Bible Teaching

Calvary Temple Teaching Library

Thy Kingdom Come Pt.2

Amen. The Lord is coming back soon. Amen? Every man that has that hope in him will purify himself even as He is pure. So we're just continuing to look up and continuing to allow ourselves to be washed with the water of the Word in preparation for the bridegroom's declaration, praise God, the shout that's going to take place at any moment--Think about it.--Then we're going to be changed. What a great day! Amen? We're going to be changed, praise God! Everything about us that's unpleasing to God is going to pass away. Isn't that going to be a great day? Changed in a moment, in a twinkling of an eye, at the last trump. We're going to be caught up and join the Lord in the air, the Scripture says, and so shall we ever be with the Lord. 1 John says when we see Him, we're going to be like Him. That's our heart's desire: just to be like Him. All that we've been doing in preparation, all of this pursuit and the warfare with principalities and powers and with the sin that's in our members--it's going to be a thing of the past. We're going to be like Him, praise God! "...and so shall we ever be with the Lord" (1 Thessalonians 4:17). Every tear is going to be wiped away. All of the sorrow, the fears, are going to be gone. "...and so shall we ever be with the Lord."

What in this world is worth losing that over? Yet every day we make conscious decisions whether we're going to continue in the kingdom of God or not, or allow ourselves to be overcome with the kingdom of darkness (all that's seducing and enticing us on a daily basis). So we need to pray then, "Lord, Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in me, on earth, as it is in heaven. Lord, lead me not into temptation, but deliver me from the evil one."

We've been talking about the fact that we're at war. Satan goes about as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. He has special demonic hosts assigned just to you, to bring you down. Are you aware of them? How many of you are aware of their presence periodically? No, it's not your wife. It's not your husband. It's not your boss. But there are demonic powers that accompany you every day of your life, warring for your soul. Special assignment: bring him down.

There's not a day that you awake that you're not at war. We were talking about the need to be aware of that so that we would consciously, as Ephesians says, prepare ourselves and put on the whole armor of God. For we're not wrestling against flesh and blood, but against principalities and against powers--these powers of wickedness that are in the heavenlies. They have domains. They're over nations. They're sent specifically to buffet you. A messenger of Satan, Paul said, "sent to buffet me because of the abundance of revelations that I had received."

It's personal. The enemy is out to destroy you, personally. The world is not just some impersonal force of evil. It is a specific kingdom with specific purposes: to defy the holiness of God, the majesty of God. It's at war with everything that is light, that is righteous, and for us to go into any day just thinking that some how we're going to just stumble through this day and come out the other side unaffected, is to be spiritually naive.

So we've been talking about praying effectively, and we're transitioning, as we said last session, into an understanding of our position in the kingdom of God. We saw that one of the things, then, that we were to pray for constantly, after having acknowledged the greatness of God in the model prayer that the Lord has given us--recognizing the fatherhood of God, recognizing the sovereignty of God--"...Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name" (Matthew 6:9).

When we talk about the holiness of God ("Hallowed be thy name"), we're not just talking about a moral goodness. Understand what that word "holy" means. It means absolutely separate, absolutely distinct from all other beings that exist--for everything that does exist was created by Him and for Him (Colossians 1:16). Amen? And without Him, the Scripture says, nothing exists. And by Him, Colossians says, all things are held together. When we pray and we come to Father, we're recognizing His fatherhood, but we're also recognizing His majesty, His sovereignty, His omnipotence, for He is a holy God (separate); and none are like Him. When you pray, are you praying with that understanding? So, therefore, when we're praying, "Thy will be done," we're recognizing that His sovereign will, will be done. Nothing is going to thwart it, and so we go on and say, "Thy will be done--in me--in earth (in this earthen vessel)."

You've got to understand the context of what Jesus is saying in that model prayer. Remember, in our last session, we talked about the two different aspects of the kingdom of God. We talked about the soteriological kingdom and the eschatological kingdom. The soteriological kingdom, as we look at systematic theology, we know the study of soteriological is the study of salvation--the kingdom that is the saved, that's made up of believers (you and I, the church, if you please). So we're not praying, "Thy will be done" just within that kingdom and that sphere exclusively. We're also praying the eschatological, "Thy kingdom come--come and rule the nations with a rod of iron." As the book of Revelations says, "The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ, and he shall reign for ever." Praise God! That's what's ultimately going to happen. It is sovereignly going to happen. Nothing will keep that kingdom from manifesting (the eschatological).

The soteriological kingdom, though, is personal. It's going to function based upon your faith. It's going to manifest based upon the diligence and the pursuit. For "the kingdom of heaven [soteriological] suffereth violence, and the violent [Do what?] take it by force" (Matthew 11:12). It's not just going to happen. It's not going to happen sovereignly like this kingdom over here. It's what you pursue. It's what you're hungering for. How bad do you want the will of God in your life? How hungry are you for the presence of God in your life? How jealous are you for God to be glorified in your life on a daily basis--on the job, in the highways and byways, where people can see that we're distinct from the world and that we're moving in a trust, a rest, in the presence and the power of our God? "Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in me, now (today), as it is in heaven."

