The Gospel of the KINGdom
The Kingdom of GOD • Sermon • Submitted • Presented • 55:42
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· 28 viewsIn this series, we are looking at what it means to be citizens in the Kingdom of GOD. We take a look at how we should live and how we partner with the FATHER in HIS reign. Today, we are looking at what the Gospel of the Kingdom means.
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Greeting
Announce text: Isaiah 52, Matthew 3:1-3, Mark 1:14-15
Key Text: Isaiah 52, Matthew 3:1-3, Mark 1:14-15
Review
It’s been quite awhile since we have been in this series, The Kingdom of GOD
In fact, it has been a little over 6 weeks
So, today will mostly be a review of what has turned out to be sort of a multi-part introduction
Then we will present something new as we wrap up the introduction????
The theme of the Kingdom of GOD begins in Genesis 1 and is seen throughout the Bible until the last page in the book of Revelation
In the beginning, GOD creates humankind in HIS Own Image
As HIS Image-bearers, we were meant to represent HIS Reign here on earth
We were given a royal task of embodying GOD’s rule on earth (as gardeners)
Didn’t take long for humans to mess that up, however.
Ultimately, it was an issue of trust (or mistrust, as it were) of GOD, that led to our downfall.
We discovered GOD never intended man to know right from wrong.
Only tree they couldn’t eat from: Tree of Knowledge of Good & Evil
The serpent deceives Eve who eats from the tree and also gives fruit from the tree to Adam, who also eats.
That act of disobedience then brings a curse upon the mandates GOD gave Adam & Eve in the Garden.
Be fruitful and multiply > now pain in childbirth (hard labor)
Tend the garden > now weeds (hard work)
Still lived with mandates, but not it would be more difficult
Then, things really shifted with the story of Cain & Abel
Again, man’s disobedience furthers the downfall.
Cain is disobedient in his offering - he doesn’t give the type of offering GOD instructed.
While Abel is praised, Cain gets a stern talking to with a warning.
The warning is found in Genesis 4:7 “7 “If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it.””
The warning went unheeded
kills Abel = anger => murder
SoM => JESUS “fencing in” - linking smaller sins to greater ones - rabbinical teaching method
Instead of living under GOD’s rule and obeying HIS commands, Cain defies GOD & sets himself up as king in GOD’s place
From this point forward, man sets up his own kingdom rather than living under GOD’s reign
Cain > Tower of Babel > culminates in city of Babylon > typified in Pharaoh/Egypt
The narrative shifts to clashing kingdoms
Mans kingdoms vs. GOD’s
GOD constantly trying to invade man’s kingdom to save us
Man constantly pushing HIM aside in favor of self-rule
Of course, GOD has a response to this problem
HE chooses Israel as a nation to call HIS Own
HE chooses them that they may be a reflection to all other nations of the glory of GOD
to reflect HIS Rule & Reign
HE rescues them setting them free from the age of sin & death in the form of the Exodus
HE liberates them from oppressive evil
HE sets them free and gives an invitation to live under HIS Reign
Just as unsurprising that GOD had a plan of redemption for Israel
Equally unsurprising that they failed to ...
live up to the task of being the image of GOD
reign on GOD’s behalf
Once again, GOD has a plan ...
Announce text again: Isaiah 52, Matthew 3:1-3, Mark 1:14-15
Scripture Reading
Scripture Reading
7 How lovely on the mountains
Are the feet of him who brings good news,
Who announces peace
And brings good news of happiness,
Who announces salvation,
And says to Zion, “Your God reigns!”
8 Listen! Your watchmen lift up their voices,
They shout joyfully together;
For they will see with their own eyes
When the Lord restores Zion.
9 Break forth, shout joyfully together,
You waste places of Jerusalem;
For the Lord has comforted His people,
He has redeemed Jerusalem.
10 The Lord has bared His holy arm
In the sight of all the nations,
That all the ends of the earth may see
The salvation of our God.
