...A LOOK BACK & INTRO TO THE KINGDOM OF GOD…

-- Last week we looked at the ‘works’ of Jesus and learned how He revealed who He was by the miracles that He performed. Specifically those miracles that were believed only the Messiah could do…healing a leper, casting out a demon who makes the person they have possessed to become mute, and healing a person who was born blind. These miracles were proof that Jesus was the Messiah, the promised King. He did many more miracles as well, some people believed he was the Messiah but others rejected him, namely the Pharisees, Sadducees, and teachers of the Law. But it wasn’t just his miraculous works that Jesus used to proclaim he was the Messiah, it was also his teaching…his WORDS.

INTRO TO THE KINGDOM OF GOD/HEAVEN
-- When asked what the main teaching of Jesus was, most people would say that his main message was love…and while that is a topic he did talk about (love God and love others), the main content of his teaching was about THE KINGDOM OF GOD/HEAVEN.

-- There are several ways to understand what the Kingdom of God is.
1. (Past Understanding) How Israel understood it in the OT
2. (Present Understanding) How it was understood by people in Jesus’ time & how Jesus understood it
3. (Future Understanding) How this Kingdom will be established in the future (lots of differing views between christians today which I won’t cover)

-- TODAY I want to focus on Jesus’ teaching on the Kingdom and the implications it has on us today…specifically the ‘Gospel of the Kingdom”…or the Good News of the Kingdom

THE KINGDOM OF GOD...“Past”

-- This was an important concept for Israel. In the OT we learn that the Kingdom of God represented God and his rule over all of creation…God was the King of that Kingdom — David acknowledged this in his prayer in
1 CHRON 29:10-13…
“May you be blessed, Lord God of our father Israel, from eternity to eternity. 11 Yours, Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the splendor and the majesty, for everything in the heavens and on earth belongs to you. Yours, Lord, is the kingdom, and you are exalted as head over all. 12 Riches and honor come from you, and you are the rulerof everything. Power and might are in your hand, and it is in your hand to make great and to give strength to all. 13 Now therefore, our God, we give you thanks and praise your glorious name.”

-- So in the mindset of the Jewish people, God was the ruler and king of all things and his kingdom was eternal. There was also a secondary understanding that God would send them a KING and establish a KINGDOM that would be physical…and eternal. They believed that because God made a covenant with David (Davidic Covenant) and promised him that one of his descendants would be an eternal King and would sit on the throne, ruling over Israel forever. We learn about that in 2 Samuel 7.

2 SAM 7:12-16
“12 When your time comes and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up after you your descendant, who will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He is the one who will build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 14 I will be his father, and he will be my son. When he does wrong, I will discipline him with a rod of men and blows from mortals. 15 But my faithful love will never leave him as it did when I removed it from Saul, whom I removed from before you. 16 Your house and kingdom will endure before me[a] forever, and your throne will be established forever.’”

-- So Israel’s concept of a KING and KINGDOM had a spiritual meaning (God ruling everything) and a physical meaning (God would send a Messiah who would rule as a physical King over a physical Kingdom.

THE KINGDOM OF GOD...“Present”

-- Israel misunderstood the King and Kingdom that was to come through the Messiah. They believed the Messiah would be a physical leader, overthrowing the Romans and establishing his reign as a King over the new Israel. Jesus regularly tried to reset this understanding (through his teachings and parables) with his disciples and with the religious leaders.

THE KINGDOM OF GOD... "Summary by Jesus"

Jesus said in the Gospel of Mark:

MARK 1:14-15
“14 After John was arrested, Jesus went to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God: 15 “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!”

THE KINGDOM OF GOD... "Sermon On The Mount"

-- In the Gospel of Matthew we read that Jesus climbed a hill with a group of His closest followers. They sat down together, and Jesus began reset their understanding of the KINGDOM OF GOD….which stood in stark contrast to their understanding…

** “God blesses those who realize their need for Him; the humble and poor, the gentle and merciful…God blesses the pure in heart and those who hunger and thirst to be with Him—the Kingdom of God belongs to them.”

** Jesus went on to teach about God’s laws that were given to Moses. “Don’t think I came to get rid of the laws of Moses and the writings of the Prophets. I have come to fulfill them!”