So we're praying, then, that we can be used effectively for the glory of God, that this kingdom could be manifested in our lives. As we're walking out our obedience to His lordship, men are seeing our good works, the Scripture says, and glorifying our Father which is in heaven (Matthew 5:16). That's what we're looking for. Are you taken up every day with, "How much glory can I bring to the kingdom?" Is this decision that I'm making for the glory of God? Is it something that will enhance the kingdom of God? "Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth..."

We know that there's a kingdom now that's functioning that is not the eschatological kingdom specified by the prophecies of Daniel and the understanding of the prophetic word in Revelation. But we saw that the kingdom wasn't just future--that it is something that's in place right now. We have to then ask, When did that kingdom come? When was the kingdom introduced, and what really is the kingdom of God?

I can remember the first paper I ever did in Bible college. We were to compare the kingdom of God and the kingdom of heaven, these two different phrases. The question that was asked was, "Are they the same thing, and if not, how are they distinct?" As you begin to study the kingdom of God, you have to first of all ask the question, "What is the kingdom of God?" Simplistically, over the years, many people have said, "Well, the kingdom of God is really salvation." That's part of the kingdom of God, but it's not all that there is to the kingdom of God. Some people say that the kingdom of God really is the church, the ecclesiastical entity called the living stones, the church, the bride of Christ. That's inclusive in the kingdom of God, but it's not exclusively the kingdom of God.

What is the kingdom of God, really? The kingdom of God, just like any other kingdom, is comprised of the area possessed by the king, that's overseen by the king. The kingdom is all of His subjects, all that He rules over. So God, being omnipotent and supreme, is king of all things. But He makes a distinction in how He relates to His natural creation and His spiritual kingdom, which is what we're talking about--not the natural kingdoms. Those kingdoms shall become the kingdoms of our God and of His Christ (Revelation 11:15). He rules over them, but He has allowed them to begin to operate distinct from recognizing His lordship.

We call it, then, the kingdoms of this world or the kingdom of darkness. 2 Corinthians says it has it's own ruler, the god of this world (2 Corinthians, chapter 4). So there's a parallel kingdom, the spiritual kingdom or the kingdom of God, that's running parallel with the kingdoms of this world. So when we talk about the kingdom of God, think of what we're talking about: all that God rules over, those that recognize Him as King (those that are submitting their lives and recognizing His lordship). So that kingdom, then, was introduced in the person of Jesus. And when Jesus was first born of the virgin and was then the incarnate manifestation (the Word having become flesh and dwelt among us), the kingdom was established in the life of Jesus, and then to those that He confers it to. So the kingdom of God, then, is the invasion of the holiness of God and the purpose of God into the world's system that was being ruled by Satan since the fall of man in the garden. The kingdom was the invasion of God through the person of the Lord Jesus Christ, the incarnate Son of God; the one that came to say, "I did not come to speak My words but the words of He that sent Me." The expression of the will and the purpose of God is what the kingdom is all about.

So, as we were looking in our last session, we saw, then, that the Lord spoke in Matthew 16, verse 28, and He said, "Some of you here will not die until you've seen the Son of Man manifesting Himself in power and in the kingdom." Turn over there, Matthew 16, verse 28. We begin to see, then, what the Word of God says the kingdom of God is. He's talking about what it means to really follow Him, to be a Christian.

You know, there are so many people today that think they're part of the kingdom because they go to church or because they intellectually acknowledge Jesus. Tragically, through this incident that we've just seen here with the attack on our particular nation, it's interesting some of the things that it's exposed concerning the kingdom of God (the kingdom of light) and the kingdom of darkness. We've seen how many professed Christians are embracing Islam--that it's not really that bad or that distinct. Billy Graham himself having been quoted and recognizing that Islam really is closer to Christianity than most people think, and they think well of Jesus. "Mohammed thought well of Jesus," (quote, Billy Graham). Interesting, isn't it?

How distinct is this kingdom that we're talking about? How unique are we as it pertains to the kingdoms of the world? And when we talk about the kingdoms of the world, that's inclusive of all the different religions that are false religions--it's part of the kingdom; it's part of the world's system. How about the quote from Robert Schuller in his Crystal Cathedral as he had the head of Islam come and speak, and he said, "If I was to come back in a hundred years and my descendents were all Muslims, I don't think that would bother me."

