1-3-2-Kingdom Heaven
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1-3-2-Kingdom of Heaven

The Kingdom of Heaven is the main theme of the Gospel according to Matthew.  The kingdom of heaven that Christ preached was a kingdom of Love.  It was as far away from the political ideas of the revolutionaries as it was from those of the Roman Empire.

The word "Kingdom" appears more than 50 times in Matthew's gospel.  We recommend as we progress through the gospels that you underline it each time it is found.

Goals:

On completing the following lessons you should be able to achieve the following goals:

  1. Give three Bible Names for Jesus' kingdom.

  2. Identify and explain seven key words which have a hidden reference to the Kingdom.

  3. Explain what Jesus meant when he said we should seek first his kingdom and it's righteousness, and then give the Bible reference for these words.

  4. Discuss how we can find and obey the will of God.

  5. Name two of the chief characteristics of this kingdom and discuss what happens in the life of a believer when he does not show these in his life.  You will also be able to discuss how he corrects this failure.

  6. Discuss the Kingdom as it is set up at the present and how this differs from the future kingdom.

  7. Discus the condition of a believer in the present kingdom and the change that will take place in the future kingdom.  Tell how these truths will affect our lives when we understand them.

The Kingdom of Heaven

In the first place it is important to know that the Bible uses at least three different names for this same kingdom.

What are these:

  1. In Matthew 13:33

  2. In Luke 13:20

  3. In Ephesians 5:5

They are in fact three different names for the same spiritual kingdom.  The word "kingdom" occurs 11o times in the New Testament.

The Jews were waiting for the day when a king of their own would come who had supernatural powers.  Like all kings he would have to be anointed, and because of this they  called the coming king the Messiah.  Messiah means anointed.

God had chosen a family from which the king of the Jews would come (Read Luke 1:32)

In John 1:41 we have a Greek translation of the Hebrew word "Messiah."  What is the Creek word for Messiah?

Who had descended on Jesus and remained on Him? (Read Luke 4:18)

Look up Hebrews 1:8.  "Your throne, O God, will last for and ever, will be the sceptor of your kingdom."

Look up Hebrews 2:7.  "You crowned him with and ."

Christ the King

Write down which of the three symbols of a king's authority corresponds to the letters:

C.

S.

T.

One day Jesus healed a poor demoniac.  In this story we see Jesus' Kingdom in conflict with another kingdom, the Kingdom of Satan.  Read about it in Matthew 12:22.

a.  Was the demon-possessed man in the kingdom of Christ or the Kingdom of Satan before Jesus healed him?  The Kingdom of

b.  Read verse 28.  According to Jesus in which Kingdom was the man after he was healed?  The Kingdom of .

c.  After the miracle, the people asked (Read verse 23) if Jesus could possibly be the son of .

"Son of David" is one of the seven word/phrases with a hidden reference to the .  So in using the title "Son of David" these Jewish people were really wondering if Jesus was their long awaited Messiah, or anointed , the of had come upon them.

According to verse 28, by whose help had Jesus -been able to cast out the demon from this poor man and bring him into the Kingdom of God?

A man's life and heart is a throne which can either be occupied by Christ or by Satan, but never by both at once (same time).

So we can see that the Kingdom of Heaven is present, not only with the Father in glory, but  that it is ALSO present when effectively rules in our lives.

What happens when someone becomes a member of the kingdom of Heaven, that is, when he asks Christ to rule over his life?  The Lord's prayer makes this plain.  Read Matthew 6:10.  What is the first thing asked for in this passage?

According to verse 10, what must be done here on earth so that God's Kingdom can come?

The Lord's Prayer teaches us that the Kingdom of Heaven is set upon earth when Christ is on the throne and ruling in the lives of those who do the of Jesus the King, instead of their own .

Think of examples from your own experience of ways in which you have found out what is the will of God for you, and be prepared to share these.

When the Kingdom of Heaven comes in power in to our lives, and we let Jesus rule over every part, wonderful things begin to happen.  After reading Romans 14:17, write in the spaces what the Kingdom of God is: and and .

Remember that Christ's rule never comes by force, but always by and therefore can be pushed aside, even by a Christian.

This also means that even a member of the Kingdom of Heaven (a real Christian) can fail to show the qualities he should in his life.  This happens when he stops allowing to rule over certain areas of his life.

In Galatians 5:16-17 Paul describes this constant struggle in the life of a believer, between our own will and that of Christ.  In these verses he calls:

a. our own self-will the
b. the will of Christ the

In Matthew 6:33 Jesus gives us some very good advice.  He says: "Seek His Kingdom."

Underline in Red the word kingdom in Matthew 6:33.

Christ our king died so that we should live no more for ourselves but for Him.  Therefore, whether we are eating, sleeping, traveling, praying or even just breathing, it must be for him.

Remember that Jesus never forces His rule upon you.  It can only come by love.  Why not stop for just a minute to make sure that He is on the throne of your life.  Bow in prayer and invite Him to help you find and obey his will in all things.

So far we have only thought about the Kingdom of Heaven as it is here and now (in the present).  We must also think of the future Kingdom and how it will be set up on that great day when Christ will come back again to rule over the whole universe, over all His enemies, and even over Satan himself.  What will the whole world confess on that day?  Read Philippians 2:11)

According to Philippians 2:10, who will bow the knee at the name of Jesus in the future kingdom.  Those who are in , on and under the .

Here are two more wonderful things about the future kingdom: 
a.  Satan will be finally bound and thrown out, and will never again be able to bother members of the Kingdom of Christ.
b.  Self-will will be totally ended, and will never be felt again by the members of the Kingdom of Christ.

Now take time for quiet prayer.

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