Jonathan Williams with Word of God, Speak

How did Jesus demonstrate that the Kingdom of God had entered the world? The first way was by His mighty works of power. Never before had such an awesome and complete display of power been exhibited in Israel. Jesus demonstrated mastery over men. He gave sight to the blind and healed the lame and lepers. He gave speech to the mute and hearing to the deaf. Even the dead were raised back to life.

In this study we come to the sixth concept and the final period that set the stage for the arrival of the King on the earth. It was a time that was marked with darkness and difficulty for Israel.

God is king, and the King sovereignly created mankind to rule under his authority, but the earth was now a battlefield as the nations struggled with one another for supremacy. It is also a battlefield between the rebellious kingdoms of men and the Kingdom of God. Those are the first three major concepts to know if we want to understand the kingdom of God. We covered those in the previous lesson. Today, we will cover the next two concepts about the Kingdom of God.

When John the Baptist came to Israel and announced that the Kingdom of Heaven was at hand, it was the climax of a long series of events that had preceded him. The coming of God's Kingdom was a vibrant hope that had been cultivated in the hearts of God's people for centuries. What events and what concepts from the OT prepared God's people and set the stage for the arrival of the King on the earth?

When we say or hear “Kingdom of God,” what exactly are we referring to? What might be surprising to some is that Scripture nowhere provides a precise definition for the term. That is because the biblical writers assume that everyone is familiar with its meaning. Concepts such as “kings” and “kingdoms” and all they represented were standard, everyday terms and experiences among people of ancient times. In today's lesson, we are going to dig more deeply into the background of the word “kingdom.”

We have seen how the kingdom of God was the hope of patriarchs and prophets. It was also the hope of every Jewish man, woman, and child in the first century. It was also Jesus' primary teaching. He spoke of it more than any other person and any other topic.

In this study, we will explore how everyone from patriarchs to prophets looked forward to the establishment of God's kingdom on earth.

In this first message of God's Kingdom Plan for Planet Earth, we will investigate Habakkuk's words in Habakkuk 3:2 and see how it is a perfect outline for this teaching series, for human history, and for our priorities in life.

We must go beneath the promises of God to the doctrines that support them. A promise is only as good as the one making the promise.

Have you experienced great anguish over an injustice – maybe an injustice done to you or to a loved one? What you have experienced may be the voice of anger.

God wants us to be real about life and to be open with Him and with others about the true condition of our heart. And it is only when we are this way with God that we will find His grace in our time of need.

When your heart and your mouth are full of praise for God and all he has done, that's when you look your best.

God isn't interested in a religious show, and God isn't interested in pious praying. God is interested in us finding our true heart and our true voice and being real with Him.

Sin is not a friend. Sin is a ravenous beast, always devouring, never satisfied, and its desire is to master us.

If you are in Christ you have died to sin and you are alive to God. Just as the shadow of the cross no longer exists between the Father and the Son, no shadow of our guilt remains between you and God.

If you have a new identity before God as a justified man because you died to sin's penalty, then don't let sin have its way with you because that is inconsistent with what God has done for you.

Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him.

Let's be real here. The Bible may say that I am dead to sin but sin sure doesn't seem dead inside me!

We are under grace, and as we learn to live under grace, we will come to see that his grace is about a whole lot more than forgiveness.

God comes into our lives like a personal trainer and says, “Let me work with you. Let me reshape my image in you. You have Olympic-sized capabilities because I made you. I'll take you to places you never dreamt possible.”

God's grace is not a free ticket to a life of sinful indulgence but the means by which we escape the clutches of sin and find a new life.

God did not pour out his grace that we might continue in sin. God poured out His grace that it might free us from sin so that righteousness could reign in our lives and change us.

“I am a follower of Jesus.  I want to please Him and advance in my faith, but I have these problems that cause me to stumble.  I want to believe I died to sin, but I find myself still living in it. Can you help me?” Listen today and find out!

Worshipping God must be the beginning and the end and the center of our lives. If it is not, then idolatry in some form will penetrate our hearts.

For 75 years the walls of Jerusalem lay in ruin. Then, a man came along who trusted God and led the people to get the job done in 52 days. Is it possible that God can give us this same kind of spirit to get the work of God done in our time?

What's more important to us? Acquiring wealth or advancing God's work? Is it the American dream or is it the kingdom of God?

Today, I am going to share with you the greatest threat you and I face. It's not other people. It's not other nations. It's not distressing circumstances. The answer may surprise you.

Do you ever feel like everything is being thrown against you? Have you ever had people spread rumors about you? Have you ever had people make fun of you? What do we do in such situations?

Rebuilding our broken world can be hard enough, but when external obstacles arise against us, it becomes one of life's greatest challenges. What can we do when we face obstacles in life?

The little band of Jews living in Jerusalem and the surrounding area were encircled by enemies. It was crucial to get the wall built for protection. Every person had to be involved.

It is one thing to plan your work, but it is quite another to work your plan. Nehemiah was successful because he learned how to do both, despite difficulties, despite needs, and despite ridicule.

As you seek to rebuild your broken world, you will find difficulties. Don't be surprised. But remember you have authority from God and can move forward in faith.

When we pray, God may want us to do something about it! God may say, “I have heard your prayer, and I'm going to answer it through you.”

If you are seeking to be used by God to mend the hurts of this world, you must approach people with humility knowing that you are a sinner too and you stand only by the grace of Christ.

When we are in a crisis, this is the time to recall God's might. Our human-sized problems may make us look puny. But they are puny next to our great and awesome God.

At any given moment we know someone going through a crisis, or we are going through one. What do we do? It could weigh us down and send us to an early grave, or we could do what Nehemiah did. He prayed.

We live in a broken world. But we have great news! God's kingdom will prevail – no matter what happens. God's plan for the world cannot be stopped.

The apostle Paul outlined for us how history will end and what will be the climaxing event of the Great Commission. His persepctive may surprise you!

Paul said "the ends of the ages" have come upon us. What did he mean? He meant that all history was pointing to this period of time when the gospel of Christ would go to all the nations of the world. We are living in that time!

The nations that rebelled against God and that were scattered at Babel are now returning to God. The apostle Paul showed how this was prophesied in Scripture.

Why did the apostles apply Messianic prophecy to themselves? They did it because they believed that the Messiah was working through them. Discover the surprising prophecies that the apostles used to substantiate their mission to the world.

How did the apostles view their mission? In this lesson, we will see how they connected it to the promise God gave to Abraham to bless all the nations of the world.