The Gospel of Matthew records the first sermon Jesus preached at the start of His public ministry. It was a simple message, captured in Mathew 4: 17:

 From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

I cant think of a better place to begin this blog, than with the very first words Christ Himself launched into His adult ministry with.

Jesus preached the message of repentance boldly and before Him, John the Baptizer had been preaching the same message – until he was imprisoned by Herod. It was the message of the time, for a people who had to prepare for the coming of Jesus, the Messiah.

Understanding Kingdom of God

Now a kingdom is a territory ruled by a king. It can be a place, a country or a territory – what’s important to note is that it is under the authority and control of that ruling King. Now the kingdom of heaven is the spiritual territory where God Himself rules and reigns.

From the time God created the world, creating both the heavens and the earth, He was and still is the one ruling the Kingdom of Heaven. Satan fell and another kingdom began – one of darkness. Man was created with dominion and authority and set in the garden of Eden and Satan immediately began to infiltrate and influence God’s kingdom and His people. From the time Satan fell, he has been ruling the kingdom of darkness which has been actively, and continually and consistently resisting the kingdom of light. The bible recounts the events of the 4000 years between Adam and Eve and Jesus – years characterized by the continuous conflict between light and darkness; obedience and sin; rebellion and faith.

Up until the time John the Baptizer started preaching. John’s message was significant because the Kingdom of Heaven was sending the Son of the King – one with authority to deal with the kingdom of darkness once and for all. One who would begin the work of fully establishing the Kingdom of Heaven on earth for all

The coming of Jesus meant that the light of the world was going to overcome every form of darkness; and those those who were living in darkness were going to see a great light.

The coming of Jesus meant that THE King of all Kings and THE Lord of all Lords was about the defeat the king of darkness

The coming of Jesus meant that the ONLY door into the kingdom of Heaven was about to open for all who wanted to go through and that the gates of the kingdom of hell would not be able to prevail against us.

So really, this was a battle of kings and the victory was taken on the grounds of calvary. Won by one who was fully God and fully man and now the Kingdom of heaven is for all who whose to believe.

Jesus Teaches about the Kingdom of Heaven

Throughout his Ministry, Jesus revealed the nature of this Kingdom through parables and teachings. He urged all who listened to seek it first, above all else. So many times He gave revelation through parables. ” The Kingdom of Heaven is like…. ” is a phrase repeated more than 10 times in Mathew’s gospel. God uses images like seed, yeast or treasure to help his followers understand.

To those who follow Him, Jesus says that it has been given to us to know “the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven.”

This is something we are not called to be ignorant about, but to step into full and deep understanding so we know how to operate in this place. And its a current reality. A spiritual territory we occupy now. Its not just the promise of a place that will be fully established at the end of the times. There is a current reality for us to live in and operate from. As much as the king of darkness was defeated, it doesn’t mean the work of Satan is done – far from it. In fact, the word clearly states that from the time John the Baptist began preaching, the Kingdom of God started to advance and also experienced even greater opposition and force. It will take equally forceful men, intentional about seeking and establishing this kingdom to walk into the fullness of it.

So when we pray, “Your Kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven,” we must recognize that we are the ones entrusted with the authority and responsibility to see this prayer fulfilled and it will not be without resistance. But the good news is that the body of Christ— those who walk in the revelation of Jesus as the Messiah — they are the ones who been given the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven. Darkness will not prevail

In all of this, both John and Jesus, preaching the same message make it abundantly clear that there is a prerequisite for us to become citizens and soldiers in the kingdom of heaven: You must repent. Jesus Christ himself brought the kingdom to us. And his first instruction regarding the kingdom is : REPENT.

What Repentance Really Means

Repentance simply put is changing your mind regarding sin – and that should lead to a corresponding change in your actions.

There is a particularly beautiful theological definition that captures the heart posture behind repentance:

The challenge we face today is that the very definition of sin has become blurred. We live in an age where sin is treated as relative and God’s holy law as open to interpretation. Fundamental truths are questioned, and the message of the day is: “Choose your own truth.”

Instead of fleeing from sin, we are living in a times where many are comfortable sitting on a fence – with one foot on either side – ready to jump off wherever seems convenient.
Instead of pursuing righteousness, we are content with anything that resembles it — settling for a form of godliness without the power.

Scripture warns us about such times and attitudes. The prophet Isaiah spoke of a generation that twists truth and calls evil good, while waiting for God to prove Himself true.

You are in for trouble! The lies you tell are like ropes by which you drag along sin and evil. And you say, “Let the holy God of Israel hurry up and do what he has promised, so we can see it for ourselves.” You are headed for trouble! You say wrong is right, darkness is light, and bitter is sweet. ( Isaiah 5:18-20

Such attitudes stand as roadblocks to repentance; when we deny the reality of sin, we remove the very foundation on which repentance must start with. True repentance can only come from someone who looks sin in the eye and recognizes it for what it truly is. It begins when we see and accept the gap between our actions, our thoughts, our posture—and the holy law of God. It requires us to accept the unadulterated word of God as THE truth. And Jesus Christ as the ONLY way, the ONLY truth and the ONLY life.

The king of darkness is also the father of lies, and even in his defeat, he is and master of masquerading as light-is running amok amid our lack of sin-consciousness, taking advantage of a world dead to the reality of sin. The truth of the matter is when we are not serving the interests of the kingdom of heaven, the gates of hell prevail. And the gates of hell lead the world straight into the kingdom of darkness.

Walking in the true light of that overcomes darkness

We cannot come to God with our own version of truth and simply build a doctrine that makes us comfortable and preach a word that accommodates the fleshly desires of the fallen world. At the same time, the walk of faith is not a call for a blind, passive form of religion – the kind where people switch off their minds and drink from whatever cup is being offered without asking what’s inside. God never calls us to suspend our thoughts and intelligence. The very God who created us and gave us our capacity to think and discern, also calls us to reason with Him and work out our salvation with fear and trembling. He instructs us to test everything and most importantly, He gives us the Holy spirit which is what really convicts us of of our sin.

So as we make this journey of faith, my prayer is for us to step into the light – the true light of the world that overcomes darkness. I pray that we walk with understanding into the promises of God – inheriting a kingdom that cannot be shaken