God’s Kingdom

Reading Time: 14 Minutes

God’s Kingdom, also called the Kingdom of Heaven, operates differently from this world. Our King’s strategy for life is filled with His love, grace and truth!

Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be. Matthew 6:19-21 NLT

The Holy Spirit teaches us the ways of the Kingdom and empowers us to bring God’s Kingdom to earth. The kingdom of this world will pass away, but the Kingdom we’ve signed up for will last forever!

This, then, is how you should pray: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” Matthew 6:9-10 NIV

Jesus Taught About God’s Kingdom

From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” Matthew 4:17 NIV

Jesus spoke about God’s Kingdom many times with a strong message of repentance of sin. Repentance is realizing you need to change. It is going to God for forgiveness and help. Only a humble repentant heart is able to receive the message of the Kingdom of God.

Jesus showed people what His Father’s Kingdom looked like through the way He loved. He knew that after His death and resurrection, God’s Kingdom would come to those who believed in Him!

Born Again

Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” John 3:3 NKJV

A person enters the world as a baby. But to enter God’s Kingdom a person must be spiritually born again. When we say yes to Jesus we become a brand new person. The Holy Spirit spiritually connects us with God in the heavenly realms so we can live in the Kingdom of God now!

Enter as a Child

But Jesus called for the children, saying, “Let the little children come to me and do not try to stop them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will never enter it.” Luke 18:16-17 NET

Like little children we are completely dependent upon our loving Father for everything and want to become like Him.

Some have never experienced a loving earthly father. But with the faith of a little child we can all know our Heavenly Father’s love. Come to God humbly like a child and believe that He loves you and will take good care of you.

Leaving the Old For the New

But Jesus told him, “Anyone who puts a hand to the plow and then looks back is not fit for the Kingdom of God.” Luke 9:62 NLT

There are two spiritual kingdoms, God’s Kingdom and the devil’s kingdom. We cannot serve two kings so we have to choose one or the other.

As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.  Ephesians 2:1-2 NIV

We have passed from death to life, from darkness to light, from sin to righteousness and from fear to God’s perfect love. Why would we want to follow the ruler of the kingdom of the air when we have such a wonderful King!? God knows that we will have to battle against the ruler of the kingdom of the air until the day we go to Heaven. But every sacrifice to stay close to God will be worth it!

Don’t Play With the Snake

And if your eye is causing you to sin, throw it away; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, than, having two eyes, to be thrown into hell, where their worm does not die, and the fire is not extinguished. Mark 9:47-48 NASB

Jesus is not telling us to poke out our eyes! He’s telling us that sometimes we have to cut off the source of our temptation, even if it feels painful to do it. Is there something or someone you are still bound to that God has told you to remove from your life? Whatever it takes, the Spirit is our patient counselor and deliverer. Only He can lead us to victory against the kingdom of darkness.

God’s Kingdom is in Us

Some Pharisees asked Jesus when the Kingdom of God would come. His answer was, “The Kingdom of God does not come in such a way as to be seen.  No one will say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or, ‘There it is!’; because the Kingdom of God is within you.” Luke 17:20-21 GNT

God’s Kingdom is in you because His Holy Spirit is in you! The Kingdom of God is not a physical location on earth. It is a spiritual Kingdom that releases God’s authority and power to accomplish His will on earth through those who believe.

No matter what our occupation, situation, strength or weakness is, we are one in Christ through the Spirit, and extremely valuable in God’s Kingdom here on earth! In Christ we have everything we need to grow spiritually and obey our King.

A Wedding Feast in the Kingdom?

Jesus also told them other parables. He said, “The Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the story of a king who prepared a great wedding feast for his son.” Matthew 22:1-2 NLT

The rest of this story tells that many were invited to the Kingdom but few accepted the invitation. This story is about Father God who is preparing a wedding banquet for Jesus and His Bride. We are so overwhelmed with love for our King so we stay dressed and ready by loving others through His Spirit!

The Bride of Christ

There will be no marriages in heaven like there are on earth, so the Bride of Christ is a spiritual term. In the Old Testament, God called Himself the Husband of the nation of Israel. Now those who believe in Jesus Christ, the Jewish Messiah, are together referred to as His Bride or the Body of Christ.

