The Bible’s Story: Kingdom
At our Youth Day Camp held in June 2024, Joshua traced the theme of the Kingdom throughout the Bible.
In movies and books, we see how the main characters of movies develop as the story progresses. In a similar way, topics and themes also develop throughout God’s Big Picture Story of the Bible. In this session we will try to understand how to understand topics according to God’s Big Picture Story of the Bible. So here’s the main idea of this session’s talk: We need to learn biblical yopics in the context of God’s Big Picture Story of the Bible.
We will be looking specifically at the topic of God’s Kingdom, especially in light of the big picture of Scripture. As we look through the theme of the Kingdom, we desire to understand God better and understand how to live under His rule. I hope that we will be able to find good applications to our lives and we will see how the Bible speaks to important topics you may encounter.
The Kingdom
As we learnt in the previous session, it speaks of God's people, in God's place under God's rule and blessings.
Now as we go through the story of the Bible, I will be using 5 sections that will help us remember the big story of the Bible. You can remember the 5 Cs:
Creation
Catastrophe
Covenant
Christ
Completion
In each of the section, we will see what God’s people, God’s place and God’s rule and blessing are like in each section. Take note too, of how God’s Kingdom changes and develops as the story progresses.
Creation
At the beginning of God’s story, God created the whole world. God created everything. Out of all of God’s creation, Human Beings were made special because they were created in God’s image. The first Human Beings were Adam and Eve, and they were God’s first people. In Creation, God’s People were Adam and Eve.
God placed Adam and Eve (God’s people) in the Garden of Eden. The Garden of Eden is an amazingly perfect garden that has everything that Adam and Eve could ever want. In creation, God’s place was the Garden of Eden.
Now Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden are given a command by God. They may eat from any tree in the garden, but they must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. They are to obey this rule otherwise they will die. In Creation, God’s rule was God’s word.
Lastly, Adam and Eve are blessed with perfect relationships with both God and with each other. There was no conflict, no shame and no guilt in Adam and Eve’s relationships. Relationships were peaceful and Good with each other and with God. In Creation, God's blessing was perfect relationships
This was how God intended life to be. When we live as God’s people in God’s place under God’s rule, we are blessed. Life is paradise.
But life is not like what was in the garden is it? That brings us to our next section, Catastrophe.
Catastrophe
Not long after creation, Catastrophe occurs. Adam and Eve disregard God's word and God's rule. They both decide to eat from the only tree God tells them not to eat.
Death comes into the world as a consequence of their disobedience to the Creator of the universe. Adam and Eve were supposed to be God's people, but their disobedience meant that they chose to be God's people no longer. They turned away from God. Adam and Eve’s sin corrupts all human beings. From this time onwards, all humanity will choose to turn away from God and disobey him. Human beings are no longer God’s people by nature. In Catastrophe God’s people are No One.
Additionally God no longer allows Adam and Eve to dwell in the garden. God’s holiness means that sinful disobedient humans cannot live with God. God banished Adam and Eve from the garden. In Catastrophe, Human Beings are now banished from God’s place.
God continues to rule and reign in the world, but He now rules in just judgement. God judges Humanity for their sin and they deserve death. We no longer enjoy God’s blessing but instead face His curse. It is all so sad. A perfect world has been destroyed by Human Rebellion. In Catastrophe, God’s rule is in Judgement and there are no blessings but curses.
When we look at God’s kingdom from creation to catastrophe, even though this happened at the beginning of the world, there are things that we can learn that are true for us today. When we live under God’s rule, life is good. God gives us good things in his kingdom to enjoy and we have abundant blessings. Our relationship with God and other human beings are good.
However, when we choose to disobey and turn away from God, we ruin our relationship with God and with other human beings. This disobedience towards God is called sin. Sin leads us to experience shame and guilt. We are cursed and our relationships with God turns bad. When we sin, we experience shame and guilt for the wrong things we have done.
I know when I was your age, whenever I did something wrong I would do my very best to hide it from everyone, especially my parents. This is because of my shame and guilt.
There were times I would be playing online computer games on the family computer, but as soon as I had finished playing, I made sure to uninstall everything. If it was an online game, I made sure to delete all the browser history. I was hiding what I did because I felt ashamed of what I had done.
There were times where it would seem like I got away with it, but I would feel shame and guilt knowing that I had done something wrong. I would just feel dirty and ashamed that I was doing these wrong things in secret. Guilt is a part of the fall and a result of disobedience and rebellion. It’s horrible to feel shame and guilt, it was never how God intended life to be. God never intended for us to live with shame and guilt
The same curse of sin happens with our relationship with others. Even in the closest of relationships such as with our parents and siblings, we find ourselves fighting with them and even saying hurtful things to them.
I know I have experienced my parents arguing. There are times my parents' relationship has not been good. I’ve seen my parents get angry, act rudely and say hurtful things to each other. In marriage, my parents were supposed to love each other above everyone else, yet they argue and get upset.
And our relationships with others are not good. Sometimes we avoid our peers or classmates because there are things we do not like about them or we do not get along with them. We may get jealous that our classmates get better grades than us, or get angry when they beat us in a sport or game. We always have some sort of conflict and confrontation with others around us.
