And How Shall His Kingdom Come to You?
Matthew 6:10 “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.”
Psalm 103:20 “Bless the Lord, ye his angels, that excel in strength, that do His commandments, hearkening unto the voice of His word.”
(I know I have preached on this lots of times, but it is a subject which is so important;…….I am going to set forth this, again.)
Obedience is required in God’s servants. We are, as the angels, to hearken or listen to the “Voice of His Word”.
That means we are to hear what He is speaking to us through His Word, in scripture, and inwardly by His Holy Spirit.
“Hearken” is, to listen intently, with the thought to obey what is heard.
To have “hearing ears”.
This is not sinless perfection, as it is with the angels, but it is Obedience.
An obedience which continues.
Some are obedient, when they have to be. (No love there)
Some are obedient in spurts.
With diligence and joy they do a job……Next they are down in the dumps and their obedience is partial, if at all. (They love, but are too wrapped up in their emotions, for stability.)
Some have left their old life, and begun to have the fellowship with Christ that is necessary for real obedience,…..but they keep getting “sidetracked” with their own “good ideas” of God’s Will. (They love, but their reasons influence their wills.)
But there is freedom from our stubborn wills, emotions and reasons…
This is why His Kingdom must come within us.
Luke 17:20-21 “And when He was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, He answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:
Neither shall they say, Lo here! or lo there! For, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.”
These Pharisees (and they were the most religious and most right of the sects which were in Christ’s time) demanded of Christ:
“Show us some manifestation of the kingdom, something we can observe.”
His answer? “The kingdom of God is not going to come with fanfare and parades. People will not shout and say, Come and see!
No, the real kingdom of God is within your midst right now, in the person of Me, the King, the Son of God.
And as King, I will set up My kingdom first, in the hearts of My people, then I will set it up on earth; and will rule and reign from Jerusalem.”
The place and power of His Manifest Presence, is within those who will be subjects of His kingdom. Who will to let Him rule in their lives.
Ephesians 3:20 “Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,”
Here is an unlimited measure. No one has ever reached the fullness of that “exceeding abundantly”.
No,……we often have little,…..and blame God for our lack.
But His power for our lives, is given to us with the condition of: “According to the power that works within us.”
In other words, how ever much of the power of God we let work on us, to bring us to where we should be;……that much power He is going to give us, to work through us,….to witness,…..to rise above our circumstances,….to be joyful.
Our prayers will be answered, our lives will be really useful.
God will never empower me to see my will done; but He will empower me to see His Will done.
And that “empowerment” is personal.
Remember The Lord Jesus’ kingdom is set up in our hearts and lives, personally, here and now;….as well as in the Millennial Reign.
Because there has been some confusion about the kingdoms of God, I will explain:
1. The Father’s Kingdom is His absolute dominion over all things, creatures, worlds, the universe, the heaven of heavens.
1 Chronicles 29:11 “Thine, O Lord, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in heaven and in the earth is thine; Thine is the kingdom, O Lord, and Thou art exalted as head above all.”
He rules. Whether we understand His way or not, He will see His will done; for all power exists in Him, and none have power, except He allows it.
2. There is the Kingdom of His grace on earth. This is where He is acknowledged as God, and Jesus Christ as His Son. The true Church is the bounds of this Kingdom.
Matthew 13:11 “He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.”
3. There is the Personal Kingdom of Christ, which is entered into when we are born again,…again, which is personal.
John 3:5 “Jesus answered, Verily, Verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.”
When we are born again, we enter His kingdom, and begin to receive grace as His subjects.
But our power is feeble at first, because we are often at odds with our King, in this thing or that….but…
When we have fully yielded ourselves up to His reign within us; we begin to experience that “exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think”.
And it continues, as we continue on with Him.
It is always His power;….but it is at work within us, and through us.
Preaching, Teaching, and Notes 