Acknowledge Your KING

For over 400 years, the nation had not heard the voice of a prophet. Then John appeared and a great revival took place. Consider some facts about John.

John the Baptist was six months older than his cousin Jesus (see Luke 1:26, 36). He stepped onto the stage of history to serve as forerunner for the King of Israel. His unlikely auditorium was the wilderness of Judea—an arid area extending from Jerusalem to the Jordan.

The ploughman must precede the sower. It is the work of John the Baptists to break up the fallow ground. Sometimes the messenger comes in the form of a great sorrow. Men are arrested and aroused, made to feel their helplessness and their need. Then, but not till then, they may receive the kingdom. –from The Pulpit Commentary

In order to be fully prepared for the reign of Christ in our lives, we must hear and respond to John’s call of repentance.  Accepting Christ as King requires submission and loyalty on our behalf.  Jesus is not interested in reigning over great crowds who are filled with sin or shallow enthusiasm for Him. He encouraged us to move beyond the superficial interests of religion on to deeper personal commitment.  Following Christ means total submission to Him—He is not only the King, but Your King. It is essential that we understand this submission to King Jesus is not surrender, withdrawal, and certainly not apathy. Submission is an active commitment or cooperation with Him. John's message, the Word of God, helps us understand the vital elements in this journey. 

To us also John the Baptist must come if we shall properly appreciate the Redeemer. We must expose ourselves to the fire, the ax, the winnowing-fan, that we may learn what we really are, and come, like Paul, to reckon our own righteousness as loss if only we may win Christ and be found in him. –F. B. Meyer

Note these considerations from John's message and emphasis:

Consider What John Preached (Matt. 3:1-4)

The Jews were not fit to receive their Messiah; they needed the preliminary work of the prophet of the wilderness to prepare them for the new influences of the King.

The world will not welcome its Savior until the way has been made ready for Him to draw near. Individual men and women are far from the kingdom of heaven, and the landscape is wild and impassable till God provides a pathway across it. John’s message would plough the landscape of the soul to make way for the King!

JOHN'S MESSAGE (Matt. 3:1-3)

John’s message was, “Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” The King would soon appear, but He could not and would not reign over people who clung to their sins. They must change directions, must confess and forsake their sins. God was calling them from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of heaven.

As He Proclaimed It (Matt. 3:1-2): "Repent ye: for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand."

John's preaching centered on repentance and the kingdom of heaven.

He Proclaimed Repentance.

The word “repent” means "to change one's mind and act on that change." John was not satisfied with regret or remorse; he wanted "fruits meet for repentance" (Matt 3:8). There had to be evidence of a changed mind and a changed life.

John the Baptist's theme was Turn Around! Repentance means doing an about-face—a  180-degree turn—from the kind of self-centeredness that leads to wrong actions such as lying, cheating, stealing, gossiping, taking revenge, abusing, and indulging in sexual immorality.

A person who stops rebelling and begins following God's way of living prescribed in his Word is a person who has repented. The first step in turning to God is to admit your sin, as John urged. Then God will receive you and help you live the way he wants.

Remember that only God can remove sin. He doesn't expect us to clean up our lives before we come to Him. John must have labored to produce repentant attitudes among his hearers; he must have made it his goal to lead his listeners to a deep sense of their sin. Until a man owns his guilt he will not seek pardon from God. John the Baptist called people to a radical turning from sin that inevitably became manifest in the fruit of righteousness (v. 8).

The unsaved man is supposed to repent. Yes, the unsaved man is told that he is to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. That was the message of Paul to the jailer at Philippi (see Acts 16:31).  When an unsaved man turns from his rebellion against God and believes in Jesus, he is repenting. Faith means to turn to Christ, and when you turn to Christ, you must also turn from something. If you don’t turn from something, then you aren’t really turning to Christ. So repentance is really a part of believing, the primary message that should be given to the lost today is repent and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.

But the idea that repentance was necessary in order to enter this kingdom was something new and became a stumbling block to many Jews. They thought that as children of Abraham they would automatically be granted entrance into Messiah’s kingdom. John’s message, however, was that a change of mind and heart (“repent”) was necessary before they could qualify for the kingdom. They did not realize how far they had drifted from God’s Law and the requirements laid down by the prophets (e.g., Mal. 3:7-12).

Repentance is also for saved people, that is, for God’s people. We are the ones who, when we become cold and indifferent, are to turn back to the Lord (2Cor. 7:8–11). That was the message to the seven churches of Asia Minor in Revelation 2 and 3, and it was the message of the Lord Jesus Himself.

He Proclaimed The Kingdom of Heaven.

The phrase the kingdom of heaven, is used thirty-two times in this Gospel. We cannot rightly understand Matthew without comprehending this concept, a definition and description of the term are in order here.

The kingdom of heaven is the sphere is which God’s rule is acknowledged. The word “heaven” is used to denote God. This is shown in Daniel 4:25, where Daniel said that “the Most High” rules in the kingdom of men. In the next verse he says that “the heavens do rule.” Wherever people submit to the rule of God, there the kingdom of heaven exists.

