Fourth Sunday after Epiphany 1/28/07 Text: 1 Corinthians 12:13b=13:13 Title: Kingdom of God
Fourth Sunday after Epiphany
1/28/2007
Text: 1 Corinthians 12:31b-13:13
Title: Kingdom of God
This morning I would like to talk to you about the Kingdom of God. There are a lot of Christians today that think that the Kingdom of God does not exist now, but is going to come sometime in the future. At that time Christians will be put into positions of power over the non-believers. Life will be good, for finally Christians will be respected, they will have power.
There are others that think that when God comes to rule, that he will establish his kingdom in Israel. Since he is going to do that, we, the people of the United States must be friends with the Jewish people, so we will not be left out of the Kingdom of God.
There are several more versions of what will happen when God comes back to establish his kingdom, but all the versions share one common thought. That is that when God comes back he will be an earthly king and Christians will rule alongside him.
Every Sunday and hopefully every day you pray in the Lord’s Prayer that his kingdom will come. Now that sounds like it is not here yet, but Martin Luther in his explanation of the second petition of the Lord’s Prayer tells us that, “When we pray, ‘thy kingdom come’, we are saying, “Dear Father, we ask you first to give us your Word, so that the gospel may be properly preached throughout the world and then that it may also be received in faith and may work and dwell in us, so that your kingdom may become so much a part of us through the Word and the power of the Holy Spirit that the devil’s kingdom may be destroyed so that he may have no right or power over us until finally his kingdom is utterly eradicated and sin, death, and hell wiped out, that we may live forever in perfect righteousness and blessedness.
You see, when we are praying that God’s Kingdom comes we are asking him to bring it to us now. “God wants us to have those things that are good for us. He desires nothing more from us than that we ask many and great things of him. Imagine if the richest and most powerful emperor commanded a poor beggar to ask for whatever he might desire and was prepared to give lavish, royal gifts, and the fool asked only for a dish of beggar’s broth. He would rightly be considered a rogue and a scoundrel, who had made a mockery of the imperial majesty’s command and was unworthy to come into his presence. Just so, it is a great reproach and dishonor to God if we, to whom he offers and pledges so many inexpressible blessings, despise them or lack confidence that we shall receive them and scarcely venture to ask for a morsel of bread.”[1]
We see in his explanation of the second petition that God’s Kingdom is here now. The Kingdom of God existed when Adam and Eve lived in the Garden of Eden. It existed after they fell into sin, when God promised that a savior would come.
And we see in our Old Testament reading for today, that it existed in Jeremiah’s day. We see that God is and active God in his kingdom. He just does not sit in heaven watching what takes place on earth.
We see that God knew Jeremiah even before he was in his mother’s womb, just as knew each one of us before we were in our mother’s womb. God called Jeremiah through his word. God gave Jeremiah the power to fulfill his will.
God told Jeremiah that he would give him the words that he needed to say, even when Jeremiah said he could not do it. God told Jeremiah that he will rescue him when the people attack him. God tells Jeremiah that he will make him strong and the people will not overcome him. God’s Kingdom existed in Jermemiah’s day.
Turning to our Gospel reading, we see some more examples God’s Kingdom being an active kingdom here on this earth. Luke tells us that everywhere Jesus spoke the people saw that his message came from God and not earthly sources. The people saw that Jesus had power over demons and disease. There is no doubt that God’s Kingdom was present in Jesus, for his kingship was visible to all people, even those who stayed in the devil’s kingdom.
Now let us turn to the Epistle reading for today which is usually referred to as the love chapter. It is quite often read at weddings; maybe it was read at yours. The problem with this passage being read at a wedding is that it has nothing to do with marriage. These verses have to do with the love of God as it is shown through a congregation’s love for each other and those outside of their community. It is about living in the Kingdom of God.
This particular congregation that Paul is writing to had forgotten, as many congregations today, what it means to be a congregation living in the Kingdom of God, so Paul has to remind them that God’s Kingdom is about love and the community through which that love is made known to those inside and outside of the community.
