For the next several weeks we are looking at the Righteousness (ethics) of the Kingdom as communicated to us in the Sermon on the Mount. Specifically, in Matthew 5:20, Jesus tells us that our entrance into the kingdom of heaven is such that our righteousness (our uprightness and our right standing with God) must be greater than that of the scribes and Pharisees.
The scribes and Pharisees were the keepers and doers of the law such that in order to make sure they did all that the law commanded they added layer upon layer of additional laws. Jesus struck at the very core of their emphasis on legislating the outward act to setting it all aside and presenting a higher standard. This higher standard focused on the inner attitude and character.
Not committing murder was no longer the standard but not being angry with another. No longer was committing adultery the standard but Jesus says if in your heart is lust, you stand guilty before God. No longer is your truthfulness to be buttressed by an oath but Jesus says the man who knows the righteousness of the kingdom needs no oath. His naked word is valid. Your neighbor can trust your word, both in the spirit and the letter of your promise.
As we saw in our last lesson, our relationship with God is no longer mediated by the Law but by one who has submitted to the reign (rule) of God that has been manifested in Jesus. When a person is restored to fellowship with God, that person becomes a child of God and a recipient of a new power.
The righteousness that God demands, He gives us through His Son.
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
A Relationship Mediated not through the Law but by the Person of Jesus
But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons. Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who cries out "Abba Father. So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God made you also an heir (Galatians 4:4-7).
The blessings of the Kingdom of God, now present in Jesus, cannot be contained in rituals, traditions, festivals or even a specific day. No, he pours new wine into new wineskins. (Mark 2:22b).
The blessings of the Kingdom of God, now present in Jesus, cannot be contained in rituals, traditions, festivals or even a specific day. No, he pours new wine into new wineskins. (Mark 2:22b).
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
The God of the Kingdom
This week was part two of our look at the God of the Kingdom. In Luke 15, we discovered that He is the Seeking God. He was the shepherd searching for the sheep, the woman searching for the coin and the father longing for the prodigal's return. The "good news" about the Kingdom is that God has taken the initiative to seek and save that which was lost.
We also saw that He is the Inviting God. So often the Bible pictures our salvation in terms of a banquet or feast. Table fellowship to the Jewish people represented a most intimate fellowship and as we surveyed scripture we understood more why the Pharisees were so indignant with Jesus when he ate with "tax collectors" and "sinners" (Luke 15:1-2). And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners" (Mark 2:17). The word "call" in Greek is kaleo which means "to invite." This invitation also included an expectation of a favorable response. This was a call to respond to the divine invitation - an invitation which was nothing less than the Kingdom of God (Luke 12:32).
In seeking out sinners and inviting them to submit themselves to His reign, God reveals himself as the Fatherly God. Jesus used the Aramaic word "abba" to address God and also taught His followers to do the same. The word "abba" was taken from children's speech and is something like our "daddy." Abba represents the new relationship of confidence and intimacy that is ours now and forever. Those who know God as Abba Father are those for who the highest good in life is the Kingdom of God and His righteousness (Matthew 6:33; Luke 12:30).
Finally, we looked at the Judging God. God's concern for the lost does not dissipate His divine holiness. For those that reject His offer of the Kingdom must stand under His judgment. If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father's glory with the holy angels (Mark 8:38).
We also saw that He is the Inviting God. So often the Bible pictures our salvation in terms of a banquet or feast. Table fellowship to the Jewish people represented a most intimate fellowship and as we surveyed scripture we understood more why the Pharisees were so indignant with Jesus when he ate with "tax collectors" and "sinners" (Luke 15:1-2). And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners" (Mark 2:17). The word "call" in Greek is kaleo which means "to invite." This invitation also included an expectation of a favorable response. This was a call to respond to the divine invitation - an invitation which was nothing less than the Kingdom of God (Luke 12:32).
In seeking out sinners and inviting them to submit themselves to His reign, God reveals himself as the Fatherly God. Jesus used the Aramaic word "abba" to address God and also taught His followers to do the same. The word "abba" was taken from children's speech and is something like our "daddy." Abba represents the new relationship of confidence and intimacy that is ours now and forever. Those who know God as Abba Father are those for who the highest good in life is the Kingdom of God and His righteousness (Matthew 6:33; Luke 12:30).
Finally, we looked at the Judging God. God's concern for the lost does not dissipate His divine holiness. For those that reject His offer of the Kingdom must stand under His judgment. If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father's glory with the holy angels (Mark 8:38).
