A. The Gospel is the Good News that God's Kingdom has come to earth. Jesus said, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." Someone put it this way, "Change the way you think, for God's Kingdom is right in front of your face, and you can't even see it!" A lot of people preach that God's Kingdom will come, but Jesus said it is at hand. The Kingdom is here and now! We are no longer looking for a future event. Jesus said that God's Kingdom had come already.
Isn't that what the Jews were waiting for? For the Messiah was to come and overthrow the Roman Government and re-establish God's Government? The Messiah was to restore the Kingdom to Israel. Jesus was teaching the good news that the Kingdom had come, but no one could see it, unless they first believed on Him. The good news is that you can be restored to proper standing in God's Kingdom today if you will repent and believe!
- Acts 1:6 - Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?
- Luke 23:51 - He had not consented to their decision and deed. He was from Arimathea, a city of the Jews, who himself was also waiting for the kingdom of God.
- Matthew 12:28 - But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you.
Q. What was the content of Jesus' message?
A. The good news that Jesus taught can be summed up in Luke 4:17-21:
- The Gospel was to be preached to the poor.
- The Gospel will heal the brokenhearted.
- The Gospel proclaims liberty to the captives. It sets them free!
- The Gospel allows the blind to recover their sight.
- The Gospel sets at liberty those who were oppressed.
- The Gospel proclaims the acceptable year of the Lord.
- The Gospel was fulfilled the very same day that Jesus read the words from the scripture.
The Good News or Gospel of the Kingdom is this, that God's Kingdom is here and now. You can enter into it if you will believe, repent and be saved. You can see it, if you will stop looking with your natural eyes, and open your eyes of faith. The Kingdom is real. It knows no jurisdictional or political party lines. It does not conform to the kingdoms of men, nor is it subject to them either. The Kingdom has laws and principles. The Kingdom is offensive. The Kingdom of God knows no ends nor bounds. It is eternal. It was since the beginning of time, and will never end. The Kingdom is constant. The bad news was that man chose to build his own kingdom which only leads to destruction. The good news is, that Christ has come and has made a way for men to be restored into the only lawful Kingdom this creation has ever know. It is a Kingdom of freedom and joy.
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