1 Now in those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, saying,
2 “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
3 For this is the one referred to by Isaiah the prophet when he said,
“The voice of one crying in the wilderness,
‘Make ready the way of the Lord,
Make His paths straight!’ ”
14 Now after John had been taken into custody, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God,
15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”
Prayer for added blessing to the reading of the Word
Message
Message
Introduction | Good News, Bad News
Introduction | Good News, Bad News
I think we’re all very familiar with scenarios in which we have an encounter with someone who asks you the question, “Well, do you want the good news or the bad news first?” No doubt you have both been on the receiving end of such a phrase, and you likely have used that expression, as well.
Out of curiosity, what is your typical response? By show of hands, who wants to hear the bad news first?
I tend to think that is the way most people want to handle that type of scenario. Give me the bad news first, and then hopefully, the good news can help me recover from the emotional crisis I am now experiencing as a result of the bad news.
In the April 30, 1992 edition of Bits & Pieces, this bad news, good news story was recorded:
GOOD NEWS, BAD NEWS
A farmer went into his banker and announced that he had bad news and good news. "First, the bad news...""Well," said the farmer, "I can't make my mortgage payments. And that crop loan I've taken out for the past 10 years -- I can't pay that off, either. Not only that, I won't be able to pay you the couple of hundred thousand I still have outstanding on my tractors and other equipment. So I'm going to have to give up the farm and turn it all over to you for whatever you can salvage out of it. "Silence prevailed for a minute and then the banker said ,"What's the good news?" "The good news is that I'm going to keep on banking with you," said the farmer.
Bits & Pieces, April 30, 1992.
Somehow, I’m thinking the banker was not really very comforted by this “good news.”
This morning, I want to revisit something we briefly spoke about in the last message in our series, The Kingdom of GOD. I ended our review with the statement that GOD has another plan, and that plan is tied to the fact that GOD is constantly trying to invade man’s kingdom to save us. This morning, we’re going to look at the Gospel of the Kingdom. We will revisit and expound on what the Good News really is, and why this should excite us.
For many of us, we have been taught the Gospel or the Good News is essentially the Easter narrative: that JESUS died on the cross for our sins and rose again defeating sin and death; and how that atonement for our sins makes it possible for us to be reconciled to GOD repairing that relationship with HIM that we could never repair on our own. Indeed, that is an extremely important part - an essential part - of the story, but it is only a part of the overarching message of the Gospel, and what that word actually means.
I fear that if our view of the Gospel is only that previous definition (JESUS died and rose again, so we can go to heaven despite ourselves), we are, at the very least, missing out on the full message of the Gospel, and at worse, we could be deceived about our own salvation.
22 “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’
Too often people trust in a prayer - those words spoken, oftentimes not even really qualifying as a prayer but more of a mantra - as a “get of jail free” card, and use that as an opportunity to continue to live life the way they always have, a life full of sin with no real change in heart and soul that produces a transformed life. For some, it’s less brazen than that. We just accept that we’re powerless against sin - we’re powerless against the spirits of darkness.
We need to understand fully what the Good News really is, so that we can live within the framework YAHWEH has designed for us, and live from a place of true freedom in relationship with ABBA through CHRIST via HOLY SPIRIT.
1 It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.
36 “So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.
True salvation results in changed behavior - not from our own efforts (activity) - but transformed from the inside out by HOLY SPIRIT through the work and process of sanctification in CHRIST.
I think we can understand that words can sometimes lose their effect or meaning over time, as they become too familiar. So, I think at this juncture, it’s important to reflect back on what the word gospel originally meant to the authors of Scripture. The word, “gospel” translates the Old Testament Hebrew verb bisser and the noun besorah. The Greek New Testament equivalent is euangelion, which is a compound word: Eu means “good” and angelion means “announcement.” Each of these words from the Old and New Testaments mean “good news.” In the Bible, this phrase - “good news” - is always about the announcement of the reign of a new king.
