Ezekiel 34 and John 10. Someone asked me this week, when are we going to get back to John, the Gospel of John? And I said, did you not realize that last week's sermon was us getting back to John? And part of that is because we spent the majority of the sermon in Isaiah 53, 54, 55, and 56, and the last few minutes in John 10, but that was us returning to the Gospel of John. One of the things you notice in the Gospel of John is that if you're going to study it properly and understand it, you spend a lot of time in the Old Testament. And today will be no different. John 10, verse 22. It says, At that time the Feast of Dedication took place at Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple in the colonnade of Solomon. So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly. Jesus answered them, I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father's name bear witness about me, but you do not believe because you are not among my sheep. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father who has given them to me is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. I and the Father are one. This is a wonderful passage that is going to warrant multiple sermons because there's so many layers of meaning and significance in it. So don't think that this morning we're going to exhaust this passage, not even close. We're simply going to ask a few questions. What is the nature of Jesus' kingdom and what should be the character of His kingdom citizens? What is the nature of Jesus' kingdom and what should be the character of His kingdom citizens? We could ask it another way and simply say, what is the nature of the church and what is its mission? These are important questions that we must be careful to answer correctly because there's so much confusion regarding the nature of the church and what ought to be the character of its members. Further, we have to come to solid biblical answers to those questions because the sad reality is Christian perspective on the nature of the church and its mission often ebb and flow with the political or cultural pressures of the day. Let me say that again. Christian perspectives on the nature of the church and its mission often ebb and flow with the political and cultural pressures of the day. For example, When the church enjoys power and influence in society, this can give rise to maybe a utopian vision. In such circumstances, the church, confident in its societal position, might begin to view politics and political power as something that can be wielded to bring about Christ's kingdom. The church can lose sight of the gospel, can lose sight of personal conversions as the means of societal transformation, and instead it can start using its political weight to try to Christianize society. Conversely, when the church feels powerless or oppressed by a secular society, it can be tempted to see its mission as one of resistance. seeking to overthrow its perceived enemies through political pressure or even rebellion or revolts. In such cases, some Christians might even justify throwing off the meek and gentle, patient and loving character of Jesus, believing that through their quarrelsome and pugnacious and prideful attitude, they can compel a culture to confess that Christ is king. Fortunately, these shifting theological perspectives, as I said, are often driven more by the ebb and flow of cultural realities than the unchanging truths of Scripture. The church's vision of its own mission and its own character becomes anchored more to the culture than to Christ. And so we've experienced this. You've seen it even in your own lifetime. As the decades change and the cultural pressures change, you see movements rise and fall within the church, movements which maybe advocate for some other view of the church's role and some other view of the church's relationship with the culture or the other view of the church's relationship with the government and so on. So, what do those questions have to do with our passage in John 10? In this passage, we're encountering a question being posed to Jesus that is deeply influenced by cultural and political realities that existed at the time. The dire political situation in Judea had shaped a vision of the Messiah that saw a future where that deliverer would come with military victory. One who had come with political upheaval. One who had come to restore national sovereignty. That was the hope. Why? Because they were under Roman oppression. And so they viewed the Messiah as a deliverer who would overthrow the oppressors and establish political freedom. But what we're going to see in Jesus' response to those questions is that they grossly misunderstood the nature of the messianic kingdom and what should be the character of those kingdom citizens. So look again at John 10 in verse 22. It says, "...at that time the Feast of Dedication took place at Jerusalem, and it was winter." Okay, well, the last time John has told us what time period we're dealing with was John 7, and remember it was the Feast of Booths. And so this reminds us that as John's writing his gospel, these are not all events that are taking place one right after the other, but in John 10 he's grouped some vignettes that all deal with the same themes. And this happens to be the themes of shepherding and sheep. And so what's significant here is not that it's winter, but what's significant is that this is taking place, John says, at the Feast of Dedication. We have to understand this, and so pardon the little historical thumbnail this morning if that's not what you're expecting, but we have to understand what the Feast of Dedication is because I think that this context is what's driving the question. The question is, are you the Christ or not? Tell us. Don't leave us in suspense. What is the Feast of Dedication? Also called the Festival of Lights, also called more commonly for us, Hanukkah. This was a festival meant to commemorate a significant historical event that took place some 200 years earlier. And we just need to think about some of the events that led up to those events first. We know that prior to Christ coming, the Jewish people had experienced hundreds of years of oppression by a continually shifting cast of political characters. And so in 722 BC, it's the Assyrians. Then the Babylonians in 586 BC. Some decades after the