"Now having been questioned by the Pharisees as to when the kingdom of God was coming, He answered them and said, "The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed, nor will they say, ‘Look, here!’ or, ‘There!’ For behold, the kingdom of God is in your midst."
Good Morning my beloved,
What a privilege it is to welcome you to worship today, in the name of God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Thank you for joining us today, whether it's your first time or you are a faithful member of our family in Christ, your presence is acknowledged and truly appreciated. If you're not certain about whether or not you want to embrace Jesus Christ, I pray there will be something in our message today that will point you toward Christ. I humbly thank God for every opportunity that He has provided for me to proclaim the Gospel to those are deceived by false religion, misled by a false doctrine, a privilege and responsibility that I do not take lightly. If God is using this ministry to help transform your life or the lives of those around you, please contact us to share your story. We would be honored to hear from you.
However, as the Gospel continues to go out globally, we are receiving a significant increase in the number of responses from people who are coming to Christ from all over the world that are in need of Bibles in multiple languages. It is a very sobering thought as a pastor to realize that so many have never heard the Gospel. It is even more devastating to even try to imagine how many people do not know Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Because that is the reason the church exists in the world, is to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ and to point sinners of every kind, including fornicators, adulterers, homosexuals, bisexuals, transsexuals, murders, thieves, coveters, drunkards, drug addicts, extortionists, gossips and et cetera to Jesus Christ for salvation and the forgiveness of sin.
There are really very many things that come into my mind, things that are weighing particularly heavy on my heart, when I think about the state of the church today. I believe that we are indeed living in a time when Scripture’s warnings feel increasingly real, are being progressively intensified in every sensory detail, with faith being tested both by pressure from the outside world and within the house of God itself. I can't help but to think about our beloved Lord's warning in Matthew 24, as He spoke about a future time when "many will fall away and will betray one another and hate one another, many false prophets will arise and will deceive many. And because lawlessness is multiplied, most people’s love will grow cold as the end draws near. And, our beloved apostle Paul's warning to young Timothy to preach the Word, in and out of season, because the time will come when the church will not endure sound doctrine, but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths, as I hear people complaining that they no longer desire to go to church because their pastors sermons have become more and more political rather than bold proclamation of the Word, as I read the reports that 62% of congregations are reporting no growth or even decline as more than two million people are walking away from the faith annually. I was recently chatting with a beloved brother of mine, who stated their churches congregation has dropped to a staggering 30 regular attendees. As the false preaching mega churches are growing by leaps and bounds, reporting hundreds, if not thousands, of new conversions weekly. I'm watching historic numbers of pastors being exposed for some sort of "inappropriate conduct," whether for misappropriation of church funds to line his own pockets, living extravagant lives or are being arrested, facing charges for sexual misconduct such as Robert Morris, from Gateway Church, who admitted inappropriate behavior with a 12-year-old girl, now a convicted child sex offender after serving only six months of a 10-year suspended sentence for five felony counts of lewd or indecent acts with a child. Morris recently sued the church over the disgraced pastor's multimillion-dollar retirement package.
Luke Cunningham, the former student minister at Lakeside Baptist Church in Granbury, Texas, was arrested and subsequently pleaded guilty to multiple charges two counts of sexual assault of a child across multiple churches and bigamy, being sentenced to 40 years in prison. And Gary "Tom" Keesee Jr, the 36-year-old son of senior pastors Gary and Drenda Keesee at Faith Life Church, who is facing 32 felony charges for unlawful sexual conduct and is currently being held on $2 million bond while reports that the complicated case has been "compromised" by alleged leaked confidential information, believed to be an attempt to "undermine the integrity of the investigation." And, I could go on and on, but I won't belabor the point, as I'm sure you get the idea.
