Kingdom Come Part 1 - Reflections of the Invisible (Wednesday, January 12, 2011)

This is the first sermon in a series from Skyline's Wednesday night "Breakout" small groups session. The goal of this series is to answer some of the basic questions people have about Christianity - many of which Christians don't really think about and don't have a ready answer for.

The content of this sermon pertain to the questions: Who is man? Why was man created? Why was he put on this planet? What is he to do? Where did he come from? What can he do? Where is he going? [Note: The use of the words "man" and "he" apply to all humans, not just men.]

Since we're discussing creating, let's start at the beginning. Genesis 1:1-2 states:

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. (NIV)

Pastor Jason pointed out here that the Bible never attempts to prove the existence of God. The word "God" indicated "self-existing one" - God depends on nothing and no one to exist. It also says nothing about how the heavens and the earth were created. This indicated that this is not something God finds important for us to know. People spend a lot of time debating how the earth was created and how life came to be when God isn't pointing to this as something we should worry about.

Colonization is "a process whereby a government or ruler determines to expand his kingdom, rulership, or influence to an additional territory with the purpose of impacting that territory with his will and desires." A colony is merely a reflection of the greater kingdom. These are two important points. God has created this colony on earth, which is supposed to be a reflection of His greater kingdom. Romans 1:20 says:

For since the creation of the world, God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse. (NIV)

Many of the things we see on this earth are designed to reflect these greater qualities of God, so that we might understand Him better. Pastor Jason used the example of a mother's love. The birth of a baby is a very painful experience, and at the moment that baby is born, he/she has done nothing to deserve any love, but that mother is instantly in love with her child. (Obviously, this is a broken world and there are certain factors that can cause exceptions to this rule) This love without reason, is a reflection of the love of God. Those who read this blog regularly may remember that in the Sex series it was discussed how marriage is a reflection of the coming unity of Jesus and the Church.

This being said, let's take a look at Genesis 1:26-30, which says:

Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
And God said, “See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food. Also, to every beast of the earth, to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, in which there is life, I have given every green herb for food”; and it was so. (NKJV)

Here we note that man is both "created" and "made." Looking back at the original Hebrew, the word "create" comes from the word "bara" which means "to create from nothing." On the other hand, the word for "make" comes from the word "asa" which means "to form from something that is already created." We were created (bara) from nothing, but we were made (asa) in the image of God, which already existed. Pastor Jason asserted that what we (as people, as believers, as followers of Christ) need to remember is that every person is created in that same image. Keep this in mind when you view yourself as well as others. No matter what you've been through, you still have the same worth as any other person, because you were all made from the image of God without exception or favor - "favor," as in, no one is created in the image of God more so than anyone else.

Now that we've establish God created man, let's look at why. Looking back at Genesis 1:26-30, it says, "let them have dominion...over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." God did not say, "let us have dominion." He gave authority to mankind and mankind alone. This is why God does nothing on this earth without the cooperation of man. Pastor Jason described God as a strong man who allowed himself to be tied up and only prayer can loosen those ropes. God has tied Himself to the prayers of His people, he said. In the Lord's Prayer, which Jesus uses to teach the disciples how to pray, it says, "Your Kingdom come; Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." Jesus tells us to pray for God's will to be done. In addition, the fact that God has given us humans dominion explains why God had to become a human - Jesus.

Now, let's look at this "dominion." To be given dominion means "to established as a sovereign, kingly ruler, master, or governor responsible for reigning over a kingdom with the inherent authority to represent and embody as a symbol the territory, resources, and all that constitutes that kingdom." Basically, man was given the responsibility of representing God's kingdom on earth. Therefore, humans were created to have a relationship with God and to be a living reflection of Him and His kingdom. As Christians, we're called to be a reflection of Jesus Christ, and if we were to actually act as the church was intended, you would begin to see heaven on earth.

Let's look at 1 Peter 2:9, which states:

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. (NIV)

Think about it. We are a kingdom of kings - each person was given dominion over the earth. Many are familiar with the title for Jesus, the King of Kings. Have you thought about what that means? You are a king, and Jesus is the authority to which you are supposed to look. As Christians, we are to be ambassadors of God. Keep in mind that whether or not you actually put into practice the teachings of Jesus Christ, if you call yourself a Christian, when people see you they will think, "That is what a Christian is." Taking up the name "Christian" commits you to reflecting Jesus, so before you make the decision to take up that name, think about what it means. Are you ready to represent that name to the fullest? Are you ready to live up to that standard? In the Gospels, Jesus is constantly reminding people of consequences of following him.


The last portion of the notes on this sermon is labeled "The Intent of the Original Kingdom" and states:

The intent of the establishment of God's original kingdom of kings was to establish His rulership, will, and nature from heaven to earth. The ultimate goal of God the Creator was to colonize earth with heaven and establish it as a visible territory of an invisible world. His purpose was to have His will done and the heavenly kingdom come on earth just as it is in Heaven.

Pastor Jason closed by pointing out that the purpose of Christianity is not to be "saved" - to obtain eternal life. It's about taking up a battle and being a reflection.