The Kingdom of God- 8

Subtitle:  Inheriting the Millennial Kingdom I

Revelation 19:11-20:10.  This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on Sunday, May 4, 2025.

Last week, we looked at the promises of the a kingdom led by God’s Messiah that are in the Old Testament.  This Anointed King would judge the nations and cause the righteous to inherit the earth.  The kingdom of Messiah would never end.  That is the promise.

Today, we are going to look at the New Testament promise that speaks of the Second Coming of Jesus, the Messiah.  We want to explore how that will fit in with these Old Testament promises.

Let’s look at our passage.

The Second Coming of Jesus

Revelation 19:11-19.

The idea that the Messiah would come twice is not readily apparent in the Old Testament, but does make sense.  We talked about the nature of Messiah’s Kingdom.  It is operational now, but not yet fully as was promised.

There may be many reasons why this is so, but one of them has to do with God’s nature as a the ultimate Teacher.  He wants us to learn how to gain victory over our flesh, before He gives us immortal bodies that are not bent towards sin.  The resurrection is necessary because we cannot inherit the Kingdom of God in our flesh.  However, it is not necessary that it occur immediately.  God in His wisdom gives us a life of taking possession of our souls by patience, faith, and leaning on the help of the Holy Spirit.

Thus, the nations have had 2,000 years to hear the truth about who Jesus is, the reality of his kingdom, and the truth about what he is calling us to do.  At a point in time determined by the Father, Jesus will return to take up a direct rule over the nations bodily upon this earth.  This event will involve a judgment of those powers and people of the earth who have rejected his kingdom.

Revelation 19:11 introduces the rider of a white horse who appears before the earth as the heavens open up.  This connects with several passages, but Matthew 24:30 is an important one.  “All the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory.”  Jesus uses the imagery of Daniel 7, which shows the Son of Man riding the clouds of heaven to God the Father in order to receive dominion over the earth.  Yet, in Matthew 24, Jesus depicts the Son of Man coming out of heaven to the earth in order to take up that dominion.

There is no question that this rider is Jesus, though his name is not mentioned here.  Jesus is presented in the New Testament as the Son of Man that Daniel 7 and Matthew 24 are talking about.  John is seeing that same event that Jesus revealed would happen in Matthew 24.

On top of that, notice the descriptions of the rider.  He is called Faithful and True.  He represents the character of God in keeping His promises to humanity.  It is not just that Jesus is faithful and true in his character, but that his very existence is the proof and actuality of God’s faithfulness and truthfulness.

We are also told that the rider will judge the earth in righteousness.  Isaiah 11:3-4 mentions that Messiah would “not judge by what his eyes see…and ears hear, but with righteousness.”  It may seem strange.  Surely, he should look at the evidence.  However, the point here is about a judge being swayed by the person who is in front of them to pervert justice.  Messiah will not do that.  He will give a righteous judgment (more on this in a bit). 

Verse 13 says that his name is the Word of God.  This ties back to John’s earlier Gospel (John 1:1-3, 14-18).  There John states that “in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God… And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we saw his glory…”  John makes it clear in verse 17, for any who didn’t understand by then, that he is talking about Jesus.  Jesus is the Word of God.  All the words written by the prophets and collected together as Scripture point to Jesus, they reveal him.  If we were to sum up everything that God wants to say to humanity and put it in one Word, one person, it would be the totality of who Jesus is.

Verse 15 speaks of him as the one who strikes the nations with a sword from his mouth and who rules them with a rod of iron.  The first part is focusing on the words that he speaks.  He is the Word of God speaking the word of God.  This is blessing to some (those who believe) and a curse to others (those who do not).  Yet, the phrase about the rod of iron comes from several places in the Old Testament, but especially Psalm 2.  It points to a change in the kingdom of God.  At the Second Coming of Christ, the will of God will be enforced on the earth.  Jesus will not bend to the ideas and desires of the rulers of this earth.  They will bend to his will.  We see similar ideas in Zechariah 14, which speaks of the rule of the LORD after his coming to earth.  If a nation refuses to come up to Jerusalem and worship, then they will have no rain until they do.

Finally, the rider is referred to as the King of kings and Lord of lords.  We could spend a lot of time on this, but suffice it to say that it is a term that speaks of the highest authority and is connected to Jesus in 1 Timothy 6:13-14.  “I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who testified the good confession before Pontius Pilate, that you keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which He will bring about at the proper time—He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see. To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen.”

Revelation 19:20-21.

Just as the identity of the rider is clear (Jesus), so the purpose of the Second Coming of Jesus is also clear.  We’ve already seen that he is coming to judge the nations, but he is also flanked by the armies of heaven (vs. 14). 

The nations have had ample time to submit to the authority and power of Jesus voluntarily.  The nations of the world today are strongly rejecting the wisdom of Jesus and forging their own paths.  Yet, these are proving to be unwise and destructive.  Yet, the book of Revelation reveals that even worse times are to come.

Yet, at just the right time, God the Father sends Jesus to judge the earth.  Isaiah 11:4 states that the Messiah will “decide with fairness for the afflicted of the earth.”  Whenever you are tempted to question whether or not God cares about the little guys who are being crushed under tyranny, this should put it to rest.

Judgment is not necessarily a negative word.  It simply means a decision.  If my car was stolen and then I saw that my neighbor down the street had it, I would call the cops, and we would end up in court.  The judge would make a judgment, a decision, about the case.  When he decides that the car really does belong to me and that my neighbor knowingly stole it, the judgment will be a good thing to me, but a bad thing for the thief.  The Second Coming of Jesus is just like this.  It is good news for those who have been living by faith in Jesus, but it will be bad news for those who have rejected Christ and are living for themselves.

The armies are no doubt heavenly angels.  Matthew 24:31 pictures Christ sending forth his angels to gather his chosen ones.  Matthew 13:41 speaks of angels gathering “all stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness, ⁴² and will throw them into the furnace of fire.”

However, the armies of heaven also include earthly armies.  In this case, the only earthly armies that could be coming from heaven are the armies of resurrected, righteous saints.  1 Corinthians 15:23 speaks of the resurrected saints following him at his second coming.

This martial entry does not have to be a conflict, but the beast has gathered the kings of the earth with their armies in order to attack Jesus at his coming.  Can you imagine attacking the very One who went to the cross for your sins and to obtain your salvation?  Take note that this is the same problem that was at his first coming.  The perfect one, whom the world desperately needs, is attacked by the very ones he aims to help.  Jesus should be celebrated by the nations, but the nations of the world will try to kill him instead.  This is what we see in verse 19.

Thus, part of the purpose of this coming is to remove the enemies of Christ.  It begins in verse 20 with the beast and the false prophet being seized and thrown into the Lake of Fire.  These beings have worked in league with the devil to deceive the nations and harness them against Jesus.  They represent spiritual interference (interlopers) on the earth.  Then, the kings and their armies are summarily dispensed in verse 21.  In truth, all the great power of humanity to Jesus is but a drop of water to the universe.  There is no contest.  There comes a time when a military man needs to make a hard decision.  Am I fighting on the right side or not?  It is better to be killed by the beast and gain the inheritance of the saints, then to be safe for 42 months and then be taken out by Jesus for eternity.

There is yet another enemy that Jesus will deal with.  The break from chapter 19 to chapter 20 is unfortunate.  The story continues without a break.  Look at chapter 20:1-3.

