Two Kingdoms — Philip Yoder

Good evening. It's good to be here with you again tonight. Last night we were thinking of God's purpose for us as individuals. And we noticed that scripture tells us that God has predestined each one of us as individuals to be transformed into the image of his Son, Jesus Christ.

The Two Kingdoms and the Kingdom Prayer

Tonight I would like to think more of God's people as a corporate body. I think as I look around us in the world today that God's people often find themselves in an identity crisis. I believe Brother Ed shared something of this last Sunday morning.

But what I'm simply saying is that I fear sometimes that the line between God's people and the world is no longer a black and white issue, but it has become so gray that sometimes we do not understand, we don't know where the lines are.

I would like to speak this evening briefly on the doctrine of the two kingdoms. And I believe that even among our own churches we find that this is a concept that is being lost. The concept of two kingdoms.

I'd like for you to turn with me in your Bibles tonight to Matthew chapter 6. And I'd like to look at verse 10. Matthew 6 verse 10. This little verse we probably all know by memory because it's taken out of what we know as the Lord's Prayer.

When the disciples had come to Jesus, or rather Jesus was teaching his disciples about prayer and he was telling them that after this manner shall you pray. Verse 9 begins, our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.

Then verse 10. Jesus says, thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven. I'd just like to stop there and try to draw out of this scripture what I think Jesus was feeling in his heart.

He looked to God and he said, God the desire of my heart is that your kingdom come here on earth. And our desire is that God's will be done here on earth among his people in the same way that it is done in heaven.

We can ask ourselves the question, how is God's will done in heaven? With absolutely no obstacle, nothing blocking the will of God from being perfectly fulfilled in heaven. And Jesus is simply saying, God the desire of my heart is that here on earth among God's people your will can be done in the very same way.

Jesus refers here to a kingdom that he desires that should come. When Jesus began his earthly ministry, in Matthew 4, we read that his message was a message of the kingdom. He said repent, because the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

The kingdom of heaven is just about here. So it's time that we repent of our old life. It's time that we turn to God, because God is coming to bring his government to bear upon this earth. And then in chapter 13 of Matthew, Jesus gives the parable of the wheat and the tares.

And he says that the kingdom of God is like unto a man who sowed good seed in his field. But then we see also that Jesus is warning us that as God's kingdom comes into this world, there is also an opposing kingdom that will militate against the will of God being done here on this earth and even among his people.

The Nature of a Kingdom

Now what did Jesus mean when he spoke of this kingdom? When we think of the word kingdom, we're simply speaking of a territory within which the inhabitants of this territory are governed by a sovereign prince or a king.

And so as we think of the kingdom, there are at least four ingredients that we have to take into consideration. First of all, the king or this sovereign prince, an independent authority who imposes his will upon his subjects within his territory.

A sovereign whose word is law. Secondly, for there to be a kingdom, there must be subjects. Subject refers to persons that live in the king's territory and are subject to his will or are governed by his will, which is expressed through law.

Thirdly, we have the aspect of law. For there to be a kingdom, there must be law. Obligations imposed by the king upon his subjects. And the will of the king becomes reality as his subjects fulfill his laws and as they live out his laws.

The will of the king becomes a reality. And fourthly, there's a territory, a geographical framework within which the laws of the king are recognized and respected and obeyed. I think we understand this because in this world there are many kingdoms or in today's world we don't call them kingdoms anymore.

We say republics or nations. And they're not really kingdoms because our system of government today does not rest with one absolute monarch. But I think we do get the idea. But as we look at the spirit world in which we live, scripture would teach us that there is or there are only two kingdoms.

And all the activities, all humans and all the activity that we live out is within the framework of one or the other of the two kingdoms that we want to look at tonight. Consciously or unconsciously, each one of us is subject to the government of one or the other of the kings that we would like to look at tonight.

And one of the principles that scripture teaches us is simply that we cannot serve two masters. We serve one or the other. Jesus said you cannot serve two masters. Either you will love the one and hate the other or you will serve the one and despise the other.

He says you cannot serve God and mammon. Speaking probably primarily of the God of wealth and riches, but I think it teaches us the same principle. You can't serve two masters at the same time. Especially if the masters are opposing each other in their motives and goals.

2 Corinthians chapter 6, it says that what relationship can Christ have with Belial? Or what relationship is there between Christ and Satan? There can be no relationship there. And so we must recognize that the two kingdoms that we're speaking about tonight, we are either functioning within one or the other in our lives.

