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For His Glory!
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For Such Is The Kingdom of God In the gospels, Yeshua (Jesus) is continually teaching us about the Kingdom of God (Kingdom of God is interchangeable with Kingdom of heaven as used in Matthew’s account). By looking at key Scriptures we can gain insight as to the importance of the Kingdom. We also learn what our attitude and focus needs to be to enter therein. The purpose Yeshua came. Luke 4:43 But He said to them, "I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, for I was sent for this purpose." Luke 8:1 Soon afterwards, He began going around from one city and village to another, proclaiming and preaching the kingdom of God. The twelve were with Him, Yeshua taught… Matthew 5:3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:19 "Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 6:33 "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness… Matthew 7:21 Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Notice what Yeshua focused on after His resurrection? Acts 1:3 To these He also presented Himself alive after His suffering, by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days and speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God. The early saints preached the good news about the Kingdom. Matthew 10:7 "And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Acts 8:12 But when they believed Philip preaching the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were being baptized, men and women alike. Acts 28:23 When they had set a day for Paul, they came to him at his lodging in large numbers; and he was explaining to them by solemnly testifying about the kingdom of God and trying to persuade them concerning Jesus, from both the Law of Moses and from the Prophets, from morning until evening. The Kingdom was much sought after; Yeshua reveals the attitude required. Matthew 20: 20-22 Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came to Jesus with her sons, bowing down and making a request of Him. And He said to her, "What do you wish?" She said to Him, "Command that in Your kingdom these two sons of mine may sit one on Your right and one on Your left." But Jesus answered, "You do not know what you are asking… 26-28 "…but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave; just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many." The Kingdom will be inherited by those willing to serve as Yeshua did. The primary characteristic of His saints will be the humility of Yeshua, to serve as He did, to be nothing but an empty vessel for Yeshua to fill. What chief characteristic would the called out ones have? Matthew 18: 1-5 At that time the disciples came to Jesus and said, "Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" And He called a child to Himself and set him before them, and said, "Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. "And whoever receives one such child in My name receives Me; Luke 9: 46-48 An argument started among them as to which of them might be the greatest. But Jesus, knowing what they were thinking in their heart, took a child and stood him by His side, and said to them, "Whoever receives this child in My name receives Me, and whoever receives Me receives Him who sent Me; for the one who is least among all of you, this is the one who is great." This child like attitude is recorded in three of the gospel accounts. Mark 10:14-15 But when Jesus saw this, He was indignant and said to them, "Permit the children to come to Me; do not hinder them; for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all." Luke 18:16-17 But Jesus called for them, saying, "Permit the children to come to Me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all." Think back on your childhood; recall the security and love a normal family would experience. Think about the trust a little child places in their parents; do I trust my spiritual Father the same way? Am I always asking Him for direction? Desiring to be like Him? To walk and talk and act like Him? Kingdom Scriptures help define the Kingdom for us; some tell us who shall be or not be there; others instruct us on what we have to be like and much more. When our first parents refused to obey their Creator they were removed from His kingdom and put out on their own. They submitted to an evil, cruel taskmaster. Yeshua came to redeem us, buy us back, that we might be restored to the relationship He originally planned for us. Part of that restoration process was for Him (Yeshua) to pay the penalty for our sins (done). He empowers those willing to submit to His kingdom authority by willing obedience (being done by the Holy Spirit). After training these called out ones He plans to return as King of kings and Lord of lords. He will establish a physical kingdom, on this earth, to rule with loving kindness this world. He will do this with the help of His trained and called out ones, who will be as He is, spirit beings, at that time. During this time (called the millennial reign or age) He will bring peace and extend grace to all of mankind. Praise YHVH… These called out ones have been transferred from darkness to Light. Colossians 1:13 For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, Special insight is given to those willing to obey Yeshua. Luke 8:10 And He said, "To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is in parables, so that SEEING THEY MAY NOT SEE, AND HEARING THEY MAY NOT UNDERSTAND. Warning! Called out, called to be holy. 1Corinthians 6:9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. Ephesians 5:5 For this you know with certainty, that no immoral or impure person or covetous man, who is an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Read about the wonderful promises recorded in the prophets. Isaiah is a good place to begin; wherever it mentions "in that day," it usually refers to the time Yeshua will establish His Kingdom on this earth. For sure, before that day comes, there will be a time of great trouble (see Matthew 24). A sure recipe for the Kingdom. Yeshua’s part: 2Peter 1:2-4 Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust. Our part: 5-8 Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. Caution: 9 For he who lacks these qualities is blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins. Be diligent: 10-11 Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble; for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you. |