Babylonians took the Jews captive, the Persians defeat Babylon. and granted a measure of Jewish autonomy, allowing them to return to their land and remember to rebuild the temple. A few hundred years later, Alexander the Great arises and he defeats the Persian Empire and he gains control of Judea. Alexander, like the Persians, allows some Jewish autonomy. They're allowed to be in their land, they grant them religious freedom, they can practice their customs, and so on. Nevertheless, the Jews remained part of the Greek Empire. There were those oppressive powers. They were not an independent nation. They weren't even a client state. Now, after Alexander's death, his kingdom is divided among his generals. And this begun a series of wars, what we might call the Diatici Wars, that is, the wars of his successors, Alexander the Great's successors. As a consequence of this instability, as his generals fight over his territory, control of Judea shifts between the Ptolemies in Egypt and the Seleucids in Syria. Under both the Ptolemies and the Seleucids, the Jews are given a measure of autonomy. They can practice their customs, they can practice their religion. However, during those time periods, the office of the high priest remained under the control of the occupying forces. That is, they understood that if they could control the office of high priest, ultimately they could control the Jews. In 188 BC, the Romans defeated the Seleucids and greatly limited their power, though they remained in control of Judea. Then, significantly, in 175 BC, there was a man named Attiacus Epiphanes, and he became the Seleucid ruler. When he came on the scene, things dramatically shifted. The autonomy, the measure of autonomy and religious freedom that the Jews had experienced was going to come to an end. This was a significant shift. And Attiacus introduced policies that aggressively sought to suppress Jewish identity and religion. His desire was to unify the kingdom through forced Hellenization or the imposition of Greek culture among the territory. And so these changes led to deep cultural and political conflict. It caused internal divisions among the Jews. Some favored adopting Greek culture and some resisted the Greek culture. And so there's internal conflict even among the Jewish people. When those conflicts escalated, Antiochus Epiphanes used that instability as an opportunity to intervene and to forcibly impose Greek culture and religion in Judea. He went so far as to ban circumcision. He banned the observance of the Sabbath. He even banned the possession and the study of the Torah. In 167 BC, he committed one of the most egregious offenses against the Jews. He marches on Jerusalem, he enters the temple, he erects an altar to Zeus, and he sacrifices pigs upon the altar. Why? His desire was to so desecrate the temple to ultimately destroy the Jewish religion and to damage the ability for the Jews to remain ethnically distinct. Antiochus then installed his own high priest, who was ultimately just a puppet of the Greek empire, a high priest who was there to really instill or to push Greek culture and the Hellenistic agenda. Well, you can imagine, in that type of historical setting, what the mindset would have been of the Jews of the day. For the past 600 years, they had endured some form of oppression from one entity or another. From the Assyrians to the Greeks, they never really truly experienced lasting independence. They never really experienced full autonomy. Pagan nations repeatedly interfered in their political and religious affairs. They're continually undermining their sovereignty and identity. Now, the Jews had really managed to coexist, for the most part, with those oppressive forces. But this relentless pressure to adopt Greek culture, combined with the desecration of their temple by Antiochus Epiphanes, pushed many of those Jews to a breaking point. For some, revolt came to be seen as the only option. Well, as part of that same campaign that led Antiochus Epiphanes to the temple, where he desecrated the temple, he also sent envoys to the surrounding villages to force Greek worship. And he would actually come in and demand that the Jews would offer sacrifices to pagan gods. One of these envoys came to a small village called Modin. And there in Modin was a priest named Mattathias. Mattathias had a series of sons as well. The envoy demanded that the Jews offer sacrifices to the pagan gods and Mattathias refused. But then one of his fellow Jews came and was going to offer sacrifices to the pagan gods and Mattathias in his religious zeal jumped into action. He killed his fellow Jew and the representative of the envoy who was demanding such worship. That act of defiance marked the beginning of open revolt. Mattathias and his sons fled from Modine and ultimately they formed a resistant force and they launched guerrilla warfare against the Greeks. They raided Seleucid outposts, they destroyed pagan altars, they even punished their fellow Jews who had collaborated with the Greek oppressors. Mattathias, on his deathbed, made his son Judas a military leader and encouraged him to continue the campaign. His son, Judas Maccabeus. Over a span of a few years, Judas then led the army in a series of successful campaigns, and in 164 BC, he and his forces were able to recapture Jerusalem. One of their first acts was to go into the temple to tear down the altar that Antiochus had erected to Zeus to rebuild the altar and to cleanse the temple, reestablishing Jewish worship. It's that rededication of the temple by Judas Maccabeus that's celebrated during the Feast of Dedication. As a consequence of the revolt led by he and his brothers and his father, the temple is restored. And here in John 10, this is the backdrop to the question that's being asked of Jesus. It's a celebration of the rededication of the temple as a result of the Maccabean revolt. Now, although the actions of Mattathias and his sons are often celebrated as acts of religious zeal and faithfulness, especially as portrayed in the books of 1 and 2 Maccabees, their actions should not be uncritically whitewashed. They were motivated by a desire to uphold the law and defend their faith. Frankly, they assumed the role as judge, jury, and executioner. There's no indication that they had a divine mandate to carry out this