Saturday, October 21, 2017

Clash of Kingdoms


1 John 5:19-20 “We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one. And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding, that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life.”

The 1828 Webster’s dictionary defines the word “kingdom” as: The territory or country subject to a king; an undivided territory under the dominion of a king or monarch. It is the king’s domain in which he has sovereign dominion. Webster’s goes on to say: In Scripture, the government or universal dominion of God. In the same context, the word Lord is defined as “A master; a person possessing supreme power and authority; a ruler; a governor. In scripture, the Supreme Being; Jehovah.” The word “subject” is defined as: Being under the power and dominion of another. One that owes allegiance to a sovereign and is governed by his laws. Willingly bending the knee to His authority and rule. There is a king in the kingdom of Heaven, the LORD reigns. Do we think about that much?

 Isaiah 52:7 How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who proclaims peace, who brings glad tidings of good things, who proclaims salvation, who says to Zion, “Your God reigns!”

Our Wednesday evening small group Bible study is having the latest series of “That the World May Know” by Ray Vander Laan presented and the clash of the kingdom of God and the kingdom of the enemy (the flesh, the world and the devil) is obvious. But, the loving Lord God by Heaven and Earth comes to redeem this broken world by His grace; to restore faith and peace. Redemption and restoration are offered; not forced.

Deuteronomy 10:12-13 “What does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and to love Him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments of the Lord and His statutes which I command you today for your good?”

In the time of the Apostle Paul, Philippi was a Roman colony that was a miniature copy of Rome. When the kingdom citizens/subjects were in Philippi, they acted as if they were in their capital city, which they represented. In the same way, Christians are citizens of a colony of Heaven and the Lord God’s people should act here like they are in Heaven. God lives here and the redeemed need to walk as Jesus walked; not just bringing the message of the gospel to a lost and dying world, but being the message by living out their lives in obedience to the Lord’s holy Word, Will and Way in front of a dark and sinful world that is watching.    

Jude 3:1 “Beloved, while I was making every effort to write you about our common salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints (meaning those who have been sanctified by the Holy Spirit).”

The word “contend” is defined as: To strive, or to strive against; to struggle in opposition. The word was used in Rome to describe Roman Gladiators in full armor, fighting together, side by side and back to back, as a team against a common opponent. This is the reality of the message of Jesus Christ and the kingdom of God being put on display, sharing the “good News” as an experienced witness of the Lord. This is our mission and we cannot tolerate anything that distorts the message of the gospel (the Greek word “Evangelion"). The whole world needs Salvation, the kingdom of God and the fruit of the Spirit. Anything else is hell.

Ephesians 2:1-5 “And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved).”


In Christ, Brian

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