Just beyond.. is the Kingdom of God I
26/02/2008
we have talked about loving your neighbor! We saw that there were things that God wants us to do that seem impossible. In fact ALL the requirements that God has for us are impossible without God.
Jesus came and brought a new message! A new life, and a new Kingdom!
John 18:33 Then Pilate went back into the Praetorium and sent for Jesus and said to him, Are you the King of the Jews?
34 Jesus made answer, Do you say this of yourself, or did others say it about me?
35 Pilate said, Am I a Jew? Your nation and the chief priests have given you into my hands: what have you done?
36 Jesus said in answer, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom was of this world, my disciples would have made a good fight to keep me out of the hands of the Jews: but my kingdom is not here.
37 Then Pilate said to him, Are you then a king? Jesus made answer, You say that I am a king. For this purpose was I given birth, and for this purpose I came into the world, that I might give witness to what is true. Every lover of what is true gives ear to my voice.
John 3:3-12
3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born?
5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.
8 The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.
* There is a realm of the unseen that is just as real as the seen and you do not have to understand how it works to get the benefit from it!
9 Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be?
10 Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things?
11 Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness.
12 If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?
Isa 55:8-9
8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.
9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.
(KJV)
· Lifestyle Change? Or A new life?
Rom 8:5-14
5 For they that are after the flesh (just born of the flesh) do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit (born of the spirit) the things of the Spirit.
6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.
9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
10 And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.
12 Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh.
13 For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.
14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
The Kingdom of God is so different from this Life! In the beginning, How was life in the Garden? We have fallen so far from what God wants that we do not understand the Kingdom of God!
Is being a Christian, doing Christian things? Talking Christian talk? We have made an elite club of people trying to be righteous! The Pharisees “2” Club! A monastery full of Holy People! (or at least hidden from the eyes of the world)
A Christian is someone who acts like Christ! And much of what we do Christ did not do!
We spend so much time trying to be Holy. That shows we do not understand the Gospel of the Kingdom! Circumcision represented a separation in the flesh, But Got wants circumcised hearts! (Gal.5:2-3, Gal.6:12-13)
What is stopping YOU from preaching the kingdom?
Romans 5: 1-21
1 ¶Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
3 And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;
4 And patience, experience; and experience, hope:
5 And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.
6 ¶For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.
7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die.
8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.
10 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.
11 And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.
Matt 4:23
23 And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.
Matt 24:14
14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.
· How will we preach what we do not understand?
Matthew 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.(all these things are already there)
Þ Yes, I believe that! But What is the Kingdom of God? Where is it?
the kingdom 1) royal power, kingship, dominion, rule
a) not to be confused with an actual kingdom but rather the right or authority to rule over a kingdom
Þ This is the place where his authority begins to have effect in our lives! Where the benefits of his kingdom are in my life.
Luke 17:20-21
20 Once, having been asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, "The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation,
21 nor will people say, 'Here it is,' or 'There it is,' because the kingdom of God is within you."
Þ Just beyond your abilities, and the border of the “land of Self”, begins the “Kingdom of God”
Þ In this kingdom is: Grace, Mercy, Love, Healing, Provision, Eternal life, Forgiveness, the power of the King, etc..
Matthew 6:9-13 ¶After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. 10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
Þ It is in you, far beyond what you can imagine or ask or think. Eph. 3:17-21
Þ The Kingdom operates on higher laws. (i.e.. Love, Faith, Hope, etc..)
Þ It can only be entered by faith in the righteousness of Christ and his forgiveness.
Rom 5:1 So now, since we have been made right in God's sight by faith in his promises, we can have real peace with him because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. 2 For because of our faith, he has brought us into this place of highest privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to actually becoming all that God has had in mind for us to be.(TLB)
Þ You can only be sustained in this Kingdom by his Grace and Mercy..
The words of the Kingdom: Mk. 4:14-20 Parable of the sower.
What is the fruit? The Kingdom! Mk.4:26
Demonstration of Kingdom Thinking!
Mark 4:35-41 And on that day, when the evening had come, he said to them, Let us go over to the other side. 36 And going away from the people, they took him with them, as he was, in the boat. And other boats were with him. 37 And a great storm of wind came up, and the waves came into the boat, so that the boat was now becoming full. 38 And he himself was in the back of the boat, sleeping on the cushion: and they, awaking him, said, Master, is it nothing to you that we are in danger of destruction? 39 And he came out of his sleep, and gave strong orders to the wind, and said to the sea, Peace, be at rest. And the wind went down, and there was a great calm. 40 And he said to them, Why are you full of fear? have you still no faith? 41 And their fear was great, and they said one to another, Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea do his orders?
Þ Are we serving two kings in two kingdoms?
Matthew 6:24-25 + 32 No man is able to be a servant to two masters: for he will have hate for the one and love for the other, or he will keep to one and have no respect for the other. You may not be servants of God and of wealth.
25 ¶So I say to you, Take no thought (don’t get caught up in worry) for your life, about food or drink, or about clothing for your body. Is not life more than food, and the body more than its clothing?
32 Because the Gentiles go in search of all these things: for your Father in heaven has knowledge that you have need of all these things:
33 But let your first care be for his kingdom and his righteousness; and all these other things will be given to you in addition.