God’s rule arrives in Jesus
Jesus began His public announcement with the kingdom: the time was fulfilled, God’s kingdom had come near, and people should repent and believe the good news (Mark 1:14-15). A kingdom involves a king’s rule. Jesus’ teaching and works showed what life under God’s rule looks like.
He healed, welcomed outsiders, forgave, confronted hypocrisy, and drove out demons. In Luke 11:20, Jesus said that if He drove out demons by the finger of God, the kingdom had come upon His hearers.
The Sermon on the Mount shows kingdom life
Matthew 5-7 describes mercy, purity of heart, reconciliation, enemy-love, private prayer, freedom from anxious pursuit of possessions, and obedience. These are not techniques for earning God’s attention. They are the shape of life under His rule.
The kingdom is already at work, while Christians still pray for it to come fully. Evil, death, and injustice remain. Jesus’ resurrection is the promise that they will not have the last word.
Read what Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount and why follow Jesus.