The Beauty of the Kingdom

Sermon Transcript:

(transcribed with AI)

Promontory Community Church exists to make disciples of Jesus who know, live, and share the gospel for the glory of God.

Well, good morning, it is good to be here with you all. If you have a Bible with you, let me invite you to open to the book of Ephesians. We're going to be in Ephesians chapter 2 this morning. And as you find your way there, I want to start with a question, and this is a bit of a loaded question. This is the kind of question where maybe you should just hold on, maybe don't say something out loud right away. Do you think Canada should be a Christian nation?

Like I said, that's a loaded question. There's a lot that goes into even answering or thinking through an answer to a question like that. You're going to have to think through what the role of government in society is, how the church is meant to function, the greater sort of kingdom of God and how those two things should work together. And even throughout history there's been a lot of different answers to that question. How should those two things work together?

You go back to 800 AD, you find a man by the name of Charlemagne, he was the king, and he had a very interesting answer to that question. If you know your history, you know that Charlemagne, whenever he conquered certain peoples, he would then forcibly — and I'm going to put this in quotes — "baptize" them to make them all Christian. Now, it's not much going out on a limb to say that was bad. That was not a good way of doing it. But for him that's exactly how he saw the church. It was a way to cement political authority over a people group.

Throughout history there's been other examples, other answers throughout that. You can think of what happened in the 1500s with the Protestant Reformation. Martin Luther was sheltered by Frederick the Third — arguably God used this political figure in order to keep Martin Luther safe during that time so that he wouldn't be killed. The state, in that sense, protecting the church. Even today in Canada, the church is protected by the state. Whatever you might think of how that works out practically, we get to meet here in safety. Praise God, that is a good thing.

But the church and the state have always revolved around one another, partly because there is some overlap between the two. Both of them are seeking people's loyalty. They're both seeking some form of individual loyalty. But let me argue that the dissimilarities are far greater than the similarities. Let me suggest that's really where the similarities end.

So my answer to "should Canada be a Christian nation" is the same as my answer to "should an apple be an orange." We're talking about different things. A nation is defined by a system of government exercising authority over a geographical area, backed by some force, often militarily, by which people enter either by birth or by application. That's not what Christianity is. Christianity is not defined by any geographical border, not even a cultural or ethnic one. Christianity is not defined by military or coercive force, and the only means to enter in is through faith.

And so here is what I'm going to call the beauty of the Kingdom of God — it is not a political group. And hear me, that is good news in a world that is deeply divided. How often has politics, even just the subject, created rifts in conversations, relationships, even families broken apart over things like this. In contrast, we're meant to come to the kingdom of God as a place of unity that brings people together, not breaks them apart.

And so this morning, as we've been doing all throughout this series, our goal is not to look at the cheap imitations, but rather spend our time focusing on the beauty of what God has made. I want us to understand the beauty of the kingdom of God. The way that God actually intends it to function is an incredible thing. When Jesus began his ministry, he announced that the kingdom of God has come, and that by faith, everyone who trusts in Jesus is brought into this kingdom.

And so our question this morning is very simple. What does it mean to be part of the kingdom of God? What does it mean to be a Christian, part of the church? And so to answer that, we're going to look at Ephesians chapter 2. If you have your Bible, I'll invite you to follow along with me. We're going to look at near the end of the chapter starting in verse 19. It's our tradition to stand as we read God's word. If you're able to, would you stand with me?

So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.

Thus far the reading of God's word, you may be seated.

Well, this morning we are jumping once again just into the middle of a book, so let's take just a few moments to remind ourselves of what's going on. The book of Ephesians is a letter written by Paul to the church in Ephesus, and Paul actually knew this church very well. He had spent years with them, he ministered with them, and so really the purpose of this letter is for him to write to them and say, I haven't forgotten you. I'm praying for you, I'm encouraging you all the time, and to remind them of the beauty of the gospel.

Beginning of chapter two, Paul begins to outline the incredible transformation that the gospel makes in our lives. Our relationship with God goes from being severed — he even says you are dead in sin — but through Jesus we are made alive. The transformation is massive, the same as the difference between dead and alive. The relationship with God has been transformed by Jesus, and then he goes on in the rest of chapter two to say, and so has our relationship with one another. Our relationship to other people has also been transformed because of what Jesus has done, and that's really what I want us to see this morning.

How does the gospel transform our relationship with one another? In Jesus we're no longer separate people groups, rather we're brought into unity with one another. The kingdom of God is made up of those who have trusted in Jesus, made into the family of God, so that we might display his glory.

And so that's the first thing that we see here in verse 19. We are taken from being strangers to now citizens, saints, and family. The gospel transforms our identity and how we relate to one another. Look back at verse 19. Paul writes:

So then you are no longer strangers and aliens.

