Page 30 - TH130 Kingdom of God A4 Final

The Kingdom of God

Jesus told the Pharisees, “because the kingdom of God is among you”
(Luke 17:21). Because Jesus was among them, the kingdom of God was
also among them.

Once imprisoned, John the Baptist became discouraged. He sent his
followers to ask Jesus if He was really the Messiah. Jesus told them, “From
the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been
forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it” (Matthew 11:12,
compare Luke 16:16). Jesus wanted them to know that the kingdom of
God had already come and that it was on the move. As Jesus went about
His ministry, He was advancing the kingdom of God.

Jesus’ “Nazareth Manifesto”
Near the beginning of His ministry, Jesus went into a synagogue in
Nazareth of Galilee. There He presented His “Nazareth Manifesto.” A
manifesto is a public declaration of one’s goals and plans. Jesus said,

The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to
preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom
for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the
oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor. (Luke 4:18–19)

Jesus was quoting from the messianic prophecy of Isaiah 61:1–2. By
doing this, He was claiming to be the Messiah. He was also claiming
the Messiah’s authority. He said that He would fulfill His ministry in the
power of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus’ anointing, however, was not like the anointing of some earthly
rulers. Theirs was with mere oil. His was with the Spirit of the Lord.
Christ’s fivefold agenda of ministry included the following:

• He would preach the good news to the poor.
• He would proclaim freedom to the prisoners.
• He would proclaim recovery of sight to the blind.
• He would release the oppressed.
• He would proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.

How did Jesus go about fulfilling this agenda for ministry? He aimed
primarily at people’s spiritual needs. He realized that people were spiritually

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