rebellion. Furthermore, their actions extended not only against the foreign oppressors, but also against their fellow Jews, blurring the lines between justice and vengeance. Their campaigns frequently escalated into the wholesale slaughter of enemy populations and Jewish collaborators. Entire towns, villages were targeted, with inhabitants killed and property destroyed. In some cases, even preemptive attacks against groups they perceived as potential threats, regardless of whether those groups were actively opposing them or not. This approach reflected a zealous and indiscriminate use of violence that went beyond mere defense. Beyond this, The Maccabees forced Jewish practices upon those who adopted Greek customs, often through coercion. They even forcibly circumcised the children of parents who had adopted the Greek customs. Even among non-Jewish populations, they forced conversion to Judaism. For instance, like in Ajumia, it became widespread policy to demand conversion to Judaism or face expulsion from one's land. Clearly, the Maccabees' priorities shifted from one of purifying Jewish culture and religious practice, and it turned into something different. It turned into a movement of political domination under the guise of religious reform. each time a people group submitted to forced conversion, think about it, they would then have to recognize Jerusalem as their religious capital. They would have to recognize the temple in Jerusalem as the centerpiece of their religion, and there in the temple you find the service of the high priest. A high priesthood that had been co-opted by the Maccabees so that the Maccabees, even as military commanders themselves, were appointed as high priests. So then the forced conversion of non-Jews to Judaism really was a subjugation to those military commanders who were then operating as high priests. So in some ways, in the Maccabees' opposition to the forced imposition of Greek religion, they paradoxically imposed Judaism through equally coercive means. They used guerrilla warfare, political alliances, military conquest to secure their religious identity and influence. In the process, one might argue that they corrupted the priesthood and the intended nature of Judaism via the very means they employed ostensibly to protect it. Now we come back to John. This is where the Jews are celebrating the Feast of Dedication. They're celebrating the rededication of the Temple after its desecration by Antiochus Epiphanes. But they're also, frankly, commemorating political, militaristic, and nationalistic movement of the Maccabees, which made that rededication possible. It's within that context that we find the question in verse 24. So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, How long will you keep us in suspense if you are the Christ? Tell us plainly." No doubt in this context, and why John tells us it's within this context, is because the Christ that the Jews were waiting for as they asked that question was a Christ who would lead the Jews in similar campaigns as to the Maccabees. One who would come and bring about a campaign for independence, not against the Seleucids, but against the Romans, who took control of the region about a hundred years earlier. Think about the mentality. Think about the pressures. The weight of Roman occupation looming heavy over the Jews during Jesus' time on a daily basis. The Romans, like the Seleucids before them, were seen as foreign oppressors. They taxed the people heavily. They imposed their laws, even defiling sacred spaces by bringing Roman standards into Jerusalem. So many Jews are longing for a Messiah, a deliverer in the mold of Judas Maccabeus. One who would rise up with military might to overthrow the Roman overlords. One who would restore Israel's political sovereignty. This collective memory of Judas Maccabeus and the revolt stirred a fervent hope for a Christ who would reclaim national pride, one who would reestablish the glory of a Jewish kingdom. And so the Feast of Dedication serves as a reminder of past deliverance, but also ignites, almost on an annual basis, reignites this expectation of a future deliverance one that would match or even surpass the victories of the Maccabees, freeing the Jews from the yoke of the Romans. So now, with that backdrop, and I think with that motivation behind the question, are you the Christ? Tell us whether you're the Christ or not. Don't keep us in suspense anymore. What is Jesus' response? Interestingly, he responds in a way that we probably could never predict. In verse 25, He says, I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father's name bear witness about me. But you do not believe, because you are not among my sheep. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father who has given them to me is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of my Father's hand. I and the Father are one. Well, what in the world does this have to do with that question? Are you the Christ, here at the Feast of Dedication?" And he goes on to talk about shepherds and sheep. First of all, he's saying, I told you and you do not believe. I mean, that's an affirmation that he is the Messiah. Are you the Messiah? Well, I told you and you don't believe. Well, obviously the implication is that, yes, I am the Messiah. I told you in the affirmative, repeatedly, and you haven't believed me. And so, it's clear for anyone to see, anyone who knew Scripture, that he is indeed the Messiah. However, he goes on to speak about shepherds and sheep. The problem for the Jews in this context is that they were so blinded by their political and militaristic and nationalistic desires that they were looking for a messiah who fit that preconceived mold. And they were so ignorant of the scriptures, and I think not ignorant of the scriptures in that they didn't know the scriptures, they knew what the scriptures said, but they read them through their militaristic and political and nationalistic lens, and so they didn't see what it clearly said. And so they were looking for a Messiah to fit their preconceived notions or their desires more than to fit the profile that the Bible clearly presented. In their minds, the kingdom of God was a political kingdom. It was a nationalistic kingdom. It was a kingdom that would come through force. It may not seem obvious at first, but