Introductory thought: Have you ever had anything stolen from you? Can leave you feeling prayed upon, victimized, helpless, vulnerable, cheated. and feeling deeply that this is just not right.
This summer we will be reading and teaching through the Gospel of Luke, with a particular eye on his references to the Kingdom of God. As Vineyard people, the Kingdom of God is core to our theology and interpretation of the bible as well the lived-out practice of our faith.
The Kingdom of God could be defined simply as the rule and reign of God.
Today we will talk about the reality that the Kingdom of God is Near. What does this reality mean to us as we live in a world that in so many ways screams, “Things are just just not right”?
1) Jesus Ushers In God’s Kingdom
Jesus says he is the one who inaugurates God’s plan of redemption for all of creations, to set all that is wrong to rights. That he is the King come to reclaim his rightful place that was stolen. To redeem those who would turn to him and free them from the curse of sin and death.
Colossians 1:13-14 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
2) It Is A Kingdom That Is For
A Major focus in Luke’s Gospel is that Jesus is the promised Jewish Messiah that came to bring salvation to the world- Luke focuses much on Gentiles. Also notce the difference between the Geneology in Luke vs the one in Matthew
Ephesians 2
3) It Is A Kingdom That Comes With
Jesus displays his authority over Satan by casting out a demon from a man in church (synagogue).
Follows this up by healing Peter’s mother-in-law in her house.
What does this show us?
Jesus and his kingdom come with authority and That The Kingdom is marked by dramatic turnarounds. The blind see, the oppressed are freed, there is good news for the poor.
Mark 3:27 But no one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man. Then indeed he may plunder his house.
4) It’s A Kingdom That Jesus Came To Bring Us Into -Luke 4:42=44
Jesus’s purpose, his “I must”, was to continue to proclaim and display the Kingdom of God. To say, in word and deed, that there is a new sheriff in town. The King has returned.
We have a new power available to us to both change us and to see the places where the enemy robs us stopped.
Action Step: Recognize and Consider the Kingdoms presence in your life, the power that it brings to change your situation, the call of the Kingdom to live a transformed life and the way God has called you to be a part of his answer to all that is wrong in the world.