How distinct is the kingdom of God? When the Lord speaks here of what it means to be a Christian, what does it take, really, to be a Christian and to live within this kingdom? Jesus speaking here, he starts in verse 24. He says, "If any man will come after me, let him (Do something--what is it?) deny..." Let's just take the "him" off of that. "If any man will come after me, let him deny [self]..." That becomes very inclusive of everything. When we say "himself," we almost just think of a physical dying and a willingness to lay our life down physically. It's tougher to lay your life down spiritually, emotionally, psychologically, than it is physically. "Self" (the "self" life, self-pity, self-will, selfishness)--it's the root of all sin. "Pride"--"self" involvement.

Jesus said, "If any man is going to be a disciple of Mine, a follower of Me, he must first of all understand that it starts with self-denial." "...let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life [in this world]..." Whoever is going to live according to this world's system to save his life, to be invested into the kingdom of darkness, he needs to understand he's going to "lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world..."

Now, when we talk about "world," let me help remind you what we're speaking of here. The kingdoms of this world. All that is in the world--lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, pride of life. "If My kingdom were of this world, then would my disciples take up arms and try to defend Me naturally." When we talk about the world, we're talking about the kingdom of darkness. It's the same thing. What does it profit a man to invest in the world and gain all that the world has, to be a part of the kingdom of darkness, to reserve his life which really is this--listen to me. To "save your life" is to really yield your life to Satan, is what it's talking about here.

What does it profit a man to give his life to Satan and enjoy the fruit of the world--and he has something to offer; there's pleasure out there, the pleasure of sin for a season. In the temptation of Jesus the devil said, "All of the kingdoms of the world--look, here they are; and they're mine, and they're mine to give to whoever I will. All You have to do is bow Your knee, and I'll see to it that You bear the fruit of the kingdoms of this world." And Jesus said, "Thou shalt not worship or have any other gods before Me."

This is what's happening every day of our lives. This is the war that's taking place. This is the battleground. Now what's it going to profit you to partake of the kingdoms of this world and to lose your own soul? Now watch what He goes on to say. "For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works. Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom." "You're going to see the fruition of the kingdom of God; you are going to be a part of that kingdom. Some of you that are hearing My words will not naturally die until you've seen the kingdom infused with My presence and placed with My power." And in fact, what He's saying to them is, "Individuals like yourselves, as living stones, I will place into the kingdom, into the tabernacle of God, and you'll know the power of that kingdom. It's upon you. The kingdom is here. It's not future."

So it started then, the kingdom of God, two thousand years ago with the invasion of God into humanity through the incarnation. Sinful humanity now had a sinless savior as God invaded through the incarnation, the miracle of the virgin birth--the Holy Spirit overshadowing Mary, and she conceived that holy thing within her; and the kingdom invaded the kingdom of darkness. And through His sinless life and through His death, burial, and resurrection, He just continually infuses us with power to effect the will of God, in opposition to the kingdom of darkness. There is only one purpose for the kingdom of God, and it's to oppose the kingdom of darkness. And if all you're doing is trying to hide out and somehow survive in this life--life as easy as it can possibly be and hopefully our kids don't get on drugs and hopefully our kids won't get involved in some false religion (We're going to hide back here so the bogeyman doesn't get us)--you have no clue of what you're supposed to be doing in the kingdom of God! The kingdom of God is about opposing the kingdom of darkness. The kingdom of God is about being filled with power to go out and set the captives free, praise God! If you've partaken of the kingdom of God, you will be setting out against, Ephesians says, the kingdom of darkness.

So we'll look at that a little bit as we go on in the study. But the kingdom isn't hiding from the world. The kingdom is destroying the evil one. For this purpose was the Son of God manifest, to destroy the works of the devil, the Scripture says. The kingdom was manifest to destroy the works of the devil. How militant are you in reaching out to see the captives set free--those whose eyes have been blinded by the god of this world, and they can't see the light of the glorious gospel? We pray, "Thy kingdom come." What are you doing to effect the kingdom? If you want the kingdom to come in power, give it an opportunity to manifest. Go out and put your hand to the plow and begin to see and know the glory of God.

Daniel prophesies over in the 2^nd chapter of the book of Daniel concerning the kingdoms and how they were going to manifest themselves. Look over there at Daniel 2 for just a second. As the prophet of God is speaking here, he's talking about the kingdom, and it's interesting that it's inclusive of both the soteriological and eschatological--Daniel being one of the tremendous books of eschatology and an understanding of the purpose of God from the eternal perspective. He's talking about all the kingdoms of the world; those kingdoms that Satan said were his at the temptation of Jesus. He took him up, remember, on the high place and he said, "Look at all the kingdoms of the world. These are mine."

I wonder what Jesus was thinking when he said that. You know the Lord was sitting there going, "You know, there's no stronger deception than self-deception." How many of you think the devil thinks of himself more highly than he ought? He's moving within a legal realm that God has allowed him, but his whole heart purpose has always been to usurp and to ascend above the throne of God. He thinks of himself far more highly than he ought to think, and can you see that that's the biggest problem man has? They're of their father the devil. They have his same personality. Every unregenerated man has the same personality as his father, the devil. He's self-deluded, full of pride, and a hater of God. And no man, therefore, seeks God! God is seeking us. No man has the propensity and a desire to be a child of God. Every one of us--let me just share with you--every one of us this evening that are sitting here, that are born again, you didn't seek God; He sought you. Amen? Aren't you thankful for the grace of God tonight? Therefore you can't come whenever you want.

