The Gospel of the Kingdom

Could you use some good news, brethren? I mean, some really good news? This Thursday I got up and kind of started the morning routine as usual at home. The alarm goes off about 6.45 in the morning each day, and we get up, and the girls are getting ready for school, and Darla's fixing breakfast, and I usually grab my cup of coffee and sit down, and we turn on the news, and I watch the national news and the headlines at 7 o'clock in the morning.

And so Thursday was no different than any other day, and I sat down and I turned on the news, and after about 15 minutes of it, I commented to Darla, and I said, We're living in a world gone mad.

You know, just kind of watching the headlines, and there was nothing necessarily special about Thursday, but just kind of our headlines on any given day. Specifically on Thursday, what I recall from the headlines, you had the oil refinery fire in Saudi Arabia, and the accusations and the likelihood that perhaps that came from sabotage from Iran. So you have positioning and posturing and accusation back and forth. Also, we had the American Airlines sabotage story, and this person who is now, I believe, arraigned on sabotaging the plane, and of course the light comes on before the plane takes off, and that flight is aborted, thankfully.

There was bad weather crisis. Houston was swimming under a lake of water. Other parts of the world as well. Weather crisis, and I think I saw a blurb that there were more tropical storms and significant storms down in the south, both in the Atlantic, Pacific, Gulf side, than there has been at one time ever.

There were like six or seven qualifying storms here this week in that region. Next came the vaping crisis on the news. The vaping crisis has taken place this week. Then there were your typical, we have a crazy president type stories. And those are kind of, not that I'm calling him crazy, I'm saying that the media spin on many of the stories are out, or let's try to make our president kind of seem like he's ready for the loony bin, and not the White House.

So I'm sitting there watching these things, and I'm thinking, you know, we're living in a world gone crazy. And none of it was particularly encouraging. The girls went off to school, and I thought, well, this is Thursday morning, I really need to focus on a sermon. And I sat down, and the phone rang, and I looked at the caller ID. It was a local number, and so I answered it, and it was an automated recording, trying to sell me an extended car warranty. Hung up, I really didn't need that. Went back to sitting down and say, all right, let's get started on the message.

And then my cell phone rang, and I literally looked at my cell phone, and I said, you better be good news. As I said, we've had people in and out of the hospital, my own family members in the hospital, and it was just kind of an unusually busy week in certain ways. And I just thought, you better be good news. And it was. It was Dennis actually calling me. Dennis Giles gave me a call, and he called just to say hi and see what was going on in the touch base, and we had a pleasant conversation.

And I went forward from there, actually encouraged and uplifted, because sometimes the phone rings, and please do call when you need to call, all right? But sometimes the phone rings, and you're trying to do things, and it's a telemarketer for this, or it's something else. And I just literally, in the mood I was in, I looked at the phone, and I said, please, just be good news. I think there's times where we can all use some good news.

So again, my question for you, can you use some good news? And how about the world we live in, this world around us? Could this world use some good news? Well, I think, again, if you look at the headlines, we would all agree, yes. This world could use some good news, but really, we can be reminded of some good news that we're already aware of from time to time.

That's what I'd like to do today. The term gospel in the Bible literally means good news. And it's the good news that Jesus Christ brought as He walked the earth. It was the good news that was the central focus to His ministry. And that was passed on, then, to the disciples and the apostles that followed after Him.

And, frankly, it's come down the line to us as a church today, and part of the message that we proclaim. It is a call of good news to the world. In a world full of bad or unfortunate news, or even just news that seems out of balance, the good news that has been committed to the Church of God is something that should be a counterbalance to the discouragement that we can receive and be bombarded with, really, on a daily basis.

So, as I said, I sat down and was going to start putting a sermon together and just the newscasts and various other things, and I thought, you know, we are in a world gone mad. At least, you know, Brett held his Bible up. He says, this is the playbook, right? Well, this is the standard for living. If you judge the world around us by the standard of God's way of life in this book, we really are living in a world that's gone mad.

And in some ways, as the people of God, it could be more and more difficult to maintain our sanity. There's a joke that sometimes batted around and it goes something like, you know, husband and wife are sitting out on the porch and husband says to the wife, you know, Martha, I think the whole world's gone mad except for me and thee. And sometimes I wonder about thee. Kind of like, you know, has everything gone crazy but me?

