How Jesus, Mary Magdalene, and Peter Obeyed the Gospel of the Kingdom (Part 1)

Matthew 4:18 – …and walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who was called Peter, and Andrew’s brother, casting their net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” And they immediately left the nets and followed Him. And going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and He called them. And they immediately left the boat and their father and followed Him. Jesus was going about in all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness among the people.

In the first part of this chapter, in verse 19, you’ll see Him say two things to Peter and his brother Andrew. The first one is what? “Follow me.” The second one is, “I’ll make you fishers of men.” Then He called two more, and He went on. It was not as though He went and began, but He went on proclaiming the kingdom of God. They left their nets, their occupations, and their father, and they followed the Lord Jesus. The Lord said, ultimately, I’ll make you fishers of men. I have an impression that the devil just really quaked that day. He probably said, “One’s enough.” Some months ago – no, it’s not been that long ago- I sat on the sofa, and I said to you, “The Lord has got to have a gospel that will still twist this world in knots, that will still convulse communities and get men thrown in jail.”

That’s the kingdom. Now let me talk about the Lord’s love and his bride. God has a passion. He has a real passion. He has a passion to love. I once said God is ultimately after one thing. He is after a “Mrs. God.” He is after a wife. To have that wife, He had to become a man, and He gets that wife from fallen mankind, but ultimately, she is a divine wife.

Now then, that’s the Lord’s bride, but there is also a kingdom. Now, who’s the very first citizen in the kingdom of God? Jesus Christ. Why didn’t you say, God? Let me tell you why you didn’t say it was God: God has the kingdom of heaven. That’s everything but Earth, but God cannot claim the earth. He gave that to man. What man? Could you say what man, without saying Jesus Christ, was given a throne upon this earth to claim the earth? David. Now, who is a descendant of David? Jesus Christ. Does Jesus Christ, therefore, as a descendant of the king, have a right to this planet? He does. He won that right. Now, what is his name? Jesus the Christ.  He can take the servant’s kingdom and call it His own.

So He is the first citizen of the Earth. Now, He is the son of King David. Another one besides God can also claim God’s throne. Who is that? The Son of God. Therefore, there is one man who can claim rightful rule over two kingdoms, the kingdom of heaven and the earth. In all of created and uncreated matter, there are only two places, heaven and earth…the heavens and the earth. So here is one who can claim rightful rule over all things, something that not even God can do.  Who is the first citizen of the kingdom of God? Jesus Christ can take earth and the kingdom of heaven, marry them together, and make them the kingdom of God and the kingdom of His dear Son.

Okay, does Jesus Christ love? He does love. Whom does He love? Tell me who He loves. Alright, He loves the Father. Praise the Lord. This is going to be a neat family. Does the Father love Him? Yes. Now then, forget that; who else does He love? Just say it. Say me. You say me. He loves Jeff, right? He loves Jack. That presses the point.

But let’s say that it is a corporate love. Therefore, whom does He love? His bride. Did Jesus Christ… I think I’d better stop here a moment. Are you children of God? Yes. Careful…are you heirs of God? We are not heirs of God; we’re becoming heirs of God. We will be made heirs of the Lord. Now then, was Jesus Christ always heir to the throne of God? Absolutely not. Was He the Son of God or was He made the Son of God? Yes. I’ll explain this because men have been condemned as heretics for saying that Jesus Christ became the Son of God.

When Jesus Christ was 12 years old, He was the Son of God, but He had not yet been made the Son of God. The point is… He could have still blown it. When He was 30, He was the Son of God, but He could still blow it. Adam was referred to once as the Son of God, but he blew it. Jesus Christ got up every day with the distinct possibility of blowing it. He went to bed the Son of God, but he couldn’t be sure the next day He would be the Son of God.

Now, I might be condemned as a heretic for that, but, brothers, I want you to know that the greatest moment of crisis came in the Garden of Gethsemane, when it became evident that there were two wills in the universe, the will of God and the will of Jesus Christ, and they were not the same way.  Now, that is so clear in the Scripture. Jesus Christ could have fallen. Lord, cover me. You say He couldn’t have fallen. Then the devil would not have wasted his time tempting Him. Every day, He got up, the Son of God, but He had not run the full race.

When He was 12 years old, He had run the race of 12 years and made it perfect. At 30, He had run the race and made it perfect, but He had not finished the race. At 33, He had run the race, and He was still the Son of God, but He wasn’t finished running; you couldn’t say that tomorrow He would be the Son of God.

Finally, what happened? He came to the garden, and the maximum moment of danger came. What was the issue? The cross. The cross. Who won? God won. Christ lost. The Lord Jesus lost. He lost His own soul. God won. What did he cry out on the cross? It is finished. When He rose from the grave, He was declared by God…He was declared the Son of God. He was sealed forever. It cannot be taken from Him. Now He is declared the Son of God forever. It’s finished. The test is over. The devil would not bother today.