Jesus Preached the Kingdom of God

Luke 4:40-44

INTRO: Good morning church. Our text this morning is from the gospel of Luke 4:40-44. “40. Now when the sun was setting, all those who had anyone sick with various diseases brought them to Him; and He laid His hands on every one of them and healed them. 41. And demons also came out of many, crying out and saying, "You are the Christ, the Son of God!'' And He, rebuking them, did not allow them to speak, for they knew that He was the Christ. 42. Now when it was day, He departed and went into a deserted place. And the crowd sought Him and came to Him, and tried to keep Him from leaving them; 43. but He said to them, "I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, because for this purpose I have been sent.'' 44. And He was preaching in the synagogues of Galilee.”[NKJV] In these verses we read about the two main activities of Jesus during His ministry.

One activity was healing. - Imagine what it was like when Jesus would be in an area and people would bring their loved ones, relatives and friends to the Lord to be healed. All those people with their various diseases and afflictions coming to Him, and Jesus healed them.

The other activity was preaching. - Jesus indicated in verse 43 that He was compelled to preach the Kingdom of God. The people wanted Him to remain with them but He said, “I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also…”. Jesus was endeavoring to reach as many people as He possibly could and He says, “… for this purpose I have been sent.”

Earlier in this chapter at verse 16 we find Jesus teaching in the synagogue in Nazareth. There He read from the Book of Isaiah where Isaiah had prophesied about 700 years earlier that the Lord would come to accomplish certain objectives. Two of those were to preach deliverance to the captives and to heal people. (Isaiah 61) Those were the two main activities of Jesus during His ministry.

Preaching the kingdom was very important to the Lord. In Matthew chapter 4 we read of Jesus fasting in the wilderness, His being tempted, His baptism by John and then in verse 17 His beginning to preach. Matthew 4:17 “From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.''” That message was not new because John had already been preaching it. The Kingdom was soon to be established. Jesus called upon people to repent, to be ready for the Kingdom.

In Matthew 4:23 it says, “ Now Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people.” Jesus preached and healed.
Matthew 9:35 says, “And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.” In Luke 8:1, “Now it came to pass, afterward, that He went through every city and village, preaching and bringing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with Him,”
Jesus preached the Kingdom of God throughout His ministry.

I find this interesting in Acts 1:1-3. “1. The former account I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach. 2. until the day in which He was taken up, after He through the Holy Spirit had given commandments to the apostles whom He had chosen, 3. to whom He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God.” Following His resurrection, Jesus was with His disciples for a period of 40 days during which He spoke to them of things pertaining to the Kingdom of God. Not only did Jesus place great emphasis on preaching the Kingdom of God during His ministry, but after His resurrection He continued to speak to His disciples about God's everlasting Kingdom.

As Jesus preached, He gave His requirements for entering God's kingdom. Today we will take a look at six of the Lord's requirements. It's important for us to be aware of this as we endeavor to enter the kingdom and we also need to keep this information in mind to remain in the kingdom.

I. We must be POOR IN SPIRIT – In Matthew 5 let’s consider several things that Jesus preached in His great sermon. He begins with what we call the Beatitudes and the first one is found in Matthew 5:3. “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” One requirement for being in the Kingdom of Heaven is being poor in spirit. Exactly what does that mean?

A. We're fortunate to have a number of passages that explain what it means to be poor in spirit.

1. The first one is Psalm 51:17. David composed this Psalm after it was pointed out to him by Nathan the prophet, that he was guilty of adultery and murder. He had committed adultery with Bathsheba, and then he had her husband put in a position that led to his death.

a. David was filled with remorse for what he had done, and he composed this psalm. Psalm 51:1 “Have mercy upon me, O God, According to Your lovingkindness; According to the multitude of Your tender mercies, Blot out my transgressions.”
b. Now look at verse 17, “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart. These, O God, You will not despise.” That's a good inspired description of what it means to be poor in spirit.

2. Next let's look at Isaiah 57:15. “For thus says the High and Lofty One Who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: "I dwell in the high and holy place, with him who has a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.” Notice that God is associated with those who are poor in spirit. Isaiah uses the word we have as “contrite”, ( dakā'), which means crushed, destroyed to powder, and the word “humble”. Isaiah talks of those who were humble before God, who are contrite, and who want to have their spirit revived and be in good standing with God.
3. In Isaiah 66:2 God is talking of all things in heaven and earth and says, “For all those things My hand has made, and all those things exist,'' says the Lord. "But on this one will I look: on him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, and who trembles at My word.” This is another passage that helps us understand what it means to be poor in spirit.

