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The People of God’s Kingdom in the New Testament

1. CONNECT

   10min
   Our last session focused on what the New Testament says about the place of God’s kingdom. We learned that Christ’s kingdom work began in the same geographical center as the place of God’s kingdom in the Old Testament. We also learned that God intends for his kingdom to spread to the ends of the earth. In this session, we’ll consider the people of God’s kingdom in the New Testament. To understand what the New Testament teaches about the role of human beings in serving the kingdom of God, we must focus in two directions: the service of Christ, the perfect image of God, and the service of believers in Christ who are renewed in the likeness of God.

2. Reflection

   It’s quite common for Christians to believe that the failures of human beings throughout the Old Testament made it necessary for God to set aside his original purpose for his images. But don’t be misled. God did not set aside human beings in the New Testament. The eternal Son of God took on flesh and became one of us. Christ became a human being to rectify our failures, to fulfill humanity’s kingdom service and to enable us to serve with him. He himself fulfills what God ordained for the human race. Moreover, he redeems us from sin; we are conformed to his likeness; and in the power of his Spirit, we serve with Christ in extending God’s kingdom throughout the earth.

3. Guiding Question

   According to the New Testament, who are the people of God’s kingdom?

4. WATCH

   15min

5. DISCUSS

   15min
   1. In 1 Corinthians 15:21-22 Paul drew upon parallels between Adam and Christ. How does this passage emphasize that it was necessary for Jesus to become a man in order to reverse the effects of Adam’s sin and fulfill the critical kingdom role God ordained for his images from the beginning?
   2. Hebrews 4:14 states that Jesus is a great high priest and God’s royal son. How does knowing that Christ fulfills the royal, priestly role of Adam and Eve, as well as David’s royal lineage, give us confidence that he will surely fulfill God’s kingdom purposes on our behalf?
   3. In 1 Peter 2:9, Peter applied the description of the nation of Israel from Exodus 19:6 to the Christian church when he called us “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation.” He then added, “that [we] may proclaim the excellences of him who called [us] out of darkness into his marvelous light.” What does this passage reveal about the role of the Christian church in God’s kingdom?

6. APPLY

   15min
   1. What is the critical kingdom role that God ordained for his images from the beginning? How are we, as followers of Christ, enabled to serve with Christ in fulfilling this role today?
   2. Paul wrote in Ephesians 4:24 that all true believers are to “put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.” What does it mean for us to “put on the new self”?
   3. How does knowing that you are “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for [God’s] own possession” challenge you to reassess the purpose of your life?

7. CHALLENGE

   Write down four ways the New Testament’s teaching on the role of human beings should impact how you look at Christ, yourself and your fellow believers. Finish with a time of prayer.