Loving each other seems to be the hardest thing for us to do. We know we should be loved, but loving others that is a whole new story, that is unless they love us back. I am reminded of a poem that I once read, the author is unknown.
What joy to love the saints aboveWhen I get home to glory.To love below, the saints I know,Well, that’s another story!To love mankind I always findTo be a simple task.To have love for the man next doorIs more than one should ask!Love’s full and free when two agree;It isn’t hard at all.But easy it ain’t to love the saintWho drives me up the wall!
When someone’s kind, and has Christ’s mind,I love him with great ease.But one who hurts with words he blurts,Don’t make me love him, please!If no one needs my loving deeds,I love unstintingly.But hungry saints with real complaintsShould stay away from me!But Jesus said, to those He led,“By this all will discoverThat you are Mine. This is the sign – That you love one another.”
Loving is hard is it not? But it is necessary for loving each other is the sign that we are living in the Kingdom of God.
How many have quit coming to voter’s meetings because of the lack of love shown among some of those there? How many do not take part in the congregation’s functions because of the power struggles where there is no love shown? I hear that a lot, but I also wonder how many people do not take part in the congregation because at some time or other, they did not get their way and they have no love for those who disagreed with them.
Love, as Paul tells us, is the only true sign that we love God, that we live in the Kingdom of God. Love is how those outside the church know we are Christians. Love is how we bring others to Christ.
The key to our being able to love is found in the last verse of our Epistle reading for this morning. In the end, “these three things remain: faith, hope, and love. The greatest of these is love.”
All we have are gifts from God to be used to give him glory, but faith, hope, and love are critical to our salvation, for without them we cannot live in the Kingdom of God.
God gives us our faith. And because we have faith in God, we have the sure hope of his love, and forgiveness. And because we have a sure hope in his love and forgiveness, we are filled with love for others.
When you think about it, there really is no excuse for a Christian not to love others. Jesus died for them as much as he died for you, so how can you not love others, that is, if you are going to live in the Kingdom of God. Amen. .
[1]Kolb, R., Wengert, T. J., & Arand, C. P. (2000). The Book of Concord : The confessions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church (447). Minneapolis: Fortress Press.
1/28/2007
Text: 1 Corinthians 12:31b-13:13
Title: Kingdom of God
This morning I would like to talk to you about the Kingdom of God. There are a lot of Christians today that think that the Kingdom of God does not exist now, but is going to come sometime in the future. At that time Christians will be put into positions of power over the non-believers. Life will be good, for finally Christians will be respected, they will have power.
There are others that think that when God comes to rule, that he will establish his kingdom in Israel. Since he is going to do that, we, the people of the United States must be friends with the Jewish people, so we will not be left out of the Kingdom of God.
There are several more versions of what will happen when God comes back to establish his kingdom, but all the versions share one common thought. That is that when God comes back he will be an earthly king and Christians will rule alongside him.
Every Sunday and hopefully every day you pray in the Lord’s Prayer that his kingdom will come. Now that sounds like it is not here yet, but Martin Luther in his explanation of the second petition of the Lord’s Prayer tells us that, “When we pray, ‘thy kingdom come’, we are saying, “Dear Father, we ask you first to give us your Word, so that the gospel may be properly preached throughout the world and then that it may also be received in faith and may work and dwell in us, so that your kingdom may become so much a part of us through the Word and the power of the Holy Spirit that the devil’s kingdom may be destroyed so that he may have no right or power over us until finally his kingdom is utterly eradicated and sin, death, and hell wiped out, that we may live forever in perfect righteousness and blessedness.
You see, when we are praying that God’s Kingdom comes we are asking him to bring it to us now. “God wants us to have those things that are good for us. He desires nothing more from us than that we ask many and great things of him. Imagine if the richest and most powerful emperor commanded a poor beggar to ask for whatever he might desire and was prepared to give lavish, royal gifts, and the fool asked only for a dish of beggar’s broth. He would rightly be considered a rogue and a scoundrel, who had made a mockery of the imperial majesty’s command and was unworthy to come into his presence. Just so, it is a great reproach and dishonor to God if we, to whom he offers and pledges so many inexpressible blessings, despise them or lack confidence that we shall receive them and scarcely venture to ask for a morsel of bread.”[1]
We see in his explanation of the second petition that God’s Kingdom is here now. The Kingdom of God existed when Adam and Eve lived in the Garden of Eden. It existed after they fell into sin, when God promised that a savior would come.
