Gospel of the Kingdom

Study written by 3Crosses Church

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5. Share the Gospel + Life Group Discussion Questions

Week 8 • Day 5

Week 8 • Day 5

We are two weeks away from finishing! Hang in there!

This week we talked about the serpent-crushing messiah named Jesus! However, many people struggle to believe that Jesus is nothing more than a 1st century carpenter and a good teacher. This week, we encourage you to watch a video from the world renown program named Alpha that discusses who Jesus is.

Share the Gospel Video:

 

Week 8 Life Group Discussion Questions

PROJECT: Have 2-3 people share their Old Testament kingdom discoveries
Question: What observations / reflections / or prayers stood out to you this week?

Jesus Origins: Jesus, the descendant of Abraham from the line of David, has been identified as the Bible’s next candidate to bring salvation to God’s people under the reign of sin in order to bring them back to God’s family under God’s rule in God’s presence. The 4 gospel accounts document Jesus’ life so that you would come to believe that He is the promised serpent-crusher!  

Question: Given our time meditating on the Old Testament, is your reaction to Jesus any different? If so, how? If not, explain why? How would you speak to someone who says that the Old Testament is now irrelevant or there is a difference between the God of the Old Testament and Jesus of the New testament?

Jesus Life and Death:  When Jesus walked the earth, he gave his followers a picture of what his kingdom powerful rule looked like and how it can be used to love others and share the gospel of Jesus and his kingdom.  Moreover, just as Jesus delegated his kingdom powerful rule to his followers over 2000 years ago, he has delegated his power to his followers today.  Let’s be encouraged to use the power that Jesus has given us to go out and share the love of God through physical acts and the good news of his kingdom with everyone we meet.

Question: What does being empowered by Jesus mean like to you? How can you be a part of God’s plan to reveal Jesus and his kingdom here on earth? Ask God to reveal to you how He wants to use you to share the love of Jesus and the kingdom of God with others!  

Jesus Resurrection, Ascension, and Return: The Gospel of the Kingdom is centered on the life, death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus. Without each of these elements Jesus would be just another man. Instead, Jesus is able to reign as the king of kings because of his victory over the serpent, sin, and death. Through the Holy Spirit, Jesus is establishing a kingdom of people who routinely deny the flesh, trust the rule of his Spirit, and live as God’s place with His presence in them. One day, Jesus will return to reverse all things marked by the kingdom of sin! This is the gospel of the kingdom!

Question: At the beginning of this series, we asked you to define the gospel message. Now that we have discussed Jesus, how would you define the gospel? What in your mind has been solidified or clarified about your understanding of the gospel? What has changed (if anything)? What has been the most satisfying aspect of the gospel for you considering where we have been so far?

Acts: Acts seeks to answer this question; how would a strictly Jewish message about a Jewish King become good news that is meant to spread “to the nations” considering the surrounding cultural and traditional differences in God’s cosmic place? The kingdom of Jesus is not exclusive to any race, language or culture – His place is composed of those from every tribe, tongue and nation. It is the reality that wherever you come from, the Holy Spirit cleanses you of your sin and you are adopted into God’s kingdom family of people. Then, you yourself become God’s place and His representative in your community!

Question: Where do you think God is recalibrating your understanding of His kingdom? How is that recalibration motivating you to participate in the unstoppable work of the Holy Spirit as His kingdom spreads on earth as it is in heaven?

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4. The Multi-Ethnic Kingdom Place

Week 8 • Day 4

Week 8 • Day 4

“Paul had come to believe that Jesus couldn’t simply be added on to the earlier picture of God’s rescuing kingdom. The shocking unexpected events of the Messiah’s death and resurrection, coupled with the dramatic sense of personal renewal for which the only explanation was the outpoured divine spirit, meant that everything had changed. A new world had been launched. And if people were trying to live in that new world while wanting at the same time to put on a good face before people who hadn’t realized just how radical this new world was, they were precisely ‘putting on a face,’ playing a part, covering up reality with a mask. They were, in short, play acting.’ The Greek word for ‘playacting’ is hypokrisis, from which we get the English term ‘hypocrisy’.” - Paul, A Biography by NT Wright, p. 145-146

After the resurrected King Jesus ascends to take His throne in victory over the kingdom of sin and death, he proceeds to initiate the final phase of the gospel of the kingdom that we have been tracing throughout this series: that His kingdom place would extend far and wide and take His blessing and glory to all nations! The book of Acts shows us how Jesus turns the nations into His kingdom place through the message of Jesus and the gospel of the kingdom. One by one, God was on a mission to adopt the nations into the kingdom family of people and establish His loving rule over them as the everlasting King of Kings. 

The book of Acts seeks to answer this question; how would a strictly Jewish message about a Jewish King become good news that is meant to spread “to the nations” considering the surrounding cultural and traditional differences in God’s cosmic place? 

Recall that even Jesus’ disciples had a Jewish Kingdom in mind! Here is the answer that Jesus gives his disciples when they ask the question about the kingdom:  

So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?”  He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority.  But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” - Acts 1:6-8 

Jesus is anticipating something BIGGER and cosmic in scope! Verse 8 outlines the journey the disciples would take as they proceed to extend God’s place to the ends of the earth. As many Jews traveled from around the area to Jerusalem for the Feast of Firstfruits, this happens: 

And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. - Acts 2:4

God establishes His kingdom place not by living in a tabernacle or a temple. His Spirit now resides in the hearts of His people who have faith in Jesus! Anywhere His people go, He would dwell with them and establish His rule there. That is good news!

