The Politics of the Kingdom of God: Peace and Justice on Earth

One of the great deceptions and false teachings is to spiritualize away the reality of the coming kingdom of God, and the reality of its implementation on earth as a form of government which regulates economic and social policy.

The true gospel of the kingdom proclaims that there are real world solutions leading to a peaceful just society on earth. Those solutions are found in submission to the commands, judgments, and statutes of God and the righteous rule of God's chosen king which is Christ alone.

The false gospel teaches that your destiny is to fly away to heaven and leave the earth behind along with all its nasty problems. They also teach God's law is done away, its a curse, it useless, so why would we look at it as offering any real world solutions.

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The U.S.A. is about to enter into a new political season. There will be much wrangling and many angry words... another sad example of humanity trying to figure out how to govern itself using its own reason. its own imaginations, without God their creator.

Our purpose today is to review the political position of the Church of God... which is the proclamation of the Kingdom of God... the rule of God on earth.

The Messiah

Based on the writings of scripture the most natural way to conceive of a Messiah is in political and economic context, or, how will humanity be governed?

When Mary was told she would give birth to the prophesied Messiah she saw His importance in a political and economic context Luke 1:46-55.

Luke 3:21-23 Jesus formal commission as Messiah came from the Father and the anointing of the holy spirit. The words from the Father are short but point us back to two prophetic statements from the psalms and prophets:

Psalm 2:7 Jesus was not commissioned to the position of personal guru. He was commissioned as king [a king over all humanity], a governing ruler with all the political, economic, social ramifications that implies.

Isaiah 42:1-4 Jesus was appointed to bring about social justice... not to turn you into a dreamy eyed mystic who wants to escape reality.

The 3 Big Temptations

After receiving His commission, Jesus was faced with some choices. Just how would a king with all power and knowledge operate in this world? The temptations Satan presents during Jesus 40 days in the desert can be seen as various tempting ways to operate as king.

"Turn these stones into bread" ... use the great power of God to provide free bread. Take care of the physical needs of the people, feed the masses and they will accept you as king... "man does not live by bread alone".

"bow down to me and you will be king" buy into the system so you can change it from within. Jesus replied: "worship God and serve Him only". Seizing secular power now would mean Jesus was acting according to His own will rather than the timeline the Father has planned.

"Give people signs and wonders"... rule as a holy man, wielding supernatural power. Jesus answered "do not put God to the test". The goodness, righteousness, justice or God's way is not understood and accepted by witnessing miracles. They are understood by doing them... by making a choice.

The Messiah Goes Public With His Agenda

Luke 4:14-20 Jesus told the people "I am the prophesied one, the anointed king". Included was a proclamation to the poor that they would be freed from oppression. Jesus offers us freedom from sin and death but He is clearly speaking in terms that would be [and should be] perceived as a promised solution to humanities political and economic problems.

For example: the acceptable year of the Lord/year of the Lord's favor. He's talking about the year of Jubilee found in Leviticus 25. A law that dealt directly and decisively with economic disparity. Each 50 years all debts were dissolved and ancestral lands were returned to the family.

Isaiah 49:8-9 implementation of Jubilee will become policy during Christ's millennial rule

Jubilee was a hardcore economic policy built into the law of God that acts as financial reset button. Without the Jubilee the rich just keep getting richer and the poor just keep getting poorer and there is no solution except revolution, war, or accepting the gnawing despair of injustice.

The Jubilee regulations were so hardcore that neither Israel, nor the Jews of Jesus day were willing to actually implement them. There was a lot of poverty and economic despair among the people of Jesus day. He was addressing some serious real-world problems!

The typical interpretation of Jesus statements is to spiritualize them away as promises of spiritual riches and spiritual release. But the impoverished and oppressed people listening would have heard it as a proclamation of social reform. The rich and powerful of the day would have Jesus as proclaiming social reform. To the poor it offered hope, but the rich and powerful heard Jesus teaching as a threat.

The Messiah Establishes a New Social Order

Luke 6:12 the selection and appointment of the 12 laid the foundation of an organization that was the beginning of a new society [a new Israel]. The members of this new society would begin training for the day when Christ returns... to assist Him in His new government.

Today's Spiritual Training Will Be Applied in the Kingdom

The spiritual quality of... forgiveness... is presented in the very real context of financial debt. God teaches us debt is a terrible social evil and the root of all kinds of oppression, sin, fear, insecurity. For example: Luke 11:1-4.

Forgiveness is not only a recipe for interpersonal relationships. Forgiveness will be a pattern for society and government. When Jesus establishes the rule of God on earth forgiveness will be the pattern for economic reform, through the year of release, and the Jubilee.