Tragically we just lost two young people this week that have defected and gone back to the world like Demas, having loved this present world--one young adult and one of our youth. Both of them speaking the same thing, "I just want to be my own boss. I'm tired of people telling me what to do." What they're saying is, " I'm tired of righteous people telling me what to do. I want to go have the devil tell me what to do." You only have two choices. So here are these that are going out to the kingdom of darkness, and Satan, he's a hard taskmaster. He'll make things look good initially for you. One of the young people even came out and said, "Well, you know, what I think I'm going to do is I'm (and I'm not slamming the whole denomination) going to go out, and I'm going to go to a Baptist church."

Now, why would you go to a Baptist church? Well, they believe in eternal security. Not all of them. Those that are ultra-Calvinists, what do they believe in? They believe in a grace that doesn't necessitate any works. You can live like the devil and still be right with God. You just won't get any benefits in this life. Damnable doctrine! False. You can't find it in the Scriptures.

The point I'm making is this. This young person, knowing this, making this kind of conscious decision, is tragically suffering the greatest delusion thinking, "And if it doesn't work, then I'll just come back." You can't come if you're not drawn. God doesn't always strive with man. God is merciful and longsuffering, but He doesn't always strive. You're coming to God is not of your volition; it's of God's drawing. What a gamble to get out there and think that maybe He will draw me again. What if He doesn't? What if this is, as it is in all of our lives, the pivotal point of determination of who will be lord of your life? You can't just come to God whenever you want to. This is a misnomer--you can't just come and cry with strong crying like Esau and think that you're going to get everything back. "It's going to cost you," He said. "Take your cross up and follow Me. You need to lose you life," He says. It's not a "works" thing. It's a "death" thing. Then God works in us to will and to do His good pleasure, Philippians 2:13 says.

Well, here's the kingdoms of this world, and they're in place; they're powerful. The draw, the seduction, is real. Jesus in His parable of the sower, He talks about the things that seduce us and choke the Word of God out of our life. The Word of God is alive and powerful, sharper than any twoedged sword, the Scripture says. And yet there's a force out there that will choke it in your life--the cares of this world, the kingdoms of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, the lusts of other things entering in, choking the life of the Word of God out of you. What's that tell us? Whenever you begin to follow the world and it seduces you and you begin to dabble in it, you're strangling your spiritual source to death. Pretty soon there'll be no more life in you. Pretty soon you'll be cast out as a branch to die, John 15.

"Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in me, daily, momentarily." There's an enemy after my soul. There's another kingdom that's trying to seduce me. There's the wisdom of this world that is in opposition to God. It calls the wisdom of God foolish. The natural man cannot receive the things of God. They are foolishness to him. So everything that's in the kingdom of darkness is opposing the wisdom of God and trying to replicate the power of God. Medical science, science in general, trying to solve the natural laws of nature, trying to replicate them. All they're trying to do is reproduce God's ability. Everything that man does is to elevate himself so that he doesn't have to bow his knee to God.

Now, that's the world that we're living in. That's the kingdom that this kingdom you and I live in is running parallel with. The Scripture says we're in the world (the kingdoms of the world), but we're not what? Of it. The Bible says we're to use this world, but we're not to abuse it. Jesus said, "I don't pray that you would take them out of the world, but that you would sustain them." So the fact of the matter is, our kingdom is operating right within the kingdom of darkness. We're rubbing shoulders with these people every day--the haters of God, those that are trying to destroy our kingdom. You're working for people that are trying to destroy the kingdom that you've given your life to. If you're working for guys like Ted Turner and the Microsoft guy and some of these, you're working for some of the devil's best. Those of you that are so proud of some of these companies you work for, they are the spirit of antichrist.

"Well then, I'm quitting." No, you don't quit. We' re in it, but we're not of it. But stop and understand what we're doing here. You're not just going to put in your twenty or thirty years so you can retire. That's not what life is all about. The whole duty of man is: love God; keep His commandments. We're here for one reason: to introduce the kingdom of God into this world, and to raise up a godly seed so that when we go, the kingdom continues on. And every decision we make must be made on that basis. How much stronger can I leave the next generation to make sure that the kingdom has it's own disciples, it's own prophets, it's own pastors and teachers, it's own faithful living stones who have been grafted in according to their own gifts--each one, comely and uncomely, praise God, bringing glory and honor to Him!

