Skip to main content

The Kingdom of God

The Kingdom of God
Mark 1:9-11, 14-15.

What do you expect a time of God’s reign to look like? Perhaps the end of oppression, or a better economy, or an increase in morality. In biblical times, there were similar expectations of God’s kingdom, including the end of Roman oppression (Luke 24:21, Acts 1:6), the formalisation of moral traditions (Mark 7:6-9), and others, all conveying the longing for a better life—one of peace, justice, and happiness. Why is this? Because of a promise!

  • The promise…
When God anointed David as King of Israel, He promised David peace and an everlasting kingdom through his offspring (2 Samuel 7:11, 16). The first partial fulfilment of this promise was with David’s son, Solomon, who is also called Jedidiah, which means “the beloved of the Lord” (2 Samuel 12:25, 1 Kings 2:46).

What was the impact of Solomon’s reign? It brought a time of peace (1 Kings 2:33), justice (1 Kings 3:28; 10:9), and happiness (1 Kings 4:20; 10:8). However, his kingdom came to an end, and Israel experienced exile, followed by Roman oppression.

  • …is fulfilled
Jesus, the Son of David and the beloved of God the Father (Matthew 1:1, Mark 1:11), stepped into that world of Roman oppression. Amid the darkness, he introduced God's kingdom with the statement, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe in the gospel.” (Mark 1:15).

This meant, both to a first-century Jew and to us today, that what you’re waiting for is complete (the time is fulfilled), current (the Kingdom of God is at hand), and calling on you (repent and believe).

Beyond Solomon’s kingdom, Jesus has perfectly completed the requirements of God’s Kingdom. Like Solomon’s kingdom, you can experience the righteousness, peace and joy of the Kingdom (Romans 14:17). Unlike Solomon’s past kingdom (and all earthly kingdoms, Daniel 2:44), the experience of the Kingdom of God is unending despite present challenges, and much deeper. These deeper truths, Jesus taught through parables, which we will explore.

Reflect & Pray
What better things do you hope to see in your world? How might you be encouraged by Jesus’ introduction to the hoped-for Kingdom of God?
Thank you, Father, that your kingdom through Jesus is an everlasting kingdom, and that we can always know its righteousness, peace, and joy by your Spirit, amen.

God bless you exceedingly,
Sam.

Series content
The Kingdom of God is a kingdom where…
Labels:

Popular posts from this blog

Accompanied by unfailing love

Ruth 1:1-22 NIV. I hope you had an enjoyable Christmas break. Happy New Year! The Book of Ruth has been called the most beautiful short story ever written because of its simple narrative. A narrative that shows how God’s provision for our needs or challenges is often woven into the simple acts of human kindness. Chapter 1 shows the kindness of a daughter-in-law, Ruth, to her mother-in-law, Naomi (v8, 16, 22), and we’ll see God at work through that. But first, the passage sets the context by introducing us to Naomi’s loss… Naomi lost her family… When Naomi (which means pleasant) is first introduced, we are told of her loss. A woman in a foreign land who lost her family (v1-5). She feels bitter, empty and afflicted by the Lord (v21). Why so? …Because Naomi knows Israel’s God to be the Almighty—Sovereign. He can bring famine to a disobedient Israel (v1) a...
Read more

Redeemed into a new life

Ruth 4:1-22 NIV. In today’s passage, Boaz follows up on his promise to Ruth (in 3:12-13) to redeem her. From Boaz’s redemption of Ruth, we get a peek into the pattern of God’s redemption through Jesus. So what does this redemption look like? It is selfless—a costly act, no other redeemer could pay, v1-12 When Boaz met with the closer guardian-redeemer, whom we called Bob, he asked Bob if he would redeem his kinsman’s properties. Bob said yes, then declined when he realised that this included his kinsman’s widow, which would affect his estate. This shows the inevitable selfish motive of any redemption act which is outside of God’s provision. However, Boaz, motivated by love, acquired Ruth, notwithstanding the cost. This costly and selfless act points us to God’s act of redemption through Jesus, our Redeemer, who, out of love, gave His life to save us (John...
Read more

True life begins with accepting the word

Mark 4:1-20, 26-29. (The Parables of the Sower and Growing Seed). How do you respond to God’s word? Jesus shows that the continuous experience of true life only comes from accepting the word of God. Anything short, at its best, only yields momentary joy. In teaching about the Kingdom of God (v11, 26), Jesus speaks of a farmer who goes to sow seeds and scatters them on all kinds of soils, with the good soil truly yielding life (v1-8, 26). The seed is the word of God (v14), and the soils are how we respond to the word. But there is only one right response. Accept it The parable shows that just as the kind of soil affects the yield, the kind of response affects the experience of the Kingdom of God. It’s like signing up for an online service, say Amazon; there are terms and conditions open to all. You can either ignore it, tiptoe around it, consider it or accept it. But there...
Read more