We cannot be a part of both at the same time. Now I'd like to look first of all at the kingdom of this world. 1 John chapter 5 verse 19. It says the whole world lieth in wickedness. And the Spanish gives a little bit of a different connotation to that scripture.

The Origin and Rule of the Kingdom of This World

And I think the Greek would agree with the Spanish there. Where it says the whole world lieth under the dominion of the wicked one. And I think this is a concept that we as God's people must understand.

It's becoming in our world, in our culture, Christianity and the world are becoming so intertwined that it's hard for us sometimes to determine which is which. But scripture makes it very clear that the whole world lieth under the dominion of the wicked one.

And I think we as Christian people need to realize that that is the environment in which we are called to serve God. Now as we look at the kingdom of this world, its origin, we can go to Isaiah chapter 14.

Isaiah chapter 14 verse 13. We have here the prophet Isaiah prophesying in what we believe to be a picture of Satan after he was created by God. Lucifer, the son of the morning, the perfect protector in heaven.

But we notice here his fall. It says in verse 13, for thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven. I will exalt my throne above the stars of God. I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation in the sides of the north.

I will ascend above the height of the clouds and I will be like the most high. We notice here that, and I think if we read in Ezekiel we would find the same thing, that as Satan, or Lucifer at that time, as he looked at himself and he saw that he was the perfection of beauty, he was wise, he was given a very lofty and exalted position in heaven.

And as he looked at himself, something happened in his heart. And scripture would say that as he looked at himself, his heart was lifted up within him. And he began to think that with his wisdom, with his power, he didn't need to subject himself to the sovereign authority that was over him.

And he began to believe that he was able to govern himself. And not only was he able to govern himself, he thought he would be able to govern his own kingdom. And so he decided, he said, I will ascend above the height of the clouds, I will be like the most high.

I will become a God to myself. We see here an attitude being born that we know so well today. A heart of rebellion against government. A heart that rebelled against legitimate sovereign authority and raised himself up to take that position for himself.

Now in Revelation chapter 12 verse 4, apparently when Satan rebelled against God, he also was able to seduce a large number of God's angels to join forces with himself. So, we find in Revelation chapter 12 verse 4, a dragon that with his tail swipes a third of the stars of heaven and carries them along with him.

If I understand correctly, this is probably a symbol of Satan in heaven drawing a large number of God's angels to rebel or to join his revolution, his rebellion in heaven. But as we go into chapter 12 and a little further in Revelation, I'd just like to notice a few verses there, beginning in verse 7.

It says,. And there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon fought and his angels and prevailed not. Neither was their place found anymore in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent called the devil and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world.

He was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation and strength and the kingdom of our God and the power of his Christ.

For the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they loved not their lives unto death.

Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. But notice, Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and of the sea! For the devil is come down unto you having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.

Heaven is cleansed of all rebellion. Heaven is cleansed of all diabolic motives. Satan is cast out of heaven, and his angels are cast out with him. Heaven rejoices, but they say, Woe to the earth! Because Satan has been cast down here among us, and he is having great wrath, because he knows that his time is short.

But he is going to take advantage of the time he has. And he is determined that he is going to raise up that kingdom that will oppose the kingdom of God. And probably hoping that he can still overcome God and his purposes.

Sin, Rebellion, and the Fall of Humanity

As we go into Genesis chapter 3 then, we find this same serpent, this same Satan, embodying himself in a serpent. And he comes into the Garden of Eden. And you know the story, how he meets Eve. After God had so clearly told Adam and Eve that in the Garden they had everything they needed.

You can eat of every tree of the Garden. And that's an interesting study. If we look at all the different fruit trees that exist in the world today. And to think he could rise up out of the little arbor where he was resting.

He could step outside and he could pluck all the wonderful fruit that exists in the world today. I'm sure that Adam and Eve felt no need for anything more than God had provided. And yet God had said, I've put one tree in the center of the Garden that I don't want you to eat of.

It's a tree of the knowledge of good and evil. And at this point Adam and Eve were not able to distinguish between good and evil. Because they had never experienced any evil at all. It was only good. And as long as that innocence existed, there was no need to be able to identify anything beyond that.

They had everything they needed. They were happy, they were living in a relationship with God. Where God used to come down in the afternoons and commune with his people. With Adam and Eve there in the Garden.

That perfect environment. But Satan comes into the picture. And he says, is it true that God said you can't eat of all the trees of the Garden? And Eve answered correctly. She said, yes we can eat of all the trees.

There's just one tree in the Garden that we can't eat of. But it was no problem. We have enough. It wasn't really even a temptation. Because Eve said, but God said we shouldn't eat of this one tree. Because the day we eat of it we shall surely die.

