The Message of the Kingdom

I have heard the gospel many times. In fact, I attended a church for eight years in which the pastor shared the gospel at the end of every sermon. While that is not a bad thing, I became, like many other “church kids,” almost callous to the gospel.

The words themselves did not stir in me feelings of gratitude or joy, though I felt as if they should. Sometimes I tried to make myself feel that way, but I knew I shouldn’t have to. I had heard it so many times:

“We all sin and our sin seperates us from God. So God, in His love, sent His only Son to die on a cross for our sins. If we believe He did this, we can go to heaven when we die.”

Let me start off by saying that we should never become callous to the gospel. The gospel is life changing, our only source of hope. For Paul, it was the truth from which all morality flowed. 

But, I’m not sure that all that hope, power, and truth is contained in those words. Please don’t get me wrong, they are all true statements. But there is something missing, perhaps a few things.

I think the best place to look for the gospel is Christ himself. What message did He preach?

“From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand'”-Matt. 4:17

“And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people.” -Matt. 4:23

“And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction.” -Matt. 9:35

“Soon afterward he went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God.” -Luke 8:1

“And he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal.” -Luke 9:2

“When the crowds learned it, they followed him, and he welcomed them and spoke to them of the kingdom of God and cured those who had need of healing.” -Luke 9:11

“And Jesus said to him, ‘Leave the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.'” -Luke 9:60

“Heal the sick in it and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.'”-Luke 10:9

It’s a rather long list. I find it interesting, though, that we rarely hear the gospel presented as the message of the kingdom. As Christians we might recognize the term and associate it with the gospel, but it’s terminology that we seem to avoid.

But what does it mean?

There are people who have written extensively on the subject, such as N. T. Wright, and I would encourage you to read what they have to say. However, I want to look at two things that can help us understand this “gospel of the kingdom.”

The first is healing. Isn’t it interesting that Christ pairs healing with preaching this message? Surely this is not coincidental. 

The healing is a physical representation of the message of the kingdom. He is telling while showing. 

So, then, what does healing show? Primarily it shows renewal and authority. He is restoring what is unwell and demonstrating that He has the authority to do so. We shall return to these shortly.

The second thing I want to look at is Peter’s sermon in Acts. Jesus commanded His disciples to preach the kingdom and they do. What do they say? What is this message of the kingdom?

Peter quotes scripture leading up to a declaration that Jesus has been raised from the dead. He then leaves those listening with these words:

“Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.”

His final statement is a clear announcement: Christ is Lord; He is King. He is also Christ.

Suddenly the healing makes sense. Lord and Christ. Authority and renewal. He is King but He is also the Lamb.

So, what is the gospel?

God made mankind and they were to be His people. But mankind rejected God and pursued their own desires. They refused to honor their King. 

But mankind was made by God and for God. By rejecting their Lord, they rejected life itself. And so, they died. They became creatures without purpose, creatures without hope. Sickness, pain, sorrow became their inheritance. 

Yet God did not abandon them. He called out a people and set them apart. But again and again these people chose to deny the King his throne. They were dead. They were hopeless. They could not heal their terminal disease.

But God would reveal His glory in a plan that showed the world what it meant to love. He sent His Son to heal His people and to take back His throne. He sent someone who called himself “the Life” into the world.

Jesus declared His lordship, He claimed His throne. Mankind reacted as they always had. They rejected their King, they rejected life. But this time, it was not they who died, but Christ in their place. 

But this is not where the story ends or surely it would have been even more tragic than before. 
No matter how much we flatter ourselves, Christ taking our place is a tragedy. Life died, light swallowed by darkness.

The end is far more beautiful than we could have ever imagined, for it is not really an end at all. It is a new beginning. Three days after His death, God raised Christ from the dead and crowned Him King. He put all things under His feet.

The kingdom man had created, a kingdom of death, sorrow, pain, and sickness, had been invaded. Soon it will be destroyed.

The reign of Christ had begun. Though not all see it yet, they will someday. Those who believe that Christ is Lord are a part of His Kingdom.

And what a beautiful Kingdom it is. It is a Kingdom of those whose sins have been paid for; a Kingdom in which those dead in sin are now alive. A Kingdom of healing, of life, of hope. Those who are a part of it are being themselves transformed and made new. They suffer as their King did, but they know that as they share in His sufferings so also they share in His resurrection.

We can experience it now, but our King returned to God for a while. Soon He will return and we will be restored completely. We will live with Him always in His Kingdom. We will forever be united with Him and the Father.

This message is one that brings me incredible joy. Not only that, but it alters my life completely.

I am no longer dead, for I am a part of the Kingdom of life. Therefore, sin does not rule over me.

I am incredibly thankful for I did not deserve such love.

I have unwavering hope. There is brokeness, pain, and sorrow in this world, but the resurrection has shown me what will become of those things. They will fade away before the enduring and beautiful life my King brings. I will suffer like Him but so I will join Him in resurrection.

I must share this message. He is King! He deserves honor and glory. I must tell others what He has done so that they do may sing His praise and serve His name! 

God graciously granted me a deeper understanding of the gospel and it is a beautiful, life-altering gift.

Before I finish writing, I want to address one more thing. While I already implored you not to be callous to the gospel, it is important to look at it again after discussing the message of the Kingdom. 

If you are callous, beg God that He would melt your heart and bring you to your knees.

If you are not, then I know you still require a deeper understanding of the gospel. We all do. It is essential. I would challenge you to seek this deeper understanding out. Pray that you might know it more, and meditate on the truths contained within it. Why?

In the gospel we find both morality and identity.

Let us begin with identity. The gospel reveals to us our deepest flaws, yet gives us our greatest worth. In the message of the Kingdom we can rest, being comfortable with the fact that apart from Christ we are wretched but He chose to die on our behalf. God has adopted us into His family.

I already mentioned brieflly Paul’s approach to ethics. He proclaims who we are and who Christ is and then applies this knowledge to life. Every action should flow from the gospel. We cannot be righteous apart from Christ. You can live a moral life, but only Christ sets us free from the chains that bind us to sin. 

Think about it. The gospel reveals what mercy, grace, love, and righteousness are. It is the purest demonstration of these things and others. When we know the gospel intimately, we know these. They become a part of who we are.

So I encourage you to think about this Kingdom and honor our Lord. Rejoice in His renewal and authority. Seek to know the gospel of the Kingdom intimately.