AUGUST – KINGDOM OF GOD
1. Matthew 4:17 “From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, ‘Repent, for the
Kingdom of heaven is at hand.’”
Jesus begins His ministry with a hopeful announcement. He is saying that sin will no longer have any authority to rule you when you repent and enlist your life in the King-dom of heaven. When we are under the mantle of sin we have the kingdom of darkness dominating us. But as we receive forgiveness for our sins and submit to a new life we are choosing to come under the government of God, or the rule of Jesus. He is our new King. He is a good King. He will protect us, provide for us, and treat us with respect as we are now subjects of His domain. As long as we keep Him as our reigning Sovereign all the benefits of the Kingdom of God are available to us to use and to keep.
2. Matthew 4:23 “From there He went all over Galilee. He used synagogues for meeting
places and taught people the truth of God. God’s Kingdom was His theme – that beginning right now they were under God’s government, a good government! He also healed people of their diseases and of the bad effects of their bad lives. MSG
Without any government to guide us we become lawless. Everybody does whatever is right in their own eyes. Satan has deceived mankind since creation to bend to his schemes. He has lured us into his trap of rebellion against God and controlled us with the evil powers of darkness into doing whatever we selfishly desire. Jesus came as the Light of the world and is establishing His Kingdom of Light within our hearts. When we subscribe to His rule we come under His government, and the blessings of the Lord.
3. Matthew 5:3 “ You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope. With less of you
there is more of God and His rule.” MSG
Other versions of this passage state that those who are meek, humble, or poor in spirit
are blessed of God and become recipients of the Kingdom of God. That means they be-come subjects of the King and are under His government and authority. Those sub-mitted to the Ruler of the Kingdom of God are entitled to the benefits provided, such as love, protection, provision, health care, fellowship of a spiritual family, and eternal life with the King. Jesus is the one who has committed Himself to be an honest governor of integrity to all who choose to come under His care. This will require a certain level of commitment, loyalty, and service to Him. As we believe in Him and really learn to know Him, He will reveal to us what is required from us to keep in good standing with Him.
4. Matthew 5:10 “ Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for
theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.”
Those who stand up for God and right living before God may come under the attack of
the enemies of God. But once we have come under the government of the Lord He will enable us to endure the persecution coming our way. This pressure will even drive us deeper into His Kingship. This persecution will cause us to be even more humble if we respond in a godly manner. The presence of the Lord will surround us. The supernatural power of Jesus will work through our lives. This is the blessing we receive. Our deep love for the King of Kings will prove that nothing in this world can separate us from the love of Christ. This is the testimony that speaks loudly to the world of people around us.
Therefore, live righteously and be humble before God and men – do not fear!
5. Matthew 5:18-19 “With all the earnestness I have I say: Every law in the Book will
continue until it’s purpose is achieved. And so if anyone breaks the least commandment, and teaches others to, he shall be the least in the Kingdom of Heaven. But those who teach God’s laws and obey them shall be great in the Kingdom of Heaven.” LB
We never want to forget or trivialize even the smallest part of what is written in the Bible. It is all written for a reason – to change our lives as we submit ourselves to the author of the Book. If we ever teach others to ignore or minimize the Word of God, we have be-come partners with them in lawlessness and significantly reduce our place in the King-dom of righteousness. We are to influence others to observe and obey the Scriptures by our example of obedience and continue to be great in the Kingdom of Heaven.
6. Matthew 6:33 ”But seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all
these things will be added to you.”
This verse follows the admonition from Jesus that we are not to worry about the neces-
sities of life that many people are so consumed with. To worry about what we should eat or what we will wear or how our bills will be paid is basically a negative meditation on how our needs will be provided for. We are rather to meditate on God’s ability and God’s promises about how He is going to provide for us in every way for everyday things. To seek first the Kingdom of God is to make every effort to submit ourselves to Jesus and to make Him Lord over every thought. We are to become subject to all the Scriptures so they become the rule over our lives. Once the Word of Truth governs us we enter into a contentment concerning the supply of God for all the “things” we need.
