The Kingdom
October 26, 2012



                                                                                  Luke 4:38-44(NIV)  

Pop  Quiz             What topic did Jesus talk about and teach far and away
                              more often than any other topic?  

Answer                 See verse 43  

Jesus’ one theme in his up to three years of ministry was The Kingdom of God.   What does that mean?

First, this Kingdom has a King.   Even though each of us feels like we live in our own little worlds, we don’t.  We actually live in God’s Kingdom ruled by God Himself.

So, what is his Kingdom like?   It is that place that remains after Jesus has performed what we call a miracle, but from His perspective is a Kingdom building exercise where he takes on more step toward“ setting the world to rights”, free from evil, sickness and sin”.    He begins to “fix” the broken world we live in.   He heals the sick, he confronts evil, he casts out demonic powers and he “threatens” the religious elitists who are in power.   He calls them hypocrites and tells them that God will bring them down if they don’t repent.

Jesus heals because he loves people.   But more than that that Jesus’ miracles are signs, foretastes, mini-pictures of the day that Heaven comes to earth in the great merger/marriage which will produce the New Creation.

“Behold, I am making all things new,”  said Jesus in Revelation 21:5

Notice vs. 42.   If we follow Jesus we would do well to see this inward/outward rhythm in his life.   He moves from exhausting ministry to empowering prayer in silence and solitude and back again. 

“Lord, forgive me for living as if you are not king and as if someone else is running the world.   Help me to see every healing, every escape from danger, every good thing on planet earth, every act of grace as having come directly from your powerful, healing, rectifying and reconciling hand.  Amen”