B. We find indications of this in requests like David made in Psalm 19 and 139. First Psalm 19:12f “12. Who can understand his errors? Cleanse me from secret faults. 13. Keep back Your servant also from presumptuous sins; Let them not have dominion over me. Then I shall be blameless, And I shall be innocent of great transgression. 14. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and my redeemer.” And in Psalm 139:23f “Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; And see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” Statements such as these are made by someone who is poor in spirit, someone who wants their life to be right with God.
C. Let's consider one other illustration found in Luke 18. Jesus used a parable and made a contrast of two people who prayed. One was considered to be a religious man and the other a publican or a tax collector. I’m sure you all recall the parable. As it begins in Luke 18:9 we see who Jesus is telling this parable to. “He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:” Very quickly in the parable we see that one was poor in spirit, one was not.

1. “"The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, `God, I thank You that I am not like other men extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. `I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.'” The prayer of the Pharisee was a monologue, acknowledging no need, seeking no blessing, confessing no lack, admitting no sin, and beseeching no mercy; it was as cold and formal as an icicle. It enumerated the virtues of the Pharisee and closed with an insult cast in the direction of the publican! It showed that he had a big eye on himself, a bad eye on the publican, and no eye at all upon God! Although God was mentioned, the prayer was actually with himself, presumably rising no higher than where he stood.
2. “And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, `God be merciful to me a sinner!'” The prayer of the tax collector, on the other hand, was short, informal, and warm with the earnestness of a soul burdened with sin. It confessed his sin, besought the Lord for mercy, and was attested by the sorrow and shame that smote his breast.
3. This was one of few prayers Jesus ever commended, verse 14. “I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be abased, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” The prayer of the tax collector resulted in his "justification." This is a big word which shows that God had received him accounting him righteous to the extent this was possible under the law.

D. All of these passages help us understand what it means and does not mean to be poor in spirit.

II. We must EXCEED THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF THE SCRIBES AND PHARISEES - Let's look at another requirement for entering God's kingdom. Matthew 5:19-20, “"Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. "For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.”

A. In order to enter the Kingdom, we must exceed the righteousness of the Scribes and the Pharisees who were the religious leaders of the Jewish people.

1. They disobeyed certain commands of God, and they taught others to do the same. These very people had developed a set of traditions over the years that in some cases, they considered to be weightier than the actual laws that God gave through His servant Moses.
2. Jesus rebuked these people because they put so much emphasis on paying tithes even of the least materials in their homes. They were very careful to give a 10th of that unto the Lord, but they overlooked things such as judgment, mercy, and faith.

B. Let me give you one quick example of how they disobeyed the commands of God by their own traditions. I’ll be referring to what is in Mark 7:2-13.

1. These religious leaders were very quick to point out to the Lord that his disciples ate food with what they considered to be unwashed or defiled hands. In other words, the disciples had not gone through this ritual ceremony of cleansing themselves before they ate.
2. They had a tradition from the elders which said, unless you go through that ritual of cleansing yourself, you can’t eat food, can’t eat a meal. This was a binding tradition which said, if people did not go through this ceremony of cleansing themselves, then they could not eat.
3. If they did, then they were violating the tradition of the elders. These leaders came to the Lord and condemned his followers for eating food with what they considered to be defiled hands. They underestimated the wisdom of the Lord.

C. In verse 6f He said, “"Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: `This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.' "For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men the washing of pitchers and cups, and many other such things you do.''And He said to them, "All too well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition”

1. Jesus continues and quotes from the law in the books of Moses that talked about taking care of parents. He said, that’s what the law says.
2. Then He tells them; but you've come up with this tradition of Corbin, which says, if you take a portion of your estate and you call it Corbin, it's dedicated to the service of God, and you if were going to use that amount to take care of your parents when they were aged, then you are no longer bound to take care of your parents.
3. That's the tradition that they had, and Jesus pointed it out to them. It was to those very people, He said, “in vain they do worship Me teaching for doctrines the Commandments of Men.”
4. That's just one illustration of how the Scribes and the Pharisees disobeyed certain commands of God that they did not like, and they taught the people to do the same thing.

III. We Must DO THE FATHER'S WILL – Jesus emphasized the importance of obedience to what He had taught. Matthew 7:21-23. “"Not everyone who says to Me, `Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. "Many will say to Me in that day, `Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' "And then I will declare to them, `I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!'” Jesus indicated that in order to enter God's kingdom, we must do the Father's will.

A. Jesus preached the Kingdom of God and as He did so He revealed the requirements for being in the Kingdom. Here Jesus says that many will be lost who claim to have done great things in the name of the Lord.

1. Why are they going to be lost? Because they failed to do the Father's will. The Lord requires us to submit to the will of the Father.
2. That's a part of being poor in spirit. One who is poor in spirit wants to do the will of the Father.

B. In verse 24 Jesus says, “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man…” The key to everlasting life is in Jesus’ saying, "these sayings of Mine!" The final, ultimate and exclusive authority in true religion is the word spoken by Christ. Jesus commanded the church to teach "whatsoever I have commanded you" (Matthew 28:20). He declared that the words He spoke would judge men at the last day (John 12:48). “Whoever transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God…” (2 John 1:9). "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly" (Colossians 3:16), Jesus said, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.” (Matthew 24:35)

IV. We Must BE CONVERTED AND BECOME AS LITTLE CHILDREN – Next look with me at Matthew 18:1-4.

A. The disciples wanted to know who was the greatest in the kingdom. That question seems to have been very much on the minds of the disciples because that issue came up on several occasions. In His teaching of the disciples Jesus dealt with it differently on each occasion. Let's see how He dealt with it here.
B. “At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, "Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?'' And Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, and said, "Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. "Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” Before Jesus answered their question in verse 4, He told them how to enter the Kingdom in verse 3.

