Prepare to Enter the Kingdom of God

We live in a pretty amazing world. It's a world, I would say, of contrasts. There are amazing contrasts in the world we live in. When you think about the kinds of things that we have, we live in a world of technology. How many of you have your iPad with you today? I know a number of you do. I got a smartphone. Do you have a smartphone? I didn't realize that in order to use a smartphone, you yourself had to be kind of smart in order to use it. There are some challenges with technology. But it is an amazing world. We can go out and just go to the supermarket, and you can buy coffee that was produced in Sumatra, halfway around the world. I mean, it is an amazing technological world of commerce that we can do some amazing things. Of course, that's one hand. Now, on the other hand, we live in a pretty dangerous world. We heard a lot about that just a little while ago. We live in a world that is under the threat of war. Things have not gone away in the Middle East, have they? Things weren't settled a number of years ago. Iran, Syria, major problems in the world. In fact, some of the things that were supposed to bring peace, we had a great Arab Spring that was supposed to bring some kind of peace in the Middle East. And yet, we know it's even that much more dangerous a place right now. It wasn't all that long ago that at a marathon, terrorism's head showed its ugly self all over again. And so it is a dangerous world. There is a world out here that is a threat to peace. And perhaps one of the biggest threats is maybe to that thing that we're sitting on, maybe our pocketbook.

What about the world economy? Do we feel comfortable about even the contrasts that are in the world of wealth? We live in a wealthy world. We live in a world of amazing prosperity. But on the other hand, how did we, especially here in America, how did we achieve that prosperity? A lot of it came from borrowing. A lot of it came from the burden of debt. And we've seen some of the results of that amazing debt that we have. Not only we here in America, but we can look across the ocean to Greece or to Spain or other areas of the world that are struggling under the great burden of debt. Well, what's going to happen? What's going to happen with those problems? Is there going to be some type of economic meltdown? Could there be something even worse than the Great Depression? If those things happen, maybe it's not too far off to think when those things happen, what's going to happen to the world? What's going to happen to world powers? Will there be some kind of realignment of political world power blocks? Some of those kinds of things, we can foresee those on the horizon. We can foresee the fact that the major powers of this world are going to have some difficult problems. They themselves could come down, while others are created.

Those are only a couple of the examples of the difficult contrasts that we face in our world today. I don't think any of us would argue that there are difficult challenges just in the fabric of our society. When you think about the challenges that we face, when it comes to what is good, what is right, what is acceptable. We know what's happened here in our own country. There's prayer allowed in schools anymore. They say that prayer is still in schools, but it's only on the days that they give a test. I'm not sure if that's the case or not anymore. But most of our kids, they don't even think that's an odd thing not to have prayer in schools. We've stripped out prayers in our schools. It's hard to find in our public life. It's not there. And I think we'd all agree that there has been an assault on not only our schools, but on our families themselves. The family has been under assault. This culture of abortion in our world today has just shredded our family, shredded the values that God gave us originally. Morality, decency. Do we even know how to define those things anymore? I don't think we do. And I think when you add in the culture of popular entertainment, what's happened to our culture? What's happened to society?

