THE MYSTERIES OF THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN
THE MYSTERIES OF THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN
November 29, 2014, the Year of Our Lord
Pastor Carolyn Sissom
Matthew 4:17: “From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
Matthew 13:11: “He answered and said unto them, because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.”
It is well said that the Kingdom of God tells us whose Kingdom it is and the Kingdom of Heaven tells us where it is. However throughout the four gospels, the two terms are used synonymously.
The Kingdom of God is within us. (Luke 17:21) Therefore, the Kingdom of Heaven is within us. Through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit the Kingdom of God indwells our spirit. We do not have to wait until we go to Heaven to experience the Glory of the Kingdom. The living soul of a Godly man is raptured by the Holy Spirit into the Kingdom of Heaven. “The Godly have heaven already….no soul shall ever come to Heaven, but the soul which has Heaven come to it first” (J.B.). When Heaven has come to us, we live, move and have our being in the realm of the Kingdom of Heaven on earth as it is in Heaven.
"Now this is a great mystery to have the Kingdom of heaven in the soul. No man can know this but the soul which has it. The Heaven within the soul is like the white stone and the new name, that none besides those that have it can understand it." The soul is the mind, will and emotions. Therefore, when Heaven rules our soul, we have the mind of Christ, desire the will of God, and yield our emotions.
Matthew 7:21: “Not every one that says unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that does the will of my Father which is in heaven.”
Matthew 13: 45-50: “The Kingdom of heaven is like a merchant man seeking goodly pearls: who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.”
The happiness of a Christian is that the Kingdom within himself satisfies him more than all the riches of the world. James 1:4 speaks of this place in Christ. “Let patience have her perfect work that you may be perfect, and entire, wanting nothing.”
“Wanting nothing”…that does not mean that we have “nothing”, but that in whatever state we find ourselves, we are content (Phil. 4:1). Godliness with contentment is great gain.
The word in James 1:4 signifies to have the whole inheritance of “joint heirs” to ourselves, not a broken inheritance spread apart in pieces here and there. When the heart is patient under afflictions, it finds itself in such an estate as this. We find the entirety of completeness.
Paul speaks of a man, Epaphras who experienced this completeness.
Col. 4:12: “Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ, salutes you, always laboring fervently for you in prayers, that you may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God.”
When people complain, whine, criticize, condemn, and are angry all the time, it is a sign that there is emptiness in their hearts. If their hearts were filled with grace, they would be happy, content, and complete. This state of being has nothing to do with our outward circumstances. A gracious heart having the Spirit of God within, and filled with grace is able to stand complete in contentment.
Secneca wrote: “Those things that I suffer will be incredibly heavy when I cannot bear myself. If I am no burden to myself, all is quiet within my own heart, and then I can bear anything.” When we yield our guilt, shame and personal failures to the righteousness of the Blood of Jesus Christ, we do not stand condemned.
While studying for this message, I became sleepy and fell asleep on the sofa in my office. I had a dream: “I saw the Lord Jesus Christ hanging on the cross bleeding profusely. I heard a voice speak to me. “Jesus died on the cross to release power to the world”. It seemed that electric power was being released from His Blood and covered the earth like lightning, but I did not see lightning." (End of dream)
On awakening, I asked the Lord, “Why we are living so far below the provision of this manifest power from your blood?” He did not answer me.
In the dream, the power was emitting from the “Blood”. I considered the scripture in Rev. 19:13: “He was clothed with vesture dipped in blood; and His name is called The Word of God.” However, in my vision of the night, it was not a garment from which the blood was flowing, but from the Body of Christ.
Could it be the vision was a revelation of a present dispensation to the overcoming, triumphant church whose "rmeis which were in heaven followed Him upon white horses, cloted in fine linen; white and clean."
After all the church on earth is part of the armies of Heaven; because Heaven indwells the church on earth.
Perhaps the Lord was showing me the power of the blood of the everlasting covenant (Heb. 13:20): “Remission of sins, Blood of the New Testament; Eternal life in the Blood; justification,; saved from the wrath to come; forgiveness of sins; redemption and sanctification. Through the Blood of Jesus, we are made to come near to Jesus.
This power is experienced by every born again Child of God after we receive our salvation and follow wholly after the Lord.
This is the covenant God has made with us in Christ. The Holy Scripture speaks of eight everlasting covenants.
Hebrews 13:20: “Now the God of peace that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant.”
In the Old Covenant of the Law in 2 Samuel 23:5, there is a wonderful statement by David who found this place in the Lord even though he did not have the Covenant of Grace revealed as fully as we have.
“These are the last words of David, the son of Jesse and the man who was raised up on high, the anointed of the God of Jacob, and the sweet psalmist of Israel, said, The Spirit of the Lord spoke by me, and His words was in my tongue… Although my house be not so with God; yet He has made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things, and sure; for this is all my salvation, and all my desire, although He make it not to grow.”
David is saying though his house is not as he hoped it would be. (We know he had tribulation in his family. Even after his death, his sons rebelled and fought over the kingdom.) Yet the Lord has made with David an everlasting covenant, ordered and sure. David had this confidence and this peace even though he could not see it.
We live in times of uncertainty and “distress of nations with perplexity”. We know that none of us can be sure of wealth, retirement funds, social security, health insurance, or protection from and by our government. There is no certainty in the things of the world. Jobs, investments and savings can be gone in one day.
However, the Covenant of the Blood of Jesus Christ is sure. The Covenant of grace through the Blood of Jesus has already been “ordered in all things and is sure for this is all my salvation, and all my desire.”
All that mankind can desire is complete in the everlasting covenant. All seven of the everlasting covenants of the Old Testament are complete in Christ Jesus who is the fullness, propitiation, and mediator of the new covenant by the Spirit of grace.
This covenant of power, grace, righteous, joy and peace indwells the Christian through the power of the blood of the everlasting covenant established in the Kingdom of God.
Revelation 12:10: I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ; for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony, and the loved not their lives to the death.”
Matthew 13:44: “The kingdom of heaven is like to a treasure hid in a field; the which when a man has found, he hides, and for joy thereof goes and sells all that he has, and buys that field.”
Through this great covenant of grace, we have the promise that He will never leave us nor forsake us.
We have the Kingdom of Heaven present and the glory of God within us. One drop of the sweetness of heaven is enough to take away all sourness and bitterness of all afflictions of the world.
“Why do you not suffer yourselves to be defrauded?...do you not know that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God. Be not deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards nor revelers, nor extortionist, shall inherit the kingdom of God.”
Which are many in the church and multitudes in the peoples of the earth.
Matthew 5:10: “Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
Matthew 10:7: “As you go preach, saying, the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
Carolyn Sissom, Pastor
Eastgate Ministries Church
Scripture from K.J.V. – quote from Jeremiah Burroughs as indicated from The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment – public domain.