Introduction
As long as I can remember I’ve been a part of the church, not necessarily the Body of Christ, but a part of a people who gathered together on Sundays to have what we called ? “church.” At the age of twelve I professed a personal faith in Jesus Christ, accepting Him as my Savior, but not necessarily as my Lord. It was something that we were compelled and expected to do, as well as strongly urged to do as children of a preacher. And I do not despise my decision, for over time I’ve come to appreciate the magnitude of my choice and to enjoy the place and position I now have in the Kingdom. It is truly about The Kingdom! Oh that Christians would embrace the Kingdom!
When I initially preached one message entitled “Kingdom Commitment” on February 10, 2008, I never thought that the one would become a year-long plus series of sermons gripped in Kingdom themes and riveted with Kingdom perspectives. I also never imagined the scope of what God had begun to birth in our spirit and awake in my mind, as ‘Kingdom Commitment’ gave way to this volume of 10 sermons, which is only Volume One of many more yet to be printed.
In all honesty, this book is the byproduct of an appeal from my father, Dr. C.L. Brookins, who week by week, as I preached each sermon approached me with the vision to put into print the manuscripts of each message. He pressed upon me a sense of urgency not to procrastinate or defer in taking upon myself this endeavor of further witness and spiritual illumination on the theme of the Kingdom.
As I’ve undertaken this task, I now realize the purpose in so doing and I thank my father for seeing in me what God is doing through me ? something he considers worthy of the publication of this volume and others. I above all ‘thank God,’ who impressed upon me to make clear that in all things, “It’s all about the Kingdom!”
Throughout the teachings of Jesus the Kingdom is central. As a matter of fact, as He commenced His ministry following His baptism in the Jordan River, temptation in the wilderness, and the imprisonment of John the Baptist, Jesus began to preach and resound the very message of John: “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand” (Matt 4:17). This message, with a focus on sin remorse, also highlights the present reality of the Kingdom as the rule of God in the human heart. It is here, the human heart, where God is received, and it is here, the human heart, where God is obeyed. In this, we say as Jesus taught us to say, “Thy Kingdom come” and ”Thy will be done” (Matt 6:10).