The Holy Spirit brings the same loving and powerful kingdom rule that Jesus had on earth. Love, truth, and restoration begin to flood Jerusalem through the disciples. In the following chapters, we see Peter miraculously breaking out of prison, healing the lame, and boldly proclaiming the good news that cut to the heart of many listeners:

Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.” - Acts 2:37- 40

As the Holy Spirit drew more and more people to himself, small kingdom communities began to form offering a new way of life centered around the loving and purpose driven rule of Jesus. God’s kingdom place was spreading on earth as it is in heaven in the power of the Holy Spirit! 

Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common.  And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all.  There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold and laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need. - Acts 4:32-35

A new kind of multi-ethnic familial community of people centered full of love, generosity, and purpose! That is good news! 

The Jewish religious leaders, who had thought they had overcome this Jesus movement, were not happy that their religion was being undermined by someone who had claimed to fulfill it. Stephen, one of the men who was chosen to serve the growing “church” network, says this to his Jewish audience:

“You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you. Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who announced beforehand the coming of the Righteous One, whom you have now betrayed and murdered,  you who received the law as delivered by angels and did not keep it.” - Acts 7:51

Stephen became the first martyr for these comments at the hands of the religious leaders forcing the now persecuted Christians to flee. Yet, the Holy Spirit could not be stopped as His kingdom place scattered! In fact, God used this persecution to bring the gospel to Samaria and an Ethiopian Eunuch through Phillip. And oh by the way, Saul, the religious leader who led the stoning of Stephen, God miraculously grabs hold of him too!

Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven shone around him.  And falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” And he said, “Who are you, Lord?” And he said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.  But rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.”  The men who were traveling with him stood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one. Saul rose from the ground, and although his eyes were opened, he saw nothing. So they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. And for three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank. - Acts 9:3-9

From here on out, Acts shows how the kingdom of God begins to “break loose” as it moves into various non-Jewish (Gentile) places. Here is what Peter, one of the most prominent Jews, hears when dealing with Cornelius, a Gentile who had come to fear the God of the Jews.

But the voice spoke again: ‘Do not call something unclean if God has made it clean’” - Acts 9:3-9

The cleansing of sins is now available to all nations! That is Good News!

This merging of places between the Jewish tradition and the Gentile world, however, was anything but smooth and easy. Paul writes in Galatians 2 about a confrontation between himself and the Apostle Peter over Jewish customs and traditions that Paul believed must now be seen in the light of the free justification provided through Christ’s death and resurrection.

 “But when Peter came to Antioch, I had to oppose him to his face, for what he did was very wrong. When he first arrived, he ate with the Gentile believers, who were not circumcised. But afterward, when some friends of James came, Peter wouldn’t eat with the Gentiles anymore. He was afraid of criticism from these people who insisted on the necessity of circumcision” - Galatians 2:11-12

“I said to Peter in front of all the others, “Since you, a Jew by birth, have discarded the Jewish laws and are living like a Gentile, why are you now trying to make these Gentiles follow the Jewish traditions?”  “You and I are Jews by birth, not ‘sinners’ like the Gentiles. Yet we know that a person is made right with God by faith in Jesus Christ, not by obeying the law. And we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we might be made right with God because of our faith in Christ, not because we have obeyed the law. For no one will ever be made right with God by obeying the law” - Galatians 2:14b-16

It was going to take a special effort to reconcile the various cultures and traditions in order to unite the Jews and the Gentile world in one kingdom place. Yet once again, the Holy Spirit could not be stopped! After the famous Jerusalem council affirmed the Spirit’s work amongst the Gentiles, the second half of Acts goes on to follow Paul, formerly known as Saul, who sets out on 3 different missionary journeys to share the message of Jesus and the gospel of the kingdom to anyone and everyone who would listen across the empire place of Rome! As a Jew, Paul is able to speak into their culture, yet as a citizen of Rome, he is able to empathize with the cultural influences that had been permeating each society in the Roman Empire.

To the Jews I became a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law.  To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law. To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some.  I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings. - 1 Corinthians 9:20-23

Through this radical and revolutionary theme - the salvation of the nations - that the Holy Spirit unfolds in the book of Acts, as well as from my experience in cross-cultural missions and the Bay Area, I have come to love and celebrate the multi-ethnic, multicultural, multi-lingual expression of the kingdom of God! I believe that this truth about God’s kingdom has direct implications in modern-day American culture, as well. The kingdom of Jesus is not exclusive to any race, language or culture – His place is composed of those from every tribe, tongue and nation. It is the reality that wherever you come from, the Holy Spirit cleanses you of your sin and you are adopted into God’s kingdom family of people. Then, you yourself become God’s place and His representative in your community!

The book of Acts concludes with Paul reaching Rome to preach the gospel in the midst of one of the most powerful earthly kingdoms the world has ever known. 

He lived there two whole years at his own expense, and welcomed all who came to him,  proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance. - Acts 28:30-31

The kingdom of God was being established right under the roof of the Roman Empire place. We are left to wonder, would the most powerful earthly kingdom place be able to quench the work of the Holy Spirit as God works to spread His kingdom place? Which kingdom would ultimately prevail?

Share the Gospel: The Gospel of the Kingdom is centered on the life, death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus. Without each of these elements Jesus would be just another man. Instead, Jesus is able to reign as the king of kings because of his victory over the serpent, sin, and death. Through the Holy Spirit, Jesus is establishing a kingdom of people who routinely deny the flesh, trust the rule of his Spirit, and live as God’s place with His presence in them. One day, Jesus will return to reverse all things marked by the kingdom of sin! This is the gospel of the kingdom!

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3. Creating a New Covenant People

Week 8 • Day 3

Week 8 • Day 3

Doesn’t death seem so final? In death, there is no more movement, words, wisdom, fun, affection, you fill in the blank. But if we look at the loved ones in our life who have died, do we really believe that their stories end so abruptly? There’s got to be more, right?