Is it that far of a stretch to say that we really live in a culture of evil? Could we say that? Is that fair? I think in a lot of ways it is fair, because in some ways we begin to think of what it is that has happened as a result. Because as a result of these things, I think as a people, we really don't know the difference. Let's think about that for a second. Do we know the difference? I would say that in today's world we don't know the difference between good and evil. Do we really know? Can we really define it? We have a hard time here in America even defining what a family is. What is a family? What comprises a family? Is it mom and dad and the kids anymore? I mean, the government certainly doesn't define a family like that. We've lost the biblical perspective on the difference. The difference between good and evil. And of course what flows right with that, can we really say what the difference is between right and wrong? If we don't live by a godly biblical standard, these things become muddled. We really can't identify. We have a difficult time knowing what that difference is. And why do you think that's happened in our world today? I believe it's because we do not acknowledge God. We don't acknowledge God in our world today, and as a result of that, do we follow His Word? Do we keep the words of the Bible? Do we follow what Scripture tells us? Well, we don't. We don't. We've set that aside for our world today, and we've put just about every other kind of thing ahead of God. We put any kind of thing ahead of what He says is right and wrong and good and evil. We've come to describe those things and define those things for ourselves. Instead of looking to the one who actually made us and formed us and created us, we don't look at what He says is right or wrong or good or evil. We've decided we have the ability to take that on ourselves. And so our world around us doesn't know the difference, because what may be good for you, well, that's fine as long as it doesn't hurt me. And so we've come to that kind of a world today. And we have put so many things before God. Of course, that's not unique. We're not at the only time in history where this has ever happened. The Bible records quite a significant event back in the book of Ezekiel. The prophet Ezekiel had been taken to Babylon. Much of Judah had been taken into captivity. And as he prophesied, he identified some of the same issues that they faced at that time as we're facing today. And in verse 26 of Ezekiel 22, he gets right down to that difference, defining what was the difference that brought these things about. And notice what he says. He says that, "...her priests have violated my law and profaned my holy things." Now, these were supposed to be God's priests. These were supposed to be ministers of God who were teaching the difference between good and evil, right and wrong. What was supposed to be holy and unholy. They were supposed to be showing that difference, and yet even the teachers, even the ministers themselves, they weren't doing that. And so what happened? It says there, they have not distinguished the difference between holy and unholy. They haven't made the difference known between the unclean and the clean. Boy, that sounds a lot like our world today. Can we distinguish the difference between those things? You see, once they put other things before the true God, you know, one of their problems in Judah and Israel was that they were idolaters. They honored things above the true God. Boy, do we do that today in our world?

You know, maybe it's not a little idol that we stick up on the wall and we bow down to it. It may not be that kind of idol, but what are the things in our world that distract us and take us away from worshiping the true God that have caused us not to be able to see that difference, not to be able to understand that there should be a distinguished separation between right and wrong and good and evil and holy and unholy. And of course, he points to one of the other problems they had. It wasn't just putting some things before God. One of the other issues was, it says here in Ezekiel 22, 26, it says, they've hidden their eyes from my Sabbaths so that I am profaned among them. You see, they lost the understanding of the true God. They dishonored Him. They profaned Him because they lost the instruction that God gave them. If you were to look this same passage up in the voice translation, verse 26 says, her priests violate my laws and desecrate my holy things. They fail to distinguish between the sacred and the profane. It goes on and says, they no longer teach. There's a difference between pure and impure. We can add that to the list up here, couldn't we? They don't teach the difference between the pure and impure. And that verse concludes, they completely disregard my Sabbaths and as a result, I'm defamed among my people.

And so we see that part of what was happening, part of the downfall of their society, and I believe there's a direct connection to us today. Part of the downfall to society today is the fact that we don't distinguish a difference between what God says is right and good and holy and the correct way to worship, especially when it comes to honoring Him and worshiping Him. We ignore that. And so today, have most people completely disregarded God's Sabbath? I think most have. Most don't see the significance. Most read these types of passages and try to, you know, say, well, it doesn't really apply today. Let's think about that for a moment. Let's think what God has to say. Just a couple of passages before that, back in chapter 20. Chapter 20, verse 12, God says something interesting here about the connection between these things and His instruction on how He wants to be worshiped. And in verse 12, Ezekiel 20, He says, I also gave them my Sabbath to be a sign. So they were to be an indicator of something. They were to show the way to something. It says, between them and me.

That why? They might know I am the Lord who sanctifies them. Now, one of the interesting words there is that word for sign. The Sabbath is a sign.

