The
Message of Jesus Christ
“From
that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, ‘Repent: for the kingdom of
heaven is at hand.’” Matthew 4:17
“And
Jesus went about all
“And
Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and
preaching the gospel of the kingdom and healing every sickness and every
disease among the people.” Matthew 9:35
“Now
after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the
gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, ‘The
time is fulfilled, and the
“And
He said unto them, ‘I must preach the
“For
the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy
in the Holy Ghost.” Romans 14:17
What do you believe? What is the difference in
Primitive Baptists and other denominations?
The
above two questions are asked often. We
need to be able to give a simple, concise answer; but if questioned further,
should be able to Scripturally explain in detail the main thrust of the truth
of God’s Holy Word.
For
probably about twenty years, when asked the difference in what Primitive
Baptists believe, I would start explaining the doctrines of grace: election,
predestination, total depravity, the sovereignty of God, etc. I believe God
opened my eyes to the difficulty of that approach. First, that is not the order
of explanation given in the Bible. Second, I have never really converted anyone
using that method. Trying to explain those complex doctrines to a stranger usually
leads to one of two reactions: (1) bewilderment and confusion, or (2) an
argument. Either way, the child of God is not edified of enlightened.
In
looking at the New Testament as a whole, I believe the gospels concentrate on
practical, godly living. It is not until we get to the book of Romans that we
begin to read a clear record of the fundamental doctrines of our eternal
Salvation being by the amazing grace of God. We need to follow the pattern of
the Scriptures. Since God explained His truth to us in a particular order, we
should follow that same order in explaining the truth to others.
A Brief Explanation:
Whereas
most denominations are telling others to live right and be good so they can go
to heaven when they die, Primitive Baptists concentrate on a heaven we can
enjoy while we live! And while others often warn about dying and going to hell,
Primitive Baptists are warning God’s children about the hell they can
experience now, a living hell here on earth. Primitive Baptists do believe in
an eternal heaven and hell when this world is over. But the Scriptures plainly
declare that eternal salvation to the eternal heaven is by God’s grace, not by
our works. Our works, obedience, belief, and faithfulness are required to enter
the kingdom of heaven now, but it is the work of God which carries us to the
eternal heaven later.
Scriptural Explanation: A Heaven on Earth (NOW!)
The
word “heaven” means “a state of bliss.” Certainly, when we die and the Spirit
returns to God, we will be in heaven – a state of bliss. Likewise, in the final
resurrection, when the spirit is reunited with the body, and we are conformed
to the image of the Son of God, and carried home to be with the Lord forever,
that will be Heaven in its perfect fullness. But God in His grace has blessed
His obedient children to experience some heaven on earth! This heaven on earth
(
Three Heavens:
Paul
said he knew a man who was “caught up into the third heaven.” (II Corinthians
12:2) In order for there to be a “third” heaven, there must be a “first” and
“second” heaven. The Apostle John speaks of the first and second heaven in
Revelations. “And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and
the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.” (Revelation 21:1)
This new heaven is described as coming “down from God out of heaven.” It is a
heaven where God comes down and dwells with us here and makes His presence
manifest in a wonderful experience, filling us with great peace and joy. This
heaven on earth (
This
heaven on earth is often called the “
The
phrases “kingdom of heaven” and “
What is the Kingdom of Heaven/Kingdom of God?
Though
most Jews during the life of Jesus were looking for the kingdom, the new heaven
and the new earth promised by the prophets (see Daniel 2:44 and Isaiah
65:17-19, 66:22), their understanding and concept of the kingdom was one
similar to the glorious kingdom the Jews had under the reign of King David.
Since the Messiah would be the Son of David (his descendent), they were
expecting material wealth, physical power, and natural pleasures. A man as poor
as Jesus, talking about “Blessed are the poor in Spirit: for theirs is the
kingdom of heaven,” in no way resembles what they thought the Messiah or His
kingdom would be. But Jesus made it clear that it would be easier for the poor
to enter the kingdom of heaven than the rich! (see
Matthew 19:23-24). He did not come to set up a natural kingdom, but rather a
spiritual kingdom which His obedient people could enter regardless of the
country in which they lived.
The
Apostle Paul gives a clear, exact definition of the kingdom of heaven (
But
righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.” He explains what the
When
you feel the tremendous guilt and weight of sin, and feel that you deserve to
be eternally separated from God in an eternal hell, but then come to understand
God has redeemed you by the precious blood of Jesus Christ, you can truthfully
sing “Amazing Grace,” and realize the blessed righteousness of Jesus Christ as
you enter into that heavenly feeling of righteousness, and peace, and joy in
the Holy Ghost. You are lifted by God from a dark valley to a high mountain,
When
you or your loved one has been told you have cancer or some other major
problem; and you feel so low, but then God begins to lift you up and remind you
that it is not only in this life we have hope; and you begin by faith to
realize that all our we have hope; and you begin by faith to realize that all
our lives here are for a brief time; and you KNOW there is something ‘Far
Better” beyond the grave; and you feel reconciled to God’s will, and have a
peace which passeth all understanding, then you are
in the kingdom of heaven, feeling righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy
Spirit.
When
you hear a great hymn being sung, and the words come
alive, and the truth makes your heart rejoice so much you cry, then you are in
the kingdom of heaven. When you are reading God’s Holy Word, and the Spirit
begins to show you deep truths you have never seen before, then you are in the
kingdom of heaven. When you are praying, and you feel the presence of God so
strong you know He is listening, then you are in the kingdom of heaven. When
you look at the stars, a sunrise, a sunset, a beautiful flower, and you do not
merely see natural beauty, but rather see the glory of God, the Creator of it all,
then you are in the kingdom of heaven.
