Kingdom Arrival
Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and ministered to him....From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." Matt. 4:11-17, RSV.
"The devil left him."
Don't get your hopes up, though. Satan never quits. Luke tells us that "he departed from him until an opportune time" (Luke 4:13, RSV).
The devil had lost this round with the very human Jesus. But time was on his side. He would return when Jesus was down and more vulnerable. Satan works the same way with us. When it looks as if the coast is clear and we are safe at last, we trip over him "hiding in the grass" waiting for an "opportune time." And that time will come, generally when we are least able to resist. How important then that we stay tuned to God in our daily walk.
A second thing to note in today's verses is that "angels came and ministered to him." Actually, they had never left Him, but now their ministry is more visible.
Here we have a crucial truth to remember in our daily lives. No matter how bad it gets, no matter how down we feel, God never forsakes us. Whether we are conscious of it or not, His angels are always at our side strengthening and encouraging us to face life's challenges.
With Matthew 4:17 we come to the beginning of Jesus' formal ministry. He has passed the crucial test and is now ready to preach the kingdom of God on the Father's terms rather than on Satan's.
His initial message, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near" (NIV) is identical with that of John the Baptist (Matt. 3:2). Like John, He urges people to turn away from their sins and toward God.
When Jesus says that the kingdom is near, we wonder how near. After all, He spoke those words 2,000 years ago, and earthly kingdoms still roll on.
But Jesus knew what He was talking about. There is a sense in which the arrival of King Jesus on earth ushered in the kingdom, and another sense in which its consummation is still future. The fullness of the kingdom will occur only at the second coming of Christ. The inauguration of the kingdom took place at the First Advent, but it does not exist in completeness until the Second.
Thus it is that even in our day I enter the kingdom the very moment that I accept Jesus' Lordship in my life. He is already my King. Praise God! I am already a child of the King.
Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and ministered to him....From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." Matt. 4:11-17, RSV.
"The devil left him."
Don't get your hopes up, though. Satan never quits. Luke tells us that "he departed from him until an opportune time" (Luke 4:13, RSV).
The devil had lost this round with the very human Jesus. But time was on his side. He would return when Jesus was down and more vulnerable. Satan works the same way with us. When it looks as if the coast is clear and we are safe at last, we trip over him "hiding in the grass" waiting for an "opportune time." And that time will come, generally when we are least able to resist. How important then that we stay tuned to God in our daily walk.
A second thing to note in today's verses is that "angels came and ministered to him." Actually, they had never left Him, but now their ministry is more visible.
Here we have a crucial truth to remember in our daily lives. No matter how bad it gets, no matter how down we feel, God never forsakes us. Whether we are conscious of it or not, His angels are always at our side strengthening and encouraging us to face life's challenges.
With Matthew 4:17 we come to the beginning of Jesus' formal ministry. He has passed the crucial test and is now ready to preach the kingdom of God on the Father's terms rather than on Satan's.
His initial message, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near" (NIV) is identical with that of John the Baptist (Matt. 3:2). Like John, He urges people to turn away from their sins and toward God.
When Jesus says that the kingdom is near, we wonder how near. After all, He spoke those words 2,000 years ago, and earthly kingdoms still roll on.
But Jesus knew what He was talking about. There is a sense in which the arrival of King Jesus on earth ushered in the kingdom, and another sense in which its consummation is still future. The fullness of the kingdom will occur only at the second coming of Christ. The inauguration of the kingdom took place at the First Advent, but it does not exist in completeness until the Second.
Thus it is that even in our day I enter the kingdom the very moment that I accept Jesus' Lordship in my life. He is already my King. Praise God! I am already a child of the King.
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