Entering the Kingdom of God

So welcome once again to the Kingdom of God seminars. As Jimmy said, we are having these seminars around the world. We have hundreds who have attended, and this series continues and will continue into the future. So we see here the first priority in life. What is the first priority in life? What is the most important thing that should fill our hopes and dreams for the future? According to the Bible in Matthew 6.33, as you see on the screen, Jesus Christ, the spokesman, said, seek you first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you. The peoples of the world desperately need the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom of God is the answer to the world's problems. We're living in the most critical, crucial times in human history. Every facet of this world's structures are in trouble. People are filled with fear, anxiety, wondering where the next shoe will drop. As you see the man here, his sad eyes, as he looks out, hoping for a brighter day, and the Kingdom of God will offer that brighter day. As we look at the world today, we see that the world is filled with woes of all different kinds. Trust, in general, has been destroyed. We see corruption in government. We see corruption in our leadership. We see economic woes all over the world, wondering whether or not the global economy is going to survive. We see famine and disease. Famine and disease stalk some parts of the earth like a serial killer.

We also see the morals of our nation, in particular in a state of decay and disarray.

A new survey released recently says that one in five Americans are mentally ill. We are the leading country along with the United Kingdom with regard to people who are on antidepressants and so on. So we desperately need help. We need the Kingdom of God. All the world's major religions are looking for a Messiah figure to come on the scene and lead the world into a new era of peace and prosperity. The Buddhists are looking for the fifth Buddha. The Hindus are looking for Krishna. The Islamic world is looking for the Gran Mahdi. The New Agers are looking for Maitreya. The Jews are looking for a Messiah. They're looking for, quote, the first coming of Jesus Christ because they rejected Jesus Christ when he came to this earth about 2,000 years ago. And the Christian world is looking for the return of Jesus Christ. What is the theme of the Bible? What is the Bible all about? Basically, from Genesis to Revelation, the great theme of the Bible centers on God's great plan of salvation. It centers on bringing us, every person who has ever lived or ever will live, into a family relationship with God and with Christ and into the kingdom of God.

We read in Hebrews chapter 2 and verse 6. This is quoting from Psalm 8, where David, who wrote Psalm 8, looked up into the heavens, and he saw all the glory and wonder of the heavens and stars and the moon. He was a shepherd boy. He was out tending the sheep night after night. And he saw all the glory and splendor of the heavens, and he asked the question, in view of all of this, what is man that you would consider him?

And the Apostle Paul, quoting from there and then taking up on that question, answers that question under the inspiration of God in Hebrews 2 and verse 10.

For it became him for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, and bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. So the great theme of the Bible is that God is bringing sons and daughters to glory in his family. Continuing in Hebrews 2 verses 11 and 12, for both he that sanctifies and they who are sanctified are all of one.

As it says in the Bible, there is one spirit. And through that one spirit, the Spirit of God, we can all be joined together. For which cause he's not ashamed to call them brethren. So therefore we have the same spirit. There is a family relationship saying, I will declare your name unto my brethren in the midst of the church. Will I sing praise unto you? And God is bringing sons and daughters to glory. He says, and will be a father unto you, and you shall be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty. Male and female have the same great potential, a great transcendental potential in the sight of God. God is not a respecter of persons. And we're all familiar with John 3 16. People who have probably never read the Bible really could quote, or at least familiar with John 3 16. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son to whosoever should believe in him should not perish but have everlasting life. The great theme of the Gospel. We talk about people talk about the Gospel truth. They talk about the Gospel. So what is the great theme of the Gospel? After that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom of God and saying the time is fulfilled and the Kingdom of God is at hand. So at a certain point in time, God had ordained that Jesus Christ would come forth, and Jesus Christ, who is the Son of God, would preach here on earth. His ministry, his earthly ministry lasted about three and a half years, and his principal message was, Repent you and believe the Gospel. So what does the word Gospel mean? The English word Gospel from the Greek, Euangelion, it means good news. It is good news that God is going to establish his Kingdom on the earth, and he's going to bring peace and prosperity to this earth. So the United Church of God publishes a magazine called The Good News Magazine. The Good News of the Coming Kingdom of God. This Gospel is an all-inclusive message of good news that tells us how we may live forever. And the Gospel message contains the very keys to the Kingdom of God. It is a message of liberty. People talk about liberty today and want to be set free. The only way that you can truly be set free is through the truth. It is indeed good news. The whole creation cries out for the manifestation of the sons of God. The creation has been crying out for hundreds of years, yea, even thousands of years, for the manifestation of the sons of God. The Apostle Paul writing in Romans 8 verses 18 through 21, For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us for the earnest expectation of the creation waits for the manifestation of the sons of God. The Apostle John writes in 1 John chapter 3 that it does not yet appear what we shall be, but when that time comes, the resurrection of Jesus Christ comes back to the earth, then we shall be seen as he is seen. And we'll look on his face.

