowest the commandment, Do not commit adultery, do not kill, do not steal, do not bear false witness, honour thy father and thy mother. And he said, All these have I kept from my youth up. Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him, Yet likest thou one thing, sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven. Come, follow me. And when he heard this, he was very sorrowful, for he was very rich. And when Jesus saw that he was very sorrowful, he said, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God. For it is easier for a camel to go through an evil's eye than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. And they that heard it said, Who then can be saved? He said, The things which are impossible with men are possible with God. Then Peter said, Lord, we have left all, and followed thee. He said unto them, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or parents, or brethren, or wife, or children, for the kingdom of God's sake, and shall not receive manifold more in this present time, and in the world to come, by everlasting. Now lastly, in the epistle to the Colossians. Colossians chapter 4, and we'll read from verse 7. All my estate shall Tychicus declare unto you, who is a beloved brother, and a faithful minister, and a fellow servant in the Lord, whom I have sent unto you for the same purpose, that he might know your estate, and comfort your hearts. With Onesimus, a faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you, they shall make known unto you all things which you have done here. Aristarchus, my fellow prisoner, saluted you. And Marcus, sister's son to Barnabas, touching whom you receive commandments, if he come unto you, receive him. And Jesus, which is called Justice, who out of the circumcision, he's only, are my fellow workers unto the kingdom of God, which have been a comfort unto me. Last night we were speaking about the kingdom. The kingdom as it exists today because of the work and person of our Lord Jesus Christ. We saw in Daniel 2 the course of events as far as the kingdoms of the world are concerned, and we saw there was a successive shaking. The final shaking is to come when the Lord Jesus Christ will establish his kingdom publicly in this world for the glory of God and the blessing of all concerned. We saw too that the writer to the epistle to the Hebrews said, we have a kingdom that cannot be shaken. Paul referred to the same kingdom as the heavenly kingdom, and he was sure that the Lord would preserve him in view of his place in it. Now tonight I want to endeavor to show some of the features attaching to persons who belong to the kingdom. I felt it was right that we should begin in Matthew, Matthew chapter 13, where a great deal of instruction is given as to the kingdom of the heavens, a present aspect of the kingdom. The principal feature that I want to draw attention to in Matthew 13 is instruction. It has been said, and I believe rightly said, that there are three sevens in the Bible that all biblical students should take account of. The seven parables in chapters two and three of Revelation and the seven parables in Matthew 13. That once we have grasped the teaching contained in these three sevens, we'll be well equipped to weave our way through the dispensational problems in the Bible and place things in the right place and not confuse the different dispensations with different parables. And if we understand the course of events as portrayed in these three sevens, we'll be well equipped to meet the difficulties of the present day. Now I don't intend to go into the teaching of the three sevens. We would require a few more evenings, in fact a few more weeks, for a consideration of that kind. Not even an attempt to speak about the seven parables in chapter 13. But I would like to say this, that if we understand the teaching of the gospel by Matthew up to the time when the Lord is rejected, we'll be able to understand why this term is employed by the writer in Matthew 13, the kingdom of the heavens. The genealogy in the beginning of Matthew's gospel establishes beyond all possible doubt the legal right of the Lord Jesus Christ to occupy the throne of Israel, their Messiah, their King, beyond all doubt. When we come to the temptation, we find his moral capability to fill such a place in that he overcame the seductive measures of Satan and was triumphant in them. We might say too that in chapter three, not only have we the right of the one to ascend the throne, but we have heaven's approval of it, which is far more important than man's approval. In chapters five, six, and seven, we have the King amongst his subjects laying down the principles that belong to the kingdom. And in chapters eight and nine, we have the same King demonstrating his power, power over disease, power over demons, power over death itself, truly a wonderful King. In chapter 10, we find him sending out his subjects, his heralds, his ambassadors, if you like, to proclaim this wonderful gospel. The King was at hand. The nation was to be ready to receive him. And when we come to chapter 11, what a sad picture we find. The nation, the cities, they don't want him. They won't listen. They have no time for him. They turn their back upon him. And so we find at the end of chapter 11, the Lord, in a sense, widens out in his invitation, not now to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, as he said to his disciples, but come unto me all ye that are weary and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. An invitation to all to come and accept him. In chapter 12, we have a wonderful demonstration of his greatness and glory, greater than Solomon, greater than the temple, greater than Jonah, greater than Satan, wonderful, glorious person to his Israel's anointed. But he's rejected. They don't want him. So the Lord begins this parabolic ministry, and he required, it was right that he should interpret it to them because they didn't understand. We might say, what a simple story. We know what it means. Of course we do. We've been told what it means. But when the Lord told them the story about the sower, they didn't understand. He had to tell them what the story meant. So as we go along through this chapter, we find in all the parables different features of the kingdom of the heavens. And the reason why this term is used is, the king is rejected upon earth and anticipates his ascension to the right hand of God. And the rule is from the heavens, not upon earth as it ought to have been if Israel had accepted him. This is why the term is always used in Matthew and in Matthew only. I think it connects with the prophet Ezekiel, where Ezekiel saw a vision of a throne in heaven and one sitting upon it. And the heavens ruling in this sense. It links too with the book of Daniel, where this expression is so often used, the God of the heavens. And it shows a view of heaven, God supreme, the throne there, rule going on, in spite of all the rebellion upon earth, God maintaining a rule from heaven. The Lord Jesus is showing to his disciples different features of this kingdom, the kingdom of the heavens. He says, there is an aspect of it that is really beautiful. When he told the story of the man who sought for the pearl and got this pearl, and when he found it, he sold all that he had in order to obtain it. And the Lord was showing them that there was a view that we can have of the church that is precious to his heart, that is more important to him than anything else. And in order to obtain it, he was prepared to give his life, to give his all in order to obtain the assembly for himself. Here was a feature that they could feast their hearts upon, something precious, something in which there was no deterioration, no lessening of value, something that was beautiful for the heart of Christ. And thank God we can view the assembly in this light. There is also the parable of the treasure, and when this man found it, he went and he bought the field in order to obtain the treasure that was in the field. And I know there is some difference of opinion as to whether this refers to Israel or to the church. Personally, I think it belongs to the church, the thing that is precious to the heart of Christ. And in order to get that church, he purchased the whole field in order that it might belong to him for his own joy and his own delight. Now, we find in Peter's epistle that there are certain persons who profess to be Christians, and yet they deny the Lord that bought them. This is the view of the Lord purchasing the whole scene, and yet there may be persons who are rebellious and will not own his authority, and yet outwardly they seem to belong to him. They deny the Lord that bought them. But then we read about the assembly which is purchased with the blood of his own, his own dear son. The assembly being purchased for God by Christ, oh how wonderful this is. And so we think of the assembly in this sense as precious to the heart of Christ. But then he speaks about the kingdom of the heavens as a mustard tree. It's just a small seed, it's put into the ground, and it grows and it grows and it grows, and then the fowls of the heavens, they lodge in its branches. Now we're given a clue as to what the fowls of the heavens mean. Because in the first parable, when the seed was sown by the sower, some fell on the wayside, and the fowls came down, and they picked up the seed, and it didn't get the chance to go into the ground and germinate. Now when the Lord interpreted the parable, he said, this is Satan's work. He snatches away the work that it might not take root in the person's heart. And so we can see that this big tree, this large imposing tree, with the fowls of heaven lodging in its branches, is a picture of what Christendom has become in the world. Large and imposing, prosperous, significant, influential, and yet in Christendom itself, there are satanic influences at work. Sad thing to think of, and yet it's only too true, that in that which represents the name of Christ, there are very definite influences at work, which are satanic, and have to be avoided by the intelligent believer. You see, that's very strong language. I'll give you the words of the Lord Jesus, which are even stronger. He addresses himself to a church in Revelation, and he says, in that place, he says, Satan's seat is there. A company of Christians, professing to be gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus, professing to represent him, and the Lord has to say to them, Satan's seat is there. Terrible indictment. Terrible condition for any company of Christians to be in. And yet this is so true, that there are influences working in so-called Christendom, which have derived their origin from Satan himself. Evil doctrines, evil influences, that are subversive to the very truth and spirit of Christianity. And well for us, if we keep clear of these things, keep away from them as far as we can, and stand for what is pure, and what is good, and what is true. And then the Lord makes this remark to his disciples. Let me quote it correctly, it's so easy to make a mistake. He says, Have ye understood all these things? They say unto him, Yea Lord. Then said he unto them, Therefore every scribe which is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is in householder, which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old. I have the feeling that while they said, Yea Lord, they didn't really understand what he was saying. I remember when I worked in a colliery, there was a man who came along and he obtained a job beside me, and I had the responsibility of instructing him in connection with certain machines that we were using. And I can well remember that man. Every time I said anything unto him, down with his head. Sometimes he was nodding before I was finished. And he knew everything. He knew the job alright. He knew everything before it was told to him. The sad thing was, he wasn't listening. And really, he made a mess of everything he attempted to do. I think for a Christian, to give the impression that he knows certain things, when really he doesn't know, is just sheer stupidity. We ought to be ready to confess that we don't know. And be ready to say we want to learn. Not to try and give the impression that we know everything. We know all the answers. We don't need to be taught. This is the high road for ignorance. And I think we ought to be like persons who are prepared to say, yes Lord, we want to be taught, we want to know these things, we want to understand, because they're so important. And so the Lord, I believe, is challenging his disciples as to what they really know in the way of instruction in connection with the Kingdom of the Heavens. If they had really imbibed all that they taught him, all that he taught them, then they would have avoided many of the mistakes that they made. And I believe, dear brethren, if we paid more attention to real instruction, it would deliver us from many faults and from many snares. And so I think this question of instruction is of vital importance in connection with the Kingdom. If we think of our foundation as an illustration, it's not all pomp and glory, it's not all coronation or opening of Parliament. There is the day-to-day working, the day-to-day participation in things pertaining to the nation. And we all have our part in this, and we need to be instructed in various things. There are certain laws that must be obeyed, there are certain things that must be avoided, there are certain things that have to be done in relation to the working out of matters in the Kingdom. And so it is with the Kingdom of the Heavens. First of all, we've got to sit at the feet of the King and listen to his instruction, just as the persons gathered round him at the Sermon of the Mount and heard what he had to say. All that valuable instruction in relation to the subject of the Kingdom. And there are things to avoid, and there are things to do. I trust we'll see this when we come to Colossians. Fellow workers for the Kingdom of God. And so, when the Lord asks them, do you