The Kingdom of God

1. The Kingdom of God

2. The Kingdom of God: • Growing up in the church. Nice people, little impact. (encountering God @ 19) • What is the central message of Jesus? (most have reduced it to saving sinners) • The central message of Jesus is about the Kingdom of God. His opening line was, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is here” (Mt 4:17). And the last thing he spoke to them about was the kingdom (Acts 1:3). • What is the kingdom of God?

3. The Kingdom of God: • Matthew 4:23-24, “Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed, and he healed them.”

4. The Kingdom of God: • Matthew 9:33-38, “Jesus went through all the towns & villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom & healing every disease & sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed & helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send workers into his harvest field.’”

5. The Kingdom of God: • What is the kingdom of God? • The kingdom of God is the rule & reign of God. It is the restoration of things to the way God intended them to be. It is the reversal of everything that went wrong with the world when sin entered the world. (e.g., separation; sickness; demonization; poverty; oppression; death…)

6. The Kingdom of God: • God’s plan is to restore his kingdom to the planet through his church; he gave us authority to carry on His kingdom works. • One of the essential keys to doing kingdom ministry is learning to walk in authority. Authority is the right to act on someone else’s behalf; it is the right to use someone else’s power. (police)

7. The Kingdom of God: • Jesus gave us authority to carry on His kingdom works. • Matthew 10:1,7-8, “He called his twelve disciples to him & gave them authority to drive out evil spirits & to heal every disease & sickness… As you go, preach this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven is near.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons.’”

8. The Kingdom of God: • Jesus gave us authority to carry on His kingdom works. • John 14:12, “I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.” (calling to renewal; Summit experience)

9. The Kingdom of God: • The Biblical model of leadership is a spiritual authority model. But, that is not the model we use today in the church. We simply Christianize secular leadership models. I think we can, and should, learn wisdom from leadership principles, but this is not the spiritual leadership model taught in Scripture. (e.g., Preach revival – Moses holds the key, Ex 17 next slide)

10. The Kingdom of God: • Exodus 17:8-16, “Then Amalek came and fought with Israel at Rephidim. So Moses said to Joshua, ‘Choose for us men, and go out and fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand.’ So Joshua did as Moses told him, and fought with Amalek, while Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. Whenever Moses held up his hand, Israel prevailed, and whenever he lowered his hand, Amalek prevailed.

11. The Kingdom of God: • Exodus 17:8-16, “But Moses’ hands grew weary, so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it, while Aaron and Hur held up his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side. So his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. And Joshua overwhelmed Amalek and his people with the sword.

12. The Kingdom of God: • Exodus 17:8-16, “Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Write this as a memorial in a book and recite it in the ears of Joshua, that I will utterly blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven.’ And Moses built an altar and called the name of it, The Lord Is My Banner, saying, ‘A hand upon the throne of the Lord!’” (ESV) • Joshua & the old man on the hill (Moses – why me?) (staff)

13. The Kingdom of God: • Spiritual authority is the ability to contend in the heavenly realms in such a way as to change outcomes on earth. God has given His people spiritual authority so that His Kingdom desires can be manifest in our midst. We have to touch heaven to change earth. • Some would say, “But, I am not Moses. I can’t make much difference.” Let’s look at our authority in Christ as Paul describes it.

14. The Kingdom of God: • In the book of Ephesians the phrase ‘heavenly realms’ occurs five times, and it is a revelation of our spiritual authority. • First, Ephesians 1:3, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.” (chosen; adopted; first born status; redemption; sealed with the Spirit) (Co call at monastery)

15. The Kingdom of God: • Second, Ephesians 1:18-21, “I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know . . . His incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title than can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.”

16. The Kingdom of God: • Third, Ephesians 2:6, Paul says, “And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus.” (Dianna) • Fourth, Ephesians 3:8-12, “Although I am less than the least of all God’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things.

17. The Kingdom of God: • Fourth, Ephesians 3:8-12, “His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to his eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.”

18. The Kingdom of God: • Fifth, Ephesians 6:12, “For our struggle is not against flesh & blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” (the battle) • Unless the church takes up her position in the heavenly realms, and begins to utilize the authority that God has given, we will continue to have minimal impact in changing circumstances on earth. We cannot win a spiritual battle with earthly weapons. (Harlem)

19. The Kingdom of God: • So, how do we move in authority? • First, to move in authority we must grow in intimacy. (e.g., Moses – Exodus 3; impossible assignment; Who am I?) • Exodus 3:12-13, “But Moses said to God, ‘Who am I, that I should go…?’ And God said, ‘I will be with you.’”

