kingdom of God

18
Jul
2011

The Kingdom of God’s Beloved Son

“It cannot be emphasized too strongly that this great nation was founded — not by religionists — but by Christians . . . on the Gospel of Jesus Christ.”

—Patrick Henry

 

“Providence has given to our people the choice of their rulers, and it is the duty as well as the privilege and interest of our Christian Nation to select and prefer Christians for their rulers.”

— John Jay, our first Supreme Court Justice

 

“The destiny of America is to carry the gospel of Jesus Christ to all men, everywhere.”

— John Adams, Second President of the United States

 

 “My views…are the result of a life of inquiry and reflection, and very different from the anti-Christian system imputed to me by those who know nothing of my opinions.

“To the corruptions of Christianity I am, indeed, opposed; but not to the genuine precepts of Jesus himself. I am a Christian in the only sense in which He wished any one to be; sincerely attached to his doctrines in preference to all others.”

— On April 21, 1803, Thomas Jefferson wrote this to Dr. Benjamin Rush (also a signer of the Declaration of Independence)

 

Journal,

Have you ever wondered why the United States became such a great nation in the earth? America’s greatness links directly to our Christian heritage. Most every signer of the declaration of independence openly declared their faith in Jesus Christ. Fifty-two of the fifty-six signers were deeply committed Christians. Three others accepted the Bible as divine truth and that God was personally involved in both His creation and in the forming of this new nation.

The first act after signing the Declaration of Independence by the Continental Congress was to buy 20,000 Bibles for the people of this new nation. So, is there any question that America was founded on Christian principles? Certainly not.

Foremost in the minds of our founders was to create a nation without an established religious system, and yet would draw its strength from the Christian faith. They knew that a walk with the Lord was very personal, that the Bible was a book of redemption, and that in Christ alone could men find true freedom.

They also knew that man-made religion almost always degenerates into man-controlled institutions. This nation was formed by people who had escaped from tyrannical religious systems.

Thomas Jefferson said it well enough:

“To the corruptions of Christianity I am, indeed, opposed; but not to the genuine precepts of Jesus himself. I am a Christian in the only sense in which He wished any one to be; sincerely attached to his doctrines in preference to all others.”

This accords with what the apostle John said about a personal relationship with Jesus Christ:

“And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life.” (1Jn 5:11-12)

What is it about the Bible that drew the hearts of our founders? Let’s see if we can get on the same page.

 

The Bible and the Kingdom

Our founders knew that the Bible was not an ordinary book. The Bible came to us from heaven by the pens of godly inspired writers. They knew that only by accepting the sovereignty of God could this nation be truly blessed.

The Bible has to do with God’s kingdom rule. And it has to do with man’s redemption brought about by the blood of God’s Son. And the work of the cross is the underscore of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. Lose this key and you lose the key of life.

Lets consider what the term sovereignty means. Hebrew term ‘malkuth‘ speaks of the outflow of power from a royal reign. God’s sovereignty addresses His absolute right to do all things according to His own will, and for His own purpose, and for His own pleasure.

Thus we have the term ‘kingdom of God’ or ‘kingdom of heaven’. These terms express the direct rule of God in a person’s life. To be born of God’s kingdom means that you come under the direct and personal rule of God.

Understanding what ‘kingdom of God’ means helps us to realize what Jesus was saying to the Pharisee Nicodemus. Listen:

“Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.’ Nicodemus said to Him, ‘How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born, can he?’ Jesus answered, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be amazed that I said to you, “You must be born again.”‘” (Joh 3:3-7)

Moses gained some insight into God's sovereignty when he sought for the Lord to show him His glory. The Lord said to him,

“I will make all My goodness pass before you, and will proclaim the name of the LORD before you; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show compassion on whom I will show compassion.” (Exodus 33:19)

When Paul reflects on this passage, he says,

“So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy.” (Rom9:16)

 

