Summary6 min read

Summary: The Kingdom of God Has Come Near

Podcast: The Wake-Up Call
Host: Dan Wilt (Seedbed)
Date: May 29, 2026

Episode Overview

In this episode, Dan Wilt invites listeners to consider the nearness of the Kingdom of God, drawing on Matthew 3:1–3. Exploring John the Baptist’s proclamation and Jesus’ teachings, the episode centers on how God’s Kingdom signifies a revolution of the heart and invites personal and communal transformation. Dan guides listeners through scripture, reflection, prayer, and practical steps for living as “royal priests” who embody the dynamic rule and reign of God in the world.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Opening and Scripture (00:03–02:05)

Dan opens with a communal prayer of consecration, focusing attention and intention on Jesus.
- Quote: “Jesus, I belong to you. I lift up my heart to you. I set my mind on you. I fix my eyes on you. I offer my body to you as a living sacrifice.” (00:23)
Scripture Reading: Matthew 3:1–3 (John the Baptist’s message: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near…”)

What Does It Mean for God’s Kingdom to Come Near? (02:06–06:00)

The Kingdom as a revolution of the heart—proclaimed both by John the Baptist and Jesus.
Imagining the perspective of the first-century Jewish listeners: Anticipation of freedom from Roman oppression, fulfillment of ancient hopes, and restoration of God’s peace.
Notable imagery: The words of Isaiah “lifting off the scrolls,” becoming flesh and blood.
- Quote: “Somebody pinch me. Could it be the kingdom of God is at hand? …our millennia-old hopes are about to be fulfilled in our lifetime.” (03:28)
The expectation: The world would be “as it should be, with the love and will of God permeating every aspect of society.” (Reference to N.T. Wright’s framing.)

Messianic Expectations & Jesus’ Teaching (06:01–09:10)

References to Isaiah and Daniel: God’s anointed ruler (Messiah) initiating the Kingdom on earth—as king, high priest, mediator, and suffering servant.
The surprise: Jesus speaks of a kingdom that is both “now, but also not yet”—present, but incomplete.
- Parables as the primary medium—mysterious, challenging, requiring a “key” to understanding.
The Key to the Kingdom’s Message:
- The Kingdom is “a kingdom of the heart.”
- Where God’s covenant is received and obeyed, and his rule appropriated, the Kingdom is manifest.
- Quote: “The kingdom of God, as Jesus would declare, would be wherever God’s covenant with human beings was accepted and obeyed… The kingdom of God is a revolution of the heart.” (08:16)

The Revolution of the Heart & The Royal Priesthood (09:11–11:18)

The Kingdom advances as hearts come into allegiance to Jesus; transformed lives become agents for God’s reign “on earth as it is in heaven.” (Referencing Matthew 6:10.)
Believers are a “royal priesthood” (1 Peter 2:9), mediating heaven and earth, helping others encounter Jesus personally.
- Quote: “Changed hearts loyal to the king of kings who has loved them into life become a royal priesthood… a mediating people of heaven and earth to the world God loves.” (10:02)
Jesus’ intent: To continually raise up this priesthood, empowering people to minister through love, power, and the demonstration of God’s Kingdom.
- Quote: “He fully intended to raise up that royal priesthood through whom, as people of heaven and earth, he would minister to others in overwhelming and overcoming love…” (11:04)

Prayer, Journal Prompts & Practical Activation (11:19–15:59)

Prayer: An invocation for the Kingdom’s revolution to begin afresh in the listener’s heart and for others to become “wholly” God’s.
- Quote: “Lord Jesus, let the kingdom revolution begin again in my heart today…I want my heart and the hearts of those you put in my life to become wholly yours.” (11:30)
Journal Prompts:
- What does it mean for Jesus to rule and reign in your heart—especially as a “royal priest” or mediator?
- Drawing analogies from earthly kingdoms: How is God as regent bringing loving order to your life? What is He healing, transforming, building, or breaking?
Activation Exercise:
- Identify someone in your life choosing self-rule over Jesus’ rule.
- Write a one-paragraph prayer for them in your journal (and on a note card for daily reminder).
- Consider narrowing focus to one or two people; possibly reach out and offer to pray for them.
- Quote: “Who do you know who is choosing their own rule over their own heart rather than Jesus’ rule over their heart?...Write a one paragraph prayer that their heart would become wholly his.” (14:52)
The Kingdom is “coming, in reach, and at work”—how can listeners partner with what God is doing in others’ lives?

