God In The Flesh: The Kingdom Of God
The Godhead • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
0 ratings
· 3 viewsNotes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
Greetings…
Theme: The Godhead
Hope: To learn more about their unity and then each personality within the Godhead so as to draw closer to each one.
It’s been a few weeks since either I have been here on a Sunday morning, with all the camps this month, or have preached since Weston was here two weeks ago.
Let us keep praying that he continues his growth, love, and want to preaching God’s most precious message.
Our last lesson on “The Godhead” dealt with the third personality of the Godhead in our series which is “Christ Jesus.”
We looked at then, God In The Flesh: The Birth, wherein we examined not only the facts and information we have of “The Word becoming flesh” but we asked the question “What if Jesus had not become flesh?”
Today, we are going to turn our attention to “Jesus’ preaching on the Kingdom of God” once his ministry began after being baptized by John the Baptizer.
Today, we are going to be looking at “God In The Flesh: The Kingdom Of God.”
So, with that in mind let’s examine our lesson for this morning.
Jesus’ Ministry On Earth
Jesus’ Ministry On Earth
His Compassion.
His Compassion.
There is no doubt that part of Jesus’ ministry or services here on earth was to show compassion to his people that had been ravaged for years by sin.
Jesus strove to show compassion by healing thousands of people on earth.
16 The people also gathered from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing the sick and those afflicted with unclean spirits, and they were all healed.
Jesus strove to show compassion because they were “harassed, helpless, and without a shepherd.
36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.
However, all that compassion was to help God’s creation of “body, soul, and spirit” know of the Kingdom of God and the salvation that was found in it.
That brings us then to…
His Teaching.
His Teaching.
Jesus went throughout all of Galilee preaching and teaching about “the kingdom.”
Mark 1:14 (ESV)
14 Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God
Matthew 4:23 (ESV)
23 And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people.
Matthew 9:35 (ESV)
35 And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction.
Luke 8:1 (ESV)
1 Soon afterward he went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with him
Luke 4:43 (ESV)
43 but he said to them, “I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well; for I was sent for this purpose.”
Jesus was clear that the kingdom had significant value.
In two parables Jesus demonstrates this point marvelously.
Matthew 13:44–46 (ESV)
44 The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. 45 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, 46 who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.
Its value, in these parables, is demonstrated through its worth by way of sacrifice.
In both parables the man was willing to “sell all that he had” in order to embrace his treasure and pearl and there is no truer reality for the child of God.
One must “deny himself” to enter the kingdom.
23 And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.
One must “seek the kingdom first” once in.
33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
One must sacrifice their very identity.
20 Now an intermediary implies more than one, but God is one.
Jesus taught that membership in his kingdom was not a hobby, simple civic organization, or weekend exercise it was a sacrifice.
Romans 6:6 (ESV)
6 We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.
Jesus was clear in his preaching that the kingdom of God was “at hand.”
Mark 1:15 (ESV)
15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”
Matthew 4:17 (ESV)
17 From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
Jesus even sent out the seventy disciples out preaching this.
Luke 10:1 (ESV)
1 After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to go.
Luke 10:9–11 (ESV)
9 Heal the sick in it and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ 10 But whenever you enter a town and they do not receive you, go into its streets and say, 11 ‘Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet we wipe off against you. Nevertheless know this, that the kingdom of God has come near.’
Jesus went so far as to say that there would be some hearing him preach that did not die before the kingdom came.
Mark 9:1 (ESV)
1 And he said to them, “Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God after it has come with power.”
Summary
Summary
Jesus purpose was to teach and preach that the kingdom of God that had been prophesied to long ago (Daniel 2:44) was at hand.
The question is “did it come?”
Yes…
The Kingdom Is Here
The Kingdom Is Here
It Is The Church Of Christ.
It Is The Church Of Christ.
The kingdom of God is in fact the church that belongs to Christ.
Notice that the Lord adds everyone to the church when they are saved.
Acts 2:47 (NKJV)
47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.
The apostle Paul, inspired by God, would say it this way however.
Colossians 1:13 (ESV)
13 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son
The Hebrew writer boldly proclaimed that the church ought to be grateful for the kingdom they had received.
Hebrews 12:28 (ESV)
28 Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe
The apostle whom Jesus loved declared Jesus made us a kingdom by freeing us from our sins by his blood.
Revelation 1:5–6 (ESV)
5 and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood 6 and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
This truth is significant today.
Why, because Jesus isn’t the king of “several kingdoms” but “one kingdom” and if the kingdom is the church that would mean there is only “one church.”
But certainly this cannot be the case when we consider “all the churches” even in our little town here in Ramona.
Certainly we will not find Jesus or his apostles teaching such a thing would we?
Yet, when we open up God’s word we do not find multiple churches or kingdoms of Christ being discussed, we only read of one, the one Jesus said he would build and the one that therefore belongs to him.
18 And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.
God, through Paul, would tell us that this church Jesus built, is the “body of Christ.”
Colossians 1:18 (ESV)
18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.
22 And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.
Paul would say in that same letter that he “only built one church.”
Ephesians 4:4–6 (ESV)
4 There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
Summary
Summary
Now, there might be some here today or some who will watch this video and say “I have never heard such a thing before.”
How can it be that I have never heard a preacher or teacher say these things?
All I can respond with is this…
There will, in this life, always be things we learn and grow to find when studying God’s word that we had never considered or never been taught.
What is of far greater value is how we respond to reading the plain teachings of Christ.
Do we dig deeper to determine the validity, do we shrug it off as unimportant, or do we ignore it?
Conclusion
Conclusion
God in the flesh taught the kingdom was at hand here on earth and that there would be those who heard him in the flesh that would be alive when his kingdom came.
And it did come just as he said and he did build his kingdom i.e., the church of Christ.
I’m not saying that every building that has the name “church of Christ” on the wall or on the sign outside is the Lord’s church what I’m saying is that he only built one church and it is up to us to make sure we have been added by him to it.
47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.
As always I don’t expect or want anyone to take my word for it.
Take these verses in the handout and study them.
Pull someone aside and ask to study them with you.
But please do not ignore them, the value of the kingdom of Christ to us is far too much to ignore.
Invitation
1 Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or his ear dull, that it cannot hear; 2 but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.
6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.
17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
30 The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent,
32 “Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven.
8 in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.
1 Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. 3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,
3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.
7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.