The Kingdom of Heaven Is at Hand

Here’s a song I love to share on the guitar.
Hadn’t done this one in a long time either.
We’ll see how it goes.

I heard an old, old story
How a Savior came from glory,
How He gave His life on Calvary
To save a wretch like me.

I heard about His groaning,
Of His precious blood’s atoning;
Then I repented of my sin
And won the victory.

I heard about His healing,
Of His cleansing power revealing,
How He made the lame to walk again
And caused the blind to see.

And then I cried, “Dear Jesus,
Come and heal my broken spirit,”
And somehow Jesus came and brought
To me the victory.

O victory in Jesus,
My Savior forever;
He sought me and bought me
With His redeeming blood.

He loved me ’ere I knew Him,
And all my love is to Him;
He plunged me to victory
Beneath the cleansing flood.

I heard about a mansion
He has built for me in glory;
I heard about the streets of gold
Beyond the crystal sea,

About the angels singing
And the old redemption story,
And some sweet day I’ll sing up there
The song of victory.

O victory in Jesus,
My Savior forever;
He sought me and bought me
With His redeeming blood.

He loved me ’ere I knew Him,
And all my love is to Him;
He plunged me to victory
Beneath the cleansing flood.

Yes, I heard an old, old story
How a Savior came from glory.
Isn’t that a great story? Isn’t that a great story?

Wow. There is victory in Jesus, and I love that last part:
“I heard about a mansion He has built for me in glory.
I heard about the streets of gold beyond the crystal sea,
About the angels singing and the old redemption story,
And some sweet day I’ll sing up there the song of victory.”

And we’ve got a promise.
We’ve got a promise.

This morning I want to share with you a little bit out of the fourth chapter of Matthew.
This ties in with some of what we’ve been studying in Bible study. If you’re looking for a Bible study to attend, we meet on Wednesdays at 12 p.m. and again at 7 p.m. You’re welcome to come be a part of it. In the evening we also have activities for the kids.

We’re studying the third chapter of John because our watchword for the year is the call to be light. We are called to be light in this world, and part of being light for Jesus is to be a witness: to speak truth and tell what God has done for us through Jesus Christ.

That conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus in John 3 reveals a lot to us. It talks about being born again and gives us the good news of the gospel, and it is something we need to be familiar with. That’s what we are studying in depth.

But today I want to share with you from the fourth chapter of the gospel of Matthew, starting at the 12th verse. I hope you have your Bible with you and have turned there.

Matthew 4:12:

“Now when He heard that John had been arrested, He withdrew into Galilee. And leaving Nazareth, He went and lived in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, so that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled:

‘The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,
the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles—
the people dwelling in darkness have seen a great light,
and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death,
on them a light has dawned.’

From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.’”

Wow. Now that is good news, right?
Isaiah, many years before, had prophesied that people dwelling in darkness would see a great light. Jesus is that light. Jesus reveals God’s love to us. Jesus reveals God’s grace and forgiveness to us. Jesus shows us that we do not have to live life stuck in sin. The wages of sin is death; that is the darkness people were dwelling in. People do not have to stay stuck in their sin and darkness.

From that time on, when Jesus began His ministry, He preached, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” That is the good news: the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

In our Bible study in John 3, we talked about the kingdom because Jesus told Nicodemus, “You must be born again to see the kingdom of God.” We asked, “Where is the kingdom of heaven?” We got a variety of good answers, but here’s where it lands:

The kingdom of heaven exists in heaven, where God is seated on the throne and Jesus is seated at the right hand of the Father.
The kingdom of heaven also exists here on earth, where people who have professed Jesus and follow Him have become ambassadors of the kingdom. We are children of the kingdom, heirs of the kingdom. Because of that, the kingdom of heaven is seen, felt, and heard here on earth as well. We are the ambassadors who carry the good news of Jesus Christ to the world so that others can hear it, have the opportunity to respond, leave the darkness, and walk in the light and life of Christ.

What is that kingdom like?

Let me share a couple of Scriptures we covered in Bible study. First, the gospel of John, chapter 18, beginning at verse 33. Jesus is on trial before Pilate. The Jewish leaders have turned Him over, and Pilate is questioning Him:

“Pilate entered the headquarters again and called Jesus and said to Him, ‘Are You the King of the Jews?’
Jesus answered, ‘Do you say this of your own accord, or did others say it to you about Me?’”

The Sanhedrin had been upset with Jesus because He was proclaimed to be the King of the Jews. They brought Him to Pilate saying, “This man claims to be a king,” hoping Pilate would see Him as a threat to Caesar.

Verse 35:

“Pilate answered, ‘Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered You over to me. What have You done?’
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 this world.’”

The Jews of Jesus’ day were expecting the Messiah to come and set up an earthly kingdom right then, to solve all their political problems and make the Jewish nation the powerhouse of the world. Jesus says, “My kingdom is not of this world.” He is indeed King of kings and Lord of lords, the supreme leader over all things, but His kingdom is of a different kind.

His kingdom is a spiritual kingdom. It is not an earthly kingdom with palaces and armies and visible power on this earth—at least not at this time. His kingdom is spiritual, and when we receive Christ and are born again, we become ambassadors of that spiritual kingdom.

