Our King, His Kingdom (Matthew 6:33)
Here’s my opening, introductory message from our new Matthew series. You can catch the audio and video here. As always, fantastic work from Laura Schembre on our sermon series graphic.
There are two questions that are so important for each us to answer. Who am I? Why am I here? What’s our identity? What’s our purpose? If we never get to these questions, we’ll wander aimlessly through this world. But even if we learn the answers, our identity and purpose are so easy to forget.
We’re seeing that so much today in America. Maybe you missed this, but something happened this week in Dallas that blew my mind. Hundreds of QAnon followers gathered Tuesday at the site where John F. Kennedy was assassinated some 60 years ago. They showed up early Tuesday morning, fully convinced that JFK Jr. - who died in a plane crash 20 years ago - would return from hiding - along with his dad. Junior would reinstate the former president, serve as his vice president, and the two would together bring the United States back to glory.
Hundreds stood there, flags in hand, ready for a parade. They claimed other dead celebrities would come out of hiding, joining them for the celebration. Folks were convinced they had seen Robin Williams and Richard Pryor already. One woman shouted her excitement that Kobe Bryant would show up. A man passed along a rumor that a resurrected rapper had come on the scene. “Tupac, maybe?”, someone responded.
Well, when the honored guests didn’t show, some in the crowd pivoted into a new prediction. The Kennedys - and that group of dead celebrities - would show up at the Rolling Stones concert later that night. One live-streamer at the event cried out, “Rolling Stones? Rolling away the stone!”
Now to be clear, most Q fans would call that Dallas rally extreme. That’s the fringe of the fringe, for sure. But one could argue that it’s just one of the most severe cases of this sickness that has overtaken the soul of America - and really, the American church. Most of those people would call themselves Christians. They were chanting more than just “JFK,” but also “God Bless America.” They’ve been discipled by our churches. We’ve forgotten who our King is. We’ve given ourselves to other kingdoms. We’ve sold him for 30 pieces of silver. Now we’ll buy anything as a result.
Today, we’ll embark on a journey together - one we’ll be on for awhile. We’ll walk through the gospel of Matthew - verse by verse. Here we’ll be reminded over and over of our identity. And we’ll see together again and again our purpose.
About the Gospel
Now generally when we use the word gospel, we’re talking about the “good news” - what Jesus came to do through His life, death, and resurrection. But when we open up our New Testaments, we quickly notice that the first four books are called “gospels.” When we use the term that way, we’re talking about a type of book in the Bible - a genre. They’re not letters written to churches - like most of the books in the New Testament. They’re little history books - that let us listen in to some of Christ’s teachings and get a glimpse of many of His deeds.
Now like all history books, each of these gospels has a take, an angle on Christ. It’s why we have four of them. They interpret that history for us. Each gospel writer has his own way - inspired by the Holy Spirit - of telling us who Jesus is and what He came to do. Taken together, we get this full-orbed picture of what the good news, the gospel, of Jesus is.
Now we see this book of the Bible is called the “Gospel of Matthew.” There’s no byline in the text, like we see with Paul’s letters, for example. But from the very early days, this book has been attributed to Matthew, the tax collector, who became one of the disciples of Jesus. As we’ll soon see, there he was, in that booth, seated in his chair. He had sold out to the government. He was robbing his own people of their hard-earned money. That is, until Jesus came and called him as his own.
Now he likely wrote this back in the 60s A.D., after the gospel of Mark was written, but before the fall of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. Scholars think the original audience was the church of Antioch of Syria. However, it quickly was circulated among God’s people. And we’re still obviously talking about it today.
It seems Matthew’s main early audience were converts from Judaism. There are so many references to the Old Testament. We’ll see those in the book’s main themes in a bit. While Matthew encourages those fellow Jews to embrace Jesus as Messiah, he also pushes them to embrace God’s plan for all nations. And He encourages the people of Israel who’d become Christians to stand strong amidst opposition - from their fellow Jews, as well as from Gentiles around them.
