Evangelism Part 12: Proclaiming the Kingdom
Matthew 10:7 August 20, 2023
Intro
Anyone here follow the drama around the British Royals?
o Queen Elizabeth – the longest reigning British monarch ever, having ruled for 70
years – passed away last September 8, 2022…we’re approaching the one year
anniversary
o Her son, now King Charles, was crowned in succession. Charles of course, has a
rather scandalous history (his affairs, the questionable death of his wife Princess
Diana, the present drama with his son Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle,
etc.) – nothing compared to many British royals of the past, mind you. Just ask
Henry VIII.
o In fact, if you look throughout history – there are very few examples of good and
wise kings or rulers in any part of the world. There are some – at least for a time –
who ruled well, but most are self-consumed, power driven, entitled, pride-filled
people who think themselves something great and able to indulge in whatever
they wish.
If you just break down the kings of Israel/Judah, you can count the number
of “good” kings on one hand – and every one of them still made bad
decisions and was terribly flawed.
As Americans we have been conditioned to recoil to the idea a king. We’re a democracy,
everyone is supposed to have their say. We’ve been taught that the best form of
government is democracy and we should seek to proliferate and spread democratic
ideals throughout the world.
o But we have become increasingly aware of the failures of democracy and seen
that our elected officials are broken and prideful people who make poor decisions
like most other rulers.
o This has lead to what many studies are showing is an increasing lack of trust in
democratic governments and officials, and a growing polarization within political
parties as we rally around personalities and political positions in a sound-bite
driven process.
For those who take a step back and honestly observe, it becomes easy to see that the
brokenness of this world is not going to be fixed by the current political systems: the
powerful and rich will continue to indulge themselves and the poor and oppressed will
continue to be used and exploited as they are kept under control with technological
escapism, the so-called American dream, and fear mongering about the latest thing that
will kill them if they don’t watch out.
These strategies of the enemy are nothing new…and have been going on since the
brokenness of sin entered the world. When Jesus was born and ultimately began his ministry thirty years later, the Roman emperors brutally ruled the known world from
Rome, delegating power and authority to local governors who abused their power to
their own indulgence and gain and to the exploitation of the people over which they
ruled. This was the era of the so-called Pax Romana – or Roman Peace – a time of
unprecedented stability in the world (as far as war goes) – and terrible exploitation and
deception of the masses.
o At this time, the Hebrew people called out to God to deliver them from their
Roman oppressors, and every couple of years a revolt would well up that would
be mercilessly crushed. The people eagerly sought the promised deliverer and
were quick to follow someone who showed themselves powerful; hoping they
would lead them out of the bondage of Roman rule.
Into this context, Jesus has been going around Northern Israel, in Galilee, teaching,
proclaiming, and healing – all the while announcing that a new kingdom was at hand. In
fact, we have been studying how Jesus had selected and equipped specific people to
help Him in spreading that message.
Matthew 10:5-7 “5 These twelve Jesus sent out, instructing them, “Go nowhere among
the Gentiles and enter no town of the Samaritans, 6 but go rather to the lost sheep of
the house of Israel. 7 And proclaim as you go, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at
hand.’”
Isaac taught Kingdom of God/Heaven, all over New Testament – especially the gospels.
o Isaac’s Kingdom breakdown: Sovereignty of God’s Kingdom, Manifestation of
God’s Kingdom, and Culmination of God’s Kingdom
Christ’s Kingdom
The Kingdom of Heaven is the present Rule and Reign of Christ which has already begun.
Evangelism is a proclamation of this reality: that the rule and reign of Jesus Christ is at
hand, that we are living within His reign right now, which is why, by the Grace of God
and power of the holy Spirit, whenever we have opportunity, we should wisely and
discerningly seek to share this truth with anyone who has ears to hear and eyes to see.
o Evangelism is persuasively sharing the truth of Christ’s present rule and reign –
which is the gospel.
The rulers of this world are faulty. They have been placed in power by God and we need
to be praying for them and for our country (see Romans 13:1-7, 1 Timothy 2:2). But
more than that, we are called to share the truth about the rule and reign of the true
King of Kings and Lord of Lords (see 1 Timothy 6:15, Revelation 17:14).
John 18:36-37 “36 Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom
were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered
over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.” 37 Then Pilate said to him, “So
you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone
who is of the truth listens to my voice.”
