(20) And when he was demanded of the Pharisees,
when the kingdom of God should come,
he answered them and said,
The kingdom of God
cometh not with observation:
(21) Neither shall they say,
Lo here! or, lo there!
for, behold,
the kingdom of God
is within you
(22) And he said unto the disciples,
The days will come,
when ye shall desire to see
one of the days of the Son of man,
and ye shall not see it.
(23) And they shall say to you, See here; or, see there:
go not after them, nor follow them.
-Luke 17:20-23
Obviously the Pharisees did not understand the nature of the Kingdom of God. They were looking for another physical worldly kingdom. Jesus told them that the Kingdom of God could not be seen with human eyes. The Kingdom of God is something that resides within a person; therefore we should not go looking for it elsewhere.
(27) And this word,
Yet once more, signifieth
the removing of those things that are shaken,
as of things that are made,
[with human hands]
that those things which cannot be shaken
[things established by God]
may remain
(28) Wherefore we receiving a kingdom
which cannot be moved,
let us have grace, whereby we may serve God
acceptably with reverence and godly fear:
(29) For our God is a consuming fire.
-Hebrews 12:27-29
There are things which are made with human hands--things that we can see. These are the things that will pass away. There are also things that are established by God--things that cannot be seen--the invisible things. These are things that will last forever.
(1) There was a man of the Pharisees,
named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:
(2) The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him,
Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God:
for no man can do these miracles that thou doest,
except God be with him.
(3) Jesus answered and said unto him,
Verily, verily, I say unto thee,
Except a man be born again,
he cannot see the kingdom of God.
(4) Nicodemus saith unto him,
How can a man be born when he is old?
can he enter the second time
into his mother's womb, and be born?
(5) Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee,
Except a man be born of water
and of the Spirit,
he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
(6) That which is born of the flesh is flesh;
[a first physical birth propelled by water/amnionic fluid]
and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
[a second spiritual birth propelled by the power of the Spirit of God]
(7) Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again,
(8) The wind bloweth where it listeth,
and thou hearest the sound thereof,
but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth:
so is every one that is born of the Spirit.
(9) Nicodemus answered and said unto him,
How can these things be?
(10) Jesus answered and said unto him,
Art thou a master of Israel,
and knowest not these things?
(11) Verily, verily, I say unto thee,
We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen;
and ye receive not our witness.
(12) If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not,
how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?
-John 3:1-12
Nicodemus was a ruler of the Jews, a Pharisee, yet God had given him the rare ability to recognize that Jesus was a teacher that had come from God.
Jesus uses Nicodemus' discerning comment as an opportunity to help him understand the Kingdom of God, describing it as an invisible Kingdom. Unless a person is born again, Jesus tells him, a person cannot see this Kingdom.
Nicodemus wonders what Jesus means by being "born again." He is thinking in physical terms and the impossibility of returning to the womb. Jesus corrects Nicodemus' concept and encourages him to approach this invisible reality from a spiritual perspective.
He tells Nicodemus that being born again is the result of the Spirit of God moving in a person's life, just as the wind moves across the earth. We cannot, with our earthly eyes, see the Spirit of God moving, but we can see evidence that the Spirit is moving.
As an important religious authority, Nicodemus should not have been ignorant of this significant concept regarding our relationship with God. Jesus warns Nicodemus that if he does not understand this illustration of the wind moving in the earthly realm, how is he ever going to understand how the Spirit of God moves in the spiritual realm; since what transpires in the physical dimension is actually an illustration of what takes place in the spiritual dimension?
(17) For the kingdom of God
is not
meat and drink;
but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.
(18) For he that in these things
serveth Christ
is acceptable to God,
and approved of men.
-Romans 14:17-18
The Kingdom of God is not a physical kingdom where people physically consume meat and drink, but a spiritual kingdom where righteousness, peace, and joy through the Spirit of God are manifested.
Through these spiritual means we serve Christ, are accepted by God, and approved [from Greek #1380--accepted as genuine] of men.
Through these spiritual means we serve Christ, are accepted by God, and approved [from Greek #1380--accepted as genuine] of men.
Being "approved of men" does not always mean that we will find favor with men and not suffer persecution. On the contrary, God's Word tells us that if we live Godly, we will surely suffer persecution. Man's approval in this case refers to how some men evaluate our relationship with God.
When we have true righteousness, peace, and joy, it may be evident to those around us that our relationship with God is real, therefore some may love us while others may hate us because the genuineness of our relationship with God verifies that He exists and if a righteous God does exist, everyone who comes in contact with us is forced to face their own state of sinfulness.
This is why worldlings are so dedicated to removing Christians and every remembrance of God from the face of the earth. They want the freedom to sin without feeling uncomfortable about it.
(19) But I will come to you shortly,
if the Lord will,
and will know, not the speech
of them which are puffed up,
but the power.
(20) For the kingdom of God
is not in word,
but in power.
(21) What will ye?
shall I come unto you with a rod,
or in love,
and in the spirit of meekness?
-1 Corinthians 4:19-21
Paul is getting ready to reprove the Corinthian Church and is warning them that they cannot talk their way out of their sin. The Kingdom of God embodies the power of God. He asks them, "Which is it going to be? Shall I come with a rod of correction or in love and meekness?"
The heady and high-minded in the church think that they can use their verbal gymnastics to stand against Paul and the power of the Kingdom of God, but Paul is ready to use the "rod of correction," if he must, unless they change their attitude.
Usually the "rod of correction" refers to some type of physical discipline or spanking a rebellious child. Paul is not referring to physical correction, but to a very strong presentation of the Word which is "sharper than any two-edged sword."
(12) For the word of God
is quick, and powerful, and sharper
than any twoedged sword.
piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit,
and of the joints and marrow;
and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
-Hebrews 4:12
This sort of correction can be a very painful experience, especially for the rebellious. Those who love the darkness rather than the light and work hard to hide their sin, instead of dealing with it, may retaliate against the truth and falsely accuse those who attempt to help them separate from their sin and may even call them "hateful," "rude," or "unloving."
Isn't this what transpired at the crucifixion of Christ?
When we encounter this retaliation, God instructs us to withdraw from such people because their response reveals that they are scorners and do not have the capacity to receive the Word of God. (See Proverbs, Chapter 9 and 13.)
When the first love was lost, mankind also lost the power of God.
But the power of the Kingdom of God will be experienced again, when the Mystery of the First Love Lost is finally solved.
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