The Church and the Kingdom

Order of Service

• Sermon
• Congregational Prayer

---

Sermon Title: The Church and the Kingdom

Scripture: Genesis 1:26

I. The Kingdom in God's Original Plan at Creation

A. Genesis 1:26 — God commands mankind to have dominion over the earth

1. The Hebrew word for "dominion" carries kingdom language
2. Adam serves as God's vice regent; the earth is to be the kingdom of God
3. The Garden of Eden functions as the mission center from which the kingdom spreads

B. Genesis 9:1–2 — Noah as a new Adam after the flood

1. The flood functions as a de-creation; Noah represents a re-creation
2. Noah receives the same commission as Adam: fill the earth, exercise dominion
3. Mount Ararat, likely near the region of Eden, becomes the new mission center

C. Genesis 12:1–3 — Abraham and the promise of worldwide blessing

1. Through Abraham all families of the earth shall be blessed — world-kingdom language continues
2. The Promised Land (Canaan) serves as the new mission center
3. Geographical evidence links Canaan to the boundaries of Eden (Genesis 2:10–14; Genesis 15:18)
   • Eden bounded by the Pishon and Gihon (southwest) and the Tigris and Euphrates (northeast)
   • The Promised Land shares the same boundary markers: the river of Egypt and the Euphrates

D. Exodus 4:22–23 — Israel as the corporate son of God and corporate Adam

1. Luke's genealogy (Luke 3:38) calls Adam "the son of God"; Hosea 6:7 compares Israel's covenant failure to Adam's
2. Israel, like Adam, fails to uphold the covenant of works
3. Exodus 19 — Israel's calling: to be a kingdom of priests and extend God's light to the ends of the earth
4. As corporate Adam, Israel fails to expand the kingdom as originally purposed

II. The Kingdom Fulfilled in Christ

A. Matthew 28:18–20 — The Great Commission as the realization of the kingdom plan

1. Christ's finished work establishes him as king over all heaven and earth
2. The Great Commission calls all nations to bow to the one true king
3. Matthew opens calling Jesus the Son of David and Son of Abraham (Matthew 1:1); the Great Commission shows he fulfills their calling by expanding the kingdom to the whole earth

B. Luke 3:38 — Jesus identified as Son of Adam, Son of God

1. Luke's genealogy traces Jesus back to Adam, the son of God
2. Immediately after, Jesus is led into the wilderness to be tempted by Satan — the second and last Adam succeeding where the first Adam failed
3. Christ's victory in the wilderness enables kingdom authority over all heaven and earth

C. The already/not yet nature of the kingdom

1. Christ inaugurates the kingdom at his finished work (D-Day analogy: the decisive blow has been struck)
2. The kingdom expands progressively — like a mustard seed — as disciples are made and covenant children are raised in the faith
3. The consummated kingdom awaits Christ's return: the new heavens and new earth, the tree of life freely available, and all tears wiped away (Revelation 21–22)
4. We pray with confidence: "Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven"

III. The Church as the Instrument of Kingdom Expansion

A. The kingdom of God is the people of God; as the church expands, the kingdom expands

B. Adam was prophet, priest, and king in the Garden-Temple of God

1. The Hebrew language for "work and keep" the garden is used elsewhere only of the priests who worked and kept the temple
2. The Garden of Eden was the temple of the living God; the temple in Israel (especially 1 Kings) reflects the imagery of Eden
3. Israel's kings were to function as vice regents (princes) under the one true king — not replacements for God (Deuteronomy 17)
4. Israel's demand for a king in 1 Samuel 8 repeats Adam's sin of seeking to usurp God's kingship

C. The church's mission today mirrors the pattern throughout redemptive history

1. Proclaiming the gospel, planting churches, making disciples
2. Raising covenant children who grow up in the faith, flooding the earth with image-bearers honoring God
3. Living by God's promises, seeking his glory, and remaining prepared for Christ's return