The Big Story: Jesus' Ministry


How do you sum up the things Jesus did during his earthly ministry?  Sounds impossible to do!  But Matthew did it in Matthew 4:23-25.  He said Jesus preached the good news of the kingdom, taught people how to be kingdom citizens, and showed the kingdom had come by healing diseases.

He preached the good news of the kingdom.  The kingdom was the kingdom of God.  Jesus talked about it all the time.  The Bible teaches that at the end of the world, God will bring his kingdom to earth.  He will establish his kingdom through his Anointed One, his Messiah.  In this kingdom, he will right all wrongs, and establish his peace and love.  

The good news Jesus proclaimed about the kingdom was that it was entering the world through him.  In Luke 17:20-21, he said that the kingdom wasn't coming by careful observation.  It wasn't in a geographical location.  Instead, it was in human hearts.  People entered God's kingdom when they put their faith in Christ. Citizens of God's kingdom will live forever with God.

Jesus gave his followers the job of continuing that proclamation.  That means it has come to us!  Our mission isn't to get people to join our church, or to become members of our denomination.  Our mission is to get them into the kingdom by God's grace through faith!

Jesus taught people how to be kingdom citizens.  Citizenship in the kingdom brought with it certain demands.  Jesus taught his followers what they were.  One of the greatest collections of his teachings in this regard appears right after our text: Matthew 5-7.  There we find the Beatitudes and other great teachings.

Part of the Great Commission of Matthew 28:18-20 is for Christ followers to teach people to obey Christ commands.  We're to do that as Jesus did: By our attitudes, actions, and words!

Jesus showed the kingdom had come by healing diseases.  One of the great signs that Jesus was the Messiah and the kingdom had come was that he did so much healing.  Matthew 11 records that John the Baptist sent messengers to Jesus to ask him if he was the Messiah or if they should expect someone else.  In verses 4-5, Jesus told the messengers to tell John about all the healings Jesus had done.  These showed that he was who he said he was.

We too should engage in healing ministry.  Not fraudulent "Faith-Healing Ministries" like we see now and then, but praying for the sick and providing medical care for them.

Pray that God will empower his church to do as Jesus did!

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