20. The Kingdom of God: • So, how do we move in authority? • First, to move in authority we must grow in intimacy. • Moses’ words had weight in heaven’s ears because he was face to face friends with God. (Ex 33:11) (Num 12) • Moses first response to God’s appearance is to hide his face from God (Ex 3:6). (aversion – fear of intimacy; checkered past) (Father dream)

21. The Kingdom of God: • So, how do we move in authority? • First, to move in authority we must grow in intimacy. • When God gives us an impossible assignment, he gives us one promise, “I will be with you.” The key is His presence. We must pursue God. (Luke 11:13) (“Fear not; I am with you”; Dream – revival; Moses holds the key – pursuit) (pursuit – retreats; fast; watch; Descriptive not prescriptive)

22. The Kingdom of God: • So, how do we move in authority? • Second, to move in authority we must increase our capacity for more of God. Ephesians 3:14-21 – “I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith…” (v.16-17). We must thicken the walls of our soul. (Brockton)

23. The Kingdom of God: • Second, to move in authority we must increase our capacity for more of God. Wall thickening acts: • Pass the tests. Before God can promote us, he will test us. (Diffy Q) (James 1) (monastery – I’m answering your prayer) Joseph – Psalm 105 • Psalm 105:19, “Until the time that his word came to pass, the word of the Lord tested him.” • Israel – Psalm 106:15, “And He gave them their request, but sent leanness into their soul.”

24. The Kingdom of God: • So, how do we move in authority? • Second, to move in authority we must increase our capacity for more of God. Wall thickening: • Pass the tests (James 1) • Redemptive suffering (Romans 8) (vow not to waste suffering) • Soul care (identity – issue of my value…; forgiveness - Oscar; inner healing – abuse & hole in the bucket)

25. The Kingdom of God: • Third, to move in spiritual authority, we must learn submission. Testings & sufferings are critical to learning submission. (Heb 5:8, Jesus ‘learned obedience from what he suffered.’) • Moses – (Exodus 3 – a reluctant leader submits to God’s assignment) (Numbers 12:1-9, v. 3, “Now Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth.”)

26. The Kingdom of God: • Third, to move in spiritual authority, we must learn submission. Testings & sufferings are critical to learning submission. (Heb5:8) • Apostles – Mt 16:13-26 – Keys; Peter’s rebuke; deny self & take up cross (yes to God; no to self) (our words have weight only when we live into the truth; Pastors & Soul Care ppts)

27. The Kingdom of God: • Third, to move in spiritual authority, we must learn submission. • You can only use the keys of the kingdom to the degree you are in submission to the king. All spiritual authority is delegated. (Mt 28:20 – all authority in heaven & on earth belongs to Jesus. We have none but what he delegates). Therefore, we must submit. When we step outside of God’s umbrella of authority, we act on our own. (drink umbrella!) (what if you never see it – next generation)

28. The Kingdom of God: • Fourth, to move in spiritual authority we must exercise faith. We can act in authority only to the degree we receive by faith the revelation of Jesus’ exaltation. The early church was devoted to four things (Acts 2:42) including the Apostle’s teaching. A study of all the Apostle’s teaching in Acts shows that they consistently taught three things about Jesus. (Crucified, Resurrected, Exalted)

29. The Kingdom of God: • Fourth, to move in spiritual authority we must exercise faith. Jesus is exalted over all things. He is exalted over sin. So we can have forgiveness & freedom. He is exalted over Satan, so we can cast out demons, and break demonic strongholds. Jesus is exalted over sickness, so we can heal the sick. (e.g., believe Jesus is exalted over sickness at a 3, appropriate healing at a 3) (e.g., Mt 10:1,7-8 – closing the gap) (1st deliverance)

30. The Kingdom of God: • Spiritual authority umbrella – 3’ problem; 2’ umbrella – have to expand umbrella (e.g., Mt 17 – b/c you have so little faith & Mk 9 – prayer & fasting) (Anson) • God wants to advance His kingdom on earth as it is in heaven. He wants you to use delegated authority to do kingdom works. Are you willing to pay the price?

31. The Kingdom of God: