“WE EXIST TO PROCLAIM THE REIGN OF JESUS CHRIST OVER ALL THINGS; GLORIFYING AND ENJOYING GOD, NOW AND FOREVER!”

THE KINGDOM OF GOD!

The KINGDOM OF GOD is the eternal destiny of all who know the one true God, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God who exists eternally as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. All who have been born again by His Spirit and who confess Jesus Christ as Savior and who acknowledge Him as Lord know God as ” ‘Abba,’ Father.” (Romans 8:15; Galatians 4:6).

In His Word, the Bible, this one true God, the Creator of all things, reveals His plan to establish His kingdom in a new heaven and a new earth (Isaiah 65:17, II Peter 3:13; Revelation 21:1), where those whom He has chosen, called, regenerated, justified, adopted, sanctified and glorified will live with Him forever…a perfect God living in a perfect world with those whom He has made perfect in Christ!

God’s desire is to have a people who will know the depth of His love for them and who will thus love Him back (Ephesians 3:14-21). In order to accomplish that purpose, God chose some in Christ before He created the world (Ephesians 1:4). Desiring to reveal His character to those who would be His children, God included in His plan the rebellion and fall of Satan, the temptation and fall of Adam, and thus of the entire human race, and the subsequent establishment of His Covenant of Grace with Abraham and his descendants (Genesis 12:1-3). All of this pointed ahead to the coming of the Savior, God’s Son, the Messiah, whom He has appointed King, Jesus Christ!

From the Garden of Eden through the history of Israel, God’s chosen people, God revealed His plan to establish His kingdom, to gather for Himself a people, by bringing salvation to a remnant, to those whom He chose to be His. God revealed through Abraham that salvation would come through this Covenant of Grace (Genesis 15:1-6; Romans 4:13-25). No one could earn their way into God’s kingdom, as God would demonstrate through the Mosaic Covenant of the Law (Romans 3:20; Galatians 3:18-29). Rather, righteousness would be received by grace through faith. Entrance into God’s kingdom was the same in the Old Testament, during the time before Jesus came, as it was afterward and as it is today. Forgiveness of sins and eternal life must be received as the gift of God through faith in the Savior (Ephesians 2:8-9).

In the fullness of time God sent the Christ, the Messiah, Jesus, true God and true man, to fulfill the promises of His covenant with Abraham (Galatians 4:4-7). By His death and resurrection and ascension Jesus paid the debt of sin for those whom God had chosen (Isaiah 53:4-6; Romans 5:6-11) and sent His Holy Spirit to supernaturally and effectually call and regenerate His people (John 1:12-13, 3:3-5), enabling them to believe in Jesus Christ and so to enter His kingdom and then live to proclaim His Name to the world (Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 1:8).

Through the work of the Holy Spirit, Jesus established His reign on the earth in the Church, the “ekklesia,” the “called-out ones” (Ephesians 1:3-14, 2:11-22, 3:20-21). Through the preaching of the Gospel Jesus continues to call His elect from every people, tribe, nation and tongue to enter into His eternal kingdom through the righteousness credited to them by faith (Romans 10:13-17).

As the Church age nears an end, God reveals how His kingdom will finally come to earth through the destruction of Satan and all those who do evil at the return of the King, Jesus Christ (II Thessalonians 2:9-12). He will reign from Jerusalem as the chosen remnant of the Jews put their trust in Him and then, at the end of a thousand years, God will create a new heaven and a new earth where He will dwell with His people forever!! (Revelation 20:1-6,21:1-5).

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In this series of messages from God’s Word we will trace the plan of God from beginning to end by focusing our atttention on the three main themes of Scripture that stretch from Genesis to the end of Revelation: Kingdom, Salvation and Covenant. You will gain an understanding of God, of His plan thoughout the ages, including and especially TODAY, and will realize what it means to be one of God’s “chosen people.”

Living in this world as a believer, as a disciple of Jesus Christ, will never be easy…it was never intended to be, BUT you will find a deeper joy, a greater hope and grace to strengthen you for every trial as you live in God’s kingdom awaiting its fullness at the return of your King! Nothing will change your life more than knowing God and understanding His purpose for you and for all who are His children as we await the fulfillment of His promises in Christ Jesus.

I Peter 2:9-12: “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you received mercy. Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day He visits us.”

24 – And He Shall Reign FOREVER!!

The Kingdom of God! All of the talk about North Korea, Iran, Russia and other nations with nuclear weapons and the possibility of war at some time in the future causes many people to fear the future and to attempt to come up with a more “optimistic” picture of the future of mankind and planet earth. As those who have been born…

22 – A New Covenant? ‘No’ and ‘Yes’!

The Kingdom of God! People who are being deceived don’t know they are being deceived. The truth of that brief statement seems obvious, but to those without the Spirit of God nothing about God or His kingdom or His salvation or His covenant is obvious! Knowing the truth about God, about yourself, about life in this world and life after death is…

21 – ‘Mystery’ Revealed!

The Kingdom of God! From before God created the world He determined to gather for Himself a people from among all those who would ever live on the earth through the salvation He would provide in His Son, Jesus Christ. God entered into a “Covenant of Grace” with Abraham and the descendants of his son, Isaac, and of his son, Jacob, whose…

20 – Kingdom POWER!!

The Kingdom of God! “Where is God in the midst of human tragedy of all kinds?” Every day God showers His blessings upon mankind in countless different ways and few people seem to notice or give thanks. Yet, when tragedies of all kinds take place the immediate question of many seems to be, “Where is God?” While God reveals that His kingdom,…

19 – The Authority of THE King!

The Kingdom of God! Those who have grown up in the church may get so used to hearing certain passages from God’s Word that we fail to realize what God is saying to us. Such may be the case with what we call the “Great Commission.” Jesus tells us to “make disciples” and to be His witnesses. Perhaps we need to hear…

18 – My Kingdom is NOT of THIS World!

The Kingdom of God! Living in a foreign country requires a lot of adjustments. Moving from one place to another can lead to a feeling of uneasiness and anxiety. When you are “home” everything is familiar and there is a sense of security and comfort. Jesus knew this world was not HIS home. He came from the glory of heaven to earth…

17 – The Church and the Keys of the Kingdom!

The Kingdom of God! A quick quiz: How many eternal kingdoms are there or will there be? ONE! How many ways are there to enter God’s eternal kingdom? ONE! How many kings are there in God’s kingdom? ONE!! So, who do you say Jesus is??? Many people today fail to understand the privilege of being a believer, a disciple of Jesus Christ,…

16 – Blessed Are Your Eyes and Ears!

The Kingdom of God! A Parable is often defined as “an earthly story with a heavenly meaning.” It is true that in His parables Jesus used earthly things as illustrations of spiritual truth about the kingdom of heaven. He talked about seeds and harvests and weeds and treasure to teach those who would be His disciples. But virtually all those who heard…