If humanity were to accept the ways of God now we could avoid our never ending cycle of war, oppression, revolution, generational poverty. God says "would that they would turn to me and be healed... but they will not" Luke 13:31-35 --> Luke 19:37-44 the crowds were pumped up by the miracles, one of the most significant being the miraculous feeding of 5,000 people...Jesus heard the shouts of acclaim... He wanted to do good for them... but He would not overthrow the timing and planning of God.

Previously when Jesus fed the 5,000 people as an act of compassion, they wanted to proclaim Him king. "Feed them and they will love you"... just as Satan said. But Jesus refused this temptation as well.

He returned to the crowd the next day and told them to stop working for the bread that goes into their stomach and keeps you alive for today... seek the body and the blood of the Son of God ... which is a sacrifice that reconciles you as an individual to God... BUT is also a way of thinking and acting you must take on. Food that nourishes you in the way of eternal life.

It is a way of renewal and transformation of the mind... BUT it is also a stand you must take within society... even if taking that stand threatens your life, your career, your friendships. In addition to gaining your own salvation... Jesus asks you to stand with Him in proclaiming coming of a new society... and preparing yourself for it now.

Taking a Stand

A great example is the observance of the 7th day Sabbath. The Sabbath is a public statement of your relationship to society, it sets you apart, it affects how you manage your personal calendar, how you manage your career... often at a considerable cost. Its a stance that indicates your love of God's commandments, judgments, and statues... the laws judgments and statues that will govern the 1,000 year rule of Christ on earth. It says "I have that heart in me".

At some points in history this stance could get you killed, persecuted, arrested. Today, you are most likely to be mocked, of marginalized as a religious nut... for some a fate worse than death.

Luke 14:25-33 at that time in history a person's religious, political, and economic ties were based on family relationships, tribal/racial relationships, nation. In many ways that still applies.

Jesus is calling you to a community that is not based on birth to a family, tribe, race, or nation... but on voluntary commitment... a matter of choice. Willing if necessary to take on the hostility, derision and marginalization the present society [the world].

The Beginning of God's New Society is the Church

Through the church Jesus has established a community with goals of real social change. This is not a call to withdraw into a personal cocoon of "feel good" spirituality. It is a call to learning servant-hood, sacrifice, endurance in the truth, learned through perseverance in suffering, in setback, and in trial.

· accepting [submitting to] a visible structure of fellowship

· making a sober decision to commit... powered by belief that the costs will be worth it

· accepting a clearly defined lifestyle distinct from the prevailing society

Luke 22:25-30 this is a statement of Jesus' political agenda. If all He meant was the kingdom exists in the human heart He was sending an unclear message.

He didn't reprimand or correct them for assuming He was coming to rule on earth... or that they would have a part in it. What He did reprimand them for was misunderstanding the nature and character of the coming new order which is marked by a new way of thinking.

Jesus' did not teach spiritually minded people have nothing to say about what they see going on in the world. He actually said things that were perceived as politically provocative. But He did not take sides... He told them the truth.

Ultimately, the Sadducee priests, the Pharisees, the Roman officials, the Jewish monarchy ALL worked together to orchestrated His execution because they were afraid of the potential for this Jesus person to instigate a popular uprising... a revolution, a takeover of political power.

Considering the Options

The night before He was to be arrested and executed Jesus prayed. He asked God "is there another way we can do this that doesn't involve me dying?" He was still being tempted by the other options:

He could retreat, apologize for being too provocative, "yeah, the stuff I said wasn't meant to be taken literally, it was intended more as a spiritual state of mind", sorry for the misunderstanding. Then go off and perhaps become some sort of teacher or holy-man. If He had done that we wouldn't be talking about Him after 2,000 years.

He could seize the opportunity to grab political power and try to enact revolution, or perhaps reform the system by becoming part of it. A practical takeover of some sort that would probably play out according to one of the 3 scenarios he faced in the desert temptation. He would live out His allotted days in the flesh. He would pass away and slowly everything would go back the way it was.

Matthew 26:52-56 the option of instigating a supernatural takeover was in His mind and thoughts. But He chose a different path... the path of servant-hood, sacrifice, perseverance in face of trial and suffering. He made that choice even at great personal cost. The cost of His life.

That is Jesus' political position: submission to the will of God.

God's Plan For Social Reform Marches On

Because of Jesus' submission unto death God's program for establishing righteous government can move forward.

His sacrifice has opened the door to forgiveness and the payment for sin. He has made available the spirit and power of God, which allows us to grow and develop the mind of Christ. A new way of handling human relationships: personal, social, economic, and political. He is the beginning of a new order which you are called to participate in.

Consider yourself first and foremost an ambassador for Christ. A representative of the new order to come. Be careful out there and don't entangle yourself too much in this world's ways, its attitudes, even its proposed solutions... you will not change it and it will most likely corrupt you. Seek first the kingdom of God and its righteousness... and all things will be given to you as well.