Are your decisions based on what's good for the kingdom or what's good from the world's perspective? Are the things that are motivating you the same things that are motivating the world? Retirement? Bigger house? Easier life? More toys? "Yes, for the glory of God!" Really? When was the last time you fell upon the rock to be broken? When was the last time you took up that cross? Are you sure that the motives are still pure? "Well, how do I know?"

"For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost" (Romans 14:17). We're going to talk about that in detail probably on Sunday. Are these the treasures--are you seeking these things? Righteousness (right-standing with God)--not only am I right with God; am I properly representing Him? See, righteousness is not just our moral condition. Righteousness is not even our spiritual state of regeneration. Righteousness is also rightly representing Him. Are we doing what He did? Are we opposing the kingdom of darkness? Do we understand that for this purpose the sons of God are left to manifest themselves: that they might destroy the works of the devil? You have one task: represent God in pulling down the kingdom of darkness. One task: glorify Father with the fruit that's in your life. How effectively are we preaching the gospel of the kingdom with power? How conscious are we of demonic powers, and how effective are we at pulling those down? How discerning are you in your own life, in your loved ones, in your children, brothers and sisters? How aware are you of when you're dealing with demonic forces that are trying to invade our midst, and making sure that they're cast down--that these principalities and powers are bound, that they understand that we've been given the keys of the kingdom, and that authority is there to oppose anything that is leaven and to oppose anything that is an invasion of the world through the wolves that are trying to destroy the flock?

We're at war. Thy kingdom come. We're at war. A whole generation back in World War II; another large segment in the Korean conflict, the Korean War; the Viet Nam War--young people that go and put their lives on the line for a cause; and now we have a whole generation, twenty-first century American Christians called to war, and most of us want to go to the beach. Hang out. How jealous are you for the cause? What are you willing to put on the line to defend the glory of God and to prepare another generation, should the Lord tarry? "Thy kingdom come." That's what we're praying.

So in the 2^nd chapter of Daniel, when we're reading this, he's talking about all these kingdoms that Satan said were his in the temptation of Jesus, and the Lord says, "You see all of these kingdoms?" Verse 44, "And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed..." Now, when you read, and I'm not going to take the time right now, but if you'll go back and you'll start reading here in this 2^nd chapter of Daniel, you'll find that he's coming down to the different kingdoms, and he speaks toward Rome 1 and Rome 2--the original Roman Empire and then the ten-nation confederacy that's spoken of in Daniel and in the book of Revelation that's going to be overseen by the Antichrist, the man of sin. And when he makes this statement, he's speaking of Rome 1 and 2, and he says that you need to understand that at the time of the Roman Empire, I'm going to inject a kingdom which shall never be destroyed. That was the coming of the Lord. "My kingdom is going to be injected into these kingdoms, and it will never be destroyed."

Now, tragically we see the external observable kingdom being influenced, emaciated, castigated, powerless, full of leaven and compromise, embracing the kingdoms of this world, lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God, seeking the praises of men more than God, the prophets say. They're very comfortable with the world, and the world is very comfortable with them. There's no light that's emanating from them like the glory that came from the face of Moses when the people looked and said, "My God, put a veil on--the glory is too bright! We can't even stand having you in our presence! The glory is overwhelming!" Wouldn't you love to go to work and have that? Wouldn't you love to go to work and be able to have people say, "Dear Lord, we've got to get this guy fired! The glory of God just emanates from him! The peace of God, the power of God, the contentment, the words of God are all that come out of his mouth. Dear God, let's get rid of this guy."

Wouldn't that be great? Wouldn't you love to get fired for that reason instead of sloughing off? That's what it means to represent the kingdom of God. We've got too many Christians thinking just like the world. They think that they're doing their employer a favor by showing up. "I showed up. Where's my check?" You're supposed to do something! You don't just show up and get paid for showing. This whole world has the mentality that they are what the universe revolves around. We're to be different! They're to see a different treasure that we're pursuing. A people that work as unto the Lord. People that have joy that's not external but internal, praise God! "Joy I give unto you; not as the world gives. Peace I give; not as the world gives."

So we're looking at the two kingdoms. Now, in the next couple of minutes, let's see how this is working in our lives. The thing that we need to understand is this. We're called to destroy the kingdom of darkness. We are not called to neutrality. He said, "I've given you a sword." Look over at Matthew 10 for just a second. I want you to see something in how we relate as members of the kingdom of God. Verse 34, "Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace..." Well, wait a minute. The Bible said He came to bring peace. He's the Prince of Peace. Christmas story--everybody's singing about peace. He said, "I came to bring peace to My kingdom, not to the world." The world can't have peace. They'll never know peace. Because the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; it is righteousness--what's the next word? Peace and joy in the Holy Ghost. The world will never have peace. "Peace I give you; not as the world gives, give I unto to you." Everybody else is wringing their hands; we've got peace. God is for us. Who can be against us? "What's wrong?" "I've lost everything." You lost nothing if you have Jesus as Lord!

