Echoes Into Eternity - The Kingdom

 

The Kingdom of Heaven

What is the organization where discipleship occurs? What mental framework must we have to ensure that this process takes place?

 As Citizens of the United States of America, we have governmental organization that we live within. We call it “Democracy”. It is the idea that as it’s stated in our Declaration of Independence that

 “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

 We have grown up thinking that we have the right to participate in our local. State and national governments. We have the right to vote for our representatives in these governments, and we have the right of Free Speech, and basically to do what we want in the context of the good of our community. Our laws mostly reflect a Biblical morality, and we have the right to choose where we live, what we do to earn money, and what to do with the resources we acquire.

These are natural unalienable rights given to us by our Creator. We are the ones who hold the power of our government. We get to decide what we are going to do.

 However, this mindset often conflicts with the message that Jesus proclaimed during his ministry on Earth.

 Jesus traveled throughout the region of Galilee, teaching in the synagogues and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom. And he healed every kind of disease and illness. Matthew 4:23

  “So don’t be afraid, little flock. For it gives your Father great happiness to give you the Kingdom. Luke 12:32

It is often thought that The Kingdom is a spiritual entity that is separate from the world that we live in. It’s a place where we go when we die, if we are good disciples.

 What is a kingdom?

 Kingdom: a politically organized community or major territorial unit having a monarchical form of government headed by a king or queen

 Kingdom: a community ruled by a king

 Matthew records 49 instances where Jesue teaches about the nature of the Kingdom of Heaven / God.  Luke records Jesus speaking about the Kingdom 39 times. It is the topic he spoke most about. It’s the message that He ordered His disciples to proclaim.

 ⁵These twelve Jesus sent out after instructing them: “Do not go in the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter any city of the Samaritans;  but rather go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.  And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Matthew 10:5-7 Matthew 10:5-7

 He told his listeners that they should look for and become part of the Kingdom.

 Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.  Matthew 6:33

 Jesus told them that the Kingdom was not in a far away place in another dimension, but rather it was present with them.

From that time Jesus began to preach and say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Matthew 4:17

 eggízō; near. To bring near and come near. in the perf. ḗggika, to have drawn near, to be near, to be at hand; in the expression ḗggiken, is near, referring to the kingdom of God or heaven.

Perfect Infinitive tense: action that was completed in the past but has continuing results.

Does this understanding of a present Kingdom change the way you think about your life as a disciple?

 Entrance into the Kingdom of God requires a spiritual birth.

 There was a man named Nicodemus, a Jewish religious leader who was a Pharisee. ² After dark one evening, he came to speak with Jesus. “Rabbi,” he said, “we all know that God has sent you to teach us. Your miraculous signs are evidence that God is with you.”
³ Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.”
⁴ “What do you mean?” exclaimed Nicodemus. “How can an old man go back into his mother’s womb and be born again?”
⁵ Jesus replied, “I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. ⁶ Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life. ⁷ So don’t be surprised when I say, ‘You must be born again.’ ⁸ The wind blows wherever it wants. Just as you can hear the wind but can’t tell where it comes from or where it is going, so you can’t explain how people are born of the Spirit.” John 3:1-8

 To be a member of the Kingdom, you must have an experience where the realities of Jesus come alive, as well as your desire to follow Him. Then a time of repentance follows, with an acknowledgement of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross for you, and His Lordship in your life. When you communicate this to God, He accepts you into His family and gives you His Holy Spirit, which causes profound changes in you. Now you are seeing and understanding the Kingdom of God as a reality of your life.

 Think of a time or moment in your life with this took place. Everything changes! However there are many who we see at our churches who appear to me members of the Kingdom who have not yet had this personal experience with God. They claim to be followers of the King, but live their lives according to their own desires. They do not have the desire to be obedient to the rule of the King.

 Jesus tells us what their future is.

 “Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter. Matthew 7:21

 How does our freewill affect our roles as disciples? 

And He summoned the crowd with His disciples, and said to them, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.  For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it.  For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul? ³⁷ For what will a man give in exchange for his soul?  For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.” Mark 8:34-38

 Jesus says that contrary to our democratic ideals of life, we must set aside our agenda and live out His.

He says that if we must “take up our cross” if we are to follow Him. The cross He is referring to is not the jewelry we often wear – a gold or silver cross, nor is it the fabric patch that the Crusades wore in the 11^th-14^th centuries in their conflicts with Muslim armies in the Middle East.

In Jesus’ First Century world, the cross was the instrument of capital punishment use by the Romans to execute their prisoners. If we brought this image into our current culture, we might say “Strap on your lethal injection gurney” and die – to your own desires and plans for life.

 Paul shared this commandment with his friends in Corinth:

 Flee immorality. Every other sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the immoral man sins against his own body. ¹⁹ Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? ²⁰ For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body. 1 Corinthians 6:18-20

 No longer are we our own! We are subject to the wishes and will of our King. He has absolute rule over us.

Who is the King of Heaven?

