Kingdom of God Summary

A summary of a year long study on the Kingdom of God. 

[Watch the Video]

Scriptures:

• Mark 1:14-15
• Matthew 19:23-24
• Matthew 6:10
• Genesis 1:26
• Exodus 19:5-6
• Luke 11:18-20
• 2 Cor 6:16
• 1 cor 15:20-26
• Revelation 5:9-10
• Revelations 22:1-5
• John 3:3-5
• 2 Corinthians 5:17
• John 6:28-29

Outline:

• The Ancient Jewish Perspective of the Kingdom
• The Gospel of the Kingdom of God
• Now And Not Yet
• Entering the Kingdom of God
• The “Works of God” Is To Believe in Jesus
• Parables About the Kingdom of God
• Living the Kingdom Lifestyle

Mark 1:14-15

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."

• Jesus came preaching the “gospel of God”
• “Repent the kingdom of God is at hand”

The Ancient Jewish Perspective of the Kingdom

In order to understand what the Gospel authors were expressing we have to understand the context of their intended readers and the people to whom Jesus was speaking

The Gospel

gospel (euaggélion)

The English word gospel is derived from the Anglo-Saxon godspell (“good story”). The classical Greek word euangelion means “a reward for bringing of good news” or the “good news” itself. In the emperor cult particularly, in which the Roman emperor was venerated as the spirit and protector of the empire, the term took on a religious meaning: the announcement of the appearance or accession to the throne of the ruler. In contemporary Greek it denoted a weighty, authoritative, royal, and official message.

euaggélion was the good news that an emperor was taking control of the throne

• That was the word used to announce Augustus was the new king
• That word only meant one thing in Greek
• Good news Cesar has won and he is going to be crowned emperor
• For those of you who are on his side congratulations you are the victors
• For those of you who are in opposition you had better hope he is merciful

There was a time span between the announcement of the triumph and the arrival and coronation of the king

When Jesus said “believe in the Gospel” He was announcing that something had already happened.

He was announcing that God was already victorious

• It is not something you choose

Kingdom means “Reign/Rule”

• basileia
• The Word “Kingdom” means “reign”

• Kingdom of God means the Reign/Rule of God

The Kingdom of God is Not a Place

• The Kingdom of God is not where God rules; it is the fact that God is ruling
• It is not a political or geographical location
• It is the state of a nation or an individual

The Jewish Messiah

The Kingdom would be ushered in by the Messiah

The Jews expected a messiah to:

1. Fulfill the Scriptures
2. Defeat the political enemy
3. Rebuild or cleanse the temple so that God can come back into it
4. Establish God’s reign over Israel and the world
5. God’s presence would once again be among (them like when they had the Ark)

Messiah for The Nation of Israel

The Messiah would save the nation of Israel as a whole.

• They weren’t looking for a personal savior

How could Jesus be the Messiah if Israel was not free?

• How can the Kingdom be here if we are still under Roman rule?
• How can God’s rule be in place if we’re still paying taxes to Ceaser?
• How can God’s rule be in place if the earth is not under submission to Israel?

Kingdom of God is the Same as the Kingdom of Heaven

• The term “Kingdom of God” is the same as the “Kingdom of Heaven”
• Matthew is the only one who mentions The Kingdom of Heaven
• “Heaven” was commonly used to replace the name of G-d for Jews who thought the name was too Holy to speak
• Jesus even “uses” them interchangeably

Matthew 19:23-24

 23And Jesus said to His disciples, “Truly I say to you, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24“Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”

• Jesus used the two terms interchangeably

Praying Thy Kingdom Come

When Jesus prayed in Matthew 6:10

      10‘Your kingdom come.

            Your will be done,

            On earth as it is in heaven.

He was praying a something that was common to all Jewish prayers.

“No Jewish prayer is complete unless you pray for God’s kingdom to come”

-- Jewish Rabbi

All Jewish prayers were supposed to pray that God’s Kingdom would come.

This is still done today

The Gospel of the Kingdom of God

A look at how the Kingdom of God theme was used from Genesis to Revelation

If your whole perception of the gospel is that you get to go to heaven after you die then you may end up thinking hat is the point of life on earth?”