The 1,000-Year Kingdom

Revelation 20:1-3.

An angel seizes the devil and chains him in the Abyss, or the Bottomless Pit.  This is a prison for fallen spiritual beings.  There is a difference between the Lake of Fire and the Abyss.  No one comes back from the Lake of Fire.  They are walled off forever from God’s creation.  We are told that the devil is only chained in the Abyss.  That is where the beast came from (Revelation 11:7).  The devil is held for 1,000 years and then released. 

The purpose for binding him is obvious.  It is so that he cannot deceive the nations any longer.  This helps us to explain why the world is as bad as it is.  Things would be bad enough if we were just sinning to please ourselves.  Yet, it is much worse because of the interference from the devil and his cohorts.  They want to destroy humanity and all that God plans with us.

The kingdom that Jesus sets up will have all of these enemies removed, spiritual and human.  We will be enabled to grow in a much healthier way with a much more righteous leadership.

This begs the question.  Why not put the devil in the Lake of Fire?  Why plan to release him later?  Let’s read on.

Revelation 20:4-6.

The devil is removed so that Jesus can rule over a 1,000 year kingdom on this earth upon his return.  This may seem to contradict the many places in the Old Testament that talk about a kingdom that never ends.  However, even this 1,000 year rule is not a beginning or end of his rule.  It is merely a different phase of his rule.  Presently, Jesus rules from heaven by the Spirit through those who believe in Him.  During this 1,000 years, he will be physically present on the earth.  He will rule over the whole planet.

Notice verse four.  Thrones plural are established and those who sit on them are given power to judge (by Jesus).  This is exactly what the Old Testament promises to the saints.  Jesus mentioned this to his disciples when he told them that they would rule with him on 12 thrones ruling over the 12 tribes of Israel (Matthew 19:28).  Paul mentions this in 1 Corinthians 6:3 when he reminds the Corinthian believers that we will judge angels one day.  These thrones are the varying levels of authority that will be given to the resurrected saints.  They will be the perfect administrators for the authority of Jesus.

Who are they to rule over?  Matthew 25 makes it clear that, though many will die during this period, some will survive.  Those who survive will be brought before Jesus, and he will determine who is able to enter into this 1,000-year kingdom.

Revelation 20:4 may sound like it is limiting this resurrection to only those killed in the tribulation.  However, Colossians 3:4 makes it clear that all the righteous will participate in Christ’s Second Coming.  Thus, this is giving particular encouragement to those who will face the beast and his short rule.  Essentially, it will be worth it to hold on to faith in Jesus.

We also see that there is a sense of political and religious duties.  The saints will rule and judge, but verse 6 adds that they will be priests of God and of Christ.

There is little said about what the period will look like, but the earth will have its first government that is ran by people who are 100% righteous.  They will be just like Jesus.  Imagine that!

This section also makes a distinction between the First Resurrection and those who are resurrected later.  The wicked dead will still remain in the grave awaiting a later judgment.  They will eventually be resurrected in order to be judged (Revelation 20:12).

The First Resurrection is clearly the resurrection of the righteous.  Jesus and some of the Old Testament saints were the first fruits of the resurrection (a harvest picture).  The Second Coming of Jesus will complete this First Resurrection.  The Second Resurrection is a resurrection of the wicked.  It happens at one time for all of them.

The Old Testament speaks of the earth being transformed by the presence of Messiah and his saints.  There will be no war.  People will live longer.  The natural order will be restored so that the animals will not eat one another.  Babies will be safe next to a poisonous serpent because nothing will harm others in his kingdom.  The cleaning of the destruction of the previous epoch will begin, but then be replaced with a rebuilding.  It will be a society that is not built upon the bodies and souls of men.  The immortal believers will teach and lead mortal humans who survived and will repopulate the earth.  The earth itself will bear more fruit than ever imagined as the curse is lifted by the presence of Jesus.

Why would this only last 1,000 years?  Why would it ever end?  Let’s read on.

Revelation 20:7-10.

The release of the devil is to show that even 1,000 years of a perfect king with perfect laws, perfect judgment, and perfect administrators will cure the heart of mortal humans.  He will be able to deceive millions if not billions into rebelling against Christ.

This gives an important message to the current world.  Many hold out the carrot of a Utopian age built by man.  Yet, God warns that we will never be able to do it in our mortal bodies.  We are too bent towards pleasing our flesh.  Even when God gives us a Utopia, we end up rebelling against it and attempting to destroy it at the first opportunity.

This is why the resurrection is so important and why Paul stated: “Flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God (1 Corinthians 15:50).”  Death and resurrection is the only workable plan to fixing humanity.

So, why would God go through this if it is only going to end in rebellion again?  One reason is that God is keeping His word to all the saints of every age.  They will see the wicked removed from power, and the world will be ruled by the saints.  Another reason is to teach us the lesson of what I just stated, the need for resurrection and the impotency of perfect governance in the face of man’s penchant towards sin.

Yet, the kingdom of Christ doesn’t end in verse 9.  Rather, it will only enter into a new phase.  Just as the Millennium is a new phase to the rule of Christ, so the creating of a new heavens and a new earth will be another phase to the kingdom of Christ.  No mortal or wicked being will be allowed to enter the new creation.

These are the promises of God to those who will trust Him.  When He fulfills them, it will be clear that He keeps His word and does all things in wisdom.  “Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”  How you live will make all the difference in the world.

Kingdom 8 audio

The Kingdom of God- 4

Subtitle:  Living in the Kingdom of God

Various passages.  This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on April 6, 2025.

We have talked about the means of entering the Kingdom.  We do so by putting our faith and trust in Jesus.  We trust in who he is as the Lord and Savior.  It is he who has taken our sins upon himself so that we can be free from them.  He is giving us a taste of eternal life through the Holy Spirit, and will raise us up in the Resurrection of the Righteous in order to make us a completed testimony of His eternal life.

We are citizens of this strange, spiritual kingdom, that is very much unlike any other kingdom on this earth.  Today, we will look at what it means, what it looks like, to living in this spiritual kingdom.

Let’s look at some passages.

The Holy Spirit gives us life (Romans 8:11-14)

In this chapter, Paul is describing how our spiritual life is a result of the work of the Holy Spirit.  Verse 14 lays out the reality that we can only become the sons of God through the help of the Holy Spirit.  This is part of the life giving work of God’s Spirit.

He first leads us to see who Jesus is and our need to trust in him for salvation.  When a person responds with faith in Jesus, the Holy Spirit does a real work of making us spiritually alive.  Thus, the Spirit works to put the life of Christ in front of us, and He does a spiritual work of making us a new creation, born from above.

This is foundational to our new life in this new kingdom.  I can know for certain, I can have faith in the fact, that the Spirit of God is giving me life, and will continue to supply spiritual life to me.  No newborn baby brings themselves into existence.  God is the One who makes us spiritually alive.  However, in the case of spiritual birth, there is a cooperation between God and the one becoming a spiritual newborn.  Thus, by our faith in Jesus, God gives us spiritual life.  Also, by our continued faith in Jesus, the Spirit continues to lead us in this new spiritual life.  Over time, this spiritual nourishment causes us to become more and more spiritually mature.

This is what Paul is talking about in verse 12.  He uses the idea of a debt on the heels of all the life that the Spirit of God is giving us.  The Spirit has brought us to Jesus, made us spiritually alive, and continues to nourish us with spiritual life daily.  We are in debt to this great act of love. 

