Big Idea - What is the Kingdom of God and what did Jesus mean when He said it was “at hand?” This is the central message of Jesus’ preaching. He went around proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom. So, what is the Kingdom and how does it connect to the Gospel? Kingdom has become a vague and obscure concept to those growing up in the ideology and world view of Western Democracy, or in the East where communism has taken root, places where we have done away with kings and kingdoms. The Kingdom of God is essentially the effective rule of God. He is Sovereign ruler over all things, but in His Sovereign plan, He has made room for other kingdoms. He has made every person created in His image a ruler over a kingdom, and He has allowed Satan to have his own dominion, the Kingdom of darkness. In Adam, we have all formed an alliance with the Kingdom of darkness. But, Jesus declared that the Kingdom of God is now “at hand.” That means we now have access to His kingdom that we did not have before. And that access is through Jesus and His redeeming work. We now have the opportunity to change our alliance and become the rulers God originally intended, bringing our little Kingdoms under His all-encompassing rule and dominion. In addition to the rule of the king, a Kingdom offers the protection and care of the King and the invitation to serve the King in extending His empire and influence. When we become a citizen of a different kingdom, it is life-transforming. We, over time, are shaped by the culture and values of the king and His rule. The truest citizens of a kingdom are those who reflect the heart and values of the king in the way they live. Much of the Gospel of Matthew is laying out the values and culture of the Kingdom - what we are to be like as true citizens who live under the rule of Jesus our king.
