Sunday Service

This week. We're looking at Luke chapter 17 verses 20 and 21 first time Pastor John Owens of New Life Fellowship, and I'd like to welcome you and thank you for joining us as we look on to the subject of in or out of his kingdom. When Jesus was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come he answered them. The kingdom of God is not coming with something observable. No one will see it here or there for you. See the kingdom of God is in your midst. Here in the United States. We have a representative form of government in a simple explanation of our government structure and we will see that it's not a pure democracy that can be rather cumbersome. Everyone has an equal say in what the government does but rather ours is a republic we vote for Representatives who are the wind supposed to operate the government in accordance with the will of the people who elected them and with what is in their best interest. Under this system of government. We have a great deal of freedom, but there is an overseeing power to keep things in control to keep us safe. One end of the extremes to which government goes is to have Anarchy. Everyone does his own thing and there is no government control things can get out of hand in a real hurry without that control under the system. There is complete Freedom at least to the point where someone else's Freedom doesn't impede on yours. There is nobody with the power to keep things or relief safe and other control. We see you at the end of the Book of Judges in those days. There was no king in Israel. Everyone did what ever seem right to him? There was turmoil quite often throughout the land was the same then as now that's stores thing just does not work. The other alternative is to be under a monarchy or dictatorship of one sort or another and this system. You don't have to worry about what you can do and what you can't do the one or ones in charge. They tell you what you can and can't do. Those in charge have complete power and the people have no freedom, but they're safe. Looks like our representative government is the way to go. Man, we do have freedom to do a lot of stuff and there is a power that keeps things under control keeps us safe. Stop toddlers from impeding our freedom. We like our freedom and we want the security of a forced. They can't keep us safe and keep things running smoothly and in an orderly manner.

It is that really the best form of government. Brighter, the king saw the Israelites were under a theocracy. God was in charge. He was the authority the people complained because they didn't have a other countries around them. Why settle for the best when you can be like everyone else? I mean really trade God who is perfect and does everything perfectly has your best interest at heart trade God is your king for a man whose best? No, man can come close to God and leadership ability or anything else. Even the best of men fall way short and doing what is best for the people. For one God knows everything and he knows everyone completely man is limited and both his knowledge and understanding is perfect in every way. We were in perfect in almost every way. If not in every way even the most altruistic of people still have a degree of selfish. I looking out for self and doing what is best for everyone. How can anyone do that? It's hard to even try to do that for the majority. It would take someone like gone to do that. God left them to their own devices at least do quite an extent. They went back and forth good Kings Bad creams because of all the things that came about the differences and the wildness of the goodness and the Not So goodness the evil they want up experiencing the division of the Kingdom divided into the northern and southern kingdoms Israel and Judah and having God send them into exile. Prior to the kings that were judges that God has appointed never supposed to be directing as God. Love them. And the kings were still Kings over God's people supposed to be Godly leaders leading in the right direction.

