What is God's Kingdom?

We conjure up many different ideas in our minds when we hear a word like "king" or "kingdom".  Some may think of the recent royal wedding of Prince William and Kate.  Others think of the kingdom of Saudi Arabia.  Depending on where we live, we have different perceptions of what we think of a “king.”

The Bible talks about a different sort of kingdom with a different kind of king.  If you would like to hear more about God's kingdom, you are warmly welcomed to come and join us for our next Bible study tomorrow night (Wednesday, April 27).  We will meet from 6:30 to 8 PM at 9257 Amsden Way in Eden Prairie, Minnesota.  Our time together will be spent in fellowship and discussion about God’s kingdom as we study 2 Samuel 7.

Our study is based on a book by D.A. Carson called The God Who is There.  Tomorrow night we will talk about chapter 5, entitled “The God Who Reigns.” 

We are in need of a certain kind of king.  A king who is “perfectly righteous, who cannot be corrupted, who is entirely good, in whom there is never any taint of evil.”  Jesus Christ is that King who inaugurated his kingdom in his first coming and has defeated death through his life, death, and resurrection. 

Jesus is now reigning in heaven at the right hand of the Father, and his kingdom continues to go forth as sinners are saved through the preaching of the gospel.  King Jesus will come again to consummate his kingdom when sin and death will be abolished and “God will be all in all” (1 Corinthians 15:28). 

So, what is God's kingdom?  The kingdom of God is the consummation of all things in perfect righteousness and holiness in the new heavens and new earth (Revelation 21:1-5).  Hail King Jesus!

Is There Evidence for Jesus' Resurrection?

Did Jesus truly rise from the dead?  Did Jesus’ biographers—Matthew, Mark, Luke and John—record actual historical events?  Were they capable historians?  These are just some of the many questions that arise in our minds as we read the Bible.

Check out this video by Dr. Peter Williams as he gives a summary of the biblical evidence for the heart of the Christian faith - Jesus' bodily resurrection.  Dr. Williams is the Warden of Tyndale House in Cambridge:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpJzWF4lnG0

As we read the Scriptures, it is evident that the gospel writers had access to eyewitness testimony.  We are to read the gospels as historically accurate and reliable documents.  As Christians, we rejoice in the promise of the historic, bodily resurrection of Christ each Lord's Day, including this coming Easter Sunday. 

The gospel itself is the life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Christ.  If Christ did not rise from the dead, then Christianity is a sham.  But if Christ did rise bodily on the third day, then as Christians we have a certain hope that death has been defeated and we have the promise of the resurrection of our bodies and life eternal.

In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul says:
¹³ But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised.
¹⁴ And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain.
¹⁷ And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.
¹⁹ If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.
²⁰ But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
²¹ For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead.
²² For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.
²³ But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ.
²⁴ Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power.
²⁵ For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.
²⁶ The last enemy to be destroyed is death.

⁵⁵ "O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?"

⁵⁶ The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.

⁵⁷ But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

What is God's Will for My Life?

What is one of the most commonly asked questions by restless teenagers, fearful young adults, successful businesspeople, lonely single-parents, and frail grandparents?  The answer is “what is God’s will for my life?” 

If you would like to hear more about God's will for your life, you are warmly welcomed to come and join us for our next Bible study tomorrow night (Wednesday, April 13).  We will meet from 6:30 to 8 PM at 9257 Amsden Way in Eden Prairie, Minnesota.  Our time together will be spent in fellowship and discussion about God's will for our lives as we study the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20. 

If you are interested in reading more about God's will for your life, see Just Do Something: A Liberating Approach to Finding God’s Will by Kevin DeYoung.  DeYoung gives profound insight as well as biblical wisdom to struggling pilgrims living a life filled with emotional and physical sufferings in this present evil age. 
The problem, as DeYoung states, is that “our search for the will of God has become an accomplice in the postponement of growing up, a convenient out for the young (or old) Christian floating through life without direction or purpose. Too many of us have passed off our instability, inconsistency, and endless self-exploration as ‘looking for God's will,’ as if not making up our minds and meandering through life were marks of spiritual sensitivity.”  

DeYoung’s answer to this problem is that God is not a magic 8-ball, a cosmic genie, or a divine butler.  Rather, “we have no promise in Scripture that God will speak to us apart from the Spirit speaking through His Word” (Hebrews 1:1-3).  What a comfort to rest in God’s providence, which is “the almighty everywhere present power of God, whereby, as with His hand, He still upholds heaven and earth, and all creatures; and so governs them, that leaf and grass, rain and drought, fruitful and barren years, food and drink, health and sickness, riches and poverty, indeed, all things come not by chance, but by His fatherly hand” (Heidelberg 27).    

So, what is God’s will for our lives?  DeYoung says we are not given step-by-step instructions in life, but we are to look to God’s word for guidance and wisdom.  In the Bible, we see that God’s will is for us to rejoice, pray, and give thanks (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).  Colossians 1:9 says we are to bear fruit and know God better by hiding his Word in our hearts that we might not sin against him (Psalm 119:11).  God’s will for his people is that we grow in holiness (1 Thessalonians 4:3), so we ought to pray that we will make decisions based on “faith, hope, and love—and not the praise of man and greed and selfish ambition.” 

Is There Evidence for Jesus' Crucifixion?

Every Sunday as we gather for worship we commemorate Jesus' death and resurrection.  With Good Friday and Easter just over two weeks away, this provides yet another opportunity for us to reflect upon what Jesus did to save us from wrath, hell, and sin by dying on the cross and rising again on the third day (John 3:16-20, 36).

The gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are an account of true history.  The four gospels tell us about "the gospel," which is the life, death, and resurrection of Christ in real planet earth history (1 Corinthians 15:1-8).  Jesus of Nazareth is the eternal Son of God who was born in Bethlehem, lived for 33 years, died on a wooden cross in Jerusalem, rose from the dead, ascended into heaven, and will return in glory to judge the living and the dead (Acts 1:9-11; Revelation 19:11-16). 

There are also other historical accounts that talk of Jesus of Nazareth.  Check out this interesting video discussion of two men who are looking at evidence for Jesus' crucifixion:

http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/justintaylor/2011/04/05/are-these-the-actual-words-of-jesus-crucifixion-charge-sheet/