The King and His Kingdom – Part Two

The King and His Kingdom Video

Session 2

Welcome to session 2 of the King and His Kingdom where we are going to explore some more things about the Kingdom of God.

In the last session we said the following:

1. We can enter the Kingdom of God here and now.
2. The Kingdom Prophesied – The promise of the Old Testament was that “…the government will rest on His shoulders….” This promise was fulfilled by the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus. Jesus would permit as many as were willing, to receive sight of this invisible system.
3. Where is the Kingdom of God? – Jesus said His Kingdom is within us and therefore among us. It is not bound by physical boundaries but is that area where God does things according to His ways (in other words His principles or His Government).
4. How do we get into His Kingdom? – Jesus said that firstly, we need to be ‘born again’, for this is the way that we catch sight (or become aware of) His kingdom. Next, we need to be ‘…born of water and born of the Spirit…’ in order to enter His kingdom. 
5. How do we walk in the Kingdom? – Paul tells us in 2 Cor that FAITH must replace human sight as we live daily in God’s Kingdom, because here on earth, the Kingdom of God and the kingdom of this world run in parallel.
6. Obedience in the Kingdom – Romans 13 says that all authority on earth has been put in place by God. We are all accountable to someone in our lives. ALL have been elected by God to have authority over us. Therefore, if we choose to disobey the worldly authority above us (which are God’s appointed), we are indirectly disobeying God.
7. A kingdom’s most important asset, are its people. We can judge how Godly a king is by the condition of the people in that kingdom. A quick comparison with worldly kingdoms will show us how wonderfully God blesses His children.

What are the benefits of living in His Kingdom?

Deut.28:1-14 is a very good description of a person who lives according to the principles of God’s Kingdom. Please find time to read this scripture in the next few days as time does not allow us to go through it in this video session.

In the Kingdom of God, we live according to His ‘rule’ or ‘government’ and the results are that, as we obey, we are a people that are blessed.

We see in 2 Cor that God’s promises to us, are ‘in Him’ and ‘in Him is the Amen! (2 Cor.1:20). Therefore, the more we walk in His principles, the more God’s authority will flow through us. We see a good example of this in Acts 19 where the sons of Sceva failed to cast out demons by their own authority.

We become ‘agents’ of the Kingdom here on earth – permitting/forbidding that which has been permitted or forbidden in the Kingdom of Heaven. For example, when we share the Gospel with others, we are ‘permitting’ here on earth that has already been permitted in Heaven. When we do not pay a bribe to others, we are forbidding here on earth that which has been forbidden in Heaven. Agents act, look and feel exactly like their ‘head offices’.

What happens when we do not live according to His principles?

Duet 28: 15-68 describes what happens when we don’t live according to Godly principles.  Once again I would like to encourage us to read this scripture during this coming week as we don’t have time to go through it all on this video. In short, the more we are in His perfect will (His Government), the more we will experience blessings in this life and reward in the next life.

Let’s have a look at these diagrams:

(Fig.1a)

If we were to adhere to God’s principles 100%, we would be 100% blessed and walk 100% in His authority here on earth.

(Fig 1b)

As we partly adhere to God’s principles, we are partly blessed and walk partly in His authority here on earth.

(Fig 1c)

When we do not adhere to Godly principles we cannot be blessed and do not walk in His authority here on earth.

Examples of Godly Principles

There are many of God’s principles to be found in His word. Why not spend a bit of time looking for them and be enriched as the Lord opens these principles to you? Let’s look at some examples:

– “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap..“

– “For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you.…”

– “The one who says he is in the Light and yet hates his brother is in the darkness until now.…”

– “Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person.…”                       

– “You have heard that it was said, `YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY‘; but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.…”

It is interesting that if we read these principles and turn them around, we can start to see why perhaps, we are not receiving a blessing from the Lord – in other words, let’s look at the same scriptures and ask ourselves some questions:

In Gal.6:7 – If we feel we are being ‘dealt a bad hand’ in life – we should ask: how are we treating life?

Matt.7:2 – Do we feel we are being unfairly judged by others? – how then, are we judging others daily?

1 Jn.2:9 – Are we going through daily life with unforgiveness in our hearts? – yet we tell others we are Christians?

Col.4:6 – Do we find it difficult to answer and respond to others? – how are we speaking to those around us daily?

And finally – Matt.5:27-28 – we need to check our daily thoughts – not only our actions!

What is the purpose of His Kingdom?

Under the New Covenant, God has permitted all who are willing, to gain sight of the kingdom, and by the power of His Spirit to enable them to live, not according to the world’s system, but according to kingdom principles.

God uses His principles on this earth to refine us. Each difficulty we face, God has permitted into our lives so that we will turn to Him and be strengthened as we overcome it (Rom.8:28).

From the viewpoint of Marriage, God requires ‘Godly offspring’. God’s Principles will help us fulfill our roles as Godly Husbands and Wives to produce Godly offspring. This to ensure that the authority of God is passed on from generation to generation.

It is impossible for us to live according to God’s Principles in our own strength. We need the power of His Spirit indwelling us to strengthen, teach and guide us.

All of this being done to prepare us for the greatest fulfillment of prophecy, the ruling of the saints with Jesus over the “House of Jacob” in the millennial reign.

