The Rules that Govern Who Rules: What Does the Bible Say?
Political Theology Series, Pt. 2 - The Kingdom of God and Sphere Sovereignty
Today we’re continuing our summer series on political theology or the theology of politics. We began this series by first considering what politics is, and why it’s important to study a theology of politics. We then noted that politics is rooted in the Trinity, and that political theology is present from the opening pages of Genesis. The creation account is given in a kingdom context. God is the sovereign Creator who established the boundaries of His creation, instituted ordered structures of realms and rulers within His creation, and placed a political representative made in His own image to exercise dominion over His creation.
Those were the basic highlights of last week’s message, and today we’re going to build upon the foundation that was laid. We’re going to further explore the ideas of God’s sovereignty and the ordered structures of realms and rulers within His creation, by developing the concept of the Kingdom of God, as well as the concept of Sphere Sovereignty.
Now, you can’t have a kingdom without a king. So, let’s begin by reading from Colossians 1:15-18 in order to make some preliminary observations about the King who rules over the kingdom of God.
He [Christ] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by Him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through Him and for Him. 17 And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. 18 And He is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything He might be preeminent.
This passage of Scripture speaks to the preeminence of Christ. Preeminence is the quality or state of being superior; thus, what Paul is communicating here is the superiority of Christ over all things. All things in heaven and earth were created by Christ and for Christ and are sustained by Christ; therefore, Christ is superior to all things.
But what things does Paul mention specifically in verse 16? He mentions thrones, dominions, rulers, and authorities—both visible and invisible, whether of men or of angels. All rulers (human or angelic), all political authorities in every place and at every level, are under the kingship of Christ. All authority in heaven and earth has been given to Him. His kingdom is universal, there is no aspect of creation that does not fall under His sovereign jurisdiction. Christ is the Prime Minister of the entire cosmos; He is the head of every state in heaven and earth. He rules over Joe Biden, over Charles III, over Vladimir Putin, over Hamas, over Kim Jong Un, and every other ruler on earth. And He rules over Satan and the many legions of demons under him.
Furthermore, verse 18 tells us that Christ is also the head of the body, the church. Thus, Christ’s kingdom encompasses both church and state and every other institutional sphere of authority on earth. He is head over all.
Now, if Christ’s kingdom encompasses both church and state, what is the proper relationship between the church and the state? How are the church and the state to be viewed in the context of the kingdom of God?
For the most part, Christians tend to think that they are confronted with a very restricted choice. We either go back to some form of historic Western Christendom in which power and authority over political issues is restored to a particular church denomination, or we simply disengage from political issues so as to maintain a radical separation between the “sacred” and the “secular.” The first view seems to marry the church and the state, while the second view seems to divorce the church and the state due to irreconcilable differences. The first view has the church ruling over the state (one ditch), while the second view has the state ultimately ruling over the church (the other ditch).
But must we be restricted to only these two choices? Could it be that this is a false dilemma, a false either/or? Is there not a middle-of-the-road option that avoids these two ditches? I firmly believe that there is. I believe that the solution is to be found in the concept of Sphere Sovereignty. However, in order to properly understand what Sphere Sovereignty is, we first need to properly understand what the church is, and what the kingdom of God is. So, let’s first of all consider what the church is.
What is the church?
The Greek term for “church” is ekklésia, which is derived from the preposition ek (“out from”) and the word kaléō (“to call”). The church is therefore the “called out ones.” More specifically, it is the universal body of believers whom God calls out of the world and into His eternal kingdom. The church is a called out and gathered people united into one community by the preaching of the gospel. And note well that the word “church” indicates a people, a community, a plurality of believers. An individual Christian is not the church. It would not be correct for me to say that I am the church. No, I am a member of the church. The church is an institution; it’s a God-ordained society.
Moreover, in the New Testament, the church can be thought of in at least five different ways:
- It can be thought of as the worldwide, invisible church that transcends any temporal period, from its origin to the second coming of Christ. For example, in Eph. 3:10 we are informed that it’s through the church that the manifold wisdom of God is being made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.
