Message begins at 54:44
The Priority of the Kingdom Mandate 3
The Priority of the Kingdom Mandate 2
The Image
Kingdom Faith
I am in the middle of reading Myles Munroe’s book “Rediscovering Faith“. It is an awesome read!
God started speaking to my heart not in the middle of the book, not on chapter 2, not on the first chapter nor the introduction… but during the preface of this book. One line stuck out to me and it was “Much of what we call faith today is simply convenient expectation!”
Let that sink in for a second…
One of the important things in prayer is having faith… but in what?
It’s important to have active belief by expecting what we prayed for… but on what basis did we ask? Here is where the fine line is of “kingdom faith” and “convenient expectation”.
Convenient Expectation
So you find yourself sick… well, who wants to be sick? It’s easy to pray to be healed and say “I believe I’m going to be healed, I’m expecting it because I prayed.”
It’s convenient to expect healing because the alternative is less desiring.
In a similar situation, it’s convenient to expect for money to come in when you are broke… right?
See convenient expectations are easy to believe for because it’s the best outcome to a circumstance. No one wants to say “I believe I’m going to stay sick” or “I believe I’m going to be broke every time a bill is due”. Convenient expectation believes based on what the person is willing to accept.
But again, on what basis? This is the key…
Kingdom Faith
Convenient expectation is expecting to be healed because it’s better than the alternative; Kingdom faith is expecting to be healed because…
Exodus 15:26(b)
“…for I am the LORD that healeth thee.”
KJV
I’m healed because…
Luke 11:2(b)
“…Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.”
KJV
I’m healed because…
Psalm 103:3
“Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases;”
KJV
I’m healed because…
Psalm 147:3
“He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.”
KJV
Convenient expectation is expecting for money to come in because it’s better than the alternative; Kingdom faith is expecting money to come in because…
Deuteronomy 28:13
“And the LORD shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if that thou hearken unto the commandments of the LORD thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do them:”
KJV
My need will be supplied because…
Psalm 37:25(b)
“…yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.”
KJV
Money will come in if I’ve managed what He’s given because…
Matthew 25:23(b)
“…thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things…”
KJV
I cannot be out of resources because my Source says…
Philippians 4:19
“But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”
KJV
The government of Heaven has my back because…
2 Corinthians 5:20(a)
“…Now then we are ambassadors for Christ…”
KJV
PRAISE GOD FOR HIS GLORIOUS KINGDOM WHICH MOTH AND RUST CANNOT CORRUPT BECAUSE IT’S NOT OF THIS WORLD! HIS KINGDOM IS FOREVER AND FOREVER AND IT’S NOW AND FOR THOSE WHO BELIEVE ON HIS NAME!
Whooo! Do you see the fine line?
Convenient expectation is better than the alternative… but Kingdom Faith stands on the Word of God and is the basis for the expectation because His word is the evidence for the unseen. Expect healing, expect financial breakthroughs- but with the evidence of God’s Word and not just because of convenience.
-For the Kingdom
A Need For Understanding
Psalm 119:34
Give me understanding, and I shall keep thy law; yea, I shall observe it with my whole heart.
KJV
In order for us to keep God’s commandments, we must have understanding. If we do not have understanding we cannot keep God’s laws. David stated here that if he had understanding he would keep the law and would observe it with his whole heart.
The problem is people do not observe God’s laws with their whole heart because many have already said in their heart that they cannot keep His commandments. This mentality is compounded by teachers, preachers, and pastors who instruct them grace was given to cover all their sins… and so they continue sinning willfully because they believe they’re not accountable anymore to uphold the law because of grace. God forbid.
Some believe it’s because the Spirit of God can now dwell inside of us that we’re able to keep God’s laws- but look at this.
John 8: 2-11
2. And early in the morning he came again into the temple, and all the people came unto him; and he sat down, and taught them.
3. And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst,
4. They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act.
5. Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou?
6. This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not.
7. So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.
8. And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground.
9. And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.
10. When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee?
11. She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.
KJV
Jesus tells the woman to go and sin no more. Keep in mind the fulness of the Spirit of God dwelled in Jesus after He was baptized and no other miracles and wonders do you hear about. The Spirit of God did not dwell in man at this point… yet Jesus tells the woman to go and sin no more… evidently it was possible.
