Be not as the hypocrites

Mat 6:16 Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites...

Hypocrites.


Jesus didn't, and doesn't, like hypocrites.


Let's read through these verses, we have time- this is after all - Bible study, right? We need to catch the big picture here about Jesus' view on hypocrites because He doesn't want us to be they are.


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Mat 6:2 Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.


Mat 6:5 And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.


Mat 7:5 Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.


Mat 15:7 Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying,
Mat 15:8 This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.
Mat 15:9 But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.


Mat 16:3 And in the morning, It will be foul weather to day: for the sky is red and lowring. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times?


Mat 22:18 But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, Why tempt ye me, ye hypocrites?


Mat 23:13 But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.
Mat 23:14 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation.
Mat 23:15 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.


Mat 23:23 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.
Mat 23:24 Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel.
Mat 23:25 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.
Mat 23:26 Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.
Mat 23:27 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness.
Mat 23:28 Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.
Mat 23:29 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous,


Mat 24:51 And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.


Luk 6:42 Either how canst thou say to thy brother, Brother, let me pull out the mote that is in thine eye, when thou thyself beholdest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to pull out the mote that is in thy brother's eye.

Luk 11:44 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are as graves which appear not, and the men that walk over them are not aware of them.


Luk 12:56 Ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky and of the earth; but how is it that ye do not discern this time?


Luk 13:15 The Lord then answered him, and said, Thou hypocrite, doth not each one of you on the sabbath loose his ox or his ass from the stall, and lead him away to watering?


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Webster's definition of a hypocrite is this--


Hypocrite
HYP'OCRITE, n.

1. One who feigns to be what he is not; one who has the form of godliness without the power, or who assumes an appearance of piety and virtue, when he is destitute of true religion.

2. A dissembler; one who assumes a false appearance.

An online dictionary defines it this way--


hyp·o·crite
[hip-uh-krit]

Show IPA
–noun
1.
a person who pretends to have virtues, moral or religious beliefs, principles, etc., that he or she does not actually possess, especially a person whose actions belie stated beliefs.
2.
a person who feigns some desirable or publicly approved attitude, especially one whose private life, opinions, or statements belie his or her public statements.

Pasted from

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Pretending to be something you're not. How often do people pretend to be something they're not? How often do people smile on the outside but inside they're full of disdain for those they are smiling at. People might put on a happy face and feel sad, but that's not the kind of pretending we're talking about. Hypocrites - those who assume a false appearance of virtue when they have no true virtue in them. The deceitful. Those who harm others - not necessarily in a physical manner- and not necessarily with the others even realizing they're being harmed. A liar. Yes, being a hypocrite is being a liar. Often hypocrites are able to fool many people with their false demeanor. In fact there are people who are hypocrites all their lives - making a living that way and never being discovered.


Not a single hypocrite exists that can hide from the knowing of our God.


Jesus saw through hypocrite after hypocrite as He lived upon earth and He wasn't afraid to let them know that He knew them for what they really were.


Do you believe you have ever been a hypocrite? Seriously. I ask this because as we struggle in our day to day lives to be followers of our Savior and we come up short sometimes it's very easy to believe we are being hypocrites rather than those struggling against principalities and powers, fighting the good fight. Satan wants us to believe we are hypocrites so that we are filled with self-loathing and give up. In fact some people might turn around and call us hypocrites because our walk with Christ doesn't fulfill their imagined scenario of a Christian life. Just recently someone questioned my life with Christ in the context of my not doing *enough*, not *giving my all*. This person who did this obviously doesn't realize that even if a person does a tiny bit outwardly it's not up to them to judge another's walk with Christ based on their own experience. When we start judging others, when we start trying to hold up examples as to how a *real* Christian would be, then we put ourselves somewhere we are never meant to go. Many who are Christians outwardly, many who hold up the image of an amazing Christian - studying, helping the poor, praying, witnessing- you name it they're doing it, many of those are the very same hypocrites our Savior is talking about. Even a person who is caught up in a life of outward sin might have a closer walk with our Savior than one who seems to be living their life perfectly. That person struggling with sin may be genuinely fighting the fight they've been given to fight so that when all is said and done they'll be in the kingdom with our Savior. The point being… we need to love, not condemn. We need to live that love not be hypocritical even with ourselves.


