“Then He leased the vineyard to tenant farmers and moved to another country.” (Mt.21:33-43)
In the first installment of “The King of the Kingdom” we saw that the King Came, Lived, Died and Rose from the Dead. This is the heart of the kingdom because it is the gospel of Christ by which we become citizens of the kingdom. The King is actually the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, and everyone who believes this gospel is saved for the kingdom. But the story of the King doesn’t end there.
But before we continue, a word about relevance. Four-fifths of this study is prophetic and the question is asked, “How is this relevant for me, for my life today?” This is relevant because of who we are to worship and serve: King Jesus or ourselves. And our hope for the future will determine how we live now. 1Cor.15:58 says, concerning the hope of our resurrection, “Therefore, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord because you know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.” We need to know that we will be facing the judgment of God for our behavior when Jesus comes back. Eternal rewards are at stake (2Cor.5:10).
V. The King Went Away. The disciples asked the resurrected King if He were going to at this time restore the kingdom to Israel. No! They had not figured on what we now call the Church Age. Right after they asked Jesus that question, He left. He went back to heaven. When He left, He left us in charge. He gave us the awesome responsibility of continuing His work and preaching His gospel.
In almost all the parables of the Kingdom of God there was a king or landowner or rich person with power who left everything he had to his servants. They were to do everything as though he were there. When Jesus left, He left His servants in charge. They were to do what He told them to do while He was away. He left us here to serve Him and rule the world, even as Adam had been given the commission (Gen.1:26) and Jesus actually did. We are responsible. We let things happen! We are responsible for what happens on earth. He has not left us naked and unequipped to fulfill our responsibilities; He has sent the Helper, the Holy Spirit, to clothe us with His power to ‘stay awake’ and do our jobs: share the gospel and heal the sick. This is called Christ’s Great Commission (Mk.16:15-18).
The difference between the good servants and bad ones is - Jesus is king in the hearts of the good servants. Is He the king of your heart? If not, your future is not good. If so, when He returns you will hear Him say, “Well done, good and faithful servant, you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things.”
To read more click here, http://www.gracehouseclinton.com/2022/09/the-king-of-the-kingdom-part-two
To view our Livestream, Click here: https://fb.watch/fSQULvvWel/
Stay Connected with Grace Church!
Dive deeper into sermon notes and see how Christ is moving in our community by visiting our website: https://sites.google.com/view/gracehouseclinton/sermons
If you feel led to support our ministry, you can give securely here: https://give.tithe.ly/?formId=674824c2-5d42-11ee-90fc-1260ab546d11
Thank you for being part of our ministry! #GraceChurch #FaithInAction #terrysimpson #terry #simpson #clintonar #sermons #pastor #ministry #discipleship