The Story of God's Kingdom
Notes
Transcript
Introduce the Kingdom of God
Introduce the Kingdom of God
The Bible is one grand continuous story. It’s God’s story. The Old and New Testaments are not two completely different stories. The New Testament and Jesus and His teachings do not somehow do away with or replace the Old Testament. Jesus taught and proclaimed the exact same story that all the Old Testament prophets proclaimed. We get into trouble when we try to separate the New Testament and the teachings of Jesus from the Old Testament. So if the New Testament is a continuation of the same story told in the Old Testament then what is that story? What is the theme that binds it all together? What is the common thread weaved throughout the Bible that stitches all 66 books together from Genesis to Revelation? What is the framework of the overarching story? What is the setting that every story takes place in? The setting or the backdrop is God’s kingdom. Every story takes place in the context of God’s kingdom. The thread that ties every story together from Genesis to Revelation is God’s kingdom.
1 In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea 2 and saying, “Repent, because the kingdom of heaven has come near!”
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After John the Baptist was arrested we read:
17 From then on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, because the kingdom of heaven has come near.”
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When he called his first four disciples, Peter, Andrew, James, and John we read:
22 Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him. 23 Now Jesus began to go all over Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people.
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Everywhere John the baptist went, he went preaching to repent for the kingdom of heaven is near. And everywhere Jesus went, he went preaching repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near. The OT pointed to a coming glorious kingdom where, one like a son of man would be given an everlasting kingdom and rule, and the whole world would be changed, and God would rule from His throne for ever and ever.
6 For a child will be born for us, a son will be given to us, and the government will be on his shoulders. He will be named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. 7 The dominion will be vast, and its prosperity will never end. He will reign on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish and sustain it with justice and righteousness from now on and forever. The zeal of the Lord of Armies will accomplish this.
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And in Daniel:
44 “In the days of those kings, the God of the heavens will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, and this kingdom will not be left to another people. It will crush all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, but will itself endure forever.
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Later he said
13 I continued watching in the night visions, and suddenly one like a son of man was coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was escorted before him. 14 He was given dominion, and glory, and a kingdom; so that those of every people, nation, and language should serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will not be destroyed.
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The OT prophets preached about a coming kingdom, John the Baptist preached about a coming kingdom, Jesus preached about a coming kingdom, and Jesus preached that it had now come.
20 Being 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.”
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And the apostles preached about the kingdom
8 Paul entered the synagogue and spoke boldly over a period of three months, arguing and persuading them about the kingdom of God.
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But it’s even more than that.When Jesus went around preaching throughout his ministry, he preached about the kingdom.
17 From then on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, because the kingdom of heaven has come near.”
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23 Now Jesus began to go all over Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people.
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When Jesus gave his most well known teaching, (the sermon on the Mount) he started and finished his “blessed are...” sayings with the kingdom
1 When he saw the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. 2 Then he began to teach them, saying: 3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs.
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that was the first and this is the last
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs.
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throughout his sermon on the mount he continues,
19 Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commands and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever does and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never get into the kingdom of heaven.
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When He taught his disciples to pray, he taught them to pray for God’s kingdom to come.
10 Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
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He taught us to seek after the kingdom of God
33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you.
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I’m going to skip a most of the verses that Jesus mentions the kingdom, only because there are so so many, so don’t think this is an exhaustive list. Again:
35 Jesus continued going around to all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and every sickness.
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Jesus at the beginning of his ministry, called his disciples, taught them and then sent them out two by two to the neighboring villages to preach, and he told them to preach about the kingdom.
5 Jesus sent out these twelve after giving them instructions: “Don’t take the road that leads to the Gentiles, and don’t enter any Samaritan town. 6 Instead, go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 7 As you go, proclaim: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’
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Later Matthew gives us a bunch of parables that Jesus taught about how the kingdom of heaven is like...
31 He presented another parable to them: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field.
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33 He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took and mixed into fifty pounds of flour until all of it was leavened.”
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44 “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure, buried in a field, that a man found and reburied. Then in his joy he goes and sells everything he has and buys that field.
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and on and on and on he gave us warnings about the kingdom
3 “Truly I tell you,” he said, “unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
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23 Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I tell you, it will be hard for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.”
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43 Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruit.