For the creation was made subject to vanity, meaning lasting a short period of time, not willingly, but by reason of him who has subjected the same in hope, because the creation itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. You remember that sad face we saw of that man? And how many sad faces are there on the face of the earth today of little children who are starving in various parts of the world? Those who are bodies are ravaged by famine and disease. All of these things, even the the creation itself, is being destroyed to a certain degree by mankind. So we come to this great question, one of the greatest questions of all time. Why did God create human beings? Because God is love, he created human beings. God is love. Love is outgoing concern for others. It must be shared in order to really be realized.

1 John 4, 8 says, He that loves not knows not God, knows not love, for God is love. The overriding characteristic of God's being is that He is eternal and that He is love. And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love, and He that dwells in love dwells in God and God in Him. So because God is love, He wants to share who He is and what He is and what He is in a family setting in the kingdom of God. You can become a son or a daughter of God, become a member of His very family, and rule and reign with God and Christ and the saints in the kingdom of God. That is the great message of the gospel. And God is going to give every person who has ever lived at some point in time an opportunity to accept this great message. Why would people have to be persuaded to accept such a great message, such a great hope?

Understanding your great transcendental purpose. If you can come to really grasp, really comprehend why you were born, your life will take on a whole new meaning. Jesus states in John 8, 32, you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.

Through the truth, you can be freed from fear, ignorant, superstition, and the dogmas of man.

The truth of God will set you free, and if the Son sets you free, you shall be free indeed. Here are the great questions of life. There are many great questions of life. This is not all-inclusive, but I would say these are the seventh greatest in my view. First of all, does God exist? Who is God? What is God? What is His purpose? Is there purpose in the universe? Is there a great purpose being worked out here below? And then corollary to this, going hand in glove with it, who is man?

What is man and what is His purpose? There have been four systems, four great systems that have attempted to answer the great questions of life. False religion, beginning with Satan's encounter with Eve in the Garden of Eden, attempts to answer the great questions of life. And the great methodology of false religion is to play on emotion through deceit and through lies. And Satan's great lie to Eve was, you shall not surely die. Whereas God had instructed Adam and Eve in Genesis 2 verses 15 through 17, that in the day that you eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, if you take this prerogative to yourself, you shall die.

Or as it says, in dying you shall die. They didn't die that very moment. But because they did this, they were cut off, that is, to take the knowledge of the tree of good and evil. In other words, to take that prerogative to themselves to decide what is good and what is evil.

And humankind, especially in recent decades, has been thoroughly meshed in a philosophy called existentialism. The existentialists teach that you are the final arbiter of what is good and what is right for you. Now, the great logical fallacy of this is the fact that you decide for someone else what is good for them. Because what you do, everything that we do, basically speaking, will affect somebody else. So what does this system do? It appeals to the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. Another great system that has tried to answer the great questions of life is philosophy.

Thousands of books have been written trying to answer the great questions of life. The basic methodology of philosophy is human reasoning. Human reasoning apart from the Word of God. And now, sort of the God of this world that most people turn to to answer the great questions of life is science. And science has discovered many wonderful things that has made our life easier in some ways, but it seems that the more that knowledge explodes and expands, the greater the problems of humankind. What a paradox! The principal methodology of science is a so-called scientific method.

The great goal of science is to predict and control that based on a certain set of criteria, you can expect these results. But when it comes to spiritual knowledge, spiritual knowledge is in what some call the metaphysical realm. Meta means after and physical. So after the physical, then what? Who can explain what is in the spiritual realm? Is there a spirit world? And then the fourth great system that has attempted to answer the great questions of life is the truth of God.

The principal methodology of God is revelation. God's method of answering the great questions of life, summarized here by the apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 2 verses 9 through 12, As it is written, I have not seen, ear is not heard, neither has it entered in the hearts of men what God has prepared for those who love him. If the future in the kingdom of God is so wonderful, so great, so marvelous that human beings in and of themselves cannot even imagine it, cannot even comprehend it.

Even so, the things of God knows no man but the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the Spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God that we might know the things that are freely given of God. It is God who reveals the truth to us.

Science cannot prove or disprove the existence of God. And no matter how much scientists how much research they carry on, they still cannot account for the order and design of the universe.

How is the earth suspended out in space, tilted from the sun at 23 and a half degrees?

The revolves around the sun and then has a moon that revolves around the earth. Why doesn't all of this fly off? Why is it that the temperature is just right? If it were tilted one way or the other just a little bit, we wouldn't be able to survive. They cannot explain the origin of life. If I had no other proof other than my own mind regarding the existence of God, I would conclude that nothing else makes sense.

The faith element in the first great article of faith. Religious people talk about faith. So, what is faith and how does it come, especially in the spiritual realm? So, there's a great faith element to believing in the existence of God. Science cannot account for the origin and design of the universe in the various forms of life. God is invisible. He's not comprehended through the five senses. Basically, the scientific world rejects the knowledge that cannot be gleaned or gained from the five senses. So, we've already noted that the things of God must be revealed. And the Bible is God's great revelation to humankind. So, what is the first article of faith? The first article of faith is to believe that God exists.

And we see this from the Bible, Hebrews 11 verse 6. But without faith, it is impossible to please Him, for He that comes to God must believe that He is, that He exists, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.