1. Picture this scene of our Lord and His disciples. They're all grown men and they want to know who is the greatest in the Kingdom.
2. Jesus responds to that by putting a little child in the middle of these grown men. Picture in your imagination the expressions on the faces of those men. I've also thought about the expression on that little child's face and I suspect maybe the child would have been intimidated somewhat to be in the middle of those grown men. That would have been an interesting situation.
3. Before Jesus explained who is great in the Kingdom, He says to enter the Kingdom, you’ve got to be converted, (turn or change), and become as this little child.

C. What does that mean? When we think of a little child we think of humility, freedom from prejudice, teachable, lovable, trustful, faith, lack of anxiety, and innocence.

1. How do we accomplish humbling ourselves as a little child? The Lord makes us innocent when we come to Him on His terms.
2. To enter God's kingdom, we must be converted and become as little children. That is innocent in the sight of God.

V. We Must ELIMINATE THINGS THAT WILL CAUSE US TO STUMBLE - Mark 9:43-48. “43. "And if your hand makes you sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed, than having two hands, to go to hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched 44. "where `their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.' 45. "And if your foot makes you sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame, than having two feet, to be cast into hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched 46. "where `their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.' 47. "And if your eye makes you sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes, to be cast into hellfire 48. "where `their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.'” Jesus taught that to enter God's Kingdom, and to remain in God's Kingdom by the way, we must eliminate things that will cause us to stumble.

A. Jesus illustrated His point by referring to important parts of the body that we would not want to lose, including a hand, a foot, and an eye. These would be things that are very special to us.

1. The lesson Jesus was teaching is that anything that will cause us to stumble must be eliminated. Even if it's something as important as a hand, a foot, or an eye.
2. He tells us to pay whatever price is necessary to remain in the Kingdom of Heaven. Get rid of anything that will cause you to stumble, even if it is something we hold dear, something we find so desirable that it will be hard to set aside.
3. We can't help but think about the rich young ruler who came to the Lord and wanted to know about eternal life. Jesus told him the price to pay. Jesus knew the young man's problem when he came to Him. He told him to sell all that he had and give it to the poor and then “come and follow me”. He wasn't willing to pay the price, was he? That was something that caused him to stumble and he wasn't willing to give it up. It's very sad when the Bible says “he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.”

B. The Kingdom of Heaven, the Kingdom of God, is very special. There are sacrifices to be made to enter and to remain in the Kingdom. The Lord wants us to pay the price, but He assures us that He'll bless us in return.

VI. We Must "BE BORN AGAIN," – Now we look at John 3:3-5. “3. Jesus answered and said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.'' 4. Nicodemus said to Him, "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?'' 5. Jesus answered, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.”

A. Jesus was approached by Nicodemus. He acknowledged the Lord's greatness. In verse 2, he said, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.” It would appear that Nicodemus had some questions in his mind.

1. John 2 ends with these words, “… He knew what was in man.” I believe Jesus knew what was in Nicodemus' mind when Nicodemus came to him. Jesus immediately started talking to him about the new birth.
2. As Jesus preached the Kingdom, He talked about the necessity of being born again to enter the Kingdom. Nicodemus struggled with this and after Jesus talked about the necessity of the new birth, Nicodemus asked some questions in verse 4. He was confused about the nature of this new birth.
3. Jesus explained it in verse 5 “… unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.” This is a very important requirement. In order to enter the Kingdom of God, we must be born again.
4. Jesus said this new birth consists of being born of water and of the spirit. It's not possible to be born physically a second time. Jesus wasn't talking about a physical rebirth, but about a spiritual birth.

CONCLUSION:
As Jesus preached the kingdom of God, He gave His requirements for entering that special kingdom. In order to enter the Kingdom, we must be poor in spirit, exceed the righteousness of the Scribes and the Pharisees, do the Father's will, become as little children, eliminate things that would cause us to stumble, and finally, in order to enter God's Kingdom, we must be born again. That is, born of water and of the spirit.

Jesus made things very plain when He preached and when He taught. We can understand these matters if we want to. The Lord wants us to pay the price in order to be members of His kingdom. What each person needs to do is examine them self and determine if they are complying with the Lord's requirements. If we find that we're not, we need to repent and do the Father's will.

The lesson is yours. If anyone in the assembly today with the need to be buried with Christ in baptism or anyone that desires the prayers of faithful Christians on their behalf, we encourage you to come forward while we stand and sing.

# ??? Reference Sermon by: Raymond Sieg