These are just some examples of how our relationships have gone bad because of the Catastrophe of Sin.
God never intended for us to live in conflict or have cold unloving relationships with others. God desires that we live in peace with each other, for our good and our blessing.
When we live under God’s rule and listen to his word, it is for our good.
When God tells us we should honour our mother and father, it’s for our good
When God tells us that we should love our neighbours, it’s for our good
When God tells us we should forgive those who wrong us, it’s for our good.
When we choose to live life our own way it ends badly, just look at what happened to Adam and Eve when they turned away from God. Life is cursed and there are bad consequences for our sinful decisions.
So we have a choice, we can choose to live in God’s kingdom under God’s rule, or we can live life outside of God’s good kingdom under our own rule.
Consider carefully, because your decision will determine not only the present, but also your eternal destination. I hope you can see that God says these things for our good so that we can live the best life as God intended. Living life our way is not good, it doesn't lead to life or blessings, but rather curse and judgement. And that was what happened to Adam and Eve after the Catastrophe of Sin.
That is where the Bible could have ended. God could have left us banished and cursed. Humanity got what they deserved.
However, God is gracious and merciful. God desires to put things right again and bring people back to Himself.
Covenant
In this section we will see how God’s people live in God’s place under God’s rule through God’s covenant.
The word Covenant is an important word in the Bible. A Covenant is a contract or a commitment or a promise. God makes a covenant with various people throughout the Bible. God commits Himself to his people by making binding promises, and makes a number of covenants throughout the Old Testament.
We will be covering two main ones, God’s covenant to Abraham, and God’s promises covenant through the Prophets.
Let’s start with God’s covenant to Abraham. After the catastrophe of Adam and Eve, Humanity continues to go downhill. There is no sign of God’s presence or grace until God appears to Abraham. When God meets Abraham, He promises to reverse the effects of His judgement. God promises that Abraham and His descendants will become a great nation and they will be God’s people. Abraham’s descendants come to be known as the nation of Israel. In Abraham’s Covenant, Abraham and his descendants are God’s People.
On top of this, God promises Abraham a special land where he and his descendants will dwell. In Abraham’s Covenant, God’s place will be the Promised land of Canaan.
Finally God’s rule over Abraham and his descendants will result in abundant Blessings to Israel and the Nations. In Abraham’s Covenant, Blessings to Israel and the Nations are the result of God’s Rule and Blessing.
So that is God’s Promised Kingdom to Abraham. As the story of the Bible progresses, we will see that God does fulfil His promises to Abraham. Through Moses and Joshua, the nation of Israel came out of Egypt and lived in the Promised land of Cannaan. God installs a King to rule over Israel. Remember King David and King Solomon? They are a blessing to both Israel and the Nations. Life is good when God fulfils some of His promises to Abraham. Israel prospered under God’s kings and had abundant physical blessings.
However, things do not stay amazing forever. The nation of Israel rebels against God. They turn away from Him just like during the Catastrophe and they worship idols. In response, God justly judges the Israelites for their disobedience and they were sent away in exile to a foreign land.
However that’s when we get to the next Covenant: the Prophets.
While they were in exile, God preserves a small remnant of Israel who He promises will continue to be His people. In the Prophet’s Covenant, God’s people are a remnant of Israel.
During this time, God sends prophets as messengers to give his people a new promise. God through His prophets promises the remnant of Israel that there will be a new temple and a new creation.
This is what Isaiah 65:17-18 says, “For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former things shall not be remembered or come into mind.”
Now the Temple and the Tabernacle were supposed to represent God’s presence and God’s dwelling place. The old temples were in Jerusalem in Israel, but now that they are exiled, these temples are no longer there. However, in the prophets’ covenant, God promises that His place will be in a New Temple and a New Creation.
Lastly, in God’s new promise through the Prophets, He promises His people that there will be better promises than even the highest point in Israel’s History.
Not only will God keep Abraham’s Covenant, but more importantly God will make a New Covenant. God does not break His original covenant, rather He establishes and makes a new and better covenant. God is committed to His people in a new and better way that is far superior to the promises He made to Abraham. In the prophet’s Covenant, God promises a New Covenant, a New King and Everlasting Blessings.
These covenants are amazing promises that God gives to Abraham and Israel. I’m sure they could not wait to see God fulfil His promises. However, unfortunately for God’s people: Abraham and the remnant of Israel, they do not get to see the fulfilment of God’s covenant and promises.
God does fulfil His promises, and this happens through Jesus Christ.
Christ
Remember what we learnt in the first session: The Bible Has A Big Story that Points to Jesus Christ.
So when we get to this 5th C: Christ, we need to remember that Jesus Christ is the climax and pinnacle of what it means to live as God's people in God's Kingdom under God's rule.
Jesus is not only the fulfilment of all the covenant promises of the old testament, Jesus also demonstrated for us what it means to be God's people.
Jesus Christ lived a perfect sinless life. Jesus always trusted God, He never turned away from God's rule and always obeyed God's law. In this way Jesus Christ did what Adam and Eve could not.
