Christian Living

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“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matthew 4:17)
I am but a tiny morsel in a sea of humanity. I could have been capable of living a perfectly righteous life if I had what Adam and Eve forsook, trust, and obedience to God’s Word. We were not like the rest of God’s creation, which was spoken by His Word into existence. Adam was formed from a mound of dust and had no life until God breathed His life into him. Thus, our life comes from the Creator, and we live by His Spirit. God is Spirit, and our spirits are akin to His. The Lord God also created us in His image. Humanity can reason, have an imagination for creativity, and pro-crate to grow our race. “Then the LORD God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.”...” Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’” (Genesis 1:26; Genesis 2:7)

We do not know how long Adam and Eve walked with God in the Garden of Eden before they fell into disobedience of God’s Word. They both sinned, and it fractures not only their intimate relationship with their Creator, but sin also fractured their spirit, heart, and mind. Sin fractured their whole physical being as well, and from then on, humanity is born with a resident evil their sin-nature. None in humanity is free from the constant battle between conscience and spirit. The spirit is only satisfied by the comfort of its original desire to harmonize with God’s Spirit. The flesh resists because of its desire for the pleasures of this world found in its sinful nature. There is no calming peace without unity with God’s Spirit. As a result, I am a tiny morsel incapable of pleasing God because I can never be righteous as He.

God sent Himself as a man named Jesus born of a virgin woman so He would not have sin tainted blood or a fractured spirit. He did have a physical body with the same desires as any in humanity but could overcome them in the power of His Spirit. God’s Spirit in His Son Jesus is a key that humanity needs to overcome the world and enter into the Kingdom of Heaven perfect. Jesus was tempted by Satan for forty days and overcame with the Word of God. If Satan could have caused Jesus to stumble, He could no longer be God, and humanity would be lost. “These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)

When Jesus came out of His trial with Satan in the wilderness, He knew how to resist temptations. I have no reason to believe Satan was through in the wilderness, and I believe He continues to tempt Jesus throughout His time in the world. I know one of His disciples, Peter, was used to tempt Him. Jesus knows that Satan has to obey the Word of God and the power of eternal life is in God’s Spirit. Jesus came to be the living Word of God for humanity’s recognition, live the perfect righteous life, and be the Lamb of God to pay the world’s sin debt. “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.” (Luke 19:10)
When John the Baptist was imprisoned, Jesus left Nazareth and traveled thirty miles to Capernaum along the Sea of Galilee. It was then He began His earthly ministry to teach the Gospel message of the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus was fully God and was fully a man of humanity. He humbled Himself of His deity and called Himself the Son of Man. Through His sacrifice on the cross and resurrection on the third day, He showed the world He had the power to defeat death, and eternal life is through Him. The message of Jesus is humanity would have to change its course to see the Kingdom of Heaven. “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matthew 4:17)

Adam and Eve were perfect at creation, and because they fell to disobedience of God’s Word, all of humanity fell short of the glory of God. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23) Repent means to change one’s mind, to feel remorse for the sins committed, and to be converted to a new course and destiny. We have to turn away from the fleshly world we live in to the spiritual world of the Kingdom. Paul says it this way to the Roman church. “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Romans 12:2)

The Old Testament teaching of the Kingdom of Heaven is a future Kingdom to be established here in the world. Many think of the Kingdom of Heaven as being in a far-off place called Heaven, which is not wrong in thinking. However, the Old Testament teaching was that the Kingdom would be here and be in the one-thousand-year reign of Jesus after the seven-year tribulation. After that, the Kingdom of Heaven continues in eternity. Jesus’ teaching adds to this thought on the Kingdom of Heaven. Some say the Kingdom is at hand means it is coming soon. Maybe, it is certainly sooner than later as time moves forward. As a representative of the Kingdom of Heaven, Jesus meant He brought the Kingdom near to humanity by His presence. This phrase can be used today, as the spiritual church of Jesus endowed with the indwelling Holy Spirit brings the Kingdom of God near to humanity.

The mission of all who believe in Jesus as their Savior is to continue His mission to seek and save the lost. Yet, most will not listen and even become hostel to hear the gospel message. They appear to be satisfied with the hopeless direction they are in. The Christian can only pray for them the Lord will open their minds to the truth of the Kingdom of God. It is just as obvious that God created this world as the world is passing away. Yet, they have been given over to the wicked ways by rejecting the truth. “And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper, being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful; and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them.” (Romans 1:28-32)

A natural person cannot reason with faith and see it as a mythical wish. They cannot discern the grace of God and excuse it as luck. “But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.” (1 Corinthians 2:14). All the while, they are moving towards the fury of God’s final wrath and the second death. “But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.” (Revelation 21:8) It is the burden that every believer in Jesus carries their love for the lost souls of humanity.

With the God-fearing religious of the day, the Pharisees and scribes, He argued the Old Testament’s scripture, and the words of the Prophets pointed to Him as the Messiah. “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me; and you are unwilling to come to Me so that you may have life.” (John 5:39-40) After Jesus’ resurrection, He walked the road to Emmaus with some of His disciples who were distressed over His crucifixion. Jesus explained the scriptures, and the prophets pointed to Jesus. “Then beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures. (Luke 24:27)

Gospel Message of Jesus is the immediacy of the coming of the Kingdom of God. No one knows the hour or day the church will be called out, the appointed time of death, or the return of Jesus for the judgment of the world. Therefore, all need salvation from God’s wrath the gospel offers. The gospel sums the law of God into two points. “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.” (Luke 10:27)

The gospel message begins and ends with God’s love. “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” (John 3:16). Deliverance is the desire of God, as “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23) Jesus, the Lamb of God, sacrificed Himself on the cross shedding His blood as an atonement for the world’s sin. By His grace through faith we can receive the salvation offered by God. We can receive purpose for our lives that has blessings in the Kingdom of God now and eternally. “But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” (Philippians 2:4-10)

As a result of salvation and the gift from God’s love, we see the people around us in their great need of freedom from the bondage of sin. You will have the desire to express Godly love towards them, hoping your prayer will be answered they will see God. The power of His Spirit can do that. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” (Galatians 5:22)

Believe in the name and power of Jesus, who created all things and sustains all things. “For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities--all things have been created through Him and for Him.” (Colossians 1:16) Give that some deep thought, and you will have a reverent fear for God the Father and His Son your Christ. The next time you call out to your Lord, do so in awe, as the Kingdom of Heaven is near because it is in you, and you are a part of the Kingdom to come. “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.” (John 1:12-13)

Thomas N Kirkpatrick First Baptist Church of Durant, June 23, 2021

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