Jesus taught plainly that there are only two kinds of kingdom: the kingdom of darkness and the kingdom of light (see Jn 3:19, Eph 2:1-2). We cannot serve two masters (see Matt 6:24) and there is no option for neutrality (see Luke 11:23) or dual citizenship.

Nicodemus, a Jewish leader, came to Jesus one time to discuss this problem. Jesus told Nicodemus, ‘Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.’ (Jn 3:3) He went on to say, ‘no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit’ (Jn 3:6) and concluded, ‘‘You must be born again.’ (Jn 3:7)

We enter God’s kingdom through a second birth. Nicodemus knew all about natural birth; he asked Jesus, ‘How can someone be born when they are old? Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!’ (Jn 3:4) Jesus told him that this second birth needed to enter God’s kingdom was not a literal, physical birth, but a spiritual birth. Earlier, John has told us, ‘Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.’ (Jn 1:12-13) We enter the kingdom of God as God’s children, born of God, a spiritual birth, just as children are born to a king or queen and then are part of the Royal Family through their birth. We enter God’s kingdom by believing in Jesus who ‘has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.’ (Col 1:13-14) We are transferred from one kingdom, the kingdom of darkness, into the kingdom of light when we believe that Jesus died for us, when we acknowledge that we have sinned and can’t save ourselves, when we accept the authority of Jesus over our lives and acknowledge Him as king.

For those of us who have never accepted Christ’s authority and rule, the only way we can see and enter the kingdom of God is by receiving Christ as Lord and Saviour. For those of us who live as children of the king, the challenge is to live as His children, reflecting His values, showing His kindness, loving other people the way He loves us so that we may show people what the kingdom of God really looks like. Just as natural labour is not easy, so we must be prepared to wrestle in prayer for people to receive that second birth, praying for our family, friends, neighbours, colleagues and acquaintances until they are born again and transferred from the dominion of darkness into the kingdom of God.

Tonight’s sermon continued our alphabet series of essential ingredients to the Christian faith and looked at the subject ‘K is for Kingdom’. The kingdom of God was something Jesus frequently spoke about (see Matt 12:28; Matt 19:24; Matt 21:31; Matt 21:43), with many of His parables looking at different aspects of this kingdom (likening it to a mustard seed, a merchant looking for a pearl of great price, a man sowing seed in a field, yeast mixed into dough, and a king preparing a great banquet, to name but a few.) Right at the start of His ministry, He told people ‘The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!’ (Mark 1:14-15) and taught His disciples to pray ‘Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven’ (Matt 6:10), clearly indicating that for Jesus, this theme of the kingdom of God was predominant in all His ministry.

The fact that He taught so much about this and spoke of God’s rule and reign coming through His ministry was clearly a major factor in the decision of the Jews and Romans to crucify Him (see Jn 18:33-40, Jn 19:12-16, Jn 19:19-21). But the nature of God’s kingdom is not at all what we might expect from our experience of earthly kings and queens.

When we think about kingdoms, we traditionally think of authority, power, might and majesty, and God is indeed that kind of king (see Ps 145:13, Dan 7:14,17, Ps 2:1-6, Rev 19:16). However, the paradoxical nature of the Messiah was such that this powerful King is also the Suffering Servant (see Is 53:3,10), inaugurating a kingdom where service is the key to greatness (see Mark 10:35-45). Jesus our King washed His disciples’ feet (Jn 13:1-17), showing us a very different type of kingdom. Moreover, Jesus consistently taught that death precedes life in this kingdom (see Jn 12:24-26), reminding us that in this kingdom:

• self-denial has to rule and the way of the cross cannot be avoided (Mark 8:34-38)
• daily dependence on Jesus and total reliance on His atoning death are required, actually participating in a spiritual union with Him (Jn 6:53)
• whole-hearted, uncompromising commitment is necessary (Luke 14:33, Matt 8:18-22)

Many found this idea of total allegiance too much (see Jn 6:66), but for those who enter the kingdom of God, there is no better place to be!

Some people like the fact we have so much choice and so many options available to us nowadays, while others find this daunting and confusing. Each day we are faced with different choices, and we have to be clear about how we choose to do what we choose to do. Mark spoke this morning from 1 Cor 13:1-14:1, talking about how faith, hope and love can be the guiding lights in our choices.

If we consider buying a new car, we could base our decision on practical reasons (reliability, make, functionality etc.), which is a decision based on reasonable faith. We could, however, base our choice on hope – that our ‘dream car’, for example, would live up to our expectations and hopes. The third motivation, love, however, tends to be the one that sways us most: we buy a car because it is ‘just right’, and ultimately because we love it.