It's not necessarily my focus to say the world's gone crazy, but it's my focus to say there is a message, brethren, that we can proclaim personally. Again, as I mentioned, we're heading to the feast. What are we going to tell people about the reason we're leaving? You know, what are opportunities that are open to be a light to this world? We should take those. We should not hide the lamp under a basket. As a church, there's a message that offers good news. And it's a focus that we need to keep brightly in our mind and one that we need to be willing to share with others as well. But my main purpose for the message today is I want to remind us what that good news is.

You know, what is the gospel? Because sometimes I think it's been confused. It's certainly been confused in what we could call mainstream Christianity around us. So I'd like to begin with a question and just consider today what is specifically the good news we've been given? What is the gospel specifically? Consider, brethren, this question. Is the gospel message only about the person of Jesus Christ? Let me think about what you've heard on Christian radio and other places around in terms of what gospel messages get put out there.

Is the gospel message specifically and centrally focused? Is it about the person Jesus Christ? You know, Christ came, He died for you, your sins can be forgiven, and you can live a better life now. Is that specifically the gospel message? Is that the message that Jesus Christ brought for His public ministry? I would ask you to think about that for a minute. Additionally, is the message of Jesus Christ, again, even the primary focus or the central focus of the gospel? The message of Christ is important, and it's an important element to what we preach as a church as the gospel message.

But is that the central focus? Is Jesus Christ the end result of the gospel message? How does He fit in with what we teach today? Again, I want to look at what the Bible has to say about the good news, because many in the Christian community seem confused about that point. Again, the gospel has largely become a message about the person Jesus Christ, rather than the message that Jesus Christ Himself came to deliver.

And it's the message that our good news that we preach as a church needs to be focused on as well. So let's look at this today. Let's consider what was the gospel that Christ brought, what was the gospel that the disciples taught after Him, and how does that translate into the gospel that we preach today as the church of God. I want to begin in Mark 1, verse 14, to get us rolling here with the concept of what Jesus Christ Himself taught.

Let's start out right at the beginning of His public ministry. John, chapter 1, verse 14, if you go back in your mind a few years, you'll recall this was our jump-off scripture for the Kingdom of God seminars that we held around the country as the United Church of God. Mark, chapter 1, verse 14 and 15. And it says, Jesus came to Galilee preaching the gospel of the Kingdom of God. And saying, the time is fulfilled and the Kingdom of God is at hand, repent and believe in the gospel. So what was the central focus of what Jesus Christ Himself came preaching? As He began His open and public ministry to the masses there, well, what Jesus taught was the good news of the Kingdom of God.

It was a message conveying the fact that the Kingdom is coming. It's at hand. Prepare. Get your life in order. Peace is coming. A new world-ruling government, a new way of doing things is coming. That's the proclamation. And He said, repent and believe in the gospel. Get your life in order in alignment with God's Word. The Kingdom is coming. That was the central focus to the gospel that Jesus Christ taught. The Kingdom is coming and is coming soon. You can find that theme all throughout Christ's teachings in the Gospels. Matthew, Mark, Luke, John.

The theme over and over and over. The Kingdom of God. The Kingdom of Heaven. Different terminology used, but it's describing the same thing. And it was all the central thrust to Jesus' message. In the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, you can find the term, Kingdom of God, used 53 times. And you'll find it referenced even more than that in other variations of the phrase. But 53 times Kingdom of God. It was the focus of Christ's public proclamation, and it was the vision that He wanted to ingrain in the people whom He taught, in the disciples who followed.

The Kingdom is coming. Prepare yourselves now. Sermon of the Mount, or on the Mount, is probably one of the most familiar teachings of Jesus Christ regarding the Kingdom of God. Matthew, chapter 5. Matthew, chapter 5 and verse 1, the Kingdom of God.

Again, this is what He is grabbing hold of people's attention with. Matthew, chapter 5 and verse 1, says, In seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated, His disciples came to Him. And He opened His mouth, and He taught them, saying, Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Jump down to verse 10. Additionally, He said, For righteousness' sake, He says, So you walk through these beatitudes, and this focus that Christ says needs to be in place in your life if you're going to be in the Kingdom of God.