The Gospel’s Outline
Now there are several different ways scholars have outlined the book, but there’s one that seems to be the most compelling, that’s been embraced by most. You’ll see it laid out on the screen. We’ll take a look at it now and begin to see some of the gospel’s themes emerge.
First, there’s an extended introduction or prologue in chapters 1 and 2. Those verses cover the birth and childhood of Jesus. We’ll have the privilege of walking through them during Advent this season - beginning in just a couple of weeks.
Second, we come to the meat, the body of the book. There are five alternating cycles between stories about Jesus and sermons from Him. In chapters 3 and 4, we see the beginnings of Christ’s ministry. And we then listen to an extended message where Christ describes how citizens of His kingdom live. Chapters 5 through 7 make up the famous Sermon on the Mount. Here we see that Jesus transforms lives. He makes people who mourn over their sin and turn the other cheek. We so much need to hear this today - as we who claim the name of Christ haven’t looked like this.
In chapters 8 and 9, we see Jesus displaying the power of His kingdom. We see several miracles. Then, in the second sermon, in chapter 10, we hear Christ proclaim what servants of His kingdom endure. His disciples, His ministers, are so often not well-received. We’ll undergo persecution. We follow a Master who was crucified. We so easily forget that. And get caught up in winning. Of being respected. Of getting what we think we deserve.
In chapters 11 and 12, we see Christ going about teaching of His kingdom. Then in chapter 13, we learn what our King’s reign is like. In the book’s third sermon, He speaks in parables that teach us the kingdom’s shape. And we need to hear them. Our culture has shaped our churches. We think that things should go bigger and faster and flashier. But that’s not the way His kingdom works.
In chapters 14 through 17, we see Jesus continue to minister - in word and deed - with much power. In the fourth sermon, in chapter 18, we hear Christ describe the heart of those in His kingdom - full of humility, eager to forgive. We see how His kingdom children love. Is there anything more basic to Christianity than humbling ourselves before God? And extending the love we’ve received to others? But that, too, so easily can slip away.
In our last section of story and sermon, we come to chapters 19 through 23. Amidst growing opposition, Jesus continues to preach and heal. The final sermon, found in chapters 24 and 25, is preached on the Mount of Olives. We learn how our King’s reign will come. And man, do we ever need to remind ourselves of those truths. Otherwise, we’ll be the ones at that parade, calling out for Kobe. Or waving our AK-47s, trying to defend a kingdom here on earth.
Those are the five groups of story and sermon that make up the main body of this gospel. But we can’t forget the end. There’s a conclusion, an epilogue, in chapters 26 and 28. And this is where Christ goes, as promised, to the cross, and rises from the grave for our salvation.
The Gospel’s Themes
Now we’ve seen a number of themes in this book already, but we’ve not gotten to the main two. They’re the two that get us to our theme - “Our King. His Kingdom.”
The first? The King is Here. We’ll jump into this even as early as next week. Matthew calls Jesus in the book’s first verse, “The Son of David.” He wants us to see Jesus as the promised Messiah, the Anointed One, the long-awaited King. Foretold in the Old Testament. The One who would bring salvation. The God-man.
Now the Jews of that day certainly waited for such a figure. But they had no categories for a King who would suffer and die and then one day rule and reign. They couldn’t comprehend one who’d come and come again - first in humility, and later in glory. So they rejected Him.
There’s a second theme. His Kingdom has come. In Christ, the rule of God has come to earth. And through it, peace. Matthew, unlike the other gospels, calls this the “Kingdom of Heaven.” As God originally intended, heaven and earth would be one again. Starting with the coming of Jesus. And enduring forever.
Those in Christ’s day looked for such a kingdom. But they couldn’t imagine a one that would come in two phases - first in part and later in full. They had no categories for God’s reign coming in small ways, in spiritual ways - and only later covering the ends of the earth. So they turned their backs on Jesus. And the kingdom He was ushering in.
