THE NATURE OF THE KINGDOM-A Delivering Call

 (Part III) Matthew 3:1-2, text vs 2 (August 26, 2007

Background: We have shared in Part I the “Divine appointment- in those days,” from vs 1.  In our second part we spoke of the “determined area-the wilderness.”  Now we move on to the message, for which John was simply the messenger, or actually the “voice.”

I.  A Delivering Call: V1-2.  “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!”  What an unbelievable declaration.  What an unprecedented statement.  What an invitation to all!  No wonder all Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the region went out to John.  Who wouldn’t want this call of deliverance?  Everyone wants deliverance, but there are two aspects needing to be clarified here.  What on earth is coming, and what is this first word “repent” about?  We must know this, we must have this to enter the kingdom.

  A.  The Repentance: Our first thought REPENT!! There are really only about two words in the Old and the New Testaments on repentance.  One in the Old Testament has to do with sorrow for a course of action.  Believe it or not this is used of God a number of times (Exodus 32:12-14, Jonah 3:9-10).  In Exodus God is furious against Israel and He is going to wipe them out.  Moses reasons with God and actually asks God to consider repenting of this action.  God repents of what He had thought to do to them.  This isn’t about God having sinned but it is about sorrow, it is about His grace.  The other word in the Old Testament is for “turning,” “bringing back” returning, restoration, etc.  In the New Testament there are only two basic words.  One (metamellomai) means “ to regret or care afterwards.”  This is used just a few times but it is in Matthew 27:3 used of Judas’ repentance.  The other, metanoia, is to reconsider and think differently.  In a number of contexts it certainly involves forsaking sin, but the actual meaning is a new way of thinking!  It is not necessarily declaring the old bad, but it is instituting a new way of doing things.  Judas’ repentance was “I’m sorry, I have sinned,” John’s was “I want to change!” It is the difference between “I’m sorry I blew up and mistreated  my children,” and “Oh God, I want you to root out the ungodly anger in my life that spills onto every one.”  For example: The law was on stone, now it will be on the heart.  Forgiving 7 times is good, but He says 70x7 is right.  Baptism with water is good, but He will do it with fire.  Repentance is a new way of thinking, and in our passage it is in the present, active, imperative (which is tense-NOW, voice-YOU, mood- MUST).   Both Romans 12:2, “be transformed, (the work)”(present-(now)-passive (allow Him)-imperative- (you must) and Ephesians 4:22-24 “be renewed (the result)” (present-passive-infinitive), express the necessity and the means of this change.  REPENTANCE IS THE RESPONSE TO THE DELIVERING CALL!

B.  The Reign: “The Kingdom of Heaven is at Hand!”  We will not have time in this writing to go in depth.  What we can say is this is a phenomenal change.  John was crying out that the kingdom was on his very heels.  He’s arrived, 400 years of silence is broken and that which had all but been given up on was here! This “kingdom” was not just a promise of eternal life beyond the grave with God and the Lamb, it is the very presence of a Person, now, and His Lordship and rule in a heart.  This is both the presence and possession on this earth of the King, and the promise of the culmination of that great “kingdom” with Him and one another  forever!  Our emphasis today is the NOW, since  “is at hand”  in the Greek means, here and now as a fact (perfect-active-indicative). .  There are three (3) elements to consider: (1).  Luke 17:20-21-The Place:   When pressed on where the kingdom would appear Jesus made it clear this wasn’t “here or there” it was within (ontos- fixed in with you).  (2).  Romans 14:17-The Presentation: The kingdom was not about physical things such as eating and drinking, this was not about being prominent in possessions on this earth.  This was not about gratification of the flesh.  This was about righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit, and it goes on to say edifying one another!  3. Matthew 13:24-33-The Prevailing: (a).  vs 24-30 (the tares) There will be a people, a remnant preserved no matter the enemies tactics.  (b). vs 31-32 (mustard tree) There will be an amazing growth out of nothing of this kingdom, and (c).  vs 33 This will saturate your life, your family, and the world around you.  This is not a hammer over your head announcement, this is the hope of your life and it is NOW, YOU, MUST REPENT.