I still remember the stories of the people in my life who have died. My grandad would wash the ice off of a popsicle and sit with me on the front porch. My grandma would tell me how she used to do her chores when she lived on the farm. Sure their legacy will live on, but they continue on only as stories that my family shares with one another. But have you ever wondered what will happen 100 years from now when my grandparents, their stories, or even you and I are all but forgotten?

The death of Jesus on the cross must have seemed so final in the eyes of his followers. They probably asked how can the one who claimed to be the promised messianic king die such a horrific death? Didn’t he claim to be God? Was he lying to us or maybe even crazy? Will he too fade into history as yet another distant memory?  

Jesus’ impact and legacy only gets better after his death.

After living an earthly life as the all-powerful king over all things and laying down his own life to die a sacrificial death on the cross, we now move on to His resurrection!

On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee:‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ ” Then they remembered his words. - Luke 24:1-8

JESUS AS OUR RANSOM AND VICTOR

Jesus knew that whenever His image-bearers bent their knee to the serpent, the penalty they would face is death. Death is the ultimate end of the personal choice to bow down to the serpent and abandon the one true God who sustains life itself. Combine that personal choice with the reality of God’s wrath against all things unholy and you wind up with a rather ugly final destination - eternal condemnation in a place called hell. All this to say, Jesus knew that in order to redeem God’s people from the fangs of the serpent, he would need to pay the ultimate price. If he was going to become an adequate substitute for sinners, Jesus would need to “allow the serpent to bite his heel” and taste death. Additionally, Jesus would need to experience the total abandonment of God the Father on behalf of all sinners who would walk away from Him, pledge their allegiance to the serpent, and take their own thrones. That is why on the cross, Jesus both gave himself as a ransom payment to the serpent and drank the cup of God’s wrath against all sinful actions on behalf of all of those who would align their ways with the enemy serpent kingdom. Needless to say, this was not a cheap ransom to pay to rescue God’s people.

And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” - Mark 15:34

You were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. - 1 Peter 1:18–19

But here is the good news: death did not have the final word! After Jesus was buried, some of his followers went back to his tomb hoping to finish preparations for the corpse of Jesus (per their customs). When they got there, however, something was different. Jesus was not there! Soon, His followers would be reminded of Jesus’ teachings on the events that were destined to take place. Jesus predicted that he would rise from the grave into resurrected life.

Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things.” - Luke 24:44–47

You might be skeptical about a real human being - who also claims to be God - rising from the dead. Is it necessary to believe in something as outlandish as a Jewish man who lived 2000 years ago named Jesus who cheated death in order to believe in the gospel of the kingdom?

In short, the answer is a resounding YES! Why? If the consequence of sin is death and Jesus remained dead, then it would be reasonable to conclude that the serpent still ruled over Jesus. His sacrificial act would be all for nothing because Jesus, like the rest of the Old Testament saints, could not conquer sin and the kingdom of the serpent. If Jesus did not rise from the dead, it would mean that the serpent bit his heel and Jesus did not reciprocally crush the serpent's head. However, since Jesus did rise from the grave in His own power, it is reasonable to conclude that Jesus’ sacrifice had worked! Jesus truly had no sin in him and death would not be able to maintain its grasp on Jesus! Death had been defeated and through the victorious risen Jesus, the serpent and sin had been conquered once and for all!

Even though Jesus let the serpent bite his heel on the cross, Jesus used the opportunity to crush the head of the serpent once and for all! This was God’s plan all along! Jesus climbed out from the pit of death and has emerged victorious over the kingdom of the serpent! 

But wait…the good news gets even better! 

It’s a beautiful reality that Jesus - the long awaited Messiah from the line of David - has crushed the serpent! But what does the resurrection of Jesus have to do with the rest of humanity? It’s nice that Jesus defeated sin and death, but would anyone else be able to taste that victory alongside of him? How would God bring forth the gospel of the kingdom through this act on the cross? Where do God’s people in God’s place under God’s rule fit into all of this?

GOD’S PEOPLE - THE NEW COVENANT

Recall that the Hebrew Bible anticipates the formation of a New Covenant embedded in the hearts of God’s people. This New Covenant takes place when the hearts of men and women are cleansed of their sin so that God would be able to put a new Spirit in His people. Sure enough, right before he heads to the cross, Jesus mentions that it is better that he “goes away” so that this Helper-Spirit would come!

Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment:  concerning sin, because they do not believe in me;  concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer;  concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged. 

I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.  When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.  He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you. - John 16:7-15

However there is one major problem. The lesson that we learned from the tabernacle and the temple is that God’s holy presence (in this case the Holy Spirit) amongst things that are either impure or unholy brought destruction rather than blessing. That is why it is so crucial that first, anything sinful or impure in the lives of humanity must be washed away.

Here is the AMAZING reality! Yesterday, we mentioned that the substitutionary sacrifice of Jesus takes on the punishment due our past, present, and future sins. In Jesus, our sins have been washed away. Now, we see that the spotless lifeblood of Christ can simultaneously prepare our hearts to receive the promised Holy Spirit. Thus in the New Covenant, the Holy Spirit quite literally turns our bodies into God’s kingdom place where He resides permanently! 

This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. -  Matthew 26:28

When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place.  And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit… - Acts 2:1–4

Remember how Jesus commissions His followers to go out into their communities, towns, cities, and to the whole world in order to meet the deepest needs of all image-bearers? Now we see that along the way, the Holy Spirit would use His rule to live inside of His Kingdom people and empower them with the same powerful rule that Jesus had in his ministry. 

Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” - Matthew 28:16-20 

Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it. -  John 14:12–14

As a result, this kingdom mission that had begun on this mountaintop in Galilee would fulfill the ultimate purpose of the kingdom that the Hebrew Bible had long been anticipating: God was going to bless all the nations through the promised descendant of Abraham! God’s newly rescued and restored people would live with God’s reestablished powerful rule written on their hearts and with the Holy Spirit dwelling inside them making them God’s kingdom place!

Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” - Acts 1:6-8

So here is the million dollar question…how does someone become a member of this kingdom family of people!

GOD’S FAMILY OF PEOPLE

Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up,  that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.”For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. - John 3:14-18

Here is the question the Bible asks of us — in whose kingdom will you and I put our faith? Will we place our trust in the kingdom way of the serpent who tempts us to become like God by adhering to our own knowledge of “good” and “evil”? Or will we be like Noah who trusts in God’s kingdom way when he was called to build an ark, Abraham when he was called to sacrifice his promised son, Moses when he was called to lead Israel out of Egypt, Joshua or David when they are called to rule God’s people in the promised land? Each of these figures were given unique commands and/or promises from God so that they may have the opportunity to place their trust in the ways of YHWH.

In the New Covenant inaugurated by Jesus, we have all been given a new set of promises. Will we put our faith in Jesus, that he is the powerful ruler who lived the sinless life that we could never live, that he died the death we deserve to rescue His people by conquering sin and death, and is now leading us to become temple places of His Holy Spirit?

If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved - Romans 10:9

By faith in the gospel of the kingdom; through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, you and I can exist under God’s loving rule, as part of God’s family of people living as God’s place wherever we go!

But wait…the good news gets EVEN BETTER! 

JESUS AS THE KING OF KINGS

Not only did Jesus pay the penalty of sin that we deserve, rise from the dead, forgive our sins, and send us the Holy Spirit on this earth, but Jesus’ final act was to ascend into Heaven to sit on the throne as the living King over all things on earth at the right hand of God! 

After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight… - Acts 1:9-11

The gospel of the kingdom is completed as Jesus steps past the crushed serpent and climbs back up the steps of His cosmic temple to take His throne once more! Jesus reigns over ALL! The serpent's head has been crushed! And if we have faith in Jesus and the Holy Spirit lives in us - the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead - we too will experience victory and life abundantly…not only in this life, but for THE REST OF ETERNITY!

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. - John 10:10

If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you. - Romans 8:11

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” - John 11:25–26

You may be wondering if Jesus defeated the kingdom of the serpent and he reigns over all, then why do we still experience sin in this world? Why wait so long to give us this glorious life and existence? Here is where we can once more note that the gospel of the kingdom through Jesus addresses the deepest root cause of all issues: crushing the serpent. Yes, Jesus has defeated the source of all sin, yet for the time being, God has saw fit to maintain His world with the effects of the serpent kingdom still intact. This includes the curses of Genesis that were cast on the ground by God, the same dust of the earth that makes up our flesh and is responsible for so much temptation, strife, and decay. However, now that we do live in this state of tension between the Holy Spirit inside of us and the brokenness of the flesh around us, each of us faces a new garden-like choice daily. Every day we are faced with different opportunities to bring glory to God by denying our flesh and placing our trust in the Spirit of God! As a result, this present suffering of denying the flesh in favor of following the Spirit actually becomes the catalyst that leads to a deeper and more abiding relationship with God. As all of creation, then, continues to move toward the final restoration of all things, the ascension of Jesus reminds us that he is (and always has been) on the throne at the right hand of God as King of Kings. 

But wait…the good news DOESN’T END HERE! 

THE KINGDOM OF JESUS VS. THE KINGDOM OF THE SERPENT

In the earliest passages of Acts, the Bible tells us that one day Jesus will return to utterly destroy the kingdom effects that the serpent had left behind in his wake! The final piece of good news is that not only has the serpent’s head been crushed today, but the effects of the serpent kingdom will one day be completely restored!

They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.” - Acts 1:9-11

So what do we do until He returns? Simple: we follow Jesus! We (1) love God with everything we have and (2) love those around us in everything we do! In everything we do, we have our sights set on becoming “fishers of men” as we boldly proclaim the gospel of the kingdom and to make disciples of the King. How are you “fishing” for your neighbors and coworkers? Have you ever shared the reason why your life isn’t so “serpent-like” in the flesh and more “Jesus-like” in the Spirit? This week, help one other person take their next step toward freedom from the kingdom of the serpent and freedom to live in the kingdom of Jesus by following his Spirit.  Maybe it is your nephew who has just put his faith in Christ, helping him understand the love of Christ. Maybe it is your next door neighbor who has been following Christ for a few years, teaching them how to share their faith with others. Whoever it is and whatever their next step is, help them take that next step by helping them understand how Jesus is the powerful ruler we have been looking for, how Jesus died as our substitute so that we could be adopted into God’s family of people, how Jesus paid the full price and rose in victory over sin so that we could possess the Holy Spirit to become His kingdom place wherever we go, and how Jesus reigns over all things as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. 

Share the Gospel: The Gospel of the Kingdom is centered on the life, death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus. Without each of these elements Jesus would be just another man. Instead, Jesus is able to reign as the king of kings because of his victory over the serpent, sin, and death. Through the Holy Spirit, Jesus is establishing a kingdom of people who routinely deny the flesh, trust the rule of his Spirit, and live as God’s place with His presence in them. One day, Jesus will return to reverse all things marked by the kingdom of sin! This is the gospel of the kingdom!

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2. The Powerful Rule of Jesus

Week 8 • Day 2

Week 8 • Day 2

Up to this point, God’s kingdom people have been suffering the consequences of their original choice to submit to the kingdom of the serpent. As a result, this serpent-like heart posture has caused God’s image-bearers to engage in rampant sin bringing hurt, suffering, pain, and ultimately death into the world. Humanity had abandoned God’s kingdom rule, were excluded from God’s kingdom place, and longed for the day that God would restore all things. However,...