If you're going to have a position there, you need to be meek, you need to be humble, you need to be poor in spirit, you need to be willing to suffer persecution for righteousness' sake. But again, to what point?

Well, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. That was His focus. In Christ's direct interactions with His disciples, He taught them to pray, what? Thy kingdom come. He told them in Matthew 6 and verse 33 to seek first the kingdom of God, and the righteousness of God, without which you won't be in the kingdom of God. He said to seek that first, put your focus and your efforts towards the kingdom of God. He also taught obedience to the laws of God. Living by this word is necessary, not simply for a good life today, but for then having access granted to that kingdom.

Still in Matthew 5 and verse 18, He says, For surely I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, not one jot nor tittle will by no means pass from the law, till all is fulfilled. He says, Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men to do so, shall also be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. So it was the focus again, as He's now rolling out this public ministry.

What we're going to find is Christ didn't walk the earth saying, You've been waiting for the Messiah, the good news is that He is here. We'll see how that eventually gets built into the gospel message, the message of Jesus Christ. But what He came to directly roll out first and foremost, as the purpose of His ministry, was to proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God. A different age is coming. You know, the oppression of the Roman boot will no longer be upon you when the kingdom comes, and God's way will reign, and that indeed was good news to the ears of those who would hear it.

Matthew 13, we'll see that many of Christ's parables also focused on the kingdom of God. Matthew 13 is a good section because it's parable upon parable stacked very tightly together, and we can see the focus. I'm not necessarily going to run in detail through each parable, but let's just notice Matthew 13 and verse 24. It says, And He walks through and He gives them the parable of the wheat and the tares.

But He says, this is what the kingdom heaven is like. This is how it will be ushered in. This is who will be there. This is how it's going to be organized and to be run. He gave these stories to back up the exclamation that the kingdom was coming. Let me tell you what it'll be like. It'll be so much different than what it is you live under today.

Verse 31, still in Matthew 13, Verse 33, You know, very, very small, almost like a grain of sand. But He says, once it grows up and expands, it encompasses, it's this great bush, and the birds of the air come and lodge in it. And He says, that is how the growth and the expansion of the kingdom will be. Verse 33, He said in another parable, He spoke to them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal, till it was all leavened. I tend to use leavening as a negative example during the days of unleavened bread, for how it infects everything around it. This is a positive illustration of leavening. And Christ is saying, the kingdom of God is going to encompass everything.

It'll start again as that grain of mustard seed, but it'll fill until it's all in all. And you could think back to Isaiah, He says, The increase of His government and peace, there'll be no end. The kingdom of God, it's going to be ever-growing, ever-expanding. Just like leaven. Verse 44, again, He says, He's willing to give everything to grab hold of it, because it is of such importance. And so much more significance than anything in this life. Verse 47, again, And, ultimately, the sheep are separated from the goats.

But the fact is, the kingdom is coming. That's what He's proclaiming. Look for that kingdom. Think about that kingdom. How much better it will be, and in your life today, respond. He says, Repent. Believe in this gospel message. It is indeed what Jesus Christ brought and taught as He walked the earth. Again, we would remember that this group that He is preaching to lived under the boot of Roman oppression. And, you know, God's people, the Jews, said, well, you know, we're Abraham's descendants.

We've never been in bondage to anyone. And so here's kind of a... Their pride is being stepped on a little bit, I would say, by the fact that they're under the rule of the Roman authorities. So they desired the kingdom of God to be established in their day. They read the prophecies that showed that a Messiah would come, and the prophecies about a conquering king that would establish this kingdom. You know, they didn't quite have it sorted out between His first and second coming.

Honestly, you go back and read some of those prophecies, and within two and three verses, Zechariah talks about Christ, talks about the Savior, right, the king, riding into Jerusalem on the donkey. And then it talks about Him bringing peace, you know, to the world. So within two or three verses, and from our perspective, we can go back and say, all right, this is the first coming of Christ. That's the suffering Messiah. Here comes the second coming of Christ.

