CHURCH AND KINGDOM

1. Our language allows us to often substitute one word for another.

2. We can interchange words to better communicate ideas.

3. Examples of this include “job” and “work,” “house” and “home,” “make” and “build.”

4. “Buy” and “purchase”; “speak” and “talk.”

IN THE BIBLE WE FIND THIS SAME TYPE OF SUBSTITUTION.

A. God and Lord are sometimes used interchangeably.

B. There are times when belief and faith are synonymous.

C. “Repent” and “turn” offer another example.

2. Tonight I want to show that the words church and kingdom are often interchangeable.

3. These two words do not always point to the same thing, but they often do.

4. In the ASV the word “kingdom” appears 160 times in the New Testament; church appears 76 times.

5. When we study these two terms we find a definite pattern.

6. If you have never noticed this point hopefully it will become visible tonight.

A. When we look for the word church we find that it is emphasized in a certain part of the NT.

B. Of the 76 times church occurs, all but three of the words occurrences are in Acts—Revelation.

C. There are only three places in Matthew—John where church appears.

D. These references are Mt. 16:18 and Mt. 18:17 (Mt. 18 uses the term twice).

7. Almost nothing is said about the word “church” in Matthew-John.

8. Is this a coincidence, or does this fact tell us something?

9. In contrast to the word church is the word “kingdom.”

10. As I noted a few moments ago, we find this term 160 times in the New Testament.

11. Of these 160 times, 125 of the places this word appears are in the gospels.

12. In other words, kingdom is emphasized in Matthew-John; church is stressed in Acts-Rev.

13. Jesus use of the word kingdom in the gospels is almost like a riddle; what does it mean?

14. When we look at the church and kingdom are used, we are presented with some undeniable facts.

15. Kingdom is emphasized in the life of Jesus; church is stressed after the resurrection.

16. When we consider why the Bible uses these two words in this way we can find some answers.

17. Kingdom and church are often interchangeable.

A. Of kingdom and church, kingdom is the most interchangeable.

B. Tonight I want to demonstrate this point with many verses we already know.

18. We want to start this by spending a few moments on the word “church.”

19. The first time we find this term in the New Testament (English and Greek) is Mt. 16:18.

20. Jesus said He would build His “church.”

21. What if we read this statement but replaced “church” with the word kingdom?

22. What if we think of Jesus saying, “I will build my kingdom?”

23. Such a rendering would flow very well with the text because the very next verse says this:

24. “I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven.”