There are two aspects of the kingdom of heaven. In its broadest sense it includes everyone who professes to acknowledge God as Supreme Ruler. In its narrower aspect it includes only those who have been genuinely converted.  Many people are in the sphere of profession; this includes all who are genuine subjects of the King, and also those who only profess allegiance to Him. This is seen in the parables of the sower (Matt. 13:3–9), the mustard seed (Matt. 13:31, 32), and the leaven (Matt. 13:33). The true believers are in the sphere of possession this includes only those who have been born again through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. The kingdom of heaven in its inward aspect can be entered only by those who are converted (Matt. 18:3). (R.J. Sargent)

By putting together all the references to the kingdom in the Bible, we can trace its historical development in five distinct phases:

1) First, the kingdom was prophesied in the OT. Daniel predicted that God would set up a kingdom that would never be destroyed nor yield its sovereignty to another people (Dan. 2:44). He also foresaw the coming of Christ to wield universal and everlasting dominion (Dan. 7:13, 14; see also Jer. 23:5, 6).

2) Secondly, the kingdom was described by John the Baptist, Jesus, and the twelve disciples as being at hand or present (Matt. 3:2; 4:17; 10:7). In Matthew 12:28, Jesus said, “ ... if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you.” In Luke 17:21, He said, “For behold, the kingdom of God is within you” or in your midst. The kingdom was present in the Person of the King. As we shall show later, the terms kingdom of God and kingdom of heaven are used interchangeably.

3) Third, the kingdom is described in an interim form. After He was rejected by the nation of Israel, the King returned to heaven. The kingdom exists today, while the King is absent, in the hearts of all who acknowledge His kingship, and its moral and ethical principles, including the Sermon on the Mount, are applicable to us today. This interim phase of the kingdom is described in the parables of Matthew 13.

4) The fourth phase of the kingdom is what might be called its manifestation. This is the thousand-year reign of Christ on earth which was pictured by the Transfiguration of Christ when He was seen in the glory of His coming reign (Matt. 17:1–8). Jesus referred to this phase in Matthew 8:11 when He said, “... many shall come from the east and west, and sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.”

5) The final form will be the everlasting kingdom. It is described in 2 Peter 1:11 as “the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”

6) The phrase “kingdom of heaven” is found only in Matthew’s Gospel, but “kingdom of God” is found in all four Gospels. For all practical purposes there is no difference—the same things are said about both. For example, in Matthew 19:23 Jesus said that it would be hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Both Mark (10:23) and Luke (18:24) record that Jesus said this about the kingdom of God (see also Matt. 19:24 which has a similar maxim using “kingdom of God”).

7) We mentioned above that the kingdom of heaven has an outward aspect and an inner reality. That the same is true of the kingdom of God is further proof that the two terms indicate the same thing. The kingdom of God, too, includes the real and the false. This is seen in the parables of the sower (Luke 8:4–10), the mustard seed (Luke 13:18, 19), and the leaven (Luke 13:20, 21). As to its true, inward reality, the kingdom of God can be entered only by those who are born again (John 3:3, 5).

8) One final point: the kingdom is not the same as the churches. The kingdom began when Christ embarked on His public ministry; the first church began as He called His disciples. The kingdom will continue on earth till the earth is destroyed; the churches continue on earth till the Rapture (the catching away or removal of the saints from earth when Christ descends from heaven and takes all believers home with Him—1 Thess. 4:13–18). The church bride will return with Christ at His Second Advent to reign with Him. At present the people who are in the kingdom in its true, inner reality are also a part of the bride.

He Proclaimed The Kingdom Is At Hand.

The phrase "is at hand" portrays God as having interrupted history with a dramatic new revelation of His authority and power.  The opportunity is now…we should be deeply impressed to appreciate the chance we have been given before it is too late. For some this means it is time to be saved; for others it means it is time to get right with God and stop toying with pet sins. For yet others, it is time to continue under the authority and power of your King Jesus with complete submission and loyalty! Let Him reign in you with peace, gladness and service for His glory!

John must mean that God’s heavenly rule was about to be extended directly to earthly spheres. God’s rule over the earth had drawn near and was about to be instituted through the person of the Messiah for whom John was preparing the way. No one hearing John preach asked him what he was talking about, for the concept of Messiah’s rule over the kingdom of earth was a common thread in Old Testament prophecy. The requirement for that institution, however, was that the nation repent. –Walvoord, J. F.   

Like Israel, we all must prepare ourselves for the rule of the King, Messiah Jesus, in our personal experiences. Repentance, Kingdom Reality, and Kingdom Rule are imperatives for us all. The Word of God planted in a humble repentant heart is how it all begins. Beloved, prepare yourself for Christ your King by responding to John’s call to repentance.  Accepting Christ as King requires submission and unparalleled loyalty on our behalf.  Jesus is not interested in reigning over great crowds who are filled with sin or shallow enthusiasm for Him. He encouraged us to move beyond the superficial interests of religion on to deeper personal commitment. Beloved, this one thing is vital. Following Christ means total submission to Him—He is not only the King, but Your King. It is essential that we understand this submission to King Jesus is not surrender, withdrawal, and certainly not apathy. Submission is an active commitment or cooperation with Him. It flows out of relationship, truth, and worship.