Is He King of Our Lives?

Not everyone who calls me ‘Lord, Lord’ will enter the Kingdom of heaven, but only those who do what my Father in heaven wants them to do. Matthew 7:21 GNT

Some who receive the message of Jesus later allow other things to take the place of their relationship with God. They may call themselves Christians, but doing Christian things or saying you are a Christian does not mean that a person is following Jesus. Only God knows the true heart of a person and we shouldn’t judge others. But we must take a look at our own hearts to be sure that our faith is really alive.

By the Spirit we live in God’s Throne room and can commune with Him anytime. He is the One who gives life and He has wonderful plans for us! It is such an honor to carry out our Father’s duties in His Kingdom! But we must know our King if we’re going to follow and obey Him.

Delegated Authority in God’s Kingdom

As you go, preach this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven is near!’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. Freely you received, freely give. Matthew 10:7-8 NET

Jesus gave His disciples power and authority over all the power of the enemy. Jesus freely healed and delivered His disciples from physical and spiritual death. He didn’t hold back. But it was their responsibility to fill their hearts up with Jesus’ words and obey Him so that He remained Lord and authority of their lives. His Kingdom has not changed.

God’s miraculous power is still flowing through His followers today so let’s join in and believe God for more! He is healing the sick, setting people free from addiction, fear and shame. God is working through the prayers of His people as they do warfare from the realm of the Spirit. He is giving courage to His children who have influence in government, education and business. God’s Kingdom is making great impact through media, arts and even entertainment. Families and churches are being strengthened because they realize that we have been empowered to bring God’s Kingdom to earth.

I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Matthew 16:19 NIV

Authority Displayed Through Courage & Humility

Jesus warned the disciples not to boast when God’s power was being displayed through them. Serving in humility as Jesus did is the way of the Kingdom and that requires great courage!

Jesus loved the rich and poor alike. He was willing to associate with anyone who was sincerely searching for God. Jesus became famous because God’s power was displayed in Him, but fame was not His motive. His goal was to love people into His Father’s Kingdom! Jesus’ fame ultimately led to His persecution and death on the cross.

For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power. 1 Corinthians 4:20 NIV

The Kingdom of God is wherever you are! Ask God how He wants to use you to bring His Kingdom to earth. Humble yourself and decide that whatever God asks you to do, He will give you the courage to do it and will back you up with His authority and power. There is no guarantee that you won’t be persecuted for it, but if your motivation is God’s love for others, you will be storing up treasures in Heaven. The power of God working through us may or may not lead to fame and persecution. Regardless, we humbly risk our lives and reputation to obey the King of love. And one day, just as Jesus rose up from the dead, we will too! Everything will be made right and we will live with our King forever!

The King of Righteousness

Do not worry then, saying, ‘What are we to eat?’ or ‘What are we to drink?’ or ‘What are we to wear for clothing?’  For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided to you. Matthew 6:31-33 NASB

When the prodigal son finally came back home he was completely humble. He was submissive and so thankful to be invited to his father’s table. The prodigal didn’t want anything but to become like his father. He wanted to enjoy working for him and to sincerely love the family. All the blessings that came later would simply be a by-product of becoming a grateful, loving child.

What table do we drink from? Drinking from the cup of this world produces unrighteousness and spiritual death. But drinking from God’s Table produces righteousness and life.

If we drink of the Spirit’s grace we will pour out grace on others. As a result, the doors of Heaven’s grace will open up to us and God’s blessings will flow. God’s Kingdom is not about table rules like what foods are going to harm your body, etc. It’s about having a heart that is given over to God.

For God’s Kingdom is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of the righteousness, peace, and joy which the Holy Spirit gives. Romans 14:17 GNT

We experience the blessings of the Kingdom when we pay attention to God’s Spirit and grow in His righteousness. Oh, and yes, our righteous and loving Father knows we need earthly things like food, clothing and shelter as well. He will provide!