The serpent proved to be no match against the power of God found in Jesus; the true ruler of all things!

And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction.  When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.  Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few;  therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” - Matthew 9:35-38

GOD’S RULE - REVERSING THE EFFECTS OF THE SERPENT

The miracles, restorations, and healings performed by Jesus are AMAZING examples of God’s powerful kingdom rule over our fallen world that has been marked by the kingdom of the serpent. Luke, a physician in the business of physical ailments and care for the marginalized, spends an inordinate amount of time recording Jesus expressing powerful kingdom rule by healing every kind of disease and sickness.  

Now when the sun was setting, all those who had any who were sick with various diseases brought them to him, and he laid his hands on every one of them and healed them. And demons also came out of many, crying, “You are the Son of God!” - Luke 4:40-41

And he answered them, “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them. - Luke 7:22

Matthew writes his gospel account highlighting the deep Jewish roots of Jesus’ powerful kingdom rule. That is why many of the miracles that Jesus performs are grounded in the imagery of the long awaited messiah that have been painted in the Hebrew Bible.  

That evening they brought to him many who were oppressed by demons, and he cast out the spirits with a word and healed all who were sick. This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah: “He took our illnesses and bore our diseases.” - Matthew 8:16-17

John documents several of Jesus’ miraculous works so that all people might believe that Jesus is the Christ - the one who wields the powerful rule over all things. 

“There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are they for so many?”  Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, about five thousand in number. Jesus then took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated. So also the fish, as much as they wanted. - John 6:9-11

Finally, the earliest gospel written by Mark, a co-worker of Peter, had a vested interest in portraying Jesus’ powerful kingdom rule over all things in his Roman context. Even the spiritual realm that animated the nations - including the Roman Empire - could not withstand the power of the Lord Jesus Christ!

And immediately there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit. And he cried out,  “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God.” But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!”  And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying out with a loud voice, came out of him. And they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, “What is this? A new teaching with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.” - Mark 1:23–27 

GOD’S RULE - THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS

While these miracles, healings, and wonders are REMARKABLE signs of the rule that Jesus had over the realm controlled by the serpent, the Hebrew Scriptures help us recognize that the truest and deepest extent of Jesus’ powerful kingdom rule would come through the “healing of the heart”. From the beginning, Jesus’ kingdom mission was not solely aimed at physical restoration and the healing of the flesh. Rather, these ailments and diseases were outward symptoms caused by a deeper spiritual problem; namely that all of humanity had followed Adam and Eve and had succumbed to the serpent. Therefore, Jesus uses his rule to reach all the way to the source of the issue in order to COMPLETELY dethrone the serpent. Jesus’ kingdom rule was so powerful and reached so deep into the heart that he even had the ability to wipe away sin whose fangs had gripped the hearts of God’s image-bearers since the very beginning! 

And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”  Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts,  “Why does this man speak like that? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” - Mark 2:5-7

And he said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”  Then those who were at table with him began to say among themselves, “Who is this, who even forgives sins?” And he said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” - Luke 7:41–50

And behold, some people brought to him a paralytic, lying on a bed. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven.” And behold, some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming.” …“Rise, pick up your bed and go home.” And he rose and went home. When the crowds saw it, they were afraid, and they glorified God, who had given such authority to men. - Matthew 9:2-3, 6–8

Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more. - John 8:10-11

It would be these localized acts of forgiveness that affirmed Jesus’ identity as the greater Moses and the greater Elijah who would rescue God’s people from the rule of the serpent back into God’s kingdom! 

And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light. And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him….He was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him. - Matthew 17:2, 5 

GOD’S RULE - RESTORED DELEGATED RULE OF HUMANITY

Recall that God has two desired outcomes for His image-bearers whose sins are forgiven and who choose to follow God’s kingdom rule. First, God desires to restore the intimate and loving relationship that humanity once experienced with God. Establishing God’s kingdom rule meant restoring a garden-like relationship with YHWH; one in which God walks alongside His people and God’s people reciprocally trust His wisdom to discern good and bad in this world. Second, flowing out of a relationship with God, God’s desire is to see His people live in shalom with one another as they are fruitful and multiply. Establishing God’s kingdom rule meant restoring a garden-like relationship with each other; one in which humans lovingly cooperate with one another as they work with the raw materials of creation around them to advance human civilization in harmony. 

In essence, God’s image-bearers have always been called to use their renewed delegated rule to (1) love God and (2) love others. In fulfilling this purpose, God’s people of shalom spread God’s blessing and glory to all of the nations. Sure enough, Jesus’ teaching ministry is centered precisely on these fundamental kingdom ethics! Yes, Jesus would heal ailments, forgive sins, and reverse many effects of the serpent in his lifetime, but the gospel of the kingdom suggests that this was all aimed at reestablishing God’s rule in God’s place over God’s people!

“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.  This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” - Matthew 22:36-40

JESUS AS OUR MORAL EXAMPLE

Have you wondered what it would be like to walk with God in a perfectly loving relationship and radically trust in His rule? Have you wondered what it looks like to truly love others well? Jesus uses His delegated rule as fully-human and fully-God to live a life without sin. In other words, Jesus followed the ruling commandments of God the Father to perfection! That is why Jesus becomes our example of what it means to live as a restored kingdom image-bearer here on earth!

First, Jesus uses his delegated rule to perfectly love God. Jesus listens, obeys, and trusts the ruling commands of God the Father as he walks with Him, even when Jesus humanly did not want to follow through with what God was asking. By obeying God’s commands with full and complete trust in God’s rule, Jesus becomes the human who would never bend the knee to the kingdom of the serpent. This is why Jesus can authoritatively teach his disciples that loving God, abiding in him, and obeying his commands are inextricably intertwined.

Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.  For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. -  Matthew 5:17–18

So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise.” - John 5:19

And he said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.” - Mark 14:8-6

I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no claim on me,  but I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father. Rise, let us go from here. - John 14:30–31

Teaching

Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.  If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full. - John 15:4–11

Second, Jesus uses his delegated rule to perfectly love others. Jesus makes it a priority to meet the needs of other people around him, particularly the outcasts and marginalized of society. By becoming a servant of all, Jesus sets the example of a new and radical kind of selfless love for others and shalom amidst His kingdom family of people! This is also why Jesus can authoritatively teach on what it looks like to love others according to his standard.

Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him. He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, do you wash my feet?” Jesus answered him, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand... If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.  For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you.” - John 13:5-7, 14-15

Teaching

...But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be a slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. - Mark 10:43b - 45 

These two factors make Jesus’ life the standard of righteous living in God’s kingdom. Jesus is our moral example! If you want to know what it’s like to use our delegated rule as image-bearers to love God and love others, look to Jesus! If you want to know whether you are using your delegated rule to love God and love others well, ask yourself if your life looks like you are following Christ! As Colossians 1:15 says, “He [Jesus] is the image of the invisible God…”

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 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. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” -  Matthew 11:28–30

JESUS AS OUR SERPENT-CRUSHING SUBSTITUTE

According to the gospels, it wasn’t merely his healings and wonders, moral fortitude, localized acts of forgiveness, teachings, or blameless life that allowed Jesus to dethrone the serpent. Jesus’ life only showed that he possessed the ruling power to overcome the schemes of the serpent kingdom. However, Jesus’ blameless life does set the stage for his ultimate act! Since Jesus is sinless as fully man and also eternally sinless as fully God, he qualifies as the eternally spotless lamb who can offer himself for the sins of ALL humanity once and for all time!

Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! - John 1:29 

In the ultimate act of humble love for God’s image-bearing people and perfect obedience to the rule of his Heavenly Father, Jesus willingly lays down his life in order to become the sacrifice that would provide the spotless lifeblood needed to eternally atone for ALL sins across ALL time. Since Jesus was eternally righteous, he did not deserve to die. Death is the inevitable consequence of sin. Without sin, there is no death. On the other hand, all sinners who have ever bowed their knee to the serpent deserve the death that is coming for them. So why did Jesus die? Jesus, the promised son of God, willingly and humbly laid down his own life as a substitute so that God incarnate could eternally take the place of sinners globally. 

At the cross, Jesus took upon himself the punishment that all of humanity deserves so that we may not have to. Hallelujah! 

Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. 
God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the world. - John 15:13, Romans 5:8, 1 John 2:2

Jesus’ ultimate act as the ruler over all things was one of humility. Essentially, Jesus hands over all his power for the sake of rescuing His kingdom people everywhere from the kingdom of the serpent once and for all. At the cross, we receive the clearest picture of the type of loving king Jesus actually is! At the same time, the gospel of the kingdom had been set in motion. On the cross Jesus allowed himself to be struck on the heel by the serpent. Little did the serpent know, JESUS WOULD HAVE THE LAST WORD!

And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again.  And he said this plainly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man. -- Mark 8:31-33

For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.” - John 10:17–18 

GOD’S RULE IN OUR LIVES

If you are a follower of Jesus, you too have had your delegated rule restored so that you as God’s image-bearers might (1) love God by obeying His commands and (2) love one another by becoming servants of all! How do we do this? Simple: we follow Jesus! Just as Jesus had compassion on the people because they were distressed and downcast like sheep without a shepherd, we ought to pray compassionately for those who are harassed, put down, living in poverty, marginalized, oppressed and on the fringes of life. Then, as we pray, we ought to listen and obey fully trusting that God will lead each and every one of us to participate in the gospel of the kingdom on earth. Followers of Jesus can become servants of all by the actions we take to meet the physical and emotional needs of others around us!

Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven….” - Matthew 6:9–10

At the same time, we know that the powerful rule of Jesus was targeted to crush the serpent - the deepest spiritual heart issue of our world today! That is why the overarching command (or commission) of God is to share the core message of the gospel of the kingdom - that the serpent has been crushed, that Jesus has died as an eternal substitute for us as sinners, that a rescue hatch has been opened for us to return to the Kingdom of God, and that true life and satisfaction can be found by becoming a disciple of Jesus! 

Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” - Matthew 28:16-20

How do we get people to grasp the gospel of the kingdom? We can know and trust that if you are part of God’s kingdom, God will be with you to the end of the age! We will explore this idea more tomorrow. For now, it is wonderful to meditate on the powerful rule of Jesus’ that allowed him to (1) love God with a trust that led him to a cross and (2) love others with a love that drove him to become the servant of all. As Jesus was locally preaching, teaching, healing, and forgiving, he had his sight locked onto the ultimate liberation of ALL people from the kingdom of the serpent. In the same way, followers of Jesus have been given the power to make Jesus and his kingdom known through generous acts of power and love, yet our sights ought to remain on the message of the gospel of the kingdom found in Jesus that addresses the core issue of humanity! Thus, as we use our own delegated rule to love God and love others in the power of Jesus, the kingdom of God comes to earth as it is in heaven through us! 

What does this look like? Although we may not be able to calm a storm on the sea as Jesus did, we do have the power to calm an argument between our spouse and ourselves and even others. We may not be able to feed thousands of people with two fish and five loaves of bread as Jesus did, but we can find ways to feed, cloth and help those who are hungry, tired and in need. We may not be able to walk on water, but we can do things that we would not be able to do within our own strength! And most of all, we weren’t the ones who died on a cross to save a world full of people, but we can share the gospel of the kingdom with others because the message of Jesus has the power to free anyone from the kingdom of the serpent! 

