Week 7 - The Rescuer King

We’ve been considering the Good News of the Bible.

We began with the bad news: humanity lives under the authority of Satan’s kingdom of darkness as slaves.

Here’s the Good News:

Acts 8:12 (NIV)

Philip … proclaimed the good news of the kingdom of God AND the name of Jesus Christ (emphasis added).

Acts 28:30-31 (NIV)

30 For two whole years Paul stayed there in his own rented house and welcomed all who came to see him. 31 He proclaimed the kingdom of God AND taught about the Lord Jesus Christ—with all boldness and without hindrance (emphasis added)!

The Good News has two parts: there’s another kingdom—the Kingdom of Light—and there’s a Rescuer King—the Lord Jesus Christ. We cannot escape the kingdom of darkness on our own, but Jesus rescues us from it and transfers us into His Kingdom.

RESCUER King

Jesus called the Apostle Paul with these words:

Acts 26:18

Open their eyes, so they may turn from darkness to light and from the authority of Satan to God. Then they will receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those made holy by faith in me.

Clearly echoing this calling, Paul described the Good News like this:

Colossians 1:12-14

12 Give thanks to the Father who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the holy ones in the light. 13 For he has rescued us from the authority of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins.

• What does God rescue us from?

• What does God transfer us to?

• What role does Jesus—His beloved Son—play in our rescue and transfer?

• Why are redemption (purchasing our freedom) and the forgiveness of sins essential to our rescue and transfer?

Colossians 1:21-23 (NIV)

21 Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. 22 But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation— 23 if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.

Colossians 2:13-15 (NIV)

13 When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, 14 having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. 15 And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.

• Why does Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross both forgive our sins and free us from Satan’s authority?

Rescuer KING

Not only is Jesus the Rescuer who brings people into the Kingdom of Light, He is also the King of that Kingdom.

Matthew 28:18 (NIV)

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.”

Colossians 1:15-20 (NIV)

15 The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. 19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.

Revelation 19:16 (NIV)

On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. 

As the Rescuer, Jesus is:

• Our Savior who died for our sins on the cross

• The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29)

As the King, Jesus is:

• Our Lord who has risen from the dead and ascended to Heaven

• The Lion of Judah who reigns over all (Revelation 5:5–6)

RETURNING Rescuer King

Jesus isn’t just our Rescuer King, He’s also our returning Rescuer King. Jesus didn’t just come once; He is coming again. Someday, Jesus will complete His rescue mission by returning to judge the living and the dead and to re-create Heaven and Earth.

Hebrews 9:28 (NIV)

Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.

2 Thessalonians 1:7-10 (NLT)

7 And God will provide rest for you who are being persecuted and also for us when the Lord Jesus appears from heaven. He will come with his mighty angels, 8 in flaming fire, bringing judgment on those who don’t know God and on those who refuse to obey the Good News of our Lord Jesus. 9 They will be punished with eternal destruction, forever separated from the Lord and from his glorious power. 10 When he comes on that day, he will receive glory from his holy people—praise from all who believe. And this includes you, for you believed what we told you about him.

1 John 3:1-3 (NIV)

1 See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2 Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. 3 All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.

Revelation 21:4 (NIV)

“He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death” or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.

The Already but Not Yet

So there is an Already but Not Yet to our experience of the Kingdom of Light.

Already, Jesus has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and brought us into His Kingdom. Not yet has the Kingdom come in all its fullness. But when Jesus returns, the kingdom of darkness will be completely removed, and the Kingdom of God will be fully realized.

The Kingdom is really here but not fully here.

You can picture this like a massive dam.

At His first coming, Jesus opened the sluice gates—the river of the Kingdom of God is already flowing with great power. Yet there is still so much more to come. When Jesus returns, the dam will burst, and the river of the Kingdom will flood the whole world.

Sound the siren! The King has come—and He is coming again!

Our Response

Mark 1:14-17 (NIV)

14 Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. 15 “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!” 16 As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew. 17 “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.”

• How are we to respond to the Good News that the Kingdom has come near to us through the person and ministry of Jesus?

• Why is repentance important? Have you repented?

• Why is believing the Good News important? Do you believe it?

• Why is following Jesus important? Are you following Him?

• Why is it important for Jesus to send us back into our circles of influence to fish for people (that is, to be His witnesses and ambassadors of His Kingdom)? Will you share Jesus’ light and love?

• In light of what you have discovered through the Bible readings and your personal reflections, how will you respond? Finish this sentence: “I will …”