Topic: The Kingdom of God (Matthew 3:1-2)
2026 begins with the reading of Matthew’s gospel. Matthew writes with the theme of the Kingdom of God.
Matthew 3:1-2 says, “Now in those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, saying, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.’”
Matthew 4:17 says, “From that time Jesus began to preach and say, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.’”
When you break up the word "Kingdom" it means King-dom = King’s domain = implies authority and lordship. Basically, Jesus came into this earthly domain, ruled by the powers of darkness, and offered to all who were willing to receive the benefits of His world. The Kingdom refers to the realm of God’s domain—a realm of all sufficiency! Jesus illustrated the benefits of that Kingdom through His works of forgiveness, deliverance and healing.
Israel expected a Messiah. Prophets of old had predicted the coming of this One who would deliver them. Their expectation, though, was a King who would come, deliver them from their enemies and then rule over their nation as David and Solomon had done. They expected One who would rule with a rod of iron and avenge them for the suffering and persecution they had endured. What they failed to recognize was that their need, as well as ours, was not vengeance upon their physical enemies but rather the enemies of the soul such as sin, the devil and his works, and the self-righteous attitudes of the religious. The Messiah came but so did many surprises. His purpose was not according to their plan. His ways were not what they desired. His message of repentance caught them completely off-guard. In fact, He brought His world with Him!
The gospel of Matthew contains seven teaching segments that prove to the Jews that Jesus is the Christ, the fulfillment of the Old Testament.
- The presentation of the King (1:1-4:11)
- The proclamation of the King (4:12-7:29)
- The power of the King (8:1-11:1)
- The progressive Rejection of the King (11:2-16:12)
- The preparation of the King’s disciples (16:13-20-28)
- The rejection of the King (20:29-27:66)
- The proof of the King (28:1-20)
Matthew follows the pattern of John the Baptist in proclaiming the Kingdom of God. As you read Matthew’s Gospel, I pray you will have an opportunity to share with others the joy of the Kingdom of God.
1930 King George was to address the opening session of the Naval Conference in London. Radio was in its infancy, but through this media the king’s message was to be carried around the world. Just before the king was to go on the air, Walter Vivian, a young engineer of the Columbia Broadcasting Company, discovered a broken wire in the transmitter. There was no time for repairs with the world waiting to hear the message of the king. The young engineer took a piece of broken wire in one hand, and a piece of broken wire in the other hand, and for fifteen minutes Walter Vivian took two hundred and fifty volts of electricity through his body so that the king’s message might go through.
The world is waiting to hear the message of the King, and the disciples of the King are given the charge to proclaim the good news to our needy world. Can the King’s message be transmitted through you?
See you Sunday,
Dr. Scott Kallem