The Kingdom is Here!

The Kingdom is Here!

Psalm 16: 7 – 11

1 Corinthians 15: 1 – 11

April 19, 2026

Have you ever watched a movie trailer that said, “Coming” or “Available on Streaming Soon,” and you got so excited, marked your calendar, told your friends, and then forgot when it was actually released? So, months later, someone says, “You know that movie is already out, right?” Then you realize that you’ve been waiting for something that has already arrived.

I tend to do this with books as well. I typically read two to three books of fiction a week. I have half a dozen or so authors that I particularly enjoy, and so my Kindle Reader lets me know when a favorite author has a book due out and then….. I promptly forget.

How many of us relate to this whole notion of the Kingdom of God in the same way? The Gospels announce the arrival of the Kingdom of God well over 120 times. Beginning with Acts, and continuing through the rest of the New Testament, the arrival of the Kingdom of God is mentioned an additional 30 – 35 times. I give only loose approximations because different translations may discuss it differently. In Matthew Chapter 3, John the Baptist calls on his listeners to “Repent, for the Kingdom of God is at hand.”

There seems to be this great spiritual disconnect between real life believers and this notion of the Kingdom of God. Jesus has come. Jesus has died. Jesus has been raised from the dead, but our spiritual address has not changed. Instead of an address that reflects life and purpose in the Kingdom of God, we are still living on prime earthly real estate – location, location, location – instead of a redeemed address in God’s Kingdom.

In our faith conversations, we still talk about the Kingdom of God as though it is a “coming attraction” or like it’s “coming soon.” Someday. Eventually. One day, when everything is perfect.

But Paul, in 1 Corinthians 15, brings us back to reality. Paul writes, “I want to remind you of the gospel….. that Christ died for our sins….. that he was buried….. that he was raised on the third day….. and that he appeared.” Paul is saying:

This isn’t a trailer.

This is not an anticipated release.

The Kingdom of God is not just coming,

It has already arrived and it’s changing everything.

As Paul writes to new believers in Corinth, he begins with something shocking. “Christ died for our sins.” That’s the foundation of the Kingdom. Friends, let’s be honest, that doesn’t sound like how kingdoms begin.

When we think of kingdoms, we think of power, control, victory, and strength. We don’t think of suffering, humility, or a cross. Yet the Kingdom of God enters the world through a crucified King.

Here’s what that means. God’s Kingdom doesn’t operate like the systems we’re used to; like the systems we have benefited from. In our world, one rises by climbing over others. We win by overpowering. Leadership is often confused with the ability to assert dominance.

The Kingdom of God has a very difficult operating system. In the Kingdom of God, we rise by sacrifice, we win by giving, we lead through service. Jesus didn’t conquer by taking life. Jesus conquered sin by giving his life.

Imagine a firefighter running into a burning building. Everyone else is running out, but they run in. Why? Because firefighters are called and committed to a life of service that means the potential of losing their life so that others might be saved. That, my friends, is the cross, and that’s the kind of King we serve.

As believers, when we say the Kingdom has arrived, we’re saying that a new kind of power is now at work in the world; a power rooted in sacrificial love. As believers, when we say that the tomb is empty and that Christ is alive, we are saying that our fundamental life address has changed. While our physical address has not changed, we are now citizens of a kingdom that claims a different kind of allegiance for us. That new citizenship changes – or at least, should change - how we live.

Paul doesn’t stop at the cross. Paul continues, “He was raised on the third day….. and he appeared…..” This is the turning point. Because if Jesus stayed dead, then everything ends there, but he didn’t. The resurrection is not just a miracle, it’s a declaration:

Death is not final.

Sin is not undefeated.

Darkness does not get the last word.

The resurrection means a new reality has begun.

Think about it like this. If you walk into a dark room and flip the light switch, the darkness doesn’t argue. It doesn’t resist. It doesn’t negotiate. The darkness just disappears. That’s what happened when Jesus rose from the dead.

God flipped the switch on reality and now the Kingdom of God is wherever that resurrection life shows up. When someone finds hope after years of despair - that’s an appearance of the Kingdom. When forgiveness replaces bitterness - that’s an appearance of the Kingdom. When purpose rises out of brokenness - that’s an appearance of the Kingdom. The resurrection isn’t just something we believe. It’s something we live in – new life in the Kingdom of God.

Paul then goes out of his way to list witnesses. Peter; the twelve; over 500 people at once; James; all the apostles; and finally, Paul himself.  

Why does he do this?

Because the Kingdom of God is not a myth, a metaphor, or a motivational idea. The Kingdom of God is rooted in real history. These witnesses listed by Paul weren’t people who were looking for a hallucination. In fact, many of them doubted at first. But something happened that changed them so deeply that they were willing to risk and even lose their lives for it.

Let’s be honest, people don’t die for something they know is fake. Something real happened. Someone real rose, and that means the Kingdom is not imaginary. The inbreaking of the Kingdom of God is anchored in historical reality.