Now go with me to Hebrews chapter 1, verse 8:

“But of the Son He says, ‘Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of Your kingdom.’”

Jesus’ throne is forever and ever. His kingdom is eternal. That home Jesus promises us is an eternal home. We belong in the eternal realm with Jesus. How awesome is that!

Even though His kingdom is not yet a visible, physical kingdom on this earth, there are embassies all around the world. Every government has embassies; the U.S. has embassies in foreign lands, with ambassadors who speak with the full authority of their government and president.

In the same way, wherever a church exists, that church is like an embassy of the kingdom of God. Here at Fulp, this church is an embassy for the kingdom. When we speak God’s Word and share our testimony, we speak with the full weight and authority of the Author of this Word and of the living Word, Jesus Christ.

It is eternal, it is spiritual, and it is powerful.

Turn now to Revelation 11:15:

“Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, ‘The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever.’”

There is coming a time when every earthly kingdom will bow down to Jesus. Every knee will bow, every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. Those who belong to Christ will live and reign with Him. Those who have opposed Christ will go to their doom. All we know of the present heavens and earth will be destroyed, and a new heaven and new earth will be created. Those who belong to Jesus will rule and reign with Him there.

So we are powerful and victorious in Him. Even if, in the present day, it looks like the powers of this world are winning, they are not.

Revelation 17 describes a time when the nations give their power to the beast and make war on the Lamb:

“They will make war on the Lamb, and the Lamb will conquer them, for He is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those with Him are called and chosen and faithful.”

The kingdom of God is unconquerable. People have tried to destroy it—beheading believers, killing missionaries, burning churches, jailing worshipers—but they have never conquered the kingdom. They may stop an individual or a group for a time, but the kingdom of God stands. If someone takes a Christian’s life, that believer dies in body but lives on in the eternal kingdom and will come back with Jesus. What great assurance!

Doesn’t that sound like a great place to belong? A kingdom founded on the love of Jesus Christ.

Now go with me to Matthew 25:31–34:

“When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. Before Him will be gathered all nations, and He will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will place the sheep on His right, but the goats on the left.”

This is the great judgment. Everyone will stand before Jesus—those alive at His coming and those who have died, both saved and unsaved. The question will be: Have you believed and followed Me, or have you denied Me?

The sheep—those who believe—on His right; the goats—those who deny Him—on His left. Then:

“Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.’”

That is good news. The kingdom was prepared before the foundation of the world. God knew, before He created us, that we would be stubborn and sinful and that He would have to make a way for people to come to Him. The kingdom was set up along with the King—the Messiah, the Savior—who would open the way into that kingdom.

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.”

Without Jesus, we are already condemned. But God has made a way through Jesus. That was His plan all along, because He loves us so much.

You might say, “Preacher, how can that be for me? You don’t know what I’ve done. God could never love me.” Yes, He can. All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. At just the right time, Christ died for the ungodly. That’s all of us before we know Him.

So what do you do?
Acknowledge to God that you are a sinner.
Ask Him for His forgiveness.
Learn of Jesus and follow Him.
Repent—turn from your sin—and start living the new life in Jesus.

Then you become an heir to the kingdom. Saved. Saved. That’s good news.

Let me take you to two final passages.

First, Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5:3:
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

“Poor in spirit” means those who humble themselves before God—who recognize who Jesus is, His authority, and our own sinful state, and who turn to Him.

Second, John 14. Many are troubled today—inside and outside the church. It is a troubling time. But remember Jesus, what He has done for you, and what He promises.

John 14:1:
“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in Me.”

The answer to our trouble is to believe in God the Father and in Jesus the Son, and let Him live in us.

Then He speaks of the future:

“In My Father’s house are many mansions. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going.”

If you are listening today, you know the way: it is through trusting and walking in relationship with Jesus Christ. He is the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but through Him. There is no other way.

So, let not your hearts be troubled, those who trust in Christ. He will come and take us to Himself. And if you are troubled without Christ, you have the opportunity right now to come to Him, lay down your troubles, and receive life in Him.

John 14:27:
“Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.”

Father, we thank You for this day and this time. We thank You that even though we are not able to gather in a building today, we can still worship You together through the technology You have provided. And not only that, but many others can join later today, tomorrow, or in the weeks to come. We are so thankful for that.

Father, in this day I pray that Your peace would rest on all who believe. Let our hearts not be troubled. Help us walk in the truth that You love us, that You hold us, and that we will live and reign with You forever—that this is not all there is.

For those who are lost in trouble or chained by their sins—walking dead among us—I pray that Your Holy Spirit would take these words and work in their hearts. Bring them to a place where they are no longer troubled or afraid, where they trust Jesus, are changed, redeemed, saved, and become part of Your kingdom, with Your peace ruling in their hearts.

We also lift up those among our members who live alone, who are not very mobile, who cannot get around easily. We are concerned about what might happen if this weather brings long-term power outages. Father, we thank You for the weather and trust that You bring what we need, but we ask that a crippling ice storm would not be allowed to hit, and that power would not be taken from the most vulnerable among us.

We pray that places would provide shelter, heat, and warmth for those without adequate shelter and heat, and that provisions would be made for all people to be safe in the midst of this storm.

Thank You, Father, for this time, for Your Holy Spirit with us, and for Jesus—in whose name we humbly pray. Amen.