Lesson 1.24: The King's Teaching About His Kingdom

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Lesson 1.24: The King's Teaching About His Kingdom

John The Baptizer Preaches: "The Kingdom Of God Is Coming"

Loved one, seven hundred years after Isaiah wrote about the coming kingdom of God, John the Baptizer came preaching in the desert of Judea. He told people to be baptized (immersed in water) to show that they wanted to change their lives and to have their sins forgiven. John said, "Change your hearts and lives because the kingdom of God is coming soon" (Matthew 3:2). The kingdom of God was the theme of John's preaching.

Jesus Preaches: "The Kingdom Of God Is Near"

At that time, Jesus came from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to the place where John was preaching. Jesus asked John to immerse Him in water, so John baptized Jesus in the Jordan River (vs. 13-15).

Later, Jesus went to Capernaum, a town on the northeast shore of Lake Galilee, and started preaching the Good News from God. Jesus said, "The right time is now here. The kingdom is near. Change your hearts and lives and believe the Good News!" (Mark 1:14-15).

This message stirred up great excitement. For hundreds of years, the Jewish people had been waiting, hoping, and longing for the coming of God's kingdom. Now, their hopes and dreams were about to come true. The kingdom of God was the theme of Jesus' preaching.

Jesus' Apostles Preach: "The Kingdom Of God Is Coming Soon"

Jesus was walking by Lake Galilee when He saw Simon and Simon's brother, Andrew. These two men were fishermen, and they were throwing a net into the lake to catch fish.

Jesus said to them, "Come, follow me, and I will make you a different kind of fishermen. You will bring in people, not fish." So Simon and Andrew immediately left their nets and followed Jesus (vs. 16-18).

Jesus continued walking by Lake Galilee. He saw two more brothers, James and John, the sons of a man named Zebedee. They were in their boat preparing their nets to catch fish. When Jesus saw the brothers, He told them to come. They left their father and followed Jesus (vs. 19-20).

As Jesus was walking along the road at Capernaum, He saw a tax collector named Matthew Levi. Matthew was sitting at his place for collecting taxes. Jesus said to him, "Follow me." Matthew stood up, left everything, and followed Jesus (Matthew 9:9).

A few days later, Jesus went out to a mountain to pray. He stayed there all night praying to God. The next morning, He chose twelve men and called them apostles, meaning "those sent forth." These twelve men were: Simon (Jesus named him Peter), Andrew the brother of Peter, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Simon, called the Zealot, Judas, the brother of James, and Judas Iscariot (Luke 6:12-16).

Teaching them and giving them instructions, Jesus sent these twelve men out to tell people about the kingdom of God. Jesus said, "Go to the people of Israel. They are like sheep that are lost. When you go, tell them this: 'The kingdom of God is coming soon'" (Matthew 10:5-7). The kingdom of God was the theme of the apostle's preaching.

Jesus Tells Stories About The Kingdom

Jesus used earthly stories (parables) to help people understand spiritual truths. He went out and sat by the lake. A large crowd gathered around Him, so He got into a boat and sat down. All the people stayed on the shore. Then Jesus used stories to teach them about the kingdom of God (Mark 4:1-2).

1. The Kingdom Of God Is Like Soils

Jesus said that the kingdom of God is like a farmer planting seed. Some seed fell by the road, and the birds ate all the seed. Other seed fell on rocky ground where there was not enough dirt. When the sun rose, it burned the plants, and they died. Some other seed fell among thorny weeds, and the weeds stopped the good plants from growing. But some seed fell on good ground. There, it grew and made grain (Matthew 13:3-8).

Jesus explained that the seed is the word of God, and the soils represent different kinds of people (Luke 8:11-15). Some people are like a hard ground beside the road. They hear the teaching about God's kingdom but do not understand it. The evil one takes away what was planted in their hearts.

Other people are like rocky ground that does not have enough dirt for deep roots. They quickly accept the teaching about God's kingdom, but as soon as trouble or persecution comes, they forget what they have learned and give up.

Other people are like ground covered by thorny weeds. They hear the teaching but let worries about this life and love for money stop them from growing spiritually.

But other people are like good ground. They hear the teaching and understand it. These people grow and produce a good crop of spiritual fruit (cf. Galatians 5:22-23). In other words, some people will accept God's rule, and some will not.

Yet, the kingdom of God will grow when, from God's word, the teaching about God's kingdom is planted in the hearts of people who are good and honest. They believe it and open their hearts to God. Then God blesses them with spiritual growth leading to salvation of the soul.

2. The Kingdom Of God Is Like A Mustard Seed

Jesus told the people another story. He said, "The kingdom of God is like a mustard seed that a man plants in his field. It is one of the smallest of all seeds, but when it grows, it becomes one of the largest garden plants. It becomes a tree big enough for the birds to come and make nests in its branches" (Matthew 13:31-32). In other words, the kingdom of God would start small and become exceptionally large.

3. The Kingdom Of God Is Like A Treasure

Then Jesus told the people another story. He said, "God's kingdom is like a treasure hidden in a field. One day a man found the treasure and was incredibly happy to find it. He hid it again and was so happy that he went and sold everything he owned and bought the field" (Matthew 13:44).