** He upped the standards…“The laws and commands tell you not to murder, but I say if you hate someone or insult them you are just as guilty as a murderer. Your words and actions bring judgment on you.” “The laws also tell us to not commit adultery. But I say anyone who even looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery in his heart.” “If someone steals your shirt from you, offer them your coat too. Live generously! Love your enemies. Anyone can love their friends, but you are to love the unlovable. You must live differently, doing what is good, right, and perfect—just like God your Father.”

- The people were amazed at Jesus’ new teaching; He had real power and authority— unlike their teachers of the law.

THE KINGDOM OF GOD... "Through the Parables"

-- Jesus continued to teach about the Kingdom of God using parables (short stories that have powerful meanings).

-- Jesus taught that “The Kingdom of God is like…
1. A tiny seed that is planted in a field. This seed may be small at first, but it grows into a large tree where birds can come and find shelter.”
2. A hidden treasure buried in a field—worth diligently searching for.
yeast spread in a large ball of dough—just a little will change a lot.
3. A precious pearl—worth trading everything for.
4. A great feast—where the poor, the forgotten, and the outcast all get invited, and on and on.

-- This was frustrating to the religious leaders and they continued to press for clarity about the kingdom and its king…

LUKE 17:20-21…
20 When he was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, he answered them, “The kingdom of God is not coming with something observable; 21 no one will say, ‘See here!’ or ‘There!’ For you see, the kingdom of God is in your midst.”

-- The kingdom wasn’t a physical location…as they believed, to be inaugurated with a military overthrowing of Rome…it was spiritual…and it was right there in front of them…Jesus was saying I am the one in your midst and I am establishing my kingdom in your midst…do you accept me as your king, is there surrender, repentance and belief in this king and his kingdom?

-- For those who would believe…they were instantly a part of the Kingdom with Jesus as their King, BUT…

-- For those that would not believe, they were left out of the kingdom. These were the things that infuriated the religious leaders and led to their total rejection of Jesus as the Messiah.

THE KINGDOM OF GOD... "The Disciples"

-- The disciples misunderstood as well. Remember when the disciples were arguing who was going to be the greatest in the Kingdom? Jesus reminded them that this kingdom was upside down…to be great you have to be the least, like a child, needy and humble. The mother of James and John boldly asked Jesus if her sons could sit on his right and left in his Kingdom. They were thinking he was going to rule a physical kingdom as a physical king…and they wanted to be on his cabinet. Jesus continued to reset their understanding of this Kingdom that he was establishing…and what it meant to be great in that kingdom…again to be servants…this was very different than their understanding. There was one time when Jesus point blank asked the disciples who people thought he was. It is in MARK 8:27-38. This was indeed a very different understanding of the Messiah and of the Kingdom he was establishing. A member of that kingdom would be marked by obedience to the Father…denying himself, taking up his cross and following Jesus…they would soon see the extent of that obedience when Jesus gave himself as a substitute for them. “There is no greater love than laying down one’s life for their friends”

THE KINGDOM OF GOD... "Nicodemus"

-- There was a Pharisee named Nicodemus who was trying to understand Jesus’ teaching on the kingdom…and I think this conversation is really applicable to all of us today as well…

It is found in JOHN 3:1-21
Vs 1-2…Nicodemus was a Pharisee, a ruler, a part of the Sanhedrin, He came to see Jesus at night either out of fear or to have one on one time with Jesus without the disciples or crowd, and he honored Jesus by calling him Rabbi…

Vs 3…Jesus answers a question that hasn't been asked yet, but he knows is the questions that is coming...Q: How does one enter the KOG? Jesus' answer is simple...be born again. This means essentially to have new life. A theological term for this is "regeneration". It isn’t simply a moral or religious reform, but the bringing of new life. “To belong to the heavenly kingdom, one must be born into it.”

Vs 4…Nicodemus cannot fully understand how that would actually work. He is only thinking in physical terms.