Now, we often don't think of a stop sign or maybe a stop light that we have to bring that car to a halt when we come to an intersection like that. Now, certainly that's one way to think of it. But did you know that this particular Hebrew word, it can also mean distinguishing. Or, in a different way to say it, it can be the difference. It can be the mark that makes the difference. The Sabbath is a distinguishing mark. That's what God's saying here. He gave his Sabbath to be a distinguishing mark. Do you want to be able to tell the difference between things? Do you want to be able to tell the difference between good and evil, right and wrong, holy, unholy, pure and impure? God says, start worshiping me in the way I want to be worshiped. Set this day apart the way that I say you should, and it will distinguish you. It'll be between me and you. You'll be able to order your life around my judgments. That's what he says in verse 16. They despise my judgments. They didn't walk in my statutes, and they profane my Sabbaths. So God says, you know, there is a connection here. And yet oftentimes people will say, they're an Old Testament thing. That doesn't really apply today. Crucifixion did away with all of those types of things.

But you fast forward into the New Testament, you might not realize that just in the Gospels alone, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, the Sabbath is mentioned more times than it is in the very first five books of the Bible. More times in the Gospels. And when we look to the example of our Lord and Savior Himself, what example did He set? What was His custom? Well, we know Luke 4.16 says His custom was to honor and keep the Sabbath, to worship on the Sabbath.

In fact, there's an amazing passage, and it's over in the book of Mark. Mark 2, verse 27. And in fact, we'll find it through verse 28 as well. If we take a look at what it says there, we find an amazing statement from Jesus Christ Himself when we look at Mark 2, verse 27 and verse 28. Here's Christ Himself speaking, and what does He say? He says that the Sabbath was made for man. So you might read that. The Sabbath is for man. And what's the general assumption with that? Well, most people would read that and say, well, yeah, the Sabbath was made for those Jews. That's what it was made for. So I don't have to worry about it today, because after all, isn't that all done away with? Well, look up that word. Look up this word for man, and that's originally in the Greek. If you were to look up that word, you know what it really means? It doesn't just mean the Jews or something dedicated just for that time. It means mankind, or a different way to think of it. It was made for humans. It was made for all of mankind. Christ Himself is saying right here that that sign that Ezekiel talked about distinguishing us, making a difference. Christ says it was made for all humanity, for mankind. It was made for mankind. And then He says something remarkable. In verse 28, He says, Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath. Oftentimes, what do you hear today?

Today you might hear, I worship when? People will oftentimes say, I worship on the Lord's day. And of course, they equate that with Sunday.

But what does Mark 2.28 tell us? What day is the real Lord's day?

You can't get around the fact. He says that Jesus Christ is Lord of the Sabbath.

It's Lord of the Sabbath. So should we honor God? Should we differentiate between what is good, and what is right, what is holy, in the way that God wants us to? Or could it be because of what happened in ancient Israel and ancient Judah? If we follow in their footsteps, isn't that the same thing that's going to happen to society around us?

I think it's an undeniable connection. And so, I think we've reached that difficult crossroads. When you think about this critical time that we live in right now, we live in a time, I think, of spiritual confusion. People have lost their way. There is confusion when it comes to religion, as well as the political challenges that we face, as well as the economic challenges we face. It seems like all of those things are coming together all at once. And we're hurling toward this precipice. We're heading towards the cliff. And if things don't change, we heard what the conclusion of the matter will be. Matthew 24 was very clear. Christ talked about a tribulation, a great tribulation, a great time of distress. That if God doesn't intervene, no life would be saved. And so, as you think about those things, I think it should cause us to step back and try to realize, well, with all these challenges that we're faced with, with all the difficulties that are out here, is there any hope? Is there any hope? Is there a solution to help us to discern the difference? Is there a solution that will help guide mankind? Well, Jesus Christ Himself says, yes, there is. Absolutely, there is. And that is the kingdom of God. Because God's kingdom really is the only realistic way out for all of humanity. It's really the only solution for the world at this time. The world problems that we face, haven't we convinced ourselves by this time that we really don't know how to fix things? That mankind really doesn't know the answers? I think that's been the record of history. And so, when we think about the way out, I think we've got to come back to, what does prophecy say? What does God say about the kingdom of God? What does He say in His Word, in the Bible, about what is real and what is coming and where our hope really lies?