It feels as though the church is being pressed mentally, spiritually, and socially from many sides, everywhere, all at once, as believers in many parts of the world are facing open persecution, discrimination, and severe restriction of our religious freedoms, while in other places the church is being tempted by comfort, compromise, and silence at a time when we are called to be alert, watchful and prayerful, because the church cannot afford to be shaped by the spirit of the age. Those of us who holdfast to the hope of Savior are like a fish out of water, as the world around us is dying because of a lack of "bread of life and the living water."
Yet, even amidst all this turmoil, I am reminded that biblical prophecy does not call us to panic, but to sobriety; these temporal trials are designed to develop strength and endurance and reveal God’s sovereign power rather than lead us into despair. I believe with all of my heart that the correct response to God purifying His Church is not frustration and despair, but stronger, clearer preaching, more faithful discipleship, deeper repentance and even more earnest prayer. Historically, in troubling times, the church has not survived by human strength alone, but on the faithfulness of Christ. Do not be deceived, God is not absent in all of this chaos; He is calling His people back to truth, back to holiness, and back to the hope of Christ’s coming kingdom. You might say that we are living and learning both sides of the Christian life simultaneously. Therefore, we must proclaim the Word more boldly, while living out our faith unashamedly, demonstrating before a watching world what it means to live a transformed life.
From the time of our Lord Jesus Christ physically walked this earth, until now, the church was given to preach or "kerysso" and to teach or "matheteuo"and commanded to go out and reach the world, with the core message that Jesus Himself and His disciples proclaimed, "Repent and believe in the gospel," and the directive to go make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you, with the authority of a herald that must be obeyed, known as the Great Commission, which encompasses the Good News that Jesus Christ will return to establish a literal Kingdom. I am really praying God that as the Lord builds His Church, that what we are doing here to point people to Christ, will be multiplied, because there is a faith that does not save. I'm always reminded that both the wheat and the tares are always there whenever you have the preaching of the Gospel. Just yesterday I had a fellow, a little over zealous for certain parts of the Bible, while not very content with other parts, tell me that "by confronting sin, calling people to repentance, was sending millions to Hell. I should tell everyone that Jesus loves them and offers them forgiveness!" And, when I asked "forgiveness from what?" he began assaulting my character, my looks and anything thing else he could think of. In Matthew 7:21, Jesus Himself warned about a profession of faith that is void of repentance, void of surrender, and void of transformation, doesn't save, "Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven…" this type of salvation is being amplified in our current culture, with the rise of a "diluted" gospel—one that offers comfort without conviction, affirmation without repentance, and love without truth. But a gospel that does not confront sin cannot save from sin. As the spirit of offense becomes intensified, "Many will be offended," just as Jesus said in Matthew 24:10. Rather than bring about conviction leading to repentance, it turns into accusation, character assault and even hostility leading to violence, a symptom of much deeper spiritual resistance, because moral rebellion dulls spiritual perception
This is precisely why I believe your prayers matters. The Church as we now know it is being sifted. In many places, persecution is increasing to historic levels, just the other day 70 Christians were beheaded in Nigeria. In others, compromise is spreading faster than a wildfire in California. These are not random developments—but align perfectly with the "refining" described in passages like Daniel 12:9-10 and 1 Peter 1:7. Experiencing refinement is not a sign that something is wrong—it is evidence that something is being revealed. We are certainly living in a time where the wicked is not just common, it's openly celebrated, as the wicked continuing to act wickedly and do not understand the significance of the events unfolding before their eyes. Those with spiritual discernment will not only understand meaning of these events, but their significant outcome, further emphasizing that understanding divine prophecy requires spiritual illumination that only the Holy Spirit can provide.
