神的国就在你们心里

这段经文记载主耶稣在地上传道时，法利赛人问耶稣：“神的国几时来到？”耶稣回答说：“神的国来到，不是眼所能见的。人也不得说，‘看哪，在这里’，‘看哪，在那里’；因为神的国就在你们心里。”法利赛人问的“神的国”不同于主耶稣所说的。犹太人所盼望的“神的国”是弥赛亚要在地上建立一个强大的政权，拯救犹太民族脱离外邦人的欺压和奴役，成为一个强国。而主耶稣所说的“神的国”乃是属灵的，非肉眼所能见，不是建立在属物质的世界之上的，因为主说：“我的国不属这世界”（约18:36上）。

一、何为神的国

《圣经》中有“天国”和“神国”两种说法，“天国”只在《马太福音》中出现，因犹太人避讳不提神的名字，常以“天”字取代“神”字，再从《马太福音》的写作背景、对象等可以发现犹太人习惯称呼“天国”，神的国是神掌权的所在，是外邦人习惯的称呼，所以可以说“天国”就是“神国”。天国既是现在，又是将来（主再来以后），21节中“神的国在你们心里”所讲的神的国是现在已经得着的，在每一位相信并接受耶稣基督作救主的重生得救的基督徒心里。今天耶稣基督藉着圣灵住在我们心里掌权作王，何等奇妙！

二、如何得天国

“人若不重生，就不能见神的国”(约3:3）。重生不是人再进母腹生一次，“人若不是从水和圣灵生的，就不能进神的国。从肉身生的，就是肉身；从灵生的，就是灵。”（约3:5-6）。水则是生命活水，“人若喝我所赐的水，就永远不渴……在他里头成为泉源，直涌到永生”（约4:14）。“信我的，永远不渴”（约6:35下）。耶稣与施洗约翰都是传讲“天国近了，你们应当悔改”这一信息，要得新生命，必须要悔改，向主承认自己的罪，求主的宝血洗净，接受耶稣基督作个人生命的救主，让他在生命中掌权作王，这样，天国就在我们心里了。

三、神的国与人的心

主耶稣在天国的七个比喻中，其中第一个是撒种的比喻，将人的心比喻成四种土地：1.道路旁：不能结果实，因常有飞鸟（撒但）光顾；2.浅土石头地：不能扎根，因有一颗刚硬不肯悔改的心；3.荆棘地：不能结实，因为世上的思虑和钱财的迷惑使人不能跟主到底；4.好土地：饱尝雨露（圣灵的浇灌）才能让生命的种子发芽结实，有三十倍、六十倍、一百倍的收成。

主耶稣传道的时候，有许多人跟随他,拥戴他为王，但他明白众人的目的，有的为医病，有的为吃饼得饱，有的为看神迹，还有些则为窥探耶稣要抓把柄，其中真正为着爱主而跟随主的人不多，直到今天。多少时候，人的心里满了荆棘蒺藜，得恩典时感谢赞美，遇难处时大发怨言，但是主仍用各样奇妙的办法把人领到神面前。我们必须进入到生命的更深之处――因着爱主而跟随主。

四、神的国与顺服

我们当效法主的榜样，以基督耶稣的心为心，凡事谦卑顺服。神并不强迫人，他尊重人的自由意志，给人自由选择，但我们往往不让主在我们里面掌权，把主拒之门外。主却时常宽容、忍耐等待我们，用他的大爱激发我们。主耶稣为世人走了一条舍己顺服的十字架之路，所以神将他升为至高，给他超乎万名之上的名。若要让主在我们心中掌权，就必须顺服主，走十字架道路，走一条舍己、受苦、羞辱的路，这也是通往天国的必经之路，“如果我们和他一同受苦，也要和他一同得荣耀。”

五、神的国与公义

在《罗马书》中保罗特别阐述“因信称义”与律法之间的关系，弗2:8-9也记载：“你们得救是本乎恩，也因着信……不是出于行为，免得有人自夸。”人的称义和得救不是凭守律法的条文也不是靠行为，但信心必须与行为并行，不然，信心就是假的（参雅2:22）。关于守日与食物的问题，罗14:17说：“因为神的国不在乎吃喝，只在乎公义、和平并圣灵中的喜乐。”关于割礼的问题，罗2:29说：“惟有里面作的，才是真犹太人；真割礼也是心里的，在乎灵，不在乎仪文。”神是以公义和公平为他宝座的根基，哪里有公义、公平，神就在哪里。

六、神的国与权能

哥林多教会有结党纷争现象，主要原因是人自高自大、自以为义、抬高自己、贬低别人、标榜自己属灵，攻击别人不属灵，但保罗责备他们是属肉体的，在基督里为婴孩的。“因为神的国不在乎言语，只在乎权能”（林前4:20）。主是多么愿意让我们每个人都成为他合用的器皿，能够在我们身上彰显出他的权能来！当我们肯让主在我们心里掌权，又能照主所喜悦的去行，主的权能就彰显在我们身上，成就神旨意，这样天国就临到千千万万基督徒身上，这就是神在教会里掌权，神的国在地上建立，“神的国就在你们心里”。

