The Kingdom of God

A Hard Question
 
For eleven years I was privileged to serve on the Board of Ordained Ministry for my denomination. The responsibility of the Board is to work with people who are candidates for ordained ministry, helping them navigate their way through the long process. From assisting them in understanding God’s call in their lives to celebrating with them at their ordination, it was a rewarding experience.
 
Broadly speaking, the areas the Board focuses on are a candidate’s call to ministry, pastoral and leadership skills, psychological and spiritual well-being, preaching and teaching abilities, and theological soundness.
 
My particular position was to serve with the group that assessed a candidate’s theology. We were responsible for reading a candidate’s theological paperwork and then interviewing him or her in person.
 
One of the tough issues each candidate had to face is the topic we will look at in this chapter: The Kingdom of God? What is it? How are we to understand it?
 
Would you be able to answer those two questions? Correctly? It’s a hard subject, one that many Christians have not spent a great deal of time thinking about. Some candidates struggled with it as well.
 
The Focus of Jesus
 
Maybe you’re wondering why, if it is such a hard question to answer, would we ask the candidates about the Kingdom of God. That is not a hard question to answer. The reason candidates are asked about the Kingdom of God is because it was the central theme of Jesus’ ministry. Everything he preached on, did, and taught somehow related to the Kingdom of God.
 
Here are some examples of Jesus’ focus on the Kingdom of God in Matthew’s Gospel alone.
 
Matthew 13:24 – Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field.
 
Matthew 6:33 – But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
 
Matthew 5:3 – “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
 
Matthew 13:31 – He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field.
 
Matthew 13:33 – He told them still another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into a large amount of flour until it worked all through the dough.”
 
Matthew 13:44 – “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.
 
Matthew 13:47 – “Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish.
 
Jesus referred to the Kingdom over thirty times in Matthew’s Gospel alone. That certainly suggests this was an important topic for our Lord.
 
Jesus Begins His Ministry
 
Our text finds us at the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry. Matthew 4:12 reports that Jesus heard that John the Baptist had been put in prison. We do not know how long it was after Jesus heard this news, but we learn Jesus returned to Galilee.
 
This is key because Jesus was moving from something of a wilderness setting to a much more highly populated area. It was one in which he would be able to minister to a greater number of people. Many roads traveled to and from Galilee. Many people lived there. The opportunity to reach more people with his message would increase considerably.
 
Interestingly, Matthew suggested this move to Galilee was a fulfillment of a prophecy found in Isaiah 9. That’s why he wrote in Matthew 4:13-16,
 
Leaving Nazareth, he went and lived in Capernaum, which was by the lake in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali– [14] to fulfill what was said through the prophet Isaiah:
[15] “Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali,
the way to the sea, along the Jordan,
Galilee of the Gentiles–
[16] the people living in darkness
have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of the shadow of death
a light has dawned.”
 
Then we read these important words in verse 17,
 
From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.”
 
That phrase, “From that time on…” is important. Matthew highlighted that Jesus was beginning his public ministry, one that would eventually take him to the Cross.
 
Repent

And what was the message of Jesus? “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.”
 
You have likely heard the word “Repent.” When we hear the word, repent, we often think of being sorry for something we’ve done and then promising never to do it again. And certainly there’s an element of that here. However, in the Bible, the word means more than that. The word repent carries a couple of essential ideas with it.
 
A Change of Thinking
 
First it denotes changing the way a person thinks about something. Instead of thinking about something the way “the world” does, in a self-centered, rebellious sort of way, repentance means agreement with what God has said about that issue. 
 
The Sermon on the Mount is a marvelous exposition or teaching on this very thing. Jesus teaches us the fallen world thinks one way, but he calls his followers to think another way, his way.
 
A Change of Life
 
In the Old Testament, and the way Jesus was using the word here, repent means more than a change in one’s thinking. It also means a change in one’s behavior. One commentator said by “repentance,” Jesus meant,
 
“A radical change of mind and heart that leads to a complete turnabout of life.” (William Hendrickson, The Gospel of Matthew, p. 197)
 
Again, the Sermon on the Mount is focused on what this “radical change of mind and heart and complete turnabout of life” looks like.
 
Jesus also seemed to stress an urgency in his call to repentance. But what’s the hurry? Why the sense of urgency to repent? Because, Jesus stressed, the kingdom of heaven is near.
 
What is the Kingdom of God?
 
