Kingdom Dynamics for 2024 (L3)

Kingdom Dynamics for 2024 (L3)

Revolution

Revolutionary change birthed by God’s Spirit, validated by heaven’s justice, and manifesting His freedom to our world.

This is the only way to catalyze, start or ignite the enduring transformation we are seeking.

Zechariah 4:6 NKJV

6 So he answered and said to me: “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ Says the Lord of hosts.

A Pregnant Teen and A Freedom Dream

Mary received the seed of God’s dream into her womb and literally birthed a revolution.

I hope you still possess a purity of hope — an uncorrupted capacity to dream — that was found in Mary and Joseph.

Mary was compelled by a vision that was far bigger than her own well-being. This becomes clear when you read her aspirations for her son:

Luke 1:49 NKJV

49 For He who is mighty has done great things for me, And holy is His name.

Luke 1:52 NKJV

52 He has put down the mighty from their thrones, And exalted the lowly.

The Holy Spirit is still seeking pure-hearted dreamers who will devote themselves to conceiving God’s dreams and birthing them into our world.

You are guaranteed to be misunderstood at times, but your legacy will eventually bear witness to your choices.

As Mary perceived, Jesus came to set us free. The government of His Kingdom will realign both our lives and our world so that His freedom can be enjoyed and sustained.

Revolution Versus Rebellion

Many revolutions are fought out of rebellion instead of being birthed by the Spirit of God.

God set a precedent among the nations in Exodus. By confronting Pharoah in a sweeping move of justice, God established a pattern of redeeming humanity and ushering a people under dictatorial subjugation out of slavery and into freedom.

Why did God launch a revolution against Pharoah and his governance?

Pharoah chose to align with idolatry, actually forming a covenant with the gods of Egypt.

Pharaoh’s entire rulership was framed and supercharged by the same demonic forces that originally rebelled against God’s throne!

Unfortunately the same holds true in many societal spheres, even to this day.

God judged both Pharoah and the god’s of Egypt for their rebellion....

Preparing for visitation

Removing hindrances that restrain the Spirit from moving.

Strengthening the house of prayer

Preparing for the Lord to dwell with His people.

Revelation 5:10 NKJV

10 And have made us kings and priests to our God; And we shall reign on the earth.”

Revelation 20:4–6 NKJV

4 And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. 5 But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.

Daniel 7:27 NKJV

27 Then the kingdom and dominion, And the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven, Shall be given to the people, the saints of the Most High. His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, And all dominions shall serve and obey Him.’

1 Corinthians 6:1–3 NKJV

1 Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unrighteous, and not before the saints? 2 Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world will be judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters? 3 Do you not know that we shall judge angels? How much more, things that pertain to this life?

2 Timothy 2:12 NKJV

12 If we endure, We shall also reign with Him. If we deny Him, He also will deny us.

Hebrews 2:8 NKJV

8 You have put all things in subjection under his feet.” For in that He put all in subjection under him, He left nothing that is not put under him. But now we do not yet see all things put under him.

You were made to reign! But the expected results haven’t fully materialized.

Why? More than likely you have been educated in the goal, but not the process.

Ephesians 2:4–6 NKJV

4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,

We are going to discover the riches of this invitation!

A greater understanding of who you are in Christ and how to access the treasuries of His covenant to impact your life, your family, and your world.

Isaiah 59:21 NKJV

21 “As for Me,” says the Lord, “this is My covenant with them: My Spirit who is upon you, and My words which I have put in your mouth, shall not depart from your mouth, nor from the mouth of your descendants, nor from the mouth of your descendants’ descendants,” says the Lord, “from this time and forevermore.”

Acts 4:20 NKJV

20 For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.”

Psalm 107:2 NKJV

2 Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, Whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy,

Revelation 22:17 NKJV

17 And the Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.

1 Peter 4:11 NKJV

11 If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

ORACLE A divine message communicated through a human mediator to one or more human recipients.

Parables: Portraits of God’s Kingdom in Matthew, Mark, and Luke (Introduction)

INTRODUCTION

What is the kingdom of heaven?

Jesus says the kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed.

The smallest of seeds becomes a great plant that birds can use for nests.

Jesus says the kingdom of heaven is like a man who found a treasure in a field

and in joy sold everything he had to buy that field.

The kingdom of heaven is like leaven to flour—

it raises the entire loaf of bread (all these examples are from Matthew 13).

But Jesus never says the kingdom of heaven is any of these things. That’s because the kingdom of heaven is a great mystery.

The mystery of the kingdom is reflected in the mystery of Jesus’ parables.

In this Bible study, we will survey parables from across Jesus’ three years in ministry.

These parables are found in Matthew, Mark, and Luke, which are called the Synoptic Gospels because they follow similar outlines and can be read alongside each other (Greek: syn=together; optic=seeing). Each week’s reading focuses on one of the Synoptic Gospels, but we’ll also look at parallel passages.