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And he rebuked those who prevented people from entering the kingdom
13 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. For you don’t go in, and you don’t allow those entering to go in.
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He talked about how the gospel of the kingdom will go out to all the world
14 This good news of the kingdom will be proclaimed in all the world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.
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At Jesus’ death, he was crucified as the king of the Jews and the thief on the cross next to him pleaded with him about his kingdom.
42 Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”
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But then after Jesus was killed for his preaching about the kingdom, he rose from the dead and spent 40 days on earth before He ascended into heaven. And what did He do during that 40 days. You remember this story don’t you? Here is one of his first appearances to his disciples.
13 Now that same day two of them were on their way to a village called Emmaus, which was about seven miles from Jerusalem. 14 Together they were discussing everything that had taken place. 15 And while they were discussing and arguing, Jesus himself came near and began to walk along with them.
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And what did he do?
25 He said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Wasn’t it necessary for the Messiah to suffer these things and enter into his glory?”
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What glory? remember Dan7 where the Son of man would be given glory and a kingdom? Jesus taught the disciples that all of the Scriptures pointed in the same direction, and that when understood correctly told one continuous story, culminating in Jesus.
27 Then beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted for them the things concerning himself in all the Scriptures. 28 They came near the village where they were going, and he gave the impression that he was going farther. 29 But they urged him, “Stay with us, because it’s almost evening, and now the day is almost over.” So he went in to stay with them. 30 It was as he reclined at the table with them that he took the bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him, but he disappeared from their sight. 32 They said to each other, “Weren’t our hearts burning within us while he was talking with us on the road and explaining the Scriptures to us?”
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Noticed how he appeared out of nowhere and disappeared the same way. And again when Jesus appeared to the twelve in the locked room, he came out of nowhere. And this is what he said to them:
44 He told them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you—that everything written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” 45 Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures. 46 He also said to them, “This is what is written: The Messiah would suffer and rise from the dead the third day, 47 and repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in his name to all the nations, beginning at Jerusalem.
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As a matter of fact, every time we see him after His resurrection He just appears out of nowhere. That’s because He was busy, and I mean real busy. He was going around teaching those who believed in Him and preparing them to launch the church that will last until He returns. So in that 40 days of intense work to get the people ready to launch God’s church, what did he spend his time doing?
3 After he had suffered, he also presented himself alive to them by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.
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and so they asked
6 So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, are you restoring the kingdom to Israel at this time?”
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and this was his answer
7 He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
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Witnesses about what? about the kingdom of God, that is here in our midst, but will not be fully consummated until He returns in the sky and puts an end to the world as we know it. So what did the disciples do? What did they go out and preach?
Philip:
12 But when they believed Philip, as he proclaimed the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, both men and women were baptized.
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Paul:
8 Paul entered the synagogue and spoke boldly over a period of three months, arguing and persuading them about the kingdom of God.
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25 “And now I know that none of you, among whom I went about preaching the kingdom, will ever see me again.
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23 After arranging a day with him, many came to him at his lodging. From dawn to dusk he expounded and testified about the kingdom of God. He tried to persuade them about Jesus from both the Law of Moses and the Prophets.
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30 Paul stayed two whole years in his own rented house. And he welcomed all who visited him, 31 proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance.
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And this is what we are going to talk about for the next several weeks. We are going to look at how the story of the kingdom of God weaves throughout the Scriptures from Genesis to Revelation. We are going to see the different Acts of the story and how it all relates to God’s kingdom. And we are going to see how God has given us an invitation to become not just citizens of His kingdom, but heirs with His Son, sons and daughters to the King.
Paul wrote these words to the Colossian believers talking about becoming part of that kingdom:
13 He has rescued us from the domain of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of the Son he loves.
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What kingdom are you in? Are you still in the domain of darkness? or are you a co-heir with Jesus?
16 The Spirit himself testifies together with our spirit that we are God’s children, 17 and if children, also heirs—heirs of God and coheirs with Christ—if indeed we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.
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The Scriptures say that if you would confess with your mouth that Jesus is your Lord, meaning that you have turned from sin, and that you believe that God has raised Him from death to life, then you too will be saved from death and granted life. Do you believe that Jesus is alive and at the right hand of God seated on a throne, and are you willing to turn from sin and serve Him as your king?