7. 1 Samuel 15:26-28 “But Samuel replied, It is no use! ‘Since you have rejected the com-
mandment of the Lord, He has rejected you from being the king of Israel.’ As Samuel turned to go, Saul grabbed at him trying to hold him back, and tore his robe. And Samuel said to him, ‘See? The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today and has given it to a countryman of yours who is better than you are.’” LB
King Saul had been given very specific instructions from the Lord concerning his part in
serving as the king of Israel. He wanted to be excused for his disobedience and for being a people-pleaser instead of a God-pleaser. He was determined that Samuel the prophet would cover up for him and he could still worship God in pretense in the eyes of the nation. The Lord was not impressed and removed him from his role in the kingdom. We want to obey all of what God says so we will maintain our position in the Kingdom.
8. Mark 10:23-24 “Then Jesus looked around and said to His disciples, ‘How hard it is
for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!’ And the disciples were astonished at His words. But Jesus answered again and said to them, ‘Children, how hard it is for those who trust in riches to enter the Kingdom of God.’”
Jesus was teaching His disciples following an incident where a rich young man was challenged by Jesus to not let his riches govern his life. If our wealth or things of this world rule us there is little chance that Jesus could ever be the governing authority in our lives. Therefore He cannot be Lord over us. The Kingdom of God is only a dwelling place for those who will allow the true King to reign over them. If money is what speaks to us and what we bow to, money then becomes the factor that pushes Jesus out of His rightful place of authority in our lives. Money becomes our king.
9. John 18:36 “ Jesus answered, ‘ My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were
of this world, My servants would fight, so that I would not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here.’”
Jesus was saying that His Kingdom did not consist of what they see around them. He is not a king of fleshly people or an earthly domain. He is a King over a spiritual Kingdom. This is the unseen realm. All those who claim Jesus as their King and the Kingdom of Heaven as their realm have had the experience of being born again. That is an invisible (to the human eye) spiritual experience. For these people to become functional in this domain there needs to be a conscious, deliberate act of submission to the One who has the power to bring them into the Kingdom. Jesus is the One! Therefore follow Him and obey all His Words. Become His servant, and thereby become great in the Kingdom.
10. Romans 14:17-18 “ God’s Kingdom isn’t a matter of what you put in your stomach,
for goodness sake. It’s what God does with your life as He sets it right, puts it together, and completes it with joy. Your task is to single-mindedly serve Christ. Do that and you’ll kill two birds with one stone; pleasing the God above you and proving your worth to the people around you.” MSG
Jesus wants to be Lord in all the affairs of your life on earth. He is not so interested in what you eat and drink as He is in how your attitudes and conduct demonstrate your total submission to His leadership. Once we have come to the point of hearing His voice and following all His desires with a good attitude, He can also guide us in the other issues that may affect our testimony to those around us. Let us all put our focus on the most important things, the spiritual things that allow Christ to be Lord in God’s Kingdom.
11. Exodus 19:5-6a “Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My
covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for the earth is Mine. And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.”
There is a prerequisite to becoming part of God’s Kingdom of priests. We are obligated to obey His voice. Biblical principles are meant to be obeyed. We are also to keep His covenant, and to keep it we need to understand what it says. It is difficult to keep a contract without knowing the content. Now our lives also have to prove by our actions that we are a people set apart by God for His own Kingdom purposes. Then, and only then, do we become Kingdom priests. As Kingdom priests we need to be aware that we are priests unto the King, not to one another. We worship and honor God, while He governs our actions to serve one another in love.
12. Galatians 5:21b-22a “ Let me tell you again as I have before, that anyone living that
sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God. But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives He will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control.” LB
What kind of people will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Those who practice sins such as adultery, fornication, sorcery, hatred, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, envy, selfish ambitions, drunkenness, and such things. These are works of the flesh. These kinds of people are ruled by carnal desires and their natural inclination to sin. God has no authority in their lives to lead them so He cannot allow them to be numbered with those who desire to produce godly fruit through godly living. The good fruit of the spirit can only grow in the atmosphere where people are under the government of Christ.