Where is the Kingdom of Heaven/Kingdom of God?
After
hearing all the preaching and teaching about the kingdom of heaven, the people
in the days of Jesus Christ wanted to know where it was. They thought it was a
physical, natural kingdom of heaven that they could see with their natural eyes
and physically enter into and sit down. Some thought the kingdom would be in
All preachers were preaching about the Kingdom of
Heaven/Kingdom of God
While
many preachers today concentrate on the eternal heaven where we go when we die,
the preachers in the Bible all were talking about the
The
next preacher in the New Testament was Jesus Christ. What did He preach?
“Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matthew 4:17) His message was
the same as John the Baptist. In His sermon on the mount, He again began by
preaching about the kingdom of heaven. His first words were, “Blessed are they
which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of
heaven.” (Matthew 5:10) Study the sermon on the mount,
and you will see that Jesus kept telling the people about the kingdom of
heaven/kingdom of God, which we are able to enjoy each day of our lives on this
earth. (Take note of Matthew 5:19-20,
When
Jesus sent out the apostles to preach, He told them to preach about this heaven
on earth, the kingdom of heaven or
John
the Baptist, Jesus Christ, the twelve apostles, and the seventy disciples (Luke
10:1,9) were all preaching about the kingdom of heaven, a wonderful heaven on
earth for God’s obedient children, a place where our soul feels righteousness,
and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. (Romans 14:17) Later, the Apostle Paul
“received all that came in unto him, preaching the
Parables are about the
We
have already seen that the first text of Jesus Christ was about the kingdom of
heaven, and the Sermon on the Mount was about the kingdom of heaven, but now
consider this: the parables of Jesus Christ were also about the kingdom of
heaven, NOT the eternal heaven! Jesus said, “The kingdom of heaven is likened
unto a man which sowed good seed in his field…”
(Matthew 13:24) He also said, “The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of
mustard seed…” (Matthew 13:31) “Another parable spake
he unto them; the kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven…” (Matthew 13:33) And
Jesus said, “again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto
treasure hid in a field…” (Matthew 13:44) Then we read that Jesus said, “Again,
the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls…”
(Matthew 13:45) “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net…” (Matthew
13:47) Over and over Jesus kept giving natural illustrations explaining the
great mystery of the kingdom of heaven! The disciples even asked Jesus why He
was speaking in parables. “And the disciples came, and said unto him, “Why speaketh thou unto them in parables? He answered and said
unto them, ”Because it is given unto you (disciples)
to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them, it is not given.”
(Matthew 13:10-11) As we truly follow Jesus Christ, as we are faithful
disciples, we then are blessed “to know the mysteries of the kingdom of
heaven,” and realize the parables are not about doing good works to go to
heaven when we die, but rather to enter the kingdom of heaven while we live, to
have fellowship with God now, to lay hold on eternal life now, to have
righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost now!
In
Matthew 24, Jesus tells the disciples His kingdom of heaven was not going to be
a natural kingdom set up in the natural city
Entering
the eternal heaven is not of works (Ephesians 2:9; Romans
What must we do to enter the
Just
as the parables emphasize the works, obedience, and faithfulness required to
enter the kingdom of heaven, there are other Scriptures which show our
responsibilities. Please look carefully at each of these verses of Scriptures.
“Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall
enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which
is in heaven.” (Matthew 7:21) What did the five foolish virgins say when they
wanted to enter into the marriage (kingdom of heaven/kingdom of God)? They
said, “Lord, Lord/” Did crying “Lord, Lord” gain them entry? No! They had not
kept their lights shining, therefore could not enter into the marriage. Though
they had shined in the past, past service was not acceptable. Continuing for a
little while will not suffice. It takes perseverance to enter the kingdom of
heaven. Jesus said, “He that doeth the will of My Father which is in heaven” are the ones who enter. Not the hearers only; not talkers,
but doers!
When
Paul and Barnabas went back to several cities preaching, they reminded them of
the perseverance, sacrifices, and suffering required to enter the kingdom of
heaven, or
Jesus
said, “The law and prophets were until John: since that time the
So
often, when we do the will of the Father, and all the above mentioned works
necessary to enter the kingdom of heaven, we think more highly of ourselves
then we ought. We become like the Pharisees. Notice what happened when the
disciples of Jesus had been faithful in many ways! “At the same time came the
disciples unto Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”
And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, and
said, “Verily I say unto you, except ye be converted, and become as little
children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore
shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom
of heaven.” (Matthew 18:1-4) Without humility, we cannot enter the kingdom of
heaven! Pride and a self-righteous attitude have kept many of God’s dear
children out of the kingdom of heaven! When pride enters into our hearts and
minds, we are shut out of the kingdom of heaven. We lose that feeling of
righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.
What is the message of Jesus Christ?
The
message of Jesus Christ is, “Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
(Matthew 4:17) When Jesus sent out the 12 Apostles, He told them to preach the
same message about the kingdom of heaven – that righteousness, and peace, and
joy in the Holy Ghost we can experience each day while we live here on the
earth. When He sent out the 70 disciples, He told them to preach about the
kingdom of heaven. When questioned about this “heaven on earth” by the
Pharisees, Jesus plainly said, “the
What about the Eternal Heaven after we die?
Since most of the New Testament is primarily telling God’s people how to live and what to do, it is understandable that the heaven most often mentioned is the heaven we enter in this world by working and laboring to serve God. However, there is another heaven even better! There is a heaven we shall finally enter forever! Entrance to that eternal heaven is not based on our faithfulness, our works, or our obedience. All the family of God, a people so great that no man can number, will be in the eternal heaven when this life is over because of the work of God alone, His amazing grace!