As he started to preach, the first words of the Son of God were ‘repent for the Kingdom of God is at hand’. Incredibly, the long anticipated salvation of God was breaking into history- the Kingdom of God had arrived because the king, Jesus, had arrived! And for God’s people things were never going to be quite the same ever again....
This Kingdom, this revolutionary reign of God, was a thing of holy violence. The proud, the mighty and, incredibly, the very religious were going to find the Kingdom’s doors slammed in their faces. But small the weak, the feeble- the people who were sinners and who were not too proud to admit it- they were welcomed into the kingdom with open arms.
The one entry requirement for the Kingdom of God was for people, no matter how high born or low born, to get down on their knees, confess their utter unworthiness, and place their entire confidence in Jesus alone for salvation. For ‘the good people’ who were determined to pay their own way and earn their own place in the kingdom- this was just too high a price. For no- hopers like me- this is the best news that could ever be heard- Jesus has paid the entry fee and so I, along with everybody else who knows that they haven’t got a chance on their own, can enter the Kingdom freely.
So today are you ‘in’ or ‘out’?