Fall Quarter 2012 CCM Week 1 Ben Shin Luke 17:20-21 Once, having been asked by the Pharisees

s when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, nor will people say, Here it is, or There it is, because the kingdom of God is within you. The Pharisees were the ones who held on tightly to the law but would not recognize Jesus as the One who fulfilled the law In this context, the Pharisees question Jesus as to when the kingdom of God is coming. Because the Pharisees knew the Old Testament very well, they had a certain expectation for the coming kingdom. Jewish people were looking forward to the Messiah to fulfill the role of a political insurrectionist to overthrow the Roman kingdom that was oppressing them. They mistook Jesus coming for the second coming when the Messiah will come and will set up His kingdom on earth Jesus mission this time around was to die on the cross and pay for our sins. He is the central figure of all Christianity; He is the one we trust because He is our Savior. o CCM is not a religious group; we are a faith group that puts our faith and trust in the person of Jesus. o Religion is different; religion is us doing good works to reach up to God o Christianity is God reaching down to us to establish a relationship. o The coming kingdom was not to be observed, it was not supposed to be an extravagant celebration o This shows a part of Gods nature; He doesnt want to draw attention to Himself, rather He comes with a greater gift through Jesus Christ. Jesus makes a profound statement when He says that the kingdom of God is in our midst. There are three components for a Kingdom o A King o Subjects who follow the King o A domain: A place where the King will rule and reign Two out of the three parts of the Kingdom are unfolding in the Gospel o Who do you think is the King? Jesus o Who do you think are the subjects? The followers of Jesus o The domain of Jesus will come in the second coming when He establishes His kingdom on earth Misunderstandings of the Kingdom: o We believe that the Kingdom is far away and far into the future o Eternal life doesnt begin when you die, it begins when you trust Jesus as your Savior and Lord o Eternal life has a qualitative dimension that John 10:10 speaks of I come that they may have life, and have it to the full Jesus begins inaugural escotology (already but not yet) o Jesus is already in human kind o Jesus says I am the door, whoever enters through me will be saved Jesus inviting people to come into the kingdom that is why He says I am already in their midst

Do you want to be in the Kingdom of God? Then do you know the King? Do you know Jesus as your Savior and Lord? We should be not only passionate about Jesus but committed to Him as King Your calling right now is to be a Kingdom student o We need to study like Jesus o We need to be doing the things we should be doing. o Going to class, studying, not being lazy Jesus calls people to follow Him so they can be Kingdom minded If your calling is to be a college student, do it; be Kingdom minded People will believe that Jesus is King and that He is alive based on how much you submit to His rule and reign. The reason people believe in Christ is because of Christians. But the reason why people DONT believe in Christ is because of Christians. We must look into our hearts and ask Is Jesus really King? Is He really ruling and reigning over my life? We need to ask ourselves, are we following what God wants us to do? God will prepare us to be men and women who make a difference in this world. Its not about making money, its about making a difference by investing in peoples lives. Application points about how the Kingdom of God can be made present o By being a student o Praying before meals in a dorm stand for the king 1 Corinthians 31: whether you eat or drink, do all for the glory of God o Love on others o Be a positive presence on campus When the kingdom is real in our hearts, it is real around us, it is real on campus Matthew 28:20 Surely I am with you always, to the end of the age How can we as CCM members rep the King? o Dont make CCM only a social group because thats not what were here for, were here to point collegiate to the cross o Make JESUS the main thing that were about o Bring non-Christians to CCM Application and take-home truths o If Jesus is here and being manifested in our lives, His power will be felt by the people who are around us as Christians. If that is not happening, what are we doing to hinder that? o Do you know others right now that need to know Jesus as King and be introduced to the kingdom of God? Pray for them first, then after you have offered up that prayer, befriend them and represent the King to them in an accurate manner.