SAMPLE. The Kingdom of God. God in Action. Leader s Guide. Robert H. Hochmuth

Transcription

1 The Kingdom of God God in Action by Robert H. Hochmuth Leader s Guide Lesson One What Is the Kingdom?... 5 Lesson Two Revealed by God s Prophets...10 Lesson Three In the Works and Words of Jesus...18 Lesson Four In Jesus Parables...24 Lesson Five Confronting Fallen Mankind...31 Lesson Six In the Ministry of His Apostles...36 Lesson Seven Encountering Satan s Hostility...43 Lesson Eight Anticipating What s Ahead, Concentrating on Now...50 All rights reserved. New edition, 2008 Northwestern Publishing House 1250 N. 113th St., Milwaukee, WI by Northwestern Publishing House. Published 1999 Printed in the United States of America ISBN

2 The Kingdom of God Leader s Guide Page 2 To the Leader The studies in The Gospel Series focus on the gospel as it is taught in Scripture. We find that Scripture is rich in the many ways it teaches the gospel message. The writers of the Old and New Testaments use a great variety of pictures, prophecies, parables, and propositional statements as they tell us about God s gracious acts. We pray that through this course God s name is exalted and glorified and that he use this course to help his people see how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ (Ephesians 3:18). In this course, The Kingdom of God, we will trace the concept of God s kingdom through the entire Bible. This is in contrast to taking up a particular book chapter by chapter or answering a specific question on the basis of several passages. This course attempts to be largely inductive, presenting Bible passages from which observations are to be made or conclusions drawn, rather than merely as proof texts. Hence, adequate space is left after references for students to insert notes on conclusions, answers, and comments. Our aim is to have students get into their Bibles, so most verses are not printed out in the study sheets. Often, the context is necessary to get the real meaning of the verse. The objectives of this course are to recognize God s kingdom activity in all ages how he has spoken and acted in order to restore people to his realm. to gain new appreciation for how the kingdom activity of our God pivots at the cross. to see that God s kingdom activity on our behalf reaches through all time and eternity and to understand how it is manifested and characterized in a variety of ways at specific points in history. to make the most of our security under Christ s lordship and, considering Satan s vicious opposition, to review our role in this present, hostile world. to reinforce our commitment to God s means of grace, which make his kingdom come. to cultivate anticipation of the future climax of his kingdom activity. May these lessons on the kingdom of God lead your class to greater joy and more confident service. Robert H. Hochmuth

3 The Kingdom of God Leader s Guide Page 3 Using the computer CD included in this Bible study kit Thank you for purchasing an NPH Bible study kit. The computer CD included with this Bible study offers resources to help you prepare to teach God s Word to his people. What will I find on the CD? Each CD contains two text files, GUIDES.TXT and RESOURCE.TXT, and two directories, GUIDES and RESOURCE.. Read the short text files first. The GUIDES.TXT file tells you what is in the GUIDES directory. It lists the various formats for the student s guide copy masters. The RESOURCE.TXT file tells you what is in the RESOURCE directory. It contains a list of articles and resource material you may find helpful in preparing to teach the course. How do I open the text files? There are no programs on this CD. In other words, there is nothing you need to install on your computer and run. These are simple files, such as a letter or sermon you might save on your hard drive. To use these files, simply open them as you would any other file. Most word processors have a menu from which you can navigate to various places to locate files. You will need to tell your word processor that you want to find a file on the drive in which you inserted the Bible study CD. This will usually be drive c: or d:. If you are using a Windows word processor, click on drive c: or d: in the Open File window. When you have selected the appropriate drive, it will list the files and directories that are on the Bible study CD. What if no files or directories appear? Some word processors are set to show only files created by or for that program. You need to indicate that you want to see all the files on the CD. A pull-down menu in the Open File window gives you the options for the types of files you want the program to list. Choose all files or the equivalent. All the files and directories on your CD should appear. At this point you should be able to open the two text files. By navigating to the GUIDES and RESOURCE directories, you will be able to view the file names and open their contents as well. How do I use the files in the GUIDES directory? The GUIDES directory contains the student s guide copy masters and leader s guide. The files in the GUIDES directory are provided in both RTF and PDF formats. We have made every effort to provide you with the capability of adapting this Bible study to your needs. However, some degree of reformatting may be necessary to use the RTF files on your computer. The files included on this CD can be used by both IBM and Macintosh systems.

