Title: Kingdom of God (Matthew 4:12-17)
[Matthew 4:12-17]
[12] ♠ When Jesus heard John's arrest, he withdrew to Galilee [13] ♠ He left Nazareth, and went to live in Capernaum, on the coast of Zebulun and Naphtali, [14] ♠ This was to fulfill the word spoken by the prophet Isaiah. [15] ♠ The land of Zebulun, and the land of Naphtali, and the seaside road beyond the Jordan, and Galilee of the Gentiles [16] ♠ The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and to those who sat in the land and shadow of death, a light has shone. ] ♠ From that time on, Jesus began to preach and said, Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
A while ago there was a movie called KINGDOM OF HEAVEN, but it was lost to the famous movie STAR WARS. KINGDOM OF HEAVEN is a war movie that takes Jerusalem between Christians and Muslims, but it has absolutely nothing to do with the Kingdom of God mentioned in the Bible. Because the kingdom of God is within you (Luke 17:21). You said you are with me. What is the Kingdom of God? The kingdom of God is the kingdom that Jesus Christ reigns over, the realm where Jesus Christ reigns as king, and it does not refer to geographic areas. It is the kingdom of God that Jesus rules in your life. If his rule is not in your heart and life, it is not the kingdom of God. Because Jesus is the Lord of our family, children, and faith. As we talk about this Kingdom Dream, there are a few things we need to prepare for.
First: Repentance.
Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand (Matthew 3:2). To repent means to change direction, change your life and stop sinning. It is a work to change from a life without Jesus Christ to a life with Jesus Christ. We worship and are in the midst of the Word, but where is your Jesus, at his feet? Is the Lord sitting at the center of your heart? If the Lord is King and reigns in your heart, then you belong to the kingdom of heaven. If you are a Christian by name only and the Lord does not rule your heart, then He tells you to repent. The Lord is calling out. Please listen to the voice of the Lord telling us to clean our vessels and obey Him. Because Jesus taught us the secrets of the kingdom of heaven.
Second: Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5:3).
Third: Prepare for the coming of the Lord.
The news of the Lord's return is a very important part for Christians. Remember the five wise virgins and the five foolish virgins? Because they prepared for the day of the Lord's coming and were awake while waiting for that day, they came wisely and became fools because they were the five virgins who could not prepare oil and neglected it and wasted it. how are you
Are you waiting for the coming of the Lord today? Shouldn't you show your prepared life?
The Lord says that many are invited, but few are chosen. The Lord is coming soon. The gospel of the Lord is being proclaimed today. It is being passed on. Many invitations have been sent to all nations and tribes all over the world, but he says that only a few will be saved. Why?
It's because I didn't prepare the robe. Hearing the word of the Lord, accepting it, and living it, Jesus alone is my righteousness and my savior. Without this confession, the robe would not be ready. I pray in the name of the Lord that you will have a morning of praying, that this morning I will live a life worthy of the kingdom of God, that the spirit of repentance may come upon me, and that I may become a wise five virgins who prepare beautiful oil as citizens of the kingdom of God.
Few months ago there was a movie called KINGDOM OF HEAVEN that came out at theaters. First it went really well but STAR WARS EPISODE 3 came out so KINGDOM OF HEAVEN didn't sell that much in the movie theaters after that. KINGDOM OF HEAVEN is about the Christians against the Muslims who both started a war to see who can conquer over Jerusalem first. In the BIBLE, there is a Kingdom of Heaven that is totally different from the movie's kngdom of heaven. In Luke 17:21, it says,"nor will people say,'Here it is,' or'There it is,' because the Kingdom of God is within you.". What is the Kingdom of God? The Kingdom of God is the place where Jesus rules over. When Jesus becomes king, he reigns in our heart which is his territory. His territory isn't just not any geographical area. In your life, when Jesus reigns in your heart, your heart is the true Kingdom of Heaven. But when Jesus doesn't reign in your heart, your heart isn't the Kingdom of Heaven. When you dream of Kingdom Dream, Jesus becomes the ruler of every believing heart. To start Kingdom Dream, there are several things to prepare for.
First, Repent
In Matthew 3:2, it says,"and saying'Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.". Repenting is changing your direction from your sinful life into a life which ther ruler is Jesus. Change from a life without Jesus to a life without sin. Where is Jesus in your life? Is he in your foot or in your heart? If Jesus is king in your heart and controls you, you are a part of God's Kingdom of Heaven. And if Jesus isn't in your heart, repent now. Jesus is crying out to you and your heart to be as clean as a clean plate without defects. Be obedient and listen to God's Word. Because Jesus told us that this is the secret of the Kingdom of God.
Second, Remember
In Matthew 5:3, it says, "Blessed are the the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." In the time of the Old testament, there were as many laws as 613 laws. The people at that time had to obey every single law of the 613 laws so they had to memorize the laws by heart so that they can obey it. They had to memorize it by act also, not only word. But when Jesus came to this world, Jesus said that the poor in spirit were to be blessed by blessings from God. What about you? Are you hungry and thirsty for Jesus? Are you searching for Jesus? People who have these kind of hearts are the ones who are poor in spirit. Do you want to be persecuted in Christ? The gate leading to the kingdom of heaven is open to those who want to be persecuted in Christ and they will be blessed. Jesus gave us a guideline, the BIBLE. We have to make the BIBLE our foundation in life. But once in a while, someone forgets God's Words, so we have to remember the BIBLE in our heart. We can't obey all of the laws from the Old Testament, but God made it possible. The possible way is to bleieve in God and Jesus and to make Jesus and God happy with you. All of the Christians who only say, "Jesus, Jesus." don't go to heaven, but only those who honor God and his words. Even though the Jews got the commandments from God earlier, they can't go into heaven because they didn't obey the commandments. But those who obey God's Words can go to heaven. So we must remember the warning he gave us. And we have to remember to be a righteous and clean member of God's family.
Third, Prepare
We have to prepare for the day when Jesus comes back to this world as a king. Do you remember the parable of the ten virgins? Five were wise and five were foolish. The wise virgins had jars of oil just in case that the bridegroom was late. But the foolish did not take any oil with them. What about you? Are you prepared or are you not? If Jesus came today at this very moment, would you be prepared? Christian preach the Gospel to many but only a few listen to it. Only those who recieve God's word gets to go to heaven. Those who confess that Jesus is their savior, lead a humble and righteous life, and obey God's Words, are those who are prepared and pure. This morning, lets pray to God for a God seeking life, to give us repenting heart, and to prepare ourselves to lead a humble and righteous life .