Being a citizen of the kingdom of God
Today we will see that the kingdom of God came through Jesus Christ, the Saviour of the world. He has made it possible for us to enter the kingdom and become citizens of the kingdom of God.
God’s kingdom came with Jesus Christ
At the birth of Jesus an angel from God proclaimed that the time had come for the Saviour King to appear.
And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” (Luke 1-31-33)
She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins. (Matt. 1:21)
“And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who is to shepherd my people Israel.” (Matt. 2:6)
At last the time about which the prophets had spoken had come. In the fullness of time God’s Son, Jesus Christ, was born into the world. He often used the name “the son of man” about himself and made known that he was the promised Saviour:
For the Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost. (Luke 19:10)
Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near. Repent, and believe in the good news. (Mark. 1:14-15)
God’s kingdom is where God decides! Now he says that he has come to make the decisions - through Jesus Christ. The time is ripe, God has broken into history and none of us can stay neutral. We must take our standpoint with respect to the offers and demands which the gospel of God’s kingdom represents:
While God has overlooked the times of human ignorance, now he commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will have the world judged in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed, and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.” (Acts 17:30-31)
This Jesus, God raised up, and of that all of us are witnesses. Therefore let the entire house of Israel know with certainty that God has made him both Lord and Messiah, this Jesus whom you crucified.” (Acts 2:32,36)
There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among mortals by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)
In part two we will look at the message of salvation under seven main points. It is of greatest importance that we pay attention to His teaching because our whole life and future depend on what we do with the gospel - the good news - as His message is called. Salvation can only be found in listening to the words of Jesus and acting upon them accordingly.
“Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I tell you? I will show you what someone is like who comes to me, hears my words, and acts on them. That one is like a man building a house, who dug deeply and laid the foundation on rock; when a flood arose, the river burst against that house but could not shake it, because it had been well built. But the one who hears and does not act is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the river burst against it, immediately it fell, and great was the ruin of that house.” (Luke 6:46-49)
Anyone who resolves to do the will of God will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own. (John 7:17)
Exercise:
Have you made a decision to submit to the saving lordship of Jesus Christ? When and what happened when you came to Christ?
What does it mean that God’s kingdom came with Jesus?
We have become citizens of God’s kingdom
God is the sovereign king and rules in the power of his omnipotence. His rule affects all people on earth. God’s kingdom can be defined as his dynamic rule, his sovereign authority in action. When we become Christians, are born again and saved, something radical happens to us.
He has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son, (Col. 1:13)
Jesus answered him, “Very truly, I tell you: no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.” (John 3:3)
When we came to believe in Jesus and were born again, we were born into God’s kingdom and became its citizens. Now we have been set free from the power of the devil, of darkness and sin so that we can serve the living God. He has poured out His love into our hearts and given us a new source of motivation. We love him who loved us first and show our love in our trusting obedience to our King.
His government is not a long list of rules and regulations. It operates on a completely different plane. God’s kingdom is within us, said Jesus. To be a Christian is to be ruled by God from the inside. His law is written in our hearts; we want to do what is right and good. It is our nature to do God’s will.
For the kingdom of God is not food and drink but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. (Rom.14:17)