Now you have to pause right there for just a moment, because we need to ask the question, were we strangers before? And actually his answer is, yes, you really were. Remember Paul here, he's writing to a church in Ephesus that is made up of ethnically Jewish and Gentile believers. Now, Jewish and Gentile people were about as far apart as any two groups could be. In fact, a Gentile was just a non-Jewish person, which should tell you something about how they thought about everyone else — there's us, and then there's every other person in the world. That tells you something about how well they got along with everyone. In fact, the Jewish people really didn't want to. They worshiped by themselves, they ate by themselves, they did business often by themselves, they didn't really want to go out any further.

And so Paul saying, hey look, you guys are strangers, is really true. They didn't know each other, these two groups didn't mix. But in fact he's going to push it even further. Earlier in chapter two, speaking to the Gentiles, he says not only were you cut off from one another, you were cut off from God. Chapter 2, verse 12 says:

Remember that you, Gentiles, were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the Commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.

They were cut off from one another, and in fact they were cut off even from the very promises that God had made. In the Old Testament, God had been working with the Israelite people. He had given them all kinds of promises about this Messiah who was to come, one who would deal with sin, who would bring blessing to the entire world, and God had even told them, your job is to be a kingdom of priests. Go and tell the nations around you about my promises. That's not usually what happened. In fact, very few times did that actually happen.

And so Paul here knows this, and he says, look, you were, verse 19, strangers and aliens. That is where they were. That's not where you are now. The gospel of Jesus transforms us from strangers and aliens — continuing on, verse 19 — but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God. A huge transformation has taken place. No longer are you strangers, you're not just acquaintances, you're not just friends, you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of God's household. You have gone from strangers to now family.

And that's the point Paul's making here. The gospel actually breaks down all of these barriers that have previously stood in the way. Barriers like nationality or even ethnicity of people coming to hear the good news of Jesus — all of those are gone. And that's very much part of God's plan. Think of when Jesus sends his disciples out, Matthew 28:

Jesus came to them and said, all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I've commanded you, and behold, I'm with you always to the end of the age.

Jesus sends his disciples on purpose to all nations. What Jesus is telling them is, look, the gospel is not bound to any one nation or any one nationality, it is meant and intended for all people. No longer divided, the kingdom of God is not tied into the nations of this earth, but rather is existing over and above them. Jesus just said he has authority over all heaven and all earth. That's why we can share the gospel no matter where we go. No matter who you meet, you can share the gospel because Jesus has sent it to all nations.

And hear me, this is why when the gospel gets tangled into the political divides of the world, we have made such a grave error. It's not what Jesus called us to do. The gospel has always been intended for all the nations, because it's in the gospel that this incredible transformation happens. When we come to Christ, we go from being citizens of the earth to citizens in heaven. Listen to Philippians 3, Paul writes:

But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables even to subject all things to himself.

Once again, Jesus reigns and rules over all, and our citizenship in heaven is not defined by our birthplace here on earth, but by our new birth in Jesus Christ. The beauty of the kingdom of God is that we are transformed from being divided to now being united — fellow citizens of heaven, saints and members of God's family. God's kingdom does not destroy our uniqueness, but rather unites them together. This is often why the church has called one another brother and sister. I know the language is somewhat archaic, but it is right. We are siblings adopted into the family of God, brought together by Christ, so that the old barriers are torn down.

But here's where we need to ask the question, OK, but how? I mean, it's one thing to say that there are no more barriers, but in one sense you've got to show me — how is it that the gospel actually gets rid of these barriers? Is this something like what we see if you go to a hockey game? You walk into a hockey game, the whole stadium, thousands of people, all united, cheering for one team — or sometimes hating one team — everyone's united. Is that what we're talking about? No, because as soon as you walk out, that unity is gone. That's surface level at best. What we're talking about in the kingdom of God is so different. It's not surface level unity, but a deep unity at the very foundation of who we are.

And this is why the kingdom is built on the foundation of Christ. Look back at verse 20:

It is built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the cornerstone.

Paul says, look, everything is built on Jesus. How does this transformation happen in people's lives? Jesus. How are we united? Jesus. It all has to do with this. Now, I am not a builder, and I won't pretend to be one, but I know enough to know that a cornerstone was the very first thing that was laid in a foundation. From that, everything else was lined up, everything had to connect to that one cornerstone. And that's Paul's point here — even as the apostles and prophets are teaching, everything has to line up, has to go back to Christ. They're just explaining what Jesus has done.

Here's Paul's point: Jesus is the cornerstone. In fact, Paul here is really quoting from the Old Testament, Psalm 118, where the psalmist is praising God for this salvation:

I thank you that you have answered me and have become my salvation. The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. This is the Lord's doing, it is marvelous in our eyes.