What is Jesus referring to here? What is this “kingdom of heaven” that is near? The Kingdom of Heaven, or Kingdom of God, is the sovereign and gracious reign and rule of God.
 
Jesus doesn’t refer to the Kingdom as a place, in the sense of a geographical location. Instead, the Kingdom is God’s rule and reign. It’s wherever God’s will is being proclaimed and done. It’s wherever his influence is in effect. That’s why Jesus taught us to pray, for example, in Matthew 6:10,
 
your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
 
The Kingdom of God is manifested in the hearts, minds, and lives of those who have bowed their knees to the King of the Kingdom, the Lord Jesus Christ. Wherever the loyal subjects of the King serve him, there you’ll find the Kingdom advancing, being extended into every sphere of life.
 
The Church and the Kingdom aren’t identical, but the Church - followers of the Lord Jesus - are the primary agents who spread God’s Kingdom.
 
Examples
 
What are some examples of the Kingdom breaking into our fallen, broken, and sinful world?

1. Where the Gospel of Jesus Christ is faithfully preached in the local church, the King of the Kingdom is being exalted.
2. Where parents faithfully disciple their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, the Kingdom is being extended.
3. Where a follower of Christ is doing all his or her work to the glory of God, God’s Kingdom begins to influence those around.
4. Where Habitat for Humanity builds another house and shows mercy and respect to a family in the name of Christ, the Kingdom of God is breaking through.
5. Where families without homes are treated lovingly and with dignity by local church ministries, the Kingdom of God is there.
6. Where boys without fathers in their homes are mentored by caring godly men, the Kingdom of God is present.
7. Where people in need can receive food, clothing, Bibles, toys, smiles, prayers, and warm hugs, the Kingdom is triumphing.
8. Where a person who shared his faith in public is being defended from religious persecution, the Kingdom is advancing.
9. Where a young nurse travels to India to care for the least and the last – scrubbing toilets without anyone noticing, the Kingdom of God is being manifested with power and grace.

 
The rule and reign of God, saturated in his grace, empowered by his sovereign Spirit, and directed by his will can be found wherever God’s people are at work for his sake and in his name.
 
United Methodists believe in God’s prevenient grace, the grace of God that goes ever before us, drawing us to Christ. We therefore hope and pray that even in those places where the name of Christ is not yet known or proclaimed, God’s prevenient grace is drawing people to the King of the Kingdom.
 
The Good News of the Kingdom
 
In verse 23, Matthew wrote,
 
Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. (emphasis mine)
 
What does Matthew say Jesus is preaching here? The good news of the Kingdom. The phrase “good news” is where we get our word “gospel.” The Kingdom of God ultimately cannot be understood apart from the good news or gospel of Jesus Christ.
 
The good news is what God has done in and through his Son to reconcile sinful, lost and broken people to himself. God sent Jesus, as his name implies, to save his people from their sin. The Kingdom cannot be properly understood apart from this.
 
God’s Kingdom turns all other kingdoms upside-down and not only offers salvation through Christ, but also sets patterns, attitudes, and behaviors for citizens of the Kingdom.
 
Already and Not Yet
 
The coming of Jesus ushered in the Kingdom of God. Yet the Kingdom will not be fully consummated and enjoyed until Christ returns and we’re gathered to him. Theologians call this living between the “already” and the “not yet.” The Kingdom is present in our midst, and yet, it is not all it will one day be.
 
This “not yet” aspect of the Kingdom is perhaps why Jesus, while he was still with his disciples at the Passover meal, told them,
 
Luke 22:15-18 – “…I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. [16] For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God.”
[17] After taking the cup, he gave thanks and said, “Take this and divide it among you. [18] For I tell you I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” (Emphases mine)
 
Living In-Between
 
Part of our understanding of the Lord’s Supper includes not only looking back to what Christ did for us, but it also emphasizes looking forward, forward to that day when we’ll dine with our King at the heavenly banquet, he’s graciously prepared for us.
 
Until then, Christ’s faithful subjects are called to live in this in-between time, representing their King and extending his Kingdom into every sphere of life.
 
Walking Points

• What is the Kingdom of God? How would you explain the concept to a friend?
• How does God, as the King of the universe, exercise his authority and reign in your life?
• What are some ways in which the Kingdom of God and the kingdom of this world are different from each other?
• How can a follower of Christ reveal to others which kingdom he is a citizen of?
• What are some marks of a “Kingdom of God” citizenship?
• What does it mean to live life “between the already and the not yet?”