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
The God of the Kingdom
This week we began a two part lesson on the God of the Kingdom. We discovered that unless we think rightly about God, the foundation of our religion is "out of plumb" and will collapse at the first sight of tribulation. Even more challenging is the fact that if we assume that God is other than what he has revealed himself to be in the Bible, it is idolatry. We imagine things about God and we act on them as if they are true. We have created a god after our own imaginations. God calls that idolatry. No wooden or stone statutes, but an image none the less.
So we began to look at scriptures and discovered that God is:
So we began to look at scriptures and discovered that God is:
- intimate and involved - Psalm 139:1-18
- accepting and filled with joy and love for us - Zephaniah 3:17
- trustworthy and wants to give us a full life - Lamentations 3:22-23
- committed to our growth Romans - 8:26-29
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
His Precious and Very Great Promises
This week the Lord required us to "camp" on our lesson from last week. The gifts of the kingdom of God that we have here and now require an adjustment in how we see God, ourselves and the world around us. We are transformed by these truths and at the same time each of us wondered why it has taken us so long to take hold of them. Whatever the reason we all agreed that our palate has been aroused by something that causes us to hunger and thirst for more.
As we were reading 2 Peter 1-11, before we moved too far into the passage, we discovered that the Apostle Peter in verse one shares with us that "we have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ." Often we find ourselves elevating fellow Christians for their gifting, yet the truth is that the gifts of the kingdom of God for each of us are equally precious and complete. We truly are a people who do not lack for anything. Let us begin to live this truth out for the glory of God.
As we were reading 2 Peter 1-11, before we moved too far into the passage, we discovered that the Apostle Peter in verse one shares with us that "we have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ." Often we find ourselves elevating fellow Christians for their gifting, yet the truth is that the gifts of the kingdom of God for each of us are equally precious and complete. We truly are a people who do not lack for anything. Let us begin to live this truth out for the glory of God.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Gifts Now to Enjoy
Our lesson this week was incredibly exciting, deep and challenging. Sometimes we don't have the right words to describe the impact of the study of God's Word on our hearts. That's the power of feasting on his Word. We were invited to a feast and we enjoyed fellowship with the Lord and with one another - and what a feast it was!
The Word tells us that the Kingdom of God is something to be inherited by the righteous in the Age to Come (Matthew 25:34), yet it is a gift to be received and enjoyed now. This present realm of blessings includes our salvation - of the whole person, body and soul. We also enjoy the gift of the forgiveness of all our sins; none of which will be remembered by our Heavenly Father. The gift of righteousness tells me I am in right standing with the Father because of the finished work of Jesus alone. And the guarantee and sealing of these blessings is found in the gift of the Holy Spirit (2 Cor 1:22, 5:5; Eph 1:13-14).
A gift is something voluntarily transferred from one person (in our case from our Heavenly Father) to another without compensation. The Lord looks to children often as our standard for receiving these gifts, not because their humility is a virtue that merits it, but because they receive it as a gift. Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it (Mark 10:15). Let us receive all that the Father has for us now - our lives will never be the same.
The Word tells us that the Kingdom of God is something to be inherited by the righteous in the Age to Come (Matthew 25:34), yet it is a gift to be received and enjoyed now. This present realm of blessings includes our salvation - of the whole person, body and soul. We also enjoy the gift of the forgiveness of all our sins; none of which will be remembered by our Heavenly Father. The gift of righteousness tells me I am in right standing with the Father because of the finished work of Jesus alone. And the guarantee and sealing of these blessings is found in the gift of the Holy Spirit (2 Cor 1:22, 5:5; Eph 1:13-14).
A gift is something voluntarily transferred from one person (in our case from our Heavenly Father) to another without compensation. The Lord looks to children often as our standard for receiving these gifts, not because their humility is a virtue that merits it, but because they receive it as a gift. Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it (Mark 10:15). Let us receive all that the Father has for us now - our lives will never be the same.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Radically Taking Hold of the Kingdom of God
Today we looked at several parables that helped us to understand the mystery of the kingdom of God. The kingdom of God has come into history but in such a way that society is not disrupted; yet, it is forcefully advancing. God has called us to respond with a radical reaction. As Dona shared with us, there is no comfortable pew. Are you willing to radically take hold of the kingdom of God? It is a treasure worth more than all other possessions.
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