Garden of Eden

• The Garden of Eden was where Heaven met earth
• The Garden of Eden was the place on earth where God’s presence dwelled
• The Garden of Eden was created as a place where God could commune with man

God Created Mankind to Rule the Earth

Genesis 1:26

26Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

• God wanted to have His will implemented on earth through the dominion of mankind
• God was delegating His authority to Adam and Eve
• Adam was given dominion to reign over all living creatures on earth
• Adam lost all or part of his dominion when he sinned against God
• Adam’s sin changed our relationship with God

God Chose Israel

• God chose a people to restore His fellowship with man
• God chose a people through which He could implement His plan

Israel Will Be a Kingdom of Priests

Exodus 19:5-6

5‘Now then, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be My own possession among all the peoples, for all the earth is Mine; 6and you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you shall speak to the sons of Israel.”

• You will be a nation of priests ruling the entire world

Heaven on Earth Was Restored With the Tabernacle

1. The tabernacle / temple is where God dwelled with His people on earth
2. This is where sins were forgiven
3. The Garden was partially restored

Israel continually rebelled against God, the temple was destroyed and God was no longer present

Jesus Fulfilled God’s Plan

• God came down as a man to fulfill His plan
• God had to come down Himself and become the perfect human
• Forgiveness and healing is no longer associated with the tabernacle but now it is associated through Jesus

The Kingdom of God was represented in Jesus Himself

• It’s the stitching together of God and man
• The Kingdom is God and humanity reunited with God
• The reign of God was fully realized in the person of Jesus

Jesus Defeated The Kingdom of Darkness

Luke 11:18-20

18“If Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say that I cast out demons by Beelzebul. 19“And if I by Beelzebul cast out demons, by whom do your sons cast them out? So they will be your judges. 20“But if I cast out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.

Satan and Demons

Satan is referred to as Beelzebul - the leader of the demons

• Beelzebul means “Lord of the Flies”
• Casting out demons showed that the Kingdom of God was here (now)
• Demons are in opposition to the “rule” of God
• Both God and demons want you to do their will
• Demons oppose people from implementing God’s will in their lives
• Demons influence you to sin against God
• Casting out demons showed that Jesus was the Messiah

Since God’s presence was no longer with the Israelites His supernatural power was no longer with them

• They only saw supernatural power from the Kingdom of Darkness

Jesus was saying that, If God’s supernatural power was indeed being manifested then that means that “the Kingdom of God is here”

We Became the Temple

• God is now living with us
• Jesus brought down the Holy Spirit to dwell in is

2 Cor 6:16

Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said,
"I WILL DWELL IN THEM AND WALK AMONG THEM;
AND I WILL BE THEIR GOD, AND THEY SHALL BE MY PEOPLE.

• Now that we are indwelled with the Holy Spirit God can dwell among mankind

The kingdom isn’t something that we enter at death. The kingdom is something that we enter when The Holy Spirit enters us.

We become a New Creation when the Holy Spirit enters us

The Second Coming

• When Jesus returns the Kingdom will be fully implemented on earth
• The idea of the second coming is not to take people somewhere else.  
• It’s the time when Christ returns to rule    
• He inaugurated the Kingdom when He came and will fulfill it when He returns.
• All “evil doers” will be removed from God’s kingdom

1 cor 15:20-26

 20But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep. 21For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead. 22For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. 23But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ’s at His coming, 24then comes the end, when He hands over the kingdom to the God and Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power. 25For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet. 26The last enemy that will be abolished is death.

Jesus Will Be Made Ruler

• Every knee will bow to Jesus
• Jesus completely implement the Kingdom of God
• He will then subject it to God

We Will Be Resurrected

• Jesus is the first fruit of the dead
• We will rise from the dead when Jesus returns
• At Jesus Second Coming we will receive our incorruptible bodies

Victory Over Death

• The final victory is over death.  
• The meaning of “defeat of death” is that we will be brought back to life
• We will get an incorruptible body

We Will Reign With Jesus

Revelation 5:9-10
9 And they *sang a new song, saying, "Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.
10 "You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign upon the earth."

• We will once again be given dominion over the earth
• We will then reign forever and ever with Jesus
• We will once again be given dominion over the earth
• God will once again reign through His son and a group of people that He has called out of the earth
• We have become the nation of Kings and priests

The New Jerusalem

The Garden of Eden will be restored.

Revelations 22:1-5

1Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb 2down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. 3No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. 4They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. 5There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever.