Worship: Hymn—“Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee” (15:00–16:07)

Full hymn sung as an act of communal worship and further heart-opening for the day.
- Quote (hymn lyric): “Melt the clouds of sin and sadness, drive the dark of doubt away. Giver of immortal gladness, fill us with the light of day…” (15:10)

Closing Remarks (16:08–End)

Dan expresses the importance of worship as opener for the day, preparing hearts for carrying Jesus into the world.
Encouragement to “get those seeds in hand” and join in the awakening—living out the Kingdom transformation in daily life.
- Quote: “As we have our meeting with Jesus, we sing these hymns… they become places where Jesus begins to soften our heart, prepare us to carry his heart into the world as we go doing all the things that Jesus does with him.” (16:15)

Memorable Quotes & Timestamps

“Somebody pinch me. Could it be the kingdom of God is at hand? …our millennia-old hopes are about to be fulfilled in our lifetime.” (03:28, Dan Wilt)
“The kingdom of God is a revolution of the heart.” (08:16, Dan Wilt)
“Changed hearts loyal to the king of kings…become a royal priesthood, a mediating people of heaven and earth to the world God loves.” (10:02, Dan Wilt)
“He fully intended to raise up that royal priesthood through whom…he would minister to others in overwhelming and overcoming love…” (11:04, Dan Wilt)
“Lord Jesus, let the kingdom revolution begin again in my heart today…” (11:30, Dan Wilt)
“Who do you know who is choosing their own rule over their own heart rather than Jesus’ rule over their heart? …Write a one paragraph prayer that their heart would become wholly his.” (14:52, Dan Wilt)

Key Sections and Timestamps

Prayer of Consecration & Scripture: 00:03–02:05
Reflection on Kingdom Nearness: 02:06–06:00
Messianic Hope and Jesus’ Teaching: 06:01–09:10
Kingdom Revolution & Royal Priesthood: 09:11–11:18
Kingdom-Prayer, Journal, and Activation: 11:19–15:59
Hymn—Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee: 15:00–16:07
Closing Blessing: 16:08–End

Conclusion

This episode centers on the transformative reality of God’s Kingdom—both near and active within and through us. Dan Wilt lovingly challenges listeners to examine who reigns in their hearts, to act as mediators of heaven and earth, and to pray intentionally for others to experience the same revolution. Through scriptural meditation, prayer, practical action, and heartfelt worship, the episode gives concrete ways to live out the nearness of God’s dynamic rule today.