Now, there are various types of faith. We have faith in various physical laws, such as the law of gravity. We have faith in some people and place our lives in their hands. Basically, every time you get in an automobile and drive down the highway, you have faith that the other person will stay in his lane and not hit you head-on. We come to believe certain things that we have been taught with all our heart. Spiritual faith comes by hearing through the convicting power of the Spirit and the Word of God. There is no other way.

From John 16 verses 7 through 8, Nevertheless, I tell you the truth, it is expedient for you that I go away, for if I go not away, the Comforter, the Comforter is identified in John 14.26 as the Holy Spirit. You could say the Comforter or the Holy Spirit will not come unto you, but if I depart, I will send Him unto you, and when He is come, He will reprove. The Greek word there is elancho. It means convict. It means to lay a weight upon your heart and mind that this is true. Convict the world of sin and of righteousness and of judgment. How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed?

And so the great commission that Jesus Christ gave to the church was to take this gospel message in Matthew 28, 19, and 20. It says, Go, you therefore, into all the world. Teach all nations to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you, and lo, I am with you even until the end of the age. So how shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? So then faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. So it is the Spirit of God and the Word of God that works in concert for one to be convicted of spiritual truth and to have spiritual faith. Here we see in John 6, 63 that the Word of God and the Spirit of God are equated. It is the Spirit that gives life. The flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit and they are life. So the Bible itself is called the Book of Life. The second great question, after you know and you know that you know that God exists, the second great question is, who is God? God is our Creator and Father.

Genesis 1, 27. So God created man in His own image. In the image of God created He Him. Male and female created He them. So God is our Creator. Why did He create us? Once again, we've already said because God is love, He wanted to share who He is and what He is with humankind. We are made in the image of God as it says here. That means that we have faculties of mind. We can think. We can reason that are akin to God. But as we shall see, we are not of the same essence, or some use the term substance, as God. And then God is our Father. But now, O eternal, you are our Father.

We're the clay. And you are potter, and we are all the works of your hand. So who is God? He is our Creator. He is our Father. What is God? God is Spirit. John 4, 24. And they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth. God is not a man that He should lie, neither the Son of man that He should repent as He said, and shall He not do it, or as He spoken, and shall He not make it good. It says in the New Testament that God, who cannot lie, has promised. God is through to His Word, and He keeps His promise. For the Lord your God is God of gods and the Lord of lords. A great God, a mighty, a terrible, which regards not persons or takes rewards. There is no corruption in God. You can count on Him. He is holy, undefiled, without blemish. What is God's great purpose? That's why we're here today when I found out when I was in my early 20s, and I was coaching at a high school, and later I coached at a university before I came to the Church of God. But I came across this booklet titled, Why Were You Born? I had grown up in a religious community. I was growing up in a church. I was teaching at Delts Sunday School when I was 19 or 20. But when I came to understand why I was born, a whole new world opened to me.

God's purpose, for it became Him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, and bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. So God's great purpose is to bring sons and daughters to glory in His family. And going hand in glove with that has to do with these three questions about man. Who is man? Well, as we've already noted, man is made in the image of God, and he was given dominion over the creation. Man was given a physio-chemical existence.

We read here in Genesis 2.7, And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life. And man became a living soul. Soul in the Hebrew is nephesh. Nephesh is used for human life and animal life. It means an air-breathing creature. But there is a great difference between human beings and the animal kingdom. Man was created mortal, subject to sin and death.

Humankind was created neutral and thus morally illiterate, needing to be taught. And basically, depending on the culture and the kind of rearing that you have as you grow up, would be basically the values that you embrace.

God instructed the first humans to look to Him for the knowledge of good and evil. But Adam and Eve cut themselves off from the tree of life. God placed two great trees in the Garden of Eden. One, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The tree of the knowledge of good and evil represents deciding for yourself what is right and what is wrong. And the tree of life, of course, represents the Holy Spirit, that great missing dimension. The only thing that will bridge the gap between mortality and immortality is God's Holy Spirit.

So God promised a Redeemer after Adam and Eve sinned, and they were cast out of the Garden. A Redeemer, one, redemption means to buy back. One that would buy them back from sin and death so their sins could be blotted out and they could receive the Holy Spirit, the very divine essence of God. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ, our Lord. So what is man's purpose? The great purpose of humankind is to be born in the Kingdom of God, the family of God, as glorious, radiant spirit beings. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For you have not received the Spirit of bondage again to fear, but you have received the Spirit of sonship, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit that we are the children of God. You become a child of God in the spiritual sense through receiving God's very divine essence, His Spirit. And if children then heirs of God, heirs of God and joint heirs with Jesus Christ, if so be that we suffer with Him that we may also be glorified together. Internalize the answers to these questions, and your life will change. Your life will change in a way that you cannot imagine. You will know and know that you know why you were born. You want to be free from fear, ignorant superstition, and the dogmas of man. Do you want to walk in true liberty? This is the way.

Your life will take on new meaning, understanding, and every facet of your being.

In the second part today, we will discuss the keys to the kingdom of God.