understand these things? They say yes. Well, anyone who understands is like a householder who brings out of his treasure things new and old. I suppose that expression can stand many applications. I want to give it a simple one this evening. The disciples were still governed largely by what they had heard relating to the law. And there was nothing wrong with the law. It was good, it was right, it was holy. Paul says this in the Epistle to the Romans. There was nothing wrong with the instruction they received from the Old Testament. But then the Lord was bringing in something new. He was making them know that there was a time coming when a kingdom would be set up. A kingdom over which he would rule from heaven. And they would be the subjects of it. And they would be subject to his authority. And he was preparing them for this. Now, if they really understood, they would be able to bring into force all the learning that they had derived from the Old Testament teaching. Plus all the learning that they would derive from him and from others as the New Testament teaching. And at the appropriate moment would be able to bring these things forth and make them available for other people. And notice, out of his treasures. And I think this is a point that we want to consider. If you read carefully the 119 Psalms. You'll find over and over again that the Psalmist esteems the law of the Lord. His statutes, his judgments, his commandments, his ordinances. All similar words. Above fine gold, above everything. He treasured the truth of God more than anything else. And we feel that a man like that would be well equipped to use the truth of God at an appropriate moment for the blessing of others. And if we want a practical illustration of this, we come to the Acts of the Apostles. And we see that old and the new brought forth to bear upon the consciences of unconverted people. And what wonderful results came. Peter, Paul, all those who preached in the Acts of the Apostles. They continually referred to the Old Testament. It was written, the 2nd Psalm, the 8th Psalm, the 16th Psalm. They referred to these portions in the Old Testament. But they referred to something new. Something that never existed in the Old Testament. A man in the presence of God who had been down here, who had lived and died and rose from among the dead and had ascended into heaven. There were new things. There were old things. They were brought together. And what wonderful treasures they were. And what wonderful results accrued from the preaching of those things. So dear brethren, we need to be balanced. There are wonderful things in the Old Testament. The Lord said in resurrection on his own. The things concerning me. In the books of Moses. In the Psalms. In the Prophets. He covered all the Old Testament. The things concerning himself. And in the new, all the unfolding of the revelation of God. God is our Father. Heavenly things centered in Christ. The wonderful destiny of the assembly. With Christ. Like Christ. Forevermore. Wonderful things indeed. And so, the Christian today, the subject of the kingdom, he has, we might say, in this book, the statute book of the kingdom. All its teaching. All its laws. All the principles to government. Found in the word of God. How much time do we spend in relation to the word of God? How much time do we give to reading it? To understand it? And above all, to apply it to our lives. I say this often to young people. That the men and women, God will use in the coming day, will be young men and women who know the Bible. There are insidious doctrines circulating at the present moment. Terrible doctrines. Spurious doctrines. Perversion. And they're all seeking to do away with the glory of Christ. All seeking to undermine the truth of God. And only those who know the Bible will be able to meet this challenge. Be able to refute it. And be able to accept it. Be able to refute it. And men and women of old have stood for the truth of God. Because they knew what the Bible said. And they rested upon it. They rested upon it with all their faith and confidence. And they maintained it. And thank God for them and their generation. This is our day. And what are we doing with it? If we waste our time. And we don't give ourselves to this instruction. Instruction for the subjects of the kingdom. We'll be found wanting when an opportunity occurs to represent our king. Now from there we move on to chapter 19. The Pharisees, they came to the Lord. And they began to tempt him. It wasn't really that they wanted any help or instruction. That wasn't in their mind at all. They thought they could lay a trap for the Lord. And ensnare him with their words. So that he might commit himself to a certain thing that would be at variance with the law. And then they would be able to say, well this man, he isn't any worth as a teacher. We can't place any reliance upon his words. We're not going into the detail of that. But the question was concerning marriage. The relationship of husband and wife. And how God had made full provision for man and woman to be together in righteousness. And he wanted this to continue according to his mind and will. God does not delight in putting away, the Old Testament prophet says. God delights to see the man and the woman living together in Christian love and principle. And maintaining things for God. But the apostles, they say, well if things are so difficult. It's better that the man shouldn't marry. Well in certain circumstances this is indisputable. Because when Paul refers to this matter in 1 Corinthians. He says it's better that persons should remain single. He's not saying that everybody should remain single. But he's saying in certain circumstances it's better for a man to remain as he is. Or a woman to remain as she is. That they might apply themselves without any distraction to the things of the Lord. But the Lord says, all men cannot receive the same save they to whom it is given. And he goes on to speak about unities. And he speaks about an abnormal kind of unity. A person born in this way who has no desire whatsoever to have any part in married life. No desire to have children of his own. He says persons are born like this and this is an abnormality. Then he says there are persons who are made eunuchs. And we have one in the 8th chapter of the Acts of the Apostles. The Ethiopian eunuch. A person who couldn't have a wife and have children. As we know how things are applied today. This just couldn't happen. And so this man has been made a eunuch. This happened very often in these times when servants were made eunuchs for very definite purposes. But the Lord mentions a third case. He says there are persons who make themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of God's sake. That is, they deliberately choose to turn aside from the natural desire of man and woman. And desire to apply themselves without any hindrance to the things of the Lord. Now that's a very grave step to take. And only the power of attraction that is in the Lord Jesus can maintain a person in this pathway. The Roman Catholic Church has attempted to do this by regimentation if you like. They have imposed a note of celibacy upon their priests. Their priests are not to marry. Now we don't find this in scripture. But we do find the Lord saying that if a man desires to make himself a eunuch. That is, he's not born abnormal. And he's not been made a eunuch by men. But he deliberately accepts this position. To turn aside from what is natural. To be governed by the Lord in relation to what is spiritual. This kind of eunuch is a person who is so for the kingdom of God's sake. I say it takes a great deal of power to do this kind of thing. And really at the basis one could say that this is the supreme act of self-sacrifice. I suppose death giving one's life is the greatest form of self-sacrifice. But one would think this is one of the greatest features of it as we live in this world. That a man is prepared to turn his back upon the joys of a married life. Upon the joys of having children of his own. And say I want to devote my life to the service of our Lord Jesus Christ. So this involves self-sacrifice of a very high character. I honestly believe, dear brethren, that we are losing the sense of what it is to be sacrificial in our lives. We are living in a day when this kind of thing isn't thought of. Men are seeking to get as much as they possibly can in as short a possible time. And perhaps use unscrupulous means to get it. But the Christian life is one of self-sacrifice. I think it's obvious, I'm sorry it's not in this section, we'll see it later. Where the example of the Lord himself is brought forward. You remember in 2 Corinthians, chapter 9 I think it is. Where the apostle was referring to the Corinthians in connection with sacrifice. He brings forward the supreme sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ. Ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. He, though he were rich, yet for your sakes he became poor. That ye in his poverty might be enriched. How wonderful that statement is. And he uses this as a lever for them. That they might be marked by the same principle of self-sacrifice. In order to help other Christians in other areas. And I believe this principle that the Lord is bringing forward. Unix, for the kingdom of God's sake. Is a principle of self-sacrifice. That we are prepared to give up in order to promote. That we are prepared to give up in order to promote the interest of our Lord Jesus Christ. And when we see the people of God acting in this way. We know there is a very healthy condition among them. The dear brother that we know in Edinburgh who keeps a Christian bookshop. He says he can gauge the spiritual atmosphere in Edinburgh and the surrounding area. By the number of tracts and booklets and Christian literature that is obtained from his shop. There was a certain brother who went to Edinburgh for two weeks meetings. And after the meetings sales were booming. People were buying books to read. Buying tracts to give away. Buying booklets to give away. All sorts of things connecting with the name of Christ in literature. But then the barometer began to fall. The temperature was lowering. And when we were speaking to him. He was saying that very few people seem to be interested in buying Christian literature. You see when the Christian is healthy. When he is exercised. It is then that the spirit of self-sacrifice begins to operate. He is not concerned so much about his own things. He is concerned about others. And he is prepared to give his time, his money, his home, whatever he has. Whatever he has to the promotion of the interest of Christ. For the extension of the kingdom of your life. For it's healthy well-being. He is prepared to self-sacrifice. I know it's easy to speak. But one has proved in one's little experience. That whatever self-sacrifice has been operating. It has meant blessing of some kind or other. Now we don't do it for that. That's not the object. To attempt to do anything for the sake of getting a blessing. Isn't the proper object. We do it for Christ's sake. This is the impelling motive. And this is why it should govern us. And just as Christ. Turned his back we might say. Upon all that was earthly. All the glory of the kingly position in Israel. Turned his back upon all that. And laid down his life. All that he had. He gave it for the will of God. As a kind of example. That would encourage each one of us. Along this road of self-sacrifice. When I look at myself. And many other believers in this country. And think of the ease and comfort that we enjoy in so many ways. And then read about our brethren in other parts of the world. That haven't the clothes that we wear. Or the food that we eat. Or the comfort that we have. Or even the Bibles that we read. And the books that we have. Well it makes one ashamed at times. And thank God if there is any channel. That we can follow. To help those dear believers. And be concerned about them. I'm sure it's a service. We can render happily in the fear of God. Now we return to Luke. Chapter 18. Luke 18. Kingdoms upon earth. Kingdoms upon earth. Have often been. Maintained. Defended. By the energy. By the self-sacrifice. By the integrity. Of the persons who formed the kingdom. It's well known that Rome. Reached the zenith of its power. Because of the integrity. Of the Romans. They weren't concerned about living soft lives. Enjoying all the fruits of their wars. They worked hard. They fought hard. They had right principles to govern them. But then. Like many others. And we see this so often in the scriptures. We look at Israel. When Jeshurun waxed fat. Then she kicked. That means. In simple terms. When Israel reached a place of power and blessing. It forgot God. And became disobedient. And Rome. When it reached its zenith. It became decadent. Because the persons. Who formed the nation of Rome. Became obsessed. With the idea of pleasure. Indolence. Affluence began to have its full sway with them. And gradually. That hard core. Of integrity. Dependability. Was worn away. That proud empire fell. And so I believe too. In the Christian life. The. Power. The. Enjoyment of divine things. In any local company of Christians. Is maintained. By putting something into it. Work. Exercise. Prayer. Concern. And only in this way. Is the purpose of the king. Maintained. Things just don't happen naturally. They don't happen miraculously. Someone's got to do something. Someone's got to be concerned. And I believe this section. In Luke 18. Is just a picture of this. One of the. Efforts today. We've said this already. Is to amass wealth. As soon as one possibly can. Of course there are many avenues. Which are open for this. Which an intelligent Christian. Would never dream of following. The football pools for instance. Where vast sums of money. Can be obtained each week. No intelligent Christian would ever dream. Of filling in a football pool. To get some money. Or would be involved in gambling. Of any kind whatsoever. This would be inconsistent. With