Jesus' response about the shepherd and the sheep was meant to divest them of all of those ideas. How so? He begins to talk about himself as a shepherd. A shepherd whose sheep hear his voice and follow him. He talks about eternal life. He talks about how his followers are secure in the hands of the Father. What's the connection here? He's answering the question as to whether or not he's the Messiah by applying a known messianic passage to himself. while simultaneously addressing the misconceptions about the nature of the kingdom and his followers. So with that, let's read, I believe, the passage that's inspiring his response, which is Ezekiel 34. Ezekiel 34, verse 1. It says, "...the word of Yahweh came to me, Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel. Prophesy and say to them, even to the shepherds, thus says the Lord Yahweh, Ah, shepherds of Israel who have been feeding yourselves, should not shepherds feed the sheep? You eat the fat, you clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the fat ones, but you do not feed the sheep. The weak you have not strengthened, the sick you have not healed, the injured you have not bound up, the strayed you have not brought back, the lost you have not sought, and with force and harshness you have ruled them. So they were scattered because there was no shepherd and they became food for all the wild beasts. My sheep were scattered. They wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill. My sheep were scattered over all the face of the earth with none to search or seek for them. therefore you shepherds hear the word of Yahweh as I live declares the Lord Yahweh surely because my sheep have become a prey and my sheep have become food for all the wild beasts since there was no shepherd and because my shepherds have not searched for my sheep but the shepherds have fed themselves and have not fed my sheep therefore you shepherds hear the word of Yahweh thus says the Lord Yahweh behold I am against the shepherds And I will require my sheep at their hand, and put a stop to their feeding the sheep. No longer shall the shepherds feed themselves. I will rescue my sheep from their mouths, that they may not be food for them. For thus says the Lord Yahweh, Behold, I, I myself will search for my sheep, and will seek them out. As the shepherd seeks out the flock, when he is among the sheep that have been scattered, so will I seek out my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places where they've been scattered on the day of clouds and thick darkness. And I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries and will bring them into their own land. And I will feed them on the mountains of Israel by the ravines and in all the inhabited places of the country. I will feed them with good pasture, and on the mountain heights of Israel shall be their grazing land. There they shall lie down in grazing land, and on rich pasture they shall feed on the mountains of Israel. I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I myself will make them lie down, declares the Lord Yahweh. I will seek the lost, I will bring back the stray, I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, and the fat, and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them in justice. As for you, my flock, now he changes, not talking to the shepherd, he's talking to the sheep. As for you, my flock, thus says the Lord Yahweh, Behold, I judge between sheep and sheep, between rams and male goats. Is it not enough for you to feed on the good pasture that you must tread down with your feet the rest of your pasture, and a drink of clear water that you must muddy the rest of the water with your feet? And must my sheep eat what you have trodden with your feet and drink what you have muddied with your feet? Therefore, thus says the Lord Yahweh, to them, behold, I, I myself will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep, because you push with side and shoulder and thrust all the week with your horns till you have scattered them abroad. I will rescue my flock, they shall no longer be a prey, and I will judge between sheep and sheep. And so here's a judgment against the shepherds of Israel, the spiritual leaders. It's a judgment against his sheep themselves for the injustice and the lack of mercy and unrighteousness that's being carried out amongst their relationships. And then he continues in verse 23, And I will set over them one shepherd, My servant David. And he shall feed them. He shall feed them and be their shepherd. And I, Yahweh, will be their God. And My servant David shall be prince among them. I am Yahweh, I have spoken, I will make with them a covenant of peace, and banish wild beasts from the land so that they may dwell securely in the wilderness and sleep in the woods. And I will make them and the places all around my hill a blessing. And I will send down the showers in their season, they shall be showers of blessing. And the trees of the fields shall yield their fruit, and the earth shall yield its increase. And they shall be secure in the land, and they shall know that I am Yahweh when I break the bars of their yoke and deliver them from the hand of those who enslave them. They shall no more be a prey to the nations, nor shall the beast of the land devour them. They shall dwell securely, and none shall make them afraid. And I will provide for them renowned plantations, so that they shall no more be consumed with hunger in the land, and no longer suffer the reproach of the nations. And they shall know that I am Yahweh, their God, with them, and that they, the house of Israel, are my people, declares the Lord Yahweh. And you are my sheep, human sheep of my pasture, and I am your God, declares the Lord Yahweh. Yes, he is going to read the whole chapter. This passage is both a hope-filled messianic prophecy and a scathing rebuke. The Lord begins by excoriating the religious leaders, whom he metaphorically likens to shepherds. says you're self-serving, you're neglectful, you're harsh leaders. You've actually caused the people to wander and to be subject to their spiritual enemies. In verse 10, he indicates that he's actively opposed to those Jewish leaders, and he's going to rescue his sheep from the shepherds. And then in verses 11 through 16, he indicates that he himself will do that work. He's going to