10/21/2025
Repent for the Kingdom of the Heavens
“And saying, Repent for the Kingdom of the heavens has drawn near.” Matthew 3:2
The opening of God’s New Testament economy began with the word “Repent for the Kingdom”. This involves making a turn for the Kingdom of the heavens. God’s economy (plan) is focused on His Kingdom.
For this we should repent. To repent is to change our mind, to make a turn in our life-pursuit. Previously, our goal and our pursuit were in other things. Now our pursuit must turn towards God and His Kingdom.
What is God’s Kingdom?
“Jesus answered, My Kingdom is not of this world... but as it is, My Kingdom is not from here.” John 18:36
God’s Kingdom is Christ’s Kingdom. Christ must have a Kingdom in us where He can exercise His administration under His full, divine authority.
God became a man, Jesus, who is the Son of God. This Jesus, the God–man, went through the experience of human life under God’s authority. He lived a proper human life fully submitted to God the Father. Whatever the Father does and speaks He also does and speak the same way. He did not do anything of Himself but submitted Himself fully to God’s will. (John 5:30; 4:34; 6:38)
What must We do?
We must repent of our own rebellion and self-seeking. As Christians we must deny ourselves, drop all that we do, think, feel or have planned to do. All these things we must abandon and have a change in our mind. We must leave all of the religious world and our self-righteousness behind.
This is to repent for the Kingdom.
We need to realize that in today’s Christian religion all have rebelled against Christ and have rejected His Headship and authority. For this we must repent. Today’s Christianity has missed the mark (goal) of God’s economy in the same way the early Jewish religionist had rejected Jesus Christ at His first coming.
Christ, the King of kings is coming soon
“Behold, I come quickly, and My reward is with Me to render to each one as his work is” Revelation 22:12
We all know that the Lord Jesus will return soon to bring in His Kingdom and His authority to earth. But what many Christians do not know is that He comes with a reward that He will award to those believers who repent and do the works that are according to His will. The Lord’s words in Revelation 22:12 should be a warning to us to repent and to do the first (best) works (Revelation 2:5, 16, 21; 3:3, 19-21)
In the verses above the Lord exhorted the believers in the seven churches to repent. That means He charges them to repent for His Kingdom.
The apostle Paul also warned the Corinthian believers that we must be careful in how we build upon the unique foundation of the church. This foundation is Christ Himself. Do we build with gold, silver and precious stones? This means do we build the church with the Father’s nature symbolized by the gold, the Son’s redemption symbolized by silver, and the transforming work of the Holy Spirit symbolized by precious stones? Or, do we build with our natural religious ways symbolized by wood, grass and stubble? At His coming all our Christian work will be tested by fire at His judgment seat. If it survives the test it remains and we will have the reward of the enjoyment of eternal life. However, if our work is burned up into ashes then we will suffer loss but will “… be saved as through fire” (1 Corinthians 3:10-15)
How can we repent?
First, we must have a turn in our mind, in our understanding. “Do not be foolish but understand what the will of the Lord is” (Ephesians 5:17)
We need a turn in our life-pursuit in our Christian life. The goal of our Christian life should be focused on God’s Kingdom and be subject to God’s will.
Then we must daily abide in the Lord as branches in the True Vine. Jesus said that “…apart from Me, you can do nothing, unless you abide in Me and My words abide in you” (John 15:4-7). If we try to work without abiding in the Lord and in His words then we will be unable to grow fruit, but if we abide in the Lord through our abiding in His living words then we will have the supply to do the proper works and will have fruit unto eternal life.
Prayer:
“Lord Jesus, I repent of my rebellion towards Your Kingdom and authority. Lord, be merciful to me that I would give up my own works and build Your church with Yourself as the proper spiritual materials. Grant me Your all-inclusive grace to abide in You and in Your living word that I may have fruit to satisfy You. Lord I repent for Your Kingdom. Make me ready for You alone. Fill me with Your life-giving Spirit. Amen”
