In Daniel 7 we read that Jesus, the Son of Man, was given dominion, glory, and a kingdom, and in Isaiah 9:6-7 we find that He shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace, and He will have a kingdom.When Jesus was born in Bethlehem, He was born a King. In fact, that’s what Jesus told Pilate: “Pilate asked Jesus, ‘Are You a king then?’ And Jesus answered, ‘You say [rightly] that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world…’” (John 18:37, NKJV). Matthew tells us that both John and Jesus preached this message, “Repent, for the KINGDOM of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 3:2).Now whatever Kingdom Jesus had come to establish it was AT HAND. It was NEAR. That phrase “is near” or “it is at hand” is used 14 times in the gospels and expresses an immediate presence and could also be translated “it is here!”So there was no delay in Jesus Christ becoming a king. Paul taught us that we should be “giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified (us) to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us into the KINGDOM of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” (Colossians 1:12-13).When we become Christians, we were rescued from the domain of darkness and were transferred into the KINGDOM of the BELOVED SON OF GOD—Jesus! Christ’s kingdom exists NOW, and His Kingdom is called THE CHURCH (Matt. 16:17-18).Of course, this kingdom, the church, is not a building made bricks, stone, and wood. The church Jesus was going to build would be built out of flesh and blood—people. Jesus died on the cross and rose from the grave to save us and make us HIS people, His kingdom, His church.Now, why is that important? Well, it’s important because there are people that forget that the church belongs to Jesus. They forget that He’s the King—it’s HIS kingdom. So the church today—we who claim to follow our Savior must live in obedience to His will. The church must follow what is taught in the New Testament. We get lost in the idea that this is “my” church and we expect things to go our way. But we are not to do it our way ...
