The Gospel of the Kingdom - Sparks

The Gospel of the Kingdom:
T. Austin Sparks

Chapter 5 - The Proclamation of the Kingdom

"And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world for a testimony unto all the nations; and then shall the end come" (Matthew 24:14).
Let us first analyse this verse, noticing its particular words.

"This Gospel [literally, 'good news'] of the Kingdom [literally, 'the royal reign'] shall be preached [this particular word means 'proclaimed', 'announced', 'heralded'] in the whole world [=the whole inhabited or habitable earth] for a testimony [=for a witness: Dr. Weymouth in his version translates that phrase - 'to set the evidence'].

Now with that analysis, let us build it all up into its full literal statement:

'This good news of the royal reign shall be heralded in the whole inhabited earth, to set the evidence before all the nations; and then shall the end come.'

That is a remarkable verse, for it comprehends nothing less than the whole mission, work, meaning and purpose of the person, incarnation, life, death, resurrection and exaltation of Jesus Christ, and it carries that through as the very meaning and business of His Church. It is a very comprehensive verse indeed.

But we must get behind this tremendous statement, try to get inside it. It is then to be noticed that what is called the Gospel, the good news - everything that Christianity has to say and to give - is defined in terms of a Kingdom, a sovereign rule, the outworking of a Kingship. Of course, we are so familiar with the language and with the idea that perhaps we have never really stopped to think what that means. Why is Christianity not spoken of as something else - 'this gospel of the communal state', 'this gospel of the social state', or some other designation? It is called 'the gospel of the sovereign rule, the royal reign'; in other words, the gospel of the Kingship of Jesus Christ. It is that, and nothing less an nothing other than that.
https://www.austin-sparks.net/english/books/gospel_of_the_kingdom_the.html

THE GOOD NEWS OF THE KINGDOM

So much for the explanation of the term 'the Kingdom of God'. What is the inclusive issue? "This gospel of the kingdom" - 'This GOOD NEWS of the sovereign rule of God'. The sovereign rule of God is good news! That comprehended the whole message of the apostles and of the Church for this dispensation. It is the good news of the Kingdom - the good news that the Throne exists and is occupied and is dominant. The good news, to begin with, in the most elementary aspect of the proclaiming, is that there is a Throne, and on that Throne is Jesus Christ; that the authority is vested in Him, and that that authority is a very real thing: and that the Holy Spirit is working all things in us and in this world in relation to the authority or Lordship of Jesus Christ.

14 Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the GOSPEL OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD, and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. repent, and believe in the gospel. (Mark 1:14).

Someone once said that the church has many times preached the gospel of Jesus Christ but hasn't preached the gospel that Jesus Christ preached. About twenty six times Christ spoke of the kingdom of God and yet only once did he speak of being born again and that to one person in the dead of the night away from everyone else.

1 There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.

2 This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, "Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for none can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.

3 Jesus answered and said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the KINGDOM OF GOD

4 Nicodemus said to Him, "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?

5 Jesus answered, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the KINGDOM OF God. (John 3:1-5)

First and foremost, the gospel that Jesus Christ preached was the gospel of the news of the kingdom of God. Jesus explained clearly to Nicodemus how one enters the kingdom of God. Likewise, after the church has proclaimed the good news of the kingdom of God, hopefully men will be compelled to ask, "How do I enter this kingdom?" It is then that the church can reply, "You must repent and be born again."

Mike: Sparks teaching on this issue is first-rate IMO, he has captured what a gospel that brings salvation fulfills as one seeks to live in God's kingdom according to the rule of God.

Amen Marvin! I totally agree!

Hi Mike,

Good message by T. Austin-Sparks.

He also said:

EXCERPTS FROM "THINE IS THE KINGDOM, AND THE POWER, AND THE GLORY, FOREVER”

"First of all, the Kingdom is not a realm, but the personal rule of a Person. It is the dominion of a Person, that which belongs to that Person. You see, you must be very clear about that, because the whole conflict centres in the question of to whom the Kingdom belongs. The Kingdom is the sovereign government of God over all. It is the will of God deciding everything eventually. Only in a secondary way is the Kingdom a sphere, or a realm, and it is the realm in which God's will is absolutely sovereign: ‘Thy will be done, as in heaven, so on earth.’ God is absolutely sovereign in heaven, and there no one ever challenges His will. Angels and archangels bow in adoration and submission to the will of God in heaven, and if the Kingdom becomes a realm, it is only the realm in which it is like that.”

"The dominion belongs to God: ‘Thine is the kingdom.’ The securing of that Kingdom for the Father was committed to the Son, so that the Lord Jesus has the Kingdom of God vested in Himself, and as He moved from His Cross He said: 'All authority hath been given unto me in heaven and on earth' (Matthew 28:18). So after the Cross, in the Book of the Acts, the Kingdom is in the hands of the enthroned King, Jesus Christ.”

"We have said that the Kingdom is the sovereign rule of God, and the sovereign rule of God and the power of God are all directed toward the glory of God. It is not the rule alone. It is true that God rules, but He rules with a purpose. It is true that the power belongs to God, but He does not just use His power to no purpose. His rule and His power are for His glory.”

"Christianity is a system of glory. It begins with glory and the last picture in the Bible is that symbol of the people of God in the New Jerusalem coming down from God out of heaven, "having the glory of God" (Revelation 21:11)”

"’He lives! He lives!...
You ask me how I know He lives ”“
He lives within my heart!’"

"It is ‘Christ IN you, the hope of glory’ (Colossians 1:27).”

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Scripture:

1 Thess. 2:12 (Young’s Literal Translation) ”“ \t
…… God, who is calling you to His own reign and glory.

2 Thess. 2:13-14 (NASB) ”“
But we should always give thanks to God for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth. It was for this He called you through our gospel, that you may gain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

ADD:

Hymn: "He Lives"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qF6aBDS3drA