- It can be thought of as the worldwide historical visible church here on earth that develops and grows throughout the ages. For instance, in Eph. 2:19-22, Paul speaks of the entire household of God (i.e., the church) as a structure that is being joined together and is progressively growing into a holy temple in the Lord.
- It can be thought of as the worldwide actual visible church at this present time here on earth. For example, in Galatians 1:13, Paul speaks of how he had formerly persecuted the actual visible church at that time prior to his being saved.
- It can be thought of as a local church body—the totality of believers in a particular city, town, or village. For instance, Acts 8:1 speaks of the church in Jerusalem, Acts 13:1 speaks of the church at Antioch, Acts 20:17 speaks of the church at Ephesus, etc.
- It can be thought of as a part of a local church that may meet in various places, such as one’s home. For example, in Rom. 16:5 we read of a church that was meeting in the home of Priscilla and Aquila.
Thus, the church can both thought of in various ways: visible vs. invisible, historical vs. actual, and local vs. universal.
Furthermore, it’s important to recognize that there’s an authority structure within the church. There are church offices, and there is church discipline, which is to be carried out in a particular procedural order (Matt. 18:15-20).
The take away from all of this is that the church is an ordained institute of God that consists of a society of believers who operate according to a particular law and order. The church is therefore a political entity with its own sphere of sovereignty.
What is the kingdom of God?
Having looked at what the church is, let’s now briefly look at what is meant by the kingdom of God so that we can then determine the proper relationship between the church and the kingdom. In this discussion of the kingdom, I’m going to be drawing heavily upon Herman Ridderbos’ classic work, The Coming of the Kingdom, which I highly recommend.
When John the Baptist proclaimed: “Repent: for the kingdom of heaven[1] is at hand,” the idea of a coming kingdom of God was not foreign to John’s Jewish audience. In fact, it was the idea of this kingdom that undoubtedly piqued their curiosity. You see, during the period in which Israel’s national existence was more and more in decline, and the world powers threatened to crush Israel, a strong tension arose between God’s kingship revealed to Israel, and the actual development of history. And this tension was relieved by what the prophets would reveal about the coming manifestation of God’s kingdom. The expectation of this coming kingdom gave Israel great hope.
The prophecies of Daniel were especially important in this regard. They highlighted the antithesis between the various worldly empires of man, and the coming kingdom of God. This general thought is developed in great detail in Daniel chapter 7, where we read that God will at last deprive the worldly empires of their dominion, and will give dominion to a mysterious “Son of Man.” In verse 14 of Daniel 7 it says that this “Son of Man” is given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him; His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and His kingdom one that shall not be destroyed. Moreover, in verse 18, it says that the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, and ever.
This is the backdrop to both John the Baptist’s preaching, and Jesus’ preaching. And there’s no doubt that such preaching about the kingdom would have drawn the people in and gotten them excited to hear more.
Jesus, far more than John, expounded upon the kingdom. In fact, the kingdom of God was central to Jesus’ teaching. In studying Christ’s preaching and teaching ministry we learn several things about the kingdom.
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The kingdom is theocentric (i.e., God-centered).
The idea of the coming of the kingdom is preeminently the idea of the kingly assertion of God, of His coming to the world in order to reveal His royal majesty, power, and right. This absolutely theocentric idea of the kingdom of God should always be borne in mind if we want to have a correct understanding of Jesus’ preaching. It’s the basic motive of all His preaching.
One of the clearest examples of this can be seen in the Lord’s Prayer. The petition for God’s kingdom to come is sandwiched between two other petitions—that God’s name would be hallowed, and that His will would be done on earth as it is in heaven. All three of these petitions are theocentric. And note that these petitions are universal in scope. Jesus would have us pray that the kingdom of God would cover the entire earth, and that His name would be hallowed and that His will would be done by all the peoples of the world, just as it is in heaven.