Well, I think Christ was very clear. In fact, He established the Sabbath as a little bit of a foretaste into what that coming kingdom can really be like, so that His people can come together in peace. His people can come together as a spiritual family and worship Him and honor Him and put Him first in their lives. As a little advance of what that coming kingdom is like, we're given the Sabbath to do that. And so, there are some things that we can do. At least, I believe there are. I think the Bible tells us that there are things that we can do to prepare for God's coming kingdom. Now, you might think, well, do I have to prepare? Is that something that's necessary? Is that something that has to happen in my life? Or is that something that's just going to happen all on its own? Do I have to prepare? Or what's the difference if we just hang around and see what happens? Well, think about that for a moment. Now, can you imagine if, let's say, I could guarantee you some amazing things. Let's say I could guarantee you joy, that as you face this world, you could have a joy like no other, that goes beyond even just being happy. But if I could offer you that, let's say, I'm going to give you happiness and you will be so blessed beyond measure. Wouldn't that be a great guarantee? That it's something that's absolute. It's got to happen, and you can be assured of it. In fact, you can have a confidence. You don't have to live in fear. You don't have to be worried. You don't have to have anxiety. You don't have to worry about anxiety attacks in this world. But you can have a confidence that God is with you and that there is a plan for your life. And as we heard about a little bit earlier, how about peace? Not just world peace, boy, that would be an amazing thing, but peace in your life, peace in your heart, in your mind, that doesn't have to be stressed out. You don't have to have conflict within your own thinking. You can have a peace that, as the Bible says, surpasses understanding. Now, imagine if I could guarantee that to you. Well, I can do that for two payments of 1995. Okay, I can't do it for two payments of 1995. Okay, we'll erase that.

Okay, the fact is, I can't do that. I can't guarantee that. I can't do any of that.

But God can. God can do that. He shows us that Jesus Christ came to give us that wonderful way of life, this kind of a life, a life with those kind of characteristics. And it doesn't have to be something just in the future. That's where John 10, verse 10 comes into play. John 10.10 says an amazing thing. It says that Christ came that they may have life. Of course, we're the they. He says, I came that they may have life and that they may have it more abundantly, more abundantly. The New Living Translation says that they might have life a great full life.

The Amplified Version says that they may enjoy life and have it in abundance to the full, till it overflows. Well, that sounds pretty good. That sounds, boy, it sounds almost impossible, doesn't it? But that's what Christ came for, that we could have that kind of a life. In fact, if you looked up that word for abundant, it really does mean that overflowing, actually, more than a super abundant life, a superior kind of life, a quality of life that's really hard to imagine today. But that's why Christ came. Isn't that the kind of life that we'd all like?

Now, one thing we know is that Christ came, He died for our sins, so that our sins could be forgiven, and we could begin to have that kind of a life. It's not something that we just have to wait for Christ to return and establish that kingdom for, but it does also point that way as well. I mean, why did Christ come? Why did He have to die? Why was He buried? Why was He resurrected?

Well, it's so that we could have a guarantee of this kind of a life. The ultimate guarantee, then, is in the kingdom of God. The kingdom of God is where it will become a reality for the whole world. In fact, when you look at what is eternal life anyway? There are so many different theories and ideas about what even eternal life is all about. When we talk about eternal life, we're talking about the gospel of the kingdom of God. The gospel of the kingdom of God. That's the astounding part that we can inherit that kingdom. We can be a part of what God is doing. And so, in the future, we can be spirit beings in His kingdom at His return. And that's a difficult concept that most people just don't understand. It doesn't have much to do with going to heaven, does it? But that's what Christ was preaching. That's what Christ taught. In fact, if you were to have a mathematical equation here with the kingdom of God, the kingdom of God could be said it's the same as salvation. The kingdom of God is salvation. The kingdom of God is eternal life with our Creator, with God. That is eternal life. And so, as we look at that, well, you could even say it's... another way we say it today is it's being saved.