That's the conquering king. If you didn't have that perspective and you just read through it, it looks like one seamless event. And I would suggest for us today, as we look forward to prophecy, it is important, but we have to be careful how we perceive it even from our perspective today. It may not always be as seamless as it would seem to read in two or three verses.

But my point being this, they were looking for the Messiah. They were looking for the conquering king, the one to restore the glory to Israel. They could see the prophecies that Israel would be the central fixture of this, you know, world ruling government, and they wanted that. They were anxious for that. So the message of the soon-coming kingdom was so important to them. Now what we find in looking at all of this is that Christ's message was not primarily about himself. The message of the gospel of the kingdom of God was not primarily about Jesus Christ himself or even who he was as the Messiah.

You know, that understanding would come at a later time, and the teaching about Christ's life, death, and resurrection would be incorporated into the gospel message at a later time. But that was not the original intent of what was originally preached when Jesus Christ walked the earth. The purpose of his ministry was to spread the word of the soon-coming kingdom, what it would be like, and encourage people saying, you can have a part in that kingdom. You can participate. You know, you can be a part of the world ruling government of God when it comes, repent, and believe in the gospel.

Change your life. Adhere it to the words of God. That was the message that Jesus Christ brought. Notice Luke chapter 4 and verse 40. Luke chapter 4 and verse 40, we get into some interesting concepts of what did even the disciples understand about who Christ was, and what did they not understand. Because the things they would have taught publicly would have been according to the knowledge that they had at this time. Luke chapter 4 and verse 40, it says, Interesting, isn't it? He's out proclaiming, preaching in his ministry. He's casting out demons, and the demons say, we know who you are. You are the Christ. You are the Son of God. And Jesus Christ said, just keep that to yourselves.

It wasn't a part of his proclamation at the time. Jesus' message at the time was specifically and purposefully devoid of the fact that he was the Christ. The fact that he was the Messiah to come. That was not what he was preaching at this point. He was not ready at this point either for that knowledge to go out, because what was going to happen to the Messiah while he was going to be crucified and killed?

At the appropriate time, this was not the time for him to be delivered up in that way. When you do see glimpses of his identity of who he was expressed, the result was they wanted to kill him. So that wasn't his public proclamation. His point was preaching the kingdom of God.

Verse 42, still in Luke 4, it says, When it was day and he departed, he went into a deserted place, and the crowd sought him, and they came to him, and they tried to keep him from leaving them. But he said to them, I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, for because of this purpose I have been sent. For the preaching of the gospel, he says, for this purpose I have been sent. Verse 44, and he preached in the synagogues of Galilee.

So this message was the purpose of Christ's ministry. Again, the central focus was not, I'm the Christ, I'm the Messiah you've been waiting for, you all gather around. You know, that wasn't the point of his public proclamation in that way. It's amazingly absent, actually, as you look through the Scriptures pertaining to the gospel that Jesus Christ brought.

We can also see from the Scripture that the gospel of the kingdom of God was the message that he sent his disciples out to preach as well. So let's look at Luke 9. You know, what did the 12 preach when they went out? What did the 70 preach that he sent out? Luke 9, in verse 1.

Luke 9, in verse 1, it says, Then he called his twelve disciples together, and he gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases. And he sent them to preach the kingdom of God, and to heal the sick. Verse 3, and he said to them, Take nothing for the journey, neither staff, nor bag, nor bread, nor money, and do not have two tunics of peace. Whatever house you enter, stay there, and from there depart.

And whoever will not receive you when you go out of that city, shake the dust, the very dust from your feet, as a testimony against them. Verse 6 says, So they departed and went through the towns, preaching the gospel, and healing everywhere. Well, what gospel did they teach? Again, back in verse 2, it says, He sent them to preach the kingdom of God, and to heal the sick.

There's a better way coming. There's a kingdom coming that will live by this standard, where peace will abound, and the knowledge of the Lord will cover the earth as the waters cover the sea. And the way of God will reign. That was what he taught. That's what he sent the disciples to teach. Again, his Messiahship was not being openly and publicly proclaimed at this point, but the gospel was. The good news was.

