Archived Message

Febuary 2007: Jesue And The Kingdom Of Heaven

Abraham looked for a city not built with human hands. We are told in Hebrews 11:10 'For he looked for a city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.' We are told that Abraham lived by faith in the land of promise yet the only land he owned was a field with a cave in it. Clarke's commentary says 'his faith showed him that it was only a type and pledge of a better country, and he kept that better country continually in view: he, with Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs of the same promise, were contented to dwell in tents, without any fixed habitation.'Through the eyes of faith, in the vision of a Kingdom that was a mirror image of heaven, Abraham lived in a land that was far from being that blessed place.

Hungry for the Kingdom.
In the time of Jesus the people of Israel were still hungry to see that same vision of father Abraham. They listened with eager hearts to the words of Jesus as He told them about this coming Kingdom. Every one wanted it to come now and who could blame them? I would be bold enough to say that most of the World's population desires a heavenly kingdom to live in and that most religions promise in some way a perfect existence in a perfect place whether it be ethereal or tangible.

In the time of Jesus this city of Abrahams' vision was still not evident and so the excitement when they heard so much about this long awaited Kingdom. Jesus told Pilate " my Kingdom is not of this world".

The Buildings of the Heavenly City.
One of the first things that happens in the building of a city is that houses are built for the residents. It is not surprising to find Jesus giving instructions on how to build a house to the requirements of the Kingdom of Heaven. The revelation is that each one of us is like a house where God wants to dwell.
1Co 6:19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit in you, whom you have of God? And you are not your own,
1Co 6:20 for you are bought with a price. Therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's.

The Kingdom of Heaven was coming to the individual. They had looked to the great Temple in Jerusalem as the dwelling place of God but that Temple was to be destroyed. Where would they look for God then? The Rabbis taught that the body of a righteous man was a temple. Now through the sacrifice of Christ all who believe in him would be righteous and therefore a temple, a building for God's presence. Jesus was preparing His listeners for the quantum leap from the Temple into the hearts of the individual. Jesus said:
Mat 7:24 Therefore whoever hears these sayings of mine, and does them, I will liken him as to a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:
Mat 7:25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it did not fall; for it was founded upon a rock.
Mat 7:26 And every one that hears these sayings of mine, and does not do them, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:
Mat 7:27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.

Foundations must be to certain requirements.
Everything that Jesus tells us to do is like the bricks and mortar of our spiritual house so that we may dwell in comfort and in the assurance that we will stand against every storm of life.
Have you noticed recently that when you buy a new appliance or something else, that the instructions have a list of things not to do. This is for your own personal safety and it also makes sure that there is no come back on the manufacturer. The instructions given by Jesus also have this same warning as to how we should build our life. The story of the wise and foolish builders is the final thought of the section where Jesus gives many rules and regulations that tell us how to be a citizen of the heavenly Kingdom. This section is commonly called the beatitudes. It is the place where we find many gems from the sayings of Jesus. It is the place where we find Jesus saying blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven' (Matt5:3). The Christian is a citizen of heaven. The Christian is conversant with the codes and morals of the heavenly city ( Philippians 3:20) and whatever we build here on earth should be built to heavenly standards. I don't know what the situation is in the area you live in but here in Queensland Australia the building standards are very strict. If you build outside their guidelines you will be asked to knock down your structure and have to build again according to the proper regulations. It is just the same with the Kingdom of Heaven. There is Divine order wherever God is. The plan of the Temple in Jerusalem had to conform perfectly to God's design. It is the same for the citizens of the Kingdom.

Solid Rock is the best foundation.
There is a warning to each of us not to build on false ideals but build our lives on Jesus who is that Rock (1Cor.10:4). Peter also warns of ignoring the Rock in this passage about Jesus:
1Pe 2:8 and a Stone-of-stumbling and a Rock-of-offense to those disobeying, who stumble at the Word, to which they also were appointed.
1Pe 2:9 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for possession, so that you might speak of the praises of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;
1Pe 2:10 you who then were not a people, but now the people of God, those not pitied then, but now pitied.
1Pe 2:11 Dearly beloved, I exhort you as temporary residents and pilgrims to abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul,
1Pe 2:12 having your conduct honest among the nations, in that which they speak against you as evildoers, they may glorify God in a day of His visitation, seeing your good works.

God wants the best house for you.
The Lord does not want you to be like an old wobbly shack that is just waiting to collapse. He wants you to be the type of house that is the best in the street, that will never be shaken down, the type of house people want to move in to. This everlasting Kingdom where Christ Jesus rules in all fairness and goodness is something to look forward to because it is Gods' plan for his creation and it will happen at the appointed time.

How do you get in?
It is simply this, believe that Jesus paid the price to set you free from the sins of your life. None of us are debt free from our lifetime of sojourning on this planet. Admit that you have made mistakes and lived a life as a citizen of a world in rebellion to the Kingdom of God.

Speak to Jesus and say something like this "Jesus I know my life is built on shaky land and I have no confidence in my future security. I will put my faith in you and I ask that I may be born anew from heaven and live a new life where your Kingdom principles will replace my old ideas of life. Jesus, please be Lord of my life and take away every sin and curse that has choked my efforts to live a decent life. I accept the sacrifice you made for my sin. Thank you for loving me so much. Lord, bring that vision of the Kingdom of Heaven to my heart that I may, like Abraham, live a life of faith in You the Son of God and the Your Kingdom to come."

I know you will enjoy your new house,
Love
Ivan.

For correspondence on matters relating to this message e-mail me at pastorivan@livingconnections.com. I am very interested in hearing from you.

Go back to the archives.