让我们所言所行都能荣神益人，使天国在地上扩展，使更多的人得救。

The Kingdom Of God Is Among You

By Pastor Chen Rong

Bible Verse Reading: Luke 17:20-21

These verses record that when Jesus was preaching God's word, he was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God was coming, and he answered, "The kingdom of God is not coming with things that can be observed; nor will they say, 'Look, here it is!' or 'There it is!' For, in fact, the kingdom of God is among you." "The kingdom of God" asked by the Pharisees was different from the one mentioned by Jesus. "The kingdom of God" desired by the Jews was a strong political power established by Messiah on the earth, which would save the Jews from being oppressed and enslaved by the gentiles and which would become a powerful country. However, "the kingdom of God" mentioned by Jesus is spiritual, which cannot be observed by human eyes, nor can it be built on material world, because the Lord said, "My kingdom is not from here."( John 18:36)

1. What is the kingdom of God?

The Bible mentions "the kingdom of heaven" and "the kingdom of God". "The kingdom of heaven" only occurs in Matthew because the Jews avoided God's name and replace the word of "God" with the word of "heaven". Having considered the background of Matthew and its readers, we may find that Jews were used to the form of address "the kingdom of heaven". The kingdom of God is where God is in control and the gentile way of addressing "the kingdom of heaven". So we may say that "the Kingdom of heaven" is the "the kingdom of God". The kingdom of God is in the now and in the future (after the Lord comes again). "The kingdom of God" in 21 verse, i.e. "The kingdom of God is among you" is the one we have obtained. At the heart of every Christian who accepted Jesus Christ as his/her savior, Jesus Christ has full control in our heart depending on Holy Spirit. How wondrous it is!

2. What shall we do to enter the kingdom of heaven?

"No one can see the kingdom of God without being born anew."( John 3: 3) Being born anew does not mean to be born again from the mother's womb. "No one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit."( John 3: 5- 6) The "water" here is the living water of life. "Those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water …will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life."( John 4:14) "Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty."( Ref. John 6:35) Jesus and the Baptist John preached that "the kingdom of God has come near, you should repent." To have new life, we should repent and admit our sin to the Lord; we should beg the Lord to cleanse us with His precious blood and accept Jesus Christ as our savior; we should let Him have full control of our life. Thus, the kingdom of heaven is among us.

3. The kingdom of God and human heart

The first parable among the seven of the kingdom of God used by Jesus is the parable of the sowed. He compared the human heart to four kinds of soil: soil on the path that yields nothing because the birds (the devil) came and ate seeds up; soil on the rocky ground where the seeds cannot take roots because we don't repent; soil among the thorns that yields no grain because the cares of the world and the lure of wealth prevent them from following the Lord forever; good soil that enjoys rain and dew (the watering of Holy Spirit) where the seed of life brings forth grain, yielding thirty and sixty and a hundredfold.

When Jesus was preaching, many people followed him and supported him as the king. But he knew their purpose: some for healing their disease, some for the bread, some for the signs, and even some pried about Jesus for a handle against him. There were few who really loved the Lord and followed him, even today. There are times when our heart is filled with thorns and we praise and thank the Lord when we have grace and complain greatly when we are in adversity. But the Lord still takes us to God with various miraculous ways. We need to go more deeply into life - to follow the Lord because we love HIM.

4. The kingdom of God and obedience

We should learn from the Lord and let the same mind be in us that was in Christ Jesus. We should always be humble and obedient. God never tries to make us do whatever we won't or cannot. He respects human free will and gives us freedom to make choice. But very often we cannot let the Lord have full control of us, instead, we reject the Lord. The Lord, however, forgives us and waits for us patiently, encouraging us with His love. The Lord Jesus humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death - even death on a cross. Therefore God highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name. We should obey the Lord and take the road of cross so that the Lord will have control of us, which is the only way to the kingdom of heaven. "If we suffer with him, we also will be revealed with him in glory."

5. The kingdom of God and justice

In Romans Paul expounds the relationship between "being justified by faith" and the law. Ephesians 2: 8- 9 also records that "by grace you have been saved through faith…not the result of works so that you may boast". We are not justified or saved because we obey the law nor because of our works, but faith was active along with works, otherwise faith is false. (Ref. James 2:22) As for the question of keeping the Sabbath rest and of food, Romans 14:17 says, "For the kingdom of God is not food and drink, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit." As for circumcision, Romans 2:29 says, "Rather, a person is a Jew who is one inwardly, and real circumcision is a matter of the heart - it is spiritual and not literal." God takes justice and justness as the foundation of HIS throne and where there is justice and justness, there is God.

6. The kingdom of God and power

There were divisions in the Corinthians Church because of human self-arrogance, self-regarding justice, self-raise and human belittling others while singing their own praises that they were spiritual while others unspiritual. But Paul reproached that they were people of flesh, as infants in Christ. "For the kingdom of God depends not on talk but on power." (Corinthians 4:20) The Lord hopes deeply that we will all be HIS instrument and HE can reveal HIS glory through us. When we let the Lord have full control of us and follow what pleases the Lord, the power of the Lord will be revealed through us and the Lord's will fulfilled. In this way the kingdom of heaven will fall upon us and the Lord will take control in the church. Consequently, the kingdom of God will be established on the earth and "the kingdom of God is among you".

May that we glorify God with our talk and works so that the kingdom of God will be extended on the earth and more people will be saved. 　 　

（根据录音整理）