And then Satan begins to weave his little web of deception. And he says, you shall not surely die. There may be a way that you can do your own thing and get around the sentence that God has passed on disobedience.

You shall not surely die. And you know, today in our world, one of man's major focuses in life is to escape death. The billions of dollars that are spent every year to try to discover a way not to die.

You know, mankind is still hung up on what Satan presented that day. Perhaps there will be a way to get out of it. And God knows that the day you eat of that tree your eyes will be opened. And then what did He say?

And you will become like God. There is the possibility that your eyes can be opened and you will be able to govern your own life. God is just, you know, He's just suppressing you. He's keeping you under.

He wants you to stay in ignorance so He can manipulate you, so He can exploit you for His own purposes. He didn't say all these things, but they were implied. And Eve fell for Satan's deception. And she took of the fruit and she ate.

And she gave to her husband and he ate also. And the thing that I see is that the very same mentality that Satan expressed in heaven was the very thing he planted in Eve's heart that day. In Adam's heart.

And it's the very thing that has passed on down to each one of us. That idea that we can live without God. That we can be our own gods. That we can govern our own selves. And you know, that is the essence of sin.

That's the essence of sin. You take all the lists of the sins that you find in Scripture and you can trace them back to that one root. I can live without God. I can do my own thing. So Satan corrupts man's hearts.

And Romans chapter 5 verse 12 says that sin entered into the world by one man and death by sin. So death passed upon all men because all have sinned. So we have a sinful nature by inheritance, but we also have a sinful nature by choice.

We all have chosen to go astray. We have all chosen to turn our backs on God. We have all chosen to become our own gods. And through this rebellious, sinful nature, Satan governs the world in which we live.

And that is what Scripture calls the kingdom of this world. I don't believe that Satan necessarily is personally involved in each one of our lives, each moment of every day, because I don't find in Scripture that Satan is omnipresent.

But he has simply given us the death blow in planting in our hearts that seed of rebellion against God. And from that point on, we ourselves try to take control of our lives and we mess things up. Now I believe that Satan is in control of what goes on in this world.

He sets up circumstances. He has plans. He is organized. And he and his angels are very busy. But you know, sometimes, at least at home in Costa Rica, when somebody falls into sin or something like that, you approach them about that.

They say in Spanish, Es que se me metió el diablo. What it simply means is, The devil just got into me. But I'm not sure that's quite right. I think it's simply that we have given way to self and to rebellion and to pride that says I don't need God.

Nevertheless, we have today a kingdom that is governed by Satan and his diabolical rebellion and his sin. And even nature suffers from the curse of sin. We find in Romans chapter 8 that even the creation groans and travails because of sin and its results.

Even nature is travailing and waiting for the day when God will redeem His people and will cleanse this universe of sin and rebellion and evil. So, we have a world that is governed. In Ephesians chapter 2, verse 2, it says the world is governed by the prince of the power of the air.

In Ephesians chapter 6, verse 12, it speaks of the rulers of the darkness of this world. In John chapter 12, verse 31, it speaks of the prince of this world. You know, the whole world today lies under the power of the evil one.

It's as if the world were enclosed in a mantle of darkness. And as I try to imagine how things must have looked to God, you know, this beautiful planet that He had created and had placed man upon it and the relationship that existed between God and the first man and woman.

Suddenly something changes and a dark, dismal cloud of rebellion and sin and wickedness and violence envelops our planet. And man is lost. And the relationship between him and God is severed. How God must have sorrowed for that.

The principal characteristic of the kingdom of this world is rebellion and disobedience against God. Sin is the transgression of the law, says in 1 John. And that word transgression of the law, if you look at the Greek, is one word, which means it is anomia, which means the concept that I can live without law.

Sin is the concept that I do not need to subject myself to any higher authority. That is the principle that governs the kingdom of this world. The purpose of the kingdom of this world. John chapter 10 and verse 10.

The thief cometh not, but for to steal, to kill, and to destroy. That's his purpose. I would just like to challenge the young people that are here tonight. You know, this world offers so many supposedly attractive things.

Someone said, the curse of sin is that it is painted in such beautiful colors. And we find ourselves, our flesh is drawn to the things of this world. But let me just challenge you with this thought. That whatever it may be that this world offers, however attractive the world may seem, behind that facade of beauty, is Satan just waiting with his chains to entrap us, to enslave us, to steal our innocence, to kill and to destroy.

And the sooner you can do that, the better. So, the purpose is to destroy that which has potential to serve God. The method of the kingdom of this world is deception. John 8 verse 44. It says that Satan is the father of lies.

