Title: Gospel of the Kingdom/Matthew 7:21
Contents The Gospel of Heaven
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bible text
Scope of Reading: The entire Gospels
.... Jesus went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every disease and every disease among the people... (Matthew 4:23)
... Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only those who do the will of my Father who is in heaven... (Matthew 7:21)
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Heaven is... (Yehwa)
A man was lonely and poor, and he was having a hard time living. He suffered an accident at work and was evicted without any compensation. So he resented the world. In desperation, I wandered the streets. Then he stole someone else's car. He drove in stolen cars, picked up vulnerable women, and robbed them. He was eventually caught by the police and imprisoned.
However, there was a woman who visited him often, comforted him, and gave him constant warmth and love. This woman was one of the victims of the robbery. But this woman covered the robber with love. The robber was moved by the woman's unchanging love, sincerely repented of his sins and became a new person. After being released from prison, the man worked hard again and saved money... and became a person who raised orphaned children with his own mercy.
The sharp laws and the iron bars of a strict prison can be a force that suppresses and regulates sin. But the power that makes a person new and whole is in love.
the gospel of jesus
The gospel of Jesus is not about restraining sin with the law. It regenerates the soul as love.
The gospel of Jesus is not the law written on stone tablets, but the law of God written on the heart.
Gospel of Heaven
The word heaven is mainly used in the Gospel of Matthew, whereas the word kingdom of God is mainly used in other Gospels. These two words are used interchangeably.
The concept of heaven encompasses the entire work of Jesus Christ, and it can be said that Jesus came to this earth to establish the kingdom of heaven (the kingdom of God). Therefore, all of the Lord's activities can be understood within the concept of heaven.
Last week, I pondered the topic of "Why did Jesus come" in Luke 4:14-19. We can summarize three ideas that run through the sentence.
First, the covenant
God's covenant was the fulfillment of the Messianic kingdom (the kingdom of heaven) that has been consistently presented in the Old Testament. The Messianic kingdom was fulfilled through Jesus Christ. (Ex 15:17~18, Psalm 103:18~19)
To those who keep their covenant, remember their ordinances, and do them. The Lord has set his throne in heaven, and by his government he rules over all (Psalm 103:18-19).
Second, God saves his people.
God saves His people from sin and the power of Satan. Ephesians 1:12-14 says that Jesus came for this very purpose, and that God intended to sanctify His people as an inheritance for glory.
“This was so that we, whom we had long hoped for in Christ, might become to the praise of his glory, in whom you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Spirit, which is the guarantee of our inheritance. to redeem what he had acquired, to the praise of his glory."
(Inheritance means: the state where God is present. The corporation means the kingdom of God.) (Reference Genesis 17:7-8, Exodus 29:45)
Third, God who fights and gives victory
God is a God who fights his enemies for his people and gives them victory. That God allows us to fight and overcome Satan. Because of the nature of his people, because of their weakness and sinful habit, God made his own son the scapegoat for the people and broke Satan, who works after sin and death. This could only be achieved through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross. Therefore, in Christ Jesus he says, "There will be no more condemnation."
If the above three are reduced to one word, it is salvation, that is, salvation from heaven.
We see throughout the Bible that the concept of "heaven" does not focus on territory, but rather on "ruling" where God is present and reigns.
"...They will speak of the glory of your kingdom, and they will speak of your might, so that all men may know of your mighty works and the majesty of your kingdom. Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your reign is from generation to generation." (Psalm 145) :11~13)
proclamation of heaven
In Matthew 3:2, the kingdom of heaven was first proclaimed through the mouth of John the Baptist. He fulfills his mission as an important mediator between the old and new orders, proclaiming the kingdom of heaven and witnessing to Jesus Christ.
In Matthew 4:17 and Mark 1:15, we can see that Jesus Christ Himself proclaimed the kingdom of heaven. Heaven came with Christ, and we can receive it through repentance. Because Jesus Christ is the God of Immanuel, who has the kingship of God and is present among His people.
Heaven's Present
Those who believe in the King, Jesus Christ, are already under his rule. He is not like the prince of the world, but full of grace, mercy, and love. Before his kingship, there were demons (Mt 12:28), diseases (Mt 11:5), and all things of nature (Mt 14:19-20, Mt 14). :26) Everyone obeys. Christ's reign is perfect.
As shown in today's text Matthew 4:23, there is the presentness of the kingdom of heaven where Christ is present.
Christ teaches the gospel of the kingdom. Heaven is the truth that God has taught from the Old Testament to the present. Jesus Christ is now invisible. But the Holy Spirit comes upon those who believe and teaches the kingdom of heaven.
The Lord is preaching the kingdom of heaven. The presentness of heaven is the heaven where it is spread. The current church is a battle church that fights for him. Therefore, all grace and blessings are centered on the spread of the Gospel. Therefore, in order to receive blessings, you must evangelize.
Evangelism is not about being forced to believe, but about spreading good news. Isn't it hard to force your neighbors to believe?... But it's easy to spread the good news. Believers do good deeds and receive grace abundantly, but they spread the word by surprising their neighbors.
The presentness of the kingdom of heaven lies in the presence of Christ to take away the sins and diseases of his people, restore them, and heal them.
The people of Jesus Christ receive forgiveness of sins (Matthew 9:6).
The people of heaven receive eternal life. Heaven is never a country to go to after death. Heaven is the land of the living. It is the land of those who have attained eternal life. It is a nation of those who have been born again through Jesus Christ. (John 3:16-36, 17:3)
The presentness of heaven is in the unity of love in Jesus Christ. (John 15)
Those who are united in love fulfill the commandments of Christ (John 15:9~10).
Those who believe and pray receive answers to their prayers (John 15:7, 16) and gain power (John 14:10-12).
Those who believe and pray will find full joy (John 15:11).
Heaven is a country into which we enter through faith. The present heaven comes upon that heart.
The Jewish religious leaders hoped for heaven, but did not believe in the kingdom of heaven that came with Jesus Christ (Luke 17:20-21).
However, prostitutes and publicans became members of the kingdom of heaven through faith. (Matthew 21:31) Even the thief on the right hand of Jesus' cross was recognized by Jesus as a member of the kingdom of heaven.
heaven's future
Heaven does not only come to the soul, but to come socially, as a real state organization, and with real territory.
But the country will come in the future.
That heaven will be completed after judgment. It will be after this time of tribulation.
It is not a country where the dead enter after death.
It is a country where those who already have the present heaven, those who already have eternal life, will have the kingdom of heaven in their hearts completed as a reality.
It is not a country to enter without a body. Even those who are already dead will surely be resurrected and enter it in a spiritual body.
Until then, there are still many generations to come. And then there will be a new heaven and a new earth.
These new heavens and new earth are not metaphors of any facts. It is literally a new heaven and a new earth.
Heaven will come after the Second Coming of Christ.
The Second Coming Christ will judge sin (Matthew 25:46).
No one knows yet when the Lord will return.
But he told them to know that the time has come by seeing the signs of the last days.
Now is the time for us to be awake. (Matthew 25:13)
I pray that you will not live a life that enjoys the pleasures of the sins of the world, but that you will keep the present heaven in your heart and live a life of walking with the Lord.