THE KINGDOM OF GOD
[p. 448] THE KINGDOM OF GOD
Luke 16:16; Luke 17:20, 21; Luke 18:16-30
We have seen that at the beginning of chapter 14 we get Christ coming into man’s house, and at the end of the chapter there is the great supper, and man is brought into God’s house.
In chapter 15 we get the representative guest in the Father’s house, the prodigal stands as the representative of a company; and what marks God’s house is the celebration of grace — God has provided everything in His own house for His own satisfaction. Two things mark the prodigal, reconciliation and the best robe — a picture of a man in new creation under the eye of God, for God’s satisfaction. There is only one Man in God’s house as characteristic and that is Christ; every one in the house partakes of one Man.
Reconciliation leads on to new creation. If you study attentively 2 Corinthians 5:16-21, you will see that everything is to be for God: reconciliation is for God and we are to be for His pleasure, and new creation is for God; that is, God is to have His pleasure in what is created, “That we might become God’s righteousness in him” (2 Corinthians 5:21), that is, that we might be in Christ for God’s pleasure; no distance, every bit of distance removed completely, brought into His house in the best robe to be for the Father’s satisfaction. New creation is for God’s complete satisfaction, could not be more so.
In chapter 15 the christian enters into what is for God by His own work — it is what makes him fit to be the companion of Christ. I have often asked, Why are we the sons of God? First, that He might have His pleasure in us; and then that we should be the companions of Christ. The one thing is that we are conscious of being the objects of His love and the [p. 449] companions of Christ, and this is properly realised in the assembly.
In chapter 16 we are tested by our means and opportunities. If we are disciples of Christ, we must use what we have here, not for this world, but for the other; and the terrible truth comes out that the other world may completely reverse the conditions of this world.
Tonight I wish to speak of the kingdom of God. It has come in unseen into this world, and the scriptures we have read bring out what is suited to the kingdom and what the kingdom excludes. Little children are there and we must become as little children. All that makes a man great in this world excludes from the kingdom. When I speak of the kingdom I am not speaking of the higher privileges of a christian. The truth of the kingdom refers to what we are down here; so if we speak of the house of God, christians form it down here. It is where God dwells. Jew and gentile are builded together for a habitation of God through the Spirit. It is where the gospel goes out from and gathers into. Of course we know it has become a great house but properly, it is from it that intercession should go out for all men. The kingdom of heaven is consequent upon the exaltation of Christ; mail finds that his pathway is under the direction and light of heaven. In the great missionary societies men take their directions from man — the great point in the kingdom is to get light and direction from heaven. One great function of the Lord in heaven is to direct every individual saint here into the will of God; that is the great gain of the kingdom, just as the natural man lives in the light of the sun. It is easy to consult this or that person, but what I would delight to do is to look to the Lord as to all my pathway here.
The kingdom of heaven refers to the condition of soul of the believer who is maintained under its moral sway. The point is that we should be under the sway [p. 450] of grace. When I talk of the kingdom it is a question of individual application; it is righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, Romans 14:17. Why? Because only such as are under the sway of God’s grace can know anything of “righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit”, Romans 14:17. That is the character of the kingdom, and it is made good in the soul of the believer.
If we do not know something of that side, the sway of God’s grace, how can we enter into the privileges of the assembly? It is one thing to come together as believers, but the great idea of Scripture is to come together as companions of Christ, as living stones to the Living Stone; and God has brought us into that place. I feel how little I enter into it, what little power of affection I have to enable me to realise it; but we cannot enter into that side if we do not enter into what the kingdom is as the sway of God’s grace.
Assembly privilege is not always true of us; we are not always able to meet in the assembly. The kingdom privilege is always true of us; but we must get the idea in connection with the kingdom that it is the sway of God in grace. It came into the world unperceived.
