설교제목 : 다시 회복된 하나님의 나라 (The restored Kingdom of God)

Sunday Worship Service’ Sermon (5-22-2022)

The Restored Kingdom of God

(Acts 2:42-47)

1.   

 

Paul said in Romans 4:25, “Jesus was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.” This is the reason why Jesus was crucified and was raised from the dead.

 

I have a question for us here. Why did Jesus grant us this grace through the cross and resurrection? This is to enable us, who have turned our backs on God because of sin, to live in the presence of God again. That is why he did this so that we could enjoy the Kingdom of God not only in the Kingdom of heaven to come, but also on this earth under the reign of God. The resurrection of Jesus enables those who are united with Jesus to enjoy the Kingdom of God on this earth.

2.   

 

The Garden of Eden is where the first humans created by God, Adam and Eve, lived. At first, they communed with God and lived with God here.

However, Adam and Eve were expelled from the Garden of Eden where they lived with God because of their sin of disobedience. Afterwards, a flaming sword was placed at the entrance to the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:24). This means that the way back to a life in the presence of God was blocked by the sinful human beings.

 

Human beings were created to have fellowship with God. Therefore, human beings can be satisfied only when he has fellowship with God. When a person departs from God, they become shabby and have no rest. The worst calamity that can befall man is turning his back on God. What we most need is the presence of God, but because of our sins, we have lost the blessing of God with us. As a result, if human beings wanted to live in God's presence again, he had to pay the price for our sin. However, since human beings who are sinners cannot solve this on our own, the righteous Jesus passed through death on the cross and was resurrected to be justified, so that we can live with a righteous God again.

The moment Jesus died on the cross, the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom (Matthew 27:51). This means that because Jesus was delivered over to death for our sins, the dividing wall of hostility between God and us was destroyed, so that we, sinners, can draw near to God again. In other words, as long as anyone is united with Jesus, they will be able to enjoy a happy life where God is with them again.  Christians are those who live in the presence of God in union with the resurrected Jesus.

 

In that sense, Christians do not just mean ‘good people who believe in Jesus’. (1) Christians are people with whom God is with them. (2) Christian means the temple of the Holy Spirit, where the Spirit of the living God dwells. (1 Corinthians 6:19, 2 Corinthians 6:16) (3) Christians are those who, as disciples of Christ, share in Christ's work and live for the Kingdom of God. (4) Christians are people who have citizenship in heaven. (Philippians 3:20) (5) Christians are people who can approach God's presence through worship and prayer. It means that whatever they ask of God, they are able to receive it. (6) Christians are those who always draw near to God (Hebrews 4:14-16) and lead others to God.

Christians are people who enjoy these wonderful privileges on this earth. Jesus gave Himself to the cross because of our sins so that we might enjoy this grace. And he was resurrected so that we could live again as new beings living in the presence of God. The resurrection of Jesus has given us such great grace.

 

Now, so those who are united to Jesus by the Holy Spirit, whom the resurrected Jesus Christ has sent to us, can now live in the presence of God. As a result, individuals become newly transformed into the image of God, and the church becomes a community experiencing the Kingdom of God. If we live led by the Spirit (Holy Spirit) of the resurrected Jesus Christ, then we, as Christians, enjoy the Kingdom of heaven on this earth and begin a changed life.

 

Paul said in Philippians 3:20, “Our citizenship is in heaven.”

This means that Christians are people who belong to heaven even if they live on this earth, enjoy the privileges given by God the King, and fulfill their duties as people of heaven. Also, this means that Christians are people who live on this earth, but are based on a life in heaven.

This means that the church is a holy community separated from the world, and a new community that shows the living God to each other and the world, and shows the Kingdom of God. In this sense, churches and Christians are to follow God's standards, God's directives and laws, not the ways of the world or the will of men.

 

All churches and Christians on earth are imperfect. But nevertheless, churches and Christians are a place to show how people in heaven live, and to show the world the Kingdom of God in which we will live in the future. But the world disappoints because people in the world cannot see God and the Kingdom of God in churches and Christians.

 

Then, since the resurrected Jesus came to us as a Spirit, from now on, what will people who live in God's presence look like on this earth? How will those who have citizenship in heaven live on this earth through the resurrection of Jesus?