Share the Gospel: When Jesus walked the earth, he gave his followers a picture of what his kingdom powerful rule looked like and how it can be used to love others and share the gospel of Jesus and his kingdom.  Moreover, just as Jesus delegated his kingdom powerful rule to his followers over 2000 years ago, he has delegated his power to his followers today.  Let’s be encouraged to use the power that Jesus has given us to go out and share the love of God through physical acts and the good news of his kingdom with everyone we meet.

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1. The King is Here!

Week 8 • Day 1

Week 8 • Day 1

Let’s soak it all in for a moment! Here is what - or “who” rather - the entire Hebrew Scriptures has been anticipating up to this moment:

  • The seed of Eve who will crush the serpent and allow the serpent to strike his heel.

  • The Abel and Noah-like servant of God who would remain faithful to God’s rule of “good” and “evil” amidst a sinful generation.

  • The descendant of Abraham who will extend God’s blessings to all nations.

  • The substitute ram of God who would be sacrificed in the place of Abraham’s children of promise.

  • The Isaac-like promised son who would willingly give his life as a sacrifice in obedience to his father trusting that God would raise his life from the grave.

  • The Joseph-like ruler who would rise from the pit of death to the throne of power.

  • The king from Jacob who will take the scepter to rule from the tribe of Judah.

  • The Moses-like prophet who will rescue God’s people from their serpent enemy.

  • The eternally blameless “passover lamb” whose blood will forever atone for sins. 

  • The new High Priest who will grant God’s people permanent access to the Lord’s dwelling place and intercede on their behalf.

  • The one who will give Israel a new heart to listen and obey (shema) the ruling commands of God. 

  • The Joshua-like leader who will conquer the enemies of God and lead His people back into His promised kingdom place.

  • The Judge, the Lawgiver, and the King who will be chosen by God to eternally rule from the lineage of David with true justice and righteousness.

  • The David-like King who will conquer temptation and pride then humbly seek after God’s own heart all the days of his life.

  • The Solomon-like King who will lead God’s people to the incredible blessings, splendor, wisdom, and peace of God in God’s kingdom place. 

  • The Good Shepherd who will protect and lead God’s people by inaugurating a New Covenant which places God’s Spirit in their hearts to rule over them.

  • The Suffering Servant who would bear the iniquities of sin and lead His people to the New Temple place in which “God is there!”

  • The Everlasting Messiah who will be like a son to God.

  • The Servant of God who is full of wisdom and will remain faithful to his covenant “hesed” relationship with YHWH even in the bleakest of circumstances.

  • The one like a Son of Man who will approach the throne of God on behalf of humanity and establish an everlasting kingdom over the kingdom of the serpent.

  • The King who will rebuild God’s kingdom place that would bless all people from every nation, tribe, and tongue by living under God’s good rule!

The Old Testament reveals that all of human history has been pointing to the gospel of the kingdom that is entirely dependent upon the one who would rescue God’s people from the kingdom of the serpent, return them to His kingdom place, and restore them towards becoming image-bearing rulers who follow His reestablished rule of what is “good” and what is “evil”.

This week, we meet the “anointed” (Hebrew Messiah / Greek Christos) serpent-crusher who ushers in God’s powerful rule over God’s people in God’s place so that YHWH’s blessings and glory might extend to the ends of the earth.

GOD’S RESPONSE - JESUS

It is true that throughout the Old Testament, we have seen glimpses of the gospel of the kingdom “breaking through” a myriad of people. None of these people, however, had the ability to fully overcome the serpent and his kingdom of sin. Now, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John testify that the one we have been looking for is finally here! 

Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book;  but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. - John 20:30-31

There are three very important points to take with us into today’s journey. 

  1. Jesus is a real person. He is fully human!

  2. Jesus is truly divine. He is fully God (what a marvelous mystery)!

  3. God keeps his promises.

I love to read fictional books, especially when I’m on vacation. When it comes to books, I’m a thriller fan. I love a good murder mystery and find myself getting so into the book that sometimes it’s hard to separate characters from reality. One incredibly well-written book is one that we have access to - you guessed it; the Bible. I think one of the most important parts of reading the Bible is the truth that we are not reading some fiction thriller! In particular, the gospel accounts were meant to be read as eyewitness testimonies about real events that happened to real people in real places (see week 1)!

1. Jesus is a real person. He is an actual human who is part of history!

At the start of the New Testament - the first 16 verses of Matthew to be exact - we get to walk through the genealogy of Jesus. Jesus was a real person, with a real family and a real bloodline. It also states, incredibly clearly, that Jesus is from the line of Abraham, from the tribe of Judah, and from the line of David. Take a look at his genealogy and watch how the Hebrew Bible comes to life in Jesus Christ! 

The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram, and Ram the father of Amminadab, and Amminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon, and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of David the king. 

And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah (this is Bathsheba), and Solomon the father of Rehoboam, and Rehoboam the father of Abijah, and Abijah the father of Asaph, and Asaph the father of Jehoshaphat, and Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, and Joram the father of Uzziah, and Uzziah the father of Jotham, and Jotham the father of Ahaz, and Ahaz the father of Hezekiah, and Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, and Manasseh the father of Amos, and Amos the father of Josiah, and Josiah the father of Jechoniah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon. 

And after the deportation to Babylon: Jechoniah was the father of Shealtiel, and Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel, and Zerubbabel the father of Abiud, and Abiud the father of Eliakim, and Eliakim the father of Azor,  and Azor the father of Zadok, and Zadok the father of Achim, and Achim the father of Eliud, and Eliud the father of Eleazar, and Eleazar the father of Matthan, and Matthan the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ. - Matthew 1:1-16

Let’s not get too excited, though. We have seen a countless number of messianic candidates who have had the proper bloodline yet have all failed to overcome the kingdom of the serpent and sin. All we have to do is flip to the book of kings, remember? What makes Jesus any different from all the other sons of David? It is at this point that we must realize that… 

2. …Jesus is God Himself!

