The Gospel of the Kingdom — Part 4
How often have you heard the gospel of the Kingdom even mentioned? Much less preached?
Think about that. Because Jesus said that’s what He was sent to do.
Luke 4:43 — “But He said to them, ‘I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, for I was sent for this purpose.’”
For this purpose. That’s why He came, in His own words. And it wasn’t a sideline.
Matthew 4:23 — “Jesus was going throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness among the people.”
So as I was growing up in Christ, I figured it ought to be important for a man of God to have a clear understanding of what the gospel of the Kingdom was. So I asked. And most of the men I talked to couldn’t define it. They would point right back to the gospel of salvation.
So I did what James said to do.
James 1:5 — “But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.”
And God gave generously.
Here’s what He showed me. Eternal life is the free gift. It’s quite simple to obtain. And it is the gate — the gate that opens to let you go after the Kingdom. It takes away Satan’s power over you, it sets you free, and it gives you the opportunity of more than one outcome, depending on what you do with it.
The gospel of the Kingdom includes salvation. But it goes a few steps beyond getting saved. Jesus put them in order Himself.
John 3:3 — “Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.’”
You can’t even see it until you’re saved. Salvation is the first requirement for the Kingdom. Not the last.
Last time I said somebody would tell me, “Well, that was all before the cross.” So follow it past the cross. Philip went down to Samaria.
Acts 8:12 — “But when they believed Philip preaching the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were being baptized, men and women alike.”
Paul went to Ephesus.
Acts 19:8 — “And he entered the synagogue and continued speaking out boldly for three months, reasoning and persuading them about the kingdom of God.”
And look how the whole book of Acts ends. Paul is under guard in Rome.
Acts 28:30-31 — “And he stayed two full years in his own rented quarters and was welcoming all who came to him, preaching the kingdom of God and teaching concerning the Lord Jesus Christ with all openness, unhindered.”
The last word on the early church, and it’s the Kingdom. And Jesus said it isn’t finished yet.
Matthew 24:14 — “This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.”
So why do we hear so little of it? Because getting saved is receiving something that’s already been done for you. That’s the easy part, and thank God it is. But the Kingdom, you have to seek. “Seek first the kingdom of God.” Wait — didn’t somebody else say that once?
Getting saved is the crossing out of Egypt. It’s real, it matters, and you can’t skip it. But the Red Sea is not the Promised Land. There’s a road between them, and where that road goes is what the rest of this is about.
The Kingdom is not a free gift. It comes with a great cost. But it has great value. And trust me — the value is worth the cost.
More where this came from. Follow along.