the principles of the kingdom. Here's a young man. And he asked the Lord a question. And the Lord. At the end of this little section. He says to the disciples. Very difficult. For a rich man. To enter into the kingdom of God. Dear brethren. We ought to thank God. That we weren't born rich. We might never have been in the kingdom. The Lord says. It's a very difficult thing. For a rich man. To enter into the kingdom. The Lord says this. About those. Who were rich in faith. But were poor. And were heirs of the kingdom. Which God had promised. To those who loved him. So again I say dear brethren. We ought to be profoundly thankful. For the form of life. That we've been born into. In humble station perhaps. Because being in that place. We were more amenable. To the voice in the gospel. Of Jesus Christ. And so the Lord said. This young man. He wasn't prepared. To face up to the sacrifice. He went away. And he hadn't possessed this eternal life. That he sought to inherit. He hadn't obtained it. He went away without it. And with his money. And the day would come. When he would lose his money too. And he wouldn't have eternal life. And he wouldn't have his money. And he said. Well what about us? We've left all. And we've followed thee. Listen to the words of the Lord. And he said unto them. Verily I say unto you. There is no man that hath left house. Or parents. Or brethren. Or wife. Or children. For the kingdom of God's sake. Who shall not receive manifold more. In this present time. This is a great challenge. Dear brethren. And we're listening to the words of the Lord. We want to get on. In this world. I wouldn't say it's an altogether criminal thing. To desire to get on in this world. But take care. Take care that you don't get too much. Of what you're going in for. And that it robs you of time. And opportunity. To represent the Lord. Here is the Lord saying. To those who had given up. Those who had sacrificed. For the kingdom of God's sake. He promises them. That they'll be recompensed now. And in the world to come. Life everlasting. We want to say here. And say so very plainly. That we believe eternal life. Is the present gift of God. To all who accept the Lord Jesus Christ. The Saviour. This is indisputable. From the word of God. If a person accepts the Lord Jesus Christ. The Saviour. They possess eternal life. They can never perish. They have it as a gift from God. They have it as a present possession. And this eternal life. Which is in Christ Jesus. Our Lord. But the Lord is phrasing this here. That there will be a present recompense. And in the future. When this present life. And in the future. When this life is finished. This blessing of eternal life. In a scene. Where sin and want. And woe and death. Can never come. Here's the recompense. That the Lord offers to those. Who are representing the kingdom of God today. On the line of sacrifice. Giving up. Preparing to give time. To the things of the kingdom of God. Dear brethren. In my humble experience. Time. Is one of the things. That we use. In a very profligate manner. Wasting it indeed. While we ought to be carefully husbanding. Those precious moments of ours. So that we can apply them. In some way. To the things of our Lord Jesus Christ. Now look at the list. Left house. Left house. Those of us. Who are house holders. Perhaps proud. Of the house that we have. And it's furnishings. If there came a challenge. From the Lord to us. I want you to leave your house. For the challenge. For the challenge. And the Lord says. That there were those. Who left their houses for him. Parents. Brethren. Wives. Children. All the things that men hold dear. He's not mentioning riches here. We might always say that this is beneath. Consideration. That these other things that are mentioned. Are so near to our hearts. How difficult to give them up. Unless the master asks us to do it. And so I believe. The Lord is encouraging the disciples. Well. If you have turned your back upon these things. And they did. You remember when the Lord saw them. Mending their nets. And working at their father's boat. He says come. Follow me. And they turned their backs upon it all. And they followed the Lord. And so the Lord says. Those who do this. They'll be recompensed. In this life. And also in that which is to come. We are very thankful. That the Lord has not mentioned. Specifically. What those rewards will be. In this present time. And I believe this is wise. I believe that to each person. Who lives in this way. In preparedness of heart. To give up. For the sake of Christ. There will be a special recompense. Suited to each individual case. Now finally. On the time. Colossians chapter 4. Paul mentions a few brothers. At the end of this chapter 4. We'll go over them briefly. Icacus. In verse 7. Onesimus. In verse 9. Aristarchus. And Marcus. Or Mark. In verse 10. And Jesus. In verse 11. And he says. These only. Are my fellow workers. Unto the kingdom of God. Which have been a comfort. Unto me. I suppose any kingdom. On earth without workers. Would very soon cease to be a kingdom. Great need for. Persons. Employed industriously. In different arts. In different industries. In different natures of work. All working together. And all contributing something. For the well being. Of the kingdom. Exports and imports. Are things that are very much. In our minds at the present moment. Balancing of payments. And all sorts of things. We're becoming economists. In a very easy way. We're becoming aware. Of these things that are so vital. To the interest of the nation. There is a great need. For workers. If I can. Very briefly. Refer to the little work. That one seeks to do. One would say in this realm. There is a crying need. Of young men. Who are prepared to apply themselves. To the truth of God. And seek to be led by the Lord. For the circulation of the truth. For the benefit. Of the companies of the saints. As I remember the meetings. About 40 years ago. I can remember at least. A dozen brothers. Who were travelling round the country. Ministering the truth of God. And hardly a month went past. That someone was coming along. For a week's meetings. A fortnight's meetings. And by this means. A great deal of truth. Was circulated amongst the saints. And this is most vital. For the maintenance. Of the church. And I appeal to you young men. This evening. To apply yourselves assiduously. To the reading of the word of God. And the acquiring of the truth of God. For there is a crying need. For this kind of service. At the present moment. And so we say again. That there is a great need of workers. In every sphere. Of Christian life. And interest. Things cannot be maintained. Unless there are workers. We know in the beehive. There are more workers. Than any other kind of bee. Unfortunately. There are those who are called drones. They contribute nothing. To the wealth. And prosperity. Of the beehive. And I believe. And I say this. With all humility. And yet with sincerity. Those who never find time. To break bread. And they don't find time to pray. Or to do any other kind of work. In the assembly. Might be likened. And I say this very guardedly. To drones. As far as the Christian community. Is concerned. We need workers. Persons who are prepared. To give their time. Their concern. For the well being. Of the saints. And you were workers with him. What a worker Paul was. You read account of his travels. Where he went with the word of God. The sufferings he endured. In order to bring the truth of God. Before the saints. What a worker he was. What a man he was. Prepared to put his life. In the hands of the Lord. For the well being of the saints. Oh dear brethren. When we read the history of the church. Oh how great workers they were. We can mention many many names. Wesley. Darby. Hudson Taylor. Kelly. Many others. Men who. Gave themselves. We scarcely. Understand. How they performed the work that they did. When did they get time to sleep? Their writing. Their preaching. Their visitations. And all for the sake of the Lord Jesus. Dear brethren. We are here tonight. The fruit of their labors. So we are challenged. As to what we do. In the way of positive work. In relation to the kingdom of God. Now just briefly. For time is always gone. In fact it has gone. I just refer to these brothers. Tychicus. Is a brother. Who was always ready. To do some kind of work. And he never questioned. About the work. When it was given him to do. If you read about him. Look up a good concordance. And you'll find he's mentioned. Often by Paul. And every time he's mentioned. He's being sent. He is a man. Who's prepared to do something. For the Lord. Onesimus. Was once a man. Who was very unserviceable. But who became. Very serviceable. I think this is the meaning of his name. And so Paul. When he wrote to Philemon. He says. By all means. You receive this brother Onesimus. He's serviceable. He's ready to do anything. That's required. Aristarchus. I don't know that we can say very much. About his character. Because scripture doesn't give us any guide. But we do learn. From the acts of the apostles. That he belonged to the Thessalonian company. And if. That would indicate to us. That he was a young believer. In Christ. And yet. He was prepared to work. Young as he was. I don't know how old. How old Icacus was. Or how old Onesimus was. But I believe. We could infer. That Aristarchus. Was a young believer. Mark. Well we know. Quite a lot about Mark. We know he had a few lapses. In his Christian life. But at this point. Paul says. Mark evidently has been restored. Receive him. No dear brethren. We've all been in need of restoration. Surely we can look back over the many faults. And many failures in our Christian lives. And perhaps this has caused us. To be about a bit hesitant. About doing anything for the Lord. Well. Let's get the matter adjusted. Whatever it is. Let's get to the Lord. Be restored. And then we'll be in a position. To be used by the Lord. What a wonderful end Mark had. When he wrote his gospel. And how many millions of Christians. Since Pentecost. Till the present moment. Have enjoyed the fruit. Of this restored servants work. What a work it was. Now Jesus. Who is called justice. I don't know anything about him. And perhaps this is where we might all come in. Nothing to be said of us. That is distinctive. Perhaps all just ordinary people. Without any great talents. Or gifts or abilities. And yet we can all be numbered. Amongst those who work. For the kingdom of God. You little piece. My little piece. Each one of us working together. For the kingdom of God. Wonderful fellowship. Wonderful privilege. And we do it. Unto the Lord. May it be so. For his name's sake. …

… The Gospel by Luke, chapter 17 and verse 20. And when he was demanded of the Pharisees when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation, neither shall they say, Lo, here, or lo, there, for behold, the kingdom of God is within you, or in the midst of you. Now the Gospel by John, chapter 18, John 18, verse 33. And Pilate entered into the judgment hall again and called Jesus and said unto him, Art thou the king of the Jews? Jesus answered him, Sayest thou this thing of thyself, or did others tell it thee of me? Pilate answered, Am I a Jew? Thine own nation and the chief priests have delivered thee unto me, what hast thou done? Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight that I should not be delivered to the Jews. But now is my kingdom not from hence. Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice. Pilate saith unto him, What is truth? And when he had said this, he went out again unto the Jews, and saith unto them, I find in him no fault at all. Now Romans chapter 14, Romans 14, we'll read from verse 14. I know and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus that there is nothing unclean of itself, but to him that he steameth anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean. But if thy brother be grieved with thy meat, now walkest thou not charitably, destroy not him with thy meat, for whom Christ died. Let not then your good be evil spoken of. For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost. For he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God and approved of men. Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another. Now lastly, 1 Corinthians chapter 4, verse 17. For this cause have I sent unto you Timotheus, who is my beloved son and faithful in the Lord, who shall bring you into remembrance of my ways which be in Christ as I teach everywhere in every church. Now some are puffed up as though I would not come to you, but I will not come to you shortly if the Lord will and will know not the speech of them which are puffed up, but the power. For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power. What will ye? Shall I come unto you with a rod, or in love, and in the spirit of meekness? I've read four portions from the word of God, and you would notice that each time it says that the kingdom of God is not certain things, and then we can see from the context what the word of God, what the kingdom of God really is. The kingdom of God is not by observation, the Lord says in Luke 17. The Lord said in John 18, my kingdom is not of this world, is not from hence, and in Romans 14, Paul says the kingdom of God is not meat and drink, but righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, and Paul says in 1 Corinthians 4, the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power. Well we want to consider these things because there's a great deal of help and teaching involved in these statements. The Pharisees, they came to the Lord to try and test him as they often did, and they asked him when the kingdom of God would appear, and when he was demanded of the Pharisees when the kingdom of God should come, this is what they wanted. They weren't really concerned about the rights of God, what they were mainly concerned about was deliverance from the power of Rome, independence, the right to rule their lives as they wished, and also to carry on their traditions of the law, this isn't really all that they wanted, they weren't concerned about God or blessing for men. The Lord says to them that the kingdom of God doesn't come by observation, because if it had, they would have recognized that the kingdom of God was in their midst, and was seen in him, the Lord Jesus Christ. It's been a help to me to view the kingdom of God in four ways, I pass this on to you. First of all, in the Old Testament, historically, when the nation of Israel was blessed under God, and God was sitting between the cherubim on the mercy seat in the tabernacle system, there we have a picture of God ruling amongst his earthly people, and we see a beautiful picture of the kingdom of God in operation, the king in the midst of his people, and then from out of the tabernacle, he issued his commands through Moses, his servant, in relation to his people. He gave them guidance for their lives, the food they were to eat, and the clothes they were to wear, all sorts of things were given by God for his earthly people. Now the proof that this was a picture of God as king is seen in the book of Samuel, when Samuel is very much concerned, because he had been rejected by the children of Israel in their demand for a king, and God said to Samuel, why should you be upset, Samuel? They haven't rejected you, they've rejected me. God in the midst of his people was the king over Israel, and Israel refused this king that they couldn't see, but whose power and majesty and glory was manifest in their midst, they refused him, and they chose a man who outwardly had a great deal of strength and ability, and what a failure he proved to be. And so God says, they've rejected me as king when they want a man, and they crowned him as king and gave him this honor. Now here's the historical view of the kingdom of God seen in the nation of Israel, God in their midst. Well we know how sadly that failed, not because God failed, but because the nation failed. Then we move on, and we come to the incarnation of the son of God coming into this world, and here we find him saying, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you. The kingdom of God's here, if you had only eyes to see it. I am the kingdom of God, in that in me is demonstrated all that is pleasurable to God, I do the will of God, and all the features of the kingdom are expressed in myself. Here we find the kingdom of God personally in the person of the son of God. We know the Lord Jesus Christ was crucified, his earthly people refused him, and instead of reigning as king in Zion, the Messiah, the anointed, the rightful king of Israel, he was rejected, cast out by way of the cross, and for the moment the nation of Israel is set aside. The Lord Jesus Christ ascends into glory where he came from, the Holy Spirit descends down, and then began the kingdom of God spiritually. In the power of the spirit of God, the features of the kingdom are expressed by those who belong to God through Christ today. We read that in Romans 14. The kingdom of God is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. And then, fourthly, we have the kingdom prophetically, all the glowing prophecies that we have in the Old Testament and in the New concerning the coming kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ when he will reign as rightful king over Israel, as son of man over the Gentile nations, and that kingdom shall have universal sway. So I think we can think of it in this way, historically in the past, personally in the Son of God, spiritually in the power of the Spirit today, and prophetically in the time to come. So we want to consider this statement here in Luke 17. The kingdom of God cometh not with observation, neither shall they say, Lo here or lo there, for behold, the kingdom of God is within you or in the midst of you. There is another quotation that confirms what the Lord says here, his own words, of course, in John's Gospel, that in order to see the kingdom of God, you must be born again. It says that so plainly, that unless you're born again, you cannot see the kingdom of God. That means you need a new beginning, you need a new nature, you need a new power in order to see the kingdom of God. It cannot be perceived by the natural perception that we have. It's not to be taken account of by the senses that we have as human beings. We must have divine power, we must have a new nature in order to see the kingdom of God. How blind people were when Jesus, the Son of God, was amongst them. You remember in Isaiah 53, it says there was no beauty in him that we should desire him. There was nothing in him that commanded our attention, they just failed to understand the greatness and the glory of the person who was in their midst. And really, all that was expressed in our Lord Jesus Christ was the features of the kingdom that were pleasurable to God. We can quote Old Testament scriptures to prove this. If you turn to the book of Isaiah, there's a very glowing prophecy that speaks about the time to come when the Messiah shall reign, and it says that the lame shall walk, the blind shall see, and many other features, and there will be great prosperity and blessing. Now when the Lord Jesus Christ came, in his healing ministry, he fulfilled this prophetic utterance. They ought to have understood who was in their midst. Another thing, it says that God, Jehovah, in the Old Testament, would be among his people forgiving them their sins and healing them of their diseases. Well when the Lord Jesus Christ was here, that was expressed in a very wonderful way. Persons were healed, persons were cured. Wonderful things took place because of the hands of power of our Lord Jesus Christ. His healing ministry, whereby persons instantaneously were made whole, proof that the king was in their midst. And what wonderful words he spoke when he said to souls, thy sins are forgiven thee, go in peace. Here the king was in their midst, extending forgiveness, mercy, compassion to his subjects, and yet they failed to recognize it. The kingdom of God did not come to them by observation, they couldn't perceive by the natural vision that the kingdom of God was there in divine power and manifestation. I think two things, perhaps more, are prominent in the kingdom of God. The will of God, the righteousness of God. We'll talk about the other three things in Romans later on, but I would like to emphasize the will of God, the glory of God. These things seen are really an expression of the features that belong to God's kingdom. In all the Old Testament prophecies, we have this great feature running through them, that the will of God is accomplished. In the future, this will be so. There will be no one to challenge the rights of God in the coming kingdom. Any attempt to do so will be dealt with immediately by divine power. Today, the will of God is expressed by those who are the subjects of the kingdom. They do the will of their father. In the prayer that the Lord gave to his disciples, commonly known as the Lord's Prayer, which is really a prayer for the kingdom, that's the first part of it, isn't it? Hallowed be thy name, thy will be done on earth as it is done in heaven. So the will of God is extremely important in relation to God's kingdom. Now, in the Lord Jesus Christ, this was perfectly expressed, God's will accomplished in perfection. Indeed, coming into this world, this was his joy and delight. I delight to do thy will, O God. I do always the things that please the Father. The will of God was accomplished in perfection in our Lord Jesus Christ. You, in the Old Testament, we find these glowing prophecies of the glory of the Lord covering the earth as the waters cover the sea. The glory of the Lord to be made known to all nations. The glory of God revealed, all shall know me from the least to the greatest. And O dear brethren, what glory was expressed in the person of our Lord Jesus Christ when he was here, demonstrating to all around that here was the King in the midst with all his power and glory, and yet men's eyes were so blinded by selfishness and sin that they failed to recognize that the kingdom of God was amongst them. We could also say this, that if there had been repentance on a whole scale by the nation, then the King would have taken the throne that belonged to him and exercised his kingship in the midst. But he certainly wouldn't exercise his kingly rights over a nation that was unrepentant and unresponsive to God. So this first scripture tells us of the greatness of our Lord Jesus Christ here upon earth, where in his person he exhibited all the features that belonged to the kingdom for the pleasure of God. Now we turn to John chapter 18. Pilate, the representative of the emperor of Rome, asks the Lord Jesus, Are thou the king of the Jews? And the Lord says, Are you saying this of yourself? Is this your own appreciation of me, or has someone else told you to say this? Pilate, he parries the question, says, Am I a Jew, thine own nation, and the chief priests have delivered thee unto me? What hast thou done? Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight. My kingdom is not from hence. Well here the Lord Jesus is at the point where he is going to be crucified. We often speak about the point of no return, and here it was as far as the Lord Jesus was concerned. We know of course from other scriptures that if he had wished, he could have commanded twelve legions of angels to come to his assistance, and there would have been no mercy for man, no blessing for us today. But the Lord Jesus Christ was at this point where he was in the hands of men, it was their hour and the power of darkness, and willingly, voluntarily, he had delivered himself into their hands, and he was ready to go to the cross in order to accomplish the work of redemption. And here this man is interrogating him, Are you a king? Yes, says the Lord, to this end was I born. Born a king. Not delegated authority, but born a king into this world, and a king indeed in every sense of the word. And yet, here we find him, in the hands of a Roman governor, and this Roman governor has the power to deliver him unto death, although we do read in this passage the Lord saying to Pilate, You have no power against me unless it be given thee from above. So on the one hand, we see man's responsibility in dealing with the Lord Jesus Christ in such a manner, and on the other hand, God's purpose, God's plan, being worked out in order to secure our redemption and blessing and God's glory. So the Lord says, My kingdom is not of this world. I'm going to be a king over a different kind of kingdom. Pilate was the representative of an earthly monarch, noted for his tyranny, his wickedness, his corruption, a tyrant indeed, a monster indeed, as he'd been well named. And his kingdom was a kingdom of corruption. It was only there to gratify the lust and desires of those who were at the head of the nation. Poor people were ground down into the dust, taxed up to the hilt, no freedom, no liberty, no joy. They were just the tools of those who ruled over them. And here was a kingdom that the Lord Jesus was going to found, a kingdom founded upon love, love expressed at Calvary when he laid down his life, love expressed when he went on high, and all his power and blessing administered to his subjects, his kingdom not of this world. Now when we think of all the things that pertain to men's kingdoms, we know just the principles that are carried on. We're not saying that all men are corrupt, far from it. There are many men who are upright, men of integrity, men with a sense of calling and duty, who do their best to rule for the blessing of their fellows. But recently, in many places, many countries of the world, the veil has been drawn aside to show us the corruption that often exists in high places. Not righteousness, not uprightness, not honesty, not truth, the very opposite. And so we get a picture of man's kingdom and the principles that govern it. The Lord says, my kingdom is not of this world. He goes on to speak about truth. He had come into this world to give witness to the truth, and I believe in this section the Lord is indicating that his kingdom would be marked by the witness of truth, truth bearing upon every feature of the subject's lives, so that truth would govern them in order for the expression of God's glory. Wonderful thing. That truth is contained for us in the word of God. That truth is to bear upon your life and upon my life. We have no other statute book than the word of God. Whenever man brings some other person's book along and places it beside the word of God, we can say there's going to be trouble. Because the Bible is the statute book for our kingdom. It's from that book that we get our directions as to how we comport ourselves in this kingdom, as to how we show our allegiance to the Lord, the King of glory. Here is the way that the truth of the kingdom is demonstrated today by the subjects of it being obedient to the truth that has been set forth by the King. Now if we take that as a guiding principle and then turn over to the King, issuing his commands, his principles of the kingdom in Matthew 5, 6, and 7, we find a very challenging statement. It's very challenging indeed. Not just an outward conformity, but the whole person brought into the allegiance to Christ under the authority of Christ's lordship and his word final, binding as to every movement of our lives. There's no intermediate authority. It's the words of the King. They have complete control over our lives. And so it's not only what's seen outwardly, it's what's in here, in our minds, in our hearts, in our thoughts. All this is taken account of in Matthew's gospel, chapters 5, 6, and 7. When he was finished, it says they marvel, because he spake as one having authority and not as the scribes and Pharisees. Recently I went through the New Testament and noted the references to commandments. And we see, and rightly say, we are not under law, we are under grace. And that's perfectly true. We are not bound by the demands of the law. But don't let us think for one moment that