Peace. "Think not that I am come to send peace on [say it] earth..."--in the kingdom of darkness. "I didn't come to bring an observable natural peace." "I came not to send peace, but a sword." He's talking about how He relates to the kingdom of darkness here. Now watch who He identifies as part of that kingdom.

"For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. And a man's foes shall be they of his own household" (verses 35-36). You see, He's saying that this kingdom is going to come in, and it's going to divide houses.

We have the privilege and the responsibility of setting the proper environment for our young people to serve the Lord. Train up your children in the way they should go, and when they're old they will not depart from it. That's not an unconditional promise. Some of the most godly men in the Scriptures--their children defected. We understand very clearly in the epistle to the Corinthians that this gospel is going to cause the division of households and how we're to deal with that.

The point that I want you to see here is that Jesus is relating it to the kingdom of darkness. He said, "You need to understand something here. When this kingdom is properly represented, here's going to be the consequences. I'm going to divide homes right down the middle." "He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me is not worthy of me. He that findeth his life [as we read earlier] shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it." This is a look at the kingdom of God. The one thing you can count on is this. The kingdom of God, if you're a member of it, is going to be divisive. You cannot be accepted by the world, by the kingdoms of this world. Jesus said, "They hated Me. They're going to hate you."

Thy kingdom come. We're praying for Thy kingdom come. We're praying, "Lord, make people hate me, that are of the world. Let me become an offense to them because of my righteousness, not because of my personality, because of my righteousness, because I'm distinct. I'm unique. I'm separate." Let the rose of Sharon and the lily of the valley and the incense of prayer be an abomination to them, because they savor not the things that are of God but of man. Our worship should be a stench in their nostrils--our taking the name of Jesus on our lips in trust as we pray the prayer of faith, in worship and praise as we name His name and worship Him and God comes into our presence and sets up ambushments against the enemy. It should be an offense to them. Jesus is called the rock of offense.

Everything in this kingdom that you and I are called to is an offense to the world. Can I ask you a question tonight? How offensive has your Christianity been lately? I'm not talking about your personality. I'm not talking about being stupid, like we've said before, and jumping up on the table at work and screaming, "Repent!" I'm not talking about any of that stuff. I'm talking about your daily life, your personal holiness--the light that emanates from you that is an obvious peace, an obvious trust in God, an obvious unwillingness to bow your knee and worship their gods. Because what the Master is saying to us is this: "I've injected a kingdom into their kingdom; and it shall never be destroyed, but it will always be opposed. You'll never be destroyed, but you're always going to be opposed."

So then He goes on and tells us this, very clearly. The kingdom, then, that you and I are a part of, that's constantly opposing the kingdom of darkness, is not in word, Paul says, but it's in what? Power. It's not just "talking" about Jesus--" I'm a Christian." Prove it! "Well, what do you mean 'prove it'? I'm a Christian. I believe in the doctrines of the Word of God that state that Jesus was sent forth as the spotless Lamb of God to redeem the world and that He died for man's sins upon the cross and that He was raised the third day; that He ascended to the right hand of God and ever lives to make intercession for us. And He will descend and receive to Himself the church, who will be changed, who will see Him, and who will be like Him. And so shall they ever be with the Lord. That's my doctrine. That's what I believe."

Is that person a Christian? Is intellectual assent to proper doctrine "regeneration"? No! And tragically we have generation after generation who have been deceived into thinking that an intellectual acknowledging of God's plan of redemption causes you to be regenerated. It doesn't. You must be born again! Not say that you believe that man can be born again. Have you been born again? Not, "I acknowledge God's purpose toward man." Have you bowed your knee? Have you subordinated yourself to the will of God? Has the Spirit of God indwelt you? If He does, I want you to understand something. There's going be some fruit. There's going to be some evidence. And one of the greatest evidences is this: your hatred for the world; your hatred for the kingdom of darkness; your willingness to experience the power of God to bring down the power of Satan, whether it's on the job, whether it's in your home, or wherever it might be.

So Jesus speaks along these lines, and it's a powerful statement. Look back at Matthew 12 for just a second. Look over there. We saw this in one of our other sessions. Jesus was going about preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and in the process, what He was doing was He was bringing this sword that was dividing houses. He was casting out devils. He was healing the sick. He was emulating what it meant to die to self and to take up a cross that was finally consummated in the garden of Gethsemane with His death to self for you and I, which lead to Golgotha's sacrifice and the empty tomb's victory.

This Wednesday two thousand years ago, prior to Jesus walking into the garden of Gethsemane, He was teaching parables about ten virgins and saying, "Be careful that you don't get caught up in the world." On a Wednesday two thousand years ago--Wednesday night Jesus had Bible study just like we are here, and He taught on the ten virgins, just prior to the cross. How important is this subject that we're dealing with? "Don't go to sleep. Do you have sufficient oil? You followed Me this far, but do you have enough to finish?" was His message prior to Gethsemane.