In Matthew 24, Jesus forewarned there would be "wars and rumors of wars," along with persecution, false prophets, and increasing lawlessness, and nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes, but He also stated these are only "the beginning of birth pains." Biblical prophecy was never intended to entertain curiosity; it is meant to awaken the Church to watchfulness, holiness, and endurance. At the same time, many pastors warn that artificial intelligence poses new threats to humanity, trust, and moral formation, which only intensifies the need for spiritual discernment in an era of technological instability. In the last days, the false church will grow at a tremendous rate because the promises of blessing and prosperity are high and the demands are low, producing superficial believers, who are more interested in what He has to offer rather than committed to being faithful followers of Christ, thanks to leaders who are only concerned about increasing the numbers in the check book. These people will not last and they will not persevere to the end. It is truly remarkable to watch God work through people, some of them being ignorant and through unexpected concurrences, blending them all together to accomplish His will. He always makes sure that the right men are in the right place at the right time to do the right job. I can't help but to think of Simon and the Ethiopian, one of the demonstrating the faith that doesn’t save; the other demonstrating the faith that does. So, we know that from the very beginning, that Satan always sows the tares among the wheat. Everything God created is indeed good, purposeful, and reflective of His glory. Since Satan cannot create anything new, he diligently works to distort, destroy and counterfeit whatever God has already established. The Good News is nothing Satan does can overturn God's plans, He is sovereign over all.
Let's pray
Heavenly Father,
Father, we are so thankful for Your Word. Lord, grant Your people the necessary discernment not to be deceived by what closely resembles truth but lacks Your Spirit. Open their blinded eyes to recognize the difference between what is holy and what is counterfeit, so that they are not shaken by the schemes of the enemy, but are instead remain faithful, persevering to the end, anchored firmly in Your Word. In this world filled with distractions, guard our minds, protect our hearts, and direct our steps so that we might walk in authority, knowing that through Christ, the victory is already been won. Father, we ask and pray these things in Christ's precious name for Your glory and His sake.
Amen.
Today's Message: Is The Kingdom You’re Looking For Coming Or Already Here?
In our continuing study of the Gospel of Luke chapter 17, today we'll be looking at verses 20-21. Open your Bibles with me, if you will, to Luke 17:20-21, where our text centers on both the visible King and His invisible Kingdom. Obviously, this is a very important portion of Scripture in a world that is always looking for the "next big thing," they want observable signs, big breakthroughs and undeniable proof that God is on the move. If that sounds a bit familiar, that's because the Pharisees were no different. Here in the United States of America, we pride ourselves on never having been a monarchy, never having lived under a kingship. In fact, our nation was born out of a revolution against a king, who wielded his power with absolute authority and absolute supremacy. That's why we celebrate our independence every year on the Fourth of July. We don’t like the idea of submitting to someone ruling over every aspect of our lives. We don’t bow easily. And when we see President Trump began to rule like that, using political powers and sometimes military powers, people started getting nervous and started calling him a dictator because absolute powers frightens us, and so we become outraged with the idea of autocratic domination, and we amass our powers to try to liberate people from those who have absolute dominion over them. While King Charles III is the monarch of 15 separate Commonwealth realms, including the UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, the total count of unique monarchs is lower than the count of countries due to varied titles, such as Emperors, Sultans, Grand Dukes, Princes and of course the Pope of the Vatican City. Our world is essentially no longer a world of kings anymore. And yet, at the very center of the Gospel is a kingdom… and a King, to Whom Romans 14:11 says "every knee shall bow.
It is my prayer that this sermon will challenge how we think about God’s kingdom, where we look for it, and whether we may have the wrong expectation of it and that people will be utterly transformed in mind and heart. While we claim to follow Christ, many of us still think like citizens of a republic rather than subjects of a Kingdom. In my experience, Satan, the enemy of our souls, preys upon those who lack discipline, become easily distracted, and easily lose focus of the calling God has placed on their lives. Our understanding of power and authority has been skewed by people like Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, Leopold II of Belgium. That's why people today afraid of Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong Un, and Xi Jinping. It is difficult for us to envision one man being absolutely sovereign, not only getting his way, but receiving universal adoration by an entire nation, and being worshiped.
