Luke 19v11-27

Jesus was on his final trip to Jerusalem. He would soon enter the city on Palm Sunday. Jesus is preparing his disciples for His departure and spending a lot of time teaching them about the coming of the kingdom and what exactly kingdom life looks-like.

The closer Jesus got to Jerusalem, the greater the excitement and anticipation that he was about to set up his physical kingdom immediately. But the disciples did not understand that Jesus was about to depart from this earth and go to the far country of heaven where God the Father would crown him as king of the kingdom of God. Jesus was hinting at his imminent departure, where he would go to receive his kingship and reign until some future time, known only by the Father, when he would return to earth in glorious triumph. Only then would the kingdom of God be visible to everyone.

WHAT IS THE KINGDOM OF GOD?

The kingdom is an incredibly important theme in the Bible. In the ESV translation, “kingdom” is mentioned 126 times in the Gospels. Jesus preached about it constantly. “The kingdom of God has come! Therefore repent and believe!” He didn’t just preach the coming of the kingdom. He preached the coming of the kingdom and the way people could enter it.

Acts 28:31 summarizes Paul’s ministry like this; “proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance.”

The author of Hebrews exults in the fact that cannot believers in Christ are”…receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe.” Hebrews 12:28

Peter encourages his readers with the thought of being richly welcomed into “the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.” 2 Peter 1:11

Then in the book of Revelation, all the hosts of heaven erupt in praise: "Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come.” Rev 12:10

But what is the kingdom exactly? The kingdom of God is God’s reign — his sovereign action in the world to redeem and deliver a people and then at a future time finish it and renew his people and the universe completely.

It is crucial that we understand personally how to be in God’s kingdom, because Jesus makes it clear that His awful judgment will fall suddenly and certainly on everyone who is not in His kingdom. To be in God’s kingdom, we must be personally related to God’s King Jesus and we must faithfully await the kingdom’s consummation when He returns in glory to judge everyone.

Discussion Questions

1. How can we break free from this present evil world system and keep our focus properly on God’s kingdom?

2. How can the kingdom be both present and still future?

3. Remember in Matthew 16, Jesus institutes his church “upon this rock” of Peter’s confession of faith and then immediately says, “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven” (v. 19). What are these 'keys of the kingdom of God' ?