• This is a new Garden of Eden
• God will eventually restore His original Paradise
• The saints will rule with Jesus forever and ever
• God will once again reign through His son and a group of people that He has called out

No More Curse

The curse will be removed

• Sin will be eliminated
• We can dwell in the presence of God

Communing With God

• No more temple / tabernacle needed because sin is removed

No More Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil

• Only the tree of Life is mentioned in the New Jerusalem
• No more tree of good and evil

Now And Not Yet

The now and the not yet means that some things have been made right already and some won’t be right until Jesus comes back.  

We saw that Jesus clearly talks about entering the Kingdom of God now, but He also talks about entering the Kingdom at His second coming.  

• In both scenarios, the Kingdom is here on earth.

When we become the new creation and get partially back to where Adam was

• We have begun the change, but not completely

Some consequences of Adam’s sin are still in place

• Some of the the curses are still in place.
• The earth is cursed
• We are cursed from the fall
• Death still exist

Entering the Kingdom of God

John 3:3-5

3 Jesus answered and said to him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God."

4 Nicodemus *said to Him, "How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born, can he?"

5 Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

Born again = born of water and Spirit

Things birth themselves.  Flesh births flesh spirit births spirit.

•  We were initially born of Adam we became born of the Holy Spirit.

He was announcing that no longer was their Jewish heritage sufficient to enter the Kingdom.  It was now more than your natural/national pedigree.

Creation / Covenant

The whole Bible can be summarized like this

• God creates a world

• creates a man - Adam
• makes a covenant with him - Don’t eat from the tree

• God changes the world (the flood - separates languages)

• Creates a new people
• Creates a new covenant with Abraham

• Then God changes a new world (Holy Spirit - universal tongue)

• Creates a new people
• Establishes a new covenant

The New Creation

2 Corinthians 5:17

17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.

• Paul speaks to us being a creature that has never been seen before on earth
• As Christians we get a regenerated mind and are indwelt by the Holy Spirit

Entering the kingdom is when those who are Christians act in the way that Jesus commanded us.  

• It is us living our lives according to God’s will in every situation.  
• It is applying God’s wisdom to our lives, and walking within the principles of God instead of the values of the world.  

Holy Spirit Dwelling Within us Empowers Us

• We are more than we were once the Holy Spirit indwells us

Indwelled by the Holy Spirit

The Kingdom of God is being indwelled by the Holy Spirit and living and loving in complete agreement with the Holy Spirit

The fruit of inheriting the Kingdom is living under God’s rule

• Implementing God’s will at all time
• Your will is aligned with God’s will
• Having the fruits of the spirit

How the Holy Spirit Works

The Holy Spirit convict you of your own sin.  

Sanctification is yielding to the Holy Spirit in every situation. The goal is to let God‘s will be done in every situation in your life.

The process of sanctification is the Holy Spirit showing me what’s in me. After he shows me it is my job is to repent and ask for forgiveness to break the hold  of anything I need to get out of my life.

The “Works of God” Is To Believe in Jesus

Jesus clearly defined what “works” are needed to obtain eternal life and enter the Kingdom

John 6:28-29

28 Therefore they said to Him, "What shall we do, so that we may work the works of God?"
29 Jesus answered and said to them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent."

• The work of God is to believe in Jesus
• ...That’s it
• Eternal life allows you to remain on the earth when the final Kingdom is put in place
• Salvation is the means in which we help God implement His plan
• Salvation is not the final goal

Parables About the Kingdom of God

Parable of the Sower/Soils

1. Whether or not someone accepts the message of the Kingdom is determined by the condition of their heart
2. Things that impact whether someone enters the Kingdom include:

• The enemy
• Chasing worldly success
• Cares of the world

Parable of the Wheat and the Weeds

• Some people will appear to be in the Kingdom but they are not
• These people are actually supporting the enemy

Parable of the Leaven

• There will be opposition from within the Kingdom
• Wrong teaching, and false doctrine will get mixed throughout the Kingdom

Parable of the Mustard Seed

• The Kingdom started small and grew rapidly
• There will be external opposition to the Kingdom

Parable of the Hidden Treasure

• Some will find the Kingdom unexpectedly and recognize its worth

Parable of the Pearl

• Some are searching for the Kingdom and will give up everything else when they find it

Parable of the Dragnet

• The message of the Kingdom will be appealing to many people - good and evil
• The wicked will be separated from the righteous at the end of the age  

Parable of the Scribe

• To fully understand the Kingdom you need to be a student of the Kingdom as well as the Old Testament

Parable of the Growing Seed

• God causes the growth of the Kingdom -- not us

Parable of the Wedding Feast

• We should make sure we are relying on God’s provision of salvation, not on our own good works or religious service.

Parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard

• We need to trust God to determine what is fair and not lean on our own understanding

Parable of the 10 Virgins

• Some will not make it into the Kingdom because they will not endure to the end

Parable of the Talents

• Jesus has different expectations of our fruit based on the resources and ability that we’ve been given

Parable of the Sheep and Goats

• Some will obtain eternal life because they do the works of the father
• The only “works of the father” is to believe in the Son

Parable of the Unmerciful Servant

• Reconciliation and maintaining healthy earthly relationships are a high priority of the Kingdom

Teachings of Jesus

Jesus taught these truths multiple times

• Both “good” and “evil” people were invited into the Kingdom
• At the “end of the age” the “wicked/evil/unrighteous/” will be removed from the Kingdom

• Jesus never talks about the saints being removed
• There will be “weeping and gnashing of teeth”

• The Kingdom can be missed (parable of the seeds, dragnet, virgins and lamps)
• There are people who appear to be part of the Kingdom but they are not
• Jesus talks about rewarding people  in heaven for what they had given up on earth to follow Him
• The first shall be last and the last shall be first

• Heaven’s value system is different than earth’s value system.
• Those who were the lowest in society were the first to enter the kingdom

• There will be an end to the kingdom as it exists today
• The end will come suddenly
• Once the transition is made it is permanent

Living the Kingdom Lifestyle

Most of Jesus’ teaching about the Kingdom emphasized how to live your life vs what happens after you die

“Repent the Kingdom of God is here”

• Repent means to rethink the way you were thinking about your life.

Jesus taught

• Forgive others
• Love enemies
• Feed the poor
• Heal sick

Jesus was not announcing that everyone in the world is living this way.  

• But that it is now possible to live this way

Your kingdom is what has control over your life.

• Jesus is saying that we should submit our kingdom over to God.  
• The kingdom of God exists where what God wants to be done is done.  
• God is ruling over your life if your goals and actions are what God wants you to be doing

For many Christians believing in Christ is our religion and obeying Christ is not.  

Jesus was calling people to live a lifestyle which would cause people to stop and question why in the world are you doing that?  

A Renewed Heart

Jesus was also teaching about a renewed heart.  

• Jesus is talking about the purity of the heart to which the other laws were pointing.  

Turn the Other Cheek

When you turn the other cheek and remaining vulnerable after someone hurts you you are leaving room for God’s action.   If someone hits me and I hit them back they know exactly what to do. If they hit me and I don’t hit them back now they have to make a conscious decision not just an instinctive reaction.

Murder

Jesus explains that if you look at the Commandment thou shall not kill …  just not killing isn’t the solution. It is good if you choose not to kill someone. But if you still want to kill them and are just not doing it because it’s illegal then there is still a problem.  If you would be happier if you found out they were dead then there is still a problem.  

So we have to deal with anger.

Jesus is addressing the underlying problem

Just because you don’t commit the sin doesn’t mean you are where are you were supposed to be

Don’t Commit Adultery

When it comes to adultery and lusting. Jesus explains that the issue was not just did you have sex or not but what would you have liked to have done?  Many people are faithful because they don’t have an easy opportunity to cheat.

Forgive Seven Times Seventy

Jesus says to forgive people.  

• If you are keeping a record of what they did wrong then you haven’t forgiven them.
• Forgiving is giving up the right to the wrong against them in the future.

Kingdom Power

Jesus is raising the standard from the Law.   Jesus is telling us that now that we are in the Kingdom we have the ability to be more righteous than before.  Now that we are indwelled by the Holy Spirit we have more power to resist temptation, more power to fight sin.

You are now better equipped to fight your demons.

Living in the Kingdom is about more than having your sins forgiven and going to Heaven.  Living in the Kingdom should affect how you live.

We have been given the power of the Holy Spirit.  We can now act in the name of Jesus.

Our Relationship With God

Jesus also told us pray to give and to forgive.  

When we give to the poor, the Bible says God is in debt to us.

When we don’t forgive others it impacts us internally, but it also impacts our relationship with God.