I believe that it is this disconnect that may be the very reason why we are missing what God is doing today right in front of our eyes. We want to make sure that no one is sovereign, no one has too much power anywhere, anytime over anyone. And, if it looks like anyone, anywhere is becoming a little too powerful, we go after him like a school of piranhas and do everything within our power to bring him down. Which, I believe is exactly why our society rebels against everything God claims for Himself: Absolute supremacy, absolute sovereignty, and the unrestricted exercise of His divine will. Because that is precisely what it means to be the King of kings and the Lord of lords. He has not need to ask His creation for permission, nor is He obligated to anyone. We cannot understand what God does because His ways are unfathomable, incomprehensible to our finite minds.
In Isaiah 55:8-9, He boldly declares, "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways.....For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways And My thoughts than your thoughts," and if we’re being honest, it deeply disturbs us, at least here in the U.S.. It often sounds innocent the way we portray it. But it is not. We have difficulty understanding God’s ways are intentional; the focus becomes shifted from asking "why" to recognizing "Who God is." The psalmist in Psalm 33 understood, "The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of His heart from generation to generation, and ....all His work is done in faithfulness." Ok, here’s the uncomfortable truth—we ultimately have an incomplete, if not inaccurate understanding of Who God is. The biblical language about God is analogical: it is accurate and reliable for human understanding, yet it never fully captures God's infinite reality. This approach helps preserves the "Creator-creature" distinction while affirming that we can truly know Him, even though we cannot fully explain or measure God, Who is sovereign over two realms, with two Kingdoms, governing each through distinct means and for different purposes. God sovereignly rules over all His creation, whether physical or spiritual. It's not a division of territory between God and Satan, or a separation of sacred and secular, the distinction merely distinguishes how God governs. There is the physical, material earthly kingdom, through which He rules through law and civil authority Then, there is the supernatural, spiritual kingdom, which He rules through the Gospel, grace and mercy. The kingdom is in a state of rebellion, not just the material, physical kingdom but the spiritual kingdom as well. It is also cursed. It is cursed by sin and that curse has stained this kingdom spiritually and materially. The fallen angels, having been led by Satan, manifest their rebellion by designing ways in which they can thwart the kingdom of God, were thrown out of heaven, and they have, along with mankind, who succumbed to the temptation of Satan in the garden, catapulting the whole human race into sin. And surprisingly, God remains sovereign over all of them. God's Kingdom is cursed, because He cursed it. It will one day be judged, because He will judge it. Then, He will restore the paradise that was lost in the garden.
With all of that in mind, let's go ahead and get started, shall we? Even those we're only working with a couple of verses, I want to allow for what the Holy Spirit intends to do. I pray that you will following along with me as I read Luke 17, verses 20-21. Listen for the voice of our Lord. "Now having been questioned by the Pharisees as to when the kingdom of God was coming, He answered them and said, "The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed, nor will they say, ‘Look, here!’ or, ‘There!’ For behold, the kingdom of God is in your midst."
Let's look at verse 20, "Now having been questioned by the Pharisees as to when the kingdom of God was coming, He answered them and said, "The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed." This really isn't about the kingdom, it's about the kingdom that exists within that kingdom. The kingdom was already present in Jesus, He is Lord and King over His spiritual kingdom, just as He is over His material kingdom—and they missed it because it didn’t fit their expectations. If I can phrase it in a more simplified way, there is the external, universal visible kingdom, where everything and everyone He created is subject to Him and then there's the internal, personal hidden invisible kingdom, where everyone who responds to His Word by faith is recreated and is subject to Him. And, He rules over both his kingdoms and all of His people. He's the God of the Jew and the Gentiles. He's the God of everybody, that was very hard for the Jews to accept, as they were reluctant to believe that Gentiles could share in their God. As Christians, we live simultaneously in both kingdoms.
