Value
Luke 4:42Now when it was day, He departed and went into a deserted place. And the crowd sought Him and came to Him, and tried to keep Him from leaving them;
43but He said to them, “I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, because for this purpose I have been sent.”
44And He was preaching in the synagogues of Galilee.
Jesus preached the kingdom of God. It's good for us to consider what Jesus taught. I want to talk about the same things Jesus does. I want gatherings I attend to reflect the teaching of Jesus.
Jesus didn't teach much of what the modern church thinks belongs in a church meeting. He taught the kingdom of God.
What is the kingdom of God? It's the value system of the Father. It is the call to voluntarily line up with the value system of heaven before it comes so that I can actually live there. It is the wedding invitation before the marriage. It is a the "repent, for the kingdom is at hand." It is the parables as warnings to take seriously the internal over the external.
The kingdom is coming from inside of those who receive the preaching of Jesus. It's an internal reality that manifests externally.
Jesus taught repentance, because repentance is the only entrance into the kingdom of God. Humbling myself and coming through the only way IS, actually, the only way.
When Jesus preached the kingdom, people tried to kill Him. They loved Him one minute and, as soon as they realized He wasn't approving them in their current state, they tried to drag Him to cliffs to kill Him, or picked up stones to destroy Him.
This is the nature of the true kingdom... It offends our thoughts about our own goodness or righteousness.
The kingdom sifts every "righteous cause" through actual internal righteousness. It's law is that of integrity....that only integral righteousness is allowed to manifest actual outward goodness. What I mean is that God doesn't give his glory to another. You can't look clean on the outside, be dirty on the inside, and still stay safe to drink from.
Luke 11:39Then the Lord said to him, “Now you Pharisees make the outside of the cup and dish clean, but your inward part is full of greed and wickedness.
40“Foolish ones! Did not He who made the outside make the inside also?
Only those who submit themselves in humility to learning love, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness, goodness, joy, and self control are actually allowed to bring the kingdom... Your kingdom is within you:
Matthew 12:35 “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things.
God doesn't use the unrighteous to manifest the righteous...he uses it to test the righteous. We should heed this reality.
Humble people love the preaching of Jesus' kingdom, and no one is born humble. Those who say yes to being changed, and to the cross that comes with being true as that change occurs, are receiving the kingdom.
This is the only good news. This is the kingdom.
Galatians 1:6I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel,
7which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ.
8But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed.
9As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed.
43but He said to them, “I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, because for this purpose I have been sent.”
44And He was preaching in the synagogues of Galilee.
Jesus preached the kingdom of God. It's good for us to consider what Jesus taught. I want to talk about the same things Jesus does. I want gatherings I attend to reflect the teaching of Jesus.
Jesus didn't teach much of what the modern church thinks belongs in a church meeting. He taught the kingdom of God.
What is the kingdom of God? It's the value system of the Father. It is the call to voluntarily line up with the value system of heaven before it comes so that I can actually live there. It is the wedding invitation before the marriage. It is a the "repent, for the kingdom is at hand." It is the parables as warnings to take seriously the internal over the external.
The kingdom is coming from inside of those who receive the preaching of Jesus. It's an internal reality that manifests externally.
Jesus taught repentance, because repentance is the only entrance into the kingdom of God. Humbling myself and coming through the only way IS, actually, the only way.
When Jesus preached the kingdom, people tried to kill Him. They loved Him one minute and, as soon as they realized He wasn't approving them in their current state, they tried to drag Him to cliffs to kill Him, or picked up stones to destroy Him.
This is the nature of the true kingdom... It offends our thoughts about our own goodness or righteousness.
The kingdom sifts every "righteous cause" through actual internal righteousness. It's law is that of integrity....that only integral righteousness is allowed to manifest actual outward goodness. What I mean is that God doesn't give his glory to another. You can't look clean on the outside, be dirty on the inside, and still stay safe to drink from.
Luke 11:39Then the Lord said to him, “Now you Pharisees make the outside of the cup and dish clean, but your inward part is full of greed and wickedness.
40“Foolish ones! Did not He who made the outside make the inside also?
Only those who submit themselves in humility to learning love, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness, goodness, joy, and self control are actually allowed to bring the kingdom... Your kingdom is within you:
Matthew 12:35 “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things.
God doesn't use the unrighteous to manifest the righteous...he uses it to test the righteous. We should heed this reality.
Humble people love the preaching of Jesus' kingdom, and no one is born humble. Those who say yes to being changed, and to the cross that comes with being true as that change occurs, are receiving the kingdom.
This is the only good news. This is the kingdom.
Galatians 1:6I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel,
7which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ.
8But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed.
9As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed.
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