On the other hand, some people live as if they are in debt to their flesh.  What has the flesh ever done for us?  The flesh drew us into sin and bondage.  It makes us guilty before God and without any power to save ourselves.    A Christian knows that the gracious work of God’s Spirit is giving us life over the top of a life of the flesh that only brought death into our lives.

Now, this is not a debt in the sense that we need to pay it off in order to come into the Kingdom, etc.  Rather, Christ died for us so that we might live.  We owe him our lives, so we live life for his purposes.  The Holy Spirit supplies that spiritual nourishment for us to do this work and become more like Jesus, a maturing process.  This is a debt of love that is never intended to be “paid off.”  He first loved us.  We will never fully reciprocate that love.  Yet, He still loves us!

Paul’s point is that a Christian should no longer live in order to satisfy the lusts of their flesh.  This self-focused life is a part of our old life before Christ.  We are to put those lusts to death, and choose to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit.  We are led by the Holy Spirit in putting our fleshly desires, and the deeds that flow out of them, to death and replacing them with life-giving righteousness.

If you pay attention to the argument throughout the chapter, you will see that Paul has more in mind in verse 11 than spiritual birth and spiritual maturity.  He is looking ahead to a point in the future when Jesus Christ will resurrect the righteous by that same Spirit that raised him from the dead.  Paul is reminding us that this is a real spiritual work that impacts not only how we live today, but also our eternal future.  Our Christian life on this mortal plane will some day come to an end in death.  Our bodies will be laid in the grave, but our spirits will go to be with Jesus in heaven.  There we will await the day of resurrection.  When that occurs, we will receive a glorified body that does not grow old and die.  We will be immortal as Jesus is.  This is pictured as an inheritance that has been reserved for us by God.

Think of it.  If the same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead dwells in you, then you have nothing to worry about.  The Spirit is our source of life, even if our mortal bodies die.  We will live eternally in perfect fellowship with God.  We have fellowship now, but it is not perfect yet.  When we step into the eternal state, we will not have to take God by faith.  Instead, we will dwell with Him within His blazing glory and immediate presence.

Notice that Paul is using battle imagery here.  We do not fight against people and put human enemies to death.  Rather, we battle against our fleshly lusts, which are easily stirred up by this world and wicked spiritual forces.  Even bringing the Gospel to others can be seen as setting captives free from slavery in a wicked kingdom.

This may feel like a hopeless battle, but we are not doing this alone.  The more I learn to rely upon the Holy Spirit’s help, the better I will do at removing sin and replacing it with the righteousness of Jesus.

Our heart is like a garden.  In this mortal life, we will always have to weed out these lusts. We would like to believe that we could weed the garden of our heart so well that we never had a stray thought or desire ever again.  This is not the case.  You will not be perfect and complete like that until the resurrection.  Yet, we should take heart.  The task of putting our lusts to death becomes easier with daily focus.  Once a garden has been weeded, it requires much less energy if we check it every day.  However, if you “take a break from weeding,” or only periodically have a fit of weeding, you can expect that it will be spiritually taxing all of the time. 

Matthew 7:24-25.  At the end of the sermon on the mount (Matthew 5-7), Jesus gave us a different image of this same thing.  Our life is pictured as the building of a house.  If we build our life by trusting in the teaching of Jesus, then our house, our life, will withstand the coming storm.  However, if we do not build our life upon the teachings of Jesus, then our house will be destroyed by the coming storm.

The storm can be applied to the difficulties of this life.  The cares and difficulties of life can test our faithfulness to the teachings of Jesus.  They come along and test just how well we have been building.  Yet, I do believe that Jesus has a different storm in mind.  He is speaking of the time of judgment after this life is done.  We will stand before God.  This is the ultimate test of whether our house will stand or not.  My house is all of the ways that I have lived and the reasons for why I have done what I have done.  Only those who have truly listened to Jesus will survive it.  Of course, none of us do it perfectly.  Jesus is not talking about a person who never made a mistake.  In fact, building can sometimes be analogous to warfare.  You wrestle with the imperfection of the building materials in order to get things in a good relationship to one another.  A perfect house that has no imperfections, subtle or otherwise, doesn’t exist.  However, many good houses do exist.  No matter how beautiful the house, if it is not built upon the foundation of the teachings of Jesus, it will not survive the Judgment.  These two images of a spiritual battle and a spiritual building are both important and simply two different ways of looking at the same thing.

A disciple of Christ is devoted to Jesus

As a disciple of Jesus, we need to stay close to the master so that we can learn from him.  A disciple is devoted to the master and his wisdom, his way of life.

A disciple will be a student of the Bible.  In 2 Timothy 3:14-17, Paul encourages Timothy in the work ahead of him.  He speaks of the “sacred writings” that Timothy had known from his youth.  In verse 16, he refers to these sacred writings as the Scriptures.  Of course, Paul is talking about the Old Testament (note: the New Testament was being written at that time).  The same is true of the New Testament, but let’s put that point aside.

Paul wants Timothy to remember that the Bible is given to us to do several things in our life.  He first points to the teaching we receive through the Bible.  The disciples of the days of Jesus were taught directly by him.  Each day, he would take time to teach them his way of living versus the way they had been living on their own.  We do not have the luxury of this same relationship.  Of course, Jesus teaches us through the Holy Spirit, but he is not physically in our lives.  Thus, the Word of God becomes even more critical for us.  The Bible is a confirmed and sure teaching from God through Jesus and his apostles.  We don’t have to guess at how to live for Jesus.  We can read it and obey.

All Christians should make sure that they are reading the Bible each day.  The Spirit of God will help it to be profitable to us spiritually.  It teaches us those things that we don’t know.  Not all of us were like Timothy, being taught the Bible by a mom when we were young.  It will take time to learn what Christ wants us to learn.  However, a little each day will slowly build up over time.  We will not just grow in what we understand, but then the Holy Spirit will teach us how to live those things out in our life.

The Bible is also profitable for reproving us.  This is the idea of convincing us, or proving something to us.  This is a natural part of all learning.  It is not enough to be able to regurgitate an answer on a paper test.  We have to be convinced of the truth, the wisdom, of Christ in order to live life as he commands.

The Bible is also good for correction.  It can correct bad ideas, poor choices, and bad habits that we have built up through the years.

Lastly, Paul mentions that it is profitable for training in righteousness.  There are two ditches that Christians can fall into in this area of righteousness.  We can make the mistake of thinking that our salvation and hope is based upon how well we live righteously.  We can focus on lists of things that we can’t do and things we can do.  The emphasis is that it is all on me.  The other mistake is the opposite.  This view basically surrenders to the point that we cannot be righteous like Jesus.  Jesus died on the cross to be my righteousness.  Therefore, I shouldn’t diminish his perfect work by trying to do righteousness myself. 

This sounds better and sees everything resting upon Jesus.  However, it misses one thing: the purpose of God.  God did not set us free from our sins so that we could just go on sinning, but now without consequences (tongue-in-cheek “Praise the Lord!).  Yes, only the righteousness of Jesus can pay the price of our sins and save us.  Yet, God saved us in order for us to be trained in the righteousness of Jesus.  Training involves a lot of messing up, but also, getting up and going back into the battle of learning.

Some people shy away from this out of a strange sense of trying not to diminish God.  They are stuck in seeing all righteousness about being saved.  However, once we have been made alive in Jesus, we can now follow the Spirit as He leads us to do the righteousness of Christ.

Why do Christians do the things they do?  If we are simply doing good things so that our Christian friends will remark how much like Jesus we are (for social image), then we are only trying to live a Christian life from the leading of our flesh.   Getting our name on a building and feeling good about ourselves around other Christians are not the “good works” for which the Holy Spirit is equipping us.  A true disciple of Christ does what they do because the Spirit of God is prompting them as they read the Word and in other ways that we will see.  They are being led by the Spirit out of love for Christ.  This is what makes their works acceptable to God.

A disciple of Christ is devoted to the teachings of Jesus and his apostles.  This is given to us in the Bible.  Thus, the Bible can be seen as our textbook, and life can be seen as our homework.  Yet, there is another area that is important for a disciple.

A disciple will be a person of prayer.  Philippians 4:6-7 points to the importance of prayer for the disciple.  Prayer is communication with God.  It may seem strange at first because God is Spirit and speaks to us in ways different than we have experienced.  In truth, we should prayerfully read the Word of God.  It is a spiritual book breathed forth by God through faithful men.  We should not think that we can understand it without God’s help.  “Lord, help me to hear what you are saying to me today.  Lead me; guide me, and help me to live for you!  Give me some homework today so that I know what I should be working on.”  This is how we should approach the Bible.

That said, a disciple of Jesus needs to set aside time to pray.  There are different kinds of prayer.  This passage really focuses on 2.  An acronym that is used for types of prayer is ACTS:  prayers of Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, and Supplication (Petitions). 

Paul is focusing on the anxiety that believers can have in this life.  He points to our ability to request, or petition, God for the things we need, or at least, we think we need.  The believer who lays such requests before God should also do so with a heart of Thanksgiving.  Paul sees this as a great source of peace for the believer.

Requests by their very nature can easily deteriorate into whining and complaining.  We can grow angry with God when He doesn’t do exactly what we want, or even does the opposite.  This is why Thanksgiving is so important, as well as prayers of adoration and confession.  These kind of prayers keep us grounded in the truth of who we are when we approach God to ask Him for something.  In the end, we are the recipients of His great love.  Before you ask God for anything, make sure that you take time to thank Him for all that you have.  In fact, a thankful heart never treats a request as a means for God to prove His loyalty and love.  Jesus proved the heart of the Father at the cross.  Prayers of Thanksgiving ground our requests in the goodness and faithfulness of God.  Like a child, we can ask our heavenly Father.  Yet, we can also rest in the knowledge that that request will be filtered through His love and wisdom.

Intercession is prayer for someone else.  This too is the kind of prayer that helps ground requests to ourselves in something other than fleshly desires.  As we pray for others, we also see ourselves in them.  We recognize why God may say no to us at times.  He might even say yes, but not now.  Regardless, it is ours to make our request known, and then to rest in the peace that His Holy Spirit wants to give to us.  This peace will guard our hearts and minds from the thoughts and fears that we can have.  Thoughts and fears like Eve had when she listened to the serpent.  “God doesn’t really care about you.  He only wants to hold you back from something good.”  This is a lie that the serpent spun for our first parents, and he is still spinning that yarn to this day.  Have you ever believed it?

Prayer is the ground where we humble ourselves and talk with God.  No one prayer time will fix all our questions and problems.  It is a daily and lifelong communion with Him that will only be perfected as we go into eternity.  If we don’t spend time touching base with the master, then we will not become more like him.  Thus, it is not enough to read about Jesus.  We need to spend time in prayer talking with him.

A disciple will take their place in the family of God.  In Hebrew 10:24-25, the writer tells believers not to forsake the assembling together.  He even points out that some people in those days were doing exactly that.  They became believers, joined the Church for a season and then, they walked away.

This can be for various reasons.  Some people are walking away from Jesus, and so, walking away from the his Church is the natural second action.  Others convince themselves that they still believe in Jesus, but they think they don’t need other believers.  Perhaps, someone said something that hurt them.  Or, maybe, they are just reclusive.  The writer of Hebrews tells us that part of being together is to “stimulate one another to love and good deeds.”  We should be prayerfully considering how we can encourage other believers, and they should be prayerfully considering how to encourage me. 

This is what the Holy Spirit is leading you to do.  Thus, a person who walks away from a body of believers is refusing the leading of the Spirit.  Of course, there are some churches that you may need to flee.  They are a cult or have allowed the flesh to corrupt the leadership and activity of the church.  Regardless, we need to go somewhere.  You can say that you can’t find a place, but that is usually a cop-out.  The Holy Spirit will lead you somewhere, and that somewhere will not be a place peopled by perfect Christians who never make a mistake.

Why will you not step up and let the Lord work through those relationships to make you more like Jesus and to make them more like Jesus?  The answer is in our flesh.  The solution is in dying to the desires of our flesh and saying yes to the desires of Jesus.

The Church is like a family, a family of God.  We have to learn how to say that we are sorry.  We have to learn how to say that we forgive.  This is not easy, and we can be stubborn.  Yet, may God help us to become quicker and quicker at yielding to the teachings of Jesus.  There is life in it.

When we humble ourselves through prayer, we may with frustration say that we don’t see what God sees in those other people.  However, the Holy Spirit will remind us that we also don’t see what God saw in us.

When we give mercy to others (even undeservedly), we are actually making the case for why others should have mercy on us.  If you don’t have mercy on others, do not think that you will receive mercy from God when you stand before Him on Judgment Day.

All of this to say that a true disciple will learn to take their place in the body of Christ.  They will learn to receive and give stimulus that leads us all to love others and to do the good works that God has for us to do.

Of course, this is a hard thing to do.  It can be intimidating and uncomfortable.  We may even fear doing it.  However, this is God’s signature.  You were made to be able to do things far beyond your comfort level.  Every little boy who thinks about growing up and working 40 to 60 hours a week can balk at growing up.  Every teenage girl who thinks about giving birth to a baby and raising a child can be intimidated at the thought.  However, God made little boys and little girls to grow up into men and women.  It may be scary, but there is a greater good in it that we can’t understand until we’ve done it.

In the end, it is the same as our salvation.  A disciple who has faith in Jesus will trust that Jesus will help them to join other Christians and live for him.  Somehow and someway, we can become family by the help of God’s Holy Spirit.

These are not the only ways to show our devotion to Jesus.  However, they are very important things that we need to embrace by the Spirit’s help.  May God help us to be devoted followers of Jesus!

Kingdom of God 4 audio

The Kingdom of God- 2

Subtitle:  Now But Not Yet Fully

Various passages.  This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on March 23, 2025.

Next week, we are going to talk about how a person enters into the kingdom of God.  But, before we do that, we need to deal with something that was a surprise when it was revealed.

In some ways, Jesus spoke of the Kingdom of God as something that people could and were entering in his day, but in other places, the Kingdom of God seems to be something that is still future.  The subtitle of today’s sermon is relaying the fact that the Kingdom of God is right now, but also, not fully here.  To say it in another way, the Kingdom of God is already present on the earth, but not yet complete.

Let’s look at some passages.

Passages that speak of the Kingdom as a present reality

Our first passage is Luke 17:20-21.  We have there a question posed to Jesus by the Pharisees. They wanted to know when the Kingdom of God would come.

The Pharisees as a group did not believe that Jesus was the Messiah.  Definitely, there were some who secretly believed, and others who would believe after the resurrection of Jesus.  Yet, we should not suppose that this is a question that is asked out of a sincere desire to hear the wisdom of Jesus.   Their question probably represents an adversarial intent.  They are fishing for him to make his views clear so that they can then use his words against him.

We should keep this in mind when analyzing the answer that Jesus gives.  Jesus always gave truth to these men, but it was in a way that would be missed (or even dismissed) while they remained unbelieving.

The first point made by Jesus is that the Kingdom doesn’t “come with observation.”  The verb is actually present tense here.  Thus, the Kingdom is not coming (presently) with observation.

What is meant by the phrase “with observation?”  Some versions translate this as “with signs.”  This seems contradictory because the biggest sign that the Kingdom had arrived was staring them in the face.  Jesus did many signs before the people, whether casting out demons, healings, and his powerful teachings of repentance.  If the Anointed teacher from God was here, then the Kingdom was surely on his heels. 

Yet, though some of the actions of Jesus may have fit what they expected, many of his actions did not.  They were looking for one from the line of David to rise up, make a rightful claim to the throne, lead an army against Rome, and establish Israel above the nations.  These are the things they expected, or were seeking to observe.  The Kingdom was presently coming, but not in the way that they were expecting, not in that kind of way.  This would not be a replay of David.

Jesus then states, “For indeed, the Kingdom of God is within you” (NKJV).  “For indeed” is translating the word look, or behold.  It is exclamatory and calls a person’s attention to something they are missing.  If they had eyes to see, they would recognize the Kingdom.

The translation “within you” is unfortunate.  You will notice that many other translations will give the translation “among you.”  Why the difference?

If we take “the Kingdom of God is within you” to be a statement about a spiritual nature of the Kingdom, we would be able to find many passages in the New Testament that back this up.  The Christians did not try to take over the nation of Israel or establish a capital city with a king on a throne in those days.  Christ’s rule was realized within their hearts and minds.  By the Spirit, they were connecting to the King and living out his purpose and plan in this life.

Yet, in the context, Jesus is not talking to believers.  He cannot be saying that the Kingdom is spiritually in the hearts of these unbelieving Pharisees.  This brings us to a secondary notion of “within you.”  The you here is plural.  Within is most likely not referring to within them individually, but rather, in the midst of the group.   Jesus was even then right in their midst, within them as a group.  Yet, they couldn’t see him for who he was.  This is not a statement of the Kingdom’s spiritual nature, but rather an answer to their question.  It is here right now in your midst, and yet, you cannot see it!

There is no way around this passage.  Jesus teaches that the Kingdom of God was already in the midst of the nation of Israel in his day.  He also taught that it was not coming in the outward way that they were expecting.  It would not be a nation like they were used to seeing nations.

We should resist the temptation to refer to this as simply a spiritual kingdom.  Rather, it is a kingdom on this earth unlike any kingdom before it.  It’s King (Jesus) resides and sits on a heavenly throne at the right hand of the Father.  He sends forth his Holy Spirit to draw people unto him and to dwell within his followers.  When we read the Word of God, we cannot observe the Holy Spirit applying it to our heart and speaking within our inner man, but it is very real.  We can’t see executive orders from Jesus to the angelic world and to his people on earth, but they are real nonetheless.  In fact, the followers of Jesus do very real things on the earth in response to a very real spiritual work within them.  Not everything done in Christ’s name is stirred up by his Spirit.  Yet, we cannot deny that the New Testament presents a real king operating by the Spirit in the hearts of his followers.  This is the Kingdom of God in the present age.

This helps us understand the words of Jesus before Pilate in John 18:36.  He tells Pilate that his Kingdom (notice he doesn’t deny its reality) “is not of this world…If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews…”  Jesus is a King over a very real Kingdom, but it is not of this world.  Don’t read that phrase as if it means it isn’t in this world.  Just as believers are born of the Spirit and are no longer of this world, so the Kingdom Jesus is creating is not of the world.  It is not like it, but even more, the world is not its source.  This is a Kingdom that God the Father is originating.  All other Kingdoms were created by mortal men and displayed a particular way of operating.  This Kingdom is not at all like those kingdoms.  This is why they didn’t fight to save Jesus.  His Kingdom is not worldly and focused on worldly attainment.  Rather, his Kingdom is directed by the Father for higher purposes that the world, and those who think like the world, cannot understand.

Luke 11:19-20 gives us another statement of the Kingdom’s present reality.   Again, Jesus is speaking to Pharisees who do not want to believe that he is Messiah.  Of course, they would have to explain the power Jesus displayed in casting out demons.  Jesus knew that some of them were saying in their minds that he was able to do this because he was in league with the prince of demons, Beelzebub.  Thus, it was a satanic ruse to get people to follow Jesus.  This really was the only option for unbelievers because there was too much undeniable evidence for these exorcism.  Men who had been tormented and tormented a whole region for years were suddenly in their right mind at the command of Jesus.

Jesus points out that this logic can be used against their own students who performed exorcisms.   Casting out a demon cannot in itself be proof that a person is in league with the devil.  You would need something else to establish that.

Of course, these disciples did not have the power and success-rate of Jesus, not even close!  Yet, Jesus is mercifully showing them the error in their logic.  However, their error in logic is not driven by inability to use logic.  Rather, it is driven by their unwillingness to accept that Jesus is (was) their Messiah.

Jesus statement at the end drives the main point home.  “If I cast out demons with the finger of God…”  It is put as a conditional because this is what they are struggling with.  Of course, Jesus knows that he does this with the finger of God.  This is not some admission that he isn’t sure how he is doing this.  The finger of God language comes from Exodus 8, when Moses stood before Pharaoh and his magicians.  They were able to duplicate some of the first miracles, but they eventually tell Pharaoh that Moses was not using magical arts.  This was the very finger of God working with him.  They could not do what God was doing through Moses.  By the way, Jesus is most likely implying to the Pharisees that their disciples are equivalent to Pharaoh’s magicians, and he is equivalent (actually greater) to Moses.  He was the prophet like Moses that they were told was coming (Deuteronomy 18).    When God shows up, there is no comparison between what men can do through ritual and reliance upon fallen spirits, and what He does through His people. 

Back to the statement of Jesus.  “If I cast out demons with the finger of God, behold, the Kingdom of God has come upon you!”  Jesus is challenging them to quit resisting the Holy Spirit and open their eyes.  They are hardening their hearts much like Pharaoh did.  Here it is!  Embrace it!  The King is in front of them displaying the power of the Kingdom over every evil thing, and they are blind to it.

Matthew 21:28-32.  This passage deals with the an issue that was similar with John’s ministry.  By what authority did John baptize people and tell them to ready themselves for Messiah?  Also, by what authority was Jesus doing what he was doing?  Jesus challenges them about John because they were unwilling to state categorically that John was not sent by God as a true prophet.  This was a political unwillingness because John was popular with the people.

Jesus then asks a question about two sons who were asked by their father to go work in his vineyard.  The first said that he wouldn’t do it, but later he regretted it and went to work in the vineyard.  The second son, however, said that he would go, but he never went into the vineyard to do the work.  The question is simple.  Which of the two sons did the will of their father?  The obvious answer is that it was the first son who was unwilling at first, but later did the work.  He then gives a powerful statement that would help them to see what the two sons represented.  “I say to you that tax collectors and harlots [enter] the kingdom of God before you.  He then goes on to connect their entering the Kingdom to believing in John. 