because we are not under law that there aren't New Testament commandments which are as binding upon us as the Old Testament commandments were binding upon the children of Israel. And you'll be amazed. Take a good concordance and look up the references to the commandments that are binding upon Christians and you'll find there are many of them. If we look at the first epistle of Paul to the Corinthians, we'll find a great deal of instruction for a Christian company, for the company as it meets together under the direction of the Lord and in the power of the Holy Spirit, not by any formal organization, but rather subjection to the Lord and to the guidance of the Spirit. We'll find that Paul deals with a great deal of subjects. At the end of them he makes the statement, ye that are spiritual will recognize that what I have written unto you are the commandments of the Lord. Now a commandment is not an optional thing. When you think of a soldier turning around to a superior officer and saying I've heard what you said but I'm not going to do it. I don't feel like doing it. I've got an engagement tonight and I can't fulfill this order. Well we know what would happen. And the commandments in Christianity are certainly not optional. They are binding upon the Christian. And so the Christian in allegiance to his Lord ought to fulfill those commandments. They are not the statements of Paul. They are the statements of a man inspired by the Spirit who is acting on the part of our Lord Jesus Christ. These are the commandments of the Lord. And if we saw that little company in the city of Corinth owning no allegiance to anyone else but to the Lord Jesus Christ, we would see there a little outpost if you like of the kingdom, a little expression of it, and there as they are subject to the commandments of the Lord, they are doing the things that pleased him. And so when the Lord said that he had come to give witness to the truth, that his kingdom was not of this world, that his kingdom was not from hence, I believe he's saying that this kingdom that he is setting up is not governed by the expedient principles of the world, but governed by the truth that he would reveal from heaven and had already revealed when here upon earth, that his kingdom wouldn't be marked by all the expedient principles that we know pertain amongst men, but would be an expression of truth, the truth of God. You see, Satan is described as the prince of this world. He's also described as the God of this world. We believe that as the God of this world, his influence has permeated the religions that are in this world, which make nothing of Christ, but much of man. We believe this is where the God of this world expresses himself, in false cults, false religions. As the prince of this world, we believe he permeates the affairs and influences of men. And we know the principles upon which he operates, violence and deception. From the very beginning of the world, Satan began to work amongst men on these two principles, deception and violence. He seduced Adam and Eve, and he led Cain to slay his brother. But when we come to the final installment of man's history in the book of Revelation, we read of two beasts, and they're both marked by the same features, deception and violence. Christ's kingdom is not based upon deception, neither is it based upon violence. We don't think of the church militant marching with the carnal weapons of man's warfare. No, we think of the church militant armed with the spiritual arms that Christ supplies in order to overcome the strongholds that are in this world. And so I believe, dear brethren, that we have to face this important principle of truth, operating through our Lord Jesus Christ in relation to his subjects, that there might be an expression of this kind of kingdom, not the kingdom of this world. Not from hence, no, the Lord Jesus was going to be crucified. Israel set aside, and the time is coming, thank God, when he'll set up his kingdom, and that little nation, beset with its enemies at the present moment, will have its true place in this world as the head amongst the nations, not the tail, and the Gentile nations will be blessed with it too. Hasten that day, it will be a wonderful day for this world, wonderful day too for those who belong to the assembly, who shall be reigning with Christ at that time. Now we'll turn to Romans, chapter 14. If you read this chapter carefully, the 14th chapter of Romans, you will see that what Paul is concerned about is that Christians should live together on the best possible relations with each other, that love, consideration, tender-heartedness towards each other should be expressed. And coming down to the end here, I feel that the last thing he says is that the kingdom of God operating amongst the Christian company, or in the midst of the Christian company, will produce these features, righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. He supposes a case where a person is offended over some food being eaten, or a person is offended because of some drink that is being taken, and the conscience of some Christian is gravely disturbed about this thing. So Paul says, now brethren, we ought not to get upset over this kind of thing. We shouldn't deliberately wound the conscience of a Christian for whom Christ died. He says we ought to be concerned about loving each other, helping each other, caring for each other. You see, dear brethren, this is why kingdoms have collapsed all down the ages. Internal dissension, strife, not standing together, quislings, if you like, to use a modern expression, in the midst of them. Persons bent on strife and sorrow and division and havoc. Now, says Paul, we don't want this kind of thing in the Christian company. It's foreign to the idea of the kingdom. A kingdom in strength is marked by standing together, repelling the enemy, maintaining what is good for all concerned. And so he says, the kingdom of God's not meat and drink. Don't get upset over these things. Exercise the greatest possible latitude towards each other, and leniency and compassion and concern. Don't be concerned about these things. Be concerned about righteousness, peace and joy in the power of the Holy Spirit. Oh dear brethren, how wonderful Christianity is. When the law was given to the nation of Israel, they said, all this we will do. God says, oh that they had a heart to do it. God knew perfectly well that while they made this statement, they made it foolishly, not realizing the difficulty of keeping the law. Oh, he says, I wish their heart was really in line with what they're saying. Of course, events prove before very long that what God said was true. How could it be otherwise? God doesn't tell lies, neither does he make mistakes. The moment came when the nation of Israel failed and failed miserably. How wonderful that we today are given things to do. We are commanded to do certain things. And God does not leave us to ourselves in order to accomplish these things. He has given every Christian the gift of the Holy Spirit. Every believer in the Lord Jesus Christ receives the gift of the Holy Spirit. And here is the power to put into effect those commandments which God has given to his people. How wonderful it is. Not one of us can say, I can't do that. My natural makeup rebels against that. I can't attempt to do this. I haven't the power. I haven't the ability. We shouldn't say that because we have the power. God has given us the power. And if we are concerned before God to do the things that are right, then we'll get all the help that God can give through Christ in glory and through the Holy Spirit indwelling in us. So the first thing Paul says is righteousness. Now, it's right that this statement should come first. Because if the rights of God are met in the Christian company, the other two things will follow as a logical sequence. Righteousness first, that is God's rights are maintained in each of our lives and then follows peace and joy. And righteousness is a very exalted thing for the Christian. It means doing everything right according to the will of God, not according to the will of man. And as I've said already, we all have the power and the scriptures are the guide for us in order to express this righteousness. Now, I remember a statement by a brother. I read the statement and it appealed to me greatly as an explanation of what righteousness is. I hope it doesn't sound too involved. Righteousness is consistency with every relationship into which God has placed us. Now, just you think of that. It's not so involved as you think it is. The statement is simple and really righteousness is consistency with every relationship into which God has placed us. Now, if you think of the marriage bond, husband and wife acting righteously according to God's standard. There's no divorce. There's no breakup of that home. There's love, forgiveness, all the features that God demands of a man and a woman are maintained in that bond. If there's employer and employee, then these persons are governed by the truth of God in the Bible. That's righteousness. If there's obedience to the powers that be, that's righteousness. And then when we come to the Christian circle, there's the directions given in the word of God for the functioning of an assembly, for each person's place in it, for the function of the gifts, that's righteousness. Every feature of Christian life and experience, whether individually or collectively, is righteousness before God. Now, to set it not your brother, to say I'm not worrying about what he thinks, I'm not concerned about what he does, is unrighteousness. Because this chapter says we've got to love our brother. He may be awkward and we may be awkward, but we have to get on with each other. We have to forget those awkward corners and exercise love and concern towards each other and fulfill righteousness. Remember the commandment of the Lord, a new commandment I leave with you, love one another. Dear brethren, we talk about the broken mosaic law. How often has that law been broken? How often has that commandment been broken? Loving our brethren. And so I believe that the attention to this great principle of righteousness is of the utmost importance, that everywhere, in our duties and responsibilities, in connection with the world, and in our duties and responsibilities and privileges and joys in the Christian circle, if righteousness is maintained, then the other things will follow. The Bible says that the effect of righteousness is peace. Wonderful thing that. When the Lord Jesus Christ established the righteousness of God on the cross and made it available for you and for me, then peace has been the result for us. Oh, how wonderful that is. Without Christ loving righteousness and hating iniquity on the cross, we couldn't have enjoyed the peace of God. Oh, how wonderful this is. And if you find a Christian company going on and following after righteousness, you can sit down there happily and you'll be at peace. If you find a believer who's following righteousness in his life, he'll be at peace. This is one of the blessings of the righteousness of God being met. And in the future, connection with the Lord Jesus Christ as a king, he shall reign in righteousness. But it says another thing about him. This man shall be the peace. Oh, how wonderful it will be when everything is ordered for the pleasure of God. His rights maintained. No armies to keep the peace. No United Nations organization or any other company of men. This man shall be the peace. The man who maintained righteousness for God in his life and at the cross will maintain peace and righteousness in connection with the world to come. So we see again, if we follow righteousness in our lives, if we follow the rights of God in our Christian companies, then we'll know what peace is. Not expediency, not compromise, not brushing things under the carpet and hoping that eventually things will come all right. Faith matters, the rights of God maintained, and then we'll have a lasting peace. We know that in the affairs of men after the First World War, when they had the peace treaty at Versailles, they sowed the seeds for the Second World War. This is well known by historians. They thought that by compromise and expediency, they could produce conditions for a lasting peace. And they spoke about the war to end all wars, but it didn't. They sowed the seeds for a future war. And I believe, dear brethren, whenever we neglect the righteousness of God in matters pertaining to the company of believers, where the Lord's honor is involved, we sow seeds for future trouble. But if we face matters in divine righteousness, according to the word of God, we'll know the blessedness of peace and joy. This other great feature of the kingdom, oh, the features of it in the Old Testament. In Isaiah 11, we have a beautiful picture of the Messiah, the spirit of the Lord resting upon him, and all the other features that attach to him. And then in chapter 12, we read about people drawing water from the wells of salvation, joy, exultant joy, joy reigning in that scene because the time of blessing had come. So it is in a Christian's life, following after righteousness, realizing the joy, realizing the peace, and then knowing something of this wonderful joy. Why is it that we're so doleful at times? Why is it that our hearts are not really brimming over with appreciation to God? I believe because somewhere down the line, we've been lacking in righteousness, something that has been unattended to. And of course, we haven't the peace that we ought to have in a practical sense. I'm not talking about the settled peace that we have in relation to salvation. That is secure for us in the work of our Lord Jesus Christ, never to be disturbed. But all we do know, how easily we can be upset and how easily our peace can be destroyed because we haven't attended to the rights of God. And so Paul says, let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace and things wherewith one may edify another. Here he says, are the things that are acceptable to God