The Children of the Great King

Out of this comes a second aspect about sovereignty. Not only is the almighty God sovereign over all of creation, over all nations, and over history itself, but He is also the heavenly Father of every person born of His Spirit. This means that in all God does He always has His children at the center of His doings. Paul intimates this when he said,

“For all things belong to you … and you belong to Christ; and Christ belongs to God.” (Cf. 1Co3:21-23)

Yes indeed, we are children of the Great King. Thus we hear John say,

“See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we shall be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we shall see Him just as He is.” (1Jn3:1,2)

John was careful to point out that we don’t have all the answers. And while we do not yet know exactly what we will be, we do know that we will be like Jesus. After all He is the firstborn of many brothers. (Brothers is inclusive of sisters.)

Paul gives us the center piece of our purpose before God. He said,

“And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us.”(Rom8:28-31)

 

The Darker the Night

Everything that I’ve shared thus far is designed to bring us back to how this great nation was formed. As a nation it seems we have lost much of our moorings. It is easy to get discouraged. Without naming all that has caused a downward spiral, there is yet a greater truth to be had. We need to regain the spirit and resolve of our nation’s founders. And this greater truth accords with an old adage, which says, ‘The darker the night, the brighter the light.’

The apostle Paul intimated that very thing when he said,

” … but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more.” (Rom 5:20)

It is in these discouraging times where God’s children can stand out the best. It only takes a little light to dispel darkness. The apostle said,

“Do all things without grumbling or disputing; so that you may prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appears as lights in the world. “ (Phil2:14,15)

It is time for God’s children shine brightly. Much of the world is in despair of heart. Our instructions have never changed. Let’s hear once again what the Lord has for us:

“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” (Mat 5:14-16)

Think about these things.

Do you remember the old gospel song, ‘Send the Light.’ One stanza says, ‘Send the light, the blessed gospel light. Let it shine from shore to shore.’ Let that song be our prayer. Listen to the gospel hymn.

 

 

In Christ always,

Buddy

 

 

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26
Apr
2010

Making peace with the past…

“For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, and abundant in lovingkindness to all who call upon You.” (Psa 86:5 NASB)


Journal,

Is there Biblical precedence for a person having a sickness or some other ailment, including a physical disorder, as a result of harboring unforgiveness, resentments, bitterness or ill will towards others. Yes, the Bible does teach that in some instances our physical and emotional well-being can very well reflect our inward state of being. Just like a tree we grow from the inside out. If the tree is not healthy on the inside it will reflect on the whole of the tree. So it is with us.

This is why the sage said,

“My son, give attention to my words; incline your heart to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your sight; keep them in the midst of your heart. For they are life to those who find them and health to all their body. Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the SPRINGS (outgoings) of life.“ (Pro4:20-23)

The Hebrew word for ‘springs’ is the word ‘tosaah.’ This is a geographical word. It speaks both of a boundary and of a source. Its reflective meaning addresses ‘goings forth’ or ‘outgoings.’ The point is that what we have in our hearts will determine the boundaries or the outgoing of our own life. Thus we give shape to our own life by what is in our own heart.

David draws attention to this with regard to the man who refuses to bless others, but only curses. Listen carefully:

“Because he did not remember to show lovingkindness…

“,,,he also loved cursing, so it came to him; and he did not delight in blessing, so it was far from him.

“But he clothed himself with cursings as with his garment, and it entered into his body like water and like oil into his bones. It came to him as a garment which he covers himself…” (Psalm 109:16-19)

The New Testament addresses bitterness in the same category as immorality. Notice Hebrews 12:14-16;

“Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled; that no immoral or godless person like Esau, who sold his own birthright for a single meal.”

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The peace of God’s kingdom.

Pursuing peace addresses the peace of God’s kingdom. We are to be makers of peace when it is in our power to do so.

It is our purpose to bring ‘living water’ to those around us. These waters speak of the message of the cross. It is James who draws attention to this area of our not being able to share the gospel properly because of a mixed message.

“With it [our tongue] we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God; from the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be this way. Does a fountain send out from the same opening both fresh and bitter water?”

