Job 28:13 ~ No man can know its value, nor is it found in the land of the living." The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field” ~ Matthew 13:44. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls.…Matthew 13:45.
Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was cast into the sea and caught all kinds of fish ~ Matthew 13:47.
“The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son” ~ Matthew 22:2.
Yes, the Good News is His Kingdom Come and we can enter even now… and rest in His Peace… Jesus said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace." Luke 7:50. Her faith, our faith in Christ and His Kingdom saves us…go in peace.
But such a message as we read in 1 COR 1:18 is foolishness…
“For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to
us who are being saved it is the power of God”.
Remember folks that eternal life with Christ is going to be wonderful… its not of this world and so the pain, tears, disease and suffering of man by man’s hand is gone. There will be no more suffering in joyful hope either because we will be with Him where we belong. Eternally in His Kingdom!
How can we live there now? Good question… we can by having declared Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior and receive the Holy Spirit. We are refreshed in Him by reading His Word and knowing the truth… which is the Word which was at the beginning was with God and is God. Living in the Kingdom of Heaven is resting in that truth...entering into His peace!
God designed it that way from the beginning. “And on the seventh day God rested from all His works.” It was all done and now it was time to enjoy it. This is what he gave us and wants to give us still.
The Sabbath was made for the creation as much as it was for the Creator. The Sabbath rest is for the people of God. For whoever enters God’s rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from His. Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following the same pattern of disobedience ~ Hebrews 4:11.
Seven times Jesus rested in the bible. What is God's rest? The rest God is talking about is not rest from your daily work or physically exhausted when you have worked hard. It is that profound peace that God gives to those who love and obey Him regardless of circumstances.
God is our everything, He holds all things together Colossians 1:17. In Him we live, move and have our being Acts 17:28.
There is nothing for us to do or change… So, Let us rest in Him…”Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes” ~ Psalm 37:7. Be still, and know that I am God… Psalm 46:10.
Yes, wait patiently for Him and His direction; wait quietly. We are to live like Christ. He rested in the Father, He spent the majority of His time in His Rest which is The Kingdom of God…
Jesus entered into this fallen world not because he wanted to check it out. It was out of God the Father's love that He sent His Son ~ John 3:16; and it was necessary and throughout Jesus's Ministry He demonstrated this.
Not everyone He walked by or saw was amazed or healed. Jesus entered in when the Holy Spirit (the Father) moved Him to do so. This is to be our earthly behavior …
During His Ministry, the only time when someone entered the heavenly ‘space’, the place of His Rest, is when the woman with the issue of blood reached out and touched Him. Jesus was not looking but felt this 'entering into His Rest' of her own accord and the woman was healed because she believed and entered into His Rest.
Having the knowledge of the truth, we already live in the Kingdom though yet in this world; and in this way, when moved by the Holy Spirit, we are able to not only live in His Rest but at the same time are called to enter into the world in order to do the works that Jesus did and even greater!
You may yet be wondering how do we live then from day to day given our suffering, which is our turning from the sin of this world, and our suffering in the hope of His return?
Yes, we live in the Kingdom though we are yet in this world… "in the world but not of it" ~ John 17:14-16. We do what we must to live a quiet life and to live it abundantly by clothing ourselves, providing shelter and feeding ourselves and our family as well as the body of Christ. We go about the day like most do and yet at the same time, in a moment, we may be called to enter in and do the works of Jesus and even greater! It may be only to help one or many but one to God is as important as many.
This is how we live a quiet life… 1 Thessalonians 4:11 ~ "make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you. Go to your pray closet to pray.
When the Lord calls you, you will know what to do because you have been ambitious in leading a quiet life; and thus, can hear His voice and realize the calling of the Holy Spirit which enables you to do the works of the Lord and even greater!
So, whatever the outcome in the world… make it your business only when you are called to … until then, live quiet, live life abundantly in His Kingdom. Let your life be salt and light to those perishing in the dark.
Reading from Hebrews 10 ~ The Perfect Sacrifice of Christ… Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way opened for us through the curtain of His body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.
Let us hold resolutely to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful ~ Hebrews 10:20-23. And, may the peace of the Lord be upon you! Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way ~ 2 Thessalonians 3:16.
Jesus who is God was born of the virgin Mary, He lived, died, was buried and rose on the third day. He did this to deliver us from the law of sin and death. What must we do to perform the works of God... Believe in the One He Sent! John 6:29.
ReplyDeleteWe have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
ReplyDeleteDay after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, and since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool. For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy ~ Hebrews 10:10-14.