The
Nature of God's Kingdom
Exodus
19:3-8
Jim
Davis
Friday morning I stopped at a Rally gas station
to pick up a couple of 12 packs of Coke Cola that were on sale. When I
went back to the car after my purchase my wife had gotten out of the car
and locked the door. My keys were still in the ignition. So we called a
locksmith and spent about forty minutes waiting. We have pulled this stunt
a couple of times in the past. Each time before the locksmith came in a
van. So we stood there looking for a van to pull into the gas station with
the Pop-A-Lock printed on the side. We were reading the writing on every
van pulling into the Rally station. We never saw locksmith pull into the
parking lot in his small economical car with a very small sign on the side.
We never recognized him until he walked up to us, and then we were a little
startled as he was right in our face before we recognized him. We were
so busy looking for the kind of van we thought he would be in that we overlooked
him, although he drove up right in front of us. We didn't see him park
in the second parking space from us. We were too busy looking for the kind
of van we thought he would be in.
How many times have you been unable to see
something you were searching for? You were looking for the right thing
but the preconceived image in your mind of what you expected it to look
like made you overlook what it was you were looking for. It was right in
front of you, but you couldn't see it.
How often does our worldview blind us
to the spiritual realities of God? We often lose sight of the nature
of God's kingdom as we thumb through the pages of the Old Testament. We
see God leading Israel out of Egypt across the Jordan River to victory
over the world. We see Israel conquering land and amassing wealth and we
automatically think of Israel in a nationalistic sense. We see Israel building
a tabernacle as a place that represents God's presence. We see the bloody
sacrifices. We fail to realize that what was happening was the result of
Israel allowing God to rule their hearts. It was a result of Israel obeying
the words of God's covenant. They could only be the true kingdom of God
as they allowed God to rule in their hearts.
The Spiritual Kingdom of Israel
Over time the Jew’s nationalistic view
of the kingdom of God blinded them to the true nature of God's kingdom.
They sought to establish God's kingdom by tracing its borders on a map,
but Jesus says the kingdom of God is within you" (Luke 17:20-21). They
were looking for a worldly kingdom, when Jesus came he said, "My kingdom
is not of this world" (John 18:36).
The Jews had such a worldly view of God's
kingdom that they actually shut out those who sought God's kingdom (Matthew
23:13). Churches often blind side
those seeking the kingdom today. As churches major in minors, those seeking
God are blinded to the truth of God’s word.
Throughout Old Testament history Israel's
biggest problems were the result of losing sight of how God desired to
establish his rule in every heart. Failing to surrender to God's
rule always brought problems. During the days of Jeremiah, God was judging
Israel for her sin. Jeremiah issued this call to Israel. "Circumcise
yourselves to the LORD, circumcise your hearts, you men of Judah and people
of Jerusalem, or my wrath will break out and burn like fire because of
the evil you have done--burn with no one to quench it" (Jeremiah 4:3-4
NIV).
Israel was continually reminded of the nature
of God's rule as they were told to circumcise their hearts (Deuteronomy
10:16-17). Paul reminds us, "A man is not a Jew if he is only one outwardly,
nor is circumcision merely outward and physical. No, a man is a Jew if
he is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the
Spirit, not by the written code. Such a man's praise is not from men, but
from God" (Romans 2:28-29 NIV).
God led the children of Abraham out of
Egypt for the purpose of making Abraham's descendants into a kingdom of
priests. They were to be God's holy nation; a nation devoted to fully
obeying God as they kept his commandments. The first mention of God's plan
for his holy nation, Israel, is found in the following verses, which record
God's message to Israel about three months after their exodus from Egypt.
Exodus 19:3-6
"Then Moses went up to God,
and the LORD called to him from the mountain and said, 'This is what you
are to say to the house of Jacob and what you are to tell the people of
Israel: 'You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried
you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself. Now if you obey me fully
and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured
possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom
of priests and a holy nation.' These are the words you are to speak to
the Israelites'" (NIV).
The strength of God's love as he carried
Israel out of Egypt was a testimony to his desire to bring Israel unto
a special relationship with Him. God called the Hebrews out of Egypt
to care for them and to protect them. The eagle mentioned here is a symbol
of God's care and protection for Israel. The eagle represents a beautiful
picture of God's grace.