All untruth originates in Satan. And you know, Satan's power is his ability to deceive and to make us to believe things that are not true. Or if he can only make us believe half-truths, if he can only make us believe that 2 plus 2 is equal to 3 .99, he has already deviated the course from truth.

And if we follow that course, it will take us farther and farther away from God. The power of Satan is his ability to deceive, to make us believe that which is not true. The values of the kingdom of this world are the expressions of the character of its king, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life.

These are the laws of the kingdom of this world. Egotism, carnality, pride, pleasure, living for the moment. Don't look into the future. Live for today. Buy today. Don't worry about payment. That is the value system that Satan tries to plant in our lives.

And that's why we live in a world that is so far from the beauty that we see in God. That's why we live in a world that is so sick and is progressively becoming more and more anti-God. Let's move on to a more positive, a brighter picture.

The Sovereignty and Redemption of God's Kingdom

The kingdom of God. The kingdom of heaven. The kingdom that Jesus came proclaiming. The kingdom that Jesus pled of the Father that he would allow to come to the earth. You know, God reigns in universal sovereignty from eternity past to eternity future.

Regardless of what Satan attempted to do, and regardless how victorious he sometimes seems to be, there is still a sovereign power that Satan has never been able to overcome. That is the power of our God.

In Hebrews chapter 1, verses 2 and 3, we find that God reigns and God sustains all things visible and invisible. It is God's preserving and his protecting and his judging power that we contend with today.

God's love for his creation caused him to form a plan to bring us back into relationship with himself. We could look at a number of scriptures to notice this, but I must hurry on. God sent his son, for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have eternal life.

As God looked at this world enveloped in that mantle of ugly darkness and sin, his loving heart overflowed. And a plan was formed even before the foundation of the world that if this were to happen, there is a way that God can penetrate that darkness with his light and can open a way that we can come back to him.

In a sense, we can say that God invaded our planet, been overtaken by Satan and by his kingdom. But when the fullness of time was come, God sent his son, made of a woman, made under the law, to bring redemption to mankind.

And for 33 years, Jesus lived here among us and he showed us the beauty of God and his holiness and the beauty of God's kingdom. In Acts chapter 2, I would like to notice with you what I understand to be the beginning of God's kingdom here on earth.

And I realize that there may be some of you that disagree with me on interpretation of prophecy, and that's fine. I know there are people who believe that the kingdom of God is something that will come someday in the future.

But I would like for you to notice here in Acts chapter 2, after Christ had died, was buried, and the third day rose from the dead, and after he ascended into heaven, he told his disciples to go back to Jerusalem and to wait for the promise of the Father.

And here in chapter 2, we have the day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit was poured out upon his children. I'd like to look at verse 30 of chapter 2 of Acts. It says,. And knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, he's speaking of David, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne.

And this was the hope of Israel. This was what all Israel was waiting for, the day when the Messiah would come and establish a kingdom here on earth. And he would sit again upon the throne of his father David and would rule among his people.

But Peter says here that David was prophesying of something very interesting. He said he, seeing this before, spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption.

This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we are all witnesses, therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this which ye now see and hear.

For David is not ascended into the heavens, but he saith himself, The Lord saith unto my Lord, Sit thou in my right hand, until I make thy foes thy footstool. Therefore, let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord, sovereign authority, and Christ.

If I understand correctly, when Jesus arose from the dead, he broke the power of Satan, and he ascended into heaven, and he sat with his father upon his throne. And his first act as sovereign authority over his kingdom was to send the Holy Spirit to take control of his people here on earth and to exercise his government here on this earth among his people today.

And so I believe that we today are living, or we can be parts of the kingdom of God, which is a reality today. I don't think it's something we have to wait for for some future date. And, true, the kingdom will be brought to its perfection when Christ returns and we all go to live with him in heaven.

But today we can be part of that kingdom, that glorious kingdom which has overcome Satan. The principal characteristic of the kingdom of God is love, as compared to Satan's kingdom, which is one that is governed by rebellion and sin.

Here we have a kingdom of love. The purpose of the kingdom, instead of being to steal and to kill and destroy, is that you might have life, and that you might have it more abundantly. Jesus came to bring life.

The principal methods of the kingdom is truth. God is true. God cannot deny himself. And the values of the kingdom are the characteristics of its king. You know, the laws of the kingdom of heaven, as we read in the New Testament, are simply expressions of God's own character.

We find the characteristic of the kingdom portrayed in Matthew chapters 5, 6, and 7, the Sermon on the Mount. That beautiful picture of that wonderful kingdom. Sometimes we look at the commandments of the New Testament and we say, Oh, God is so stringent.