13. Matthew 6:9-10 “ In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be
Your Name, Your Kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”
Jesus is teaching His disciples to pray effectively. We are to declare that the Kingdom of
God come here, on earth. What does that mean? In heaven the will of God exclusively is being done. He rules heaven without contradiction. We are to be praying that all, and only the will of God would be done here on earth also. That is the Kingdom of God come to earth, and meant to be embraced by mankind. Why do we declare that His will be done and then turn from our praying to do our own will for the better part of the day? It must be somewhat confusing for those who don’t have a relationship with Christ to observe Christians praying for God to establish His Kingdom among us, and then doing whatever is right in their own eyes. Let us truly live our own prayers before the Lord.
14. Matthew 13:31-32 “Here is another of His illustrations: The Kingdom of Heaven is
like a tiny mustard seed planted in a field. It is the smallest of all seeds, but becomes the largest of plants, and grows into a tree where birds can come and find shelter. LB
When we speak of the Kingdom of Heaven we are talking about the government of God being established in the lives of people. When we first get born again God’s rule is established in a very small way in our lives due to our lack of understanding fully who He is and what He is expecting of us as His subjects. As Jesus becomes ever more influential in our lives through study of the Scriptures, and the practice of worship, prayer, and serving, the Kingdom within us begins to grow. This training develops the seedling believer into a Kingdom Christian prepared to serve and help others.
15. Luke 9:61-62 “And another also said, ‘Lord, I will follow You, but let me first go and
bid them farewell who are at my house.’ But Jesus said to him, ‘No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the Kingdom of God.’”
Jesus is inviting us to follow Him and participate in the life of the Kingdom of God. Many followers are interested in the benefits offered by the Lord but still want to dabble in all their other interests in the world. Therefore they continue to look back and procrastinate concerning a full blown immersion in Kingdom life. They are still distracted by their past. Jesus is saying to us in this passage that He expects us to give Him full attention and commitment to serving Him in the Kingdom of God. If we want to delay our participation till a future time, we are not really fit to serve the King in the present. How could we practice instant obedience to our Lord when we have another agenda on the sideline?
16. Luke 18:15-17 “ Then they also brought infants to Him that He might touch them;
but when His disciples saw it they rebuked them. But Jesus called them to Him and said, ‘Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the Kingdom of God. Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the Kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it.’”
The point of this passage is not that we have to enter the Kingdom of God when we are young in age. Anyone who is childlike and has a trusting heart towards Jesus is wel-come to engage in a covenant relationship with Him and thereby enter the Kingdom of God. It is in humility and simplicity we approach Christ, confessing our sins and receiv-ing His forgiveness. We choose Him to be our Lord and King, to bring order and rule us, as we now have become a subject in His Kingdom. From this day, we serve only Him.
17. Luke 17:20-21 “ One day the Pharisees asked Jesus, ‘When will the Kingdom of
God begin?’ Jesus replied, ‘The Kingdom of God isn’t ushered in with visible signs. You won’t be able to say, It has begun here in this place or there in that part of the country. For the Kingdom of God is within you.’” LB
Natural people, such as the Pharisees, may still be looking for a physical kingdom to be established on earth. Jesus told those who questioned Him that the Kingdom was in their midst, or among them. What He was saying was that the Kingdom of God came with Himself, since He was the King, and wherever He went the Kingdom was present. There can be no separation between the King and the Kingdom. In the same way, when we become servants of the King through the new birth, the invisible kingdom is within us since the Spirit of the King is within us. We have become one with the Kingdom of God.
18. Luke 16:16-17 “ Until John the Baptist began to preach, the laws of Moses and the
messages of the prophets were your guides. But John introduced the Good News that the Kingdom of God would come soon. And now eager multitudes are pres-sing in. That doesn’t mean that the Law has lost it’s force even in the smallest point. It is as strong and unshakable as heaven and earth.” LB
Jesus is the Author of the laws of Moses as well as being the Author of all the true Words spoken by any prophets sent by Him. When John began to preach he was intro-ducing the Author, or King Jesus, to the people. This King was making His appearance to validate all the Word of God and to be the fulfillment of those words. He came as the anointed Ruler or Governor over all people that would accept Him as their Savior and make Him Lord over their lives. We are the people of that Heavenly Kingdom.