From the start of his gospel account, Mark equates Jesus with the Son of God mentioned in the Psalms. Moreover, John immediately identifies Jesus as the Word of God made flesh who was simultaneously with God and was God from the beginning. In fact, the gospel of John records some of Jesus’ strongest claims as the great YHWH (or “I am”) including Jesus’ usage of the Son of Man title found in Daniel or Jesus’ other divinity claims which put routinely put his life in jeopardy because he - a mere mortal man - was claiming to be God. 

The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God… - Mark 1:1 

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. - John 1:1, 14

Jesus answered him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.”  Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!”  Jesus answered him, “Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these.” And he said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.” - John 1:48-51

“Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple. - John 8:58–59

“I and the Father are one.” The Jews picked up stones again to stone him. Jesus answered them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you going to stone me?” The Jews answered him, “It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you but for blasphemy, because you, being a man, make yourself God.” - John 10:30-33

If Jesus truly is YHWH in the flesh, consider this AMAZING news! God loves us so much that He Himself - the God of the universe and the creator of all things - has come to us to rescue, return, and restore you and me. And if Jesus is God, then Jesus must immediately rise to the top of our candidate list as the one who would reestablish God’s rule by fully overcoming the temptations of sin and the serpent! Sure enough, before Jesus starts any ministry, the gospels record Jesus and the serpent going head-to-head in the spiritual arena!

And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And he ate nothing during those days. And when they were ended, he was hungry. The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” And Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone.’ ” 

And the devil took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, and said to him, “To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” And Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.’ ” 

And he took him to Jerusalem and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, for it is written, “ ‘He will command his angels concerning you, to guard you,’  and “ ‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’ ” And Jesus answered him, “It is said, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’ ” And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time. - Luke 4:1–13 

Could Jesus finally be the messianic serpent-crusher all of human history has been anticipating? In case there was any doubt, the gospel accounts continuously show that the story of Jesus is one of prophecies fulfilled. We read example after example of the promises found in the Hebrew Bible having life breathed into them in the coming of Jesus - the Word of God becoming human flesh. 

 

Isn’t it incredible that even prophecies completely out of his control - such as the events of his birth and death - were perfectly fulfilled? Hopefully, it’s becoming abundantly clear that Jesus is the one the Hebrew Bible has been anticipating! And if you believe that Jesus is the long-awaited messiah, you will start to see that Jesus’ ministry was all about fulfilling the gospel of the kingdom. 

Jesus is the serpent-crushing “Christ” who would set us free from the shackles of the serpent so that we may have renewed kingdom life as God’s family of people under God’s rule in God’s kingdom place!

3. God keeps His promises!

Something I value immensely is integrity. When someone tells me what they’re going to do, and then they do it - trust is created. The faithful remnant of Israel had constantly read about this new era of hope, trusting that YHWH would bring to them this source of renewed kingdom life. Now, from the outset of His ministry, Jesus constantly follows through on his word as God incarnate.

And he went throughout all Galilee [kingdom place], teaching in their synagogues [kingdom rule] and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people [kingdom people]. So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought him all the sick, those afflicted with various diseases and pains, those oppressed by demons, those having seizures, and paralytics, and he healed them. - Matthew 4:23-24

What an incredible freedom to know that our King has always been in control. He is not frantically pacing, worried, anxious, or surprised by anything that has happened over the course of human history. He remains seated on His throne, steady and secure with plans to establish His rule over His people in His place through Jesus!

 And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” [Freedom from serpent]

And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. And he began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” - Luke 4:17-21

A lot of this may feel far fetched or unlike any history book you have read. However, the authors of the gospel wrote these books to implore you to confidently believe and trust that Jesus IS real, that Jesus IS God in the flesh, and that Jesus IS the Messiah that we have been looking for to fulfill the gospel of the kingdom! Centuries of prayer, longing, and hoping have led to this moment. It’s no coincidence that when Jesus finally delivers his primary message in ministry, it is all about the arrival of the gospel of the kingdom! 

From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” - Matthew 4:17   

The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel. - Mark 1:15 

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 4:43b 

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.  For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. - John 3:16-17

Yet one question remained, especially amongst the Jews in the 1st century. What would this kingdom actually look like? In the Hebrew Bible, you may have noticed a close intersection between the restoration of God’s people from the serpent and the liberation of the nation-state called Israel. Would this be a national resurgence of Israel? Even Jesus’ 12 disciples believed that his primary kingdom mission was setting up his throne of justice and righteousness in the temple at Jerusalem and liberating Israel from the thumb of the serpent-like Roman empire!

So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” -  Acts 1:6

Jesus did not correct or rebuke his disciple’s understanding. We have seen throughout the Bible that there is something unique about the kingdom place and people of Israel in the plans of God. However, Jesus knew that the ultimate key to unlocking the full blessings of the gospel of the kingdom was to primarily set his sights on crushing the serpent - the very source of all problems in God’s cosmic temple place. As we have seen in the Hebrew Bible, everything revolved around the prophecy of the seed of Eve who would crush the head of the serpent while allowing the serpent to strike his heel. Once the serpent was defeated, Jesus could set up his rule of justice and righteousness over the entire cosmic temple place and in the temple of the human heart to transform His people. Over the next two days, we will continue to see whether or not Jesus would finally be the one to crush the serpent once and for all!

 

Share the Gospel: Jesus, the descendant of Abraham from the line of David, has been identified as the Bible’s next candidate to bring salvation to God’s people under the reign of sin in order to bring them back to God’s family under God’s rule in God’s presence. The 4 gospel accounts document Jesus’ life so that you would come to believe that He is the promised serpent crusher!

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