The Kingdom already begun in Jesus Christ
The Pharisees asked when the Kingdom of God would come. Jesus directed their attention to the Kingdom already present through Him among them. Jesus Christ is at the center of the Kingdom.
Walking with God here and now
God’s children do not create His Kingdom by their own strength. They live the life already given in Christ, obeying His Word with the Holy Spirit’s help. Love, sharing and service bear witness to God’s rule in everyday life.
Hope beyond death, toward resurrection
The manuscript describes walking with God now, resting with Christ after death, and the completion of His Kingdom at His return and the resurrection of the body. These are not three separate kingdoms, but one Kingdom begun, sustained and completed in Jesus Christ.
A reflection for this week
Whose rule am I following at home and at work? Ask for the Holy Spirit’s help and choose one concrete way to love, forgive or share. This is a response to the life received in Christ, rather than an achievement that earns it.
About this message
This overview draws on the Luke 17:20–21 manuscripts and sermon slides stored in OneDrive. The full sermon below is translated from the Korean source, with Scripture quotations from the King James Version (KJV). The sermon delivery date is being confirmed.
Read the full sermon (KJV Scripture quotations)
The Kingdom of Heaven Is the Place of Life God Gives Us through Jesus
Scripture: Luke 17:20–21
“The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.” Amen.
Opening
The Pharisees asked Jesus when the kingdom of God would come. They thought it would appear with visible political changes or extraordinary signs.
But Jesus said that the kingdom of God does not come in a way that allows people to calculate its time and place by observing outward signs.
“behold, the kingdom of God is within you.”
The Greek expression translated “within you” can be understood in context as “among you,” because Jesus spoke these words to Pharisees who did not accept God’s rule.
Jesus, who brought the kingdom of God, was already among them. He was proclaiming God’s Word, healing the sick, casting out demons, forgiving sinners, and bringing life to those who were dying.
The kingdom of God began with the coming of Jesus Christ.
Reflection on the Word
The kingdom of heaven is the place of life God gives us through Jesus.
Heaven is not merely a place in the distant future that people enter after death. It is the kingdom of eternal life that begins now in Jesus Christ, continues beyond physical death, and will be brought to completion in the new heaven and new earth on the day Jesus returns.
This does not mean three different heavens. It is one kingdom of God that begins in Jesus Christ, continues after death, and is brought to completion through the Lord’s return and the resurrection of the body.
First, the kingdom of heaven in the present is expressed in a life of Immanuel—God with us.
In the present, the kingdom of heaven is the life of Immanuel, walking with God in Jesus Christ.
Those who believe in and receive Jesus become children of God. The Holy Spirit comes upon God’s children and dwells within them, helping and guiding them to live in God’s Word.
Believers’ lives are already in Christ. A believer does not create God’s kingdom through personal ability, but lives the life of God already given in Christ.
Therefore, the present kingdom of heaven is not simply an inward feeling of peace or happiness. It is the place of life where God’s children in Christ live under God’s rule through the power of the Holy Spirit.
With the help and guidance of the Holy Spirit, God’s children obey the Word and, united with the Lord, live in ways that bring life to others wherever they have been placed.
When believers obey the Word in Christ through the power of the Spirit, the fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control appears.
Hatred becomes love, greed becomes sharing, and the desire to be exalted becomes service. Someone who once lived only for themselves is transformed into a person who loves God and neighbors and brings life to those who are dying.
In this way, through the fruit of the Spirit, God’s will is done and His rule and life become evident in believers’ lives. This is the present reality of God’s kingdom.
The presence of God’s kingdom does not mean only a mystical atmosphere or a temporary feeling. Nor does it mean that believers create God’s kingdom by their actions where it did not previously exist.
The present reality of God’s kingdom means that when God’s children, who are already in Christ, obey the Word through the Spirit’s power, God’s rule and life are revealed and experienced in their everyday lives through the fruit of the Spirit.
The place of life where God is with us, His will is done, and His life is revealed is the kingdom of heaven present among us now.
Second, the kingdom of heaven after death is a life of rest with the Lord.
For those who believe in Jesus Christ, physical death is not the end of everything. The believer’s soul continues to live with the Lord after physical death.
Jesus spoke to one of the criminals beside Him on the cross:
“To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.”
Scripture describes the blessed state of believers after death as Abraham’s embrace and paradise. These expressions occur in different contexts, but both show the comfort and rest believers enjoy before God after death.