Since God created everything and everyone, because He sovereignly rules over everything and everyone, He does what He wants the way He wants and He does it without the approval of anyone, because He alone is God. He is the invisible, mysterious God that holds every molecules of this universe together. And, because He lives inside His people, we become the temple of the One True Living God. The laws of this kingdom concern the soul and conscience, areas where God allows no human ruler to interfere, obedience to His commands are voluntary and only through true saving faith. That's why Paul exhorts men in 1 Corinthians 6:18-20 to "Flee sexual immorality. Every other sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral man sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is a sanctuary of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you were bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body." The Pharisees were corrupt on the inside but on the outside, they appeared moral, they "looked" good though inside they were corrupt, that's why Jesus said in Matthew 23:27-28 they were "like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. In this way, you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness."
Now, since there is only One God, there is only one way to salvation, and it is the same for everybody: through faith in Christ. If there were many gods, there could be many religions. But since there's only One God, there can only be one way to approach Him, through Christ. In John 14:6 Jesus said what? "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but through Me." That's why the law is there, show them the absolute impossibility of doing it. And, that's the whole point, to drive them to the need of a Savior. Believe me, the law is void, it's valid, you just cannot fulfill it in the flesh, but we can through Christ. When Jesus came into the world, He did not to establish universal kingdom, universal reign over the created universe. In Matthew 28:18–20 Scripture affirms that Jesus has been given "all authority in heaven and on earth." In Matthew 8, He rebuked the winds and the sea, and it became perfectly calm. In Matthew 14, He created food to feed the five thousand. In John 12:27, He controlled death, calling Lazarus from out of the tomb and raised him from the dead. Jesus came to establish the Spiritual Kingdom in the hearts of all who would believe, which is the focal point of the New Testament. The problem is that not the political kingdom with the warrior-king Messiah like David that the Jews expected based upon the Old Testament prophets. In John 18:36, Jesus is emphasizing that His reign is in heaven rather than earth. The Jews expected a visible, observable geopolitical national liberation from oppression from Rome involving armed conflict, establishing an era of universal peace and Temple restoration but Jesus is introducing a radically different path of victory through servanthood, love, and spiritual transformation, requiring repentance for freedom from the oppression of sin through faith rather than through national identity. All Jews believed the Messiah would come and establish His glorious kingdom. If you will recall, they tried on several occasions to force Him to be a King, He wouldn't allow it and prevented it from happening. Yet, He continued to preach the kingdom and He preached that the kingdom had come, knowing what was on their minds. They understood exactly what it meant to be a king of a kingdom, that's why they wanted a sign. To claim to be God's King and to have brought God's kingdom without the appropriate kind of coronation, with a display of miracles, signs and wonders in the sky, well that's just foolishness, absolutely ridiculous in their minds.
Verse 21, "Nor will they say, ‘Look, here!’ or, ‘There!’ For behold, the kingdom of God is in your midst." In Matthew 13, Jesus said "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field; and this is the smallest of all seeds, but when it is fully grown, it is the largest of the garden plants and becomes a tree..." The kingdom of God is here and is still coming, because it's not yet fully realized. It's not something that you can see with observable signs or visually identify, it is coming without signs to be observed or earth-shattering events to be tracked. Its coming without of any kind public spectacle whatsoever. You won’t be able to point and say there it is. "The kingdom of God is in your midst" its the Greek phrase "entos hymōn," functioning as an adverb or preposition governing the genitive case, meaning it is among you, some translators interpret this as "within you," I tend to believe rather making an internal application, because the religious leaders did not harbor God's kingdom in their hearts, He was implying the Kingdom is within their sphere of influence, through His physical presence, miracles and teaching. In other words, You are looking for an observable sign out there… while you're standing face to face with the King Himself. Even that didn't convince them. Many today are falling into the same trap, looking for the Kingdom in church buildings, political leaders, military victories
The Kingdom of God does not arrive through observation—it arrives through revelation. You can sit in church week after week and still not be in the Kingdom, because it's validated by hearts voluntarily surrendered to Christ.
May it be so..
And now may the Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.
Now and forever, in Jesus' name
Amen
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