19. Luke 13:20-21 “ And again He said, ‘To what shall I liken the Kingdom of God? It is
like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till it was all leavened.’”
Leaven is yeast. Here Jesus is giving a parable or illustration about the effect of leaven. We know that the yeast hidden in a batch of dough will permeate the whole lump, and that the whole thing will eventually rise, in time. We have also seen that the result of sin hidden within people will affect their whole being and destroy them in the end. Jesus warned the disciples about the “leaven” of the Pharisees, who only pretended to be re-ligious on the outside but were rotten on the inside. But here in Luke 13 He declares that the Kingdom of God (the government of God), when seeded into people, can affect their whole being to cause them to rise up into a new life serving a Great King.
20. John 3:3 “ Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, unless
one is born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God.’”
Why is it that some people can never grasp the spiritual concepts of the Bible? Why do
they seem to be blind about the principles so clearly laid out in the Scriptures? Well, until there is a genuine transformation of the heart through the new birth, they will have a limited perception concerning the realities of the Word of God. That is why Jesus said they would not be able to see the Kingdom of God. This Kingdom must be seen from the inside. You must be born again to have the revelation of it. When a person seems blind to clearly stated Scripture, we might want to question if they are truly transformed in heart and born again. As you cannot force a blind eye to see, you also cannot force a spiritually lost person to partake of the Kingdom of Heaven.
21. Hebrews 12:28-29 “ Therefore, since we are receiving a Kingdom which cannot be
shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. For our God is a consuming fire.”
Everything on earth can be shaken or removed. Every earthly kingdom can be disrupted or destroyed. Only the Kingdom of God is secure and unshakable. Let us please God by having the fear of God, in serving with a thankful heart and worshipping Him with a humble spirit. As faithful subjects of the Mighty King, let us honor and reverence Him with our obedience to His Commands. He is not an indifferent bystander who will allow an “anything goes” attitude in the Kingdom of Heaven. The Lord is a consuming fire, and He will continue to purify us for making holy vessels He can use in His Kingdom. We are His covenant partners, chosen to work in the unshakable Kingdom of God.
22. Matthew 18:1-4 “ At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, ‘Who then is the
greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?’ And Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.’”
The Kingdom of Heaven is the realm where God presides over everything. Only people converted by Jesus can even enter there. The disciples seem to have the idea among themselves that there is a pecking order in God’s domain. Jesus confirms this idea. He says that the most humble servants are the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. Humble servants are those who obey quickly with the right attitude, so obey your Lord.
23. Matthew 22:1-5 “ And Jesus answered and spoke to them again by parables and
said, ‘The Kingdom of Heaven is like a certain King who arranged a marriage for His Son, and sent out His servants to call those who were invited to the wedding; and they were not willing to come.’ Again he sent out other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, See, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and fatted cattle are killed, and all things are ready. Come to the wedding.’ But they made light of it and went their own ways, one to his own farm, another to his business.”
We can see that God has arranged a marriage for His Son Jesus. The church is His bride. The people of the world are being invited by servants of God to come and be part of the wedding, as all things are prepared. Too many people are not willing to come. They are so busy with things that are temporal they will miss the Kingdom of Heaven.
24. Matthew 21:43 “ Therefore I say to you, the Kingdom of God will be taken from you
and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it.”
Jesus came to earth firstly for the Jews, who were God’s chosen people. The Jews
would not accept Jesus as the Savior-Messiah. They rejected Christ who was the Chosen Son given to be ruler in the Kingdom of God. They preferred to wallow in the Old Testament Laws and their own man-made traditions, over which they had some form of control. They had no idea that accepting Jesus meant living under His authority in a move to their freedom. So Jesus then fulfilled His commission to the world by taking His offering of salvation to the Gentiles, or non-Jews. The Kingdom of God will not be stifled by those who resist the government of God. Those who humbly ask for mercy will receive the blessing of being included in the Kingdom of God with all it’s benefits.
25. Matthew 11:11-12 “ Assuredly, I say to you, among those born of women there has
not risen one greater than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the Kingdom of Heaven is greater than he. And from the days of John the Baptist until now the Kingdom of Heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.”