This morning, we’re going to revisit this word, gospel, and look at the root of the word - it’s meaning and history in the Old and New Testament - and how that fits in with what JESUS meant when HE said, “Repent, for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
Three Aspects of the Gospel
Gospel in the Old Testament.
The Hebrew word bisser is associated with national news or royal announcements.
We can see example of this in 2 Samuel 18:31 when King David receives word that his army was victorious in battle.
31 Behold, the Cushite arrived, and the Cushite said, “Let my lord the king receive good news, for the Lord has freed you this day from the hand of all those who rose up against you.”
This announcement was good news to King David because it meant he is still ruler over the people of Israel.
Later, after some tense moments in which one of David’s sons, Adonijah, was attempting to set himself up as king, David from his deathbed announces his son Solomon will be his successor. Before David died, he gave commands to Nathan the prophet to anoint Solomon as king in Jerusalem. The city responded with thunderous approval that reached the place Adonijah was celebrating with his followers his self-proclaimed position as King of Israel. Here, we see an example of the Hebrew word besorah in 1 Kings 1:42.
42 While he was still speaking, suddenly Jonathan the son of Abiathar the priest came. Adonijah said, “Come, for you are a man of valor, and you bring good news.”
As we have seen and talked about so many times before, following King Solomon’s reign, Israel then went through a series of “bad news” kings whose reigns resulted in corruption that led the nation into self-destruction.
Through all of this, though, the poets and prophets in the Old Testament recognize that GOD is still King, even if no one else believes it. They believed that one day GOD would come back and personally assert HIS rule and reign over HIS people and the rest of the world.
Psalm 96 and Isaiah 52 are prime example of this.
Psalm 96 is a psalm of YAHWEH’s kingship or enthronement, and in it’s concluding verses describes a joyous anticipation of YAHWEH’s rule being fully established. This is where the passage in Isaiah that we read earlier comes into view.
In Isaiah 52, YAHWEH gives instructions to prepare for the return of the exiles. HE declares the time of salvation is near and the return is idealized by the image of Jerusalem in future state of perfect holiness.
In verse 7, we read about the announcement of that salvation in a way that is probably familiar to a lot of us.
7 How lovely on the mountains
Are the feet of him who brings good news,
Who announces peace
And brings good news of happiness,
Who announces salvation,
And says to Zion, “Your God reigns!”
The GOD of the universe confronts corruption and violence personified in the evil kingdoms of the earth, and HE restores HIS rule over all nations.
JESUS’ Gospel.
In Matthew 3, we’re introduced to John the Baptist and his ministry.
In v.3, we see John was prophesied about by the prophet Isaiah as Matthew 3:3 “...“The voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make ready the way of the Lord, Make His paths straight!’ ””
In v.2, we see John’s simple message.
2 “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
John begins to echo the announcement that the long awaited time spoken of by the prophet Isaiah is about to happen. YAHWEH is about to return to once again take over as King.
He then introduces the KING in John 1:29.
29 The next day he saw Jesus coming to him and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!
This is a reference to Isaiah 53:7, a continuation of the message in Isaiah 52 about GOD coming as King.
Later, JESUS hears John has been arrested for confronting King Herod for marrying Herod’s brother’s wife. JESUS then picks up the message of John and in Mark 1:14-15 we read ...
14 Now after John had been taken into custody, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God,
15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”
So, JESUS picks up John’s message and continues to announce the KINGdom of GOD is at hand.
Yet, there are some other things I want to draw our attention to from that passage of Scripture, beginning with v.14.
14 Now after John had been taken into custody, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God,
I don’t know about you, but all of my life, I have been told the gospel message is about JESUS death, burial, and resurrection.
What is the glaring truth in this passage?
Maybe it will help to put this in the context of a timeline.
John the Baptist is on the scene preaching repentance & baptizing people in the Jordan.
Part of John’s message is found in Matthew 3:11:
11 “As for me, I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
Take note of the underlined sentences and the verb tense.
HE who is coming after me ...
He will baptize you ...