Do we mess up sometimes? Do we fall? Yes sometimes we do, but that is what repentance is for. Now hear me when I say this- write it down, tweet it, do whatever you want to do to document this… KINGDOM CITIZENS DO NOT SIN EVERY SINGLE DAY! I am so disgusted with teachers of the word saying this. When I hear a confessed believer saying this it reflects to me on their teacher… that is if they are consistent in assembling themselves together each week. Anyone who teaches this IS NOT teaching according to the word of God. I am not perfect by no means- but I’m going to do my very best to obey God’s laws.
Think about this. As of this writing I have been married for over 9 years going on 10. I love my wife so much! Now because I am married their are certain things that I cannot violate or it will impair, cripple, hurt, or destroy my marriage. Here are some examples of things that would violate the bond of our marriage.
- Talking to other women flirtatiously
- Going on a date with another woman
- Sleeping with another woman
- Talking on the phone with another woman for hours as if I was single
- Lusting after another woman
- Trying to get another woman’s phone number
- Spending income as if I was single again without communication with my wife
This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to things that are unacceptable behaviors once you are married. Now if I had a document with this on it and I had to carry it around constantly reminding myself throughout the day…
“Ok ok, let me make sure I don’t commit adultery today, I’ve got to make sure I don’t stare at any women today, I don’t want to ask another woman for her phone number today because after all I am married and this would make her mad.”
Even if I kept up with these laws of marriage throughout the day, my wife would not be very happy. Why? Because if I love her I shouldn’t have to remind myself day in and day out to stop myself from committing adultery. Imagine me coming home and saying everyday “I’m sorry I messed up today, but this sister was fine!
Yet, we do this very thing with God…
See God doesn’t want us having to constantly follow a set of laws routinely like this… It doesn’t mean anything, because we’re following the letter of the law. We’re going through a routine- there is nothing real behind it, there isn’t any passion behind what we’re doing. Remember without understanding you’re just following a list of “To-Dos”. Without purpose you have nothing to motivate the action- and you cannot keep anything without motivation.
My motivation to please my wife and keep our bond sacred is I love her with all of my heart and I will abolish anything in my life that would distance me from her. I don’t have to keep a list of “What to do and not to-dos” in order to do the right thing because my motivation is our relationship and the love I have for her.
God is the same way.
John 14:15
If ye love me, keep my commandments.
KJV
We build on our relationship with God through time in prayer, reading and studying His word, praise and worship… Being obedient to His laws and commandments becomes natural because we don’t want to do anything to distance our self from Him. Now read this…
Hebrews 10:16
This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them;
KJV
The pharisees problem was that they followed a list of 613 laws (the letter of the law) without having a true passion to please Him and to draw close to Him. (the spirit of the law)
I don’t have to remind myself not to hook up with someone else because I’m married- it’s automatic because I love my wife and I can’t let anything divide us.
I don’t have to remind myself not to steal something because God told me not to- it’s automatic kingdom culture because I love the Lord and I can’t let anything distance me from Him.
-For the Kingdom
Lord
Would you go to a lawyer for legal advice who didn’t understand the difference between interpreting the “spirit of the law” and the “letter of the law”?
Would you let someone cut your hair whose experience is primarily their 4 year old child’s?
What about having a health diagnosis made by a Doctor… of Veterinary Medicine?
Of course these are all ridiculous questions- the answers are fairly obvious. The point of these questions is not to say one needs a specific education from a particular university to be chosen, but that we want those associated with a certain field of study… to have studied! We want someone who has a passion for what they believe in, a passion for their purpose.
Most would agree with the above statements… but when it comes to being citizens of the kingdom of God, the country we associate our self with, whose King we say we follow… many times it doesn’t seem we understand God’s laws nor his word. I say this because of those who, I dare say, say Jesus is their Lord but they don’t do what He says.
Remember Lord comes from the word Adon- where we get Adonai which means Owner. So if He owns you, why do we still disobey His commandments. I’m afraid in today’s theology of many peoples we have made grace a religion. I have heard it said of those “I’m no longer under the law, I am under grace.” And this is a scripture that is wonderful to us… but unfortunately it has been misinterpreted by many and is used as a weapon against God’s laws in order to break God’s commandments. Many have set in their minds that they cannot obey God’s laws and so they live as if grace covers any sins they continue to commit and live in… because after all, their not under the law any more. Paul said “God Forbid” that we may break God’s laws just because we’ve been grace. We’ve been given grace so we can be once again in the kingdom of God, be in right positioning with the kingdom, right standing with the King because of the blood of Jesus.
