Homiletics was a bit light this week because I focused my energy on the BSF Leaders assignment to do a word study on "kingdom of God".
Word Study
·
Five Steps for a Word Study:
o Step
1 – Choose a word to study- start with a limited word, ie. surrender, obey, not
something like Messiah or Lord
o Step
2 – Define the word with a modern definition from a dictionary.
o Step
3 – Discover Bible usages of the word (use
a concordance to write out Scripture references, use a Bible dictionary to
discover deeper meanings to the word, find alternate words used (synonyms) in
other translations for the word, take notes of the context of each scripture
where the word is used – book, writer, concepts, etc.) Choose 3 of the
references for your word and any comments or notes you have associated with
those references.
o Step
4 – Summarize what you have learned about the word from your study.
o Step
5 – Apply the word study – to your relationship with God, to your life, your
relationships and the church.
Kingdom
of God:
o Step
1: Kingdom of God (Kingdom of heaven)
o Step
2: Kingdom of God, also called Kingdom Of Heaven, in
Christianity, the spiritual realm over which God reigns as king, or the
fulfillment on Earth of God's will. The phrase occurs frequently in the New
Testament, primarily used by Jesus Christ in the first three Gospels. ... their
hope was the coming Kingdom of God.
o Step
3: “Kingdom of God” occurs 66 times in 65
verses of the NIV NT. “Kingdom of
heaven” appears 32 times in 31 verses.
(Blue Letter Bible)
§ attached Scripture verses (Blue Letter Bible)
§ (topical
bible)
§ Kingdom
of God - “basileia theos” in Greek (Blue Letter Bible)
1. Royal
power, kingship, dominion, rule
a. Not
to be confused with an actual kingdom but rather the right or authority to rule
over a kingdom
b. Of
the royal power of Jesus as the triumphant Messiah
c. Of
the royal power and dignity conferred on Christians in the Messiah’s kingdom
2. A
kingdom, the territory subject to the rule of a king
3. Used
in the NT to refer to the reign of the Messiah
§ (Holman
Bible Dictionary) “God's kingly rule
or sovereignty. The Old Testament contains no references to the kingdom of God.
However, in the Old Testament God is spoken of as ruling (for example, Psalm 47:2; Psalm 103:19; Daniel 4:17, 4:25-37). The Old Testament emphasis on God's
sovereign power over all kings and kingdoms sets the stage for the New
Testament teaching. Jesus made the kingdom of God central in His preaching.
More than a hundred references to the kingdom appear in the Gospels, many in
Jesus' parables.”
“Jesus spoke Aramaic; the Gospel writers translated Jesus'
sermons and parables into Greek. Mark, Luke, and John translated Jesus' words
as “kingdom of God.” Matthew sometimes used this phrase too, but often he
preferred to translate Jesus' Aramaic words as “kingdom of heaven.” The two
phrases mean exactly the same thing, because they are translations of the same
Aramaic words of Jesus.”
“This
is best understood if it is distinguished from what Jesus did not mean. He was
not speaking of a geographical area such as the Holy Land or the Temple. He was
not speaking of a political entity such as the nation of Israel or the Sanhedrin.
He was not speaking of a group of people such as His disciples or the church.”
“Jesus taught that the kingdom of God looks unimpressive, but it is
going to grow into something tremendous. The kingdom is like a tiny mustard
seed which grows into a bush large enough to provide shelter for God's
creatures (Mark 4:30-32).”
“Jesus never said that
people are to build the kingdom of God. On the contrary, the establishment of
the kingdom is a work of God. God will reign, and people can contribute nothing
to that reigning of God.”
o Step
4: The “Kingdom of God” or “Kingdom of heaven” is not a place and it is not a
people group. It is God’s authority,
power, dominion, rule. The terms koG and
koh are interchangeable, coming from the same Aramaic words. God builds the koG and it will grow into
something tremendous (mustard seed to tree). Matthew was writing to a Jewish audience, and the Jews still don't write out the word "God". When I've seen it written, it was penned like this "G-d". This may explain why Matthew uses the term "kingdom of heaven".
o Step
5: I am my 7-month old Australian Cattle Dog mix puppy! I walk her (and her two “big brothers”, both
Chihuahuas) every morning. She
pulls. She darts. She relaxes.
She pulls again. She chokes
herself. She relaxes. I behave the same way. I try to pull God into my plans. I dart toward “shiny” things. I relax into a momentary bliss with Him. Then pull again toward where I want to
go. I choke myself with worldly things. Then another relaxing moment. I resist God’s authority. I celebrate the wonders of His love. I get impatient with His timing. I realize the perfection of that timing. I walk with Him in victory. I trip and fall into a pit and experience the
agony of defeat. I confess and
repent. Drag my dark places into His
Light. Wash. Rinse.
Repeat. I just need to be
still. Rest in Him. Let Him lead the dance. Walk at His pace. Submit to His authority, His kingdom. He is in charge, not me. Word for 2022: Stillness.
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