Jesus sent out his disciples, and has sent us out, so that we may be proclaimers of the
truth of the only Kingdom in which we can have freedom, peace, and hope.
Too often we can get sidetracked and trapped in pointless theological
debates or conversations that only serve to distract from the beauty of the
good news of Jesus’s Kingdom.
This is why Paul urged Timothy, 1 Timothy 1:3-7 “3 As I urged you when I
was going to Macedonia, remain at Ephesus so that you may charge certain
persons not to teach any different doctrine, 4 nor to devote themselves to
myths and endless genealogies, which promote speculations rather than
the stewardship from God that is by faith. 5 The aim of our charge is love
that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. 6
Certain persons, by swerving from these, have wandered away into vain
discussion, 7 desiring to be teachers of the law, without understanding
either what they are saying or the things about which they make confident
assertions.”
We cannot get caught up in empty conversation that are not going to
move people closer to Jesus. We have been sent out to proclaim the
truth of the kingdom of heaven. That the God of the universe has
come; that His rule and reign of peace, hope, and love is here, right
now. This is the aim of our charge, to proclaim that the loving
Kingdom of Heaven can be understood, experienced, and initiated in
someone’s life right now.
o This is the good news. That we have a King – the one true king – who rules and
reigns right now, and who will one day return and fix all of the brokenness of this
world. But until that day, we are proclaimers that the kingdom of heaven is at
hand right now…that’s the message of the Good news – and we’re going to break
that message down specifically in the next sermon or so.
o We have to be careful not to get distracted away from that message of God’s
kingdom; the good news must be our focus. Yes, we can have theological
conversations – but recognize that rarely do they produce spiritual growth and a
deeper walk with Jesus. The good news is not complicated. It is sweet and simple
and life-giving to those who have ears to hear and eyes to see.
So as we close, I just want to give you a picture of what the good news of Christ’s
kingdom entails. These are things we should be winsomely and wisely talking about with
people as the Lord gives us opportunity to be heralds of His kingdom truth.
That, in Christ’s Kingdom:
The lost are found – Luke 15:4-6
The irredeemable are redeemed – Ephesians 1:7, Titus 2:14
The sick are healed – Matthew 4:23-24
The dirty are cleaned – John 13:8, 1 John 1:7
The enemy of God is made God’s friend – 2 Corinthians 5:18-20, James
2:23
The homeless are given a home – John 14:2-3
The defeated are made victorious – 1 Corinthians 15:57
The faltering are rescued – Matthew 14:30-31
The hungry are fed and the thirsty are satisfied – John 6:35
The enslaved are set free – Galatians 5:1
Those who deserve death are given life – John 15:13, 1 Peter 2:24-25
The old is made new – 2 Corinthians 5:17
The burdened have their weight lifted – Matthew 11:28-30
The exploited and oppressed are given justice – Luke 4:18-21
The guilty are pardoned – John 8:1-11
The weak are made strong – 2 Corinthians 10:9-10
Those in darkness are brought into the light – John 1:5, 1 John 1:5-7
The deceived are given truth – John 14:6, 16:13
The vulnerable are protected – John 10:28-30
The lacking are provided for – Philippians 4:19
The failing are transformed – Hebrews 10:10
The dead are reborn and raised to life – John 3:3-6, 5:21
Conclusion
There is no other king who can do these things. There is no government or worldly
escape mechanism who can provide what Jesus will freely give. His peace, hope, and
love cannot be earned or bargained for; they are simply received by submitting to the
rule and reign of Jusus Christ.
His kingdom is at hand. The kingdom of heaven is here, right now, and working to fix the
brokenness in this world. The Spirit of the King is moving, the messengers of the King
have been sent out. We have but one job: to proclaim the truth of the Kingdom as we
make disciples of the King, humble followers who submit to his rule and never need fear
that He will lead them astray; Never need worry that their King will falter and fail like
the kings of this world.
Our king will reign forever more, and by His grace, we have the privilege of proclaiming
His glorious reign to a hurting world that is desperate for the one true King. His reign is
here. His rule is here. The return of the King is imminent, and until then, we still have
time to welcome more brothers and sisters to join us in service to our mighty Sovereign.
Amen. Amen.