seek them out. He's going to rescue them. He's going to gather them. He's going to feed them. He's going to restore them. He's going to give them rest. He's going to seek the lost. He's going to bring back the straying. He's going to bind up the injured. He's going to strengthen the weak. Then in verse 17 through 22, he shifts and he not only says he's going to rescue the sheep from the shepherds, but he's going to rescue the sheep from the other sheep because of the way they're treating one another. Then we come to the key verse in the whole thing, verse 23. And I will set up over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he shall feed them, he shall feed them and be their shepherd. And here we recognize that this is a messianic passage. The promise is that his servant David, that wonderful descendant of David, the Messiah, is the one who would carry out all of this shepherding work. And here we learn that although Yahweh has repeatedly said, I will do it, I will do it, I will do it, I will do it, I will do it, then he says, you know who's going to do it? My servant David. And then, if you were here with us last week, you'll appreciate what he says next in verse 25, I will make with them a covenant of peace. Where did we hear that? Isaiah. Remember we learned that Isaiah 53, you get the sacrifice of the servant shepherd, and he gives his life, and then what happens? There's an ensuing covenant of peace that comes as a result of his sacrificial death. And we said that is one and the same with the new covenant. Well, here we find the covenant of peace again. So the Messiah is going to bring about the covenant of peace, which is going to see the banishment of wild beasts from the land, so that they may dwell securely in the wilderness and sleep in the woods and so on. So through the shepherding work of the Messiah, according to Ezekiel, God's sheep will be brought into a covenant of peace. It's a covenant which is ratified by the death of the servant shepherd that we saw last week. And through this covenant of peace, his sheep will be restored to God and be granted security, which Jesus is gonna reference in John 10. No enemy then will be able to separate God's people from him ever again. Now, it's only after doing all of that, it's only after speaking of delivering his people from the shepherds and from one another, that he says anything about delivering them from the nations. And that's in verses 27 and 31. He deals with addresses delivering them from the foreign nations. We won't read it for the sake of time. This is the passage, I believe, that Jesus is alluding to in John 10. In response to the question, are you the Christ, the Messiah? Jesus is answering an emphatic yes, while simultaneously indicating what type of Messiah he's going to be. They are longing for a political Messiah. They are longing for a nationalistic Messiah. They are longing for a militaristic Messiah, who would bring swift judgment upon the Romans, just like the Maccabees did against the Seleucids and their other enemies. But that's not at all the type of Messiah that Jesus would be. That's the point. Instead, Jesus came as they promised servant shepherd, the one who would give himself to bring about a covenant of peace, peace being reconciliation with God. As the promised Davidic shepherd king of Ezekiel 34, he didn't come with immediate judgment over the enemies, the Romans, but he came with judgment upon their corrupt religious leaders. Isn't it remarkable that Judas Maccabeus goes into the temple and he cleanses the temple from the defilement of the pagan Seleucids? When Jesus comes, he also cleanses the temple, but he cleanses the temple from the defilement of the Jewish religious leaders. Jesus did not come with immediate judgment over their enemies, but with immediate judgment upon the corrupt religious leaders. Further, by alluding to Ezekiel 34, Jesus indicates that he is a Messiah who has come with a message of justice and righteousness and mercy. That's that section there that talks about how the sheep were mistreating one another. So he comes not first with a message to the surrounding nations about mercy and righteousness and justice, but to those who purport to be his people. In other words, Jesus is here indicating what will be the nature of his kingdom and what will be the nature of his kingdom's citizens. He's going to rule as a shepherd king whose primary concern is gathering his wandering people. He's going to restore his people to God. He's going to provide total security for his people, for their souls. He's going to empower them to live in harmony with one another, the nature of his kingdom and the nature of his kingdom's citizens. So, summarize a little bit here. The nature of Jesus' kingdom is spiritual. Through the inauguration of his kingdom, people are not freed from the oppression of foreign powers, but are freed from the oppression of personal sin. Since his kingdom is spiritual and his primary concern is for the souls of his people, the greatest threat to that kingdom was not the Romans. The greatest threat to that kingdom is the corrupt spiritual leadership of Israel. Further, since the kingdom is one of deliverance from sin and not from the dominion of sinners, his focus is not upon transforming the culture, but his focus is upon transforming his people, whose lives will serve as salt and light within the culture. This was not at all the type of Messiah or messianic kingdom that the Jews were waiting for. Contrary to their desire for a political kingdom to be established by a nationalistic messiah, what does Jesus say in John 18, verse 36? He says, 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. I say it's essential to get the nature of the kingdom right, because when you get the nature of the kingdom right, then you get the nature of the kingdom citizens right. Because the kingdom's not of this world, the kingdom citizens don't fight. Philippians 3.20 says, But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. And so that is a guarantee that as believers, as kingdom citizens, what do we do? We don't look at this culture and say, we need to rush and try to establish some earthly kingdom and Christianize the culture so that we can be at home here. Instead, he says, no, your citizenship is in heaven. So that's your priorities. That's