It's being saved. Being a part of the kingdom of God, that literal kingdom that Christ is going to establish at His return is salvation. It is being saved. And we can have some of the benefits of that kingdom right now because Christ is living His life in us. And we can look forward to the entire world under the guidance of Jesus Christ and His government and His standards. And we can begin to differentiate as an entire global people of what's right and wrong and good and evil. So we can do those things because of the plan of God. And that's really the salvation that the Bible speaks of. Salvation in the kingdom of God. Now, what's that going to be like?

And that's the amazing part when we think about what that will be like. What will that be like? Well, Hebrews chapter 2 begins to give us a little bit of direction. What is God doing? What will that eternal life, that everlasting life, be like in His kingdom? You know, is that like heaven? Is that something like that concept out there? What exactly is it? Well, Hebrews chapter 2 verse 10 gives us a little bit of an idea about what is God doing? What is His plan? And how does it involve human beings? How does it involve us? Well, look at Hebrews chapter 2. In Hebrews chapter 2 verse 10, it says, in bringing many sons to glory, in fact, that word for sons there in the Greek can also mean children. Bringing many children to glory says it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the author of their salvation perfect through suffering. He says, both the one who makes men holy and those who are made holy are of the same family.

Now, that's a critical point. Not sure if we've ever really grasped that in the way that the apostle Paul is saying this here in the book of Hebrews. He's telling us that in the kingdom of God, what is it going to be like? Well, he talked about children. Some of the translations say sons. And then he concludes that section by saying what? Family. Family. That we, as a part of the kingdom of God, are in the same family. The same family as that one who died and was resurrected, as Jesus Christ. And so, those who enter the kingdom of God are of the same family. And so, if we were to name that family, what family is that?

Well, that's God's family. We're children of God. He's bringing many sons, many children to glory. We are God's children. God is our Father. In fact, the Bible goes on to describe it. Look at verse 11 once again. It says, both the one who makes people holy, those who are made holy, are of the same family. So, Jesus is not ashamed to call us what? Siblings. We're brothers and sisters, aren't we? We're brothers and sisters with Jesus Christ. We see this family aspect played out in the kingdom of God. We're of the same family. Jesus is brothers and sisters with us. Isn't that amazing? Verse 12, it says, I will declare your name to my brothers and sisters. In the assembly, I'll sing your praises. In the congregation, in the church, that word can literally mean. And verse 13, He even gives it more emphasis. And again, I'll put my trust in Him. And again, He says, Here am I, and the children God has given me. And so, this overriding concept in the kingdom of God is family. Isn't it a great thing? Jesus Christ is not ashamed to call us brothers and sisters. He's not afraid to have us as a part of the family. Now, sometimes that's a pretty difficult concept to grasp, especially right now, today, because in our human families, sometimes we're not really proud of each other. I remember one time I showed up at my brothers classroom. He forgot his lunch one day, and so mom said, Will you make sure and bring him his cheese sandwich? So that's when they used to let you walk down the halls in school. You didn't have to sign in or anything. So I just took this little bag of lunch, knocked on the classroom door. His teacher opened the door, and I said, I won't give his name away. I've got his lunch! And I walked in the room, and there's my brother in the middle of the classroom going, totally embarrassed. I don't know if I had high water pants on that day, or what I might have my disco shirt on at the time. I'm not sure what it was, but totally embarrassed of me.

And I'm reminded of this passage. Jesus would never do that to us. He's not ashamed of us.