From this we see that the idea of the kingdom is wide and comprehensive; it encompasses Israel, the heathen nations, the world, and even the whole of creation. It is the self-assertion of God in all His works. The kingdom of God is first and foremost theocentric, and closely connected to this is the fact that…
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The kingdom is dynamic.
The kingdom is the active power of God being put on display. The coming of the kingdom is nothing less than the great divine breakthrough, or to borrow a phrase from Isaiah (64:1) it is the “rending of the heavens.” It is the commencement of the operation of the divine dunamis (Greek for “power,” from which we get the words “dynamic” and “dynamite”). The coming of the kingdom is dynamic, it’s explosive, it’s powerful.
For example, in Matthew 11:12, Jesus says that “From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been coming violently, and the violent take it by force.” The coming of the kingdom is a powerful breakthrough; it’s a spiritual steamroller; it’s pushing its way with force, and the violent are seizing it (i.e., they are taking it as booty or spoil or bounty).[2]
Note well that Jesus says, “From the days of John the Baptist…the kingdom of God has been coming.” Thus, the kingdom of heaven is a present entity, a present reality. The kingdom has burst into human history and is violently asserting itself in this world (spiritually speaking). John the Baptist was on the threshold, he was the bridge between the old dispensation and the new. But with Jesus the new era has come, and those who belong to Him are forcefully, violently taking the kingdom (again, spiritually speaking). They are striving after the full redemption that is offered by the kingdom. With all their resources and in all their endeavors they are staking everything for the sake of the kingdom. Nothing is going to get in their way, nothing is going to prevent them from obtaining it.
Furthermore, many signs and wonders accompany the inauguration of the kingdom—the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, the dead are raised, demons are cast out (Matt. 11:4-5). All of these inaugural signs and wonders point to the dynamic character of the kingdom that has broken into history.
The coming of the kingdom is the initial stage of the “final act” in the history of the great drama of the world. It throws man and the world into a crisis. It is this fact that lends such an insistent and even ominous power to the call: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand; the axe is already laid at the root of the trees; He that comes after me has a winnowing fork in His hand, to separate the wheat from the chaff.” It is for this reason that Jesus says that He did not come to bring peace, but a sword (Matt. 10:34), and that He came to cast fire upon the earth (Luke 12:49).
Running in the background in all of this, is the thought that the coming of the kingdom is full of power and energy. It confronts man with the necessity of making all-important decisions that will determine his entire existence. It’s coming should rouse everybody from their false rest and complacency.
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The kingdom is Messianic.
John the Baptist’s preaching confirms that the coming of the kingdom coincides with the coming of the Messiah (the Christ). In the midst of John’s proclamation that the kingdom of heaven is at hand, he points to the presence of one who is mightier than he. In contradistinction to John’s baptism with water, the baptism of this coming Anointed One will be a baptism with the Spirit and with fire. In other words, the One who is coming has been given the authority to judge mankind; He has been given the winnowing fork of judgment to separate the wheat from the chaff. He will baptize with the Spirit (those destined for redemption) and with fire (those destined for damnation). These are indications of the supernatural character of the coming One. The coming One is none other than the much anticipated and promised Messiah.
We see the same association being made between the kingdom of God and the Messiah in the preaching of Jesus. Jesus often refers to Himself as the “Son of Man.” And “the coming of the Son of Man” is synonymous with “the coming of the kingdom of God.” This is made clear from a comparison of Matt. 16:28 (there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom) and Mark 9:1 (there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God after it has come with power).
Moreover, whenever Jesus refers to Himself as the “Son of Man” He is referencing Daniel 7:13-14 (which we looked at earlier). The vision of Daniel 7:13-14 is clearly Messianic in nature; thus, to a great extent Jesus’ preaching is oriented to the prophecy in Daniel 7:13-14.
