FHBC Sermon Notes

"Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand..."  Matthew presents this phrase as a summation of the ministry of Jesus. It is the message the Jesus begins his ministry with.

Marks of the Kingdom of Heaven
Gen 1:26 - Man's dominion. So that is the initial declaration, but man aligns himself with the enemy and enter into open rebellion with God.

 Shane is now following through the storyline of the Bible. Moses, then David. The language is all kingdom language.

Daniel 7:13-14 - The Son of Man goes before the Ancient of Days, and is presented a kingdom. This is not ordinary kingdom though. It is an everlasting kingdom, and kingdom of peace that will not be destroyed.

We see this repeated when Jesus is born, then Jesus grows is baptized, and is tempted by Satan, and then presents his first message. We are back at the beginning.

What is the Kingdom of Heaven?
The reign of God through the messiah King! The disciples seem to have an measure of this, yet misunderstand that which they enslaved too. We are all enslaved to sin, which is why the message begins with "repent".

So what is the kingdom here for?

• To destroy the kingdom of the devil. Matthew 12:28 (and others)
• To set the captives free. From the power of Satan, the power of sin and death. See Luke 4:16-20 Ephesian 1:1-20

Here we can understand more the temptation of Jesus, when Satan offers him all the kingdoms of the world. Jesus already had a kingdom, but first must go through the cross to receive this.

What does this have to do with us?

How do we enter the kingdom of God?
You must be born again. John 3:1-20 When we read he old testament, we see Moses as a type of Jesus, this in turn makes the rebellious people a picture of us. We like them don't just need to try harder, we need a new heart. How do we receive this? First, we repent. Second we believe. This means we agree he is who he says he is and trust his word and promises. Lastly, we follow him. This is the natural response of repentance and belief. We want more of our Lord.

How do we live in the kingdom of God?
This is much more that the moment of conversion. Does the kingdom of God reign in our lives? See Matthew 5 - This is the kingdom law.This mirrors how Moses receives the Mosaic law. Jesus makes it clear that it is a heart issue. The issue is one of worship. We will treasure something. We all do this no matter what. We will have treasures. For followers of Jesus, we must know that God is our treasure.
Matthew 25:1-24 - This is the future aspect as well. At the return of Jesus, we see the fulfillment of the eternal kingdom.
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Let us end therefore with this?

Matthew 7:24-27
Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’