and approved of men when we serve Christ and these things that we've mentioned. How wonderful to be approved of God. How wonderful to be acceptable to God. And oh, the apostle says, brethren, let us follow after these things. Things that make for peace and prosperity amongst the people of God. Things whereby we build each other up. You see, Paul is mentioning many things in these previous verses that is destructive. Many things that are destructive. And he says, no, he says, we want to build each other up, help each other, be a blessing towards each other. And he says, this is all in connection with the kingdom of God. We know that if this kingdom that we live in at the present moment could work together as one nation controlled by one set of motives and ideas that we're all working for all for each and all working as hard as we can. What a change there would be in the condition of the nation. Instead of all pulling in different directions, different ideologies, circulating different ideas, different objects, different goals, all working against each other instead of working for each other. So Paul says this ought to pertain to the Christian company. Now, lastly, just a few words. First Corinthians chapter four. It's well known that the first epistle to the Corinthians is a corrective epistle. Many abuses had crept into the Corinthian church. The Corinthian city was well known for his debauchery and licentiousness. It's evil living. And unfortunately, that kind of thing had crept into the Christian company. So Paul wrote to them to correct these disorders. And he indicates that he had no intention of coming amongst them because if he had come, he would have come with a rod to punish instead of coming with love in his heart to give them all the benefits of the blessings that he had in his soul. So he wrote to them in order to be a blessing to them, in order to correct these disorders. And he says, but I will come to you shortly if the Lord will and will know not the speech of them which are puffed up, but the power for the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power. Now, this is the last thing we want to speak about very briefly. Paul says it's no good talking about things rather than he says what we want to see is the expression of things and divine power. You'll notice often this statement is made in John's epistle. If we say, if we say, if we say, if we say certain things, we ought to be in keeping with these things. And so Paul says, I'm not concerned about what you say about yourselves. And in the first chapter, he speaks about their gift and their knowledge and their ability. Perhaps they were very able persons, but he says, I'm not worried or not concerned or not even affected by what you see. He says, I want to know the power. And this power, of course, is the expression of Christianity in its greatest possible sense. Not just the mere reiteration of creeds and phrases, but really the power of divine life expressed in them in the power of the Holy Spirit. You think of a Christian company boasting about its ability in many ways, perhaps even boasting in the possession of miraculous gift. And yet they were quite happy to sit down and break bread with a man whose conduct in the city of Corinth was a known public shame. Everybody in Corinth knew about this wicked man and his awful conduct. And yet these Christians could sit down quite unconcerned about it. Oh, he's a fine brother, this so-and-so. He's a happy sort of lad. Well, we'll just let him go on. We might cause more trouble, you know, if we deal with him. We don't know where this will end. And so they're quite unconcerned in their puffed-up condition, quite prepared to go on with evil, although it was manifest in their midst. Paul says, what, you brethren, making all your boast about your gift and your knowledge? He says, I want to see power. And power in a kingdom means the dealing with evil and the guarding of what is good. And this is what we're seeing in a decadent period in our nation, when evil is supported and good is being suppressed. We can see this gaining ascendancy in a land that was known for its integrity, where persons can commit the most awful crimes. And yet, through the pulling of wires in one way or another, they can be allowed to go free. There is this awful attitude towards lawlessness, and nobody seems to be able to curb it. Now, in a Christian company, if it ever arrives to a place like this, where evil cannot be dealt with, where it cannot be curbed, it's a clear indication that such a company is far off the rails and is nowhere near the mind of the Lord. It doesn't matter what they say. It doesn't matter what they claim. If they cannot deal with things that are dishonoring to the Lord, they cease to be the representatives of the Lord Jesus Christ. So Paul says, I'm not concerned about what you say. What I want to see is the expression of power. For the kingdom of God is not in work. It's in power. So, dear brethren, these are a few features that we've noted. Look over these passages again for yourselves. There's much more to be considered. And I believe the whole tenor of these passages that we've read together is to emphasize upon us the expression of these things in the power of the Holy Spirit for the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. May it be so, for his name's sake. …

… Now will you turn please to the Acts of the Apostles, chapter 1, and we'll read from verse 1. The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, until the day in which he was taken up, after that he, through the Holy Ghost, had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen, to whom also he showed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God. And being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. For John truly baptized with water, but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence. When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you, and ye shall be witnesses unto me, both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up, and a cloud received him out of their sight. Now chapter 8, and verse 12. But when they believed Philip, preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. Now chapter 14, and we'll read from verse 21. And when they had preached the gospel to that city, and had taught many, they returned again to Lystra, and to Iconium, and Antioch, confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God. Now lastly, chapter 20, we'll read from verse 22. And now behold, I go bound in the Spirit unto Jerusalem, not knowing the things that shall befall me there, save that the Holy Ghost witnesseth in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions abide me. But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God. And now behold, I know that ye all, among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of God, shall see my face no more. Wherefore I take you to record this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men, for I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God. The Acts of the Apostles is really the book that we could term our history book. It's here that we see our beginnings. It's here that we see the great principles that govern the early Christians. It's here that we see the mind of God revealed for this new day, the Christian era. And we find many references to the kingdom in this book. There are another two, at least, that we haven't read, references to the kingdom of God. It's obvious, then, that if the Holy Spirit guides the servants of God to speak and preach about the kingdom of God, it must have a very important place in this new era, the Christian dispensation. I thought we might consider, briefly, these opening verses in this wonderful book, where we see clearly the great truths of Christianity presented, guidance for us in our day, guidance for the Christians in all times. And without these things, we wouldn't be here today in testimony for the Lord Jesus. It's a wonderful scene, really, to visualize, and if only in spirit we could enter into it, we would enter into something of the triumph of Christianity. The disciples are gathered together, and the Lord Jesus Christ is in the midst of them, and he's speaking to them. And for 40 days, he instructed them as to the things concerning the kingdom of God. You say, what's remarkable about that, that the Lord Jesus Christ should be among his disciples? And this is what is remarkable. This man has been into death. For three days, he lay in the tomb, dead, really dead. No doubt about it at all. He was dead, he died, and he fulfilled all the prophecies concerning himself. And now, here he is, a man, they could touch him, they could speak to him, they could have a meal with him, but he's alive. He's no longer dead. And this is the very spirit and triumph of Christianity. We have no time for the teaching that says, well, Christ was a good man, and he taught good ethics, and he set a good example. This to us is an empty shell. But the truth of a living Christ is the very essence and triumph of Christianity. And if we miss this, we miss the whole force of this book, that a living Christ inspired his disciples to go out from Jerusalem and spread abroad into the regions beyond with the news that Christ was alive, and the Holy Spirit was sent down from heaven, indwelling those who believed in him. And so we find him with his disciples for 40 days, instructing them as to the truth of the kingdom. What marvelous instruction that must have been. We've been together four nights, and we've been touching a few things concerning the kingdom, just a very, very few, and a very imperfect teacher at that. How wonderful to be in the presence of a perfect teacher, the teacher, the Lord himself, and hear him in his exposition of the kingdom, bearing upon them in all their ways, in all the features of their lives. What a wonderful unfolding it must have been, 40 days in the presence of the risen Christ, and hear him expound these wonderful things. I'm sure they never forgot their experience. We find these men who, just a few days before, were burdened, and perhaps disillusioned, and perhaps doubting. We find them now imbued with purpose of heart, courage, joy, life, and energy, because they've been with the living Christ. They've heard him. They've seen him. They know he's alive beyond all possible doubt. And then gathered together, they received the gift of the Holy Spirit, and then began that wonderful day that has continued up till the present moment, the Christian era. And on these two great truths is based everything that's workable in Christianity, a man in the presence of God and the presence of the Holy Spirit here among the saints. I wonder, why is it that the Lord spoke to his own for 40 days about the kingdom of God? There must have been something in what he said that gave them to think that the kingdom was going to be restored to Israel. They must have thought, well, the kingdom, yes, we read about the kingdom. We read about its blessing, its joy, its power. Is this going to be the time when Israel will get its place of supremacy? Will this be the time when the yoke of Rome will be broken? And they asked the Lord this, and he tells them now, just forget that. Forget that for the moment. This doesn't lie within your province. This is the right of the Father. Times and seasons are in his hands. When it comes his time, he'll bring into being all those wonderful prophecies concerning Israel and the nations. At the present moment, I want you to concentrate your thoughts and your energies on this aspect of the kingdom, loyalty to Christ as Lord and subjection to the Spirit of God. And by this means, you'll demonstrate what the kingdom of God is at the present moment. Very wonderful thing. And from this moment onwards, all that happens in the acts of the apostles and by extension into the epistles as we see the fruit of it, is because men and women believe that the Lord Jesus Christ, who died on the cross, is alive. And knowing this and believing this, they receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. And then things began to work for the pleasure and for the glory of God. Is it any different today? We say no, it's not any different today. If there is going to be any expression of the kingdom of God in your life, in my life, or in any company of Christians, it's based upon this and this alone, that Christ is alive, a living person, able to influence our lives and the Holy Spirit, the power to enable us to live those lives for the pleasure of God. It's exactly the same today as it was in that early day. Oh, dear brethren, how much we need to be reminded of these things. When spiritual conditions get low, when there isn't much fruit in service, when there isn't much fruit in service, perhaps not much joy or warmth, there's always the idea, or rather the request, what can we do to improve things? What can we do to make things more attractive? And all sorts of ideas are brought forward to make Christianity more attractive. And the truth is, if our lives as Christians are not based on these two central truths, we can do what we like to improve things, they'll never be improved. We've got to really hold in living faith upon the value of a man at the right hand of God, a man out of death, who is able to influence our lives at all times, and to take hold of the fact that the Holy Spirit is the only power for Christian life and testimony. And once we give these things up, we have nothing else. We can think of any amount of ideas, brilliant ideas perhaps on the face of it, but they'll all come to nothing if we don't give prime place to these two wonderful truths. And so the Lord is instructing his own as to the essentials of the Christian faith that they would require in their life and testimony. And I think it's very encouraging when he says, but ye shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you, and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. And when he had spoken these things while they beheld, he was taken up, and