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Transcript4 lines

[00:04]
A
Good morning Sower Nation. Today is Friday, May 29th in the year of our Lord 2026. I'm Dan Wilt and this is your wake up call. Wake up sleeper. Rise from the dead and Christ will shine on you. Let's pray our prayer of consecration as we begin today's meeting with Jesus. Jesus, I belong to you. I lift up my heart to you. I set my mind on you. I fix my eyes on you. I offer my body to you as a living sacrifice. Jesus, we belong to you. And we're praying in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen. Amen. Well, today's entry in our all the Things series is titled the Kingdom of God has Come near. And our text for today is from Matthew 3:1:3. Hear the word of the Lord. In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea and saying, repent for the kingdom of heaven has come near. This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah. A voice of one calling in the wilderness, Prepare the way for the Lord. Make straight paths for him. The Word of the Lord. Consider this. Let's take some time to consider what it means for God's kingdom to come near. The kingdom of God is a revolution of the heart. And both John the Baptist and Jesus were declaring that kingdom to be real and present through their message. What must the Jews listening to John the Baptist have thought of this? This message? His message? His clothes and eating habits were easy to make fun of, but his message? That sounded like a page out of the playbook of the Old Testament prophets. Here's what I would have been thinking. Somebody pinch me. Could it be the kingdom of God is at hand. God's anointed ruler is close, preparing to usher in the Messianic reign. We are about to be freed from Roman tyranny. Our long exile is at last finished and the world will come to be as it was meant to be. Once again, Yahweh shalom will be over all and through all. The new creation of God is about to come and our millennia old hopes are about to be fulfilled in our lifetime. Isaiah 40:55 is lifting off the scrolls, materializing in flesh and blood our eyes. Are you serious right now? When the kingdom came, the world would be put to rights as N.T. wright framed it. The world would be as a friend says, as it should be with the love and will of God permeating every aspect of society that is awakening at its fullest and at its best. So what or who was coming near? The Hebrew Prophets Isaiah and Daniel spoke of one who was to come, who would be God's anointed, who would inaugurate God's kingdom on earth as king of kings, the royal leader of humanity. The government would rest on this anointed one's shoulders. Isaiah 9, 6, 7. As the great high priest, a mediator between God and humanity. This anointed one would be a suffering servant, servant bearing sacrificial wounds for the healing of all. Isaiah 50:3. The Messiah was coming near. And the kingdom, rule and reign of that Messiah, that anointed one, was about to be realized and materialized before their very eyes. But as Jesus spoke about the kingdom of God, his language and parables were mysterious and he made it sound as if the kingdom of God was here, yet not fully. He spoke of the kingdom being now, but also not yet. Jesus spoke that the kingdom of God was among them, but not quite in its completeness. What was he talking about and what were they to do with his parables, those mysterious and sometimes bewildering approaches to the Kingdom of God that form the lion's share of his teaching? Well, just like we need a key to crack a code, there was a key to understanding the kingdom message Jesus was bringing. The key was and is this the kingdom of God for Jesus is a kingdom of the heart. He was after the dynamic active rule and reign of God happening in every single person's life and in the corporate life of his people, Israel. The kingdom of God, as Jesus would declare, would be wherever God's covenant with human beings was accepted and obeyed, wherever his rule and reign was appropriated and applied. The kingdom of God is a revolution of the heart. And it's so important as we talk about all the things, ministry in the everyday, in the power of the Spirit to recognize what's happening here. The kingdom of God in is a revolution of the heart. Every heart coming into allegiance to God's anointed. Those hearts would then spread his kingdom, as the Lord's Prayer says, on earth as it is in heaven. Matthew 6:10 changed hearts loyal to the king of kings who has loved them into life, become a royal priesthood, a mediating people of heaven and earth to the world God loves. That's 1 Peter 2:9 and John 3:16. For Jesus, inaugurating the kingdom of God meant an entire royal priesthood would exist in the world, helping everyone encounter him for themselves, up close and personal, for all of history to come. So do we see what's happening here? Jesus never intended that he would teach it all and he would do it all and that would be the end. Then we would talk about it for millennia to come. He fully intended to raise up that royal priesthood, to continue to raise up that royal priesthood through whom as people of heaven and earth, he would minister to others in overwhelming and overcoming love, and then in power signs and wonders that would demonstrate that the kingdom was truly among them. So here's our prayer