2025_12_21 The Coming Kingdom

Today is our fifth and final sermon in our Advent series, The Coming King. And our topic is the coming kingdom. We've talked about the fact that Advent is a Latin word that means coming. And it's a looking forward. Initially, it was Israel's looking forward to the coming of their Messiah. For us now, we look back and rejoice in the coming of the Lord Jesus, but look forward to His second coming when all the world would be made as God intended for it to be. [00:29:05] (31 seconds)  #AdventAwaitingTheKing

Now of what child would you say their origin is from of old, from of ancient times? This must have surely blown the minds of those who heard it. Maybe even Micah was bewildered himself. I don't doubt it. This mysterious figure is spoken of as being pre-existent. The phrase ancient times is frequently translated eternal. The clear implication is that this human ruler born of David's clan was divine. [00:37:55] (34 seconds)  #EternalMessiah

Ultimately we all have that sense of what is meant by that, don't we? Flourishing in every way. In addition to shalom, the prophets repeatedly associate two other words with the Messiah's reign. Righteousness is being in right relationship with other people. That's the core of righteousness. And justice is treating people rightly on a societal level. They're both about right relationship. Both are integral parts of shalom. [00:42:48] (44 seconds)  #ShalomMeansJustice

Isaiah describes his kingdom in places like Isaiah 11 and Isaiah 32 and chapter 35 and chapter 61. And there he envisions a time when the blind see, the deaf hear, the lame leap. There's physical wholeness. The mute tongues shout for joy. The deserts turn into oases. Wild animals no longer harm. Wars cease. People live righteous and just lives before the Lord. [00:44:34] (32 seconds)  #IsaiahVisionOfShalom

But we don't see this shalom covering the earth. We see war. We see disasters. We see sin. We see brokenness. We see evil all around us. So where is this kingdom of shalom that the Prince of Peace, the Messiah, is supposed to bring? We grapple with that question, but even John the Baptist was plagued by that question. He thought that Jesus was the Messiah. But Jesus wasn't conquering evil and setting up his kingdom on earth. [00:49:11] (35 seconds)  #WhereIsTheKingdom

Jesus' answer to John would have been crystal clear to John. I am doing the works of the Messiah. I am bringing shalom to earth. John would know from that answer that he was the expected ruler. He didn't understand everything. But this was the man. And the kingdom was indeed present in the works of Jesus. Shalom. The kingdom. Rule was coming. [00:50:35] (36 seconds)  #WorksProveTheKing

The kingdom has come. Now, Jesus is saying, the evidence of that in this case was the fact that I have power over Satan to drive out that which is opposed to God and establish his kingdom. The kingdom was already there. And the kingdom is already here now. This is the mystery of what theologians call the already and the not yet of the kingdom. The kingdom was inaugurated when Jesus began his public ministry. And through his death on the cross and his victorious rising from the dead by which he conquered Satan, overpowered him, Satan has been cast down from heaven. [00:51:56] (41 seconds)  #KingdomAlreadyNotYet

``The Messiah who came as a helpless babe on that first Christmas day will one day return, not in weakness, but in power as a king. Now, on that day, he will restore the earth to the way it was intended to be. He will right the wrongs in suffering, restore justice, peace, shalom on earth will be a lasting reality. [01:01:48] (24 seconds)  #MessiahReturnsInPower