OK… let’s just recap what we’ve shared this week:

1. What are the benefits of living in His Kingdom? – In the Kingdom of God, we live according to His ‘rule’ or ‘government’ and the results are that we are a people that are blessed. His promises to us are ‘in Him’ and ‘in Him’, is the Amen! The more we walk in His principles, the more God’s authority will flow through us.

We become ‘agents’ (or vessels) of the Kingdom here on earth – permitting/forbidding that which has been permitted or forbidden in the Kingdom of Heaven (Matt.16:19).

• What happens when we do not live according to His principles? – Duet 28: 15-68 describes what happens when we don’t live according to Godly principles.  In short, the more we are in His perfect will (His Government), the more we will experience blessings in this life and reward in the next life. This is also a measure of how God’s authority will flow through us daily (Psa.1:4-6).
• Examples of Godly Principles – There are many of God’s principles to be found in His word. Why not spend a bit of time looking for them and be enriched as the Lord opens these principles to you? Try turning the principle around to discover why we are not living blessed lives.
• What is the purpose of His Kingdom? – God uses His principles on this earth to refine us (Ph.2:12). Each difficulty we face, God has permitted into our lives so that we will turn to Him and be strengthened as we overcome them. (Rom.8:28). It is impossible for us to live according to God’s Principles in our own strength. We need the power of His Spirit to strengthen, teach and guide us.

All of this being done to prepare us for the greatest fulfillment of prophecy – the ruling of the saints with Jesus over the “House of Jacob” in the millennial reign as seen in the book of Luke (Luke1: 33).

Please join me next week, for PART 2a, where we will look at some examples of Godly principles and get an indication of how we measure up to them. Be blessed during this coming week – I look forward to being with you soon.

If you feel this article has value, please send this link to others. Writings are meant for people, not for dormant files in our computers. Often, sharing them results in positive changes in the lives of individuals and communities.

“…time with the Master…”

Advertisement

God’s Cinderella

 

I really don’t believe God gets any kind of joy at seeing us suffering in our daily lives, as we go about the challenges we face. God certainly is not like a human being. As a genuine Father, He wishes to see us succeed in getting to know Him. Why would He want us to know Him? Simply put, so that we have someone to help and guide us daily – a spiritual Father of great wisdom, knowledge and understanding. Who better to call on during our day than one who is compassionate and caring?

God is not bound by time as we are, and therefore He can see into our future. From the ‘foundation of time’, God saw our whole life span on this earth. This is quite an astonishing thought. As a result, He knows the correct path for us to travel through time, in order to end up firmly in His spiritual kingdom forever.

In a sense we are very similar to Cinderella in the famous fable. As Cinderella’s Step Mother and sisters were jealous of her, treating her badly, so the world is the same with us. Because our world is filled with people soaked in self-centred natures, we are more often than not, in an uphill battle as our lives unfold. Inclusive in the uphill battles are the down sides – the times when we seem to miss the mark with God. Getting angry with Him, blaming Him, not managing to do the things that please Him or just misunderstanding Him.

We look at fellow believers and think that we fall far short of God’s expectations, while others are constantly flying in their walk with the Lord. We seem to use other believers as a measure, comparing ourselves to them. As we dwell on thoughts of failure, we become more demoralised and eventually believe there is no hope for us.

According to the fable, when the fairy Godmother asked Cinderella what she wanted, Cinderella replied that it didn’t matter what she wanted because it would be impossible for her wishes to be granted. The fairy Godmother’s reply to Cinderella was, “Let me be the judge of that!”

How many times have we thought it impossible to achieve God’s expectations…? In a way we are right! In our own strength it is impossible. However, if we allow the Holy Spirit within us to do HIS work – in us and through us – we will begin to find a greater peace flowing throughout our lives.

The truth of the matter is this: For by that one offering, He perfected forever all those whom He is making holy.

God sees us as a finished work. Isn’t that astounding? For those who have received, by grace, God’s gift of salvation, He sent His son to pay the ultimate price so that sin could be removed forever. Not only did Jesus die to remove our sin, but also to put to death our sinful nature which came into the world via Adam’s sin of disobedience. Through the death of Jesus – the scripture in Romans tells us – we are no longer slaves to sin!

As God looks upon us, He sees what we look like ‘in Him’ – our glorified bodies – our future.

If you knew that by tackling a certain difficult task, there was an absolute guarantee of a great reward at the end – you would certainly persevere through that task with excitement. And so it is with the Lord and our lives. For those who have committed their lives to Him, believing by faith that change will come, He sees the finished work and is excited to commit Himself to us on a minute by minute basis. He fully commits to us because He knows His reward is great.

The final product He witnesses is worth everything He has had to put up with from us daily – our every outburst of anger, our every rebellious thought, our every tear shed. As we commit to Him, remember: He no longer sees our weaknesses but through His son, He sees the joy and peace he has longed for us to walk in.

“…And so Cinderella and the handsome Prince were married and lived happily ever after…”

YOU… ARE God’s Cinderella – married to Him – His bride – forever to live happily ever after!

From: “…time with the Master…”

“…time with the Master…” is an on-going series of teachings, about lifestyle in the Church and is published bi-monthly.
If you feel this article has value, please send this link to others, Writings are meant for people, not for dormant files in our computers and very often when we share them, it results in positive changes in the lives of individuals and communities.

Please feel free to send in questions (see ‘Contact’) and comments (hit ‘Comments’
button).