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Proverbs 15:33 The fear of the LORD is the instruction for wisdom, And before honor comes humility. Proverbs 22:4 The reward of humility and the fear of the LORD Are riches, honor and life. |
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"I have learned that success is to be measured not by the position one has reached in life as by the obstacles which one has overcome while trying to succeed." Rrooker T. Washington We must not measure ourselves with others but by the humility of Yeshua. This means we must study His life and sayings earnestly desiring to be holy as He is holy. Luke 22: 26-27 "But it is not this way with you, but the one who is the greatest among you must become like the youngest, and the leader like the servant. … But I am among you as the one who serves. |
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In our pursuit of humility: "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? The question is far-reaching. What will be the chief distinction in the heavenly kingdom? The glory of heaven, the mind of heaven, is humility. ‘ He who is least among you all-he is the greatest’ (Luke 9:48)" Andrew Murray It is not enough to talk about humility, it has to be a life long passion to grasp the significance and importance of what our Savior is asking of us. Yet He demonstrated it in His life by giving His life to save us. Our Creator was made flesh and died for us; that is the type of humility that must be in us. |
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Something to ponder... If we could shrink the earth's population to a village of precisely 100 people, with all the existing human ratios remaining the same, it would look something like the following: There would be: 57 Asians 21 Europeans 14 from the Western Hemisphere, both north and south 8 Africans… 52 would be female 48 would be male… 70 would be non-white 30 would be white… 70 would be non-Christian 30 would be Christian… 89 would be heterosexual 11 would be homosexual… 6 people would possess 59% of the entire world's wealth and all 6 would be from the United States… 80 would live in substandard housing… 70 would be unable to read… 50 would suffer from malnutrition… 1 would be near death; 1 would be near birth… 1 (yes, only 1) would have a college education… 1 would own a computer… When one considers our world from such a compressed perspective, the need for acceptance, understanding and education becomes glaringly apparent. The following is also something to ponder... If you woke up this morning with more health than illness...you are more blessed than the million who will not survive this week. If you have never experienced the danger of battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture, or the pangs of starvation...you are ahead of 500 million people in the world. If you can attend a church meeting without fear of harassment, arrest, torture, or death...you are more blessed than three billion people in the world. If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof overhead and a place to sleep...you are richer than 75% of this world. If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in a dish someplace ... you are among the top 8% of the worlds wealthy. If your parents are still alive and still married ... you are very rare, even in the United States and Canada. If you can read this message, you are more blessed than over two billion people in the world that cannot read at all. |
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I got the bill for my surgery. Now I know why those doctors wear masks. James Brown Subject: "Mr. Clinton No Longer Resides Here" Shortly after President Bush took office, an old man approached the White House. He spoke to the U.S. Marine standing guard and said, "I would like to go in and meet with President Clinton." The marine looked at the man and said, "Sir, Mr. Clinton is no longer president and no longer resides here." The old man said, "Okay" and walked away. The following day, the same man approached the White House and said to the same U.S. Marine standing guard, "I would like to go in and meet with President Clinton." The marine again told the man, "Sir, Mr. Clinton is no longer president and no longer resides here." The man said, "Okay" and walked away. The third day, the same man approached the White House and spoke to the same U.S. Marine standing guard, "I would like to go in and meet with President Clinton." The marine, a little agitated at this point, looked at the man and said, "Sir, this is the third day in a row you have been here asking to speak to Mr. Clinton, and I have told you already that Mr. Clinton is no longer president and no longer resides here. Don't you understand?" The old man looked at the U.S. Marine and said, "Oh, I understand. I just love hearing it". The marine guard smiled and said, "See you tomorrow! |
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I do not know who wrote this but it is worth considering. THIS SAYS IT ALL! Broken Arrow, Oklahoma School officials remove "God Bless America" signs from schools in fear that someone might be offended. Channel 12 News in Long Island, New York, orders flags removed from the newsroom and red, white, and blue ribbons removed from the lapels of reporters. Why? Management did not want to appear biased and felt that our nations flag might give the appearance that "they lean one way or another". Berkeley, California bans U.S. Flags from being displayed on city fire trucks because they didn't want to offend anyone in the community. In an "act of tolerance" the head of the public library at Florida Gulf Coast University ordered all "Proud to be an American" signs removed so as to not offend international students.