God’s Kingdom Cannot be Shaken

Then his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “I will once more shake not only the earth but heaven too.” Now this phrase “once more” indicates the removal of what is shaken, that is, of created things, so that what is unshaken may remain. So since we are receiving an unshakable kingdom, let us give thanks, and through this let us offer worship pleasing to God in devotion and awe. For our God is indeed a devouring fire. Hebrews 12:26-29 NET

The King is a righteous judge. He is holy and will not ever tolerate rebellion in Heaven. So, because God loved us and wanted us to live with Him, He sent His Son to take the punishment for our sin. Jesus was crucified but after three days came back to life! Anyone who believes in Him can be forgiven and live in God’s Kingdom!

Choose to be Shaken Now

On judgment day everything will be violently shaken. Those who live in the Kingdom that cannot be shaken will remain safe. Those who chose to go their own way will live in hell forever. God doesn’t want anyone to go to hell but He will not force anyone to follow Him either. If He did, salvation wouldn’t be a gift. Salvation is received through humility and repentance, admitting that we have sinned and need Jesus to rescue us from the kingdom of darkness!

 For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son, who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins. Colossians 1:13-14 NLT

Let’s let God shake us gently now and remove all allegiance to the ways of this world. He doesn’t demand perfection but He does require submission and staying in the fight against darkness. If we bring our pride to Him He will forgive, heal and strengthen us in His love. There is no reason to fear when we live in God’s unshakable Kingdom!

God’s Kingdom Multiplies

Then Jesus asked, “What is the kingdom of God like? What shall I compare it to? It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his garden. It grew and became a tree, and the birds perched in its branches.” Luke 13:18-19 NIV

Every living thing in God’s creation multiplies! A mustard seed may be small, but if nurtured it will grow and become a healthy tree that provides shade for birds to rest and sing beautiful songs. That tree will produce seeds to process mustard for food. But it will also produce enough seeds to plant an orchard!

God’s Kingdom multiplies because He is the Gardner! God’s Word is planted in the soil of our hearts and it must be nurtured to grow. We become productive in God’s Kingdom as we allow the Gardner, the Holy Spirit, to do His work in and through us. The seeds produced from our tree (our lives) are enough to nourish others spiritually and to plant an orchard in the Kingdom of God.

Our words become like cool shade to a person who thought they had to work hard to earn God’s love and grace! When we grow up and become productive in God’s Kingdom, our “tree” is filled with songs of praise to God. The King, our Gardner, deserves all the glory! He plants the seeds and only He can make them grow!

And the Good News about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, so that all nations will hear it; and then the end will come. Matthew 24:14 NLT

God’s Kingdom is Unified

But He, well aware of their thoughts and purpose, said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is doomed to destruction; and a house divided against itself falls.” Luke 11:17 AMP

Churches may split and church people may fight, but those who choose to live in God’s Kingdom will not be divided. The devil is out to steal, kill and destroy our unity causing many to fall. So, when we’re faced with offense, let’s look past the person and the situation and see who is creating the problem– the kingdom of darkness. Shut down any desire in your heart to attack your brothers and sisters in Christ. Sincerely pray for them in love. Let the Holy Spirit show you if there is anything that needs to be done on your part to restore unity to the Body of Christ.

Sometimes disunity is the result of “sin in the camp” and that has to be dealt with in a very delicate way with God’s guidance. But most of the time “our feelings are hurt” because of our own insecurities– not realizing who we are in Christ. When our Prince of Peace reveals His acceptance and approval of us it won’t matter what anyone else thinks! The motivation for our response to every problem should be God’s love. But if we didn’t respond in love, God offers forgiveness and restoration in His Kingdom so that we can remain unified!

The King is Coming Back!

Jesus is coming back to earth in all His Glory! Every eye will see Him and every knee will bow in Heaven and on earth! Satan’s power will be crushed but everyone in God’s Kingdom will be safe and blessed for eternity! Nobody but the Father knows the day this will happen. But God wants us to live as if Jesus is coming very soon! Adore the King and love others with His love. Share the Good News of the Kingdom and look forward to His return! Our King will reign forever and ever!

Look! He comes with the clouds of heaven. And everyone will see him— even those who pierced him. And all the nations of the world will mourn for him. Yes! Amen! “I am the Alpha and the Omega—the beginning and the end,” says the Lord God. “I am the one who is, who always was, and who is still to come—the Almighty One.” Revelation 1:7-8 NLT