A Divine appointment

  THE NATURE OF THE KINGDOM

SEQ CHAPTER \h \r 1

Matthew 3:1-7 (7-22-07)

Background: Inherent in the nature of the Kingdom is the sovereignty of God.  He has always had a plan.  He designs, creates and implements His plan without fail.  He has a people, and has always had a people or persons to carry out His Kingdom, in response to His appointments.  Getting ahead of God by trying to implement our plan, or His plan our way has never worked.  That speaks to me.  There are four (4) strong themes in our passages.  I.  A divine appointment, II.  A determined area, III.  A delivering call, and IV.  A desperate “cry.”  I want to look at the first one today.  I  pray today, that the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Christ will reveal His Word, written and living into our lives.

I.  A Divine Appointment:  The words “those days” or “in those days” is used some 70+ times in the New Testament.  It is used significantly in the Old as well.  Often major moves or events are announced this way.     A.  A Particular Period of Time- “In those days.” 1. Hebrews 10:9-16 “after those days.”  After what days?  After the Old covenant becomes the former thought taken away by Him to establish the new thought, he would through a covenant put His laws in our hearts and write them on our minds.   2. Joel 2:29 is already hundreds of years before setting this appointment in writing with “in those days I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh.”  2. *Zechariah 8:21-23 Consider also this passage that foretells this great time.   “In those days” men will grab onto the sleeves...just having heard that God is with them.  Oh, but notice the seeking, the prayer, the desperation for God to display Himself in their lives.  Would to God that we would be after Him in anticipation of those days when ten men would grab onto our sleeves just because they have heard that God is with us.  All of the statements that are made in the New Testament “that the Scripture might be fulfilled” are verification of a particular period of time coming into being in God’s sovereign promised time period.  Was it coincidence that the Lamb of God was about to be slain on the “passover?”  Was it coincidence that pentecost happened on the feast of weeks?”  Or Jesus born in Bethlehem?” God has a divine calender of appointments and though I cannot give you a day or an hour, I believe that God’s people are on the edge and have heard a cry in the distance that is astoundingly similar to “in those days!”  What if, what if,  today or this period of time was a time of “ in those days ” arriving in your life and situation you face?  A divine appointment in time in your life is the nature of His Kingdom.”

   B.   A Particular Person- “In those days came John.” God has always identified a particular person or people.  People who respond to His divine call!  Within the grand scope of the Almighty He has always called people or a person forth to announce and herald the news that something is breaking, that an event on the Divine calender has arrived. Over 700 years had elapsed from the prophecy of Isaiah until “in those days.”  But God had not forgotten and He would not miss a beat of having a new way of thinking, and a new way of living come about.  There would be none greater born of women.  In Matthew 11:7-11 Jesus asked the people, “what were you looking for?”  A particular strength? A particular kind of clothing?  A prophet?   Jesus would say something fascinating.., John was more than a prophet, (Matthew 11:9).  John was a messenger.  Something greater than foretelling an event was actually being the messenger of the Person of the event.  John would be filled with the Spirit in the womb (Lk 1).  He would never be about himself.  That would be the evidence of the indwelling of the Spirit.  This is still the evidence today of a life filled with the Spirit.  Never about what you want, always decreasing so He might increase (John 3:30).  A particular people are the nature of His Kingdom.

    C.   A Particular Program- “In those days came John the Baptist.” There is a particular reason he is called John the Baptist.  He was baptizing!!  There is nothing trivial in Scripture.  It wasn’t John the preacher but John the Baptist who came preaching.  You see baptism was primarily used by Jews for non-Jews who converted to Judaism.  Yes, it was cleansing, but from what?  An old life and specifically an old way of thinking.  How strange then for John to be calling all to be baptized.  Why would you need this if you were in?  Well, this was repentance, which is death to the former way of thinking, which could only come by a new way of thinking, a new Kingdom would replace the old.  Seekers were in, the self-seeking were out.  Baptism was preparation for a whole new way of thinking and living.  The program, was everyone needs a new way of thinking, Jew and non-Jew.  If there is a program for the church today it is a new way of thinking.  This is the nature of His Kingdom.

    D.   A Particular Pattern- There are only two patterns of people.  Those who are responding and those who are not.  Those who are after Jesus, and those who are not.  Those who seek His face continually and those who do not.  Only one will get in on His revelation!!  Only one group of people will live in the nature of His kingdom and have the nature of Him living in them.

            1.  Prepared and Available- (a).  Wise men.  Matthew 2:1 When Jesus was born there came wise men.  Think about the oddity of this.  Coming from an outside place, an outside nation but having the heavens display a star to capture them right where they lived.  Visitation and revelation!!  They responded and went after the King behind that star with all they had.  Response.  (b).  Shepherds.  Luke chpt. 2:8  There they were, outside the religious hierarchy, outside the social status, but available, and what a response! Did you notice angels in the sky is not the picture?  An angel of the Lord came upon them and glory hit all around them, not in the sky, on them...  Just guys at work, night shift.  Visitation and revelation was theirs!!  (c). Luke 2:25 There was Simeon, waiting, expecting, filled with the Spirit and led by the Spirit.  He was not going to die until he saw the redeemer, because it was revealed to him by the Spirit.  Revelation and  visitation!!  (d). Luke 2:37  There was Anna, devoting her life to dwelling in the house of the Lord, and living in prayer and fasting.  Visitation and revelation was hers.

And now many were going out to meet John and hear his message.  Matthew 3:5-7, ALL of Judea and the surrounding area were hearing of this thing and wanting to get into the Kingdom.  Not all wanted to get into the nature of the kingdom but all wanted to get in on the action.  Even the leaders in Jerusalem wanted the Kingdom, but not the nature of the Kingdom.  Responding is the nature of His Kingdom!

            2.  Proud or Passive and Unavailable- *Luke 19:41-48 Here they were.  In on the ground floor these religious leaders.  They had the long robes, the big chairs, the best positions, the most tithes, the longest and loudest prayers, and confidence that they were always right.  No one knew like they knew.  They were the “children of Abraham” (Matthew 3:9).  They sat on the board, they led music, they ministered the Word, they taught Sunday School, why they just worked themselves to death.  Yes, DEATH!  Then there were those who just stayed on the edge.  Not real rebellious, just not responding to new things.  Not evil, just watching and waiting for change.  Saying things like “ well if this is of God we’ll find out, but let’s wait and see if they don’t  fail first.” Their hesitation during their time kept them from jumping into the Nature of the Kingdom.

“No more bleeding please, no more suffering please, I’ve done enough dying” BUT they didn’t know that this time it was going to make for their PEACE.   Did you hear the words of Jesus, did you see the actions of Jesus?   Luke 19:42 “if you had known...the things that made for your peace.”  Vs. 44 “you did not know the day of your visitation.”

A DIVINE APPOINTMENT MAY BE HERE FOR YOU: In those days came John the Baptist, ...or in your days comes the message of the opportunity for a new way of thinking that leads to your peace.

Will you be prepared and available, or proud, passive,  and unavailable?   It’s His appointment, it’s your response.