Jesus said this--


Mat 6:16 Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites...


Jesus doesn't want us to be as hypocrites are and He goes on to tell us more.


Mat 6:16 Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
Mat 6:17 But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face;
Mat 6:18 That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.


Don't put on an outward show of piety. We are not doing ourselves any favors by *pretending*. We can put on the appearance of a pious person and it will fool people- it will, but God knows.


We are to live our lives without pretense knowing that no matter how we look it's what's inside our hearts before God that matters. The pretenders, the hypocrites, the liars have their reward. God wants us to be rewarded openly by Him because He knows the good we do in secret doing that good for no outward reward.


So what if people look at you and don't ever imagine you have a life as they imagine you should have. You're not living your life to be rewarded by another's acknowledgement that you fit their idea of a follower of Christ. You're living your life to be acknowledged by our Savior and our Savior only.


By the grace of our Savior may we be His and His alone in all we do. If we are being hypocritical may we have this revealed to us so that we can beg for forgiveness and be truly God's. In His love!


Amen.

Become forgiving

Right after Jesus says 'amen' as He gives us the manner in which we are to pray He says this--


Mat 6:14 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:
Mat 6:15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.


Remember back in the prayer where He said this--


Mat 6:12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.


Obviously He felt a need to emphasize this part a bit.


If WE forgive others their trespasses- our heavenly Father will forgive us. We need to be forgiven don't we? We've talked about it before but obviously it's something we can't stop talking about. We can't afford to ever forget that we need to forgive others, as much as we need to be forgiven. Forgiving others for…

What exactly are we to forgive others for? When is the last time anyone did something to hurt you? I'm not talking seriously hurt you, but when is the last time someone was perhaps a touch thoughtless in their words, or lack thereof? When is the last time you felt the least bit slighted? Maybe it was a stranger giving you a strange glare. Or maybe it was a friend forgetting to call you. Possibly it was loved one who just didn't listen when you wanted them to. The thing we need to remember is just as we are to pray daily and to use the manner of praying Jesus teaches us, we need to understand that forgiveness is an ongoing EVERYDAY concern. Also, forgiveness isn't something as simple as forgiving once and then it's done. The simplest of slights we take offense at, the tiniest of hurts might need to be forgiven over and over again and that's NO joke. You might think it's easy to forgive the little things and harder to forgive the huge betrayals but that's not always the case. No, I'm not saying the huge betrayals are easy to forgive, what I'm saying is the little betrayals, the little hurts aren't often easy to forgive. We might detest the fact that we have to forgive someone over and over again. We might believe that it means we can't forgive them because we can't forget what's been done. We might be waiting for some sort of apology, or appeasement and even then that real heart felt forgiveness might elude us.


Daily we forgive. Daily, hourly, minutely we forgive. We have to be in a state of perpetual forgiving of others because in truth, don't we need to be in a perpetual state of forgiveness by God?


No, I'm not saying that our every waking moment has to be spent forgiving, but we need to be ever ready to forgive. Seriously. Is there ever a time we shouldn't forgive? Not according to our Savior.


Being ready to forgive is understanding that constantly we will be put in the position to choose to forgive or not to forgive. As we feel the pain of the slights we face in our day to day lives we really do need to become forgiving.


Others will hurt us make no mistake about it. It could be as simple as ingratitude when you go out of your way to do something for someone. It could be a selfishness revealed as a last roll you reach for is snatched away be someone else. You could catch a glimpse of someone seeming to disdain you. You can see the disgust cross the face of someone you ask to help you with something and know in that look it's the last thing they want to be doing. No one I know lives in a world where all things are picture perfect. Everyone I know lives in a world filled with selfish beings that find it easy to hurt and hard to forgive.


