You cannot have the Kingdom of God, without the Rule of God

Sunday 05/26/19

Series: Walking the Talk

Message – You cannot have the Kingdom of God, without the Rule of God

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You cannot have the Kingdom of God without the rule of God

The kingdom BEGINS with – Jesus is Lord!

Sometimes I think we need to do with the word ‘Lord’, what we have done with the word ‘faith’ and substitute it so it has the meaning and impact it is supposed to have. Something like – Jesus is Master! Or Jesus is king or ruler.

While on the earth, the Father was the ruler or Lord of Jesus.

“Your kingdom come Your will be done.”

“Not My will but Yours be done.”

As we pick up where we left off in Colossians this needs to be our focus and prayer. But before we turn back to Colossians I want us to consider a parable of Jesus.

If you remember…towards the middle of the last week of Jesus in Jerusalem – after His triumphant entry on Palm Sunday and after He had driven out the money changers and cursed the fig tree… He taught a parable

Matt. 21:28-41, HCSB “(28) But what do you think? A man had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘My son, go, work in the vineyard today.’ (29) “He answered, ‘I don’t want to!’ Yet later he changed his mind and went. (30) Then the man went to the other and said the same thing. “‘I will, sir,’ he answered. But he didn’t go. (31) “Which of the two did his father’s will?” “The first,” they said. Jesus said to them, “I assure you: Tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God before you! (32) For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you didn’t believe him. Tax collectors and prostitutes did believe him, but you, when you saw it, didn’t even change your minds then and believe him. (33) “Listen to another parable: There was a man, a landowner, who planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a winepress in it, and built a watchtower. He leased it to tenant farmers and went away. (34) When the grape harvest drew near, he sent his slaves to the farmers to collect his fruit. (35) But the farmers took his slaves, beat one, killed another, and stoned a third. (36) Again, he sent other slaves, more than the first group, and they did the same to them. (37) Finally, he sent his son to them. ‘They will respect my son,’ he said. (38) “But when the tenant farmers saw the son, they said among themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him and take his inheritance!’ (39) So they seized him and threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him. (40) Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those farmers?” (41) “He will completely destroy those terrible men,” they told Him, “and lease his vineyard to other farmers who will give him his produce at the harvest. (42) Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. This came from the Lord and is wonderful in our eyes? 43 “Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it.”

Can you see why fruit bearing in Christ is SO important and is a foundational church doctrine?

Last week we ended with Col. 3:1-16 which covered,

Setting our minds on things above
Our lives are hid in Christ Who is in God
Our glory is tied to His glory and His appearing (return)
Put to death WHATEVER IN YOU IS WORLDLY – the old sins and all verbal sins
You HAVE put on Christ – the new man which is in the process of being renewed in knowledge to be conformed to His image.
FORGIVE
Let the teachings of and about Christ dwell in your hearts RICHLY and be THANKFUL.
Share your love and learning with your brothers in how you live a praise filled life!

Then we ended with verse 17 which said,

“(17) And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.”

What the rule of God looks like in normal life is this….

“(18) Wives, be submissive to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. (19) Husbands, love your wives and don’t become bitter against them. (20) Children, obey your parents in everything, for this is pleasing in the Lord. (21) Fathers, do not exasperate your children, so they won’t become discouraged. (22) Slaves, obey your human masters in everything; don’t work only while being watched, in order to please men, but work wholeheartedly, fearing the Lord. (23) Whatever you do, do it enthusiastically, as something done for the Lord and not for men, (24) knowing that you will receive the reward of an inheritance from the Lord–you serve the Lord Christ. (25) For the wrongdoer will be paid back for whatever wrong he has done, and there is no favoritism.”

Notice that it was NOT Christian doctrine that a Christian could not own a slave. Nor was it Christian doctrine that once you came to Christ you were free from slavery.

Col. 4:1-18, HCSB “(1) Masters, supply your slaves with what is right and fair, since you know that you too have a Master in heaven. (2) Devote yourselves to prayer; stay alert in it with thanksgiving. (3) At the same time, pray also for us that God may open a door to us for the message, to speak the mystery of the Messiah–for which I am in prison– (4) so that I may reveal it as I am required to speak. (5) Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the time. (6) Your speech should always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you should answer each person. (7) Tychicus, a loved brother, a faithful servant, and a fellow slave in the Lord, will tell you all the news about me. (8) I have sent him to you for this very purpose, so that you may know how we are, and so that he may encourage your hearts. (9) He is with Onesimus, a faithful and loved brother, who is one of you. They will tell you about everything here. (10) Aristarchus, my fellow prisoner, greets you, as does Mark, Barnabas’ cousin (concerning whom you have received instructions: if he comes to you, welcome him), (11) and so does Jesus who is called Justus. These alone of the circumcision are my co-workers for the kingdom of God, and they have been a comfort to me. (12) Epaphras, who is one of you, a slave of Christ Jesus, greets you. He is always contending for you in his prayers, so that you can stand mature and fully assured in everything God wills. (13) For I testify about him that he works hard for you, for those in Laodicea, and for those in Hierapolis. (14) Luke, the loved physician, and Demas greet you. (15) Give my greetings to the brothers in Laodicea, and to Nympha and the church in her house. (16) And when this letter has been read among you, have it read also in the church of the Laodiceans; and see that you also read the letter from Laodicea. (17) And tell Archippus, “Pay attention to the ministry you have received in the Lord, so that you can accomplish it.” (18) This greeting is in my own hand–Paul. Remember my imprisonment. Grace be with you.”

