BIRTH OF THE KINGDOM

TONIGHT I WANT TO DO SOMETHING THAT HOPEFULLY MOST OF YOU HAVE NEVER SEEN.

1) I want to essentially build a timeline for the word kingdom as we find it in first books of the NT.

2) If you have a pen and paper you might create four columns.

3) At the far left should be enough space for about three words.

4) To that right of that column should be enough space for a Bible reference.

5) The third column should be big enough for the name of a Bible city.

6) The final column can be smallest as this will be reserved for dates.

7) A heading for your columns (from left to right) might be:

a) The “saying”—column # 1.

b) For column # 2, you might say “reference/verse” # 3: place; # 4 (last column): “date.”

8) All the references in our chart will come from either Matthew, Mark, or Luke.

9) The first reference for entry on the chart (this is column # 2) is Mt. 3:2.

10) The date (column # 4) is “29 AD.”

11) The place (column # 3) is Judaea.

12) We will get the “saying” (column # 1) from the words in the text – READ Mt. 3:2.

13) For the first column we want the two words just read: “at hand.”

14) In 29 AD there was a man by the name of John the Baptist who was preaching.

15) He was telling people to repent because the “kingdom of heaven” was at hand (close by).

16) On the second line of your chart (second column) you can put Mt. 4:17 into the reference box

17) By this time of course, Jesus had been tempted by the devil.

18) Instead of the area being Judaea, the place switches to Galilee (that goes under the “place” heading”).

19) Instead of being 29 AD, the time is now 30 AD.

20) For the saying we must go to the verse – Mt. 4:17 – READ.

21) Jesus said the kingdom of heaven was “at hand.”

22) He and John the Baptist were preaching the same message, but not in the same year.

23) We are now ready for the third line on our chart.

24) When we started this the first entry under “place” was Judea; Galilee; is underneath that.

25) For this next line Galilee is again the location.

26) The time is also the same (31 AD).

27) For the reference, insert Mt. 6:10.

a) Jesus had just made His apostles full time workers.

b) He was beginning to teach people about being a citizen in the kingdom of God.

c) As He dealt with the subject of prayer He said this – READ Mt. 6:10.

28) At the far left side of the column we have “at hand” on lines one and two.

29) For the third entry we have something new: “pray that the kingdom will come.”

30) Jesus and those in His day and time are portrayed as being very involved with the coming of a kingdom.

31) We are now ready for the fourth line on the chart.

32) In the “time” box for this line put in “31 AD.”

33) The place is Galilee, just like the preceding line.

34) For the “passage” citation you can write in Mt. 10:7; this reference is all about the limited commission.

35) Mt. 10:1 tells us Jesus called the twelve and gave them authority.
They were given the ability to cast out demons and cure the sick.

36) These men were to go to the “lost sheep of the house of Israel” (verse 6).

37) They were to preach the message recorded in verse 7 – READ.

38) For the first column we again need to insert the words “at hand.”

39) In the first century there was a lot of teaching about a coming kingdom.

40) This interest grew and Jesus said more and more about this topic as time progressed.

a) On your chart the date now changes to “32 AD” for the next line.

b) The place on the next line is again in Galilee.

c) The reference is Lk. 10:9.

41) At the start of Lk. 10 we read about 70 men sent out by the Lord.

42) Two by two these preachers were dispatched to herald a message.

43) Verse 2 contains the prayer for there be more laborers to help with the harvest.

44) The sick were to again be healed (verse 9), but notice the main point of the message:

45) Verse 9 – READ.

46) What goes in that far left blank comes right from the text: come nigh.

47) Different wording was used, but Jesus repeated this theme once again.

48) In fact, our chart will establish that He did this over a period of several years.

49) We sometimes read the kingdom statements but may never see how they build upon each other.

50) All the kingdom preaching in the gospels is inter-related.

51) Our next item on the chart, concerning the date, is once again “32 AD.”

52) This time, however, the city is different.

53) It is no longer Judaea or Galilee. It is a place called Caesarea.

54) In the 13^th verse of Mt. 16 Jesus said, “Who do men say I am?”

