Sunday Sermonizing: Kingdoms

We don’t think about kingdoms in America.

We have a broken form of a federal republic. The brokenness becoming more evident with every election year, and nearly every news cycle.

That said, it could be a better form of government than other places.

I was just in a country run by the military and a tyrannical woman. Another who reveres the king. I’m currently in the Kingdom of Cambodia - a country that has a king who primarily lives abroad and is run by a legislature of essentially one party.

Nations have governments, and although we have moved past the age of colonialistic, empire-building, those governments and the people within those governments are doing whatever it takes to hold onto power.

People tend to like being the kings of their own kingdom because we are addicted to power.

Control.

Dominion.

Ascendency.

So although we don’t think about kingdoms in America, we build them all the time.

And we build them in incredibly short-sighted ways.

We build them around work. Around ministry. Around business. Around family. Sometimes we build them pure motive and intentions. But, in the end, we protect our kingdoms. We protect what we’ve built because if we don’t no one will. And without my kingdom, everything is loss. It’s rubble. We’re left with nothing but regret and bitterness toward those who took away our power.

But there’s another way.

Build a kingdom. Yes - build it strong and build it well. But build a kingdom that’s bigger than you. That doesn’t center around you. That doesn’t depend on you.

There’s nothing to protect.

It’s guaranteed success.

It actually matters.

“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.”

Matthew 13:44

“And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”

Matthew 16:18

Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.”

Revelation 11:15