In fact, I think it's much the opposite. As we strive to follow God's way, I think Christ takes heart in us. He wants to see us succeed. He hasn't called us to fail. And so He's not ashamed to call us His own brothers, His own sisters. And it's such a startling thing when you really dig into this, that we literally will be in the family of God. What else could that mean than to be brothers and sisters with Christ? Well, what is Christ right now? Well, He's resurrected. He's spirit. He's an amazingly powerful spirit being. And we're going to be His brothers and sisters. In fact, if you write it down, write down 1 Peter. I'm sorry, I think it's 2 Peter 1, verse 4. It even tells us a little bit more detail about that. 2 Peter 1, verse 4. I don't think it's in your brochure. But it tells us very clearly that we're going to be in that family. In fact, our approach, our attitude, that passage says, our nature will be divine. We will be partakers of the divine nature. Boy, that sounds like we're in the family. We're in the family of God. We'll be partaking in God's nature because He's bringing us as His children to immortality, to eternal life. Scripture oftentimes talks about it as glory. That sounds very religious. But that's what it's talking about, a glorified state of being a spirit, immortal, everlasting, eternal. That's what we're going to be like. That's kind of the what of it all. We're going to be immortal. We will have eternal life. But there's also another side to things as well. When you think about this family aspect, we're going to be immortal. We'll be brothers and sisters with Jesus Christ. There's more than just the what. I think we also have to think about the who side of things. The who side of things. Because it's not just what we'll be like. If you looked at 1 Corinthians 15, it describes this resurrection. It describes immortality. It describes what it's like to become spirit at the return of Christ. But who will we be like? Scripture is very clear. Very clear. 1 John 3 verse 1 tells us very clearly. It says, Behold, what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us that we should be called children of God. There's that family aspect coming to the forefront again. It says, Beloved, now we are the children of God, and it's not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him. For we shall see Him as He is. And so the who is we will certainly be like Christ. We will be like our elder brother. We shall be like Him. In fact, we have a little glimpse into that Kingdom right now because Christ is to be living His life in us right now through His Holy Spirit. And so we have this amazing honor of being called to become like the resurrected, glorified Jesus Christ.

That is phenomenal potential when you think of it. Receiving eternal life in the Kingdom of God and being members of the family that God is creating. That is the reward of the saints. That is salvation. And you think about the when. We talked about a little bit of the when, just a little bit earlier this afternoon. 1 Corinthians 15 gives us insight into the when. It takes place at the return of Christ. It takes place at the last trumpet. It takes place when the kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord, the kingdom of God. When this world and all of its governments come under the authority of Jesus Christ, it will be the kingdom of God on earth. And that's the time God's people will be resurrected. They'll be resurrected from physical, mortal, fleshly life, and they'll be changed to spirit, to immortality, to everlasting life, and be a part of that kingdom of God. I know your brochure mentions Revelation 20, and in that particular passage it talks about that resurrection where you will live and you'll reign and you'll rule with Jesus Christ. Just the beginning of that kingdom. You'll live and reign and rule with Christ for a thousand years. For a thousand years, and that's just the beginning. So as Christ sets up that kingdom of God right here on earth, His resurrected people will be there with Him. They'll be there with Him helping and serving. You see, because God's plan is that everyone has an opportunity. Everyone has an opportunity to understand the gospel of that very kingdom. They're going to understand the good news of what God's plan is all about, and what He's doing, and what His purpose is for each and every human being that ever lived. In 2 Peter 3, verse 9 says that God is not willing that any perish, but He wants them to understand that plan. He wants them to change. He wants them to repent. And so, we look forward to that time. We look forward to that time. We look forward to the time of the resurrection of the dead, when Christ will return and then ultimately live and rule with Him. And that's the amazing part. You could probably begin to see why Jesus Christ Himself called it the gospel. Literally, the gospel is good news. You see, the good news is this world is not what it's all about. The good news, the gospel of the kingdom of God, is pointing to a better time. In passages like Revelation 20 and 1 Corinthians 15, point to the fact that part of that message of the good news of the kingdom is that God's followers, those that submit their lives to Jesus Christ, they're going to have some amazing responsibilities. It talks about ruling with Jesus Christ, that those who follow God submit their lives to Him. We'll have an opportunity to work with Jesus Christ. They'll assist Him. They'll work together in doing the things that are pleasing to Jesus Christ, in instituting His way, showing the right way to live. You know, after thousands of years of mankind's experiments, they haven't worked.