I, for one, am quite disturbed by these actions of so-called American citizens; and I am tired of this nation worrying about whether or not we are offending some individual or their culture. Since the terrorist attacks on September 11, we have experienced a surge in patriotism by the majority of Americans. However, the dust from the attacks had barely settled in New York and Washington D.C. when the "politically correct" crowd began complaining about the possibility that our patriotism was offending others. I am not against immigration, nor do I hold a grudge against anyone who is seeking a better life by coming to America. In fact, our country's population is almost entirely comprised of descendants of immigrants; however, there are a few things that those who have recently come to our country, and apparently some native Americans, need to understand. First of all, it is not our responsibility to continually try not to offend you in any way. This idea of America being a multi-cultural community has served only to dilute our sovereignty and our national identity. As Americans, we have our own culture, our own society, our own language, and our own lifestyle. This culture, called the "American Way" has been developed over centuries of struggles, trials, and victories by millions of men and women who have sought freedom. Our forefathers fought, bled, and died at places such as Bunker Hill, Antietam, San Juan, Iwo Jima, Normandy, Korea, Vietnam, We speak English, not Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Russian, or any other language. Therefore, if you wish to become part of our society - learn our language! "In God We Trust" is our national motto. This is not some off-the-wall, Christian, Right Wing, political slogan - it is our national motto. It is engraved in stone in the House of Representatives in our Capitol and it is printed on our currency. We adopted this motto because Christian men and women, on Christian principles, founded this nation; and this is clearly documented throughout our history. If it is appropriate for our motto to be inscribed in the halls of our highest level of Government, then it is certainly appropriate to display it on the walls of our schools. God is in our pledge, our National Anthem, nearly every patriotic song, and in our founding documents. We honor His birth, death, and resurrection as holidays, and we turn to Him in prayer in times of crisis. If God offends you, then I suggest you consider another part of the world as your new home, because God is part of our culture and we are proud to have Him. We are proud of our heritage and those who have so honorably defended our freedoms. We celebrate Independence Day, Memorial Day, Veterans Day, and Flag Day. We have parades, picnics, and barbecues where we proudly wave our flag. As an American, I have the right to wave my flag, sing my national anthem, quote my national motto, and cite my pledge whenever and wherever I choose. If the Stars and Stripes offend you, or you don't like Uncle Sam, then you should seriously consider a move to another part of this planet. The American culture is our way of life, our heritage, and we are proud of it. We are happy with our culture and have no desire to change, and we really don't care how you did things where you came from. We are Americans, like it or not, this is our country, our land, and our lifestyle. Our First Amendment gives every citizen the right to express his opinion about our government, culture, or society, and we will allow you every opportunity to do so. But once you are done complaining, whining, and griping about our flag, our pledge, our national motto, or our way of life, I highly encourage you take advantage of one other great American freedom, the right to leave. The Kingdom of God has its rules also. We must learn His ways and not do our ways. Are we wearing the mark of a saint? You can tell them by their fruits. |
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1. It did not fall because it had its foundation on the rock Matthew 7:24-25 2. The Southern kingdom 3. Malta - Acts 28:1,7 4. Abraham - Galatians 3:8 5. Quail - Numbers 11:31 6. Abner - 2 Samuel 2:8 7. David - 2 Samuel 12:13 |