We know that this Scripture is talking about JESUS.
We can also see from the verbs here, that these are future events. JESUS hasn’t started HIS ministry yet.
JESUS shows up on the scene, and as John sees HIM approaching says the line from John 1:29 ...
29 The next day he saw Jesus coming to him and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!
Immediately, after JESUS is baptized, HE is led into the wilderness by HOLY SPIRIT to be tested (not tempted - HOLY SPIRIT isn’t tempting JESUS). HOLY SPIRIT is providing a period of testing in which satan is given permission to tempt JESUS in an effort to spoil GOD’s plan.
By the way, this just came to me … you know who works really hard? satan
he isn’t sourced by HOLY SPIRIT
imagine the stress he’s under?
doing everything in his own power … fighting against GOD
just think how miserable he must be
You and I are sourced by HOLY SPIRIT, though - if you’ve given your heart to CHRIST.
We don’t need to work hard.
In fact, we’re not meant to work at all!
If you’re a miserable CHRISTian, perhaps have a time of introspection and ask HOLY SPIRIT why.
Maybe your operating out of your own sourcing, using human reasoning instead of ...
putting on the mind of CHRIST
putting on the armour of GOD
taking thoughts captive
remembering that our weapons aren’t carnal, but spiritual
remembering we’re not wrestling against flesh and blood - our problem isn’t people
we’re battling against spiritual darkness
we need to fight with spiritual weapons
Or maybe you’re in a time of testing
a refiner’s fire to purify you
a pile of clay being fashioned by the Hands of the POTTER
transformed more into the likeness of your FATHER
We must be obedient to the Voice of the SHEPHERD and allow HIM to transform us - even in the midst of our mistakes.
Sometimes the mistakes are necessary to reveal what needs to go or what needs to be laid down.
Sometimes it’s necessary to prepare us for what HE has prepared for us on the other side of that moment.
So, JESUS comes out of the time of testing in the wilderness and is ministered to - HE’s strengthened for what comes next.
The “what comes next,” is the start of ministry. The start of JESUS’ ministry beginning where John’s is ending - fulfilling John’s prophetic desire when speaking of JESUS in John 3:30:
30 “He must increase, but I must decrease.
So, the gospel can’t be solely that JESUS died, was buried, and rose again. Such a view is limited in scope.
It is a moment - an extremely significant and essential moment that is everlasting - but a moment within the gospel narrative, nonetheless.
The gospel is much bigger in scope than that.
Let’s look at v.15 for more keys:
15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”
Time is fulfilled.
Gr. word for time, kairos, is a pre-determined time ordained by GOD.
The pre-determined time ordained by GOD is now.
Kingdom of GOD.
Gr. word for kingdom, basileia, is a geographical territory or reign of a monarch.
of GOD - GOD’s reign over all creation and humanity.
Repent and believe in the gospel.
repent - change the way you think
what they thought about the MESSIAH - the coming KING
what type of Kingdom JESUS established
believe - accept this is different from what you thought
gospel - the good news is GOD reigns on earth (part of the “over all creation”) once again
JESUS’ Gospel Demands a Response.
His good news was confrontational. It forced people to choose to believe it or not.
15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”
This language is military command type language. There are only two choices: obey or disobey.
Change the way you think and believe it!
It involves the head and the heart - the 18-inch journey.
In Luke 9:51, we read that JESUS was determined to take HIS euangelion (HIS good news) to Jerusalem to confront the corrupt and violent, man-established, kingdoms of HIS day.
51 When the days were approaching for His ascension, He was determined to go to Jerusalem;
HE was unleashing the rule and reign of GOD and forcing a showdown with these kingdoms.
But as we’ve said before, JESUS wasn’t doing what was expected of the long-awaited MESSIAH.
HE challenged these kingdoms (and HIS believers) with an unexpected approach — confronting through the power of GOD’s furious, self-sacrificial love.