People are going to have to be shown God's way, and those that are resurrected as He comes are going to be given that opportunity. In fact, Revelation 1 and verse 6 tells us exactly some of the responsibilities that we'll have.

It talks about rulership as kings and as priests as well. So when we look at what responsibilities we're going to have, as members of the family of God, these are phenomenal responsibilities. So as Christ's brothers and sisters, we're going to participate in helping Him and assisting Him and fulfilling all of His hopes and dreams for all of humanity. And so it's an incredible promise that God gives us. In Revelation chapter 21 and verse 7, it talks about the fact that when we overcome, when we strive to put on Christ, we have the opportunity to inherit all things.

All things. Hebrews 2 labels it out. It tells us, let's talk about the entire universe. The entire universe. He's put all things under subjection to Him, and we're going to have that responsibility with Jesus Christ. That was an amazing plan. God has an amazing opportunity for all of us, and He wants all of us to freely choose to live by His way.

And of course, if we're going to do that, it's not just saying, well, I'd like to do that. There are responsibilities. I don't know the kind of family that you grew up in, but I know the family that I grew up in. Everybody had responsibilities. Everybody had jobs that they would have to do. My mom used to have a big chore chart, she called it. And you had to check off when you did the chores.

Well, you know, in a way, there are things that we have to do as our responsibilities as part of the family of God. Even today, are there responsibilities that we're supposed to be taking care of? Are there actions? Are there duties, you might say, as we understand this message, as we hear the message of Jesus Christ in the Gospel of the kingdom of God, and as we come to understand it, you know, what is our response to that?

Is it just to say, well, that's a nice message? Or just to say, well, I don't have to really do anything, do I? Well, I think there are things that we have to do. I think there's a number of things that are spelled out, but let's just look at two major things. One of the major things that we must do is that very thing that Christ described as He began preaching and teaching.

When His ministry began, Mark 1, verse 14, it spells it out so clearly. When Jesus came preaching the Gospel of the kingdom of God, what did He say? He gave that very first step. He said, the time is fulfilled, the kingdom of God is at hand. He said, repent and believe. You see, this first step is to do just that. That we've got to repent. That means changing our thinking. We've got to change the way we think because the things that we do are all impacted by what starts up here, doesn't it?

So we've got to change our mind. That word to repent literally means to change your mind. Change the way we think. And as we change the way we think, we begin to see ourselves for what we are. That we fall short of God's standard. That we need a Savior. We need Jesus Christ. That in order to have hope in this world, we need to turn to Jesus Christ and accept Him as our Lord and our Master and our High Priest and that soon-coming King of that kingdom. And we have to change our way of life. We have to ask for forgiveness.

We have to be brought back to God. The Bible uses the religious-sounding word of being reconciled. Reconciled to God with His way of thinking, with His standard, with His guidance, with His laws of His kingdom. Christ taught those laws. And He makes it very clear that we've got to believe what God tells us. And that is an amazing challenge, I think, for all of us. Because even today, as bad as things are across our country today, it does still seem like a majority of people believe in God. Studies and surveys still show that people believe in God. But the problem, the real problem, is that they don't believe God.

They might believe in God, but they don't believe God. This is what God says. Do I have to really believe what He says? Do I really have to follow what He says? Do I have to do the things that He tells me to do? If He's my Creator, He made me, He knows what life is all about, you think I should follow what He says? You think He knows what's best? Well, He does. He does. And in fact, it's pretty clear in 1 Corinthians 16 that if we don't choose to live His way, a way that really will bring good, that really will bring right, that really will point the way to what's holy, the way that really is pure, if we refuse to follow that way, if we refuse to believe what God says and change our regular, normal, everyday way of thinking, He says, we're not going to be a part of that kingdom. We're not going to be a part of that family. 1 Corinthians 6, 9 says it very clearly, don't you know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Can't be much plainer than that. He says, don't be deceived. That little phrase always makes me step back because it reminds me, you can be deceived about these things. You can be fooled because it might not seem that way on the surface, but in actuality, we could be taken in. We could be fooled by the very things that are being said here. Well, really? Unrighteous won't be there? Well, why would that be that bad? We've got to justify it. But He says, don't be deceived. And He even lists out some of those traits that disqualify us from the family, from the kingdom. He says, neither fornicators, idolaters, adulterers, homosexuals, sodomites, thieves, covetous, drunkards, revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. Of course, it's easy, maybe part of the deception is, wow, you know, I'm not a fornicator, you know, I'm not a sodomite, I'm not a thief, so I guess I'm okay.

