Jesus went about ... preaching the gospel of the kingdom.

From the beginning of his ministry, "Jesus went about ... preaching the gospel of the kingdom" (Matthew 4:23). The message of Jesus could be summed up in this way: "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matthew 4:17). Jesus' message was good news. This is what the word, 'gospel' means - good news. Jesus preached a message of good news - the good news that the Saviour had come. His message was the gospel of the kingdom. Jesus Christ, the Saviour, is also Jesus Christ, the King. Those who receive Christ as their Saviour must also crown him as their King.

When Jesus preached, his hearers were faced with a decision. They had to make a choice. Would they become "sons (and daughters) of the kingdom"? or Would they remain "sons (and daughters) of the evil one" (Matthew 13:38). Would they make the kingdom of God their first priority? or Would they live for self, and not for Christ? Would they "lay up treasures in heaven"? or Would they "lay up treasures on earth"? (Matthew 6:33; Matthew 6:19-20).

You and I are still faced with a decision. Jesus says to each of us, 'Now, it is make-up-your-mind time.' Will it be Christ on the throne? or Will it be self on the throne? This is the decision which Christ, the King, sets before each one of us today. What will your response be to "the gospel of the kingdom"? Christ, the King, awaits your reply to his question.

There can be no sitting on the fence. Jesus says, "Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness" (Matthew 6:33). What do you and I find when we try to take seriously those words of Jesus? What we find is this- the more we try to be righteous, the more we become aware of our sin; the more we strive to live a righteous life, the more we become conscious of our need of the Saviour.

Aware of our sin, conscious of our need of the Saviour, we read, again, Jesus' words, "Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness." Together with this call to discipleship, we also hear Jesus' words concerning himself: "I am the way, the truth and the life; no one comes yo the Father except through me" (John 14:6).

 - Do you want to enter the kingdom of God?, Jesus says, 'I am the way into the kingdom.'

 - Do you want to live a righteous life? Jesus says, 'I am the way, the true and living way, God's way to a truly righteous life.'

"Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness."

Where are we to begin? We must begin with Jesus.  Jesus is our starting-point.

Where do we go from here? We go on with Jesus.

Through faith in Jesus Christ, we are born again. This is the beginning of the Christian life.

Through faith in Jesus Christ, we live the new life. This is God's way for living the Christian life: "we live by faith in the Son of God who loved us and gave himself for us" (Galatians 2:20).

How are we to have faith in Jesus Christ? Jesus says that we are to become like children - not childish but childlike in faith. We are to have a simple, humble and childlike faith in Christ. Jesus said, "Unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 18:3). Jesus said, "Let the children come to me ... for to such belongs  to the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 19:14). Jesus said, "Whoever humbles himself like this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 18:4).

 - If you are to be born again, if you are to enter the kingdom of God, you must come, like a child, to Jesus Christ. Come to him - with a simple, humble, childlike faith.

 - If you are to grow in Christ, to become mature in him, you must never outgrow the simplicity of childlike faith in Christ.

It's not easy for us to have this simple, humble and childlike faith in Christ. There are so many obstacles which get in the way. There is the obstacle of pride. There is the obstacle of prejudice. There is the obstacle of worldliness.

 - There are many people who do not come to  Jesus Christ because they are too proud. They hear Jesus' words, "Come to me, all who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28), but they refuse to come to him because they are too proud to recognize their need of him.

 - Many people refuse to come to Christ because they are prejudiced against him. They have closed their minds. They will not even listen to him. They have absolutely no intention of committing their lives to Christ.

 - Many people, in today's world, cannot really understand or appreciate the love of Christ and the gospel of Christ because they are far too preoccupied with the things of this world.

What about you? Will you bring your pride, prejudice and worldliness to Jesus. Will you receive him as your Saviour? Will you crown him as your King?