The Kingdom
of Heaven
“Blessed are the poor
in spirit, For theirs is
the kingdom of heaven.”
Matthew 5:3
The Kingdom of Heaven
The phrase is used continually
throughout the sermon on the mount
Matthew 5:3; 10, 19-20; 6:10, 33; 7:21
Matthew 5:3,10
(3), Blessed are the poor in spirit,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
(10), Blessed are those who are persecuted
for righteousness' sake, For theirs is the
kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 5:19-20
Whoever therefore breaks one of
the least of these commandments,
and teaches men so, shall be called least in
the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does
and teaches them, he shall be called great in
the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I say to you,
that unless your righteousness exceeds the
righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees,
you will by no means enter the kingdom of
heaven.
Matthew 6:10, 33
(10), Your kingdom come. Your
will be done On earth as it is in
heaven.
(33), But seek first the kingdom of God and
His righteousness, and all these things shall
be added to you.
Matthew 7:21
Not everyone who says to Me,
“Lord, Lord,” shall enter the
kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will
of My Father in heaven.
The Kingdom of Heaven
The phrase is used continually
throughout the sermon on the mount
Matthew 5:3; 10, 19-20; 6:10, 33; 7:21
“Kingdom of God” and “Kingdom of
Heaven” refer to the same thing
Matthew 4:17 – Mark 1:14-15
Matthew 5:3 – Luke 6:20
Matthew 13:31 – Mark 4:30-31
Comparison 1
(Matthew 4:17), From that time
Jesus began to preach and to say,
“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at
hand.”
(Mark 1:14-15), Now after John was put in
prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the
gospel of the kingdom of God, 15 and saying,
“The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God
is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.”
Comparison 2
(Matthew 5:3), Blessed are the
poor in spirit, For theirs is the
kingdom of heaven.
(Luke 6:20), Then He lifted up His eyes
toward His disciples, and said: “Blessed are
you poor, For yours is the kingdom of God.”
Comparison 3
(Matthew 13:31), Another parable
He put forth to them, saying: “The
kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which
a man took and sowed in his field.”
(Mark 4:30-31), Then He said, “To what shall
we liken the kingdom of God? Or with what
parable shall we picture it? 31 It is like a mustard
seed which, when it is sown on the ground, is
smaller than all the seeds on earth.”
The Kingdom of Heaven
The phrase is used continually
throughout the sermon on the mount
Matthew 5:3; 10, 19-20; 6:10, 33; 7:21
“Kingdom of God” and “Kingdom of
Heaven” refer to the same thing
Matthew 4:17 – Mark 1:14-15
Matthew 5:3 – Luke 6:20
Matthew 13:31 – Mark 4:30-31
The Phrase: “Kingdom of Heaven”
found only in the gospel of Matthew
Four Kingdom Concepts
God’s Kingship, Rule, and
Recognized Sovereignty
Luke 17:20-21; Matthew 6:10
Luke 17:20-21
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; 21 nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or
‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is
within you.”
Internal (A matter of will/submission)
Matthew 6:10
Your kingdom come. Your will be
done on earth as it is in heaven.
The “kingdom of heaven” is wherever the
God of heaven is allowed to rule in the
hearts of men
Four Kingdom Concepts
God’s Kingship, Rule, and
Recognized Sovereignty
Luke 17:20-21; Matthew 6:10
It is Spiritual in its Nature
John 18:36; Romans 14:17
John 18:36
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.”
Christ’s rule is as head of a spiritual
kingdom, not a physical one.
Romans 14:17
For the kingdom of God is not
eating and drinking, but
righteousness and peace and joy
in the Holy Spirit.
Four Kingdom Concepts
God’s Kingship, Rule, and
Recognized Sovereignty
Luke 17:20-21; Matthew 6:10
It is Spiritual in its Nature
John 18:36; Romans 14:17
Its Visible Manifestation in our Time is
in the Lord’s Church
Matthew 16:18; Colossians 1:13; Revelation 1:4,6,9
Matthew 16:18
And I also say to you that you are
Peter, and on this rock I will build
My church, and the gates of Hades shall not
prevail against it.
The terms “church” and “kingdom”
are used interchangeably. On earth, it
is in the church where Christ has His
dominion and subjects
Colossians 1:13
He has delivered us from the
power of darkness and conveyed us
into the kingdom of the Son of His love.
As we are added to the church in the
day of our salvation, we are conveyed
into His kingdom
Revelation 1:4,6,9
(4), John, to the seven churches which
are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from
Him who is and who was and who is to come, and
from the seven Spirits who are before His throne.
(6), and has made us kings and priests to His God
and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever
and ever. Amen.
(9), I, John, both your brother and companion in
the tribulation and kingdom and patience of Jesus
Christ, was on the island that is called Patmos for
the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus
Christ.
Four Kingdom Concepts
God’s Kingship, Rule, and
Recognized Sovereignty
Luke 17:20-21; Matthew 6:10
It is Spiritual in its Nature
John 18:36; Romans 14:17
Its Visible Manifestation in our Time is
in the Lord’s Church
Matthew 16:18; Colossians 1:13; Revelation 1:4,6,9
It has a Future Element as Well
Matthew 25:34; 2 Timothy 4:18; 2 Peter 3:10-13
Matthew 25:34
Then the King will say to those on
His right hand, “Come, you blessed
of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared
for you from the foundation of the world.”
The final realization of our
inheritance is found in eternity. We
will possess the everlasting blessings
of our citizenship in Christ’s Kingdom.
2 Timothy 4:18
And the Lord will deliver me from
every evil work and preserve me for
His heavenly kingdom. To Him be glory
forever and ever. Amen!
2 Peter 3:10-13
But the day of the Lord will come as a
thief in the night, in which the heavens
will pass away with a great noise, and the elements
will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the
works that are in it will be burned up. 11 Therefore,
since all these things will be dissolved, what manner
of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and
godliness, 12 looking for and hastening the coming
of the day of God, because of which the heavens will
be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will
melt with fervent heat? 13 Nevertheless we,
according to His promise, look for new heavens and
a new earth in which righteousness dwells.
Contemplating the Kingdom
In the “present sense” the kingdom
of heaven is a spiritual kingdom, found
wherever the sovereignty of God is accepted
in the hearts of men, inaugurated on
Pentecost.
In the “future sense” the kingdom will be
culminated in the coming of Christ, when a
new order is established, described by Peter
as “new heavens and a new earth.”
Conclusion
Only those in the church
who are submitting to the
will of God will be granted
final entrance into the
Kingdom of Heaven!
Matthew 7:21-23
Matthew 7:21-23
Not everyone who says to Me,
“Lord, Lord,” shall enter the kingdom
of heaven, but he who does the will of My
Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me in
that day, “Lord, Lord, have we not
prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in
Your name, and done many wonders in Your
name?” 23 And then I will declare to them, “I
never knew you; depart from Me, you who
practice lawlessness!”