There is more here than I have time this morning.  In one way the two classes of sinners listed are like the first son.  They had rejected God’s purpose for their life and were doing their own thing.  However, the ministry of John the Baptist (and now Jesus) had caused them to regret this.  They believed and were doing “the work” that God had always asked of Israel: trust in Me and believe on My Anointed One when he comes.  However, the Pharisees through their lives were telling God that they were all about doing His work.  Yet, they refuse to embrace John, the Messiah’s forerunner (herald), and the Messiah himself.

We could also invert this by only focusing on John’s prophetic message as the Father’s call to go into the vineyard to work.  These Pharisees were refusing to believe John and now they are refusing to believe the One John pointed out as Messiah.  They could “regret it” and do the work, but they are continuing in their rejection of the Father’s will.  It is still possible that they could repent and do the will of the Father.  Our ability to do God’s will is not prevented by previous failure, though it definitely influences us. 

We should note that the verb in verse 31 is present tense.  Tax collectors and harlots were presently entering the Kingdom ahead of them.  The construction is not about any particular tax collector or harlot.  Therefore, it is not so much a statement about that very moment, but about those days, whether yesterday, today, or tomorrow.  People were entering the Kingdom at that time, and not because they were dying and “going to heaven.”  They were entering by doing what the Father was telling them to do, which was to repent and believe upon the Messiah who is Jesus of Nazareth!

Let’s go next to a passage in Paul’s letter to the Colossians.  Colossians 1:13-14.  Paul writes to the Colossians that “[The Father] has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.”

Paul had been one of those stubborn Pharisees who kicked against the goading of God to believe in Jesus.  He had given lip-service to doing God’s work, but when it came down to it, he was resisting and not doing it.  Yet, God broke through to his heart, and he finally embraced Jesus as the Christ.

Here, Paul is writing to the Colossians about something that has happened.  This is not something that is going to happen in the future.  This idea that God was presently transferring people from under the bondage of the power of darkness into the “Kingdom of the Son of His love…”  The Father had placed them in the Kingdom of Messiah Jesus.  This was not a geographical thing with a literal border.  This is a spiritual transfer that happens in the heart.

Let’s now turn to several passages that speak of the Kingdom of God as a future reality in some way.  This may look like a contradiction upon first glance.  But, a careful look will show that it is not a true contradiction.  It may not have been satisfying to many of the Pharisees  in the first century, but it was not contradictory.  Essentially, there are some ways in which the Kingdom is now, but there are other ways in which the Kingdom is still in the future.

Passages that speak of the Kingdom as a future reality

Matthew 28:11-12.  In this passage, we have a Roman centurion who has great faith that Jesus can heal his servant on command without ever going to his house. 

We can limit God through our lack of true understanding.  This is so in the case of the lame man at the Pool of Bethesda.  When Jesus asked the man if he wanted to be healed, all he could think of was how unable he was to get into the pool when it stirred.  His mind could not fathom that a pool was not necessary if God wanted him healed.  Jesus was willing to go to the centurions house and lay hands upon the servant, but the man protested that he was not worthy of Jesus coming to his house.

Jesus was amazed that this gentile had more faith than most Jews.  The grounds for this amazement has nothing about our ability to have faith.  Jews are not genetically predisposed to having faith at higher levels than gentiles.  Rather, the Jews have a history and records of many ancestors who believed God for impossible things.  They had a whole history of God doing impossible things.  They of all people shouldn’t have even blinked at demonstrating such faith.  Yet, precious few of them did so.

Jesus takes advantage of this gentile’s amazing faith to make a statement about the Kingdom.  “[M]any will come (future tense) from east and west, and sit down (future tense) with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.  But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness.”  Jesus is telling us that there is a time in the future where believing gentiles will come from all around the world and sit with Abraham and the other patriarchs “in the Kingdom of Heaven.”  Now, we showed last week how the Kingdom of Heaven is just another way of talking about the Kingdom of God.  These “sons of the Kingdom” thought that their genetic descent from Abraham was a golden ticket into the Kingdom when it came.  Yet, Jesus is telling them that they and their golden ticket will find themselves shut out of the Kingdom while Gentiles come in and fellowship with the Patriarchs who were their ancestors.  Again, Jesus is pointing to something that would happen in the future.

Some Christians will interpret this spiritually versus literally.  They reason this way.  First, Jesus said his Kingdom is spiritual.  Second, this means that people are coming to him spiritually and fellowshipping with Abraham in the sense that they are believing just like he did.  It can even be extended to a heavenly meaning.  Many gentiles will die and go to heaven where they can sit down with Abraham and the patriarchs, while the unbelieving Jews will be shut out.

The problem with such interpretations is that they take a thread of truth and make themselves the judge of what God’s Word means.  They either treat everything as spiritual, i.e., nothing is literal, or they treat only the things they like as literal and the rest are metaphorical.  If I only take it literally when I agree with it, that is a problem.  Who is in charge of what the Bible means?  Me?  A religious hierarchy?

Of course, we all have to come to a decision about what the Word means.  However, we need to do so humbly and without limitations upon what God can mean and say.  When you read, ask God to give you wisdom and understanding.  Be humble.

Let me ask you a question.  The first coming of Jesus, was it all spiritual or was there some literal things about it?  Was Jesus the literal son of a literal virgin?  Yet, Jesus set them free from spiritual bondage rather than from the gentile powers.  We must beware of letting a spiritual truth cause us to reject any literal fulfillment.  Most often God is doing both spiritual and literal things.  They can both be true at the same time, or true at different points in time.

This begs the question.  Is the Kingdom of God only a spiritual thing that only take place in a spiritual place?  In this passage, Jesus presents a real common to life scene of believing gentiles sitting down with Abraham in the Kingdom.

Let’s look at another passage.  Matthew 19:27-28.  Peter asks Jesus what they who had left everything and followed him would have as a reward.  Jesus points to a time called the “Regeneration,” in which “the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory.”  He then states that those who have followed him (the Twelve disciples who were faithful to the end) would also sit on twelves thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 

The Regeneration is a rare word in the New Testament.  It has the sense of renewal, but this appears to be more than just a spiritual renewal in this passage.  Jesus equates the renewal with him sitting on his throne of glory.  This is a clear reference to the Messianic prophecies that speak of the Messiah renewing all things.  It should not be equated with the New Birth, though some do this. 

The tendency to spiritualize this passage does not come from the passage, but from a person’s prior persuasion.  Jesus is looking forward to a time in the future when all things will be renewed and he will sit on a throne of glory.  At that time, the twelve disciples would sit on 12 thrones judging the tribes of Israel (Judas was replaced by Matthias in Acts 1:15-26).  That seems to be a very clear statement about a literal reign of Jesus and the Disciples.

Some will say that the disciples did reign in the sense that they had authority in the new Church of Jesus.  They will also treat the thrones as symbolic of their authority.  The 12 tribes of Israel, then become symbolic of the various groups of Christians throughout the world, or Jews who believed in the first century.

