The Kingdom And The Bride of Christ
by Rev. Kirby Williams
Considering what it means to be a Subject of the Kingdom and what Jesus will do when He returns to retrieve His beloved Bride.
Text: Acts 1:12-15
Date: 07/05/2026, the Combined service.
Series: "Luke: Thy Kingdom Come" Part 238
Description:
The coming of the Kingdom of God is a many-faceted and complex subject. For it exists in one sense here on earth and in another sense in the Heavenly realms. It exists in a visible, tangible sense in the "here and now", and in an eschatological sense in the "not yet". In this message we will briefly summarize how Luke has handled this expansive concept and how his thought seamlessly flows from his Gospel to the Book of Acts. After briefly considering the sovereign Lordship and universal Dominion of the Kingdom, we will focus on what it means to be a subject of the Kingdom of God and how this relates to the Christian church. We will carefully analyze how Scripture describes these subjects of the Kingdom as servants, sheep, soldiers, stones, sojourners, stewards, etc. But it is our designation as the Bride of Christ that will capture our attention as we realize how precious the souls of the saints are to our Lord, and how deeply He loves His church. We will close with a simple parable that considers the church as it exists today, what has happened to her since the King left, and what He will do when He returns to retrieve His beloved Bride and establish His Kingdom forever.
View:
Options:
I. Introduction
II. Exposition of the text, Acts 1:12-15.
A. Context
1. Focus on the Redemptive events of the Gospel, Luke 24:46, Acts 1:8.
2. Focus on the disciples.
a. A multi-faceted community, Luke 23:49.
b. An inadequate faith.
c. An amazing transformation, Luke 24:52-53.
3. Focus on the supremacy of the Word of God, Luke 24:6-8, 25-27, 44-46.
B. The Kingdom and the Church.
1. A dramatic shift.
a. Establishing the authority of the church, vs. 12-13.
i. An apostolic church, Matt. 16:18; Eph. 2:20.
ii. The authority of the written Word, 2Pet. 3:15-16.
iii. The advent of the Holy Spirit.
b. A snapshot of the early church, Acts 1:14,15, 2:41,42,46,47,31,33.
2. A Kingdom primer.
a. Luke's discussion of the Kingdom of God.
i. A Kingdom for the humble, Luke 6:20, 7:28, 18:17,25.
ii. A Kingdom NOT of this world, Luke 9:60,62, 16:16, 18:29,30.
iii. A Kingdom revealed to the elect, Luke 8:10, 13:28,29.
iv. A Kingdom to be proclaimed, Luke 4:43, 8:1, 9:2,11.
v. A Kingdom to conquer darkness, Luke 13:18-21.
vi. An eschatological Kingdom, Luke 9:27, 14:15, 17:20,21, 19:11, 21:31.
vii. A Kingdom where Jesus is, Luke 10:9,11, 11:20, 22:16,18.
b. The nature of the Kingdom.
i. The King, Gen. 49:10; 2Sam. 7:16; Psa. 2:6-7, 110:1-2, 24:7-10; Isa. 9:6-7; Jer. 23:5-6; Rev. 19:15-16; Dan. 2:44, 7:13-14.
ii. The Dominion.
iii. The Subjects.
1) Subjects in submission, Titus 3:1; Ex. 22:28; 1Pet. 2:13-18; Matt. 22:37-38.
2) Servants of the King, Rom. 1:1; Phil. 1:1; James 1:1; 2Pet. 1:1; Jude 1; 1Cor. 7:22.
3) Sheep of His flock, John 10:11,16, 21:17; Matt. 9:36.
4) Soldiers of the King, Matt. 10:34; Eph. 6:11; 2Tim. 2:3-4; Luke 7:8; 1Tim. 6:12.
5) Sojourners in a foreign land, 1Pet. 2:11; Phil. 3:20.
6) Ambassadors of the King, 2Cor. 5:20-21; Eph. 6:20; Luke 24:47-48.
7) Living stones of the Kingdom, 1Pet. 2:4-5.
8) The Bride of Christ.
a) In the Prophets, Isa. 54:5,6; Jer. 31:32; Hos. 2:16.
b) In the book of Revelation, Rev. 19:6-8, 21:9-10.
c) In the words of Jesus, Luke 5:34-35; Matt. 25:10; John 15:9,12-13.
d) In the words of Paul, Eph. 5:25-32; Rom. 12:4-5; 1Cor. 12:27.
e) The war for the Bride, Rev. 12:17.
9) Stewards of the Kingdom, Deut. 4:23-24; Gen. 12:3; Luke 12:45-46; Matt. 18:5-6; 1Pet. 2:9-10.
III. Application
IV. Conclusion, Matt. 24:50-51.