Why did Jesus teach us how to pray?   Prayer is how God enables us to tap into all of  His power.  Prayer is how God enables us to access His power while still being under His control.

When we enter into the Kingdom of God, we are entering into the will of God.  

When we enter into the Kingdom we are living in total submission to the Holy Spirit.

When we enter into the Kingdom we are abiding in Christ and Christ is abiding in us.  

When we enter into the Kingdom God allows us to do and have whatever we want

• Because we only want what God wants

When we enter into the Kingdom, we qualify ourselves to rule the earth

Presenter: Michael Leadon

References

Dallas Willard podcast on the Kingdom of God

To See The Kingdom of God

https://youtu.be/m8sk4k2lDqw

The Kingdom and Those Born of the Spirit

https://youtu.be/JavCl6nKlA0

The Kingdom of God with the Rt Revd Dr Tom Wright

https://youtu.be/rLiy-WlS9m

Gospel of the Kingdom of God

https://youtu.be/xmFPS0f-kzs

Extra

The Ancient Jewish View of the Kingdom of God

The Jews were waiting for the kingdom of God

Luke 23:50-52

50 And a man named Joseph, who was a member of the Council, a good and righteous man
51 (he had not consented to their plan and action), a man from Arimathea, a city of the Jews, who was waiting for the kingdom of God;
52 this man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.

Parables of Jesus

Parable of the Sower/Soils

Matthew 13:18-23

18 "Hear then the parable of the sower.
19 "When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is the one on whom seed was sown beside the road.
20 "The one on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, this is the man who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy;
21 yet he has no firm root in himself, but is only temporary, and when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he falls away.
22 "And the one on whom seed was sown among the thorns, this is the man who hears the word, and the worry of the world and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.
23 "And the one on whom seed was sown on the good soil, this is the man who hears the word and understands it; who indeed bears fruit and brings forth, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty."

• A person’s spiritual development is based on how they receive God's word in their heart.
• If you don't understand the word about the kingdom the enemy can snatch it away
• Someone can receive the word with joy and then lose the Kingdom
• The Kingdom can be missed
• The enemy can prevent the seed of the Kingdom from staying in someone’s heart
• The Kingdom can be obtained and then lost
• Concern over your earthly situation can cause you to lose the Kingdom
• Chasing after worldly success can cause you to lose the Kingdom
• The Kingdom grows at different rates in different people

Christ Defeated Sin and Death

Rescue from the Kingdom of Darkness includes:

• Dominion over demons
• Forgiveness of sins
• Resurrection from the death - immortality

Romans 6:8-11

8Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, 9knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again; death no longer is master over Him. 10For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. 11Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.

• Death was “master over” Jesus because He was in a flesh body
• Jesus conquered death
• We also have victory over sin and death because we have been given eternal life

Jesus’ miracles were proof that God was tabernacling among mankind.  

• His resurrection was the proof that He defeated death.

Reigning With Jesus

1 Corinthians 6:1-3

1Does any one of you, when he has a case against his neighbor, dare to go to law before the unrighteous and not before the saints? 2Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? If the world is judged by you, are you not competent to constitute the smallest law courts? 3Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more matters of this life?

• We will rule over the angels

• God will once again reign through His son and a group of people that He has called out of the earth

New Jerusalem

No More Temple / Tabernacle

Revelations 21:1-4

  1Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. 2And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. 3And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, 4and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.”

• There will be no more sin or death
• All will live in obedience to God

Kingdom of Christ

Ephesians 5:5

“For this you know with certainty, that no immoral or impure person or covetous man, who is an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.”
‭‭EPHESIANS‬ ‭5:5‬ ‭NASB‬‬https://www.bible.com/bible/100/eph.5.5.nasb

1 Corinthians 15:20-28

20But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. 22For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. 23But each in his own turn: Christ the firstfruits; then at His coming, those who belong to Him.

24Then the end will come, when He hands over the kingdom to God the Father after He has destroyed all dominion, authority, and power. 25For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet. 26The last enemy to be destroyed is death. 27For “God has put everything under His feet.” Now when it says that everything has been put under Him, this clearly does not include the One who put everything under Him. 28And when all things have been subjected to Him, then the Son Himself will be made subject to Him who put all things under Him, so that God may be all in all.

Colossians 1:12-14

 12giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. 13He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

• We were rescued from the Kingdom of Satan into the Kingdom of Christ