Lesson Three: The Preaching of Jesus Christ

Two things to keep in mind…

1) Jesus’ life story can be summed up in a few power- packed words. See: Acts 1:1, “In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach.”

2) Not all Jesus’ teachings were delivered in the preaching format; but all Jesus’ preaching is included in the body of His teachings.

Rabbi Yeshua speaks…

• Matthew 4:17, “From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.”
• Matthew 4:23, “Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people.”
• Matthew 9:35, “Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness.”
• Matthew 10:7, “As you go, preach this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven is near.’”
• Matthew 11:1, “After Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and preach in the towns of Galilee.”
• Matthew 11:5, “The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor.”
• Matthew 12:41, “The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now one greater than Jonah is here.”
• Mark 1:38, “Jesus replied, “Let us go somewhere else—to the nearby villages—so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.”
• Luke 4:43-44, “But he said, “I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent. And he kept on preaching in the synagogues of Judea.”
• Luke 7:22, “So he replied to the messengers, “Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor.

Two Observations:

1) Jesus was passionate about preaching!
2) Jesus’ preaching touched on many topics, but two chief themes were repentance and the Kingdom of Heaven.

Concerning Repentance:

• Repentance is: “a change of mind which results in a change of life.”
• Thus, we see that Jesus is concerned about:
– Our direction
– Our destiny

Concerning the kingdom of Heaven:

• Jesus was focusing on the sovereignty, reign, or rule of God.
– Luke 17:2, “…the kingdom of God is within you.”
– John 18:36, “Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight,
that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence.”

• Jesus spoke of the fulfillment of Old Testament expectations— many of the prophets looked for the ‘day’ when God would not only restore the fortunes of his people Israel and Judah but also establish an everlasting era of peace, justice, and mercy. Then, Israel and Judah would again become one kingdom (Harper’s Bible Dictionary).

• Jesus announced God’s expectations of those who surrender to His sovereignty—since there was widespread misunderstanding regarding the nature of the Kingdom, many things had to be clarified. In doing so, Jesus identified two things God is most concerned about:
– Priorities
– Purposes

• Jesus expected His followers to listen—if anyone has ears to hear, let him hear… (cf. Matthew 13:15-16 and 13:43.)

Think about it…

Jesus’ preaching centered on two key themes: repentance and the kingdom. Focusing on these topics makes it clear that Jesus is concerned with our:

1. Direction
2. Destiny
3. Priorities
4. Purposes

By addressing these topics, it appears that Jesus was most concerned about whether or not His message reached the hearts of His listeners.

Let’s really think about it!

• Is the message of Jesus reaching the hearts listeners today?
• Do we have ears to hear?