Didn't work out all that well for them. Maybe they didn't need to form a republic. You're probably we're living in the best time in American history to ascertain how that works. We have a long history of it's working mid least appearing to be working well for the majority of people. I don't have to say anything to you regarding our recent history and current situation. It seems that anarchy is creeping in don't need all the facts, you know, they just react to situations who rioting and looting during the violence in the cities. Oh, hold on a minute that last line should be they also burned the cities that remained and that wasn't talking about today. Although it applied. That was a quote from judges 2048. Haven't changed much have they? Well, we aren't going to change the world. Are we? But we can be change agents used by God to change the world. Is Believers where citizens of the United States or don't know who all might be listening maybe a chain of Brazil England Israel with whoever but first and foremost is Believers. We are citizens of the kingdom of God. Well, if it was a kingdom and we must have a king always sing all hail King Jesus all hail Emmanuel King of Kings Lord of lords Bright Morning Star the father sits on his throne Jesus sits on his right side the Holy Spirit sits on the throne of our hearts. God is our King. The kingdom of God is a major theme in the Bible and perhaps it's the only one there could be applied all the way from Genesis 1:1 through revelation 22:21. We know they've gone being the Creator and sustainer of all life is the only one who is qualified to be king of all the be king at all Earthly kings hold that title because they conquered who ever ruled the land before then perhaps because they compared to the title being born royalty Waters King because he made it all he is the owner of it all he has ultimate control over all Is all-powerful all-knowing has all wisdom. He is Sovereign and if we have any wisdom at all, we choose him is arcing that being established. What is the kingdom of God? That's a good question. And there is Branch more than one answer more than one correct. Answer Jesus appears to have used it in different senses. Does it refer to a place a time for the operation of a government government ruled by gone or perhaps to a relationship God's family? As I said at the beginning Jesus told the Pharisees when they asked when the kingdom of God would come. The kingdom of God is not coming with something observable. No one will say see their here. See their free see the kingdom of God is in your midst. The King James version renders this as the kingdom of God is within you Jesus was speaking here to the Pharisees and they rejected him as Messiah. They weren't Believers. It would not make sense to see him telling them that the kingdom of God was within them. Like the passion translation that renders these verses Jesus was once asked by the Jewish religious leaders. When will God's kingdom Rome come Jesus responded God's kingdom realm does not come simply by obeying principles and by waiting for signs. The kingdom is not discovered in one place or another for God's kingdom realm has already expanding within some of you. The Pharisees as well as other Jews at the time we're looking for a messiah who would come and set them free from Rome's power. He would come and Conquer their enemies set up and thrown everything would then be run in their favor? Isn't that how many today look at believing in Jesus? Isn't that how much of our evangelism is done today? Trust Jesus he'll take away all your problems. He'll set everything in your life in order. After all, we do know that Bible says that he works all things for good for those who love him. Once again, we need to be reminded to keep versus within their context as well as looking at the wider context in which there set the other surrounding verse the chapter the book the whole Bible know it's been said there's three rules to understanding the Bible context context and context You on one hand, we look at the kingdom of God is being when and where he is raining where he's in control his rule extends. Not only from Genesis 1:1 through Revelation 22:21, but through all of eternity when we sing the song. I'll God Work dodging the presence of his kingdom. In this sense, I suppose that everyone is in his kingdom, but I do have to qualify that let's say someone breaks into my house to steal my stuff is in my house, but he doesn't belong to my household. He is in but not of my house. We read Jesus words in Matthew 7 2123 not everyone who says to me Lord. Lord will enter the kingdom of heaven. But only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. On that day many will say to me Lord Lord, didn't we prophesy in your name drive out demons in your name and do many miracles in your name. Then I will announce to them. I never knew you depart from me you la Breakers. What are you seeing Matthew 25 31 to 34 when the son of man comes in his glory and all the angels with him. Then he will sit on his glorious Throne all the nations will be gathered before him and you'll separate one from the other just as a Shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. Then the king will say to those on his right come you who are blessed by my father and here's the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. We go down two verse 41 then he will say to those on the left depart from me you who are cursed into the Eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.

