The Gospel of the Kingdom
A Sermon on Matthew 4:23
Originally preached Dec. 13, 1964
Scripture
23¶ And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.
Sermon Description
What is the gospel is? A great tragedy today (even among professing Christians) is not knowing what the gospel of Jesus Christ is. In this Christmas sermon on Matthew 4:23 titled “The Gospel of the Kingdom,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones preaches on the message that frames the beginning and end of the Lord Jesus’s ministry. By looking at both Matthew 4:23 and 24:14, he explores the message of the gospel from the perspective of the kingdom of God. Dr. Lloyd-Jones reminds that the greatness of the gospel is the good news of God’s kingdom (or His rule and reign). People are often guilty of reducing the gospel to subjective terms such as personal happiness or peace. They often start with themselves and end with themselves. But as Dr. Lloyd-Jones teaches, the gospel of the kingdom reminds that the whole world is involved in God’s redemption. The good news of the kingdom reminds that the Son of God came to this earth not to simply make people respectable, but to make them obedient to God. This obedience to the King brings Him glory. Listen as Dr. Lloyd-Jones answers the most important question of all: why was it necessary for Jesus Christ to come into the world?
Sermon Breakdown
- The gospel of the kingdom means the rule of God, the reign of God.
- The kingdom of God is not political or outward. It is a mystery that grows secretly.
- The kingdom of God comes through the preaching of the gospel, not through force or politics.
- The kingdom of God is established as individuals are translated from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of God's Son.
- The kingdom of God will be fully established when Christ returns, judges the world, and creates a new heaven and new earth.
- We must repent and believe the gospel to enter God's kingdom.
Sermon Q&A
What is the Gospel of the Kingdom According to Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones?
What is meant by the "Gospel of the Kingdom" in the Bible?
According to Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, the Gospel of the Kingdom refers to "the rule of God, the reign of God." It describes a realm in which God rules, reigns, and governs. This was Jesus' most frequently used term when He began preaching. As Lloyd-Jones explains: "The son of God came into this world in connection with the kingdom of God. He came to introduce it, to usher it in." The term reminds us that the gospel concerns not just individual needs but God's rule over the entire cosmos.
Why did Jesus need to establish the Kingdom of God?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that Jesus needed to establish the Kingdom of God because "this world has got into the wrong hands." After God created a perfect world that He governed, mankind fell into sin, and the world became lost. As Lloyd-Jones puts it, "The world is under the dominion of the devil. It's in the kingdom of darkness, in the kingdom of evil, the kingdom of Satan, the kingdom of hell." Jesus came to restore God's rule and to deliver mankind from "the bondage of corruption" into which the entire cosmos had fallen.
How does Christ establish the Kingdom of God?
According to Lloyd-Jones, Christ doesn't establish His kingdom outwardly or through political means. He states: "The kingdom of God doesn't come by force of arms... You can't make people Christian by the power of the sword. You can't make people Christian by acts of parliament either." Instead, the kingdom comes secretly, like a mystery. Jesus described it through parables - as a sower sowing seed, as leaven in flour, as a dragnet catching fish, as hidden treasure. Lloyd-Jones explains: "It happens in the hearts of men. It happens in the individual conscience. It happens in a life changed."
What is the relationship between personal salvation and the Kingdom of God?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones cautions against reducing the gospel to merely personal benefits, saying: "There are so many people who always talk about the gospel in purely subjective terms... The gospel has made them happy, given them peace... But that isn't the whole of the gospel." While personal salvation is important, the kingdom perspective reminds us that the gospel's ultimate purpose is "to make us obedient to God" and to restore proper relationship with Him. It's about "translating a man out of the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of God's dear son."
When will the Kingdom of God be fully established?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones teaches that while the Kingdom of God is currently advancing secretly through the gospel being preached throughout the world, it will ultimately be established visibly at Christ's second coming. He states: "When the end comes, the kingdom of God will come with observation. Then he will come in a visible manner... And he will manifest himself to the universe." At that time, "The kingdoms of this world shall become the kingdom of our God and of his Christ," and "There shall be a new heavens and a new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness."
Sermons on the Kingdom of God
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) was a Welsh evangelical minister who preached and taught in the Reformed tradition. His principal ministry was at Westminster Chapel, in central London, from 1939-1968, where he delivered multi-year expositions on books of the bible such as Romans, Ephesians and the Gospel of John. In addition to the MLJ Trust’s collection of 1,600 of these sermons in audio format, most of these great sermon series are available in book form (including a 14 volume collection of the Romans sermons), as are other series such as "Spiritual Depression", "Studies in the Sermon on the Mount" and "Great Biblical Doctrines". He is considered by many evangelical leaders today to be an authority on biblical truth and the sufficiency of Scripture.