The Gospel of the Kingdom
“The law and the prophets were until John. Since that time the kingdom of God has been preached, and everyone is pressing into it.”
—Luke 16:16
Do you remember when you saw the trailer for your favorite movie and couldn’t wait for it to come out? Then on the day of the premiere, people would dress up as their favorite characters and eagerly await the door of the theater to open. I imagine this is how it was when Jesus preached and demonstrated the kingdom. The prepared ones were excited to enter this kingdom Jesus spoke of. Then the day came when the door was opened—through the cross—and people officially entered the kingdom of God! This is the gospel of the kingdom.
Outside of the cross, we were lost and under a dominion of darkness. Jesus came on the scene and Isaiah prophesied that “the people walking in darkness have seen a great light.” (Matt. 4:16). Zacharias prophesied that Jesus was the “Dayspring” which means the Sunrise (Luke 1:78). He came to show people the way out of darkness and into light.
“But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.”
—1 Peter 2:9
Jesus’ life was the movie trailer of the kingdom! He showed us what had arrived and what was going to be available to enter. It was like His entire life was telling everyone “Get ready! There’s something new here.”
How do you get ready? Repentance. That was John the Baptist’s main message. His job was the prepare the way of the Lord. The way wasn’t an external road to a faraway kingdom, it was an internal condition of the heart that welcomes the reign of the King.
Just like the movie premiere, the repentant ones were eagerly waiting outside until the door opened. Repentance got you ready to enter…(Luke 7:29-30) but the way wasn’t made fully open until the cross and resurrection.
In this article, I want to share how Jesus’ life carried the message of the kingdom of God.
Here are 3 ways Jesus showed the gospel of the kingdom:
1. Jesus demonstrated the kingdom
Every healing, every deliverance was a trailer to kingdom life.
“And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people.”
—Matthew 4:23
Every healing and deliverance was the kingdom of God breaking into this world. When He set people free from the dominion of sickness or demonic oppression, He was showing what it looks like to be under His rule.
Miracles were proof that He was the Messiah—the coming King (see Matthew 11:2-6).
He demonstrated mercy by reaching out to “sinners.”
He taught the ways of the kingdom through His sermons and parables.
He showed what it was like to live under the rule of God’s kingdom: a life of love, forgiveness, holiness, righteousness, and purity.
And so much more.
His life was the trailer to life in the Kingdom of God.
2. Jesus exemplified MAN’S KINGDOM LIFE
He lived as the prototype of man.
Prototype: the original or model on which something is based or formed.
Obviously, there are things that only Jesus does, i.e. we are not meant to give our life as the sacrifice for the sins of the world. However, His life is our example. That’s why His first call to the disciples was, “Follow Me.”
The original call of man was to take dominion on the earth (see Genesis 1:28). But because of sin, Adam and Eve lost their ability to fulfill the mandate properly.
Pastor Jack Hayford said that man was to have “rulership through relationship.” Sin broke the relationship with God, and therefore, short-circuited the rulership.
Jesus came to restore the mandate! He showed what it was to reign in life.
You were made to reign! And Jesus showed the way.
Walk in love.
Move in power.
Give grace and mercy.
Submit to the will of the Father.
Keep in step with the Spirit.
Bring heaven to earth.
When you reign, darkness doesn’t.
Not only did Jesus’ life show you the trailer to the kingdom, He showed you what you were meant to live like.
3. Jesus opened the way to enter the kingdom
Everyone was pressing into the kingdom in Jesus’ day, but they couldn’t fully enter into the kingdom until after the cross. Jesus said you must be born of water and the Spirit or you can’t enter into the kingdom of God (John 3:5).
Jesus was the guy at the movie theater opening the door so the eager crowds could enter in! Through His sacrifice at the cross, He made the way for people to be forgiven and restored to relationship with God.
For those who are born again, Jesus restored the relationship and therefore the rulership.
“For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.”
—Romans 5:17
Not only do you get to live in this life-giving kingdom realm, you were meant to reign in life under the kingship of King Jesus.
Praise God for the gift of salvation! It allows you to enter the kingdom of God and live the life you were meant to live.
THE GOSPEL OF THE KINGDOM
The gospel is: you were once under the dominion of darkness, but Jesus came as the great Light and showed you the way…and made the way out. When you’re living under the dominion of darkness, there’s oppression and separation from God. But when we live under the kingdom of God, there’s freedom and relationship with God…and that’s what you were made for.
Here it is in one passage:
“He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.”
—Colossians 1:13-14
Jesus’ ministry demonstrated the kingdom, exemplified the life we were meant to live, and then opened the way for people to live in the kingdom.
If you’ve never been born-again, you can today. You can be set free from the power of darkness.
Repent, turn from your sin and turn to Jesus.
Call on Jesus today.
“If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved…for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
—Romans 10:9, 13“Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.”
—John 1:12-13
If you’re calling on Jesus for the first time, or coming back to Him today, let us know in the comments below, and send us an email at info@breakerministries.com. We’d love to send you a gift to help you as you follow Jesus.
Question: How has the gospel of the kingdom impacted your life?