I Love Thy Kingdom (Matthew 13:31–33) Sermons from the Baptist Faith and Message
Sermon #12 of 19 Sermons on The Baptist Faith and Message
The Baptist Faith and Message sets forth "certain definite doctrines that Baptists believe, cherish, and with which they have been and are now closely identified." You may read The Baptist Faith and Message on SBC.net. This sermon series by Lucien Coleman originally appeared in Proclaim! magazine.
Introduction: We sing, “I love Thy kingdom, Lord.” We pray, “Thy kingdom come.” We speak of “doing the work of the kingdom.” But what exactly is the kingdom of God? Is it some heavenly Camelot with alabaster walls and gold-tipped spires? an ethereal realm shrouded in luminous clouds? No, such misconceptions are far-removed from what Jesus had in mind when He spoke of the kingdom.
The Kingdom as the Kingship of God
Put simply, the kingdom of God is the kingship of God. It is rooted in the affirmation of the psalmist: “Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom; Your rule is for all generations.” (Ps. 145:13).
Isaiah caught a glimpse of the kingdom of God when he saw the Lord sitting upon a throne high and lifted up (Isa. 6:1). The kingdom of God is the eternal sovereignty of the heavenly King.
Entering the Kingdom
The kingship of God is absolute. The eternal King does not rule by the consent of His subjects. Even if no one acknowledged God’s sovereignty, He still would be King. We enter the kingdom by abdicating the throne of our own life and acknowledging God’s right to rule. This calls for a personal transformation, a reorientation of life so radical that Jesus referred to it as rebirth (John 3:3). This comes about through faith in Christ (John 3:14–16).
The Growth of the Kingdom
Jesus compared the kingdom of God to a mustard seed that eventually grows into a great plant with birds lodging in its branches (Matt. 13:31–32). When Simon Peter made his confession at Caesarea Philippi, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God!” (Matt. 16:16), the kingdom was still in the mustard seed stage; but when 3,000 persons were added to the community of believers on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:41), the kingdom was well on its way to becoming a great plant.
Though the magnitude of God’s kingly rule does not depend upon the number of subjects who acknowledge His sovereignty, the kingdom does grow as the subjects of the King penetrate the world with their testimony. Jesus made this clear when He taught that those who are already in the kingdom are to the world what leaven is to dough; their influence spreads until it finally affects the whole world (Matt. 13:33).
Conclusion: The refrain of the gospel song, “The Kingdom Is Coming,” gives us a glimpse of the glory of the kingdom and tells us what we should do about it.
Scripture quotations marked HCSB are taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible ®, Copyright ©1999,2000,2002,2003 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission.
About Professor Coleman
Professor Lucien Coleman retired in 1993 after twenty-seven years of teaching Religious Eductation at Southern Seminary and Adult Education at Southwestern Seminary. Before teaching served as a pastor in Kentucky. He holds degrees from Southern Seminary and the University of Kentucky. He and his wife, Bobbie, live in Parker County, Texas. They have three children, fifteen grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren.
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