But you ever wanted something that wasn't yours? Oh, it gets down to some little details, it seems.

And so I think any one of us can fit into these categories. He says, we've got to repent of those things. We've got to change our outlook. We've got to live by a different standard, a different rule in our lives. And in fact, He's writing these words to His very own church. The apostle Paul, inspired by God, was writing to God's people, telling them, they act this way, they won't be a part of the kingdom. And he even says, look at verse 11, he says, and such were some of you. Yep, some of us fit into those categories. Maybe all of us fit into one or the other of these categories. But, he says, you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God. You see what he's saying there is you did follow step number one.

This type of behavior will disqualify you from the family, but you did follow that first step. You did repent. You did believe. You did change your life. You were set apart. You were sanctified. You were given God's Holy Spirit. And so now you can be made right through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. And so we've got to make sure that we continue. When we fall out of line, we have a misstep. What do we do? Well, we've got to get out of those categories and come back to that changed mind, that changed heart. We've got to put on that outlook of Jesus Christ. And of course, he says, there's a second step. We look at step number two, is that we've got to make sure that our priorities are in line. You know, what is our priority?

You know, what is it that is most important in our life? When we look at Matthew 6, verse 33, it outlines what has to come first. You know, when we accept Christ as our Savior, when we repent and believe, we've got to have that ongoing commitment to put first things first in our life. And that particular passage says, seek first the kingdom of God. So that gospel message, that message of the good news of the kingdom of God, of God's family, coming right to this very earth, we've got to seek that kingdom. That means I've got to live my life under the terms, under the guidance of that kingdom right now. And so, I've got to do that, and that priority has to happen. That kingdom of God, seeking that kingdom, living that way, having that mindset, putting on that way of thinking, has to be what my focus is constantly, no matter what, in my life. I have to live with Jesus Christ in me and living His life through me. And so that may mean I've got to change what's most important in my life.

So it means seeking the kingdom, centering our life on Christ, looking to that kingdom. We're not looking to this physical existence around us. We can have a different perspective. We can devote our life to living by His way, by His rule in our life. We can understand that we're, we can study this very word. We can look to the word of God, and we can make it a part of our life, in every aspect of our life. We can live by it, and we can begin to thoroughly know our King now.

And so that is just King of this coming kingdom, but He's King of my life right now. He rules my life right now. And so we need to look to that King. We need to look to Jesus Christ. We need to listen to the message that He Himself spoke. He Himself emphasized. And we've got to put that into practice in our life. So we want to study that, and we want to listen, and we want to respond to that message in our life. Because there is no doubt we can have joy that's greater than any other. We can have a happiness that doesn't come naturally, a happiness that is a blessing to the fullest, and we can have a confidence. We don't have to live an anxious, anxiety-filled life, because we can have a life of confidence in what God is doing. That's going to bring a special peace to our lives today as we look forward to that ultimate peace in the future. So we can have that abundant life. We can have that super abundant life. We can begin that process today, and that process can be completed when Jesus Christ comes and establishes the Kingdom of God.

That's a message of hope, isn't it? That's an amazing message. No wonder it was called the Good News. The Good News, the gospel of the Kingdom of God, because it really is good news. It is the most amazing, wonderful news imaginable. So let's put our trust. Let's put our faith in the King of that Kingdom. Let's put our trust and faith in Jesus and believe that Good News. And as we do that, we want to make sure that we seek first the Kingdom of God.