THE MOTIVE OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD
THE MOTIVE OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD
TUESDAY MORNING BIBLE STUDY
August 18, 2015, the Year of Our Lord
Pastor Carolyn Sissom
The motive of the Kingdom of God is Love. Just as the human heart receives and releases blood, so the heartbeat of the kingdom is to receive and then release the life of Jesus. (Lev. 17:11).
We receive the nature of the King so that we can release the nature of the King. The principle of love is giving. “For God so loved that he gave…” We are to bear the image of the heavenly. Jesus entered into this higher realm of life and ministry so that many brethren could follow His pattern.
John Sielski sent an exhortation yesterday regarding Sunday’s message. “What Shall We Do To Work the Works of God”?
“Isn’t it amazing that, once Jesus begins to teach about NT fellowship with Himself… in and through His Corporate Body (eating His flesh and drinking His blood)… that many of His disciples draw back and walk no more with Him, because they realize they can no longer approach Him with a “what’s in it for me?”- Mentality? They realize it is no longer just about “me and the Lord”; but also laying down their lives for one another. And this occurs in John 6:66? 666 ~ the same mark received by the harlot church in the wilderness in Rev. 13, distinguishing them from the Overcomers who stand with the Lamb on Mt. Zion?? The Overcomers are dead-to-self! The works of men glorify men; the works of God glorify the Lamb :-) There is an element of “being under the Law of Moses” which is being missed by the current “Grace Movement”… “Uncircumcision” (Gal. 5:6). It believes that, because we are no longer under the letter of the written word of God, we are simply free to "love God, and do WHATEVER"; which translates into: “Freedom to ‘love God’ and SERVE OURSELVES.” This is a perversion of the true Grace of Christ, just like the Book of Jude describes. Blessings, Pastor Carolyn. ~John & Kelly”
The invisible church (universal church) is a mystical union in a spiritual Body for the habitation of the Spirit, with Jesus Christ as the Head. It is an invisible union of all true believers in Jesus Christ.
The fruit of the Holy Spirit within that mystical union will be those overcomers who lay down all of their selfishness, self-centeredness, me, me, me and mine, mine mine.
There are nine characteristics of the nature of Jesus Christ that are mentioned in Gal. 5: 22-23:
1. Love agape love; divine love.
2. Joy cheerfulness, happiness, calm delight.
3. Peace tranquility of mind, quietness; rest.
4. Longsuffering Patience, endurance under stress.
5. Gentleness kindness, gracious and mild character.
6. Goodness moral goodness; helps others; mercy
7. Faith faithfulness; trustworthiness.
8. Meekness humility
9. Temperance self-control; mastery of self.
The corporate (mystical) church for the past nine months and even 21 months has been in preparation mode for change. Through these changes, we are being stretched with trials and challenges. The Lord will have an army, a church, a Bride, a family, a Body, a Wife, a Temple who will resist Satan. Through these trials we have had to push in prayer, faith, perseverance, with our faces set like flint.
For some of us who this is not our first ministry challenge that required all we have to push through the pressure of the narrow path to the narrow door that leads to a wide place.
There is always an offense before a great victory.
Through these challenges, the Body of Christ is being tested in many ways. We are being tested in the fruit of the Spirit in how we respond to pressure, offence, treachery, betrayal, gossip, naysayers, etc.
We certainly do not respond in like manner or retaliate. Those overcomers will be catalysts for a great outpouring of the Lord’s Spirit.
Today I researched the grace of Kindness and discovered the words in the Hebrew and Greek in both testaments include Goodness, mercy, gentleness, benevolence, love of the brethren, brotherly love, etc.
The Body of Christ cannot criticize, complain, condemn, grumble, murmur, stir strife, gossip, retaliate, be short tempered, short words, impatient, etc.
We must not. We cannot allow these attitudes to have place in the (mystical) church.
Recently I was ministering to an individual. During the discourse, this individual gave me at least two subtle jabs. I ignored it because I am focused on ministering to that person in love.
Well, the Lord did not ignore it. That night in a dream, the Lord showed me this individual gave me a jab with her elbow in my back.
“If you see a Christian sinning, pray for them and God will give them life.” Of course, that is what I did.
One of my gifts, and I suppose everyone has that gift, is I hear conversations of people if their conversation does not profit the Kingdom work in my life or that for which I am accountable.
All of our conversations are recorded in Heaven. The Holy Spirit will play-back conversations to his prophets if foolish talking hinders His Kingdom work. If I hear conversations which do not profit the Kingdom, I am sure other prophets do as well.
Christians making wrong judgments can speak things on to us. This has been most of our warfare the past 21 months. People have tried to speak retirement on me and in doing so without the righteous judgment of the tribunal of Heaven over-riding that wrong judgment, this could open doors of fatigue and even sickness. I submitted myself to the judgment of the Court of Heaven. Again, the Lord showed me the judgment was spoken and it did not stand.
These times are serious. The Body of Christ MUST come into maturity. We can no longer have second grade behavior in Christians who should be ministering not only to one another in love and kindnesses, but to the lost. We should be ministering to those who are sick, not biting and devouring the Body of Christ.
We are to be the overcoming, triumphant church who are instruments of the Kingdom of God on earth as it is in heaven.
Freedom from the law does not give the Body of Christ freedom to sin at will with loose talking or loose living.