17 As Jesus was about to go up to Jerusalem, He took the twelve disciples aside by themselves, and on the way He said to them,
18 “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem; and the Son of Man will be delivered to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn Him to death,
19 and will hand Him over to the Gentiles to mock and scourge and crucify Him, and on the third day He will be raised up.”
As Jesus was being executed by his enemies, he received his crown and was mocked as a fake king ...
27 Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole Roman cohort around Him.
28 They stripped Him and put a scarlet robe on Him.
29 And after twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on His head, and a reed in His right hand; and they knelt down before Him and mocked Him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!”
30 They spat on Him, and took the reed and began to beat Him on the head.
31 After they had mocked Him, they took the scarlet robe off Him and put His own garments back on Him, and led Him away to crucify Him.
... but he displayed true royal authority by forgiving his tormentors.
34 But Jesus was saying, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.” And they cast lots, dividing up His garments among themselves.
Jesus was the one in charge that day, giving his life for the sins of others. And then a few days later, everything changed.13
Jesus rose from the dead as the true King, whose love is stronger than death. He appeared to hundreds of his followers and told them to spread the euangelion (good news) that all authority in Heaven and Earth now belongs to him.
18 And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.
19 “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,
20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
JESUS’ followers did just that - travelling all over the ancient world proclaiming the good news that the crucified and risen JESUS is KING over all Creation.
So, pj … What’s the point?
Conclusion
Conclusion
We began the message with a good news, bad news introduction. I want to be very clear that I am not diminishing the Easter narrative. JESUS died, was buried, and rose again - without that sacrifice you and I could never be reconciled to the FATHER. The point I am trying to make is that the good news is larger in scope than we get to go to heaven - or said another way, to escape hell. The good news is that GOD has defeated satan’s kingdoms - the kingdoms of this world! HE has defeated sin and death!
The good news is that GOD reigns supreme over all of creation, and you and I get to participate in that reign with HIM again because of the Easter story! JESUS made it possible for our relationship with the FATHER to be repaired. HE did what we could never do on our own, but sometimes I think we sometimes think we were left powerless. Because we could never live a perfect life, we are powerless against the spirits of darkness. We’re powerless when it comes to sin. That’s exactly what the enemy would have you believe.
JESUS didn’t defeat sin and death, and say, “Good luck,” as HE ascended back to heaven. No, JESUS didn’t leave us powerless, JESUS invited humanity to participate in that rule and reign again through HIS Power.
8 but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”
11 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.
13 Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
16 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man,
I love that line from the song, “the same power that rose JESUS from the dead … is alive in us.” You and I were not left powerless. We don’t have to live defeated in sin! We can live in perfect relationship with the FATHER through the abiding PRESENCE of JESUS through HOLY SPIRIT! We need not live in defeat or as victims.
10 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying,
“Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, he who accuses them before our God day and night.
11 “And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death.
We are overcomers - image bearers of the KING. This morning, the euangelion - or good news - demands a response from us.
On a personal level, it may feel at times like you will never gain victory. On a communal level, it may feel as though worldly leaders hold unchecked power. The truth is that Jesus, crucified and resurrected, is the true Lord and King of all creation. In Jesus’ Kingdom, everything operates differently - it’s been called an “upside down” kingdom for a reason. True leaders are those who serve, where the last are prioritized and the first step back. It’s a place where the hungry are nourished, the homeless are embraced, and love reigns as the supreme force of God’s Kingdom.
... this good news is not easy to believe. It actually sounds kind of crazy when you first hear it. But something happens when people tell the story of Jesus and start living like he really is the King of the world. That’s when this Gospel becomes the best news that you’ve ever heard.
— Tim Mackie, The Bible Project
Closing prayer & benediction
24 The Lord bless you, and keep you;
25 The Lord make His face shine on you,
And be gracious to you;
26 The Lord lift up His countenance on you,
And give you peace.’
Scripture records the following words in v.27:
27 “So they shall invoke My name on the sons of Israel, and I then will bless them.”
So, receive and go with the blessings of YAHWEH!