Of course, it is true that the Apostles had authority to lay down the foundation of the faith once and for all delivered unto the saints.  However, we are left asking why a person would not simply understand it for what it says.  It makes most sense of a statement about a future time when God has restored the righteous through resurrection and setting up a literal kingdom on this earth that has literal thrones.

Now, from 135 AD to 1948 AD (1,813 years), there was no nation of Israel.  Christians would read this and recognize that there wasn’t a nation of Israel.  It was easy to read it and think that it couldn’t be literal.  There is no Israel.  It generally was seen as a replacement thing.  “National Israel is gone and we the “spiritual” Israel have taken their place.  Yet, 1948 blew this out of the water.  Why would God allow Israel to come back into existence?

For far too long, much of the Church has given up the expectation of a returning Jesus setting up an observable kingdom on the earth, one in which the nation of Israel would be “resurrected” from the dead.  This happened to the nation in the natural in 1948, but will also happen to the people of Israel spiritually in the future.

What we have here is Jesus looking forward to a time in which the Kingdom does become observable.  It presently is not observable in that kind of way (Jesus on a throne, the Disciples ruling in Israel, etc.).  However, one day it will be.

In fact, the throne of his glory is given more definition in Matthew 25:31-32.  The throne of Christ’s glory is connect to his coming in glory with the holy angles with him.  This is clearly about the Second Coming.  He speaks of all the nations (those who have survived to that point) being gathered before him and separated like sheep from goats. 

This is a very recognizable point.  The first coming of the Christ did not look like a conquering king.  His was a victory and a kingdom that was spiritual and over the hearts of men (Jew and Gentile).  Yet, his Second Coming will be quite different.  This is shown in the book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ. 

We could try and spiritualize even the Second Coming of Christ.  He comes gloriously when his messengers (heavenly and earthly) bring the glorious truth of God into the lives of those who embrace it and believe.  That same word is a judgment and destruction against those who reject it.

In the end, we need to let Jesus tell us what is going to happen, rather than we being the one determining what will happen.

In Acts 1:6-7, the disciples ask Jesus if it is time for the Kingdom to be restored to Israel.  Now, they are not disbelieving what Jesus said earlier.  They are simply asking if the future time had finally come.  Note that a lot of things had happened.  Jesus had been rejected by the rulers of Israel, executed on a cross, and resurrected from the dead.  We can forgive them for thinking that perhaps God had finished making His point, and now it was time to go into the observable aspect of the Kingdom.

This would have  been a prime opportunity for Jesus to explain to these guys that it would never be an observable kingdom (i.e., only in a spiritual way).  Yet, Jesus doesn’t explain to them that they are supposed to go back and spiritualize everything he said about the Kingdom.   However, Jesus tells them that it is not for them to know when this would happen.  It was only for them to be filled with the Holy Spirit and remain faithful to God’s plan for now.  The Kingdom would continue being present, but in a more spiritual way, until the time that God the Father was ready to move to the next phase, a more observable phase.

We could end with Revelation 19:11-20.  Up to verse 16, we could easily apply this completely to the first century with a spiritual interpretation alone.  Jesus has come.  The sharp sword from his mouth is symbolic for the Word of God that he was delivering.  He rules over the nations today, and his judgments are happening like a rod of iron.  The word of God is striking those of the lost who refuse to believe, and thus, they are spiritually slain by it.

However, at verse 17, we are given a description of a great supper of God that is put on for the birds of the air.  The overall picture is that of Jesus coming back to the earth in order to deal with the wicked governmental powers that have not only persecuted his people, but have also bound the whole earth under a beastly system that is antichrist.

Though we could spiritualize this too, we would be hard-pressed to see any way that the wicked governmental powers are being judged  by Christ and removed so that His kingdom could move forward with the righteous, resurrected believers.

On the flip-side, we do see a literal need for Jesus to come back physically and literally remove them.

There are many other passages that we could go through, showing a present or future aspect to the Kingdom of God.  The challenge for believers today is to understand that we are a part of a real and present Kingdom of God right now.  We need to cooperate with the Lord Jesus by pursuing his word and being filled with the Holy Spirit.  We need to do what the early Church did by telling everyone who Jesus is, King of kings and Lord of lords.

Yet, we also need to understand that we are not just doing the same thing over and over again.  We are not just being faithful in our mortal life so that we can enter a spiritual kingdom that is forever in the heavens.  No.  The emphasis on the New Testament is not us going to be with God, but rather, God coming down to be with us.

History is headed to a climax, and the times of the Gentiles will come to an end.  We will reach the great “until” of prophecy, as the Lord Jesus literally comes back riding the clouds of heaven.  Of course, there is room for metaphor and spiritual meanings, but that does not mean we should reject any interpretations that also allow for literal meaning.

The Kingdom is now, but not yet fully what it is promised to be!

Now But Not Yet Fully audio

The Acts of the Apostles 76

Subtitle: Resurrection at Troas

Acts 20:1-12.  This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on August 18, 2024.

Following the riotous mob in Ephesus, lead by Demetrius the silversmith, Paul then journeys to Macedonia (northern Greece). 

If it takes a mob to do what you want to do, then it is probably not the right thing, and it is definitely not the right way to go about it. 

Yet, Paul had already purposed in the Spirit to leave Ephesus, travel to Greece and then travel to Jerusalem.  Everything from this point on has the sense that Paul may not see these people again.  It isn’t known for sure by him, but it is his working premise.  What he knows for sure is that persecutions and tribulations await him in Jerusalem.

Let’s look at our passage.

Paul ministers in Greece (v. 1-6)

As Luke has already told us in the previous chapter, Paul follows Timothy and Erastus, whom he had sent ahead in Acts 19:22.  This previous preparation, along with verse one of this chapter, shows us that Paul was not fleeing Ephesus.  Rather, he takes the time to gather with the disciples there and say goodbye.

Nothing is said of Paul’s journey through Asia and the ship ride from Troas to Philippi in Macedonia, but this would have happened.  Similarly, we are not told how Paul reconnects with Timothy and Erastus, or who left with him from Ephesus.

Verse two mentions that he goes to Greece after “he had gone over that region.”  Of course, we tend to think of Macedonia as Greece, but this is due to the conquering of Philip of Macedon, the father of Alexander the Great.  We should not see this as a mistake, but as the language of someone who knows how the people of southern Greece viewed themselves in relation to the area of Macedonia.

By the way, some believe that this is probably the best time for Paul to have preached in Illyricum, which is only mentioned in Romans 15:19.  This is what we would call Albania today.

So, Paul connects with churches in that area and then travels south into Achaia.  Luke does not mention any particular city, but the mention of sailing to Syria from there was most likely a reference to Corinth.  We also know that Paul had written 1 Corinthians from Ephesus, which said that he was working to come to them.  Paul ends up staying for three months.

As Paul plans to sail to Syria (most likely Antioch), a plot against him is discovered.  It is believed that the plan may have involved attacking Paul while on the ship because it would be impossible for him to get away. 

Of course, this doesn’t happen, but the root of these disturbances are not the people involved.  The root is found in those evil spirits in league with the devil.  Synagogue leaders and silversmiths are not Paul’s enemies.  They are simply captive to the devil’s schemes and manipulated by him.  We need to understand this about our own land.  You can look at politicians, political parties and individuals, and see that they are leading against the ways of Jesus Christ.  This does make them an enemy to the Gospel.  Yet, Christ doesn’t tell us to fight against these people.  We are to fight against the spiritual enemies (Ephesians 6) that are in the heavenlies.  They are the ones that manipulate these people to operate against Christ.  We are called to interpose ourselves between the manipulated person and the enemy of their soul. We work for the purposes of Christ, which is to set them free from the devil’s lies.