Deuteronomy 32:10-12
"In a desert land he found
him, in a barren and howling waste. He shielded him and cared for him;
he guarded him as the apple of his eye, like an eagle that stirs up its
nest and hovers over its young, that spreads its wings to catch them and
carries them on its pinions. The LORD alone led him; no foreign god was
with him" (NIV).
It is easy to lose sight of our responsibility
while we enjoy the privileges of God’s grace.
Becoming God's own possession was the greatest encouragement for Israel
to accept her responsibility to obey God. God's grace had brought Israel
out of bondage, but the privileges of God's grace also brought great responsibilities.
Obedience to God's covenant laws was the basis for Israel to become the
kingdom of God.
The priesthood of all believers began in the
Old Testament. Isaiah foretold that God would extend the promise of a kingly
priesthood to all those who believed in Christ.
Isaiah 61:6
"And you will be called priests
of the LORD, you will be named ministers of our God. You will feed on the
wealth of nations, and in their riches you will boast" (NIV)
God’s Spiritual Kingdom Today
What made Israel God’s people was her willingness
to accept the terms of God’s contract. God told Moses what to tell Israel.
Exodus 19:5-8
"Although the whole earth is
mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.' These
are the words you are to speak to the Israelites.'
"So Moses went back and summoned
the elders of the people and set before them all the words the LORD had
commanded him to speak. The people all responded together, "We will do
everything the LORD has said." So Moses brought their answer back to the
LORD" (NIV).
When Moses revealed the words of God to Israel,
they accepted the covenant of God.
Moses couldn’t accept God’s covenant for them.
They had to make a personal decision to follow the Lord. They had to do
this before God could make them a kingdom of priest. "The people all
responded together, ‘We will do everything the LORD has said.’ So Moses
brought their answer back to the LORD."
God’s choosing is much like a contract.
We may want to draw up a contract so as to enter into a contract with a
second party, but the contract is not binding until the second party accepts
it and signs it. When God makes a covenant, a second party must accept
it before it is valid.
Peter picks up on the same promise as
it is extended to us through Christ. Peter seeks to encourage first
century Christians, who are being persecuted, by reminding them that they
are chosen by God.
1 Peter 2:4-5
"As you come to him, the living
Stone-rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him-you also, like
living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood,
offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ" (NIV).
1 Peter 2:9-10
"But you are a chosen people,
a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you
may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his
wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people
of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy"
(NIV)
There is a necessity for us to recover this
ideal of the priesthood for all believers today—not just for preachers—for
members. We need to restore to the church a working sense of the priesthood—a
sense of personal obedience—a sense of personal duty. Priesthood
has to do with the service of each Christian.
The New Testament has a lot to say about
the priesthood of Christians. Above all, it declares that there
is never a believer who has no ministry. The purpose of ministers, elders
and deacons is not to do all the ministering, but to enable the church
to do the work of ministry. You see the first step to revitalizing this
doctrine of the priesthood for each member is to involve each person in
the actual doing of the church's work.
The priesthood is not reserved for special
people who can mediate between the people and God. Under the Old Testament
the Levitical priest offered the animal sacrifices for the members of God’s
priestly Israel. The whole sacrificial system of the Old Testament foreshadowed
what Jesus accomplished by His death and resurrection. Today Christ has
already made the necessary sacrifice for each of us. However, we are asked
to make a personal sacrifice as priest in Christ’s priestly kingdom.
Romans 12:1-2
"Therefore, I urge you, brothers,
in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy
and pleasing to God-this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform
any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing
of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will
is-his good, pleasing and perfect will" (NIV).
Too often when we look at the old sacrificial
system of the Old Testament we fail to see the true nature of God’s priestly
kingdom. When we look beyond those sacrifices into the heart of God
we can began to understand that the priesthood of both the Old Testament
and New Testament are similar. Under both systems there is the necessity
to accept God’s grace and renew one’s mind and life through obedience to
God’s will.
In the wilderness of Sinai God tells Moses
to speak these words to the Hebrews: "You yourselves have seen what
I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles' wings and brought you
to myself." God had revealed to Israel what he could do for them as
he led them on a three months wilderness journey. Then
the Hebrews were asking to enter into a covenant relationship with God.
Then God told them "Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then
out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole
earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation."
(Exodus
19:3-6)
You can’t enjoy God’s presence without
walking in God’s ways. One of the most touching conversations between
Moses and God takes place in the following verses. Moses reveals that he
doesn’t merely want to enjoy God’s presence, but he wants God to teach
him his ways.
