Introduction

Imagine this: What if the good news of the gospel is even better than you thought it was? It is! The good news of the gospel is far greater, more expansive, and covers so much more than you ever imagined. This week we begin a four-week journey of discovering the “Gospel of the Kingdom of God.”

You might be thinking, “I know the gospel. I’ve heard the gospel. I’ve accepted the gospel.” That’s great! Because together, we are about to discuss that this good news reaches more deeply into our lives when we might think possible. This good news gives us a vision of how to live our lives day by day. This gospel of the Kingdom of God not only gives us the assurance of salvation through Jesus Christ and the promise of eternal life, it is also God’s radical plan to change lives here and now; it’s the Father’s way of growing us into mature followers of Jesus Christ. Over the years so many of us have only understood only a small part of the gospel, that is: the promise of salvation in Jesus and the assurance of living with God forever. To be sure, these things are definitely part of the gospel! But our generous, loving God has done far more than we have imagined, and that’s the purpose of this four-week series.

And if you are here today because you are exploring the claims of Jesus, or because you are curious as to what following Jesus is all about, well then: welcome! You’ve picked a great day to be here because you’ll hear that the good news of God’s kingdom is available for you, today!

The good news of the gospel is far greater, more expansive, and covers so much more than you ever imagined.

Understanding the Gospel of the Kingdom of God

In this first week I would like to share with you how Jesus understood—and preached—the gospel. This week we will examine Biblical texts from all four Gospels to discover the depth of the good news He proclaimed. Next week we will discover how the gospel presents the very real possibility of life-change for us right here, right now: before we die and go to heaven. In week three we will look at how the gospel of the kingdom of God was originally revealed in the Old Testament. And finally, in week four we will learn that the gospel presents a grand picture of a wonderful future. By the end of these four weeks perhaps we can see that the gospel is a more practical (and more life-changing) than we have ever imagined.

The first four books of the New Testament (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) tell us about the life and teachings of Jesus. Each gospel also describes his death and resurrection. We call these books “gospels” because they contain the good news about Jesus. That’s what “gospel” means: good news. But what, exactly, is this good news? It’s communicated in this phrase: “the kingdom of God is near.” John the Baptist preached this message (Matthew 3:1-2) and Jesus began his ministry with this message as well: “After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. ‘The time has come,’ he said. ‘The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!’” (Mark 1:14-15) In fact, this is one way Jesus characterized his mission: “But he said, ‘I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent.’" (Luke 4:43)

So here we see, early in each of these gospels, that the good news is the proclamation that God’s kingdom has come near to people. Other translations use phrases like “the kingdom of God is at hand.” Or, “the kingdom of God is breaking in.” Jesus was announcing that the Father’s reign was coming close—it was previously far away and now was coming near!

The Kingdom of God in the Sermon on the Mount

So: let’s try to understand what this kingdom is all about: we take the Lordship of Christ seriously God’s will is done God’s way, among God’s people. Early in his ministry Jesus preached the Sermon on the Mount. We find this great sermon in Matthew’s gospel, chapters 5, 6, and 7. It’s a message targeted to his disciples (see 5:1). Notice how prominently Jesus mentions God’s kingdom: he talks about the kingdom eight times in his sermon! Let’s look at the two central examples from the Sermon on the Mount. As part of the Lord’s Prayer Jesus taught us to pray, “Let your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:10)

Jesus instructed his disciples to pray for the coming of God’s kingdom, and then He explained what it would look like: God’s will being done “on earth as it is in heaven ... View this full sermon with PRO Premium