This is highly significant because this “Son of Man” in Daniel’s vision is given dominion, and glory, and kingship that was to encompass all the nations and was to be eternal and imperishable. In this prophecy, the universality and transcendent character of the coming kingdom are very prominent. Consequently, the “Son of Man” is not simply an ordinary man invested with temporal and earthly dominion. In the great eschatological drama, He is the man who has been given unlimited divine authority, and to whom God’s universal royal dominion has been entrusted.
To summarize, then, we can say that the kingdom of God is comprehensive in nature, it is cosmic in scope. It implies the subjection of the entire range of human life in all its forms and spheres, that everything is to be subservient to the glory of God. The kingdom reminds us of the absolute, ubiquitous, and unrestricted dominion of God over His creation, and that the Son of God has been given all authority over heaven and earth to rule as King of kings and Lord of lords.
Obviously, much more could be said regarding the nature of the kingdom of God, but let us now move on to consider…
The church in relation to the kingdom of God
Hopefully, from our brief discussion thus far we can see that there certainly exists a very intimate relationship between the church and the kingdom of God. However, at the same time, there’s a vital distinction. Although on occasion, the concept of the kingdom and the concept of the church seem to be one and the same, nevertheless, these two concepts are not to be conflated. The kingdom and the church are not identical. To quote Herman Ridderbos:
There can be no uncertainty about either the connection or the differences between these two fundamental notions: The kingdom is the great divine work of salvation in its fulfillment and consummation in Christ; the church is the people elected and called by God who share in the bliss of the kingdom. Logically, the kingdom ranks first, and not the church. The kingdom has a much more comprehensive content. It represents the all-embracing perspective, it denotes the consummation of all history, brings both grace and judgment, has cosmic dimensions, fills time and eternity. The church…is the people who in this great drama have been placed on the side of God in Christ by virtue of the divine election and covenant. They have been given the divine promise, have been…gathered together by the preaching of the gospel, and will inherit the redemption of the kingdom both now and in the great future…
The church is the fruit of the revelation of the kingdom; and conversely, the kingdom is inconceivable without the church. The one is inseparable from the other without, however, the one merging into the other.[3]
While the church and the kingdom are intimately related, still, they are distinct. And maintaining the relation and distinction between the church and the kingdom of God helps us to recognize two important things: (1) it enables us to appreciate and value the important role the church has in its own God-ordained sphere and to be committed to its local visible expression; (2) it helps us to see that the calling of the Christian believer is much bigger and far more comprehensive in scope than simply participating as a member in the instituted church. A kingdom vision prompts us to be subject to the Lordship of Jesus Christ and His Word in the entirety of our lives, in every aspect.
To quote the distinguished Princeton Theologian, Geerhardus Vos:
The kingship of God…is to pervade and control the whole of human life in all its forms of existence. The parable of the leaven plainly teaches this. These various forms of human life each have their own sphere in which they work and embody themselves. There is a sphere of science, a sphere of art, a sphere of the family and of the state, a sphere of commerce and industry. Whenever one of these spheres comes under the controlling influence of the principle of the divine supremacy and glory, and this outwardly reveals itself, there we can truly say that the kingdom of God has become manifest.[4]
Every aspect of human life is to be brought under the sway of God’s kingdom. Yet critically, as Vos goes on to say, “it is not Christ’s intention that this result should be reached by making human life in all its spheres subject to the visible church.” The institute of the church is not to dominate the other spheres of life, including the sphere of the state.
How, then, are we as Christians to understand the proper relation of the church and the state within the overall context of the kingdom of God? I believe the answer to this question is found in the concept of Sphere Sovereignty.
Sphere Sovereignty
The phrase “Sphere Sovereignty” was coined by the great Dutch theologian and statesman Abraham Kuyper. Sphere Sovereignty begins with the axiom that God is the only one with absolute authority. As the creator of all things, no area of life is exempt from His rule. Thus, we read in Psalm 103:19, “The LORD has established His throne in the heavens, and His kingdom rules over all.” Or again in 1 Chron. 29:11, “Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O LORD, and you are exalted as head above all.”