We see here that while they were living in this Kingdom. They were not of his kingdom. And make make a side note that we could see the perhaps. He's saying we need to do good things are some things to get in and we need to trust in him. But while his kingdom is here now. There Is Yet To Come and get a time when it will be experienced By Us in its fullness No, I can invite you over to my house for dinner you arrived and I take you into the living room. We should we chat for a while over a cup of coffee dinner time comes and it was a Roman enjoy a good meal together. We spend the evening sitting out on the front porch talking and enjoying the weather and in the scenery and as well as each other's company and then you depart for your home. How do you move away but you come back a few years later to to visit to stay with us staying for a month? Why pay for a hotel for all that time? I tell you make yourself at home and join the freedom. This is your home. We spend a lot of time and do a lot of things together. We get to know each other quite well, our relationship is closer than ever has been. We had a good relationship when you live nearby and visit occasionally, but when you lived with us that far exceeded anything that had been previously. In one sense is Kingdom can be described as a place, but how much more does seen in our relationship with God? We are in his household. We get to know him more and more and he knows us fully. Father sent the son to come to Deliver Us From The Power of sin and death when we believed in him and his promise and his provision. We enter the right relationship with him and we entered his kingdom we moved into his house. Is it worth? Although there is even more yet to come but the difference between just living in and being in or others kingdom is the difference between death and life. Eternal death and eternal life Yeah, I rephrase that because it's you order that starts off and but we need to get a handle on not just being quote in his kingdom but being in his kingdom being of his kingdom being part of his family. As Jesus was answering the Pharisees question. The kingdom was in their midst. He's the king even though at that time he had not yet returned to his place sitting on the right hand of father on his throne. The kingdom was in there. They only had to believe in order to enter their problem is they wanted to believe only what they wanted to believe they had presuppositions if they clung to and it hardened their hearts to the truth. The first thing Jesus said told them as we look at this passage was that the coming of the kingdom was not of the nature that they would not see it in the manner that they had expected with their wonderful powers of observation, and he would not be able to observe it with their legalism. They would not be able to bring it about if they it had the rides open if they were able to see if they were willing to believe they would already be experiencing is As we look at this where they're also Believers present first 22 begins with then he told the disciples certainly throughout the Old Testament. There have been believers. They were believing in a promise yet to be fulfilled in Jesus was the Fulfillment of this promise. His disciples except Judas and some others who found his words hard to take we're believers they believed. How about you? Are you looking for his kingdom? Are you looking forward to find the source of eternal life in a right relationship with God to be set free from the power of sin and death to truly be in and all of this Kingdom. Don't look for a sign. We already have won the cross and the one who hung up on it if it was raised from the dead and now sits on Father's right hand. Believe in him and his promise of life and you will find that you are in and of his kingdom you're adopted as his child. Right now in a manner his kingdom is hidden the spiritual Kingdom that were part of having believed in him. Is coming a day when the whole world will know his kingdom. He will return when he is not expected of time of judgment and he'll set up his kingdom here on Earth. Will you be there? Are you off and not just living in his kingdom now? Where does the king do all today? Yes, he sits on Father's right hand making intercession for us. But he is also present with us. We remember his words. My kingdom is not of this world, but he also gave us Asheron's that he would not leave us nor forsake us. Call in a question in 1st Corinthians, 3-16 gives us insight into the assurance that what Jesus said is true for all believers and ask him don't you yourselves know that you are God's Temple and that the spirit of God Lives in You. We are assured of this pertaining to us and that we can find more than one place in the Bible in which we see that we receive the Holy Spirit when we believe in Jesus the pain he came down and was not just more of an external presents with with Believers, but came actually to live in them and each believer since received the Holy Spirit upon that moment of belief have you believe in Jesus and his promise of life. If so, welcome to the kingdom as Kingdom dwellers. Let's go forth of noxious Lee. We are his ambassadors to get adopted into the family of God. An ambassador should care about those whom he is been sent to his job is not to jama's Country down the throats of foreigners, but to represent his country in a way that others will see how valuable his country is. But we look at Lippy in 3 20 and 21. Where is a Claire's our citizenship is in heaven, and we eagerly wait for a savior from there the Lord Jesus Christ, he will transform the body of our humble condition into the likeness of his glorious Body by the power than tables him to subject everything to himself. Although an Earthly Ambassador is not trying to recruit new citizens for his country. We have received something so great. So Grand So Glorious that we need to allow others to see the joy that we have in our right relationship with King Jesus so they should be drawn to him as well. Allow someone else to get a glimpse of the Kingdom through you today that they'll see the kingdom in your life being lived out through you being enjoyed to the max by you. New Life Fellowship will most likely be starting to meet in person again around the beginning of November. I'm going to be taking a break from these weekly messages until then, but I'm going to try to stay faithful and posting my daily thought each weekday on Facebook. So go ahead and under the New Life Fellowship page and check out my daily saw it in the meanwhile be blessed and be a blessing and pray and live that others would get a glimpse of the Kingdom through your day today Walk With Jesus.