However, although He lived a perfect sinless life, Jesus still died – He did not die for His sins, but for the sins of humanity. As a result, Jesus can offer the free gift of eternal life with God. The Good News is that we can receive this gift. The message of the Gospel is that we can lay hold of the gift that Jesus offers when we commit to turn away from our sins and towards obeying Jesus. When we do this in faith, we become united to Jesus and can also be considered sinless and perfect. If we are united with Jesus, when God sees us, he sees Jesus's perfect life. Christians who put their faith in Jesus for their salvation are considered God's people. In Christ, Jesus Christ and Christians are God’s People.
Remember that the Temple and the Tabernacle were supposed to represent God’s presence and God’s dwelling place. God resides fully in Jesus Christ. When we see Jesus, we see the fullness of God. Therefore, God’s Place is in Jesus Christ, the True Tabernacle and Temple.
Finally, through Jesus's death and resurrection, Jesus gives new life to those who trust in him. For those who repent and believe in the gospel, Jesus promises to give them what was promised through the Prophets. During His time on earth, Jesus started to fulfil the new covenant that was promised by the prophets.
Jesus promises rest to the weary and gives the holy spirit as a sign of the new covenant to all who believe in him. God's blessings in Christ are New Covenant rest and new covenant in the Holy Spirit.
Jesus is the start of the fulfilment of the New Covenant promised by the Prophets.
However Jesus’s life, death and resurrection. happened over 2000 years ago, how is it applicable to me today living in the year 2024? It is relevant because God's Big Picture Story is not complete yet. You and I are still part of God’s Big Picture Story! And we will see how God will one day complete his story in our final C, Completion.
Completion
There is a day that is coming where God will bring his story to completion. What will God's kingdom look like when this happens?
The book of Revelations helps us understand what the end will look like. The book of Revelations will help us see the complete fulfilment of all of God’s promises and covenants. Let us read Revelation 5:9-13.
From what we read in Revelation 5:9, God's people will be from every tribe, language, people and nation. All will worship and Honour Jesus. In Completion, God’s people will be a multinational people of God
The passage in Revelation also shows us who will be ruling in God's kingdom, as we see in Revelation 5:11-13. In Completion, Jesus is the Lamb and He will rule on the throne of God.
Finally, what will heaven be like? What will blessings in the new Heaven look like? It will be like Eden, but it will be new and even better. Revelation 21:1-4 shows us how God will remake everything — there will be a New Creation, a New Heavens and New Earth. In Completion, God’s place will be New Creation, New Heavens and New Earth
On top of this God's dwelling place will be with people once again. God’s perfect blessings will overflow to us and there will be no more sadness and pain. Heaven will be amazing and we will have perfect eternal blessings. In Completion. Jesus is the Lamb and He will rule on the God’s throne with perfect blessings.
Jesus Christ has come and made a way for us to live in God's kingdom once again. He has restored what Adam and Eve ruined in creation. He also made a way for us to be blessed in heaven and He will one day come back to rule over everything.
However, there is a decision that you and I need to make. We need to make a decision on what we think of Jesus. You can choose to be a part of Jesus's kingdom by trusting in him for your salvation, or you can continue to live life your own way outside of God's kingdom. Are we going to repent of our sins and trust in Jesus and his rule? Or are we going to continue living life our own way?
There are only two choices here, and if you would not call yourself a Christian here, I urge you to seriously consider putting your faith and trust in Jesus. God’s way is the best way to live and there are eternal rewards waiting for you. You can be with God in heaven and be reunited with your Creator.
Alternatively if you choose to live life your own way, there will be eternal punishment for the wrong things you have done. You can continue to live life away from God and all of His good blessings.
For those of us here who would say we are Christians, why wouldn’t you want to share this good news with others? The word Gospel literally means Good News, and Jesus Christ is Good News for everyone! If you are a Christian, it is important for us to consider letting others know about Jesus’s Kingdom. Evangelism is just telling people about Jesus Christ and his Kingdom and it is a natural part of being a Christian. So if you have put your faith in Jesus and have received the Gospel, I encourage you to tell someone about Jesus this week. Tell others about his amazing kingdom that will be forever. Tell others about the eternal blessings that are awaiting you, and invite them to partake in God’s blessings. It’s God’s free gift, and it’s the best decision anyone could make.
Conclusion
Now I’ve just gone through the topic of the Kingdom according to God’s Big Picture story of the Bible. I hope you can see how I have used the topic of Kingdom and traced it through the whole biblical storyline. I also hope you can see how God’s People, Place, Rule and Blessing developed and changed as we went through each section.
Topical studies can be used for many topics: Marriage and Dating, work and studies, rest and recreation, friendships and Relationships and time usage, the Bible covers a wide variety of relevant topics. If you want to know more about other biblical topics, talk to your youth leaders, or others in the church who know the Bible well, I'm sure they can help you understand what the Bible says about different topics. These topical studies are all relevant for us today so that we can learn how to live under God's rule.
We need to learn Biblical Topics in the Context of God's Big Picture so that we can know how to live in God's kingdom under God's rule.