Title: High in the Kingdom of God
Contents
The explanation of the same content is slightly different in each Gospel.
Matthew records that the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” (Matthew 18:1), whereas in Mark’s Gospel, when the disciples were in a house in Capernaum, they said, “What you were discussing with one another on the road? What is it?” (Mark 9:33). Luke, on the other hand, appears to have seen Jesus through this and spoke while they were discussing who was superior.
Whether Jesus knew their situation, whether he knew of them, or whether the disciples came to Him and inquired, this is the same.
The disciples said that the time when the Lord would establish the kingdom was near, and they talked with each other about who would rise to a higher position when establishing the kingdom.
To this, Jesus put the little child next to him and answered.
“Whoever welcomes such a little child in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. He who is the least of all of you is the greatest.” (Luke 9:48) No, unless you turn and become like little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore whoever humbles himself like this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:3-4). to be the end of all, and to be the servant of all” (Mark 9:35).
God exalts those who humble themselves like little children. Therefore, if you want to be exalted, you must humble yourself and become a servant of others.
Inside everyone is a desire to be higher than others. Everyone is aiming for first place, not last place. People have a competitive spirit even with just two. I want to be a better person than others.
Even though they are married, there are those who fight for initiative with each other, and even among the same brothers, I see that they are trying to do better. Not only that, there are people in the church who want to be recognized for each other. Therefore, there are those who are at odds with each other over certain positions.
It is said that even in the religious world, hundreds of millions of dollars are spent on election expenses to become the president of any denomination.
Not only all human beings, but also angels, which are spiritual beings.
Satan was originally the most beautiful and wisest angel created by God. Then he tried to be exalted like God, but was thrown out.
“Isa 14:12 How did you fall from heaven, O Kyemyung-seong, son of the morning, and how are you cut down to the ground, you who overthrew the nations? I will exalt it, and I will sit on the mountain of the Arctic assembly. Isa 14:14 I will ascend on the highest cloud, and I will be like the Most High.”
“Ezekiel 28:14 You are the anointed covering cherub; I set you up, and you were on the holy mountain of God, to and fro, to and fro among the ore. Ezekiel 28:16 Because of the abundance of your trade, you are filled with violence in your midst, and you have sinned; therefore, you cherubim, I defiled you, and I cast you out of the mountain of God, and destroyed you among the ore Because you are beautiful, your heart is proud; because of your magnificence you have defiled your wisdom; I have thrown you to the ground and set you before kings to be a spectacle to them.”
Satan aroused man's lust for honor and made him fall.
Therefore, he approached Eve through the serpent and said, “Genesis 03:05 God knows that in the day you eat of it, your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” => In other words, they said that you too could become like God, and they were tricked into eating the forbidden fruit of good and evil. He made people walk their own path
Even if there are only two people together, order is necessary.
Therefore, God recognized the authority of the husband even between husband and wife for order in the family. Since order is also needed in the kingdom of God, certain leaders, high and low, are clearly needed.
What kind of people will God raise when he raises up office-bearers for the order of his kingdom?
# An order that cannot be overcome by any means: The eternal principle is that “a creature can never be higher than its Creator (God).”
# Some Principles That Can Be Exalted in the Kingdom of God
(1) Be humble.
When the disciples' resentment grew because of the wife of three generations (the mother of James and John), Jesus said to them “Matthew 20:25 Jesus called his disciples and said to them, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles have dominion over them, and their great men exercise authority over them, Matthew 20:26 It is not so among you. 20:27 Whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave. 20:28 The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many. Ham”
The system of the kingdom of God: the humble, those who serve are exalted.
No matter how smart or talented you are, if you are arrogant, you will be humbled.
It was because of pride that angels became Satan and that men (Adam and Eve) fell.
Jesus washed the disciples' feet to teach them humility.
Therefore, in the kingdom of God, there are no complaints about being in a low position. For the high ones come and serve them. In the kingdom of God, there is no one who brags about being in a high position or ignores the lowly, so those in low positions never complain about being low. On the contrary, thank you... and respect the other person.
And he himself strives to imitate the humility and service of the high ones.
In the kingdom of God, it is a society in which people compete to be good to one another, to serve one another, and to exalt one another. Therefore, love grows more and more, and joy abounds.
Think common sense!
How could such a society become a paradise if, like in this world, people in a high position, power, and money were tormented and ignored by people in a low position?
The foundation of a heavenly person is humility. That's why Jesus said in Matthew 5:3, "Blessed are the poor in spirit...".
% What kind of place is Hell?
not humble This is where people who say they are good for each other go
People here complain, swear, and resent every word they say.
“I came to hell because of you, you bastard!”
“It’s hard in hell because of you!”
“Because of you… Because of you…”
Pride is the vanguard of destruction.
Proverbs 16:18 Pride precedes destruction, and a haughty heart precedes a fall
Proverbs 16:19 It is better to be humble with the humble than to share the spoil with the proud.
If you are proud that you are doing well, you are worse than a humble person.
(2) Must be a faithful person.
Why did Paul, who persecuted Christians, become an apostle?
He replied that it was because he was recognized as faithful to the gospel.
“I Timothy 01:12 I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, for he has considered me faithful, and has entrusted me with the ministry. 1 Tim. 01:13 I used to be a blasphemer, a persecutor, and a rapist; did it”
He was forgiven because he did not know who Jesus was and persecuted him, and after being changed, he was recognized as an apostle for the Gentiles because he faithfully carried out the work of the Lord, that is, the work of witnessing the gospel.
Loyalty is the hallmark of the high in the kingdom of heaven.
What Moses and Jesus have in common is loyalty.
In Hebrews 3:1-6, the author writes, “Hebrews 03:01 Therefore, holy brethren who are together in the heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the Apostle and High Priest of our faith, Heb 03:02, who is faithful to his appointed one. As Moses did in all the house of God.... Heb 03:05 Moses was faithful as a servant in all the house of God to testify to what was to come, Heb 03:06 Christ was the servant of his house Since he was faithful as a son, it is his house, if we hold fast to the boldness and boasting of hope to the end.”
What Moses and Jesus had in common was that they were faithful for the kingdom of God.
In Elijah, too, he was a man with a special heart for God.
(3) The righteous (the pure)
In 2 Timothy 2:21-22, the apostle Paul spoke to his beloved disciple Timothy about what one must do to become a noble person, that is, a great and great person in the kingdom of God.
“2 Timothy 02:21 Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from these things, he will become a vessel for honor, sanctified, suitable for the master’s use, and prepared for every good work. Pursue faith, love, and peace with those who call.”
Those who sin cannot be used by God.
Those who are greedy, have evil thoughts, and put those evil thoughts into words and actions can never become people of the kingdom of God.
Therefore, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they repent. The basics of the people of God's kingdom are humility and repentance. In other words, if you admit your sins and repent, a new path to a righteous life will be opened. However, no matter how little sin you have, you cannot enter into a righteous life if you do not acknowledge your sins and repent. *****