Having discovered the plot, Paul changes his plan.  He does not sail from their to Syria, but rather, he goes back through Macedonia, believing that he will run into less resistance there.

Luke lists seven companions of Paul on this part of the journey.  Sopater of Berea (some manuscripts add that he is the son of Pyrrhus), Aristarchus and Secundus (this is a common slave name) of Thessalonica, Gaius of Derbe, Timothy (whom we know to be from Lystra, which is near Derbe), and Tychicus and Trophimus of Asia.  These last two could  be from Ephesus, but they also may be from one of the seven churches of Revelation.  I would also point out that the pronoun “we” crops up again in verse 5.  Luke also has joined the group, although he does not name himself.  This gives eight guys, nine counting Paul who traveled together.  Paul then sends most of the men ahead to wait for them at Troas.

This large group of men may have been traveling with Paul due to funds he was carrying for Jerusalem.  In his letters, Paul asked the churches to have money ready for him to pick up when he came through in order to bless the hurting churches of Judea.  Their numbers would dissuade any highwaymen from trying to assail them.  We should also notice the variety of places they are from.  They also would serve as witnesses that the money was not pilfered, but indeed, made it to Jerusalem.

Regardless, Paul’s plans are changed.  It can sometimes feel like someone or something has messed up our plans, or even our lives.  I really do believe that God uses these situations to direct us.  Those who are seeking the leading of God’s Spirit do not need to fear these type of events.  It may change your plans, but God helps us and will be with us. 

Of course, sometimes God Himself changes our plans.  He may speak to us in prayer, or through another Godly person.  In this case, we have wicked people intent on doing evil.  Of course, God isn’t inspiring them to do this.  Yet, the Christian is never at the mercy of other people, or even the spiritual powers of wickedness.  What they intend for evil, God works to the good for us.  Like the story of Joseph, his brothers were brought to a place of repentance.  They had intended evil, but God worked it to the good of Joseph, and of them.  He brought them to a place of repentance over their evil deeds.  You can trust God!

It is here that Luke explains that they leave Philippi after the feast of Unleavened Bread (immediately follows Passover).  This means it is spring and would place the previous three months in Corinth during the winter months.  Sailors avoided traveling in winter months.  Paul decides to remain at Troas for 7 days.

Paul ministers in Troas (v. 7-12)

Having reunited with their group in Troas, they fellowship with the church there.  Verse 7 explains that the day before Paul left was the “first day of the week.”  This is the first clear mention that Christians gathered on the first day of the week, Sunday.  “To break bread” was a reference to eating a fellowship meal together, and was often connected to also celebrating communion, or the Lord’s Supper.  They gathered to eat together and then Paul preached to them.

There are several other places in the New Testament that allude to Christians gathering on the first day of the week, Sunday.  In 1 Corinthians 16:2, Paul tells them this. “On the first day of the week, let each one of you lay something aside storing up as he may prosper, that there be no collections when I come.”  It is clear that they are giving the offering when the group is gathered.  Though it is not said that they do anything else, it is implicit that they typically gathered on that day.

There are some who try to make a big deal about what day you worship on, similar to what foods you eat.  Colossians 2:16-17 tells us, “So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ.”  It appears that Christians are free to worship on any day, even many days.  The day of rest (the sabbath was sundown Friday to sundown Saturday) is a shadow or lesser image of Jesus Christ).  We now dwell in the realities of what these things pointed to.

We are told that Paul preaches to midnight.  This is another one of those clues that gives us the sense that Paul knows he may not be coming back.  In fact, he isn’t stopping at midnight.  We typically take our church gatherings for granted.  However, when it may be your last one with these people, such a meeting would take on great significance.  We are not guaranteed tomorrow.  Thus, we should not take our gatherings lightly.  God teach us to love one another with all of our hearts.

Verses 7-8 set up a classic situation.  The description of a young man would place him between 20 and 40 years old.  I would lean to the younger side of this range.  Luke gives us several factors in a row that lead up to the young man falling out of a window.  First, Paul has preached up to midnight and does not seem to be stopping.  Second, there were “many lamps” in the upper room where they were gathered.  I would assume that these are oil lamps.  It would make the room warmer and mixed with exhaust.  They are on the third floor with a sleepy, young man sitting in a window.  It is at this point that Eutychus falls out the third-story window to the ground below.  Paul’s words may seem to contradict the next statement, but we should not ignore Luke’s  statement, “he was taken up [picked up] dead.”

This interrupts the service.  Of course, in any gathering of God’s people, there may be an series of things that we want to do together, such as: eating, worshipping and hearing the Word of God preached.  However, our ultimate purpose is to glorify Jesus and encourage one anther in the faith.

We are told that Paul rushes down and falls upon the young man.  I don’t believe this means he tripped and fell upon the lad.  This is reminiscent of 1 Kings 17, where Elijah lays on the dead boy, praying for God to bring him back to life.

Paul’s statement that the boy is not dead, i.e., “Do not trouble yourselves, for his life is in him,” can be seen a contradiction to the earlier statement of death.  However,  it is even more likely that it is Paul’s statement after he knew that God had heard him and touched the young man.  Regardless, faith and the will of God are both involved here.  Paul has been preaching about the resurrection of Jesus, no doubt.  Here is fresh proof of God’s power over life.  This would powerfully impact the group.  Essentially Paul is saying that everything will be alright.  In fact, Paul goes back to preaching.

They return to the upper room, where Paul preaches until morning.  It then mentions that the young man was brought in alive.  This makes the most sense if the young man was still unconscious and being looked over since Paul’s prayers.  To say his life is in him does not mean that he was dancing in the street.  In fact, he may have still been unconscious.  By morning, however, he is well enough to come join the group.  What a demonstration of God’s miraculous grace to this young man.  This is a true resurrection.

When we think about the resurrection, we can think of it as only a future promise that seems disconnected from our present.  However, the message of the resurrection speaks to our present.  It shows us that we don’t have to fear threats in the present, whether they physically threaten our life or metaphorically threaten it. 

In 1 Corinthians 15:32, Paul talked about fighting with wild beast in Ephesus.  I don’t think he is talking about literal beasts.  The mob and Demetrius were as offspring of the beast empire that Rome represented.  Of course, Paul did not fight with them in the natural.  Rather, he fought the intimidating spiritual powers through the power and leading of the Holy Spirit.

We don’t have to fear these spiritual power, or the natural powers.  Everything about the cross and death says that we have lost; it didn’t work; God doesn’t love you or care about you; He is not keeping His promise.  It says all those things that the devil tempts us to believe, at least that is what our flesh hears.  Yet, three days later, when Jesus is resurrected, we see that we shouldn’t listen to the enemy in our hearts and mind.  We must not look at the things of this world and extrapolate from what we see a conclusion about God’s care for us.

The resistance and difficulty that we experience in this world, even from our own flesh, says nothing about God’s love for us.  God is greater than everything that we may face.  We don’t deny the reality of those difficulties, but instead, we recognize the greater reality of God’s power over them.  May God help us to walk in faith, our eyes upon Him and not upon what we see down here!

Resurrection at Troas