The Presence and The Power of the Kingdom

The main theme of my message today is: “Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand…”

Introduction

In today’s world there is clearly a lack of concern for one’s salvation. We have technology and personal comforts that make the Gospel of the Kingdom appear unnecessary. What most, if not all, people do not understand is that we will all give an account. The unbeliever will give account for not accepting the King as Lord and Savior (Revelation 20:11-15 and 21:7-8). The believer will give account for what he or she did with the Gospel of the Kingdom (Romans 14:10-12).

The Message

The text the Lord led me to present is Luke 4:16-21:

And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up for to read.

And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when he had opened the book he found the place where it was written,

The spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,

To preach the acceptable year of the Lord. And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him.

And he began to say unto them, “This day is this Scripture fulfilled in your ears.”

To me this is one of the most powerful passages in the New Testament. Prior to this time Christ had not been revealed in the public arena. He had been baptized in the Jordan where God had divinely ratified Him as His son(Luke 3:21-22). He was the fullness of the Godhead in bodily form (Colossians 1:15, 2:9). He was the express image of God (Hebrews 1:3). However, prior to the commencement of His ministry He was led into the wilderness by the Spirit to be tempted of the devil (Luke 4:1). After overcoming the devil, He, not led of the Holy Spiritas into testing, returns in the power of the Holy Spirit. Now He would not only deliver a message, but He would be the message. He, the Lord of lords and the King of kings, would be revealed to be the Word of God, God manifested in the flesh (John 1:14).

In the context and custom of the synagogue worship, He was brought the Haphtorah, the “prophets” portion, which customarily would have been the second lesson. This lesson would have been preceded by the first lesson which would be the “law” portion called the Parashah. Therefore, when Jesus said that today in the hearing of the ears of the people this Scripture was fulfilled, He was saving I am the Messiah, and the law and prophets bare witness of me. He was saying God has heard your prayers and I am here for the fulfillment of your peace, deliverance, restoration, and redemption. This is why He later said to the Pharisees, “If you believed the Scriptures, you would believe in me because they were written of me.” (Generally John 5:38-47)

The passage read was Isaiah 61:1-2a. This passage was a prophetic utterance about a future event and at the same time a present reference to the law of the year of Jubilee (Leviticus 25:8-17). The year of Jubilee was commenced with the sounding of the trumpet declaring to the nation that the Jubilee was at hand. (Id.) It was announced on the Day of Atonement in the Seventh Sabbatical year (49^th year). It was a time when the land would be at rest andaccording to the law, a rest which would last one year. The themes are clear: peace/rest, restoration, and deliverance. The curse on the land (hard labor) and every form of oppression were to cease. Moreover, all forms of debts were to be forgiven.

What we find was Jesus, the Word, blowing the first trumpet of Jubilee declaring to the nation that the age of Jubilee was at hand. The Kingdom or God’s reign was not present in Him both in word and in power, in Spirit and in Truth. He was the reality of the Kingdom. It was not clear whether a Kronos year was at hand but a definite Kairos year had appeared. Kairos is Greek for “a season” a special season it is God’s time. It was a season which would begin and end with Christ. It was prophetic of His ministry that He would immediately go about setting the captives free (deliverance); forgiving sins (removing all forms of debt) and bringing healing and wholeness (restoring the land) and as the Prince of Peace making peace (rest) between God and all that would receive Him. He was saying today the Kingdom is present and it is present with power. This became the theme for His entire ministry throughout the Gospels, the early Church life in Acts. It was not only the Kingdom in Spirit but it was the Kingdom manifested in the natural. He not only brought the message, but He was the message.

Application to Life and Ministry Today

Today, what is the message or application for us? It is the same. The Kingdom is present and with power. Power to deliver the captive from every form of captivity; to restore the land:by giving sight to the blind, and the power to provide Kingdom peace. A peace which begins in the heart and radiates to all those we come in contact with. Why? It is simple. We are people of His Presence. We carry Him, and He is the fullness of the Godhead in us. We walk in the blessings of the reign of God. This is Jubilee. We have the power in Him to bring that power into the present as we yield to Him in total surrender if we are willing. We are the body of Christ; we carry on the call and anointing of Isaiah 61 as expressed through Christ in Luke 4:16-21. We do it the same way; we become and bring the message.

Conclusory Challenge

The question is what will you do with it? Will you hide it? Keep it for yourself? Or, will you invest it in every heart you can find with your walk (being the message), words (speaking the message), and works (doing the message)? Though some do not believe, this is carried over to us today. Peter himself said, “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord” (Acts 3:19). The reference here is the same. It is Jubilee… We carry the Presence and Power of the Kingdom. Today, let this Scripture be fulfilled in the hearing of your ears. Be the Message, Speak the Message, and Do the Message!

By: Armando V. Munoz, TUMI—Exegetical Paper, June 18, 2014

Bibliography

Module II, Capstone Curriculum: “Jubilee”
Hebrew-Greek Key Word Study Bible, King James Version, Scripture Review
Companion Bible, King James Version, Scripture Notes Review
Finis Dake’s Encyclopedic Bible, King James Verison, Scripture Notes Review.
Wycliffe Bible Dictionary, “Jubilee”
Unger’s Bible Dictionary, “Jubilee”
Vine’s Expository Dictionary, Kairos, Kronos
Finally, but most importantly, the Doctrine is not my own, but that which I have received of the Father…