4 The Kingdom of God Leader s Guide Page 4 If you have any questions about using the CD, please call NPH at (414) Microsoft is a registered trademark and Windows is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation.

5 The Kingdom of God Leader s Guide Page 5 The Kingdom of God God in Action Lesson One What Is the Kingdom? Worship Read responsively Psalm 145:1-4, King David expresses praise and adoration in view of God s promise of his everlasting kingdom. A: I will exalt you, my God the King; B: I will praise your name for ever and ever. A: Every day I will praise you B: And extol your name for ever and ever. A: Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; B: His greatness no one can fathom. A: One generation will commend your works to another; B: They will tell of your mighty acts. A: They will tell of the glory of your kingdom B: And speak of your might, A: So that all men may know of your mighty acts B: And the glorious splendor of your kingdom. A: Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, B: And your dominion endures through all generations. Prayer: Eternal God, help us appreciate more deeply the encouragement you give us in revealing your salvation plan for us under the concept of a kingdom. Coming to you as disciples in Jesus name, we ask that your Spirit would thereby enliven our Christian hope and lives to your glory. Amen. When does God s kingdom come? 1. In the Second Petition of the Lord s Prayer we pray, Your kingdom come. What do we expect as an answer? Use a chalkboard or overhead projector. Have Your Kingdom Come prominently displayed as the class arrives. Now solicit responses to the question. List them in brief form. It is likely that the class will primarily think about Jesus return and God s eternal kingdom in heaven. Point this out and indicate that we expect to be widening this outlook as we proceed through the course. Don t spend an undue amount of time on this question. It is here simply to get the class thinking. 2. Now look at the following paragraph from Luther s explanation of the Second Article of the Apostles Creed in his Small Catechism: That I should be his own, and live under him in his kingdom, and serve him in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness.

6 The Kingdom of God Leader s Guide Page 6 When is Luther saying this should take place? Clearly Luther is talking about the present the Christian s time here on earth. 3. If we think God s kingdom is only in the future, what might we be missing out on in our lives now? We might miss out on assurance and strength for our lives now. 4. Read John the Baptist s words in Matthew 3:1 and Jesus words in Matthew 10:7. What do John and Jesus mean when they proclaim the kingdom of heaven is near. Point out to the class that the phrase is near may give the impression that the kingdom is getting closer. The word translated is near really means is at hand or is here? 5. Read Luke 17:20,21. Many Jewish people of Jesus day were waiting for Jesus to establish a political kingdom sometime in the future. When would the kingdom come, however? When challenged about the where and when of the kingdom, Jesus indicated: The kingdom of God is within you. In view of the fact that he is replying to unbelieving Pharisees, a more fitting translation is among you (as the NIV suggests for an alternate translation). Jesus is telling them: The kingdom of God is now. One of the objectives of this course is to make the most of this realization. What does the Bible mean by kingdom of God? 1. Compare the following verses. What is the difference between the kingdom of heaven and the kingdom of God? Matthew 10:7 Matthew 12:28 Matthew 4:23 The activities mentioned in these three verses overlap. We can conclude that the terms are synonymous and interchangeable. In the next question, we will see that the kingdom is God s gracious activity. The kingdom of heaven does not refer to a place but to where that activity originates. God, who dwells in heaven, is acting on our behalf. 2. Read Matthew 13:31,33. Jesus parables often described the kingdom of God. These two short parables help us get a more clear picture of what God s kingdom is. What do seed and yeast have in common? They have power within themselves to effect some action. Seed grows. Yeast permeates and spreads.