 

Pastor Jeremy Treat visited Kibera, an extremely poor area in Nairobi, Kenya. There were rows of houses built of wood chips and dry earth along the sewers. Numerous children were playing, naked, in the filthy mud 'right next to the sewer'. The guide pointed to one of them, a 12-year-old girl, and told them that “the girl is a prostitute.” Pastor Jeremy, shocked by this poor environment and situation, was stunned for a moment. Then he heard a sound from the distance. He found the place where the sound was coming from, and when he entered the shack-like building, about 70 people were praising God with their voices and raising their hands in worship. It was a melting pot of tears, laughter, prayers, and hymns. Pastor Jeremy wrote this, thinking, “What can give people such hope and joy to people living in such unfavorable conditions? In that poor slum, the Kingdom of God was upon them”

This is the best blessing. This is the best picture of the church. This is the best form of a Christian. This is the best form of worship.

 

It should not become a religious life and church that is based on buildings, finances, and numbers. Like these people, we should earnestly hope to become a person who has the Kingdom of God in us because we have the Holy Spirit in us, and to become a family where the Kingdom of God has come because of the Holy Spirit in our family. Since the Holy Spirit reigns in our church, we should be able to earnestly hope that it will become a church where the Kingdom of God has come. So, our church should be a community that shows God, a community that shows the kingdom of God to come in the future. For this, Jesus was crucified and resurrected. For this purpose, the resurrected Jesus came among us as the Holy Spirit.

 

He continued his writings like this. “The future Kingdom of God, which will come in the new heavens and new earth in the last days, has not yet been fully realized. However, the Kingdom of God was clearly in the midst of the most terrible suffering and wounds I had ever seen.”

 

Pastor Jeremy saw that the transforming power of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of the resurrected Jesus, was clearly manifested in individuals and communities. He saw that God's reign has penetrated and changed the lives of real people. He saw that even though they were poor, they enjoyed the full happiness of having everything in Christ. It was because they were living in the presence of God. And Pastor Jeremy saw the love of God poured out on them and the love of God flowing out through them. Also, he heard all day long the story of how these people love and serve others in the area. Pastor Jeremy wrote again: "I have seen the image of the coming Kingdom of God in this church built with that little shack and in the Christians here. They were poor, but the Holy Spirit dwelled in them, and the Kingdom of God came within them, and these beautiful stories continued through them."

 

Christians living in a slum in Kenya are not the only ones living this way. Today's text is a picture of the early church that the resurrected Jesus came as a spirit and began. This church, in which the resurrected Jesus came as the Holy Spirit and in which Christians live in the presence of God, is where individuals are changing, and where families and church communities are experiencing the Kingdom of God. When we look at them, we can see that God lives. Looking at their community, we can see the coming Kingdom of God. They balance truth and love. Truth and life were not separated. As in verse 42, after receiving the apostle's teachings, they followed the truth and lived a life of balance in love.

They fellowshipped, broke bread, sold their property and possessions for the poor, and distributed it according to their needs. Every day, they continued to meet together in the temple court and pray together. This is the image of true Christians, and this is the image of the church where the true Kingdom of God has come. It is a picture of the Kingdom of God to come. As a result, the early church (as in verse 47) enjoyed the favor of all people, and the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. What does it mean to say 'they enjoyed the favor of all people' here? It means that the early church was a church that allowed them to see the Kingdom of God, and they lived as Christians who showed the reality of the one true God, they believed in. This is the image of Christians living in the presence of God led by the Holy Spirit, and this is the image of the church community living in the presence of God.

3.   

 

The world now needs churches and Christians who can inspire and reassure them, like the early Christians and the Christians who showed the Kingdom of God in a slum in Kenya; “When we see these people (or when we see this church),” we can believe certainly that the Christian message is really true." When we look at these people, we can confidently believe that God lives and that Jesus is the Savior." When we see this church, we can really believe that there is a Kingdom of heaven that we will enter and gain in the future.”

 

So, how should we live as believers in the resurrected Jesus?

We should live every day giving thanks to Jesus for giving us this wonderful grace that allowed us to live with God again through the resurrection of Jesus. And from now on, we should be led by the Holy Spirit who has come into us and live as people belonging to the kingdom of God. Also, we should live a life in which truth and love are in balance. Then each of us will be transformed into the image of Christ. And our church will grow into a community that experiences the Kingdom of God.

 

False beliefs will have no fruit. False beliefs will grow weaker. False beliefs will wither. But the true faith will come to life more and more. Real faith will grow even to Christ. The true faith will flow the love of Christ to your neighbor. The true faith will enjoy the Kingdom of God while living on this earth. The true faith will show the God we believe in in our lives. The true faith will reveal a community that can experience heaven.