And we see in our Old Testament reading for today, that it existed in Jeremiah’s day. We see that God is and active God in his kingdom. He just does not sit in heaven watching what takes place on earth.
We see that God knew Jeremiah even before he was in his mother’s womb, just as knew each one of us before we were in our mother’s womb. God called Jeremiah through his word. God gave Jeremiah the power to fulfill his will.
God told Jeremiah that he would give him the words that he needed to say, even when Jeremiah said he could not do it. God told Jeremiah that he will rescue him when the people attack him. God tells Jeremiah that he will make him strong and the people will not overcome him. God’s Kingdom existed in Jermemiah’s day.
Turning to our Gospel reading, we see some more examples God’s Kingdom being an active kingdom here on this earth. Luke tells us that everywhere Jesus spoke the people saw that his message came from God and not earthly sources. The people saw that Jesus had power over demons and disease. There is no doubt that God’s Kingdom was present in Jesus, for his kingship was visible to all people, even those who stayed in the devil’s kingdom.
Now let us turn to the Epistle reading for today which is usually referred to as the love chapter. It is quite often read at weddings; maybe it was read at yours. The problem with this passage being read at a wedding is that it has nothing to do with marriage. These verses have to do with the love of God as it is shown through a congregation’s love for each other and those outside of their community. It is about living in the Kingdom of God.
This particular congregation that Paul is writing to had forgotten, as many congregations today, what it means to be a congregation living in the Kingdom of God, so Paul has to remind them that God’s Kingdom is about love and the community through which that love is made known to those inside and outside of the community.
Loving each other seems to be the hardest thing for us to do. We know we should be loved, but loving others that is a whole new story, that is unless they love us back. I am reminded of a poem that I once read, the author is unknown.
What joy to love the saints aboveWhen I get home to glory.To love below, the saints I know,Well, that’s another story!To love mankind I always findTo be a simple task.To have love for the man next doorIs more than one should ask!Love’s full and free when two agree;It isn’t hard at all.But easy it ain’t to love the saintWho drives me up the wall!
When someone’s kind, and has Christ’s mind,I love him with great ease.But one who hurts with words he blurts,Don’t make me love him, please!If no one needs my loving deeds,I love unstintingly.But hungry saints with real complaintsShould stay away from me!But Jesus said, to those He led,“By this all will discoverThat you are Mine. This is the sign – That you love one another.”
Loving is hard is it not? But it is necessary for loving each other is the sign that we are living in the Kingdom of God.
How many have quit coming to voter’s meetings because of the lack of love shown among some of those there? How many do not take part in the congregation’s functions because of the power struggles where there is no love shown? I hear that a lot, but I also wonder how many people do not take part in the congregation because at some time or other, they did not get their way and they have no love for those who disagreed with them.
Love, as Paul tells us, is the only true sign that we love God, that we live in the Kingdom of God. Love is how those outside the church know we are Christians. Love is how we bring others to Christ.
The key to our being able to love is found in the last verse of our Epistle reading for this morning. In the end, “these three things remain: faith, hope, and love. The greatest of these is love.”
All we have are gifts from God to be used to give him glory, but faith, hope, and love are critical to our salvation, for without them we cannot live in the Kingdom of God.
God gives us our faith. And because we have faith in God, we have the sure hope of his love, and forgiveness. And because we have a sure hope in his love and forgiveness, we are filled with love for others.
When you think about it, there really is no excuse for a Christian not to love others. Jesus died for them as much as he died for you, so how can you not love others, that is, if you are going to live in the Kingdom of God. Amen. .
[1]Kolb, R., Wengert, T. J., & Arand, C. P. (2000). The Book of Concord : The confessions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church (447). Minneapolis: Fortress Press.
posted by Pastor Rhoads | 5:11 PM
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