Love has to be our guiding light in all choices. Love is practical, reaching out to those in need, showing kindness to all. God Himself is love and love was His motivation for action (see John 3:16, Rom 5:8). His lavish love is unconditional and we are urged to ‘pursue love’ (1 Cor 14:1) more than anything else. So often, we value other things (spiritual gifts, faith, knowledge, giving to the poor and so on) more than love, but if love comes first, the other things will follow. We need to strive to love, acknowledging our shortcomings, but realising also that this is our life’s work. Faith will one day give way to sight; hope will one day be fulfilled, but love is eternal and therefore must be the main factor in all our choices.

Many of us live life with a feeling that what we do on an everyday basis is inconsequential, unimportant, insignificant. Mothers used to working who are on maternity leave feel that their routines of feeding, winding, changing nappies, bathing and clothing a newborn are repetitive and unfulfilling (despite being utterly exhausting as well!) Those working in manual jobs feel that there is little value to the back-breaking work which leaves them shattered at the end of a day. Those serving in cafes feel that feeding ungrateful people who are always in a hurry is of no real significance in the ‘grand scheme of things.’ We are worn down by a sense of busyness which leaves us dissatisfied or by work that we perceive as meaningless and often look enviously at others whose work seems more fulfilling or important to us.

I was going to write about ‘the God of the inconsequential’, a God who is interested in our daily routines and everyday work, but ultimately I find that I cannot do that, because what we deem inconsequential is not actually unimportant or insignificant. God, instead, invests the ordinary and the mundane with meaning. Without the mother’s care, the baby would die: how can we then deem this work insignificant, if it is nurturing life, health and wellbeing? Without the labourer who works to build our homes or the farmer who works to feed us, we would have no dwellings and no food: how can we then deem this work unimportant, if it provides shelter and nutrition? Without the waiter who provides a service and a friendly smile, many people would neither be fed nor have contact with others: how can we then deem this work unfulfilling if it reaches out to others?

The problem we so often have is a limited perspective. The Bible urges to do whatever we do in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. (Col 3:16) Paul tells the Ephesians, ‘Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people, because you know that the Lord will reward each one for whatever good they do, whether they are slave or free.’ (Eph 6:7-8) Jacob’s hard years of labour for Laban passed quickly because he was motivated by love (see Gen 29:20); the monotony and apparently meaningless nature of our work can often be mitigated if we understand the bigger picture of that work or can see our service as being unto God.

There is nothing inconsequential or insignificant about lives that are wholly dedicated to God. We may not be able to readily see significance in our work (unlike the surgeon whose interventions may very visibly save someone’s life), but we can trust that God’s purposes can be worked out even through the ordinary and the boring. G. K. Chesterton reminded us that few grown-up people are strong enough to exult in monotony, but ‘perhaps God is strong enough to exult in monotony’, creating a new sunrise each morning and each snowflake unique in its snowflake character! When we see the inconsequential in this light, we have strength to carry on.

Mark spoke tonight on the subject of force fields, something much loved in science fiction! A force field is a barrier made up of energy or particles to protect a person, area or object from attacks or intrusions:

It seems from Luke 4:16-30 that Jesus was divinely protected (maybe not by a force field, but certainly by a ‘God-shield’!) After reading from Isaiah 61 in the synagogue, every eye was fixed on Jesus (rather like when a stranger walks into a cowboy town…) They knew that God could heal and do great things, but their reaction seems to have been ‘who does Jesus think he is?’ His words infuriated and enraged them (they ‘exploded’ with anger at the claims He was making), so much so that they were going to kill Him, planning to throw Him off a cliff. Yet ‘he walked right through the crowd and went on his way.‘ (Luke 4:30) It must have seemed as though God intervened and His protection was on His Son.

God had plans and purposes for Jesus and that was not the right time for Him to die, so God intervened. Jesus was not scared off by the venom He had provoked, but continued to preach God’s message of repentance and love to all.

We often feel alone and afraid, dragged down by situations. panicking as Israel so often did when faced with enemies. Just as they were commanded, however, we need to stand still and see God’s salvation (see Ex 14:13-14), for He is a shield to His people, providing angelic protection at times (Ps 34:7). We need not fear, however much situations may change rapidly, because God is on His throne and in complete control of all situations. Our lives and our times are in His hands and we too can know the protection and help which Jesus experienced.

Social media makes a great deal of noise about the need for good communication skills, but for the Christian, the most important communication skill we can have is prayer (which could be likened to condensed milk, having lots of goodness in a deceptively simple format!)

Stephen spoke this morning from Dan 3:16-18, reminding us of the need for:

1. prayer in reality (not simply reserving prayer for set times and specific places, but understanding that prayer is not meant to be formulaic, but based on our relationship with God, and is, therefore, something which can be ongoing and constant.)
2. prayer in faith (Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego demonstrated faith in God’s ability to deliver them; they knew God was there with them in reality, as the ‘fourth man’ (Dan 3:25) demonstrated visibly to others.)
3. prayer in action (these three men demonstrated a living and active faith which led to action. Ultimately God’s action in their lives delivered them from the fiery furnace. As we are prompted to pray, God moves in action through our prayers, rescuing and delivering us and those for whom we pray.)