Will a judge pardon someone for theft so that he can now break into as many banks as he wants to without fear of consequence? No. If he was pardoned it meant he was released from the judgment that was due for his crimes, so that he can be a part of society again. He was deserving of punishment according to the law but he was pardoned by grace given from the judge. This is what Jesus did for us.
Ask yourself this… if grace is given to cover every sin you could ever commit going forward… then what is the purpose of repentance anymore? If you are on your way to heaven no matter what you do, because of grace, what is the need for repentance?
God gave us grace, ability, to keep His laws again- Not sacrificial law, because that was the works that Paul was speaking of that cannot save, but ability to keep God’s laws- which never change.
Kingdom Obedience
Where is the discipline of His disciples? We have interpreted grace as a weapon that destroys having to be obedient to law- when actually grace came to destroy the condemnation of the law we were under and the sacrificial law of the past. Every where you look there are people who claim to belong to God but “they don’t do what He says.” Did God give us grace so that we could violate His commandments all of our lives? God forbid. It is time for His citizens to return to obedience.
Myles Munroe is currently this year teaching on “Kingdom Law for Kingdom Living” and I was deeply inspired by just the few short messages that I heard on the subject. God begin to reveal things to me in my own life that I needed to put under subjection to the King of glory. God began to open up revelation to me on the subject and show me His desire for us to walk in His ways. The result is blessings, benefits, and an abundance from Heaven being poured out because of the natural laws that are built into being obedient to His commandments… and it will overtake you.
Not Kingdom
A pastor of a mega church has come out and said “Being gay is not a choice.” He claims his wife has known about this secret for a long time and he is now breaking it to his kids and church.
http://freakoutnation.com/2010/10/30/megachurch-pastor-comes-out-being-gay-is-not-a-choice/
You can go to the above link to see the pastors personal views on this.
Me personally? I have no opinion on the matter because my opinion doesn’t matter. I represent the kingdom of God and if I will to remain in His kingdom, I will only reflect His values and His laws. To go against His word is to go against the word of the King. So let’s see what the king has to say about this…
Leviticus 18:22
Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination.
KJV
Leviticus 20:13
If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.
KJV
Romans 1
26. For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:
27. And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.
KJV
Jude 1:7
7. Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.
KJV
I must be obedient to God’s word and to His commandments. The kingdom of Heaven is a country with a government. Jesus is the King of that government, and the decree of a king is law. So I must adhere to His laws. See in religion you can vote and allow someone to be ordained a gay bishop… but not in the kingdom of God. You can commit adultery and be in a religion, but not in the kingdom of God. Citizens of the kingdom of God must hold to God’s word and not the compromise of man. I know this is becoming unpopular today but we’re going to have to make a choice of whom we serve. There isn’t any “wishy-washiness” in the kingdom of God.
Unfortunately there are many denominations covered under the umbrella term of “Christianity”, but there is only one “Kingdom of God”.
Let me make one more thing clear- it is horrid to label degrees of sin. There isn’t any degree- the bible says if you commit one of these you have committed them all. So if you tell… what we like to call a “white lie”, you have disobeyed God’s word. If you commit a homosexual act, you have disobeyed God’s word. If you take something that is not yours, you have disobeyed God’s word. Disobeying God’s word is an act of unrighteousness, which means to be unaligned with the kingdom, to not be in right standing, to not be in right positioning. You cut off interaction between you and the home government, Heaven. You distance yourself from the King and ultimately sever your relationship with the King and the influence of the kingdom of God in your life… no matter what commandment or law you break.
If you continue to only listen to your pastor’s point of view on any subject in the bible you will only reflect your pastor’s point of view. We must all read, study and meditate on God’s word until we understand His precepts and then can reflect the culture of the kingdom of Heaven in our own lives because… after all… culture is natural. You must know God’s word for yourself and have a relationship with God yourself. No one is a citizen of the kingdom of Heaven by association- only by divine emancipation- by acknowledging Jesus as your Lord, Adon, Adonai, your Owner. And if He is our Lord, our Owner… then we’ll do what the King says.
Let us pray for this pastor, his congregation and our nation.
-For the Kingdom