So as we study the Scriptures and we see His revelation of the kingdom, Matthew chapter 12, verse 28, Jesus is again showing the hypocrisy of the Pharisees. They were accusing Him of casting out devils by the power of Beelzebub. Now you have to remember who these Pharisees were. These were guys that were distinct from the Sadducees in that they believed in the afterlife. The Sadducees didn't believe in the afterlife. The Pharisees did. The Pharisees believed in angels and demons. The Sadducees didn't believe that. They were realists, very pragmatic. The Pharisees, believing in a mediatorial perspective--and I think this is one the most important things that you're going to see here as it pertains to sovereignty--they believed that free will and sovereignty were equal. In other words, God in what He desired to do sovereignly, your free will could thwart. And God might want to save you, but if you don't want to be saved, you can't be saved; or God doesn't want to save you, but if you believe, you can be. How many of you realize there is no sovereignty if it is not supreme?

Now because of this confused perception of the power of self-will and the sovereign power of God, they couldn't understand true redemption. Tragically many professed Christians are of this same confusion. They don't understand how "will" (self-will) and God's sovereign purposes express themselves in the Word of God. They couldn't understand this Man who was there fully representing the will of God and yet obviously one of humanity. The incarnation--it just blew these guys away. We understand that it's without comprehension, but they were having to deal with it on a personal basis. And Jesus said that His obedience to do the will of the Father and to speak the words of Father is what caused them to continue to be in their sins, because they were looking for a "self" righteousness, a "works" righteousness.

So they're accusing Him here of casting out Satan, verse 26, by the power of Beelzebub. Jesus responded and said, "Look man, if I'm casting out the devil by the power of the devil, don't you understand that a kingdom divided against itself can't stand?" How pure do you think this kingdom needs to be that you and I are a part of then? A kingdom with two purposes (a double-minded kingdom), a kingdom that's opposing itself through disobedience, through the invasion of leaven, through the tolerance of rebellion, cannot stand. There is no double standard. There's only one truth. There's only one standard: absolute perfect pursuit of God. Nothing else is acceptable.

So He said, "And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your [disciples] cast them out?" "You be the judge." "But [Here's what we're going to end with tonight. Here's the whole issue.]" "But if I cast out [verse 28] devils by the Spirit of God, then [What?] the kingdom of God is come unto you." This is a powerful statement, and we need to realize that in Matthew 17:20 when the Lord said the kingdom is not with observation, you can't see it--it's something that's spiritual. The kingdom of God, He says, is not observable; it's within you. The kingdom is not what's observable, but what's done in the unseen realm.

As we end with this tonight, think. Listen. Then as we're praying, "Thy kingdom come," we're not looking to do what so many professed Christians are looking to do today. "You know, as Christians, we need to take over politics, and we need to take over the economics; and we can then--" All this is, is the Catholic Church's--it's nothing new. These Pentecostal, fundamentalists, whatever they might be, that are embracing the "kingdom theology" of our generation that's wanting to rule the world and make disciples, is nothing new. It's been going on since the third century. This postmillennial theology--it's contrary to the Word of God.

The kingdom is not with observation! Period! It's within us. It's spiritual. And as these others are wanting to build this kingdom and--build their kingdoms, is what they're wanting to do. I flipped on the TV Sunday morning--Rod Parsley. I can take about twelve seconds of that guy, but I'm still compelled to see what these guys are doing. I watched T. D. Jakes for about five minutes this afternoon, and just wanting to watch and see what people are doing.

I was watching Rod Parsley, and he was preaching on "double double" or something like that. He was preaching on--I think it was something like gum (double your pleasure; double your fun)--God wants to double everything, bless God. And he was saying, "If you've got a house, God wants you to have two houses, bless God! If you've got a car, God wants you to have two cars! And if you got a job, God wants you to have two jobs!" Then he was going on, and he was preaching this thing. I'm listening, and I think, Okay, where's he going and the double blessing. He said, "And you need to move--if you've got the anointing of God on you, you need the double anointing of God!" I'm going, Okay, now wait a minute. The anointing of God, the power of God--omnipotence, double omnipotence. Now, how do we do this? These guys are just shooting their mouths off trying to build up "man." The ironic thing is, as he's preaching all of this, he said, "Bless God, we need to have the real anointing. Not like some of these song leaders who play on your emotions."

He's the guy we saw--they were having their camp meeting. They had a thing that looked like one of those dumpsters that are 20 feet long. They had all the prayer requests in there. He said, "I'm going to pray for every request." He yells, "Jesus," and he starts running across and dives up in the middle of all the letters, rolling around. I thought, "Dear God; it's a good thing the song leader didn't show up. He might start playing on somebody's emotions." Now there's nothing wrong with emotions. I'm for emotions. I don't think you can be saved and not have emotions. I don't think you can be worshiping God and not have emotions. There needs to be emotion. We need to be excited about the Word of God and the power of God. We need to know when to laugh, and we need to know when to weep. And to everything there is a season, but it's all to be done decently and in order, and it's to be done according to the revelation of the more sure Word of prophecy. With that, as we're closing, we need to understand the kingdom is not observable, and it's to cast out demons.