(Jas 3:9-11 NASB)

And hence the problem with bitterness. Here we are told that bitterness is a defiler. It not only defiles our personal life, but it can defile those around us.

Lets continue with the understanding on how bitterness may affect us today. I did not read the earlier statement about how bitterness can create an excessive burden in a believer’s life, and how that bitterness may even result in a discipline of the Lord.

Note the preceding Scriptures:

“All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful …. Therefore, strengthen the hands that are weak and the knees that are feeble, and make straight paths for your feet, so that the limb which is lame may not be put out of joint, but rather be healed.” (vv12,13)

This is metaphoric language. Yet it calls attention to some of the burdens than can weigh a believer down as a result of unforgiveness and resentments. Is it not possible that some of our physical ailments are a result of the bitterness we carry? Is it also possible that some of our health issues can be the result of a connective measure from the Lord? These are things to consider.

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Both Paul and Peter speak to this.

Let’s tie some Scriptures together:

[Paul] “For this reason many among you are weak and sick, and a number sleep. But if we judged ourselves rightly, we would not be judged.” — The background for this is the Lord’s table, but its directive is to those who were resentful of others. The sicknesses in this  case are punitive or corrective judgments from the Lord. — 1Co11:22-34.

[Peter] “Therefore, putting aside all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander, like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation.” (1Pe2:1,2)

We don’t always catch what Peter is saying. Where Peter speaks of the ‘pure milk’ of the word, he is speaking of milk that has not been adulterated by bitterness and other such things.

As a country boy I can give an example of what pure milk is not. In the south we have what is called bitter weeds. A cow will sometimes make these weeds part of her diet. If you drink milk from a cow who had eaten bitter weeds, believe me, you will spew the milk out of your mouth as quick as you can. The milk is filled with bitterness. And yet the milk itself looked perfectly good.

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Failure to make peace with the past.

This is where bitterness can become a defiling thing in our life. Most bitterness is a result of not having forgiven someone. We carry the unforgiveness in our heart. It is not a matter of whether the person deserves forgiveness, or even if they have asked for forgiveness. It is a matter of keepings one’s own spiritual life pure.

We have a perfect example to follow from the cross. Jesus said, “Father, forgive them. For they don’t know what they are doing.”

We also hear this with the first Christian martyr. Stephen said, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them!” In neither case were the peoples asking for forgiveness.

When Jesus said, “Father, forgive them,” was this not the message of the cross? Are we not forgiven on the basis of a life exchange with Jesus? Jesus gave His life up for us. Are we not to learn to live in this flow of forgiveness? Are we not to forgive?

What many don’t realize is that unforgiveness is a sin. Why so? It is a sin because we are under commandment to forgive. We are also under commandment to walk in love the way Jesus walked. The Lord pointed out that a powerful faith walk revolves around forgiveness. He said,

“Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father who is in heaven will also forgive you your transgressions.” (Mark 11:25)

And so it may well be that the most crucial matter in a believer’s life is in coming to grips with the past. Until we learn to make peace with the past, we will suffer in the now. Are you free from the past? Is there something you need to let go?

“How to I get started?”

The way to get started is …

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Identify with Jesus.

What does identifying with Jesus mean? John said, “Greater is He who is in you and he who is in the world.”

That isn’t a hard issue to solved. How did Jesus conduct Himself in the gospels. He loved and He forgave. What should we do? Love and forgive. Jesus forgave all our sins, past, present, and future. How can we do otherwise. In fact if we learn to forgive quickly, it gives us the power to jerk the rug out from under the enemy. He will have nothing to work with.

And since the greater One lives in us, Paul give us how all this works. Listen and learn:

“I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.” (Gal 2:20 NASB)
Did you catch it? Good. Then I don’t need to explain it any further.
Now while you think on these things, take time to listen to Jeff and Sheri Easter. This song has a message for you.
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Much love to be found in Jesus,

In Christ always,

Buddy

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