Who is God? King: The Kingdom of Heaven

What is this Kingdom of Heaven, and what has it got to do with us?

The Lord has established His throne in heaven, and His kingdom rules over all. - Psalm 103:19 

What is a Kingdom?
= king’s domain = the people and land under a King’s dominion, or rule

A kingdom is defined by:

• the leadership and rule of a King
• Laws made and enforced by the King
• Demands obedience and allegiance of its subjects
•  Unique culture and language
• A kingdom includes a community of people

People of the Kingdom of Heaven

Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God. - Eph 2:19

If you believe that Jesus Christ really did die on a Cross and paid the punishment for your sins, and have told God so, then He adopts you into His family. Once you are part of His family, you are automatically citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven. Any Kingdom's culture is dictated by the laws of the King and the attitudes and values of the King. We know that God is love, and therefore the culture of the Kingdom of Heaven is one of love, support, unity.


Its people are united by the love of the King, and love for what He loves - people. If our King would go out of His way to find the lost and wandering, then we as His community - His family - will do the same. The People of Heaven are those who would befriend the friendless and help the helpless.


Life in the Kingdom of Heaven

A Kingdom that has utterly destroyed its enemies will not have them in its midst. In the same way, the Kingdom of Heaven is devoid of the work of Satan. It is therefore free from sickness, fear, disunity, depression, darkness and oppression -- it is full of joy, peace, wholeness, light.


As representatives of the Kingdom of Heaven, we are to extend this Kingdom by establishing territory that is free from the works of Satan, and abounding in the works of God. This therefore is wherever we pray for people to bring healing, restoration, wholeness, Life. This might include our own lives, our schools, families and workplaces. Where this work is abounding and the works of Satan are being destroyed, the Kingdom of Heaven is being established. Jesus has sent us to heal the sick, bring deliverance to the captives and preach the Gospel to the poor. He is working through us to bring the lost to Himself. Fulfilling the Great Commission is extending the kingdom of Heaven.


The Message of the Kingdom
1. Jesus' Gospel: "Repent! The Kingdom of Heaven is Near"

From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, "Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." - Matt 4:17 

Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel" - Mark 1:14-15

His messages were marked with:

•  calls to repentance and to the standards of God’s righteousness and justice
• teaching of God’s ways
• miracles of healing, restoration and deliverance
•  I am the Son of Man (Dan 7:13-14), I am the Christ (Luke 22:70; 23:2)

Jesus gave many 'the Kingdom of Heaven is like...' stories to explain what it was like. Then he demonstrated it by healing the sick and delivering those possessed by demons.


2. the Early Church: "Repent! Believe in Jesus Christ and be saved" (my paraphrase)

The disciples, after Jesus returned to Heaven, carried a similar message to Jesus. Acts is full of accounts of their sermons. Examples include Peter's first sermon on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2); Peter's message at Cornelius' house (Acts 10:34-43); Acts 13:38-39 (Paul at Antioch); 1 Cor 15:1-5 (Paul to the Corinthians).

The recurrent message is:

•  Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God.
• Jesus died and rose again (witnessing of the fact)
• believe in Him and be saved.

Their messages were also accompanied by demonstrations of healing and deliverance. In essence, their message is still the same as Jesus'. The difference is that Jesus is no longer bodily present. Their message and demonstrations of power still speak of the nearness of the Kingdom of Heaven, and that its King is calling all into it.

3. The Gospel We Share?

So what is the gospel we should share? Should it not be the same on every count? Including the demonstrations?

After Jesus' resurrection, He instructed His disciples to make disciples of all nations and to be witnesses of Him.

What is a witness? It is someone who has seen or experienced something happen. They can testify of what happened because they were there. The disciples who received the Great Commission were witnesses because they had lived with Jesus, eaten with Jesus, worked with Jesus, seen Him forgive, heal and deliver; they had also seen Him suffer, die and rise again. They were witnesses that He is real, and that He continues to forgive, heal and deliver.