Vs 5-8…Jesus explains what he means by being born again. One must be born of water and Spirit…[physical birth and spiritual birth) Jesus’ reply to Nicodemus shattered the Jewish assumption that their racial identity – their old birth – assured them a place in God’s Kingdom. Jesus made it plain that a man’s first birth does not assure him of the kingdom; only being born again gives this assurance. Most Jews of that time looked for the Messiah to bring in a new world, in which Israel and the Jewish people would be pre-eminent. But Jesus came to bring new life, in which He would be preeminent. || this eternal life cannot be earned on our own merit…it is spiritually achieved. In verse 8, Jesus used an illustration referring to seeing the effects of the wind but not fully understanding how it all works. He is saying it is the same way in regards to spiritual rebirth; we see the effects of it but can’t fully understand how it happens

Vs 9…Nicodemus still has a hard time understanding so he asks 'how' again.

Vs 10-13…Jesus affirms he is telling the truth about who he is, about the kingdom that has arrived and the means to enter that kingdom. Jesus also addresses the way the religious leaders have handled this information...they did not believe in him. He says again that he is indeed the Son of Man who has descended to earth, the Messiah.

Vs 14-15…Jesus then makes reference to an Old Testament story found in NUMBERS 21:4-9. Moses was instructed to put a bronze snake on a pole and as people looked at the snake they would be healed from the snake bites they were getting. Jesus made a direct comparison to what he was there to do...if people would look to him in their sickness (sin) he would heal them supernaturally, spiritually speaking.

Vs 16-18…Jesus again states clearly God’s plan and how one might believe and gain eternal life...John 3:16 is a very clear invitation to believe in the Son who has come from the Father for the forgiveness of sins and entrance to the Kingdom of God.

Vs 19-21…Jesus clarifies what the consequences of repentance and belief will be while also stating the consequences of those who do not believe.

THE KINGDOM OF GOD... "And You"

-- This King and Kingdom is still available to us today! So how should we respond to this good news?

1. As FOLLOWERS OF JESUS…We should seek to live each moment in the reality of the kingdom of God… Jesus said, “The kingdom of God has come near; repent and believe in the good news” (Mark 1:15). This invitation is still true today. When we accept God’s rule over our lives, we will adopt values and priorities that are radically different than those of the world. So we live with humility and repentance and faith living out the values and priorities of God’s kingdom. As Jesus instructed, to be true disciples we must take up our cross, die to ourselves and follow him. (Living FOR THE ONE…vertical)

2. As FOLLOWERS OF JESUS…We should never lose our gratitude for the forgiveness Jesus has given to us…
(2 COR 5:21)“He made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
- This is the benefit of the Kingdom and what King Jesus has done for us! Suffering Servant, died in our place, what an exchange! I say this a lot, I quote this verse a lot, and I hope it never ever ever gets old…

3. As FOLLOWERS OF JESUS…We should not keep this good news to ourselves!…
(2 COR 5:20a) “Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us.”
- We are his ambassadors…demonstrating and declaring this good news to others (Living FOR THE ONE…horizontal) God is making his appeal through us. We should live in the world as salt and light, and like Jesus, both our words and our works should proclaim the reality of the kingdom. We need to live our life demonstrating and declaring the gospel to THE ONE (horizontal) that God has called us to love, inviting them to accept the good news Jesus offers and live under God’s rule and reign.
Q: How active are you as an ambassador of Jesus?
Q: Who is the person/people you are appealing too (Your Horizontal One)?

4. As ONE WHO IS SEEKING JESUS…Don’t walk away today and reject Jesus…He is the King of this glorious Kingdom!

(2 COR 5:20b)
“We plead on Christ’s behalf, “Be reconciled to God.”

(ROM 6:23)
"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."

-- What happened to Nicodemus?

We don't know for sure but it seems that he did follow Jesus. There are two evidences in the gospel of John...in JOHN 7 Nicodemus defended Jesus before the Sanhedrin and then again in JOHN 19 we see his name listed as on who helped Joseph of Arimathea bury Jesus. These point to Nicodemus acknowledging that Jesus was the Messiah, the King of a spiritual Kingdom...

RESPOND, REFLECT & COMMUNION

I would like to give you a chance to respond to God…

-- What did God reveal about who he is to you today in our time in God’s word?
-- What did God reveal about what he has done or is doing in our time in God’s word?
-- What did you learn about who you are as we looked at these stories today?
-- What did you learn about what you are supposed to do?

—> Let's take a minute to thank Him, respond to Him, confess our sins to Him, examine our hearts before we take communion...

—> WHAT IS JESUS SAYING TO YOU TODAY?
—> WHAT IS JESUS ASKING YOU TO DO?