The New Testament Witness to Christ and His Kingdom, Student Workbook, SW13

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T H E N E W T E S T A M E N T W I T N E S S T O C H R I S T A N D H I S K I N G D O M

7. Jesus of Nazareth fulfills the kingdom promise, and therefore as Messiah opposes the effects of the curse and the works of the kingdom of darkness. How do we apply this kingdom authority in our own ministries and lives, here in the inner city?

This lesson focuses upon the opposition our Lord received, not only from his contemporaries in the nation of Israel, but those larger spiritual forces of the curse, the devil, and moral evil at work in the world. Jesus of Nazareth fulfills the kingdom promise of God, reasserting the rule of God in the earth, and demonstrating tangibly in his person and work God’s victory over sin, Satan, and death. The historical context which surrounded Jesus at the time of his appearing in his public ministry was dominated by the occupation and influence of the Roman empire on the world in general, and Israel in particular. The Roman domination of the world utterly influenced the various worldviews of the groups of Jesus’ contemporaries. This influence of Rome either negatively or positively on Jesus’ contemporaries determined and shaped the reactions of these groups to the person and message of Jesus in his ministry to Israel. The critical groups which interacted with Jesus in his ministry were the Sadducees, Pharisees, Zealots, and Herodians, and various other groups connected with these. The Jewish concept of the Kingdom of God at the time of Jesus, influenced as it was by their oppression from political powers, included their belief that the Kingdom of God would come in power, restoring the material universe and saving humankind from the control of Satan. Jesus’ view of the Kingdom conflicted with his contemporaries in that Jesus proclaimed the Kingdom to be present in his very person and works of power, demonstrated in his healings and exorcisms. As the true albeit unexpected Messiah, Jesus opposed those underlying spiritual powers which have held the world and humanity captive since the fall.

Summary of Key Concepts

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