Verse 43, still in Luke 9, over a page. Verse 43, what we're going to find is that even the 12 did not fully comprehend at this point who Christ was. Luke 9, verse 43, it says, And they were all amazed at the majesty of God.

But while everyone marveled at all the things which Jesus did, he said to his disciples, Let these words sink down into your ears. He says, pay attention here. Hear what I have to say. Give this close thought. He says, Let these words sink down into your ears, for the Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men.

Verse 45, But they did not understand this saying, and it was hidden from them, so that they did not perceive it, and they were afraid to ask him about this saying. So at this point, actually well into Christ's public ministry and the fact that he'd sent the disciples out to preach the gospel, at this point the 12 did not even understand that Christ would suffer and die for the sins of the world.

He had not told them, and what it is he expressed to them here, it says, basically, their understanding was blocked, that they would not fully comprehend, in fact, what this is he was telling them.

The notion that Jesus was the Christ was not confirmed until well into the ministry of Jesus Christ. But all along, the public proclamation of the gospel had been taking place. Let's notice a scripture that's fairly parallel in time frame. Let's go to Matthew 16.

Again, well into the ministry of Jesus Christ.

Matthew 16, verse 13.

Here it says, So they said, Some say Elijah, others Jeremiah are one of the prophets.

And Simon Peter answered and said, You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.

Let's think about this logically for a minute.

If flesh and blood was not the source that revealed this knowledge to Peter, then clearly this concept had not been a part of Jesus Christ's public proclamation.

Or even what he shared privately with the disciples at this point.

He was flesh and blood, and Christ says, you know what, by His Spirit, my Father has revealed this to you. This does not come out of the mouth of man.

Christ had been out preaching the gospel, but that gospel message clearly did not include the fact that He was the prophesied Messiah.

Again, it was a message proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God.

That the kingdom was coming.

It was a message that conveyed hope and understanding of what the kingdom would be like when it reigned.

And it conveyed the peace and the prosperity and the new age for man.

That would come as a result of living under the reign of the kingdom of God.

It was a message that warned people to change.

To repent and believe in the gospel.

Prepare yourself, because this kingdom is coming, and you can be a part of it.

You want to be a part of it.

Align your life with the Word of God today.

Again, that was the message that Christ brought.

In fact, the concept of Jesus Messiahship is actually something that He told the Twelve not to share with others once they became aware of it.

In my mind, I think, alright, if I was transported from today back to the day of Jesus Christ to be one of His disciples, what would I think I should tell everybody?

This is the guy.

This is the Messiah. This is the one whom the Father has sent to die for the sins of the world.

That's what I would think. Perhaps my message should be to people.

But Christ said, you know, there's a purpose being fulfilled here, and once the disciples were aware of it, He even told them not to make it a part of the teaching that they shared.

Verse 20, still here in Matthew 16.

Matthew 16, verse 20, says, Verse 22, But He turned and He said to Peter, Get behind me, Satan.

You're an offense to me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but of the things of men.

Peter rebuked Christ for even declaring basically who He was.

That He was going to be delivered up, He was going to be killed, He was going to be slaughtered for this very purpose.

And Peter clearly did not understand that action was a part of the purpose that the Messiah had come.

To live a perfect life, to be killed, to be resurrected.

Again, they're looking for this great leader that's going to throw off the Roman oppression, establish the kingdom of God in the glory days of Israel would be restored.

Even right up to Christ's arrest, right? Peter says, We've got a couple of swords here.

Christ says, It's enough. You know, we're not going to conquer the world here.

Peter whips out the sword, whacks off the ear of the servant to the high priest, right? He's going for the head, but the guy ducks.

And off goes the ear. You know, Peter thinks this is a battle to establish the kingdom.

The fact that a suffering Messiah, this man that they came to love was going to die terribly, was not on the radar for most of these men for the majority of the time that Christ walked the earth.

And when he did reveal it, Peter had a little something to say about that.

And Christ said, You know, you're thinking in the ways of man, according to Satan, who would desire to prevent this, not according to the plan of God.

So, Peter had been out. He was one of the twelve. He'd been out preaching the gospel. What was he preaching?

Well, it certainly wasn't Christ crucified, was it? It wasn't that this man Jesus has come and he's going to die for the sins of the world.