5: 18-21: But if you be led of the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are manifest which are these: Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revillings and such like; of the which I tell you before as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the Kingdom of God.”
There is a progression of maturity once we are saved and justified by Faith. As we are sanctified and walk in the Spirit, as we fall deeper in love with Jesus, we will not commit these sins. This has nothing to do with our salvation and life after death. This has to do with our walking in the Spirit in the Third Realm of the Holy of Holies on earth. If we overcome these sins of the flesh, then we are walking in mature son-ship with the full inheritance of the Kingdom of God on earth as it is in Heaven.
The new life of the believer is not his own life at all, but rather the life of Christ in him. So Paul had earlier replied to those who accused him of making Christ promote sin (Gal. 2:17): far from reducing Jews to the status of Gentile sinners, Christ has lifted both Jew and Gentile alike to an entirely new realm. Both Jew and Gentile died with Christ and now live in His new life (Gal. 2:20; 4:19).
The overcoming church is being prepared for a greater realm of glory and authority on earth. However, we have to be overcomers to live in the presence of that glory. The Kingdom of God involves persecution, tribulation and affliction (Acts. 14:22). The fearful and half-hearted will not fight the good fight of faith. This walk is for overcomers who are victorious in Jesus.
The result of faith is the enduement of the Spirit and the Spirit is the opposite of the flesh (Gal. 3:2, 3). The result of faith is the practical and continuing ministration of the Spirit from the Source of life; (3:5) where the Spirit reigns, the flesh cannot have pre-eminence.
“For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; you shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
The fruit of the Spirit are essential signs of the Holy Spirit.
Christians have two natures and the struggle between them is a supreme truth of the N.T. This warfare is a continual battle of dying daily. The source of all desire to do evil resides in the flesh. It is animated by Satan. These two powers (God the Holy Spirit and Satan) compete for our wills. Because of the mutual conflict between them, no matter what we would do, the other opposes it.
The Holy Spirit’s leading is resisted by the old nature and vice versa. If you want to do well, it will be opposed by your flesh. If you want to do evil, it will be opposed by the Spirit. Those who live by their old natures will not inherit the Kingdom of God. “For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary the one to the other; so that you cannot do the things you want.”
Gal. 5:25 exhorts us to live in the Spirit. “And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.”
We actually “sit in the heavenlies” in Christ. As far as eternity is concerned, both our bodies and old natures are dead.
A Christian must do two things: (1) Resist the devil (2) Practice the presence of Christ (dwelling in the new nature).
One is a fight the other a fellowship.
Before there can be any real surrender for the crucified life, the believer must deal directly with the one who has the power to keep him from it. The Christian warfare is real. Many who long for the crucified life have yet to start fighting. The fight comes first, for victory it-self means to triumph in battle. To be an overcomer ---means we have to overcome.
In verses 5: 26- 6:10 Paul the pastor asserts himself over every other capacity. Here are the gentle and human rules which are to regulate inter-personal relations. The absence of self-centeredness, of pre-occupation with my own dignity and standing, is to be balanced by that true concern which places myself in the position of another, and acts to that other as I would then wish others to act toward myself.
Yet, this forgetfulness of self, this unselfconscious thought for others, can be expected only of one who has learned to live with himself; to accept his own abilities and callings, and the niche in which his own inherent gifts must place him. Only in this way can a man attain the quiet assurance and confidence of a responsibility taken and conscientiously fulfilled.
The ministry of the Kingdom and the power of His Christ will be realized and flow from the church when His people stop committing the abomination of condemnation! The north wind (conviction of the Holy Spirit as in John 16: 8-11) is going to cause us to stop condemning our own flesh---our brother and sisters in Christ, but especially ourselves! We only condemn others because condemnation is in our own eye. (Mt. 7: 1-5). To condemn the just is to condemn anyone (especially ourselves) who is justified by faith (Acts. 13:39; Rom. 5:1).
Whenever we learn to take the Word of God and cast down the accuser of our brethren, then shall be released from us this great ministry of the Kingdom…of the Christ within…of the prophet, the priest, and the king…producing the righteousness, peace, and joy of the King.
Then shall come salvation, and strength, and the Kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ.
Can you sense the magnitude of this anointing when men do not impute the trespasses of other men unto them? (11 Cor. 5: 17-21). We have been given this word and ministry of reconciliation. Jesus did not tolerate sin, but He came not into the world to condemn the world, but rather to deliver it!
The gospel of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ will produce a people in the earth that are: heavenly in culture, in language, in character, in authority, in message and proclamation, and in life-style.
The greatest proof of Kingdom power is the victorious, overcoming life-style of the Christian in faith and obedience:
1. Purity in the life of the believer.
2. Peace of mind and heart in the midst of confusion and restlessness.
3. Overcoming temptation.
4. Willingness to be a sacrifice of love unto others.
5. Sound mind flowing with truth.
6. The human spirit under the government of the Holy Spirit.
7. Part of the “Koinonia” of a home or local church under the headship of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Preached by: Carolyn Sissom, Pastor,
Eastgate Ministries, Inc.www.eastgateministries.com
Scripture from K.J.V; I entered into the labors of F.F. Bruce Bible Commentary, F. Roy Coad; quotes from C.S. Lovett’s Lights on Galatians; Sermon on the Mount by: Kelly Varner; sermon by Carolyn Sissom on Galatians 5 – 8/30/2009. www.eastgateministries.com, sermon notes; quote from John Sielski.