If we want to accurately represent Jesus, then our message must be consistent with his message. If we claim to be following Jesus, we can’t be proclaiming something different than he proclaimed. It’s extremely important that we clearly understand what Jesus preached and that we are dedicated to proclaiming the same message.
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When Jesus left heaven and died on the cross for the sins of the world, it was undoubtedly the most profound and powerful demonstration of God’s love.
In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. (1 John 4:9 ESV).
But during Jesus’ time on earth, God’s love was not the focus of Jesus’ preaching, and it’s not even close. In three of the four gospels, Jesus doesn’t talk about God’s love even once. But he does talk a lot about how we are supposed to love; love our enemies, love our neighbor, and love God with all our heart, soul, and mind. When Jesus taught about love, he mostly challenged us to love the way God wants us to.
In the gospel of John, Jesus does talk about God’s love, but when these verses are taken in context, it’s significant that Jesus presents God’s love as something that is conditional. John 3:16 is probably the best-known scripture in the Bible, proclaiming that “God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son”. Yet at the end of the same chapter, it states that the wrath of God remains on whoever does not obey the Son of God (John 3:36).
In the following verses, Jesus reveals important truth about how love works, both our love for God, and His love for us.
Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them. Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. (John 14:21,23 NIV)
This passage starts with “whoever”, indicating that it’s not all-inclusive. First, Jesus states that the one who loves him will obey him, and he says this twice. Then, he says that these are the people who will be loved by the Father, and he also says this twice. To tell people that God loves them, with no clarification for how this actually works, is misleading and not consistent with what Jesus taught.
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From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matthew 4:17 ESV)
This is at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. “From that time”, indicates this was the message he continued to preach.
And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom… (Matthew 9:35 ESV)
Everywhere he went, Jesus proclaimed the gospel, the gospel of the kingdom.
I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well; for I was sent for this purpose. (Luke 4:43 ESV)
Jesus was sent by God with the purpose of proclaiming the good news, and the good news he proclaimed was the kingdom of God.
He said therefore, “What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it? (Luke 13:18 ESV)
Many of the parables Jesus told were to impart understanding of what the kingdom of God is like.
And he said to them, “When you pray, say: “Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. (Luke 11:2 ESV)
When Jesus taught how to pray, he instructed us to call on God for His kingdom to come.
He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God. (Acts 1:3 ESV)
At the beginning of his ministry, Jesus began to preach the kingdom of God. And several years later, after his crucifixion and resurrection, his message hasn’t changed. He is still speaking to his disciples about the kingdom of God. Jesus demonstrated an unwavering focus and loyalty to the purpose God had called him to, proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom of God.
The Law and the Prophets were until John; since then the good news of the kingdom of God is preached… (Luke 16:16 ESV)
The kingdom of God is the new message of the New Testament. The rule and reign of God is the central theme of the new covenant. It is the good news that Jesus proclaimed and instructed his disciples to proclaim, “and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal” (Luke 9:2 ESV).
And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. (Matthew 24:14 ESV)
This verse reveals how essential the message of the kingdom is to God’s purposes. The end will not come until God’s purposes on the earth are fulfilled, and Jesus states that the end will come once the gospel of the kingdom has been proclaimed throughout the whole world.
Jesus’ gospel message wasn’t focused on God’s love. Jesus’ message focused on God’s kingdom.
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So, what is the message of the kingdom of God? Let’s start with the word kingdom. By dividing the word (king-dom), we see that it means a king’s domain, or where a king has dominion. The gospel of the kingdom of God is the good news of God’s rule and reign. Having a heart that welcomes and submits to God’s authority is key to receiving and understanding the kingdom of God. But if someone doesn’t like the idea of living under God’s authority, then they won’t be open to receiving God’s kingdom. The good news of the kingdom will not be good news to them.
The message of the kingdom is extensive. It encompasses the call to walk according to all God’s commandments, and also the blessing, that those who come under his authority, come under His loving care. The message of the kingdom is intended to transform our very thinking and impact every aspect of our lives.
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. (Romans 12:2 ESV)
The purpose of the kingdom of God isn’t to have subjects who just conform to rules and regulations. God wants people who conform to Him. Therefore, the principles of the kingdom of God are not limited to straightforward commandments. Throughout the scriptures, they are often communicated as an invitation for us to be joined to the Lord by walking in His ways.
Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. (Matthew 11:29 ESV)
For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. (1 Peter 2:21 ESV)
Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, (1 Peter 4:1 ESV)
For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them. (John 13:15, 16 ESV)
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Every kingdom has its own laws and regulations for living in that kingdom. Life in the kingdom of God is based on God’s ways, and God’s ways will often offend our natural logic and reasoning (1 Cor 2:14 NAS) and clash with the wisdom of this world.
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:8-9 ESV)
God’s ways are not just different than our ways, they are higher. And not a little higher, they are far, far higher. There’s a vast difference between our ways and God’s ways. This is a foundational truth that our hearts must humbly embrace before we can come to know God’s ways and walk in His ways.
We aren’t truly “doing things for God” if we’re doing things our way, or doing things according to the wisdom of the world. Service to God starts with the humility to set aside our natural logic and reasoning and learn to trust and operate in His ways.
Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. Be not wise in your own eyes (Proverbs 3:5, 7 ESV)
But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, (1 Corinthians 1:27-28 ESV)
The passage known as the Sermon on the Mount (Luke 6) contains some of the most challenging statements in all the New Testament, yet most of them are not presented as commandments, but rather a challenge to our normal way of thinking, and a call to an entirely different perception of how God’s blessings work. Jesus said: Blessed are you who are poor… Blessed are those who are hungry… Blessed are those who weep… Blessed are you when people hate you… But woe to you who are rich… Woe to you who are full… Woe to you who laugh… Woe to you when all people speak well of you…
God’s ways stand in sharp contrast to man’s reasoning and the wisdom of the world. And God’s ways are the truths on which His kingdom is built.
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Paul warned that people will distort the gospel of Christ (Gal 1:7). Today’s Christian culture has distorted the gospel into a personal salvation message, strongly emphasizing God’s love for us and what we can get from Jesus, with little consideration of what we are required to give. A personal salvation message is people-centered, focused on people and what they can get. But the gospel of the kingdom is God centered, focused on His authority, His commandments, His ways, His purposes, and His blessings on those who come under His authority. The core problem of fallen man is that he is self-centered, but the message of the kingdom has the power to challenge and change this attitude. Man’s greatest needs will be met by choosing to be centered on God and not on himself. Jesus said, “For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it” (Matt 16:25). The personal salvation gospel is a serious departure from the gospel that Jesus preached.
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But seek first the kingdom of God… (Matthew 6:33 ESV)
The word seek, means a quest, an attempt to discover and obtain by searching. Learning to live according to God’s ways is a lifelong journey of discovery and growth. And Jesus said this kingdom focus, this searching attitude, should be our first priority.
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