I mean, that is significant, all right? And it's a part of our message today, and we'll address that shortly.

But the fact is, this was not the early gospel that Christ and the disciples taught.

They taught the good news of the coming kingdom of God.

And Peter would have been teaching the same gospel as his rabbi, would he not? The gospel of the kingdom of God.

It may seem like I'm hammering pretty hard on this point, and I am. And brethren is for a specific purpose. And that's because we need to understand clearly what the gospel is and what the gospel is not.

The gospel message is not a message all about the person of Jesus Christ, primarily.

You know, that might seem a little shocking to say, but it is according to the Scripture.

The gospel, the good news, is not a message primarily about the person of Jesus Christ.

He does fit into that message, and we will see so shortly.

The fact that the suffering Messiah wasn't even expressed in the original gospel message, as was taught by Christ and his disciples, until after Christ's death and resurrection is significant.

Now, the Church of God today does teach Christ crucified as an important part of the gospel message.

And that is appropriate. And frankly, that is biblical.

But we preach it from the perspective that God's kingdom is coming.

And if you want to share in that kingdom, if you want to be a member of the spiritual family of God in the kingdom of God, you must acknowledge the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and come under it.

Repent and believe in the gospel.

In the scope of what that repentance is, we understand, that remission of sins only comes through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

So the good news of the kingdom of God is still the primary and the central focus of the gospel message that we are to teach as a church today.

But it's coupled with the understanding that there is no other name given under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.

That's Acts chapter 4 verse 12.

There is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.

So in that context, the sacrifice of Jesus Christ is a subset to the overall gospel message of the kingdom of God.

It's not the central focus of the gospel.

It's not the purpose of the gospel and the be-all and the end-all, and you look no further.

The sacrifice of Jesus Christ is important, but it's important to the overall message.

I hope that's clear. I hope that makes sense to us.

The fact that Christ died for our sins is subordinate to the overall plan of God, which is to make us a part of His spiritual family ruling in the kingdom of God.

That's the message, the good news. The kingdom is coming. You can be a part of it.

Repent and believe in the gospel.

There's no other name given under heaven among men by which you must be saved.

That repentance, the remission of sins comes through Jesus Christ. But the message and the end result is the kingdom is coming. You want to be there.

That, brethren, is the gospel message.

It was not actually until after Jesus Christ's resurrection that the disciples' understanding would be fully open to who He even was, and that then Christ crucified would be brought in as part of the preaching of the gospel.

Let's notice Luke chapter 24, verse 44.

This is after Christ's life, death, resurrection. He's appeared to His disciples.

Luke 24 and verse 44. He said to them, These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the law of Moses and the prophets and the psalms concerning me.

And He opened their understanding that they might comprehend the Scriptures.

All these things have been prophesied. You know, it's there.

We can go back and read it now, and we can say, all right, this was Christ's first coming. This is what He fulfilled. This is what is yet to be fulfilled. All right.

But it says, He opened their understanding. He brought them understanding of who He was.

That, okay, Jesus, the man, is the one that God sent as the Messiah.

He opened their understanding to the fact that after His resurrection, now the gospel message will include the fact that He had died and was raised from the dead.

Jesus Christ opened their understanding to the fact that remission of sins, through His name, would be necessary for those who would obtain the kingdom of God.

And so what we find is that from this point forward, all right, in the gospel message, in the preaching, you have these two things now coupled together.

You find that they preach the things pertaining to the kingdom of God and the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

And they're coupled together in that message, but the sacrifice of Christ did not supersede the message of the kingdom, it supported it.

The gospel hadn't changed. The kingdom of God is at hand, repent and believe in the gospel.

The understanding of repentance and how that would come has now expanded.

But the gospel of the kingdom had not changed or in some way been superseded by the life and death of Jesus Christ.

This was complementary to the gospel message, not in competition or overriding the original message.

Notice if you would, Acts chapter 8, we're going to see this emphasis of Christ crucified right alongside the kingdom of God.

Acts chapter 8 and verse 12, this is after the giving of the Holy Spirit, after the persecution of Stephen and the word is going out. Acts chapter 8 and verse 12, it says, So now we begin to see the concept of both of these coupled together.