In this story, Jesus describes the rule of God as something more precious than any earthly possession. Living under God's rule is not dull and boring. It is exciting. When we discover the spiritual riches that we receive when we live under the rule of God, we become incredibly happy.

4. The Kingdom Of God Is Like A Net

Still sitting in a boat, Jesus said to the people who were standing on the shore, "God's kingdom is like a net that was thrown into the lake. The net caught many different kinds of fish. It was full, so the fishermen pulled it to the shore. They sat down and put all the good fish into baskets. Then they threw away the bad fish. It will be the same at the end of time. The angels will come and separate the evil people from the godly people" (Matthew 13:47-50).

In this story, Jesus explained that the church, the kingdom of God on earth, will include people from all nations—both good and bad. At the end of time, the angels will come and separate the godly people from the bad. Those who have lived under the rule of God will be saved. Those who have refused to live under God's rule will be thrown away.

The Kingdom Of God Was Present In Jesus

At Capernaum, Jesus forced an evil spirit to leave a man who could not talk. When the demon came out, the man was able to speak. Jesus said to the critical Pharisees, "I use the power of God to force out demons. This shows that the kingdom of God has come to you!" (Matthew 12:24-28).

By forcing demons out of people, Jesus entered Satan's house and defeated him. In the ministry of Jesus, people could see the beginnings of the kingly rule of God.

Jesus Gives Peter The Keys Of The Kingdom

Jesus went to Caesarea Philippi, an area about 105 miles north of Jerusalem (Matthew 16:13-19). Jesus asked His followers, "Who do you say that I am?"

Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."

Jesus answered, "You are blessed, Simon son of Jonah. No one taught you that. My Father in heaven showed you who I am. So I tell you, you are Peter. And I will build my church on this rock. The power of death will not be able to defeat my church. I will give you the keys to God's kingdom."

Here, Jesus pointed to the time when Peter would unlock the door to the kingdom and invite people in (Acts 2:14ff). At that time, the church would be established, and the power of death would not be able to defeat it.

Please note that the ROCK foundation upon which the Lord's church is built is NOT Peter, but it is built on the confession made by Peter; i.e., that Jesus is the Son of God (1 Corinthians 3:11; 10:4).

Jesus Predicts And Promises That The Kingdom Will Come With Power

Jesus said to His followers, "Any of you who want to be my follower must stop thinking about yourself and what you want. You must be willing to carry the cross that is given to you for following me. Any of you who try to save the life you have will lose it. But you who give up your life for me and for the Good News will save it. It is worth nothing for you to have the whole world if you yourself are lost" (Matthew 16:24-26).

Then Jesus said to His followers, "Believe me when I say that some of you people standing here will see the kingdom of God come with power before you die" (v. 28).

In the near future, the kingdom of God would come with the power of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:1-4). Then, people would live under the rule of God.

Crucial Points To Understand

1. John the Baptizer prepared people for the kingdom of God. John said to the people, "Change your hearts and lives because the kingdom of God is coming soon." John told people to be baptized (dipped or immersed in water) to show that they were going to live a new life. Before we can enter the kingdom of God, we must by faith accept the rule of God. We must change our minds about what is right and wrong. We must change our attitudes and actions. We must stop trying to please ourselves and start trying to please God (cf. Hebrews 11:6).

2. Jesus taught about the kingdom of God. The kingdom of God was the central theme of Jesus' preaching and teaching. His lessons helped people understand the nature of God's kingdom and prepared them to accept God's rule. His miracles proved that Satan's power was broken and that God's rule was about to begin.

3. Jesus showed people how to live under God's rule. When Jesus' apostles brought Him something to eat, Jesus said, "My food is to do what God wants me to do. My food is to finish the work that he gave me to do" (John 4:31-34).

Again He said, "I came down from heaven to do what God wants me to do. I did not come to do what I want to do" (John 6:38).

Later, He said, "I don't try to please myself. But I want to please the One who sent me" (John 8:29).

Jesus' one aim in life was to do the will of God, and thus, please Him. Everything He did was an act of obedience. When we look at Him, we see what it means to live under God's rule.

4. The church is the earthly part of God's kingdom. Jesus promised to build His church and to give Peter the keys of the kingdom (Matthew 16:18-19). Here the word "church" and "kingdom are used interchangeably." The word "church" comes from a Greek word meaning "the called out." The church is NOT a building!

The church is the body of Christ (Ephesians 1:22-23). It is made up of men and women who are called out of sin and corruption to be God's people (cf. 1 Corinthians 12:27). They are men and women who have said "No!" to Satan and "Yes!" to God. They are people who try to do what God wants on earth, just as angels do what God wants in heaven.

5. The rule of God over His people will not be complete until the end of time (1 Corinthians 15:24-26). On that last day, this universe will be destroyed (2 Peter 3:10-14), the people of the world will be judged, and Satan and his followers will be totally defeated (Revelation 20:11-15).

On that day, God's people will win a final victory over evil and will enjoy living under the perfect rule of God forever in Heaven. When we live under the rule of God, we experience the love of God.