Christians often think of “going” to heaven, but Jesus taught the Lord’s Prayer towards the opposite direction. He taught us to pray, “your kingdom come, your will be done ‘on earth’ as it is in heaven.” We have too many misconceptions about the “kingdom of heaven.” The kingdom of heaven is not just a place to which we will ascend when we die. The kingdom of heaven is about the here and now. The kingdom of heaven should not only be a future tense, but also a present tense. Disciples should not wait for a distant future event, but go and live out the pattern of the citizens of the kingdom of heaven here and now, allowing the values of the kingdom of heaven to radically change the way we live on earth.
Jesus walked through the hills and villages of Galilee proclaiming that the kingdom of heaven is near! Repent (Matt. 4:17)! We should also repent of our superficial, lukewarm attitude to faith and take every teaching of Jesus seriously and strive to put it into practice. There are five major blocks of Jesus’ teaching in Matthew’s Gospel, corresponding to the Pentateuch of the Old Testament (the five books of Moses), to show that Jesus is more than Moses. If we take these teachings on the values of the Kingdom seriously and seek to put them into practice, we will find these teachings extremely radical and challenging. They will even bring us “troubles.” But perhaps the challenge is good, because these teachings of Jesus are not meant for us to be comfortable and stay in the current status. Rather, they are meant to challenge us and inspire us to live out the values of the kingdom of heaven on earth.
So let the teaching of Jesus in Matthew’s Gospel challenge us to live our faith. Let us put into practice the teachings of Jesus. Let us live out the values of the kingdom of heaven on earth, here and now, and let the kingdom of heaven come to us through our practice. May the will of the Father be done on earth, and in us, as it is in heaven.
| Date | Theme | Chapter |
| 26/02/2023 | The calling * | Matt. 4:17-22 |
| 05/03/2023 | The beatitudes | Matt. 5:1-16 |
| 12/03/2023 | The law | Matt. 5:17-48 |
| 19/03/2023 | Special Sunday: Mother’s day | to be specified by speaker |
| 26/03/2023 | The righteous deeds | Matt. 6:1-18 |
| 02/04/2023 | The treasure | Matt. 6:19-34 |
| 09/04/2023 | Special Sunday: Easter Sunday | to be specified by speaker |
| 16/04/2023 | The generous Father | Matt. 7:1-12 |
| 23/04/2023 | The two choices | Matt. 7:13-27 |
| 30/04/2023 | The apostles | Matt. 10:1-42 |
| 07/05/2023 | The seed | Matt. 13:1-23 |
| 14/05/2023 | The parable of the kingdom of heaven | Matt. 13:24-52 |
| 21/05/2023 | The little one | Matt. 18:1-20 |
| 28/05/2023 | The forgiveness | Matt. 18:21-35 |
| 04/06/2023 | The woes | Matt. 23:1-39 |
| 11/06/2023 | The signs | Matt. 24:1-51 |
| 18/06/2023 | Special Sunday: Father’s day (TNG Sunday) | to be specified by speaker |
| 25/06/203 | The ten virgins | Matt. 25:1-13 |
| 02/07/2023 | The good and faithful servant | Matt. 25:14-30 |
| 09/07/2023 | The commission | Matt. 28:16-20 |
* Note: all these titles are tentative for preachers’ use only; chairpersons should consult with the preacher in order to obtain the actual sermon title for the week.