Following the Lord Jesus Christ: #19 The King and The Kingdom

After his narrow escape from Nazareth, Jesus moved his base of operations to Capernaum. We follow him there, thankful to be done with the violent mob who completely rejected his message.

Luke 4:28,29 [NKJV]:
So all those in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath,
and rose up and thrust Him out of the city; and they led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, that they might throw Him down over the cliff.

I love this description of his departure:

Luke 4:30 [NKJV]:
Then passing through the midst of them, He went His way.

No running in fright, no frantic search for a place to hide, he just calmly passed right through the middle of the angry crowd and continued on “his way,” which we know to be “the way” of His Father. (Even today, when we stay “in Christ,” God gives us a way to escape. See I Corinthians 10:13 and also Escape Artists.)

The Gospel of the Kingdom of God

Let’s continue on to Capernaum in the gospel of Matthew.

Matthew 4:12,13,17 [NKJV]:
Now when Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, He departed to Galilee.
And leaving Nazareth, He came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is by the sea…
From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

John the Baptist had prepared the way of the Lord by preaching the baptism of repentance. But he was locked away in prison at this point. From then on, Jesus took up the same message to Israel to repent and believe the good news regarding the kingdom of God.

The book of Mark confirms this:

Mark 1:14,15 [NKJV]:
Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God,
and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.”

Today, as in Jesus’ day, the struggle for dominion continues as kings, presidents, governors, and dictators contend for rulership. Witness the recent tumult that rages in the United States as many vie for power. But when Jesus began his public ministry, his first words announced the one and only true king and kingdom for all time. And His voice rang out with the clarion call to the world: “The kingdom of God is at hand!”

A Word for All Ages

This watchword, this golden theme of his ministry, “the Kingdom of God,” has since reverberated throughout the ages to every nation, every village, every man, woman and child. No hound of hell, nor wicked scheme of Satan can stop the marvelous message of God Almighty that His only begotten Son would redeem mankind and open the door to the love and acceptance of the Father in the only true and forever kingdom of His Son.

Colossians 1:12-14 [NKJV]:
 Giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light.
He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love,
in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.

As we continue our travel through the gospels, we will learn much more about the kingdom of God (or the “kingdom of heaven,” as it is called in the gospel of Matthew.) Some things to watch for include the following:

1. In the 1^st century under Rome’s domination and oppression, some of the Judeans believed that God would establish His kingdom on earth by force. But Jesus was not speaking of a worldly kingdom.

John 18:36 [NKJV]:
Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here.”

2. Many in Israel had very secular, political (Jewish nationalism), and material visions of the kingdom.

Matthew 20:20,21 [NKJV]:
Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Him with her sons, kneeling down and asking something from Him.
And He said to her, “What do you wish?” She said to Him, “Grant that these two sons of mine may sit, one on Your right hand and the other on the left, in Your kingdom.”

Acts 1:6 [NKJV]:
Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?”

3. The kingdom of God is the rule of God in the heart of those who have accepted salvation and redemption in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Luke 17:20,21[NKJV]:
Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God does not come with observation;
nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.”

 The Kingdom of God Today

At the close of his ministry on earth and having accomplished his mission, Jesus Christ departed with the same message regarding the kingdom of God.

Acts 1:1-3,6-9 [NKJV]:
The former account I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach,
until the day in which He was taken up, after He through the Holy Spirit had given commandments to the apostles whom He had chosen,
to whom He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God.
Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?”
And He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority.
But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

Today, the kingdom of God dwells in those who have accepted the Son into their hearts (Ephesians 5:5). However, the fulfillment of the kingdom is not yet, and Satan still roams the earth to steal, kill, and destroy. While we patiently await the return of Christ, God’s true sons still have time to win others to the glorious liberty of the freedom we have in Christ (Acts 8:12; 28:31; II Timothy 4:1,2).

Let’s continue to share the love of Christ with others until we hear these marvelous words of promise:

Revelation 12:10 [NKJV]:
Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down.

May God bless you with His strength to stand for Him today!

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