There God’s people are, the Jews, in the land. They’re under the thumb of the Roman Empire. They’re longing for a Son of David, who would defeat their enemies, and put them in power once again. And here comes Jesus, saying the kingdom has come.
He spends time with the last, the least, and the lost. He doesn’t come on a white horse. He rides in on a donkey. He speaks in parables most people can’t understand. He calls out the religious leaders with boldness. Even the disciples can’t understand how He could be the King. God’s people, the Jews, with the Romans, put Him to death. But He doesn't stay in the grave. And there He shows Himself as King and guarantees that Kingdom.
People of His Kingdom
Graeme Goldsworthy defines the Kingdom of God this way: God’s people in God’s place under God’s rule. And this has always been God’s intention. Let’s go back to the beginning - the garden. Adam and Eve, God’s people, are there. In Eden, God’s place. They’re under God’s rule - for awhile.
They know their identity - as children of God, made in His image. They know their purpose - to rule under God over His creation, cultivating the earth. But they resist God’s reign - they turn from His love. They listen to the Serpent. They’re cast from God’s place.
Down the road, the Lord again gathers a people under Abraham. He brings them into His land. He gives them a king, David. God’s people are in God’s place under God’s rule again. For awhile. And sorta. But his descendants again turn their backs. The people resist God’s rule again. And they’re again cast out.
But the Lord promised them that one day a Son of David would reign as King again. And reign forever. They’d be in the land. The kingdom would come. But this time it would span the globe. God’s people would be in God’s place under God’s rule forever and ever - under the Messiah. That’s the hope of the Bible, church - what Matthew - inspired by God - wants us to long for, labor for!
But like those in Christ’s day, we get so confused. Back then, they had the Pharisees, the religious teachers, who thought, if people would just obey again, everything would be ok. And God’s kingdom would come. Also with them, on further to the right, you had what were called the Zealots. They were willing to resort to violence to get themselves back in power.
Now over to the left, you had the Sadducees. They were religious leaders trying to cozy up to the Romans. That was the way to have power again, they thought. You might have to even compromise some of your beliefs. Of course, you also had the Romans - the ones in power - the pagans. And they didn’t want to hear about anyone showing up, claiming to be King.
But Jesus does - and He comes proclaiming a radically different path. He talks about a kingdom with different radically different values. And He gets scorn and abuse from both the right and the left. From those who were supposed to know better, from the religious, those that thought they knew their Bibles. They wanted Him dead. So did the irreligious. Those who didn’t want anyone calling out their sin or commanding them to change.
Friends, as we proclaim Him as King and point others to His Kingdom, we’ll get the same reactions. From the left. From the right. We’re not children of the elephant or of the donkey. We’re children of the Lamb. Who’s also a Lion. We’re not people of any flag. We’re people of His cross.
We can’t put our trust and hope in the kings and kingdoms of this world. We can’t align ourselves with parties and platforms. We can’t adopt their methods or their ethics. We are the people of God. We’re about Him, our King. We’re here to further His kingdom. That’s our identity. That’s our purpose.
Seeking His Kingdom First
I want to go back to that passage we read at the beginning. “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
“But.” That conjunction communicates contrast. Don’t worry like those who don’t know the King, who don’t have Him as Father. Don’t fear. You don’t need to do that.
Rather, “seek.” Run after it. Search for it. Give maximum effort. Find it - no matter what it takes. It’s not just gonna come to you. Or just show up one day. Go looking for it.
“First.” Not second. After you get to the other things. Make it your priority. At the top of your list.
“The kingdom of God.” His reign. Submit to it. Spread it. Not your kingdom. Not their kingdom. His kingdom. Alone. Make that what you’re all about.