How can we be witnesses of something unless we have seen it? YOU can witness the power and reality of Jesus Christ of Nazareth because of what He has already done for you. Some of you can tell of miraculous transformation, others of deliverance from a lifestyle of darkness and oppression. Others can tell of answered prayer and a peace deep inside that you cannot deny.

You can continue to experience His ongoing work in your life when you take God seriously with His commandments and instructions in His Word. We are instructed to pray for our enemies, to not ask back for something that someone borrows from us, to forgive, to walk in God's standards of righteousness and justice - not our own, to not be anxious for anything but in everything by prayer and supplication present our requests to God.

When we take seriously God's Word and actually DO what it says, we will find that it is true, and that things are the way it says things are. Then we become witnesses to the power and truth of God's Word. Then we can tell people that the great things we have experienced is true, and that they can experience it too.

Are YOU a citizen of the Kingdom of Heaven?
It sounds fantastical, but it's more real than this world is. You are not just flesh and blood, but also spirit. After your body expires, your spirit lives on. Where does it go after that? It depends on you.

Satan doesn't want people to believe that God is real, that you can live the way you want and to hell with everyone else. If you believe him, there is no choice but to share in his fate - you'll be in eternal hell yourself. It is not the place God wants you to be. It was made for Satan, but there are only two camps in this universe, and if you aren't on God's side, you've chosen Satan's.

If you will believe that God IS real, and that He is real enough for you to pledge allegiance to Him, then you have come Home. God created you to discover Him. Your sins condemn you to pay its punishment by eternal death but Jesus came so that you would not need to pay it. He wants you to have eternal life close to Him forever - not eternal death. He took your place the day that He died an excruciating death on a Roman cross, and His blood flowed so that your wrongs could be forever forgiven. Then He rose again from the dead to prove that it didn't beat Him, but that He is greater than death.

While you live, His promise is to be with you, fight for you and provide for you, and so much more. After this life, you will be in Paradise with Him forever. Do you want this? If so, you need to tell Him. Below is a sample of a prayer that you can model after. 

When you pray this, mean it with all your heart and address Him directly even though you can't see Him- He's been waiting for you. Jesus said that when we pray, we should address the Father in His Name. This is because it was Jesus who died for you. If you pray in His Name, you are authorised to have what you ask. We say 'Amen' at the end because it means 'I really mean what I've just said'.

Dear Father God,  I come to you in Jesus Christ of Nazareth's name,
I've heard that you've been waiting for me to come Home. I have done so many wrong things in my life but I hear that Jesus took the punishment for it all so that I could be forgiven. I believe it. His blood was poured out to pay for my sins. I want so much for all these past wrongs to be erased. In a court of law, people plead guilty or not guilty - I plead guilty, but I also plead that your blood would erase my wrongs too. Please forgive me and wash me clean. I want to live this life forever clean, and to have a place with you in the Kingdom of Heaven.
I hear that you are a Love. I believe it. Since you are love, pour it into my heart and displace all the selfish, ugly parts that aren't meant to be there. Make me new - to be like you! I'm getting off the throne of my own life and asking that you become the new King. Teach me those laws that bring healing, restoration and peace to me and to everyone around me. Show me how to live a life that makes you smile everyday. Amen.

If you already have prayed a similar prayer like the above and consider yourself a Christian, I urge you to think about whether you've been truly living like one in heart, and not just in ritual. Why? It's easy to get into a routine of Christian things to do. But a true Christ Follower knows Him like a best friend and loyal servant, and works together with Him to extend the Kingdom - because that's what God is all about - pushing back Satan's Kingdom, taking it over, and freeing its people from Satan's grasp. Are you doing this? If not, it's time for a sincere get-together with God. Remember, He's always listening, even if you feel distant from Him. May you truly find your place in the Kingdom and walk in His ways.