But you know, every one of those are simply expressions of who God is himself. And he is asking us to join our lives with his, to become like he is. We spoke about that last night. In Galatians chapter 5, it speaks of the works of the flesh, and it says that whoever does these things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

But then he goes on and he teaches us what is the fruit of the spirit, love, joy, peace. Oh, I get hung up in English. But anyway, you know what I'm talking about. The fruit of the spirit. Long-suffering gentleness, peace, self-control, being able to crucify the flesh with its passions and desires, holiness, Matthew 18.

Jesus said, unless we become like little children, we can in no wise enter into the kingdom of heaven, unless you humble yourself like a little child and realize that instead of me being my own God, you know how a child is.

Daddy has the answers to all my problems. That's the way a child looks at life. He breaks a toy, he comes running to daddy. Daddy, fix this. If he falls and hurts his knee, Daddy, can you kiss my knee?

You know, daddy solves all problems. And if we come to God recognizing that in him he is our all in all, all that we need we find in him. 1 Corinthians 4, verse 20, it says, the kingdom of God is shown by its power.

The Transforming Power of God's Kingdom

I was just impressed again. The other day when we went out west and we stopped at the Cliffs of Cary and we watched the power of the Atlantic Ocean as the waves come crashing in over those rocks. There's a force and a power there that, you know, I sometimes stand in awe when I see a jet plane take off from the runway.

But when I stood there and looked at those, watched those waves and felt the wind, the force of the wind and the expanse of ocean, you know, the awe it inspires is almost overpowering. God. But not only that.

The power of the kingdom of heaven that can take a lost sinner and can transform him into a saint. That is power. The power of the kingdom of God that can take those human beings that have been damaged by sin and Satan and can transform them into the glorious image of Jesus Christ.

Romans 14, it says, the kingdom of heaven is righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost. What I would like to bring to our attention, especially tonight, is the fact that the kingdom of God becomes a practical reality today in the brotherhood of believers.

The church, the congregation, where God's people come together and form one body in Christ. The kingdom of God becomes a physical, practical reality. 1 Corinthians 12, verse 3, it says we are all baptized into one body.

And I realize we live in a world where the emphasis today is on an individual's relationship with God. You with God, me with God, him with God. But I look at the New Testament and I see something different.

I see God bringing all these individuals that have experienced a relationship with him and God is bringing them together to fuse them into one body. 1 Corinthians 12, the eye can't say to the foot, I don't need you.

The ear can't say because I'm not a nose, I'm not part of the body. But we are all members in particular and God has fused us together into one body so that together with each member in particular using the gifts that God has given each one of us we can grow into the perfect body into the measure, the fullness of the stature of Christ.

Isn't that a beautiful picture? You know, I remember when I was a young boy, I was, no, let's forget the story. Let's look at the picture of Scripture. Fused together to grow into the perfect stature of Christ.

As a community, as a body, we are to represent the Kingdom of Heaven in the community where we live. Acts 1, verse 8, When the Holy Ghost has come upon you, you are going to be witnesses unto me. It doesn't say I'm going to open the door so that you can be.

It says you will be. When the Holy Ghost takes control of our lives and when He fuses us together in one body, we together portray the beauty of the Kingdom of God to the world around us. 1 Peter, chapter 2, verse 9 says that He has called us to show forth the praises of Him.

Here again, the Spanish says, the virtues of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. In Matthew, chapter 5, verse 14, Jesus says, ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid.

Maybe if it was just one little light flickering in the darkness, maybe we wouldn't see it from a distance. But when we join forces and all these little lights come together, we make one light that shows the glory of God in our dark, sinful world.

The Church as a Distinct Witness to the World

I believe that today too often we lose the body concept. And we have become so Protestant in our thinking that we have become individual Christians. It's me with God and I don't want to be a part of anybody because as soon as you become a part of a group, there are problems.

Sure there are. We're human. But God has called us to blend together and to allow interpersonal relationships to polish our rough spots until we are blended into one perfect body. That's God's purpose.

We need to remember that the Kingdom of God is a Kingdom that is separate from this world. And I would like to help us tonight to draw not a gray line, but to draw a very marked line between us and the world.

We belong to Jesus Christ and the whole world lieth in wickedness. There is an absolute difference. Too often today, professing Christian people are saying we need to become like the world to win the world.

Someone has said whenever the church builds a bridge to the world, the church is the only one that uses the bridge. I think that's too often the case. John 14, Jesus said, The world hated me. The world's going to hate you.