Monday, Sept. 9

To hear the audio, scroll to the bottom and hit play. 

Matthew3:1-2 - In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

Matthew 4:17 - From that time Jesus began to proclaim, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near."

Matthew 5:3 - "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 10:7 - As you go, proclaim the good news, “The kingdom of heaven has come near.”

Even a casual reading of the gospel of Matthew will show you that this gospel is all about The Kingdom.  Matthew mentions the “kingdom of God” four times in his gospel. He mentions the “kingdom of heaven” thirty-three times. The term “kingdom” is used seventeen additional times. Obviously, then, God’s kingdom is the central theme of Matthew’s gospel.

The kingdom of God is first introduced to us in Matthew through the ministry of John the Baptist. John had two roles. He was the last of the Old Testament prophets. In his prophetic ministry, he was the herald who came before the king, announcing his impending presence. Matthew 3:2 summarizes John’s basic message: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” This, our first encounter with the kingdom concept in Matthew, is a pivotal one.

Jesus comes on the scene and says the kingdom of heaven is not only near, it is actually here now (Matt. 12:28)!  Jesus taught about life in the kingdom, in fact He began many of His parables with the phrase, “The kingdom of heaven is like...”  Jesus preached the good news of the kingdom, He invited people to enter into the kingdom, and He claimed to be the King!

But the again, Jesus also taught us to pray that His kingdom would come (Matt. 6:10), implying that it has not yet come.  The Apostle Paul talks about inheriting the kingdom, as if it is some future reality that will be ours (1 Cor. 6:9).  And when we get to the book of Revelation, we read a whole bunch of future visions of what it will be like when the kingdom finally does come.

So...some place in the Bible tell that the Kingdom is near, some passages say that it is here, and still others says that it will come some day in the future...which is it?

D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones wrote this about the reality of the kingdom which may help us understand how to put all of this together; “It is a kingdom which is to come, yes. But it is also a kingdom which has come. ‘The kingdom of God is among you’ and ‘within you’; the kingdom of God is in every true Christian. He reigns in the Church when she acknowledges Him truly. The kingdom has come, the kingdom is coming, the kingdom is yet to come. Now we must always bear that in mind. Whenever Christ is enthroned as King, the kingdom of God is come, so that, while we cannot say that He is ruling over all in the world at the present time, He is certainly ruling in that way in the hearts and lives of all His people.”

With all of this “Kingdom talk”, let me ask you one simple question; Is Jesus your King?

Jeff Frazier