a cloud received him out of their sight. I find this extremely encouraging that those dear men who had been with the Lord in his lifetime, who had seen him, who had heard him, and then they saw him nailed on a cross, they all forsook him and fled, and now they were talking to the risen, glorious Savior. And as they talked with him, they saw him ascending back into glory from whence he came. But with these wonderful words ringing in their ears, go to Jerusalem, wait there, you're going to receive power, the Holy Ghost is going to come upon you, and you'll be witnesses to me in Jerusalem, in Judea, in Samaria, unto the uttermost bounds of the earth. And this is where we are tonight. Thank God that this wonderful message has reached to the uttermost bounds of the earth. I think I'm right in saying that there are very, very few places that haven't heard the sound of the gospel. Thank God it has been encompassed, this earth has been encompassed with this glad news, beginning in the place where Christ was crucified and rejected, his servants in the power of the Holy Spirit went forth preaching the gospel, and souls were saved and received the same blessing that the persons had at the beginning of the Christian era. The gospel is not dated at any moment. The gospel is always relevant, always up to date. It meets a man in his need, meets a woman in her need, it meets us all in our need, whatever that need might be, sets us free from the power of sin, gives us a power to live here for God, and gives us a wonderful destiny. There is nothing like the gospel. Nothing like the news concerning Christ and the Holy Spirit. And millions of men and women have had their lives changed by knowing Christ as Savior and by receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit. And wherever the gospel is reached, the truth of the kingdom has been seen in operation. Men and women owning Christ as Lord, doing the will of God, doing what is pleasurable to God, and righteousness and peace and joy, the result of receiving Christ as Savior and following him as Lord. Yes, doesn't matter which country the gospel goes into, the same results are seen because it's the same Lord that is bowed to, it's the same Spirit that is received, and the same results are achieved in persons who are blessed this way. And so I think it's extremely encouraging to see this handful, just a handful of men, and they were poor men in themselves. They had been such poor instruments, such poor servants, such cowards in the face of their master's need. And now they were going to go forth, encouraged, emboldened by the reception of the Holy Spirit. And they certainly turned the world upside down. And their message has continued to do this. And thank God at the present day, this message is still relevant. I'm sure every one of us, those of us who in some measure have experienced the joy and value of conversion, we've experienced the joy of knowing the Lord Jesus Christ, not as an historical person, but as a living person to whom we can turn at all times. And this is the value of a living Christ, a glorious man at the right hand of God and available for us now. So we turn from chapter 1 and we come over to chapter 8. It's very interesting to read about this man called Philip. He was a very able servant of the Lord Jesus Christ. He wasn't one of the 12 that was along with the, that was there at the beginning to whom the Lord spoke. He was an evangelist described as such. And he went to Samaria and he preached Christ unto them. Then there was a man there called Simon, a sorcerer. And he became interested in this great work that was going on. Obviously, some kind of power was being demonstrated there. And Simon wanted to know something about this. And we find the story from verse 13 onwards, how Simon thought that by money, this power might be acquired to give people the gift of the Holy Spirit. And of course, Philip dealt with this matter. Simon rather, I'm sorry, let me see. Yes, verse 20, Peter said unto him, Thy money perish with thee. Peter, the apostle, he dealt with this matter. But we're not concerned with that story. The danger of being sidetracked in relation to Christianity. You see, some people might think, well, it's a good thing to be a Christian. It brings you into a sphere where certain influences are at work. And it might give me some place of prominence or something that will be gratifying to me. This is what Simon thought. He thought, well, this is fine. I've been a sorcerer. I've been using magical powers to sway people and impress them with my power. Here's something that I don't understand, but I would like to have it. And I would like to be able to give others this power. But this kind of thing was exposed. No, dear friends, we come to Christ with our need, our guilt, our sin. And when we come to him in that way, we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, a power that sets us free from that guilt and sin and need and gives us the power to lead a Christian life. And I believe this is involved when it says in verse 12, But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. I want to speak of three things here. The belief that those persons express the name of Jesus Christ and baptism. If a king in any kingdom gives a proclamation to his subjects that certain things have to be done, then there's nothing optional about it. If the king gives a decree, then it's right that the subjects should obey. Now, I believe that the gospel that was preached by Philip, call it the gospel of the kingdom if you like. Uh, it says he preached the things concerning the kingdom of God. Then persons who heard that were obligated to believe and to bow the knee to the Lord Jesus Christ. This is the royal proclamation. And that proclamation was a very interesting one. That there was a power now resident in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ that was far greater than any other power that was in the world. Powers exercised by Satan, the enemy of our souls. And when people believe in this wonderful gospel, this good news, the glad tidings, when persons believed in this, the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, then the wonderful power was expressed towards them. They were set free from the power of sin and they were baptized. They gave an outward evidence of their belief in the Lord Jesus Christ. And we want to speak of these things briefly. First of all, the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. We find that all that is done in those early chapters of the Acts of the Apostles was done in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now we want to explain this. You remember at the dedication of the temple in Solomon's day? Solomon referred to God and he says, this house that I have built, it's not large enough to contain the God of gods, the God who's dwelling places in the heavens. He says, God doesn't dwell in temples made with hands. No building is large enough to contain this wonderful God. But he says, look down from my dwelling place in heaven to this place where thy name is and hear and grant thy servant's petition and so on. Now what Solomon's saying is, look, God is in heaven, but this temple that's upon earth is where his name is. And where his name is, all that's true of God has to be recognized and followed. Where his name is, there is majesty, glory, power, authority. And this is exactly what we have to think of when we think of the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. We saw in chapter one that after the Lord was finished speaking to the disciples, he was seen ascending up into glory, glorious man ascending into heaven. And then the disciples began to preach in his name. All that was true of him in glory was expressed in his name. We want to quote one incident to prove this. At James, Peter and John were going up to the temple to pray time of prayer. As they went up, he is a poor beggar. He's sitting there. He's helpless. He's lame. And he wants something to help himself with. He wants some alms, some money, something to ease his position materially, not physically. And then the disciples look at him and Peter says, silver and gold have we none. But such as I have, give I thee. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk. And the man rose up. And he walked. And it wasn't very long before he was leaping and praising God. Because the power connected with the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth was operated towards him. And his physical disability was healed instantaneously. Power in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. And so today that power is still connected with the name of Christ. There is no problem. There is no difficulty. But it can be met through believing in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. There's power in that name. There's attraction in that name. There's glory and greatness in that name. It's the greatest name of all, the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. There is coming a day, the Bible says, when every knee shall bow. And every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. Every knee will bow and confess that wonderful name. They'll have to confess that that precious name is the name that's far above every name. Not only in this world, but in that which is to come. And I believe this is what Philip presented. The name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. The name in which things were done. In which power was expressed. In which blessing was received. And that name was equivalent to the herald shouting forth the king's proclamation. And persons believed in that name and received the blessing. Oh, what a wonderful thing it was to see those men and women bowing the knee to the Lord Jesus Christ, owning him as Lord, and then entering into baptism to give a public expression to their belief in the Lord Jesus Christ. We don't believe for one moment that baptism washes away our sins. There is no evidence of this in the Bible. Baptism was a right that men and women went into to show that they were taking sides with the Lord Jesus Christ who had been rejected by this world. When they were baptized, when they were immersed in the waters of baptism, they said publicly to all around, our interest is connected with the Lord Jesus Christ. We are going to live for him. We want him to be supreme in our lives. If you can think of any town at that time where the disciples went to preach, you would find that in most of them there was a synagogue. And in the synagogue, there was the preaching of the faith concerning the law, the law of Moses, the Old Testament principles. But then along with the synagogue, you would find temples that the pagans worshipped in to all the various gods that they had. And they had a multiplicity of gods, the synagogue, the pagan temple. And then the servants of the Lord, they went along and they preached the gospel and persons believed in Christ and they got baptized. And when they got baptized, they said, if they were Jews who were converted, we are not going to have anything more to do with the synagogue. We are cut off from that. And if they were pagans, they said, we have nothing more to do with the pagan idols. We're finished with that. And when they got baptized, they said, we're going to live for Christ. No more synagogues, no more pagan temples. Our lives will be devoted to Christ. And when persons get baptized today, that's what they say. No longer our old way of life. We live for Christ. We own him as Lord. We give him our allegiance. We are baptized to his name. This is what it says in the Acts of the Apostles. They were baptized to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. That meant simply that whatever they went, whatever they did, whatever they said was consistent with the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. If a person enrolls as a soldier or in any other of the services, then they have to act consistently with the position that they have taken. Otherwise, there will be trouble. And so it is for the Christian. If he accepts the Lord Jesus Christ as a savior and he gets baptized to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, he is to live in consistency with that act that he has done. And so I think it's wonderful to see Philip the Evangelist preaching Christ, preaching Jesus, preaching the kingdom, men and women coming into the kingdom through faith in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Now we'll turn over to chapter 14. Chapter 14, the verses that I had in mind were verses 21 and 22, and when they had preached the gospel to that city and had taught many, they returned again to Lystra and to Iconium and Antioch, confirming the souls of the disciples and exhorting them to continue in the faith and that we must, through much tribulation, enter into the kingdom of God. Paul, the servant of the Lord Jesus Christ, had experienced something of this tribulation just before these verses that we read together. We read of an incident connected with the devoted servant and they stoned him and left him for dead. You say, well, if we are under the kingship and lordship of Christ, surely there should be power to deal with opposition. But then we must remember the words of the master, the rejected king. We must remember what he said. They hated me. They will hate you also. In the world, ye shall have tribulation. In me, peace. And we think of the Old Testament scriptures and we think of David, the king, the anointed king, and yet in rejection, hunted like a partridge in the mountains, Saul seeking his life, men hating him, hardly any food to eat, hardly any time to sleep, hunted up and down, men desiring to kill him. A picture of the rejection of the anointed king today. But look at those who were with him, all those who gathered to him in the cave of Adullah. They were looked after, protected by David. They shared in the rejection of the king. They shared in his tribulation. They shared in his trials. They shared in his sorrows. And in that day that was to