Here is what is even more powerful. God didn’t just reveal the resurrection to the elite or the powerful. God revealed the resurrection to ordinary people. Fishermen. Skeptics. Former enemies. This suggests that the Kingdom is not reserved for the qualified. It is revealed to the available.

Paul says something deeply personal. “Last of all he appeared to me also….. For I am the least of the apostles….. I persecuted the church of God.” Paul is essentially saying, “If anyone was outside the Kingdom, it was me.” Paul – then known as Saul – hadn’t just ignored Jesus. Paul actively, murderously opposed him. Yet - Jesus appeared to him.

That’s grace. Paul says: “But by the grace of God I am what I am…..” That’s Kingdom language. Resurrected life in the Kingdom is not just about your past being forgiven. Resurrected life in the Kingdom of God transforms your identity.

Imagine someone who has carried a label their whole life:

“Not good enough.”

“Failure.”

“Too far gone.”

Then one encounter with God begins to rewrite that narrative.

That is what happened to Paul, and that’s what continues to happen today. The Kingdom of God is not about behavior modification. It’s about identity transformation. You don’t just act different; you become essentially different.

You might ask, “Jim, if we have the radical breaking into human history of the Kingdom of God – God! - why do we still see pain, injustice, and suffering?” To that fair question, I would suggest it is because we live in the tension of “already, but not yet.” The Kingdom is here, but it’s still unfolding.

Think of it like sunrise. At dawn, the sun has risen, but the world isn’t fully bright yet. There are still shadows. Still dim places, but something has changed. Light is now chasing away darkness. What was once cold and dark – filled with fear – is now being filled with light and a world of new possibilities.

That’s the Kingdom. Jesus’ resurrection was the sunrise, and now the light is spreading through lives, through communities, through the church. We are not waiting for the Kingdom to begin. We are living in its expansion.

Let’s not diminish or try to minimize the difficulties of changing our allegiance, of changing our spiritual address. As a people, we Presbyterians reflect a demographic that has been generally successful in our earthly kingdoms. We have worked hard, we have prepared diligently, we have applied ourselves with conviction and commitment. As such, we reap the rewards of our hard efforts – and that is honorable and worthy of some praise.

But when that hard work, diligence, application, conviction and commitment finds itself in service to a kingdom – an earthly kingdom - that is at odds with the Kingdom of God, it is often difficult to accept less earthly rewards when in service within God’s kingdom. The ends – our benefit – justifies the means – earthly conduct and behavior.

But if all of this Kingdom of God talk is true - if the Kingdom has truly arrived - then it’s not just a belief system, it’s a new way of living.

·         We live with unshakable hope. Not wishful thinking - but resurrection confidence. We know how the story ends. So even when life feels uncertain, we are grounded in something eternal.

·         If Kingdom of God talk is all true, we stop postponing transformation. So many people think, “I’ll change later,” “I’ll deal with that someday.” But that “someday” never comes.

The power of God is not delayed. It is available right now. The same power that raised Jesus from the dead is at work today. This means that freedom is not a future idea, It is a present possibility.

·         If Kingdom of God talk is all true, we become evidence of the Kingdom of God – evidence! Paul says, “Whether it was I or they, this is what we preach, and this is what you believed.” The message didn’t just stay in words, it transformed lives.

THAT IS STILL how the Kingdom spreads. Not just through sermons, but through people. People who love differently, forgive radically, live with purpose, carry peace into chaos. You may be the only glimpse of the Kingdom someone sees today. What are you going to do to make sure it is a good one?

Paul says, “I worked harder than all of them - yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.” That’s the balance. It’s not about you. It is about what God is doing in you. But the presence of grace is not about inactivity. Grace doesn’t make you passive. Grace makes you empowered. It’s like wind in a sail. You still raise the sail; you still move forward; but the power behind that movement - a movement that takes you from darkness into light - is not your own. It is God’s power experienced in you.

So many people are waiting for God to move. Waiting for change. Waiting for a breakthrough.

Waiting for something to happen. But 1 Corinthians 15 reminds us that something has already happened. THINGS have already happened.

Jesus died. Jesus rose. Jesus appeared. As a result of those things, the Kingdom of God has arrived, the power of God is active, new life is available - right here and right now.

What would change in your life if you truly believed that the Kingdom of God is already here? What would change in your life if you truly believed that the power that raised Jesus is available to you? What would change in your life if you truly believed that your past no longer has the final say?

Would you step out in faith, or stay where it is safe, comfortable, known? Would you let go of what’s been holding you back? Could you let go of certainty and instead choose to embrace new opportunities in God’s great unfolding future? Would you shed your anxiousness and worry like a caterpillar….. and choose to emerge into a life filled with boldness instead of fear?

Friends, the truth is simple - but life-changing. Jesus is alive. The Kingdom is here, and you are invited to live in it….. today. Amen.