God Bless!

I hope this message will bless you richly…not because I taught it, but because it reveals Christ. He alone is our blessing and if in any way – whether big or small, 100% accurate or even just partially so – I have revealed our great God and Savior to you in a relationally knowable way, then this was time well spent on both our parts.

We at Living Grace Fellowship encourage you to place your trust in Jesus Christ, deliberately choosing Him and bowing the knee to Him as your Master and Lord, so as to come to realize Him as your Savior.

You have a special place in God’s family & kingdom. The fact that you exist… that you are His creation, says you were in His heart, you are His delight!

If you do not know Him, please reach out to us. Give us a call at the number located on every page of this website or use our ‘Contact Us‘ page. We would be deeply honored, if you gave us the privilege of introducing you to the Lord. Neither money nor attendance at our church will EVER be mentioned.

If you HAVE been spiritually fed by this ministry and WANT to give, we truly appreciate that and you may do so here, but please understand that all the outreaches of this ministry are FREE for you and anyone to enjoy at no cost.

Blessings!

Pastor Mark

View posts by Pastor Mark

Hi my name is Mark and though I am opposed to titles, I am currently the only Pastor (shepherd/elder) serving our assembly right now.

I have been Pastoring in one capacity or another for nearly 30 years now, though never quite like I am today.

Early in 2009 the Lord revealed to me that the way we had structured our assembly (church) was not scriptural in that it was out of sync with what Paul modeled for us in the New Testament. In truth, I (like many pastors I am sure) never even gave this fundamental issue of church structure the first thought. I had always assumed that church structure was largely the same everywhere and had been so from the beginning. While I knew Paul had some very stringent things to say about the local assembly of believers, the point of our gatherings together and who may or may not lead, I never even considered studying these issues but assumed we were all pretty much doing it right...safety in numbers right?! Boy, I couldn't have been more wrong!

So needless to say, my discovery that we had been doing it wrong for nearly two decades was a bit of a shock to me! Now, this "revelation" did not come about all at once but over the course of a few weeks. We were a traditional single pastor led congregation. It was a top-bottom model of ministry which is in part biblical, but not in the form of a monarchy.

The needed change did not come into focus until following 9 very intense months of study and discussions with those who were leaders in our church at the time.

We now understand and believe that the Bible teaches co-leadership with equal authority in each local assembly. Having multiple shepherds with God's heart and equal authority protects both Shepherds and sheep. Equal accountability keeps authority and doctrine in check. Multiple shepherds also provide teaching with various styles and giftings with leadership skills which are both different and complementary.

For a while we had two co-pastors (elders) (myself and one other man) who led the church with equal authority, but different giftings. We both taught in our own ways and styles, and our leadership skills were quite different, but complimentary. We were in complete submission to each other and worked side-by-side in the labor of shepherding the flock.

Our other Pastor has since moved on to other ministry which has left us with just myself. While we currently only have one Pastor/Elder, it is our desire that God, in His faithfulness and timing, may bring us more as we grow in maturity and even in numbers.

As to my home, I have been married since 1995 to my wonderful wife Terissa Woodson who is my closest friend and most trusted ally.

As far as my education goes, I grew up in a Christian home, but questioned everything I was ever taught.

I graduated from Bible college in 1990 and continued to question everything I was ever taught (I do not mention my college in order to avoid being labeled).

Perhaps my greatest preparation for ministry has been life and ministry itself. To quote an author I have come to enjoy namely Fredrick Buechner in his writing entitled, Now and Then, "If God speaks to us at all other than through such official channels as the Bible and the church, then I think that He speaks to us largely through what happens to us...if we keep our hearts open as well as our ears, if we listen with patience and hope, if we remember at all deeply and honestly, then I think we come to recognize beyond all doubt, that, however faintly we may hear Him, He is indeed speaking to us, and that, however little we may understand of it, His word to each of us is both recoverable and precious beyond telling." ~ Fredrick Buechner

Well that is about all there is of interest to tell you about me.

I hope our ministry here is a blessing to you and your family. I also hope that it is only a supplement to a local church where you are committed to other believers in a community of grace.

~God Bless!