Now, when I'm talking about this, we've done teachings over the years on the abuses of demonology and the Derek Prince crowd and all of those that see a demon behind every rock. "Dear God, I've got this demon that's just over powering me. It's a chocolate demon." That's not a chocolate demon! It's your flesh! But at the same time, Jesus said, "If I'm casting out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom is in your presence."

When was the last time you cast out a devil? When was the last time that God supernaturally moved through you to strip the powers of darkness, to oppose the kingdoms of this world? Thy kingdom come. His kingdom is not in word; it's in power. So what we're praying about, folks, when we pray, "Thy kingdom come," is, "Put me on the front lines. Get me ready; I'm going to war." Is that what you really want? Then we need to pray, and we need to believe God to show up in our midst and to show Himself mighty and that the nations can look and see that the kingdom of God is alive and it's well, praise God. Because this kingdom shall not be destroyed.

Father, we thank You for the Word of God. We ask that as we enter these days that are upon us as the spirit of antichrist manifests itself, in this generation where men are lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God, in the generation when it's sufficient just to acknowledge God intellectually and not through our obedience, help us to return to the great apostle that You loved, who said, "If you love Me, you'll keep the commandments, and they won't be grievous." The one who made very clear to us by Your Spirit, that there is no righteousness without obedience--who revealed to us so clearly that he that has the seed of God abiding in him sins not--who has revealed to us that if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with Him, and His blood continually cleanses us from all of our sin.

Are we clean tonight? Are we free from the cares of this world tonight and at peace? Do we have the joy of being part of Your kingdom, which is our strength? That joy that is the Pearl of Great Price, for it's in Your presence that we have fullness of joy. There is no joy without Your presence. The kingdom of God is the presence of God. The kingdom is where the King is. Is He supreme tonight in every decision we make? Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, in me. I ask, Father, in Jesus' name. Amen.

Let's stand before the Lord. As Gary plays for us, this kingdom is not in word. It's in power. Power to live victorious over the sin that's in our members. Power to obey the Word of God, to keep the commandments. Power to take up a cross and follow Him. Power to love Him more than fathers, mothers, children, houses, and lands. Sunday we're going to talk about the gospel of the kingdom as we relate it to the message of the resurrection. If Jesus is not risen, our faith is in vain. We're still in our sins. If He is risen, He is Lord; and there is no debate as to whether you obey or not.

One of the young people said to our counselor that was ministering to him, "I know by making this decision I'm going to go to hell, but I just want to be in charge of my own life." I told Jeff, "He doesn't believe in hell." You wouldn't choose partying over hell if you believed in it. It just shows there is no understanding. There is no belief. There is no faith. You must be born again! This young person could articulate everything I articulated tonight. That's what I said. Knowing that and saying you believe it doesn't make you a Christian. You must be born again! There must be a comprehension of the price paid, a love for that unspeakable gift, a hatred for the sin that you once loved, and an opposition to it in your life and everybody around you. It's unacceptable. Sin is unacceptable! Rebellion to God is unacceptable! The denial of the Word of God is unacceptable! It will not manifest in my life without being reproved! Period! The kingdom of God: righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.

Let's sing it together as we worship Him tonight. Thank You, Jesus. Oh, we delight in You, Lord. "In Thy Presence..." We delight in You, Lord. Oh, sing it one more time and enjoy His presence. Acknowledge His lordship tonight.

Some of our young adults went to a basketball tournament. One of them stayed out all night with an unsaved group. The others asked him afterwards, "Man, you must have had a great opportunity to share the Lord being out and hanging with these guys so long." "Well, the opportunity didn't arise." The opportunity never arises. We take opportunity. It didn't arise because it wasn't in you. That's the bottom line. I'd break up that fallow ground, and I would cry out to God that He would rain righteousness upon you.

You don't have to go to work tomorrow. You get to go be an ambassador for the kingdom of God! You get to go represent the kingdom of heaven tomorrow and share the glorious work of redemption in your life. What a privilege! They are giving you opportunity to come and show your faithfulness and work hard and pay you to preach the gospel! You notice I said do your job first. Don't bring a reproach on the gospel. Share the gospel when you've put in a full day's work plus. "Well, I didn't get to get any work done today. I was sharing the gospel." They didn't pay you to preach. They only pay you to preach when you first of all live the gospel; then you can preach the gospel. What a privilege, what an opportunity, to know the power of God.

Before you go, turn to somebody next to you and say, "I'm an ambassador for Christ." Amen. Go represent the kingdom in the name of Jesus.

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