The apostle Paul also confessed that departing the body and being with Christ is far better.
After physical death, the believer’s soul enters paradise with the Lord, rests, and awaits the resurrection of the body on the day Jesus returns.
Therefore, the kingdom of heaven after death is the place of life where believers’ souls rest with the Lord while awaiting the resurrection.
This state is a blessed reality of God’s kingdom, but it is not yet its final completion. God’s salvation is not only for the soul; it is the salvation of the whole person, body and soul.
Third, the completed kingdom of heaven is eternal life with the Lord in the new heaven and new earth.
On the day Jesus returns, the dead will rise, and God’s children will be clothed with glorious resurrection bodies that will neither perish nor die.
God will judge all sin and death and make all things new. The first heaven and the first earth will pass away, and the new heaven and new earth prepared by God will appear.
There will be no more death, sorrow, crying, or pain. God Himself will dwell with His people and wipe away all their tears.
God’s children will not remain in heaven as souls alone. With resurrection bodies, they will live forever with the Lord in the creation that God has made new.
This is the completion of God’s kingdom.
The Present Reality, Continuity, and Completion of God’s Kingdom
The kingdom of God has already begun through the coming of Jesus Christ.
In their present lives, believers in Christ walk with God through the Spirit’s power and live in His kingdom. After physical death, their souls enter paradise with the Lord, rest, and await the resurrection. On the day the Lord returns, they will receive resurrection bodies and live forever with Him in the new heaven and new earth.
Therefore, God’s kingdom begins here and now, is not interrupted by physical death, and is brought to eternal completion through the Lord’s return and the resurrection of the body.
God’s kingdom has already come in the present, yet not everything has been completed. Already enjoying God’s life and rule in Christ, we live in hope of the resurrection and the new heaven and new earth that are to be revealed.
The Meaning of the Word
The kingdom of heaven cannot be understood apart from Jesus Christ.
Where Jesus is, God’s rule is revealed; where Jesus’ word is fulfilled, God’s life is revealed.
In the present, the kingdom of heaven is expressed in the life of Immanuel, walking with God in Christ through the Spirit’s power.
After physical death, believers’ souls enter paradise with the Lord, rest, and await the resurrection.
On the day Jesus returns, God’s children will receive resurrection bodies and live forever with the Lord in the new heaven and new earth.
Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is the place of life that begins now in Jesus Christ, continues beyond death, and is brought to eternal completion in the resurrection and the new heaven and new earth.
Application for Today
Do I think of heaven only as a place to go after death?
Am I living in faith that I am already a child of God in Christ?
Am I now living under God’s rule with the help and guidance of the Holy Spirit?
Am I obeying the Word through the Spirit’s power rather than following my own thoughts and desires?
Is the fruit of the Spirit evident today in the places where I live—my home, church, and workplace?
Am I bringing life to those who are dying through loving, forgiving, serving, and sharing?
When I obey Jesus’ words in the very place where I live today, God’s kingdom is present.
When we love in Christ through the Spirit’s power, God’s kingdom is present in our lives.
When we forgive in Christ through the Spirit’s power, God’s kingdom is present in our lives.
When we serve and share in Christ through the Spirit’s power, God’s kingdom is present in our lives.
When we proclaim the gospel of the kingdom of Jesus Christ in Christ through the Spirit’s power, God’s kingdom is present in our lives.
This presence of God’s kingdom is not created by our merit or ability. When God’s children, who are already in Christ, obey the Word with the help and guidance of the Holy Spirit, God’s rule and life are revealed in their lives through the fruit of the Spirit.
Holding Fast to the Word
The kingdom of heaven is the place of life God gives us through Jesus.
First, in the present, it is expressed in the life of Immanuel, walking with God in Christ through the Spirit’s power. When believers obey the Word, God’s rule and life are present in their lives through the fruit of the Spirit.
Second, after physical death, believers’ souls enter paradise with the Lord, rest, and await the resurrection.
Third, on the day the Lord returns, God’s children will receive resurrection bodies and live forever with Him in the new heaven and new earth.
This is the kingdom of God—the kingdom of heaven—that God gives His children through Jesus Christ.
Today’s One Sentence
The kingdom of heaven is life with God in Jesus Christ: the place of life that begins here and now, continues beyond death, and is brought to eternal completion in the resurrection and the new heaven and new earth.