The Kingdom of God

What is the Kingdom of God?

The Kingdom of God is the place where God has absolute dominion.
Matthew 6:10 - Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Where is the Kingdom of God?

The Kingdom of God is within our hearts

John 14:23 - Jesus replied, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.

Luke 17:21 - Nor will people say, 'Here it is,' or 'There it is,' because the kingdom of God is within you.

1 Corinthians 3:16 - Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you?

The Kingdom of God is manifest on the earth

Isaiah 61:1 - The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners,

Romans 14:17 - For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit,

1 Corinthians 4:20 - For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power. (manifestation of God’s authority & dominion)

What does the Kingdom of God mean to us?

The Kingdom is advancing from Jerusalem to the ends of the earth

Matthew 11:12 - From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it.

The Kingdom of God is our Hope

Revelation 21:2 - I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.

How does one enter the Kingdom of God?

Righteous Living

Matthew 5:20 - For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.

1Corinthians 6:9 – 10 - Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders 10nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God

Understanding the will of God and doing it

Matthew 7:21- "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.

Implicit Trust in God and innocence in thought and deed

Matthew 18:3 - And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

Be open to new revelation and the move of God

Matthew 21:32 -Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him.

Be Born Again

John 3:3 - In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.

John 3:5 - Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit.

Colossians 3:1-4 - Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

Be transformed

1 Corinthians 15:50 - I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.

1 Peter 1:23 - For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.

Romans 12:2 - Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Endure the cross that you have to carry

Acts 14:22 - Strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith. "We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God," they said.(Paul & Barnabbas)

2 Thessalonians 1:4,5 - Therefore, among God's churches we boast about your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and trials you are enduring.All this is evidence that God's judgment is right, and as a result you will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering.

Love God

James 2:5 - Listen, my dear brothers: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him?

What are your Responsibilities as part of the Kingdom?

Value the Kingdom

Matthew 13:44 - "The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.

Bear the fruit of the Kingdom

Matthew 21:43 - "Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit.

The Fruit of the Kingdom

Romans 14:17 - For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit,

The Kingdom calls for separation

Matthew 13:47-50 - Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad away. This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Proclaim the Kingdom

Luke 9:60 - Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God."

Be Steadfast in your work for the Kingdom

Luke 9:62 - Jesus replied, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God."

Be Kingdom Carriers wherever we are positioned
Luke 17:21 - nor will people say, 'Here it is,' or 'There it is,' because the kingdom of God is within you.

What are the rewards of the Kingdom of God?

Various Levels in the Kingdom

Matthew 5:19 - Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

Provision by the Kingdom

Matthew 13:31, 32 - He told them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all your seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and perch in its branches."

Grace abounds from the Kingdom

Matthew 20 -The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard.

SHALOM!