³³ Then Pilate went back into his headquarters and called for Jesus to be brought to him. “Are you the king of the Jews?” he asked him.
³⁴ Jesus replied, “Is this your own question, or did others tell you about me?”
³⁵ “Am I a Jew?” Pilate retorted. “Your own people and their leading priests brought you to me for trial. Why? What have you done?”
³⁶ Jesus answered, “My Kingdom is not an earthly kingdom. If it were, my followers would fight to keep me from being handed over to the Jewish leaders. But my Kingdom is not of this world.”
³⁷ Pilate said, “So you are a king?”
Jesus responded, “You say I am a king. Actually, I was born and came into the world to testify to the truth. All who love the truth recognize that what I say is true.” John 18:33-37

 

Jesus is the King. He is our Creator. He is the Lord of this Universe. He decided to make a way so that we could be part of His family and participate in His Kingdom.

 Absolute King.

Absolute Savior.

 

Paul wrote to his friends in Colosae.

For He (God) rescued us from the  domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of  His beloved Son, ¹⁴  in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. ¹⁵  He (Jesus) is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. ¹⁶ For  by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him. ¹⁷ He  is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. ¹⁸ He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything.  Colossians 1:13-18

True members of God’s Kingdom realize what Christ has done for us! We have become Family members, sharing his righteousness and in the eternal glory of Christ. There is nothing we have done to deserve this. It was God’s plan all along that we would be included in His plan for all Humanity.

Here is how Paul describes it to his friends in Ephesus.

 ³ All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ. ⁴ Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes.

 ⁵ God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. Ephesians 1:3-5

 With this in mind, Paul declares that we all now have a Divine purpose for our lives here on Earth.

God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. ¹⁰ For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. Ephesians 2:8-10

 The Kingdom of Heaven:

•  The Trinity – God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit create this universe with mankind on Earth;
• God’s plan to bring us into His family;
• His personal sacrifice to overcome the effects of sin in our lives;
• His invitation for us to participate with Him in His plans for Creation.
• His revelation to us of our part in this plan and how we are to participate with Him as our King.

 

What is life to be like for us in the Kingdom of Heaven?

 Jesus has a very intimate discussion with his disciples the night before His death on the Cross. During the meal and afterward walking down to the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus gives us a glimpse into the many pertinent dynamics of Kingdom Life.

 If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you. John 14:15-17

 Principle: Our level of obedience will determine the level of presence of the Holy Spirit on our lives. The more we do things the King’s way, the more we will sense the voice and nudging of the Holy Spirit.

He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him.” John 14:21

 Diaclose: emphanízō; manifest, known. To make apparent, cause to be seen, to show; in the pass., to appear, be seen openly

Principle: Our obedience to the King will result in Jesus becoming known  and to be seen by us..

 “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him. ²⁴ He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father’s who sent Me.
²⁵ “These things I have spoken to you while abiding with you. ²⁶ But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.

 ²⁷ Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful. John 14:23-27

 Abode: monḗ; to remain, dwell. A mansion, habitation, abode

 Principle: If we walk in obedience to the King, He will make his home inside us, and the Holy Spirit will teach us all we need to know and remind us what things Jesus actually said. As a result, we will have a sense of peace that is not known by anyone outside the Kingdom.

“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. ² Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away (or lifts up); and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit.

 You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me.

 ⁵ I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.

 ⁶ If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned.

 ⁷ If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. ⁸ My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so  prove to be My disciples.  John 15:1-8

Modern vineyards are organized with stakes wired together, and the vines are growing up and off the ground. Here is a vineyard in Sonoma California next door to a friend’s property.

Photos: Sonoma California Vineyard

Recently I was in Sonoma working with Motorsports Ministry at the Sonoma Raceway, and I walked through a vineyard that was next doors to our friends home. The vineyard was very organized.

 

 

Recently on our study tour to Israel, we stopped at a small farm that had a section of land where there was a “traditional” vineyard, where vines were raised off the ground using rocks.

While we were there I found myself placing rocks under the vines around my feet.

 

It was May, and the flowers had begun their transition into fruit.

I also noticed portions of vines that had been separated from the main vine and were dried out. We were told that the farmers used that wood for their fireplaces in their homes to keep warm at night. I knew the forecast for that particular night was for the temperature to be in the low 50’s Fahrenheit.

 

Here are some words that help us understand Jesus' message:

Verse 1: “He takes away”  aírō; (I) To take up, to lift up, to raise; Particularly, as stones from the ground

Verse 4:  “Abide in Me”  ménō;  To remain, abide, dwell, live. (A) Of place, i.e., of a person remaining or dwelling in a place; (B) Of a state or condition; (C) Of the relation in which one person or thing stands with another, chiefly in John's writings; thus to remain in or with someone, i.e., to be and remain united with him, one with him in heart, mind, and will.