In chapter 16 you get the kingdom in contrast to the law and prophets — the Jew was under that — the kingdom to the Jew was the good time to come. The Lord speaks of pressing into it, but the Pharisees did not press into it. When we come into the kingdom the law and the prophets are left behind; it is a new scene. Christendom has gone back to legality. The power of grace known in the soul of man is different from the law — that is demand — and the prophets called men back to the sway of God; but the kingdom is not demanding, it is God forgiving, justifying — known in grace, peace in the soul of a man. If you want a picture of it, look at the close of Luke 7. That began with the presence of Christ down here. John the [p. 451] baptist preached it, but it began with Christ being present. It was the attitude of God to man in the presence of Christ here “not imputing trespasses”, 2 Corinthians 5:19.
Now turn to chapter 17:20,21, and on to the end, and contrast it with the Son of man’s days. The kingdom comes unperceived, because Christ was unperceived. He was here in humiliation, “kingdom of God is among you”, Luke 17:21. It was there in the Person of Christ and in connection with those who were with Christ by the fact of their being in the company of Christ and under the sway of grace. What a mighty thing to come into the world unperceived in the Person of Christ, without observation! How little it was understood! The Lord came in the power of the kingdom, and the Jew, whose expectation was bound up with the kingdom, was lost in unbelief and did not get the blessing of it.
Now turn to chapter 18:15, ‘infants’. The point it conveys to me is that nothing is too small or insignificant for the kingdom — but I will tell you what there is no place for — there is no place for man’s will. Then there is another thing — it refers to literal infants, and we have got to bring them up in the light of the grace of God, to seek to bring home to them what it is the pleasure of God to do, to communicate to man the forgiveness of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit; to release man from the penalty of sin and to confer gifts. “Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child”, Luke 18:17. The kingdom has to be received in the simplicity of faith — man has to receive the testimony of it, to begin with entirely new light from God — God revealed in grace. Paul preached the kingdom of God. The practical result of God’s pleasure is that the soul of man can be maintained in righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit (Romans 14:17). No one who is not converted can receive the kingdom — it is what God has been pleased to establish here on earth and is maintained continually in the power of [p. 452] the Holy Spirit; but we begin with being justified, no imputation. Righteousness, peace and joy will be brought in in a public way in the reign of Christ.
Just a word more as to the practical effect on us. Titus 2:11-14, we see God bringing salvation to all men, teaching us, etc. Here is the practical effect; we are so affected by it that we learn to know the measure of ourselves, “live soberly” — brought down from all inflated ideas of ourselves and instead of being controlled by sin we live righteously, piously. That grace which brings God into all our things down here enables us to walk not according to the prudence of this world, but as those who “trust in a living God”, 1 Timothy 4:10. We are to receive the kingdom of God as a little child. We have to begin completely afresh; it is so new to the heart of man. Grace orders, conducts everything in the kingdom. We are so very legal, we so little enter into what the grace of God is — the effect of it would be overpowering. Man is ashamed to take the ground of being a subject of grace — but what moulds us is grace. All the great things of this world are outside the kingdom — the possessions of the rich man make it exceedingly difficult for him to enter. Why? Because riches have the effect of attaching the heart of man to things here, and he will not care much for “righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit”, Romans 14:17. While he is attached to the world he will not care to hear of forgiveness and the Holy Spirit. I am perfectly terrified with this world. I see men living in luxury and self-pleasure, and leaving God completely out of it; but then there is the other side of a man who has nothing here may have “righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit”, Romans 14:17.
Piety has promise of the life which now is as well as of that which is to come. I should at one time have thought that it had promise only of that which is to come, but the Lord speaks of “manifold more in this present time ...”, Luke 18:30.
[p. 453] May God give us to see that we are morally outside of things here, that we may not be seeking to make the best of both worlds, but to be content to be outside in our proper character so that we may know the great reality and great gain of the kingdom. It is intimately bound up with the Lord in heaven in all authority directing, and the presence of the Holy Spirit here maintaining the soul in righteousness, peace and joy.