55) Several answers were given and then Peter expressed information given to him from above.

56) Peter said Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the Living God.

57) After this confession Jesus spoke about the “keys to the kingdom.”

58) In this same breath Jesus promised to “build His church” (verses 18-19).

59) For this line the words “will build” should be at the far left and Mt. 16:18-19 are the verses.

60) You need five more lines needed if you are making a chart.

61) On the next one you can repeat the year—it was 32 AD.

62) The place, however, is different once again (Bethesda).

63) Instead of a reference from Matthew, we now turn to Mark (the 9^th chapter).

64) Here Jesus became even more specific.

65) It was no longer “pray about the kingdom” and “the kingdom is at hand.”

66) Jesus increased the intensity of the thought by making a dramatic statement.

a) Here is what He said – Mk. 9:1 – READ.

b) In the far left blank you might insert the words “with power.”

67) This is a dramatically new piece of information.

68) People would identify the kingdom because its beginning would be easy to identify—power.

69) Jesus also reminded people that it would be coming soon.

70) Before people living in that day and time died, the kingdom would come.

71) Most know that 33 AD is the year that Jesus is believed to have died.

72) We have now arrived at that year on our chart (this will be a new line). Put in 33 AD for the date.

73) The location now changes to a place near Jerusalem.

74) For the reference you can insert Lk. 19:11.

a) Verse 11 introduces a parable which directly relates to the kingdom.

b) For our purposes we will only concentrate on the 11^th verse.

75) Here is what the passage says – READ.

76) People thought the kingdom of God was about to arrive; they were expecting it at any moment.

77) Instead of saying these people were wrong, Jesus told a parable.

78) He allowed the excitement about the kingdom to continue.

79) In that far left column, therefore, we can say that people were expecting the kingdom.

80) One of the people interested in the kingdom was a thief.

81) In 33 AD Jesus was at a place known as Golgotha.

82) On this line of your chart the reference is Lk. 23:41-42; again the time is 33 AD.

83) A thief said to the Lord, “remember me when you come into your kingdom.”

84) Jesus knew the kingdom was close.

85) For the last line on our chart we can insert these details, a couple of which I just mentioned

86) 33 AD was the time; the place was Aramathiea; Lk. 23:51 is the reference.

87) Luke tells us about Joseph and says he was “looking for the kingdom of God.”

88) Joseph did not consent to the Lord’s death. Luke says he was “good and righteous.”

89) A thief on a cross and a righteous man were both looking for the kingdom.

90) Were these men disappointed?

91) Our chart shows the progress of kingdom preaching in there of the gospels.

92) The book of Acts reveals how all these verses were finally fulfilled.

93) I want to read some verses from the second chapter of Acts.

a) The first seven verses of this chapter will be a good starting place – READ Acts 2:1-8.

b) Jesus said the kingdom of God would come with power (Mk. 9:1; 32 AD).

c) It is now about a year later. Do we have power in these verses?

d) A kingdom means there are citizens as well as entrance requirements.

e) Do we find these two items in Acts 2?

f) Verse 38 contains requirements – READ.

g) If there are requirements in Acts 2, what about the idea of citizenship? Verse 41 – READ.

h) A kingdom also has a ruler; do we find this in Acts 2? Acts 2:29-31a – READ.

The “saying”	Reference	Place	Date
“At hand”	Mt. 3:2	Judea	29 A.D.
“At hand”	Mt. 4:17	Galilee	30 A.D.
Pray “kingdom come”	Mt. 6:10	Galilee	31 A.D.
“At hand”	Mt. 10:7	Galilee	31 A.D.
“Come nigh”	Lk. 10:9	Galilee	32 A.D.
Will receive “keys”	Mt. 16:18-19	Caesarea	32 A.D.
Those living — see “power”	Mk. 9:1	Bethesda	32 A.D.
People expecting kingdom	Lk. 19:11	Near Jerusalem	33 A.D.
Thief wanted in the kingdom	Lk. 23:41-42	On a cross	33 A.D.
“Looking for the kingdom”	Lk. 23:51	Arimathaea	33 A.D.