Introduction
Matthew 28:16-20 (ESV)
Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
The church’s commission is to make disciplined followers of the Lord Jesus Christ, transformed into His character, establishing His kingdom on earth as it is in heaven.
Matthew 28:18 (ESV)
And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.”
The Kingdom is First
Everything Jesus said and did was about the Kingdom of God. The Gospel of Mark summarizes Jesus’ life and teaching in these verses:
Mark 1:14-15 (ESV)
Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”
Matthew 6:31-33 (ESV)
Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
Jesus is calling us to a focused pursuit of the PRIMARY thing: the Kingdom of God and His righteousness.
We must become aware of all competitors who seek to become the FIRST and PRIMARY thing in our lives in order to properly submit them under Jesus.
Hebrews 12:25-29 (NKJV)
See that you do not refuse Him who speaks. For if they did not escape who refused Him who spoke on earth, much more shall we not escape if we turn away from Him who speaks from heaven, whose voice then shook the earth; but now He has promised, saying, “Yet once more I shake not only the earth, but also heaven.” Now this, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of those things that are being shaken, as of things that are made, that the things which cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. For our God is a consuming fire.
Conclusion
There will come a day at some point in the future, no one knows when, that the veil between heaven and earth is removed and God’s pure character will permeate all of creation. His purity is like a fire, and it will purify creation. We are not to be afraid of “the end,” but we wait for, even hasten the day, because it brings THE DAY when there are new heavens and a new earth in which God’s righteousness and justice will dwell unhindered.
2 Peter 3:9-13 (ESV)
The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed. Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.