“And His righteousness.” If we are believers, we have Christ’s righteousness given to us. God sees us as He sees Christ. And now He calls us to share that righteousness. To show that righteousness. As it gets worked out in our lives. And as it begins to spread in the world.
“And.” That command has an accompanying promise.
“All these things.” In that context, food and clothing. But so much more. All our needs.
“Will be added to you.” It doesn’t mean we’ll be rich. But it does mean we won’t be abandoned. He’ll meet our needs - all of them. He’s our King. We’re living in His Kingdom. You can bank on it.
Maybe you’re building a business. Don’t cut corners or rip people off. Don’t work 80 hours a week and ignore your family. “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
You’re in the dating game, looking for a spouse. Don’t lower your standards. Don’t marry someone who doesn’t follow Jesus. Don’t hand over your body to get that person. Or take advantage of those willing to pray that price.
“Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
You’re a student, trying to get into grad school and jump-start your career. Don’t push your faith down the priority list. Don’t skip out on Christian community because you think you have too much to do. He’ll take care of you. “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
Now there is this strange phenomenon today - in America, but around the world to some extent - of celebrity pastors. Those with big churches and millions of followers online. I’ve known a few. Some pretty big ones, in fact. But my wife likes to point just how dumb it all is. Again, she was the cool kid in school. Every once in a while, she brings up how ridiculous it is that you have these total nerds jockeying back and forth for influence among millions of nerdy fans. She tries to envision herself back in her pre-Christian days making fun of a “celebrity pastor.” How dumb.
Here’s something ridiculous. Me, Kevin Larson, a no-name pastor in the middle of Missouri, trying to lead a church through a global pandemic, getting upset about how our church might have suffered or how I got treated. It’s not about me. I have zero control over it all. It’s about our King. And His Kingdom.
Now I’m all for glorifying God with our work. It’s one way we can further further His Kingdom. Dating with purpose. Working hard in school. Those honor the King.
But if you get “sales manager of the year” or find “Mr. Right” or get into Harvard - all while you make it about you and try to do it apart from Him - it’s not going to last. It’ll leave you empty. We’re playing around in our sandboxes. Dressing up in our kid’s costumes. Acting like we’re kings. Building these pathetic kingdoms. And it’s downright stupid. Just as much as going to that parade in Dallas. And waiting for JFK Jr to fly from heaven. If we have any success, let’s find it seeking His kingdom first. If we endure any suffering - and we will - let’s remember the point. It’s Him. It’s His Kingdom.
We’re Not Our Own
This past week, I was listening to Professor Alan Noble explain the premise of his new book, You Are Not Your Own. He says that today, we’re taught from an early age this idea that we can be and do whatever we want. We create our identity. We define our purpose in this world.
It’s no wonder, he says, that social media is such a mess. It’s primarily there that we try to make ourselves and prove ourselves today. And it’s no wonder we’re all such a mess as people. Building that identity apart from God is impossible. Creating a purpose away from Him is exhausting. Noble says that we’ve been given an identity. We’ve been made with a purpose. We are not our own. And coming to realize that gives us joy and freedom and rest.
I mentioned those two critical questions at the beginning. Who am I? Why am I here? Here are two more. What’s wrong with the world? How can it be made right? What’s wrong? With us? The world? We’ve turned from our identity and purpose. We’ve not just disobeyed our God. We’ve turned from His love.
We’ve shirked His rule over our lives. We’ve sinned. And now we - and all His creation are under a curse. We deserve death and judgment.
But what can be done? How can things be made right? Christ’s death brings forgiveness for sin, healing for the world. His resurrection reverses the curse. It brings life to us and to all things. His death and resurrection restore us - and everything - to the way things were intended. Back to that identity. To that purpose. Under His rule. The King is also a Servant - one who’s given up His life - for us - that we - and the world - could be changed.
Karis, He is our King. It’s His kingdom we’re all about. Let’s give our hearts, our lives to Him. More and more as we dig in here in Matthew. Let’s pray.