where you are placing your home. Colossians 3, if then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things that are above, not on things on the earth, for you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. And so God has, essential to his kingdom, has a transformed people who live in the midst of the culture, in the midst of this world, whose loyalties and whose desires and whose hopes and whose longing are all in a different kingdom, the kingdom which is to come. So we're not here to fight for the establishment of an earthly kingdom. The kingdom of Christ is spiritual, and he rules and reigns in the hearts of all the individuals who follow him. He is Lord of all things to the church. Jesus said in Luke 17, says, being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, he answered them, the kingdom of God is not coming in ways that can be observed, nor will they say, look, here it is or there, for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you. It's true that God is bringing all things under the dominion of Jesus. That's true. All of human history is moving towards Christ. So that every knee will bow and every tongue will confess. That is absolutely true. And Christ will rule and reign. God establishes him on the throne and he will oversee an eternal kingdom. That's true. But our responsibility in the meantime is to live like Christ lived during his first coming. remaining watchful for that day while advancing his kingdom through the gracious preaching of the gospel. We find the disciples inquiring about the timing of that kingdom in Acts 1. It says, So when they had come together, they asked him, Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom of Israel? They're still asking. Is now time for the earthly kingdom? He said to them, It's not for you to know the times or the seasons that the father has fixed by his own authority. but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth." That is, an earthly kingdom will come, but the timing belongs to God. Our responsibility in the meantime is to what? Preach the gospel. That's our responsibility. Since the nature of the kingdom is spiritual, the means of advancing the kingdom are spiritual. The gospel is preached. That's the power of God for salvation. And it's through the proclamation of the gospel that souls are added to Christ's kingdom. That's how it advances. Not through political maneuvering, not through political pressure, not through revolt, not through rebellion, but through the preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ. That earthly kingdom, that eternal kingdom, where Christ rules and reigns, will come, but that time is in God's hands. In the meantime, we're busy preaching the gospel. Also, much to the disappointment of those who were hoping for a Messiah who would lead them in some great military conquest over his enemies, we read in Mark 8, verse 31, it says, You know, in the first century, the enemies of Christians really mocked them for the fact that they were subservient to or bowed the knees to a crucified Messiah. In the Roman mentality, if one was worthy of being worshipped, this is some mighty military commander, someone who would bring about conquest, someone who would bring about victory, but somebody who's going to die humbly, naked, on a cross, and you're going to bow before that one? I mean, that's embarrassing. That's humiliating. What's interesting is that even today there are individuals, whether they know it or not, are falling into the same trap, and so they want to paint the present-day church as one who wields the authority of Christ, with almost some dominating mentality that tries to bring all the culture under the dominion of Jesus because He's the mighty and powerful Lord. Well, He is the mighty and powerful Lord, and He will establish His earthly kingdom, but what we are called to do is follow His example in His earthly ministry with the same humility and meekness. And at times, yeah, it seems like Christians can be humiliated by the culture, but we don't lash back to their reviling. Instead, we take upon the meek and humble attitude of Jesus with the confidence that He does rule and reign as Lord, and His kingdom will come. But we don't use that as a bludgeon to beat people over the head and demand that they confess that Christ is king here as some political slogan. So, Luke chapter 6 verse 27 says, Jesus says, but I say to you who hear, love your enemies. Do good to those who hate you. Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who abuse you. To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also. And from one who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either. Is that a popular notion? There's a lot of conflict right now between the U.S. and Canada, the threat of tariffs and so on, right? There is, I think, in our culture, the reality that the Christianity that we practice in many ways has been really affected by an Americanistic spirit. this idea of individualism and conquest and power. And so there's an Americanized Christianity, I think, that even as Canadians we can play into or can be susceptible to adopting. It's the type of mentality that doesn't want to hear, love your enemies. Do good to those who hate you. Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who abuse you. Could you imagine the difference? I mean, you'd go on YouTube and see these YouTube videos and the thumbnail, instead of saying, so-and-so humiliates so-and-so, instead it would say, so-and-so loves so-and-so. So-and-so blesses someone who curses them. Could you imagine? I don't think you would get the clicks. This is very unpopular. Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who abuse you. To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also. And from one who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either." That's the character and nature of Jesus' kingdom citizens in this phase of the kingdom. And that's possible because we recognize He does rule and reign. And the eternal kingdom is coming. And every knee will bow and every tongue will confess. But that's yet future. And so with that confidence, we can adopt the humble character of Jesus. This is an ethic repeated and applied in the epistles. Paul said in Romans 13, let every person be subject to the governing authorities. He's writing this to Christians in Rome. For there's no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore, whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. And so if there's any Christian resistant movement, I think that Paul is destroying it here. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who's in authority? Then do what is good, and you'll receive his approval, and you can immediately say, well, wait a second, but our government isn't doing good. It doesn't seem to be promoting good conduct, and so on. Say, OK, well, we have to understand this in context, and neither was the Roman government. He continues, for he is God's servant for your good, but if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he's the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer. Therefore, one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God's wrath, but also for the sake of conscience. For because of this, you also pay taxes for the authorities or ministers of God attending to this very thing. And he's saying this to a people who are ripe for rebellion, who are ripe for revolt. He's saying this to a people that are feeling very similarly to the way that the Jews felt under the Seleucids. overtaxed, pagan environment, Roman standards in Jerusalem, and so on. And he says to them, what? Submit to governing authorities. And obviously there's a limit there as to that submission, especially when we're compelled to sin or to betray our God. This is not all what the Jews were waiting for. That's not what they wanted to hear. They wanted a Messiah who would bring retribution against evil oppressors. Yet that was not the nature of Jesus' Messiahship, nor the nature of His kingdom. Peter said in 1 Peter 2, Be subject for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme or to governors, as sent by him to punish those who do evil and praise those who do good. Further, to the disappointment of those who are hoping for a powerful leader who might lead the nation to some political liberation, Jesus defined the nature of His ministry this way in Luke 4. He says, the Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he's anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor. What is he saying? He's saying I've come to execute a spiritual ministry. The poor, The captive, the blind, the oppressed. And how do we know what he means by that? Well, because we have history. We can see how he carried out his earthly ministry. He didn't go about springing people out of prison. He didn't go about overthrowing oppressive governments. But what he did is he preached eternal life through faith in his name. He liberated individuals from their own sin. Jesus did not come the first time to overthrow the powerful foreign powers and bring political liberation to the oppressed. He came to overthrow sin and bring spiritual liberation to the spiritually oppressed. We know this because the means he used to establish his kingdom was not force, but the preaching of the good news, the preaching of the gospel of the kingdom of God. In another echo of Ezekiel, Jesus says in Luke 19, for the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost. That's his earthly ministry. carrying out the ministry of Yahweh, who said he'd be the shepherd seeking his sheep. And Jesus says, the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost. Consequently, we, as Jesus' kingdom citizens, what is our character? What is our mission? Matthew 28, Jesus says, go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and Son and the Holy Spirit. That's our task. The means which Jesus used to establish his kingdom are the same means we use to expand the kingdom. We preach the gospel. We make disciples. The kingdom is spread through genuine conversion, not through compulsion. So now, probably most disappointing for those who are looking for a mighty Messiah, who might establish an enduring earthly kingdom in which all nations might serve Him, is what Jesus says in Matthew 20, verse 28. He says, "...the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many." Wait a second. We've hitched the wagon of all of our messianic hopes to you, Jesus. We want political revolution and we want an earthly kingdom now. And he says, I came to die. I came to serve, not to be served. I came to give my life as a ransom to many. Jesus said in Matthew 20 to his followers, After speaking about how the Gentiles dominate in their leadership, he says, "...it shall not be so among you, but whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave." That's the ethic of Jesus' kingdom citizens, following His example as one who came not to be served, but to serve, and He gives His life as a ransom for many. So Jesus' kingdom is comprised of kingdom citizens who are meek, gentle, merciful, and gracious. His church is made up of men and women who humbly put others before themselves with a spirit of self-sacrifice. That's the nature of his kingdom. So in summation, I didn't say in conclusion, I said in summation, but we're getting close to the conclusion. We started by asking, what is the nature of Jesus' kingdom and what should be the character of his kingdom citizens? I think we've arrived at some answers here. Jesus' kingdom is spiritual, comprised of once lost men and women who've come to him for rescue. Men and women who've come to the shepherd. Men and women who've come to recognize him as their personal king. Consequently, his kingdom's citizens are marked by faith. They're marked by a character that imitates his meek and humble and self-sacrificing example. Not just imitating, but carrying out really by his own power. The point is, Jesus was not the Messiah that the Jews were waiting for. Nor was his kingdom what they expected. This is the case because the Messiah that they were waiting for was not the Messiah as Scripture. They were hoping for a greater Judas Maccabee. not a tender Davidic shepherd king. They were anticipating a king to conquer their enemies, not a shepherd king who would seek and save the spiritually lost. They were expecting a Jewish champion who would vindicate them in the eyes of the nations, not a divine shepherd who would turn his eyes of judgment upon their own spiritual corruption. They were expecting a liberator who would enable them to dwell securely in their land, not a savior who would enable them