A second fundamental tenet of Sphere Sovereignty is that God has delegated a certain degree of authority to man. For example, in Rom. 13:1-7 and 1 Pet. 2:13-14 He has delegated civil authority; in Heb. 13:17 and 1 Tim. 3:1-13 He has delegated ecclesiastical (church) authority; in Eph. 5:22-32, Col. 3:18-19, and 1 Pet. 3:1-7 He has delegated marital authority; in Ex. 20:5, Eph. 6:1-4, and Col. 3:20-21 He has delegated familial authority, and in Eph. 6:5-9, Col. 3:22-25, and 1 Pet. 2:18 He has delegated business authority.
What is important to note here is that no specific authority has been given more authority than the others. Each institutional sphere is given specific commands that are to be obeyed, and specific duties that are to be carried out. And God has delegated to each of these institutional spheres the appropriate amount of authority to carry out those duties. Put simply, each of these spheres has its own area of jurisdiction, no sphere has the right to try to usurp the jurisdictional authority of any other sphere. And all such spheres are under the absolute authority of God. It’s similar to how things are set up here in the United States. Each state is its own sphere of sovereignty, yet all states are held under the authority of the Constitution.
One of the great benefits of Sphere Sovereignty is that it keeps the playing field level. There is no hierarchical structure within the concept of Sphere Sovereignty. For example, in this system of thought, the church is not above the state, nor is the state above the church. Of course, this does not deny that the state has authority in matters of criminal law; thus, if a church leader commits a crime, the state has the authority to prosecute that church leader. However, at the same time, state law is always to be in conformity with God’s law, since God, not the state, determines what is good and what is evil.
It’s also important to recognize that just because no sphere has the right to try and usurp the jurisdictional authority of any other sphere, this does not mean that one sphere cannot call out another sphere for failing to carry out its duties, or for abusing its powers. Consequently, each sphere is prevented from dominating, controlling, and absorbing the other spheres. Instead, each area of life enjoys an internal sovereignty. God has established these various spheres of life to be governed in terms of their own structured principles, ruled by His Word and subject ultimately to Christ as Lord and King.
Now, regarding the Christian’s relationship to the church and the state, Sphere Sovereignty is a Scripturally-rooted solution that helps us avoid the false dilemma (the false either/or) that was mentioned at the beginning of the sermon. Namely, that the church and the state are either to be married, with the church acting as the head of this marriage (that’s one ditch); or, that the church and the state are to be divorced due to irreconcilable differences, with the state being granted full custody of all cultural spheres, and ultimately forcing the church to pay a form of child support to the state’s cultural agenda; i.e., the state ends up ruling over the church (the other ditch). Any solution to this either/or dilemma will be inadequate if it merely appreciates and respects the historic separation of the jurisdictions of church and state. The solution must realize that all spheres of life—marriage, family, church, state, business, etc.—are themselves, in their own spheres, to be made subject to the Lordship of Christ and the Word of God, as equally important aspects of the kingdom of God.
This is why we took the time to parse out what the church is and what the kingdom is. With the kingdom/church distinction in place we can see more clearly the false dilemma that is typically present in modern evangelical thinking regarding Christianity and political life. Sphere Sovereignty, because it recognizes the kingdom/church distinction, gives us a third option. With Sphere Sovereignty it becomes clear that relating the gospel (Christianity) to the various aspects of society does not require that the church institute, with its unique offices and functions, must therefore take over every aspect of society. The idea that we need to “churchify” all of life in order to express the kingdom of God (the first ditch) is shown to be erroneous according to Sphere Sovereignty. The instituted historical church (of whichever tradition) does not have the burden of imposing its confession of authority on the state or the rest of society; it doesn’t need to “ecclesiasticize” society. The unique spheres of marriage, family, state, business, etc., are not the church, nor are they subordinate parts of the church.