The kingdom of God and the things pertaining to the name of Jesus Christ. And as a result, then, you know, it's repent and believe in the gospel. People responded and they were baptized.

And whose name do you suppose they were baptized into?

The disciples went out, baptizing in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins. This was the response now to those who were seeking to be in the kingdom of God. We can see the Apostle Paul as well, Acts chapter 28. Very end of the book. We can see Paul himself preaching these two elements together. Acts chapter 28 and verse 30, last two verses of the book. Acts 28 verse 30 says, And so the manner in which the apostles and the early church taught the gospel from this point forward was to put the message of Jesus Christ together with the message of the kingdom of God. Again, the two go hand in hand. Not one superseding the other in terms of Christ superseding the kingdom. The kingdom is still the driving emphasis behind the message. The message, Christ's sacrifice, does not overshadow it. Again, it complements it and it accompanies it. As you and I look at the calendar today, we're approaching very quickly right around the corner of the fall Holy Days. The Feast of Trumpets, we have the Day of Atonement, Feast of Tabernacles, and the Eighth Day. Those days are important because they set our attention on the plan that God is fulfilling to establish the kingdom of God. The kingdom is coming. It's a future event. In these days, we're getting ready to walk through, point us forward to the fulfillment of that event. All that emphasis of the Holy Days, it's what they're building to. That's the good news. That's why we keep these days. God's kingdom is coming. We're going to go to the Feast of Tabernacles and we're going to walk through. We're going to rehearse the thousand-year millennial reign of Christ, in which the authority of the kingdom of God is now established over the earth. We're going to look towards the Eighth Day, which is the beginning of the rest of eternity, in which the kingdom of God will reign. Of that government and increase, there'll be no end. That's what these Holy Days are all about and what they're pointing us to here in the fall days. But if the gospel message was all about the fact that Jesus came and died, and you can have a good life now, if that was the central focus, what would be the point in moving past Passover? Or maybe Pentecost, at the latest. The spring Holy Days focuses in on the sacrifice of Christ, the remission of sins, the receiving of God's Spirit. But if that was the be-all end-all of it, what's the point of the fall Holy Days? But the point is, God's kingdom is coming, and this is all directing us in that direction. And the reason we're all here, and we're all participating, is we have that vision. And you can be a part of it. And that's the good news.

1 Corinthians chapter 15 is a section of Scripture we often turn to on the Feast of Trumpets. Primarily, we focus in on the resurrection of the saints at the return of Christ. But whether you've ever focused in on it or not, 1 Corinthians 15 is actually a summary of the gospel. So I want to wrap up today in 1 Corinthians chapter 15, and just kind of see how Paul balances the concepts of the sacrifice of Christ and the kingdom of God. Because he kept the focus forward. The kingdom is coming. That's where we're looking. But if we're going to be there, we have to come under this sacrifice. 1 Corinthians chapter 15 and verse 1, he's going to tie both elements of this message together, Christ's sacrifice and the kingdom. 1 Corinthians 15 and verse 1, Paul says, 2 More over, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. Paul's saying, I'm going to remind you of the gospel message that I've already preached to you. And the reason he's going to remind them of it is because false doctrine had begun to creep into the church. And it was beginning to derail the faith of Psalm. And it was beginning to pervert the gospel message. And we'll see how as we go forward. Verse 3, Paul says, for I delivered to you, first of all, that which I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he was seen by Cephas, and then by the twelve. And he goes on to, you know, the five hundred, and me as well. He says, I'm this apostle born out of season, but I've seen the Lord as well. Christ appeared to him later. But the point was, he died. He was raised. And there's witnesses to that. And Paul's confirming that Christ's life, death, and resurrection is an essential part of the gospel message.

But to what end? Verse 12, let's jump down. He says, now if Christ is preached, that he's been raised from the dead, how do some of you say there is no resurrection of the dead? He says, but if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty, and your faith is also empty.

There was apparently a false teaching circulating in the church that there was no resurrection. That maybe you live this life and it's a good life. Maybe it was a teaching, I'm just speculating, that we're living the kingdom today. Whatever it was, the end result of it was there is no resurrection. And Paul says, if there's no resurrection, then Christ is not resurrected.

