The Final Act
Jonathan Williams with Word of God, Speak
When will God’s kingdom plan be fully realized? No one can set a time or date. Jesus in Acts 1:7 said, “It is not for to know!” and only God knows how all the details of his plan will be worked out. But Paul provides some clues for us in 1 Corinthians 15:20-28.
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The Return of the King 3
Jonathan Williams with Word of God, Speak
How blessed we are to know the King of kings as our Savior, to be citizens of His Kingdom, to participate in His Kingdom plan, and to know that the final victory is secure. Though His return in judgment will be a day of distress and anguish for many, it will be a day of joy for us as the King returns to complete our salvation and exalt us as the ancient promises foretold.
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The Return of the King 2
Jonathan Williams with Word of God, Speak
Judgment was indeed a sobering subject. And the certainty of the judgment to come had an impact on the apostles and their mission. The Apostle Paul, who was so quick to judge before he was saved and obtained mercy from God, urged his son in faith, Timothy, to be faithful to the ministry of preaching the Gospel. Judgment was coming.
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The Return of the King 1
Jonathan Williams with Word of God, Speak
The ends of the ages have come upon us, Paul said! All the purposes and plans of all ages of human history are now finding their fulfillment in the events that have been transpiring since Jesus inaugurated the Kingdom in the world. All the faithful acts that those Old Testament kings and prophets performed were the warmup to the main events that have been occurring since Christ came into the world. Therefore, we who have lived since the first coming of the King have the greatest reasons to live holy lives. The climax of human history has come upon us all. We are living at the end point of all...
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The People of the Promises 3
Jonathan Williams with Word of God, Speak
How wonderful to realize that we, too, can participate in the fulfillment of the Messianic prophecies as we obey Jesus’ command to take the message of His Kingdom victory to the ends of the earth. Right now as I speak, many of God’s people are fulfilling the Messiah’s prophecy to be a light to all the nations so that His salvation may reach to the end of the world. But all of us can fulfill His prophecy as we obey His final command and work with Him to take the Gospel to the ends of the earth. We can say with Paul and Barnabas, “For thus the Lord has commanded us!”
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The People of the Promises 2
Jonathan Williams with Word of God, Speak
There is a reason why the first Christians excelled. They understood that their position in the Kingdom carried with it a historic responsibility. They realized that they were the key players in this present phase of God’s Kingdom plan for the world.
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The People of the Promises 1
Jonathan Williams with Word of God, Speak
The first believers understood their identity well as recipients of the promises and citizens of God’s Kingdom. As we understand our identity as citizens of a triumphant kingdom, we will be taking an important first step in preparing ourselves to do our part in fulfilling the Kingdom mission.
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The King at God's Right Hand 3
Jonathan Williams with Word of God, Speak
There are many promises in the Word that Jesus has fulfilled and is fulfilling since He was enthroned in heaven. But the ones we will look at in this message are enough to show us that when Jesus left the earth, He did not leave the battle. Instead, He ascended to the most strategic place in the universe from which to lead His people to carry out the present phase of the Kingdom plan.
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The King at God's Right Hand 2
Jonathan Williams with Word of God, Speak
The second strategic event took place in heaven: Christ was enthroned in the place of highest authority. He is in the best place from which to lead the forces of His people to carry out this present phase of God’s Kingdom plan which is to take the gospel to every nation, every people group, every tribe, every language, everyone! No wonder that Jesus said to His disciples, “It is to your advantage that I go away to the Father” (John 16:7)."
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The King at God's Right Hand 1
Jonathan Williams with Word of God, Speak
Immediately after Jesus finished clarifying to His disciples their ministry priority, He returned to heaven. That priority is to reach the very nations which have for centuries resisted and rebelled. Yet, Jesus returned to heaven. Why did he leave, especially with such a challenging task he gave to his people then and now. How we wish we could have Him with us physically on the earth leading us! But He did not stay. Why did He leave?
info_outlineWhen 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.”