The salvation that God Himself will provide will be through this rejected cornerstone. And hear me, this is exactly what Jesus comes to do. He is this rejected cornerstone. Jesus, God Himself, came to this earth, lived a perfect life, and was he loved for it? He was rejected — rejected by the leaders, rejected by the crowds, even one of his own disciples turns away from him. Though Jesus had done nothing wrong, he was led to the cross, and for a moment it seemed as though the plan of God was coming crashing down. It looked as though the rejection would cause failure, and yet what we see is that it is exactly part of God's plan.

Because Jesus went to the cross, he paid that price for our sins. He took our place so that anyone who would trust in him would be forgiven, died in our place, and rose again so that anyone who believes in him would live with him. This is the gospel message in short. In fact, even Peter himself, the apostle, when he gets put on trial not long after Jesus himself, early in the book of Acts we're told, Peter says:

Let it be known to all of you, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by him this man is standing before you well. This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone, and there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.

Jesus is the centerpiece, he is the cornerstone. It has always been about Jesus from the very beginning, and it is in him that we have our unity. Why is it that we can experience unity in Christ? Well, it's because there is only one way to be saved. Hear me, nobody gets an express pass, no one gets an easy salvation. I hear people say all the time, you know, oh my testimony's so boring, I was just born into a Christian home — as if that is what made you a Christian. That's not it. You don't believe in Jesus because you were born into the right family. Nobody has a boring testimony because everyone has to come through Jesus the exact same way. Every salvation is a testimony to the grace of God and his goodness in your life.

If you'll let me just adapt Paul's speech from Philippians 3 — if anyone says they have a reason to be saved, hear me, I have more. I was born into a Christian family. I am a Mennonite of Mennonites. You can trace back generations of my family of believers. My dad was a pastor, my mum taught me to pray when I was three years old, I went to Christian schools, I went to Sunday school every week, I attended Bible college, I went to the largest seminary in the world. I've been in ministry now for over a decade. I've been on overseas missions, served the poor, preached in foreign countries without even light. And not one bit of any of that makes a difference to my salvation.

You and I — every single person — must come to Jesus in exactly the same way. There are no shortcuts. If you think you have one, you don't have Jesus. In fact, everyone is required to humble themselves, because salvation requires we recognize that we have sinned before God. No one has measured up. No one has it all right. We have sinned before God and in fact we will face God's judgment, and not one of our good deeds will make up for it. In fact, the only thing we can do is to repent of our sins, turn away from them, and trust in Jesus Christ. That is how everyone must come. And it's only through the work of the Holy Spirit in my life that I ever trusted in Jesus. I couldn't do that naturally. I needed just as much help as everyone else.

Our unity in Christ is found because no one is better than another. We all must repent of our sin and trust in Jesus the same. We are united by the experience of the grace of God given to us in Jesus. It's only through the one sacrifice that we can be saved. Hebrews reminds us:

When Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sin, he sat down at the right hand of God. For by a single offering, he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.

Just as we all must repent of our sins, so we all must trust in the one sacrifice of Jesus. It's not that you trust in Jesus and then you have to add a little bit more, depending on how bad or good you were. No, you must trust in Jesus and him alone. We're not saved by our pedigree, but through faith in Christ, and here is where our unity is found. All of us come to Christ the same way. Nothing more that we bring, nothing we can add to it.

The kingdom of God is defined by the unity of those who trust in Jesus, and hear me, that then defines how we grow. How does the kingdom of God grow? It's not going to be through force. I can't force anyone to believe. It's not through laws that agree with Christian principles — no, we can't coerce anyone into the kingdom. The kingdom grows simply through sharing the good news of Jesus Christ. The book of Revelation tells us:

They conquered him — that is, the saints conquered Satan — by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.

How does the kingdom of God conquer? It's not through force, but by sharing the good news of Jesus and showing his greatness even more than our own lives. The greatest Christian witness is not a well-reasoned argument. It's helpful to understand some of the answers you can give to the big questions, but let me suggest that the most compelling Christian witness is the one who says, yeah, but I love Jesus more than anything else. Please understand, in order to share your faith, you don't need to transform into some sleazy used car salesman pushing a product that doesn't deliver. No, we have the advantage of being able to share the very best news the world has ever heard. You don't need to twist someone's arm, simply show them again and again, speak of the goodness of Jesus Christ.

That's what makes the kingdom of God so beautiful, because it is a unity of the compelling grace and goodness of Jesus Christ. The entire foundation is built on him. And all we need to do is show one another — this is how good our God is, this is how great the salvation of Jesus Christ is, and the transformation he has made in our lives. The kingdom is built on Jesus.

The beauty of the kingdom is that it transforms us into citizens, saints and family, built on Jesus, growing into a holy temple. Look back with me at verse 21:

In whom — in Jesus — the whole structure being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you are also being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.