for today. Lord Jesus, let the kingdom revolution begin again in my heart today. I want my heart and the hearts of those you put in my life and path to become wholly yours. Let me be the kind of person who helps people believe your kingdom is near. In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen. And here are our journal prompts for today. What does it mean for you for Jesus to rule and reign in your heart? Think of this through the lens of being a royal priest, a mediator, a person of heaven and earth through whom Jesus can move actively. And secondly, your second journal prompt for your all the Things journal is as you think about an earthly kingdom with a regent lovingly overseeing all aspects of that kingdom, what analogies can you draw that relate to what God is doing in your life right now? So in an earthly kingdom, a regent is hopefully benevolently overseeing all aspects of that kingdom. Think about the way that king or queen thinks in that regent mentality. Then what analogies can you draw from that to relate to what God is doing in your life right now? Maybe bringing things into his loving order. JD talks about moving us from chaos to order, from death to life. What is God doing in your life right now that expresses his rule and reign? His dynamic rule and reign is active in your life. What is he healing? What is he transforming? What is he building? What is he breaking so that it can open up and become a place for new building something that he wants to do in you and through you. So here's today's activation. Today, the Kingdom of the Heart is our point of focus. We're going to write down in our journal. Who do you know who is choosing their own rule over their own heart rather than Jesus rule over their heart? It's a little bit like some of the other activations, but we're going to keep doing this so that we keep finding and noticing the people that God is sending to us. Now who comes to mind right now as I say these words that you know is choosing their own rule over their own heart rather than Jesus rule over their heart and the activation continues in your journal. Write a one paragraph prayer for them. Write a one paragraph prayer for them. And I'd encourage you to take it one step further. Write that prayer for them on a small note card out on a three by five note card. I use a lot of those in my life, these little three by five note cards that I order on Amazon. Get that prayer down and place it somewhere that will remind you to pray for them each day. See if you can narrow it from the 20 people you're thinking of to just one person, maybe two or three maximum. But pick one for today and write out a one paragraph prayer that their heart would become wholly his. And just maybe as you begin to pray for them, the Lord will nudge you to ask them directly or maybe over text or in some way at some point this week or month. May I pray for you? Our Kingdom Question all right, well that's enough for today. The Kingdom of God is coming. The Kingdom of God is in our reach. The Kingdom of God is at work in the world. His dynamic rule and reign in us then through us as a kingdom of priests in the world and in the lives of those he is sending us right now. How can you and I partner with what the Father's doing in their life? How can we be ambassadors of his love in the moment that he orchestrates? So let's sing our hymn of worship today. It is hymn number eight in our Great Redeemer's praise. It's Joyful, joyful We adore Thee and as always when we do a hymn, we're going to sing all the verses together. So let's worship Turn our hearts to God as we sing
[12:55]
B
Joyful, joyful We adore the God of glory Lord of love Hearts unfold like flowers before thee Opening to the the sun above Melt the clouds of sin and sadness Drive the dark of doubt away Giver of immortal gladness Fill us with the light of day all thy works with joy Surround the earth and heaven Reflect thy rays, stars and angels sing around the center of unbroken praise Field and forest, Vale and mountain Flowery flashing sea Chanting bird and flowing fountain Call us to rejoice in Thee Thou art giving and forgiving Ever blessing, ever blessed well Spring of the joy of living Ocean depth of happy rest Thou our Father Christ our brother all who live in love are Thine Teach us how to love each other Lift us to the joy divine Mortals join the mighty chorus which the morning stars began Love divine is reigning o' er us Binding all within its span Ever singing march we onward Victors in the midst of strife Joyful music leads us onward in the triumph Song of light Amen.
[16:07]
A
Amen. What a beautiful, powerful hymn. I know you're going to look forward to when JD Is back singing hymns with his dad, which is so beautiful to me. Every single time I sing along with them, my heart just fills up. And as we sing these hymns and songs together, let's let them be, in a sense, kind of openers to us for the day that as we have our meeting with Jesus, we sing these hymns, we sing these songs, and they become places where Jesus begins to soften our heart, prepare us to carry his heart into the world as we go doing all the things that Jesus does with him. All right. Blessings. Let's get those seeds in hand, and I'll see you on the field for the awakening. I'm Dan.
[17:02]
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Sam.