And then we have a real problem with this gospel message. What's wrong with that concept? No resurrection. It's creeped into the church more than once over the centuries. The problem is it's in conflict with the gospel. And I'll just cut to the chase and tell you, 1 Corinthians 15, verse 50, Paul says, flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does corruption inherit incorruption. So that's the emphasis, overall emphasis, of the chapter.

Inheriting the kingdom of God. And you're not going to do it as flesh and blood. So if you say there's no resurrection, there's a little bit of a problem here. Because we must be changed. There may be some who are alive at the day that Christ returns. But if there is no resurrection, all who have ever lived and died in the faith, that's it.

The hope is lost. Apart from the resurrection, there is no hope of eternal life. Apart from eternal life, there is no inheriting of the kingdom of God as spirit members of the family of God. And so if Christ was not raised from the dead, then our hope of ever seeing the kingdom of God is futile as well. So the fact that there is no resurrection was a direct counter to not just the portion of the message of who Christ was, and that He's our Savior, but it's a counter message to the fact that you can be in the kingdom of God.

It's a cutting off of that hope. Paul says, if that's your belief, then ever seeing the kingdom of God is futile. Verse 15, he says, Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God, because we have testified of God, that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up, if in fact the dead do not rise. For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen, and if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile, you are still in your sins. Again, this isn't all about Jesus Christ. It's about the emphasis of the kingdom.

But if you want to be there, then you come under this sacrifice. Verse 18, Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most pitiable. But now Christ is risen from the dead. He has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. Good news, alright? For since man by man came death, by man also came the resurrection of the dead. And so that's the key. That's the good news.

Christ did not stay in the grave. His Father did resurrect Him. He lives. He's our living Savior. And we come under His sacrifice. And you and I can live and be a part of that kingdom as well. If you say there's no resurrection and Christ is still in the grave, then what hope is there? What faith has been set before us? This is a big key to the good news we've been given. Christ did not remain in the grave. Verse 21, for by man came death, by man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as an Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. But each one in his own order, Christ the firstfruits, afterwards those who are Christ at His coming, then comes the end when He delivers the kingdom to God.

Again, the end result, the goal, the focus, is the kingdom of God. It's not Christ crucified and that's all. Christ crucified supports the fact that the kingdom is coming and you can be there. And that is the message. Verse 49, let's jump forward, 1 Corinthians 15 and verse 49. Paul says, And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly man. Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I tell you a mystery, we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed.

In the moment, in the twinkling of the eye, at the last trumpet, for the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible has put on incorruption and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.

I would ask you to consider for a minute what that victory is. Think about for a few seconds. What is that victory? Verse 55, O death, where is your sting? O Hades, or grave, where is your victory? The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law, but thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. What is the victory, brethren?

Well, the victory is obtaining the kingdom of God, becoming members, spirit-born members of the family of God in His kingdom. That's the victory, and it comes only through the exercising of faith in Jesus Christ as our personal Savior. That's the gospel message. Again, verse 57, but thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. These two go hand in hand in the message. So could you use some good news, brethren? Could the world around us use some good news? I would say so. And I would say it's desperately needed. The good news is that the kingdom of God is real. It is real. It is actual. It is coming. It is at hand. And you and I can have an important part to play in that kingdom as sons and daughters in the family of God. Spirit-born sons and daughters in the family of God. The holy days that we're preparing to walk through over the course of the next month remind us all of that encouraging truth. The kingdom is coming. Let us prepare for it now. The kingdom of God is a kingdom that will not be shaken. It is a kingdom that is incorruptible. It is a kingdom that is not a counterfeit kingdom, nor will it be torn apart by the politics of man. The kingdom is a kingdom whose king will rule in righteousness. And we will be given opportunity to reign alongside Jesus Christ as kings and priests of God and Christ. Rather than a new age is coming, turn on the news. You see trouble. You see problems. But watch it from the perspective of the fact that there is an answer. And the answer is the kingdom of God. Jesus came preaching the good news of the kingdom of God. He said, repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand. And, brethren, that is good news that you and I can use and put to action in our life today.