Being born again and entering the Kingdom of God’s governmental rule is a wonderful thing. It is even greater than being a prophet before the time of Christ on earth. There is a great war being waged against mankind to keep people from submitting to the author-ity of Jesus in His Kingdom. The devil knows that those being governed by Jesus will not conform to the darkness of evil any longer. Those who have experienced new life in Christ need an aggressive submission and a violent determination to continue to serve their Lord in the Kingdom of Heaven made for them.
26. Matthew 13:10-13 “ The disciples came up and asked, ‘why do you tell stories?’ He
replied, ‘You’ve been given insight into God’s Kingdom. You know how it works. Not everybody has this gift, this insight; it hasn’t been given to them. Whenever someone has a ready heart for this, insights and understanding flow freely. But if there is no readiness, any trace of receptivity soon disappears. That’s why I tell stories: to create readiness, to nudge the people toward receptive insight. In their present state they can stare until doomsday and not see it, listen until they’re blue in the face and not get it.” MSG
If people don’t have insight into the Kingdom of God it’s because they will not make the necessary adjustment in their heart and attitude. All it takes is a humility that will ask God to come and take over their lives. They must choose Jesus to govern them.
27. Matthew 16:19 “ And I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven, and what-
ever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”
Jesus is the One who is in charge in the Kingdom of God. He has authority from the Father to rule, because He is totally submitted to Him. Now Jesus says He will give those of us in the Kingdom the keys of the Kingdom. This is how the keys work effect-tively. As we remain submissive and obedient to Jesus and know His mind on matters, He releases authority to us to do the work of the Kingdom we are assigned to. Jesus is currently seated at the right hand of the Father in heaven, functioning as the Head of the Church. He concurs with how we use those keys. In this manner power is released to do works that require supernatural intervention. It’s the Kingdom of Heaven in action.
28. Matthew 13:44-46 “ Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like treasure hidden in a field,
which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.”
The Kingdom of heaven is so much more valuable than anything we could discover on earth. We can lust for riches, we can strive for material things, and we can spend all of our currency on our wildest desires; but nothing can satisfy the human being like the Kingdom of Heaven. It is worth more than any other pursuit. We should prepare to for-sake all our valuables or any personal goal that would hinder us from obtaining the Kingdom. It is God’s pleasure to give us the Kingdom, and our pleasure to serve Him.
29. Matthew 21:28-31 “ But what do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to
the first and said, ‘Son, go work today in my vineyard.’ He answered and said, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he regretted it and went. Then he came to the second and said likewise. And he answered and said, ‘I go, sir,’ but he did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father? They said to Him, ‘The first.’ Jesus said to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you that tax collectors and harlots enter the Kingdom of God before you.’”
There is an interesting lesson for us in these verses. The vineyard obviously refers to the place of work for those in the church – the sons and daughters of God. We are to serve in the Kingdom of God. I believe we should neither procrastinate when receiving working orders from the Father, nor should we refuse to go when instructed to serve.
30. Colossians 1:13 “ He has delivered us from the power of darkness and translated
us into the Kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.”
Sometimes we may have the attitude that it is very difficult to serve God in this carnal world or that it is impossible to have a fruitful life that pleases Him. Let us remember today that it is Jesus’ power that delivered us from the wicked control of the powers of darkness. It is also His will and His power that placed us in the Kingdom of Light. Here is the secret to a successful Christian life. Give up your own will and all selfishness. Once we choose to totally submit to the will of our Lord we quit living in two worlds. The Kingdom of God is the arena where Jesus upholds all those who are sold out to pleas-ing Him. Jesus will give a good harvest to everyone loving and serving Him.
31. Matthew 13:37-43 “ He answered and said to them: ‘He who sows the good seed is
the Son of Man. The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the Kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one. The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels. Therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age. The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His Kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the Kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear’”
Once we become sons and daughters of the Kingdom of God we are the good seeds to be planted into the lives of people. We don’t need to be consumed with what the wicked are doing or what the devil is doing. God has a work force in place to organize His harvest. Those who live a lawless life or promote offences will be removed in God’s time. Let us just live by the principles of the Word of God and serve Him willingly. As we live in the light of a godly life we will shine brightly in the Kingdom of God.