However, this does not mean that these other spheres are not to be Christian, transformed and shaped by the gospel, the Word of God, and the Lordship of Christ. It simply means that they are not required to be under ecclesiastical control. When it comes to political life and society, the church’s role is to prophetically propose, not impose its biblical insight for culture. The church is not to impose, it is to propose; it is not to forcefully push, it is to faithfully persuade; it is not to coerce with the sword of government, it is to convince with the Sword of the Spirit. In this way, the first ditch of the false dilemma is avoided.
But Sphere Sovereignty also prevents us from falling into the other ditch, where church and state are radically separated, because both of these spheres are still under the overall jurisdiction of the kingdom. The direct accountability of the state to God doesn’t set aside the obligation of churches to preach righteousness in the public space and to prophetically speak truth to the civic powers that be. Nor does it diminish the responsibility of all individual Christians to diligently apply their faith and the Word of God in every area of life—whether they are lawyers, doctors, judges, teachers, artists, or mechanics.
Remember, as individual Christians, we are not the instituted church. This is why I pointed out earlier that it would be incorrect for me to say that I am the church. No, I am a member of the church. But I’m also a member of Costco. I’m also a member of a political party. I’m also a member of a family unit, and a member of the workforce. We are all members of many different spheres, and we intuitively know how to distinguish one sphere from another, and how to think and behave in each of these spheres according to the Word of God as citizens of the kingdom.
When I show up for work, I don’t think and behave as if I’m shopping at Costco. When I come home from work, I don’t prepare the Lord’s table for my family or perform baptisms. Each sphere has its own structure and rules. Even when I’m shopping at Costco there are ways to think and behave that either conform to the kingdom of God or they don’t.
We are under the rule of the kingdom in all spheres of life, whether we’re gathered together as the instituted church on the Lord’s Day, or gathered with our family in the home, or gathered with our colleagues at work, or gathered with others at the voting booths during an election, and even when we’re gathered with others shopping at Costco. Whether we eat or drink, in whatever we do—in all spheres of life—we are to do all for the glory of God and His kingdom.
Hopefully, you can see and appreciate the great explanatory power of Sphere Sovereignty. It provides tremendous clarity as to how we, as individual Christians, are to view the various spheres of life in light of the Kingdom of God.
It also helps to clarify and explain the inevitable breakdown of culture and society when we don’t adhere to Sphere Sovereignty. If we violate sphere sovereignty and bring the properly coercive sword-power of the state into all of the other institutional spheres of societal life, the character of human society radically changes because the various structures that make up its great diversity are hindered or completely prevented from serving the kingdom of God within their own sphere. In this case, the Lordship of Christ over the state is denied. And the problem is magnified exponentially when the state loses its moorings in the Christian tradition and instead of maintaining only an external and extensive relationship to the other spheres of life, seeks to become internal and intensive in relation to all of the structures of society, reforming them as lesser parts of itself. The state essentially becomes a political Pac-Man, running around gobbling up all of the other spheres.
For example, if a secular liberal civil government runs and funds the sphere of education, you get radical secularization and the imposition of LGBTQ curriculum and neo-Marxist socio-political indoctrination in the public schools, whether you like it or not.
If you bring the state power into the spheres of marriage and the family, you get the redefinition of marriage, bans on disciplining our children, and the sexualization and seizure of our children as the state progressively (and aggressively) assumes the role of parent.
If you bring the state into the heart of the church institute, you get a politicized and regulated church that is unwilling or unable to speak the truth of the gospel and Christ’s Lordship to political authorities, and frequently, religious persecution.
If you bring the state into the business and economic sphere with incessant intervention, heavy regulation, and bloated state bureaucracy employing vast numbers of people, you get socialist collectivism with powerful unions and the steady demise of the free market.
If you bring the state into the heart of medicine you get coercive state-funded abortion, coercive state-funded euthanasia, state-funded sex-change surgery, and the indefinite suspension of civil liberties and mass lockdowns of society in the name of public health.
All of this control and coercion is inevitable when the state moves beyond its sphere of competency and authority into other sovereign spheres because the state, by its very God-ordained nature, is a coercive institution. It’s been given a sword of authority to coerce obedience.