come, they experienced the joy of his supremacy and his undisputed kingship, and they enjoyed the benefits when he was in the place of authority. And so the Christian today, he's just like David's followers. What a wonderful thing it would be if we could all say from our hearts, like those persons who came to David when he was in the cave of Adullah. You remember, David saw a party approaching to the cave, and he wondered, are these my enemies? Are they coming to take me? Are they coming to kill me? And he goes forth to meet them, and he asks them who they were, and what a wonderful answer he got from them. Thine are we, David, and on thy side thou son of Jesse. Oh, how his heart must have filled up with joy as he thought on these persons seeking him out in the cave of Adullah and expressing their allegiance to him. Thine are we, David, and on thy side thou son of Jesse. Oh, if only our testimony as Christians could be like this, clear cut, definite, outright, on thy side, the Lord Jesus Christ, the rejected Jesus of Nazareth. Thine are we, and on thy side, Jesus of Nazareth. Oh, I'm sure that this is what the Lord wants, full, wholehearted committal to him and to his interests, even though publicly he is still a rejected man. And so Paul experienced this sorrow of tribulation, but then he wasn't surprised, because you remember when he received his commission from the Lord Jesus to be a servant of the Lord, he was told very plainly that the Lord would show him how great things he must suffer for Christ's name, and Paul knew what it was to suffer. When we turn to the second epistle to the Corinthians, we find him writing a great list of sufferings and difficulties that he passed through, but he says he did it for the Lord's sake. And in all these things, the Lord sustained him and maintained him, and this is our pathway today. You remember in perhaps the darkest period of the war, the Second World War, Mr. Churchill spoke to the nation, and he promised them blood and toil, sweat and tears. He didn't offer the nation an easy pathway to victory. He said it would be long, it would be arduous, it would be costly. And I don't see anything in the Bible to suggest that the Christian's life is one of singing all the day and happy all the way. Thank God for the happy moments we experience. Thank God for the joy and support that we experience in the company of the Lord. But there are the stern realities of the Christian life that involve conflict with the authorities of darkness, with Satan, with evil forces in this world. And this means conflict, and conflict means suffering, and often means casualties. Persons are killed because of their faithfulness to our Lord Jesus Christ. There's a dear man in Russia at the present moment. I think George Vins is his name. His father before him died in Siberia because of his faithfulness to Christ. This man has been imprisoned many times already because he refuses to bow to the communistic rulers. And he's been faithful in his testimony for the Lord Jesus Christ. At the present moment, he is in prison. There is a very real fear that before long he will die as a result of the privations he has experienced in prison. He's one of the persons who is dying for the sake of his king in conflict with evil powers. And so Paul Barnabas here is exhorting these believers to continue in the faith and through much tribulation we shall enter into the kingdom. I believe that this expression is akin to the one that the Lord speak in his pathway when he says that with much force the kingdom of God is taken. That the tribulation expressed here towards persons is Satan's power against the name of Christ but those who are faithful to him are real subjects of the kingdom and in the time of reward in the day that is to come will get their full reward and blessing for every feature of faithfulness in this world. Dear brethren, it says they confirmed or he confirmed the souls of the disciples and exhorted them to continue in the faith and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God. He spoke about establishing. This is the word here for confirming. We don't believe that if we go through a certain religious observance we are confirmed. We believe that confirmation is that the person is established in the truths of Christianity and practices them day by day in the power of the Holy Spirit. This is confirmation. This is establishing. This is our roots deep down in the fundamental truths of Christianity and we continue in the faith. I want to speak about one of the things that the Lord Jesus spoke about when he was here. He spoke a parable about a sower who went forth to sow. He said that some of the seed fell by the wayside and the birds came and they snatched away the seed. Then he said some of it fell upon hard ground. There wasn't much depth of earth and the seed didn't get very far down. At least the little seed didn't germinate sufficiently so that its roots could get deep down into earth and have a strong firm grip of the soil and then grow. When the sun rose the little seed or the little plant shriveled up. Then he said there was other seed that fell amongst thorns and because the sun and the moisture couldn't get at the seed it too didn't grow sufficiently. It got choked with all those weeds and it couldn't grow. Last of all he said there was some seed that fell on good ground and it brought forth fruit. Now the reason I mentioned this parable the parable of the sower is to draw your attention to the second and the third of these things. When the Lord says that the seed fell upon the ground and there wasn't much depth of earth he said in his interpretation of the story it's like persons who believe the gospel. And when persecution arises they don't continue because of the power of the enemy they give up and they go back. Other influences are brought to bear in their lives and they give up. And the third one he says it's riches the cares of this world and the lusts of other things and that's what makes the other class of persons give up. They don't continue they don't reach the full maturity of Christian life and experience and bring forth fruit for God. And this is exactly what Barnabas is teaching here he says continue in the faith don't give up don't allow any influence to come into your life that will hinder you in approaching full maturity and bringing forth fruit for God because this in connection with the Lord's parable is the real object of it to bring forth fruit for God. And if we allow any influence no matter what it might be it would come within the scope of the lusts of other things. The Lord doesn't specify them because what affects you might not affect me. If something specific had been mentioned by him we might have said oh that's fine that doesn't worry me. But the lusts of other things covers an extremely wide field of anything that might come into our lives and hinder this continuity of Christian life and blessing. See the Lord wants his kingdom to continue. We saw in our first talk together in the book of Daniel that kingdoms have come and gone. They've been superseded by other kingdoms they've been toppled because of internal dissension or outside attacks kingdoms have come and gone. But this kingdom is to continue and if it's to continue its continuity depends upon you and upon me and upon all Christians. Christians going forward subject to the king obeying the king taking account of all his word and his instructions for us and he demands implicit obedience from each of us. He has the right to say what we are to do in our lives and if we want a successful prosperous Christian life well for us if we pay attention to what he says. And so Barnabas is saying continue in the faith don't give up exhorting them encouraging them this word exhortation I think means come over on my side come and join me. And Barnabas was one who was continuing and he wants others to continue he wants you to continue he wants me to continue. The Lord says continue continue go on don't give up and then to continue in the faith and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God. Now lastly in chapter 20. I want you to notice particularly verse 24. But none of these things move me. Neither count I my life dear unto myself so that I might finish my course with joy and the ministry which I have received of the Lord Jesus to testify the gospel of the grace of God and now behold I know that you all among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of God shall see my face no more. Paul had spoken to persons in Ephesus they had believed his word not only had they believed it but they had acted as good subjects of the kingdom they were marked by the spirit of self-sacrifice. If we turn over to the story in the book in the Acts of the Apostles we will find that they burnt all their books and the scripture records the value of those books as if to emphasize that God takes account of the sacrifice of his people he's giving some expression of what it meant to him that those people who had believed in the Lord Jesus Christ were prepared to sacrifice these valuable books they were prepared to give up and the Lord Jesus Christ through Paul his servant had spoken to them about the kingdom of God. When we read that book the epistle to the Ephesians that Paul wrote to those Ephesian believers we find him referring at the end to the whole armor of God every kingdom requires an army at least in these days they have to defend their borders they have to defend their rights so they require an army and an army has to be equipped with the weapons for warfare and the Ephesians are exhorted by the Apostle Paul to put on the whole armor of God because they are fighting against evil wickedness in high places powers that are determined to rob the believers of their joy and of their privileges and so Paul says to them put on the whole armor of God and stand now the Apostle is saying to these Ephesian believers I'm going away what a wonderful testimony he rendered I want to read it again none of these things move me what was he referring to that the Holy Spirit had witnessed that if he went to Jerusalem he would become a prisoner and eventually would die but he says none of these things move me neither count I my life dear unto myself oh dear brethren I wonder can we all say this can we all say with assurance in our hearts there is nothing can move me from the pathway of discipleship and witness for Christ I'm so established I have such a glimpse of his greatness and glory that there's nothing in this world can move me from my desire to be for him Paul could say it and the challenge to us this evening is can we say can we say that we don't count our lives dear unto ourselves it means that my life is at the disposal of Christ and I ought not to allow in my life anything that is contrary to his will I don't count my life dear unto myself and he goes on to say so that I might finish my course he says here in the authorised with joy we believe that the better translation omits those two words with joy because that doesn't really matter the object is to finish his course whether it's in sorrow or in joy doesn't matter it's a question of living or dying for Christ he said so to the epistle to the philippians whether by life or by death Christ may be magnified in my body so Paul says I'm determined to continue I'm going on in spite of every opposition that's against me I want to be a true subject of the kingdom I want to express my allegiance my faithfulness to my lord and suppose I've got to lay down my life to do it I'm ready to do that and he says the ministry which I have received of the lord Jesus to testify the gospel of the grace of God and dear brethren we believe that this honored servant of the lord lived his life in keeping with the testimony he gave with his lips he lived for Christ and he died for Christ and he finished his course in triumph and so in the Christian's life it's really the end that matters Paul in another section of the word describes a person running in the games and perhaps that person receives the crown and then is discovered that he has infringed the rules of the game and he's rejected Paul says I bring under my body I bring my body into subjection so that I might be crowned and crowned lawfully and win the prize and he says I'm going to go on I'm going to continue suppose it means giving up my life I'm not going to give way and so I believe Paul was really an example of the things that he preached to others and now behold I know that you all among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of God shall see my face no more he knew what was in front of him he knew what he had to endure and he was prepared to go that way but what a privilege that this dear man went about preaching the kingdom of God there is one who has supreme claim over our lives the lord of glory he died he died to save us because he loved us and this is his supreme claim over us each one greater claim than any any relationship upon earth greater claim than anything in this world the gospel of the kingdom proclaims that everyone ought to bow and own allegiance to Christ and then owning that allegiance be true to it until that day comes when publicly all the faithfulness of those who have followed Christ will be an expression in the day of display and glory what a wonderful thing to be considered a friend of our lord Jesus Christ what a wonderful thing to be a subject of his kingdom and to see his rule his authority his glory in manifestation and to say well in the day when things were difficult I was thankful that I took my stand for him and now I can see the value of such a step because now is the day of glory now is the day of manifestation and the bible says those who suffer with him shall reign with him in the future oh dear brethren one feels the imperfection of the attempt to explain these things concerning the kingdom but if something of the blessing of belonging to Christ has entered into our souls then these meetings will be well worthwhile may we all be encouraged for his name's sake …