 Verse 16: “whatever you ask of the Father in My name”  ónoma;  Name, title, character, reputation, person. Implying authority, e.g., to come or to do something in or by the name of someone, meaning using his name; as his messenger, envoy, representative; by his authority, with his sanction

 So much to glean from reading these verses standing in a First Century style vineyard and understanding the Greek words John uses!

 As these Judean farmers “lifted up the vines” using rocks, Jesus says He will lift us up from our sinful lives and place us in a better position to bear fruit. This is the transforming effect of the Gospel message- through our obedience, our prayers, and the regeneration power of the Holy Spirit, we are transformed. 

For those ‘vines’ that are bearing fruit, the Master prunes them, cutting off branches so that all the energy of the plant is given to new growth. I have found this to be true in my own life.

I uded to be a die hard Dallas Cowboys and Cincinnati Red fan. I grew up in Texas and Ohio, and watching their games was a top priority in my life. Then I found myself in Honduras, with no television and only a shortwave radio to connect to the outside world.

I lost interest in professional sports as I lived with refugees who were just trying to survive in life.  More significant areas of my pleasure-seeking lifestyle also began to be pruned, as well as my personal desires in many of my relationships, when I became a husband and then a father. Serving your lover-roommate with basic household services became more and more important. Then came Mikaela and soon after Lukas. Changing diapers; bathing them; feeding them; caring for their safety in a foreign land. My self-centered priorities got pruned, and I am a better man for it.

Abiding in Christ has a deeper meaning as I understand that I am not just identifying with Him, or simply believing in Him, but actually positioning myself to “be and remain united with him, one with him in heart, mind, and will.”

This is a challenging assignment in this cultural environment, where distractions are everywhere, and society pulls you in many directions away from Christ and back toward yourself. Our access to the worldly culture is often immediate and multidimensional. How many hours can we scroll through our social media feeds? Reading the news of what is going on in this world can take to you angry and frustrating places. I can spend hours in the day thinking of things and issues that often take me away from what God is saying to me.

 

 ⁹ Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love. ¹⁰ If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.  ¹¹ These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.

Principle: Obedience to the King leads to joy in our lives.

“This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends. You are My friends if you do what I command you.  No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you.

Principle: Obedience to the King leads to friendship with the King.

You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you.

¹⁷ This I command you, that you love one another.              John 15:12-17 

It has been our experience that when we are in God's field working on the tasks He has assigned us, then we can freely ask Him to supply all that we need to accomplish His mission. Over and over these past 40 years of ministry, we have seen Him provide airplanes, boats, ourboard motors, trucks, buildings, thousands of dollare for teacher salaries, property for a cafe on Utila, many espresso machines, and quality team mates, 

Principle: We have been pesonally chosen by Jesus to proceed on our journey with Him and be very productive in spreading the Good News of restored relationsip with God through works of service, hospitality, sharing Scripture, going to a remote corner of Central America and starting a school project, and even starting a coffee shop.

How do I stay united with Him in heart, mind, and will?

For me it begins with a daily dose of reading The Word- I usually start off with the Proverb chapter of the day. My friend Hal Jones shared this discipline with me years ago in his office in Honolulu- 31 chapters of Proverbs and 28, 30, or 31 days in each calendar month. It has proven two things to me in the 30 plus years that I have done this.

• God’s Word is deep, profound, and the source of so many of my personal and professional ethics and the basis of how I relate ( i.e. speak, listen, serve, confront, convince, and love) to others;
• How hardheaded I actually am to see God’s ways and compare them to my ways. There is a lot of work left to do.

Along with the Word, I must have daily sincere conversations with my Lord. As I drive to work I tell Him that this day is His day, and ask for His direction. When confronted by a problem, I ask for His wisdom and solution. I ask that I will be sensitive to the needs of others. I ask Him to touch family members and friends. I tell Him how much I need Him and laugh with Him when I say or do dumb things. And I thank Him for all that He has given me, especially that Japanese girl He set me up with.

Finally, I try to involve myself with His agenda and do things with Him.

 “Go talk with that guy.” “Give to that person.” “Do this task.” “Meditate on what I’m saying to you.” “Don’t take yourself so seriously.” “Abandon your expectations.” “Look at the situation from my point of view.”

These are some of the things that we do together, as we work through the day.

If I focus my day on His Word, Talking to Him, and Doing with Him, my day goes very well and I sleep comfortably at night. Through it all He bears more of His fruit in my life.

As I read Jesus' words on the dynamic of the Kingdom, four stand out:

Love- living others centered lives, extending kindness and forgiveness to others.

Obedience: It's God's Love Language, When we do the things He is asking us to do, especially when it cost us something, or we really don't want to do it, our obedience speaks volumes of what our relationship is with our King, just as obedience from our children tell us what our relationship with them actually is.

Abide: Being united with my King in heart, mind and will. Taking the time to understand what His will is for my thoughts and actions, and determining that I will stay united with Him.

Bearing Fruit: This is the result of incorporating Love, Obedience and Abiding into my daily life. I cannot bear any lasting fruit of I am doing things my way.  

'May His Kingdom come, May His Will be done.'