This is why the state must be delimited by the principle of Sphere Sovereignty. Without this limitation, the state inevitably trends totalitarian, bringing its sword-power wherever it goes, in terms of its ideological agenda (a congressional conquistador; a political Pac-Man).
The runaway state overreach in the modern West should be of profound concern for Christians faced with the all-pervasive dominance of state-schools, state-subservient churches, state welfare, state medicine, etc. The end of this road inexorably leads to a totalitarian society.
Sphere Sovereignty is a truly Christian view of government and politics that is consistent with the gospel of the kingdom, and it involves believers in a critical struggle again in our era. Those who claim allegiance to God in an era of apostacy such as our own cannot sit on the fence. We need to be undivided in heart. We will either be faithful citizens of the kingdom, calling the state to order in light of the Word of God and His kingdom, or we will submit ourselves to the arbitrary dictates of man, enabling the ancient idolatry of statism to give shape to the future of our children. It is surely time for the church with its prophetic voice, and for all God’s people in the public square, to remind all power and authority that Jesus Christ is Lord, and to declare with the Psalmist:
The wicked will return to Sheol—all the nations that forget God. For the oppressed will not always be forgotten; the hope of the afflicted will not perish forever.
Rise up, O Lord! Do not let man prevail; let the nations be judged in Your presence. Put terror in them, Lord; let the nations know they are only men. (Ps. 9:17-20)
Exhortations
To conclude this sermon, I shall give two exhortations—one for those of us here who are already citizens of the kingdom, and one for those who are not yet citizens of the kingdom. First of all, for those who are already citizens of the kingdom, I exhort you to…
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Take heaven by storm.
“From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been coming violently, and the violent take it by force.” (Matt. 11:12) The coming of the kingdom is a powerful breakthrough; it’s a spiritual steamroller; it’s pushing its way with force, and the violent are seizing it. Those who belong to Christ are to forcefully, violently take the kingdom. With all our resources and in all our endeavors we are to stake everything for the sake of the kingdom.
I therefore exhort you to take heaven by storm. Strive to expand the Lordship of Christ and His kingdom within your own personal spheres of influence—in relation to your family, your vocation, the church, the state, and every other area of your life. Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness.
And for those of you who are not yet citizens of the kingdom, I hereby exhort you to…
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Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
As we noted earlier, the kingdom of God confronts man with the necessity of making all-important decisions that will determine his entire existence. It’s coming is meant to rouse everybody from their false rest and complacency.
Thus, for those of you who are not part of the kingdom, you need to know that the axe of judgment is already laid at the root of the trees, and if you don’t repent and turn to Christ for salvation, your tree (your life) will be cut down and cast into the fires of hell on the great Day of Judgment. The kingdom has come and will continue to come until the King returns to consummate His kingdom. He has the winnowing fork of judgment in His hand, to separate the wheat (those who are destined to enjoy the fullness of the kingdom) from the chaff (those who are destined for hell).
I therefore exhort you to repent and believe upon Christ and be baptized with the Spirit. Or else be baptized with the fires of eternal damnation. Today is the day of salvation, choose you this day whom you will serve.
Jesus is the faithful witness, the first among those raised from the dead.
He is the ruler of the kings of the earth.
To Him who loves us and freed us from our sins by His blood, and made us into a kingdom…
to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. (Rev. 1:5-6)
[1] The kingdom of God and the kingdom of heaven are the same thing. They are synonymous, interchangeable phrases.
[2] The violence that is being spoken of here is referring to spiritual violence, not physical violence. For a more complete discussion of what being violent for the kingdom of heaven involves see, Heaven Taken by Storm, by Thomas Watson.
[3] Herman Ridderbos, The Coming of the Kingdom (The Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Company, 1962), 354-355.
[4] Geerhardus Vos, The Kingdom of God and the Church (Great Christian Books, 2015), 103-104.