Let’s journey together into Jesus’ stories as he reveals to us what the kingdom of heaven is like.

Parables: Portraits of God’s Kingdom in Matthew, Mark, and Luke (Part 1: The Kingdom Takes Root)

THE KINGDOM TAKES ROOT

How do we recognize the kingdom of heaven? What does it look and feel like? Can we see glimpses of it here on earth?

When Jesus teaches about the kingdom of heaven, he often speaks in parables, which can be short metaphors, extended metaphors, or similes. A simile is when we compare one thing to another or say something is like another thing:

The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant searching for precious pearls; and finding a very valuable pearl, he sold everything he owned and bought it. (Matt 13:45–46)

Jesus also tells stories that compare and contrast the common values of society to how the kingdom of heaven works; these are another type of parable.

In the New Testament, the phrase “kingdom of heaven” is synonymous with “kingdom of God.”

So the parables reveal what the kingdom of heaven is all about:

God’s reign (his perfect will) coming to earth as it is in heaven (Matt 6:10).

Matthew 6:10 NKJV

10 Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven.

Parables: Portraits of God’s Kingdom in Matthew, Mark, and Luke (Part 2: The Kingdom Is Present with Us)

PART 2

THE KINGDOM IS PRESENT WITH US

What is God like? Can we predict him? Jesus describes God’s Spirit as something that comes and goes like the wind (John 3:8). Like the wind, we don’t know where the Spirit is coming from or where it’s going. But like the wind, we can feel God’s presence. And it changes absolutely everything.

To come to an authentic understanding of God and his ways, we must be ready to experience his presence.

Jesus says he spoke in parables for this very reason. Parables are extended metaphors or similes.

When a person is ready to receive Jesus’ message, the parables move from being riddles to being life lessons (Matt 13:10–17, 34–35).

The stories or similes suddenly make sense of the kingdom of heaven—God’s reign—and what it’s all about.

What this all means is that to understand Jesus’ parables, we have to live them. Or as Jesus puts it, we will truly see and hear his words about the kingdom of heaven as we learn to observe and live them (Mark 4:10–12, 33–34; Luke 8:9–10).

In these eight lessons, we will examine a series of parables Jesus delivered in Galilee, the region where he grew up; we will then look at four parables he delivered during his last journey to Jerusalem and the cross.

Parables: Portraits of God’s Kingdom in Matthew, Mark, and Luke (Part 3: The Kingdom Comes Alive in Us)

THE KINGDOM COMES ALIVE IN US

You can read Jesus’ parables hundreds of times and mystery will still remain. That’s part of what makes these teachings so beautiful—and powerful.

Jesus uses parables—metaphors and similes—to help us understand who God is and how he works among us. Through these parables, we understand God as Father, God as Son (Jesus), and God as Spirit. These parables teach us how to live for Jesus each day—how to be members of the kingdom of God.

Jesus’ parables can be truly understood only when we experience their value in our lives. To understand God and his kingdom, we have to commit our lives to Jesus as his disciples and accept him as savior (John 3:16–17). From there, God as Holy Spirit will work in us. God may be ultimately unknowable, but he certainly can work in us. And we can see the wonder of his work reflected in other people.

In the first seven lessons of this section, we will examine ten parables Jesus delivered during his last journey to Jerusalem and just before his crucifixion. In the eighth lesson, we will look at one more parable he delivered in Judea a little earlier in his ministry.

These parables teach us about the mystery of living as people who, through our actions, bring heaven to earth. They teach us what it means to live as people who truly follow Jesus.

Parables: Portraits of God’s Kingdom in Matthew, Mark, and Luke Part 4: The Kingdom Transforms Our World

THE KINGDOM TRANSFORMS OUR WORLD

The old adage that book smarts can’t replace street smarts is also true when it comes to Jesus’ parables. You cannot simply study them; you have to live them.

Jesus’ parables reveal the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, while also leaving the kingdom enigmatic. Ultimately they show that God’s reign is not something we can ever fully grasp. We can only understand the mystery of heaven as we live its values.

It’s for these reasons that Jesus spoke in parables, which are extended metaphors or similes. (For Jesus’ explanation of parables, see Matt 13:10–17, 34–35.) Jesus tells us that those who will understand these stories are those who choose to live their message—those who choose to follow the way of the kingdom of heaven (Jesus’ way). The parables show us the principles of the kingdom of heaven and how it’s manifested on earth.

In these eight lessons, we will examine a series of parables Jesus taught during his last journey to Jerusalem. We will then look at two parables he gave during his last days in Jerusalem, just before his crucifixion. We will see what it means to embrace Jesus, who suffered on our behalf for our salvation. We will learn what God expects of us—and how fulfilling those expectations can change our world.