Exodus 33:12-17
Moses said to the LORD, "You
have been telling me, 'Lead these people,' but you have not let me know
whom you will send with me. You have said, 'I know you by name and you
have found favor with me.' If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways
so I may know you and continue to find favor with you. Remember that this
nation is your people."
The LORD replied, "My Presence
will go with you, and I will give you rest."
Then Moses said to him, "If
your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. How will
anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you
go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the
other people on the face of the earth?"
And the LORD said to Moses,
"I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you
and I know you by name." NIV
Moses begged to know God’s ways so that
he could walk in them. The reason God was so pleased with Moses
was because Moses not only desired God’s presence, but he wanted God to
teach him his ways. Today we want to enjoy God’s protective presence, but
do we want to know his will? Do we want God to cut the evil out of our
lives? Do we want him to circumcise our lives in baptism? How many are
crying for God’s protection, but have no desire to know God’s will?
The day of Pentecost was much like this
time in which God spoke to Moses on Mt. Sinai.
God had provided the sacrifice for deliverance from sin through Christ.
Peter called upon the people to accept God’s gracious offer of pardon.
Acts 2:38-41
Peter replied, "Repent and
be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness
of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise
is for you and your children and for all who are far off-for all whom the
Lord our God will call."
With many other words he warned
them; and he pleaded with them, "Save yourselves from this corrupt generation."
Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand
were added to their number that day. (NIV)
There seems to be a paradox in the minds
of many concerning salvation. We think that only God can save us,
but Peter tells those on Pentecost "Save yourselves from this corrupt
generation." Peter is telling them they must accept God’s covenant.
That goes beyond accepting God’s grace, which also involves keeping God’s
covenant. God’s covenant is extended to whosoever calls upon the name of
the Lord. Those who call upon his name through obedience become a member
of God's priestly kingdom today.
We accept God’s covenant in baptism. We allow
God to circumcise our hearts by putting away the sinful deeds in our life
as he extends forgiveness through the blood of Christ. It is then that
God places his seal upon us as he marks us as he chosen ones.
Colossians 2:9-12
For in Christ all the fullness
of the Deity lives in bodily form, and you have been given fullness in
Christ, who is the head over every power and authority. In him you were
also circumcised, in the putting off of the sinful nature, not with a circumcision
done by the hands of men but with the circumcision done by Christ, having
been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith
in the power of God, who raised him from the dead (NIV).
Many are looking for the church or a
priest to save them. I have attended a couple of funerals this
year that left me disturbed. In those funerals, I witnessed those conducting
the services seeking to grant entrance into heaven for the ones that had
died. It disturbed me because I think both of the deceased might have been
led to believe that someone could grant them entrance into heaven after
they died.
This was evident by what those conducting
the funerals were saying. I am not a judge of what the deceased believed,
but I witnessed what those conducting their funerals believed. They spoke
as though the deceased believed that those conducting the services could
grant them entrance to heaven. That was something that only the deceased
could do before death through accepting God’s conditions for salvation
through Christ.
You can’t place the responsibility of your
salvation upon the church. The church can’t save you. Many are seeking
to place the responsibility upon the church to be what they think it ought
to be without accepting personal responsibility for their personal lives.
This concept of the church blinds us to what we are really about.
Conclusion:
Have we allowed what we are looking for in
God's kingdom to blind us the true nature of the church? Are we expecting
the church to do for us what only we can do for ourselves?
Have we allowed the world to blind us to the
spiritual realities of being priests in God’s kingdom? Have we allowed
the church to blind us to the true nature of our duties in God’s kingdom?
We can motivate ourselves to do God’s will
by reminding ourselves how God has lifted us up in Christ. By reminding
ourselves of God’s desire to bless us. The Israelites were constantly reminded
of what God had done for them.
Peter seeks to encourage Christians who were
being persecuted to obey God by reminding them of how God has chosen them
to be saved in Christ.
1 Peter 1:18-21
"For you know that it was not
with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from
the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with
the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. He was
chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last
times for your sake. Through him you believe in God, who raised him from
the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God" (NIV).
1 Peter 2:9-10
"But you are a chosen people,
a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you
may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his
wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people
of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy"
(NIV)
These blessings we have in Christ must also
motivate each of us to accept our responsibility to walk in God’s ways.
