The Kingdom of God Is At Hand: Repent, Believe

Religious advice, no matter how holy and no matter how moral it may be, listen to me, it's not the gospel. It's not the gospel. The gospel is God has come to you. Not on the basis of what you've done, not on the basis of your goodness, not even on the basis of what you haven't done, but on the basis of what Jesus Christ has done for you. And that makes the gospel of Jesus absolutely different than every other religion and every other philosophy or lifestyle in the entire world. [00:34:59] (50 seconds)  #GraceNotAdvice

All other religions would say, this is what I must do in order for God to be pleased with me. But the gospel says, this is what has been done for you. The gospel says, this is how Jesus lived the sinless life. This is how Jesus died the atoning death. This is how Jesus rose for you. This is what God has done for you. The gospel is not good advice, it's good news. Now, how do you know if you've truly believed and truly received the gospel, the good news, or if you are simply trying to live by the good advice of Jesus? [00:30:31] (55 seconds)  #DoneForYouGospel

Listen to me. In that sense, Jesus is not your treasured king, but rather he is the means by which you get your treasure king. Health, wealth, prosperity, happiness. Listen to me. The thing that is on the other side of as long as, that's your real master. The thing that is on the other side of as long as, that's your real goal. Whatever is on the other side of as long as listen, that's your God and that's your king. And listen to me friends, in The US, comfort is king. Jesus calls us to follow him. He must be our king. [01:03:57] (88 seconds)  #ComfortIsNotKing

You see, king Jesus is not someone with power and authority to tell you what needs to be done. But king Jesus is someone with the power and authority to do what needs to be done, and then offers the victory to you as good news. So my plead with you today is the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent. Repent from the direction you're going. Lay down your pride. Lay down your self righteousness. Lay down your self. Believe and receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and savior and your life, and turn and follow Jesus as your king. Let's pray for that. [01:09:56] (65 seconds)  #JesusOurKingNow

And when we live by faith in the good news, we cling to the good news, and rejoice in the good news, and we repent, and we turn from our sin, and our own ways, and our own kingdom, and our own rule, and we believe that Jesus has come, and he's lived the perfect life in my place that I could not live, that he died the death in my place that I deserved to die. He absorbed the wrath and the punishment of God that should be upon me. And then he raises on the third day to life, proclaiming the restoration of God's kingdom, God's rule over death, over life, over all things. And then he gives us an invitation to make Jesus your king. [01:08:16] (39 seconds)  #FaithInGoodNews

God's kingdom is present in the gospel. The gospel is a declaration of God's kingdom. The gospel is the declaration of Christ's rule. Christ rules our hearts. God's kingdom reigns in our lives. And even when we gather together as a family, we're surrendered to Christ's rule, a total submission to him. And so when Christ rules in our churches, when Christ rules in our families, when Christ rules in our homes, God's kingdom is present. It's among you. It's in your midst. And so the gospel, the good news of the kingdom, it's not good advice, it's good news. [00:49:34] (42 seconds)  #KingdomPresent

He says, the time is fulfilled, the kingdom of God is being established, so repent and believe. Believe the good news. Now, the word repent, it means to reverse course. It means to change direction. It means to turn away from the area, the path, the direction you're facing and going in your life, and reverse and go the other way. And so if you're taking notes, can write this down. Biblical repentance is a change of mind that results in a change of action. [00:24:50] (43 seconds)  #RepentAndReturn

So when Jesus comes and proclaimed the gospel and he specifically speaks about the kingdom of God, he means for us to understand that having Jesus as savior also means having him as lord. And when he comes and proclaims the gospel, he's a whole new realm of life where Jesus himself is king, ruler, lord. Jesus has all authority. Life in which king Jesus, his rule is restored in our lives through the gospel. So it's not just believe, it's Jesus rules as king in your heart and life. [00:45:05] (63 seconds)  #SaviorAndLord