Kingdom Consummated Part 4
At Keys Vineyard Church, we are presenting a series called ‘Kingdom Consummated,’ which we post here on Online Bible Institute.
Last week in our series ‘Kingdom Consummated’, we looked at the power of death that entered the world through the fall. Death was not part of God’s original design, but when sin entered, it brought separation from God and with it the shadow of death over creation. That is the great enemy we face. But this week, we turn to the power of life, the life that comes through Jesus Christ.
John 1:1-9 (NIV)
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it. 6 There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe. 8 He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. 9 The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.
John begins his Gospel by reaching back to the very beginning. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Before there was anything, there was the eternal Word. Through Him everything was made, and nothing exists apart from Him. That means Jesus is not simply a teacher or a miracle worker. He is the very source of life itself. John tells us, “In him was life, and that life was the light of all people.”
Because of the fall, death and darkness began to rule, twisting God’s creation. But the message of the Kingdom directly confronts that rule. Where the evil one enslaves through death, Jesus comes to set free through life.
Colossians 1:13 (NIV)
13 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves,
This is not just about life after we die. Eternal life begins now as the life of God breaks into our present reality.
The light of Christ shines into the world, and the darkness cannot overcome it. This is not a temporary flicker but a power stronger than death itself. Nearly every teaching of Jesus points to this eternal life. It is a life that begins in Him and restores us to fellowship with God. It heals, renews, and redeems.
John makes it clear that the darkness we experience comes from being cut off from the life of Jesus. But now the true light has come into the world to give life to everyone who believes. That light is not just a distant promise but a present reality.
Though the evil one seeks to hold creation in bondage through death, Jesus invades with the power of life. His life is strong enough to overthrow death, restore creation, and return us to God’s original design. In Christ, the story does not end with death. The story ends with life, light, and the victory of God’s Kingdom breaking into the world.
This weekend at Keys Vineyard Church, we will discuss all this and more, so be sure to join us in person or online.
Steve Lawes is a pastor at Keys Vineyard Church and also the founder of the Online Bible Institute Network.
