What is the Kingdom of God?
“The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of
God is near. Repent and believe the good news!”
Mark 1:15
Jesus compares Kingdom of God to:
• a mustard seed - Matthew 13:31-32
• yeast mixed with flour - Matthew 13:33
• a hidden treasure in field - Matthew 13:44
• a valuable pearl - Matthew 13:45-46
• a net with all kinds of fish - Matthew 13:47-50
What is the Kingdom of God?
“Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth
as it is in heaven.”
Matthew 6:10
3 Questions:
• What exactly is the Kingdom of God?
• Is the Kingdom of God really here?
• How should we live in light of God’s Kingdom?
What is the Kingdom of God?
What exactly is the Kingdom of God?
“The primary meaning of the Hebrew word
malkuth in the Old Testament and the Greek
word basileia in the New Testament is the rank,
authority and sovereignty exercised by a king …
the Kingdom of God is also the realm in which
God’s Reign may be experienced.”
George Eldon Ladd
Kingdom of God: God’s Kingship dynamically
breaking into creation
What is the Kingdom of God?
What exactly is the Kingdom of God?
“The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard
will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion
and the yearling together … The infant will play
near the hole of the cobra, and the young child
put his hand into the viper’s nest. They will
neither harm nor destroy on all my holy
mountain, for the earth will be full of the
knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the
sea.”
Isaiah 11:6-9
What is the Kingdom of God?
What exactly is the Kingdom of God?
The Old Age
(sin, death, injustice)
The Age to Come
(eternal life, peace, justice)
The Day of the Lord
(Old Age ends)
from “Kingdom Come”
by Allen Wakabayashi
What is the Kingdom of God?
What exactly is the Kingdom of God?
“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has
anointed me to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the
prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind,
to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year
of the Lord’s favor.”
Luke 4:18-19
What is the Kingdom of God?
Is the Kingdom of God really here?
“Are you the one who was to come, or should
we expect someone else?”
Matthew 11:3
“But if I drive out demons by the finger of God,
then the kingdom of God has come to you.”
Luke 11:20
“So you also must be ready, because the Son of
Man will come at an hour when you do not
expect him.”
Matthew 24:44
What is the Kingdom of God?
Is the Kingdom of God really here?
The Kingdom of God
Age to Come
begins
Old Age
Old Age
continues
Jesus’ first
coming
from “Kingdom Come”
by Allen Wakabayashi
Age to Come
forever
Old Age
no more
Jesus’ second
coming
What is the Kingdom of God?
How should we live in light of God’s Kingdom?
It should reshape the way we pray …
We are praying for God’s kingship to reign
and invade the present while praying for
God’s kingdom to come in all its fullness
What is the Kingdom of God?
How should we live in light of God’s Kingdom?
It should reshape the way we minister to others …
God’s reign needs to be demonstrated in
all our encounters and relationships –
whether they may be spiritual or not
What is the Kingdom of God?
How should we live in light of God’s Kingdom?
It should reshape how we share God’s message …
Christ came to restore it all - our
relationship with God, our relationships
with each other and His intended
harmony within His created order
What is the Kingdom of God?
The Kingdom Gospel Message:
• Something’s not right with us and our world
• The world was originally meant to be good
• Sin and its effects has distorted the world we live in
• In Jesus, God took the initiative to restore what was broken
• God will one day make all things right again
• Meanwhile, God continues to redeem his creation
• You can respond to God’s offer of new life
from Allen Wakabayashi, “Kingdom Come”