25. Jesus may have used the word “church” because Peter had just received some special information.

26. Perhaps Jesus wanted to provide Peter with a little more good news.

27. Whatever the reason, Jesus did use the word church and kingdom fits in well with the thought.

28. Jesus also spoke of the church in Mt. 18:17.

29. There the Lord spoke about taking a matter before the “church.”

30. Substituting the word kingdom in Mt. 18:17 does not make good sense of the text.

31. Not every place the word church occurs is wise or right to think of it as the kingdom.

32. Acts 5:11 says “fear came upon the whole church”; kingdom does not read too well.

33. A similar thing can be said for Acts 8:3; a great persecution came upon the “church.”

34. For the most part, people do not have too many difficulties with the word church.

35. In our day and time most get hung up on the word kingdom.

36. This is the predominant word in the gospels, and this will be the word we concentrate on tonight.

37. Because there are almost 200 references involving this word, I will list some verses in rapid order.

38. The first is Mt. 4:23.

A. Jesus spoke about preaching the “gospel of the kingdom.”

B. We are familiar with the word gospel.

C. Because Jesus spoke of a kingdom gospel, we might ask this question:

D. Are there two gospels—one for the kingdom and one for the church?

E. No. Almost everyone would agree that the gospel is in the hands of the church.

F. The gospel is not going to help people in a future life; the gospel is for life on earth.

G. The gospel of the kingdom is identical to the gospel possessed by the church.

39. Skipping to Mt. 6:10 Jesus told His people to pray that the kingdom would come.

40. Did the disciples pray that the kingdom would come during their lifetime but they died without it?

41. Have people been praying 2,000 for a kingdom but God has yet to deliver it?

42. I cannot fathom that kind of interpretation.

43. God said pray that the kingdom would come and those prayers were answered.

44. Jesus said in Mk. 9:1 the kingdom would come before those in His day and time died.

45. Try thinking about the word “church” instead of kingdom in Mt. 6:10: thy church come.

46. This ties right in with what Jesus promised to do (Mt. 16:18)—build His church.

47. Jesus told His people to pray that such could be done. Why?

48. Because the church is Christ’s body, and is the place where we have spiritual refuge.

49. Mt. 6:33 says “seek ye first the kingdom.”

A. This is a fascinating verse if the kingdom has not yet come.

B. How can we seek something if it does not exist?

C. What if we understand the verse as “seek ye first the church built by Christ?”

D. This is something we can do. That is what first century Christians did.

E. God’s people endured persecution and death to stay faithful to the Lord’s body.

50. Mt. 13:19 refers to the “word of the kingdom.”

51. What is this word? How do we identify the word of the kingdom?

52. The word of the kingdom is the good news that is proclaimed by the church.

53. When Jesus spoke about the word of the kingdom he described the gospel.

54. Jesus spoke of this matter once again a little later in this chapter.

55. Mt. 13:47 says the kingdom of God is like a net cast into the sea.

56. In this net are all kinds of fish.

A. How do we explain this parable?

B. What is the kingdom and how does it relate to a fishing net?

C. We can explain it without difficulty if we view it in terms of the church.

D. Who is the church for? Jews, Gentiles, men, women, all people.

E. The universal nature of the church is like a net with all kinds of fish.

57. Consider another well known passage, Mt. 21:43.

A. Jesus spoke to some unbelieving Jews; these people were hard hearted.

B. Jesus said the kingdom would be “taken from them.”

C. It would then be “given to another.”

D. Is there any way in which the church can be related to these two ideas?

E. Yes. What did God say about the gospel?

F. Listen to Rom. 1:16 – QUOTE.

G. Who did the gospel go to first? The Jews, just as Jesus said in Mt. 21:43.

H. Acts 1:8 says Jesus told His people to go the Jews first.

I. Then they were to enter into Samaria and finally the entire world.

J. After the Jews were given an opportunity to hear the gospel, the truth went to others.

58. Later in the 25^th chapter of Matthew we read about 10 virgins.

59. According to the Lord, 5 of these ladies were prepared for the kingdom and five were not.

60. We see these same 2 kinds of people in the church; some are ready and some are not.

61. Jesus promised to observe the Lord’s Supper in the kingdom, Mt. 26:29.

62. Paul said in 1 Cor. 10 and 11 we have “communion” (fellowship) with Christ in the church.

63. Jesus is with His people when they partake of the bread and fruit of the voice representing His death.

64. Moving into the book of Mark (4:26) the kingdom of God is compared to seed being cast on the ground.

A. If this kingdom reference is not understood as the church, it is very difficult to explain.

B. If we understand this passage as the church, it correlates so well with the entire New Testament.

C. God’s people are involved in sowing seed when they are involved in evangelistic work.

D. Jesus explained this in the parable of the sower; He said the seed is the Word of God.

E. At the end of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, we have a record of the great commission.

F. Christians cast seed upon the earth (God’s message).

G. Even Paul recognized this analogy in 1 Cor. 3:6-8.

H. He said, “I planted, Apolos water, God gave the increase.”

65. Another example of this comes from Mk. 4:30f.

66. This part of Mark’s gospel compares the kingdom of God to a grain of mustard seed.

67. Jesus says this seed is very minute but it grows into a huge tree.

A. What do we find with respect to the church?

B. Jesus built it but after its establishment there were not many members.

C. Acts 1 tells us about 100+ people.

D. Shortly thereafter the number of disciples increases to more than 3,000.

E. Even 3,000 people compared to the world’s population is very small.

F. The church that Christ built grew until it spread throughout the world.

G. Thousands and thousands became Christians.

H. The church did exactly what Jesus said the kingdom would do in Mk. 4.

68. Jesus said we must be “born anew” if we want to be part of the kingdom, Jn. 3:3.

69. What did Paul say in 2 Cor. 5:17? If any man is “in Christ” he is a new creature.

70. This is another way of describing a new birth.

71. If we are in Christ’s body (the church), we are in the kingdom.

72. To enter into the kingdom we must use water (Jn. 3:5).

73. To enter into the church we must be baptized, Acts 2:38.

WE NEVER WANT TO MAKE THE MISTAKE OF SAYING THAT THE CHURCH AND KINGDOM ARE ALWAYS THE SAME. THIS IS AS ERRONEOUS AS SAYING THE CHURCH AND THE KINGDOM ARE NEVER SYNONYMOUS.

A. When you read through Matthew-John, try substituting “church” for kingdom.

B. You will find that word about 125 times, and it will change your view of the church.

2. From time to time people say to us, “the church is not important.”

3. When people know what the word kingdom means in the gospels, they will not say that.

4. God’s kingdom (the church), Mt. 6:33 is to be the most important item in our lives.

5. Satan wants people to be turned away from the kingdom (church) built by Christ, Mt. 13:19.

6. God says His kingdom (church) is like a treasure, Mt. 13:44 and a wonderful pearl (verse 45).

7. Church and kingdom express different concepts about the same spiritual body.

8. Many are waiting and hoping for Jesus to one day come back and establish a kingdom.

9. Many are waiting for a special time to come.

10. By studying the Bible we know that the special time is already here.

11. Jesus built His church, and He is head of that spiritual kingdom.

12. This is our message for and to the world.

13. We can and must extend a message for all to come to the great supper of the king.

14. Fellowship with Christ is in His body (kingdom) the church.