What is the power?
It gives you the power to heal: Luke 10:9 And heal the sick that are therein, and say
unto them, The kingdom of God is come nigh unto you.
Was it an extra ordinary thing to heal the sick?
Having the power to heal should be the norm for the Christian.
Note that
Christ = Divinity (God) putting on humanity,
God taking upon himself all the frailties of humanity. (phil 2:6-8)
Christian = humanity putting on divinity (God)
Humanity taking upon themselves the fullness of God (Eph3:19)
The power to preach and teach
It gives you the ability to meet your need food and clothing: mat 6:25-32 Note the preamble
that comes before Jesus says to seek the kingdom of God. Jesus says that the food and clothing will be added, if you only seek the kingdom first.
It is the power to live above sin, that is the work of the kingdom inside of you: Colossians
1:13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:
Adam and the Kingdom of God
Math 25:34
Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world
Why does the scripture make mention of the foundation of the world?
In order to get a full understanding of the kingdom here being mentioned we must turn to the book of Genesis.
Gen 3:14-19
Gen 3:15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
This is where God intervenes. Verse 14 paints a really dismal picture of all living things being cursed, but then God fuses a twist in the entire story. He inserts enmity, and the place in which He puts it, causes hope to thrive.
Make no mistakes about it, upon sinning Adam and Eve had become the full-fledged enemies of God, and the allies of the devil. (James 4:4) However, by God inserting the enmity between the woman and the serpent, God broke up this alliance. Gen 3:15 is the first representation of the good news of salvation.
The woman is referenced because she was the one who first joined the ranks of the devil.
Now understand that the enmity that was placed between the devil and the woman, is the embodiment of the kingdom of God. It was the not the physical kingdom of God but the power which was made available to Adam and Eve to overcome sin.
What did Jesus want us to seek?
Now that we have a fuller understanding of what is the kingdom of God, now we can answer this question...
Q. What was Jesus instructing us to seek in Mat6:33?
A. Christ was instructing us to seek :
The power that allows us to live above sin.
The power that allows us to heal.
The power that allows us to meet our daily needs.
The power that allows us to preach the good news of salvation.
Contrary to what we may believe. The physical kingdom of God is only given to those who had obtained the spiritual kingdom of God. In other words, you should become a citizen of the kingdom in spirit before you can become a physical citizen of the place.
Looking more closely at what Jesus says in Matthew 6, you will see that Jesus makes the comparison of seeking the earthly needs versus seeking the kingdom of God. You will notice that in 6:33 he seems to say that if you seek the kingdom of God (the spiritual aspect of the power of God working) you will be able to furnish the other things.
Kingdom of God and his righteousness
Is it possible to seek one and not the other
Yes it is possible to seek one and not the other. Remember the man in the story of the wedding feast, coming into the wedding feast and not wearing the garment prepared for him.
That is seeking the physical kingdom but not the righteousness
The man asking paul for the gift 2of healing, but not the righteousness.
People are seeking the benefits of the kingdom but not allowing Chrsit to live int hem.
Before you can live in the kingdom (physical kingdom) the spiritual kingdom has to be inside of you.
Note the preposition from used and not before.
From implies at the beginning and not before
Thy Kingdom come
It is to be set up when Christ shall judge the living and dead 2 tim 4:1
It is to be set up at his coming Matth 25:31-34
How can we enter the kingdom?
We should need no exposition here, if there is one thing that we all should know is how to get to the kingdom.
John 3:5 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.
Christ came to give all direct access to the kingdom of God. Prior only priests had access
Gifts the spirit, where does that fall?
Can the power of God be used for evil?
Doesn’t seem so, although the devil is using the resources of God against Him.
No 2Pet1:1-15
How do we seek the kingdom/ What is the kingdom of god like?
In our scripture text, we are advised to seek the kingdom of God. Now if we are to seek something, and we have not the foggiest idea of what it is or what it looks like, then there is a strong possibility that we will never find it. For how can we intelligently say this is the thing that you are looking for when we don’t know what it is.
Sounds like the story of the Emperor and his new clothes to me.
The paradox of the situation is that the kingdom of God should not be obscure to anyone, for in many instances Jesus started a parable with the phrase “the kingdom of God is likened unto:”
Let’s consider Luke13:18-21
18 Then said he, Unto what is the kingdom of God like? and whereunto shall I resemble it?
19 It is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and cast into his garden; and it grew, and waxed a great tree; and the fowls of the air lodged in the branches of it.
20 And again he said, Whereunto shall I liken the kingdom of God?
21 It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened. (to be compared with gen 18:6)
Has our understanding been darkened or has it been hidden from us?
Luke 8:10
10 And he said, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand.Luke 8:10
?
Math 6 all these things do the gentiles seek---definition of seek.
14 But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.Mark 10:14
15 Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein.Mark 10:15
Having a form of Godliness
5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.2Timothy 3:5
Summary
Matth 21:31 Whether of them twain did the will of his father? They say unto him, The first. Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you.
Matth 21:43 Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.
Conclusion
But the kingdom of God is not 1Cor 4:20
Rom 14:17 For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.
What do use the power to do?
2 pet1:1-15
Appeal
2 3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:2Peter 1:3
4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.2Peter 1:4
5 And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;2Peter 1:5
6 And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;2Peter 1:6
7 And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.2Peter 1:7
8 For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.2Peter 1:8
“Few Christians go beyond the very first level of biblical understanding they had at baptism. Often the path that follows is littered with revolving door opinions from that simplistic basic knowledge.” Fowler- End time secrets of Daniel 8-12
No comments:
Post a Comment