to dwell securely within the hands of God. frankly, some individuals today, I think, are discontented with the Christ of Scripture. Because they also want some political, nationalistic, or even militaristic Messiah. Yet, the kingdom that Jesus came to establish during his earthly ministry was not an earthly kingdom, it was a spiritual kingdom. Again, a kingdom comprised of once lost, but now regathered sheep. It'd be a kingdom in which his people would be delivered from corrupt religious leaders and would find safety and security under the tender care of God. It'd be a kingdom forged by a covenant of peace in which his people would be reconciled to God and perfectly secure in that relationship. Now look back at John 10, verse 27, as we approach the end here. Jesus says, My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me, and I give them eternal life. and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father who has given them to me is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand." And again, he's applying Ezekiel 34. All the safety and security from Ezekiel 34 that's mentioned, I think, metaphorically, really in the context of dwelling securely in the land and saved from wild beasts and so on, Jesus is applying spiritually, and he's saying that you will be safe and secure in the hands of God. In verse 30 he says, I and the Father are one. Is this a declaration of Jesus' deity? I think it is. But first of all, it's an assurance that he and the Father are perfectly unified in the calling and the gathering and the saving and the securing of the sheep. But beyond that, it is a claim to deity. Remember Ezekiel 34? Yahweh says, I will do it, I will do it, I will do it, I will do it, I will do it, I will do it, I will be the shepherd, I will be the shepherd, I will be the shepherd, I will be the shepherd. Then he says, I'm going to establish David to be the shepherd. In some sense, God, through Ezekiel, presents He and the Messiah as distinct, yet one and the same. In some way, Yahweh and this Davidic shepherd king are distinct persons, yet they're one in essence. This provides further assurance that all that Jesus has sent to accomplish in establishing His kingdom will be absolutely secure. Everyone who hears his voice and follows him will be eternally secure in the hands of the Father without any fear of being lost again. So now, in conclusion, Jesus' kingdom is unlike any earthly kingdom. It's not marked by political dominance. It's not marked by military conquest. It's not marked by nationalistic pride, but by spiritual transformation, by reconciliation with God and the tender care of the Good Shepherd. His rule is centered on gathering his sheep, restoring them to relationship with their creator, and empowering them to live as his disciples following his example. His kingdom advances not through force or coercion, but through the faithful proclamation of the gospel by His Spirit-empowered kingdom citizens. They are, I could say, our lives, transformed by His grace and marked by Christlike love and humility, serve as the greatest evidence that the gospel we preach is actually effective in transforming lives. So, church, as kingdom citizens, we are called to embody the character of this spiritual kingdom. Our priorities are not political. Our priorities are not cultural. Our priorities are not nationalistic. But our priorities are spiritual. Our focus is on the worship of God, the proclamation of Christ's saving work, the pursuit of holiness, and maintaining a community of mutual love within the church. Like our shepherd king, we are to live meekly and humbly and sacrificially, reflecting his justice and mercy in a world that often neglects the same. We are to love our enemies and even pray for our unbelieving world, even those who might oppress or persecute us. We do all of this now recognizing that although Jesus did not come the first time to establish an earthly kingdom, the one who came as the meek Messiah the first time will come again as the conquering king. But the timing of that kingdom is entirely within the hands of the Father, and our responsibility in the meantime is to carry out His great commission. So, the assurity of Christ's Lordship gives us confidence to live with meekness. The assurity of His Kingship and that declaration that Christ is King serves as a wonderful encouragement for us to even suffer at the hands of others. It's not a bludgeon to be used to advance some political agenda. So in the meantime, our responsibility is to live as salt in the decaying culture, as lights in the midst of spiritual darkness, while we long for Christ's eternal kingdom, recognizing that the timing of which is entirely within the hands of God. So we're going to end with just really the proposition for the whole sermon. We'll end with that. Jesus did not come to establish a political, militaristic, or nationalistic kingdom, delivering people from the oppression of earthly rulers. Instead, He came to inaugurate a spiritual kingdom, liberating His followers from the power and penalty of their own sin, reconciling them to God, and calling them into a life of faithful discipleship wherein He reigns as Lord of their lives. The priorities of Jesus' kingdom and its citizens, then, are not centered on political, militaristic, or nationalistic ambitions, but on the spiritual. His kingdom and its citizens focus on the worship of God, the proclamation of the gospel, and the spiritual transformation of lives. His kingdom advances not through earthly conquest or dominance, but through the faithful preaching of the gospel and the Spirit-empowered witness of lives transformed by His grace. If you want to discuss that further, There's personal application questions in the app that are there for your small group that's going to be meeting this week. Let's pray. Father, we thank you for Jesus. Thank you for his kingdom. We pray that you'd help us to be faithful kingdom citizens. Pray for those who are not yet believers. We pray that they'd see their need to bow the knee before Christ. They'd understand that they're lost and straying, and that Christ came to seek and to save them. And they pray that they also would confess Christ as Savior and Lord, and that they'd make that profession public through baptism. We thank you for this in Christ's name. Amen.