Paul tells them not only have they been transformed by Jesus, but there is a goal to their transformation. He continues on with this building metaphor — they've laid a foundation, well what is built on it? It's a temple, a place for God to dwell with his people, where the people of God will worship him. And so hear me, this is the goal of the kingdom, this is the goal of the church, this is the goal of every believer — it is that God would be worshiped in all of our lives. And hear me, we need to understand that goal, because it guards us from making other things more important.

In fact, even Jesus makes this point. When he's on trial before Pilate, Pilate asks him, are you a king? Jesus answers:

My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting that I might not be delivered over to the Jews, but my kingdom is not from the world.

If the kingdom of God was primarily focused with setting up something here on earth, then yeah, we would use force, because that's the way that kingdoms of the earth are built. But that's not the way the kingdom of God is built. That's not our goal. Our goal is that God would be worshiped across all the nations, across all peoples, unified together in praising him.

Again, listen to what Paul writes in First Timothy:

First of all then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions and thanksgiving be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.

Paul instructs the church, be praying for all people. And that includes the government officials — not that they'd be overthrown, but that we would be able to live a godly life. Again, what's the purpose, what's the goal? That God would be known, worshiped in all of our lives. That is what unifies us, that's why we are transformed in Jesus — it's so that we could actually worship him.

But here's where we have to ask the last question, that is, OK, but why don't we see it? The reality is, you look around at churches, even within some churches you see fractures, divisions between different churches. Even the global church — we don't always see this unity that we've just talked about, the very purpose that the church is built on doesn't always seem to be there. But let me ask you, look back again at verse 21. What does it say?

In whom — in Jesus — the whole structure being joined together, grows into a holy temple.

The beautiful reality of the gospel is that it has both a past tense and a present tense. Paul writes, you are joined together — past tense. That's what happened when you trusted in Jesus, you are joined together in him. And yet in that unity, we are still growing into a holy temple — present tense. What Jesus has done has transformed us and is transforming us still. So why isn't the church perfect? Because we're still growing. In fact, we're going to be growing every day, for the rest of our lives. We're not perfect people right away. We are forgiven sinners growing in holiness. The goal of the kingdom of God is that we would grow to worship him more.

Paul writes in Titus:

We are waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us, to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.

The work of Jesus both redeems and purifies, it is both finished and continuing, and here is the beauty of what it means to follow Jesus. It means you will spend your lifetime always pursuing Jesus, growing in holiness, fighting against sin, and deepening in your worship of God. And every time you dig down deeper, you will find more and more and more. You will not exhaust the incredible majesty of God. You will not come to the end of his grace. You will not be bored with the experience of knowing God — ever deepening throughout your whole life. Every stage of life will show a new aspect of God's grace to be uncovered. Every struggle provides a new understanding of his strength. The more that you understand and comprehend God's character, his plan, and his will uncovers new ways to praise him. The greater we experience the love of God, the greater our love of God becomes.

The beautiful reality of the kingdom of God is that we are still growing. For the rest of our lives — in fact, for all of eternity — we will continue to grow to know him more and more so that we might praise him more and more. That purpose doesn't end on this side of eternity, but it continues on. In fact, when we get this picture of heaven in Revelation, John tells us:

After this I looked and behold, a great multitude that no one could number from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne and to the Lamb.

The beautiful picture of the kingdom that we are given is that it is a united people from every nation, tribe and language — not with all the distinctives destroyed, but their uniqueness beautifully added into the concert of God's glory, so that the goal of God's kingdom and the worship of God from now until eternity shall be his glory. While we might struggle here with the growth, we find that God will use each and every one of them to show us more of his goodness and grace, so that we can join together in the unity God has created us to experience, that God may be known in this world.

The goal of the kingdom of God is the glory of God. Transformed in Jesus for the worship of God. The beauty we get to talk about, the beauty we get to experience in God's kingdom, is found in the transformation of Jesus. The barriers that once stood between us are broken down because of what Jesus has done. We're united together, one people, one family, because Jesus paid for our sins. We are united together in one salvation by faith alone, and our goal is to show Jesus — the one who is worthy of all our praise — so the world can see the beauty of our savior.

Let's pray together. Our heavenly Father, Lord, we thank you so much. Lord, that you have so wonderfully, so beautifully brought together your kingdom, that it is not dependent on our works or our abilities or our outward attempts at bringing unity, but it is based on Jesus Christ and him alone. Thank you for the unity we get to share. Thank you that we get to share your gospel no matter where we go, so that ultimately, Lord, you would be glorified. Father, I pray by your Holy Spirit, transform our lives to be more like you, so that we might worship you truly and rightly, so that we might be a living display of your glory. We ask all this in your name. Amen.