By the grace of God we will learn to become forgiving because He says…


Mat 6:15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.


If we don't become forgiving we cannot be forgiven and we need to be forgiven because we fall far short of being as God would have us be. We need to be forgiven by our wonderful Savior, He wants to forgive us and He will forgive us.


Forgiveness for the teeny tiny things is more important than we really realize.


Forgiveness is no longer holding a person accountable for the sin, the wrong, the slight they've committed against us. Forgiveness is Jesus forgiving us for all the sins, all the wrongs, all the slights we've committed against Him. We need forgiveness, we need it desperately because our selfishness pulls us away from God, our self-centeredness pushes God out. We see this in so much we do when we think of ourselves before others in so many ways.


By the grace of our Lord and Savior may we become forgiving. May His words become real to us as we pray our daily prayers seeking to be forgiving knowing by the grace of God we are forgiven.


Mat 6:14 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:
Mat 6:15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.


In His amazing Love as we seek to be with Him in the kingdom!


Amen.

The power and the glory

Our Father which art in heaven


Mat 6:13 ... thine is… the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen


We'd be very remiss if we didn't study this last sentence a bit more closely. Having focused on the kingdom (and rightly so) for so long it would be easy to just round off there but we can't. Jesus had more to say. Jesus said to pray in this manner- including at the very end of the prayer an acknowledgement of God the Father's forever power, and glory.

The Greek word for 'power' defined-

G1411
δύναμις
dunamis
doo'-nam-is
From G1410; force (literally or figuratively); specifically miraculous power (usually by implication a miracle itself): - ability, abundance, meaning, might (-ily, -y, -y deed), (worker of) miracle (-s), power, strength, violence, mighty (wonderful) work.


Force- literally or figuratively. Specifically miraculous power. Ability, abundance, meaning, might. Worker of miracles. Power, strength, violence, mighty work.


Thine is …the power. God our Father in heaven has this power, this all encompassing power of the miraculous, we cannot believe otherwise. By His power all things exist. By His power salvation exists. By His power hope exists. By His power we exist. He is all powerful beyond anything we can fully imagine.


Let's read a few of the many verses on power-


Exo 15:6 Thy right hand, O LORD, is become glorious in power: thy right hand, O LORD, hath dashed in pieces the enemy


Glorious in power!


2Sa 22:33 God is my strength and power: and he maketh my way perfect.


God is MY…power!


1Ch 29:11 Thine, O LORD, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O LORD, and thou art exalted as head above all.


Amen!


Psa 21:13 Be thou exalted, LORD, in thine own strength: so will we sing and praise thy power.

Psa 63:2 To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary.

Psa 145:11 They shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom, and talk of thy power;
Psa 145:12 To make known to the sons of men his mighty acts, and the glorious majesty of his kingdom.
Psa 145:13 Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and thy dominion endureth throughout all generations.
Psa 145:14 The LORD upholdeth all that fall, and raiseth up all those that be bowed down.
Psa 145:15 The eyes of all wait upon thee; and thou givest them their meat in due season.
Psa 145:16 Thou openest thine hand, and satisfiest the desire of every living thing.
Psa 145:17 The LORD is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works.
Psa 145:18 The LORD is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth.
Psa 145:19 He will fulfil the desire of them that fear him: he also will hear their cry, and will save them.
Psa 145:20 The LORD preserveth all them that love him: but all the wicked will he destroy.
Psa 145:21 My mouth shall speak the praise of the LORD: and let all flesh bless his holy name for ever and ever.


Praise God!


Jer 10:12 He hath made the earth by his power, he hath established the world by his wisdom, and hath stretched out the heavens by his discretion

Jer 32:17 Ah Lord GOD! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee:

Jer 51:15 He hath made the earth by his power, he hath established the world by his wisdom, and hath stretched out the heaven by his understanding.


The earth exists by His power!


Mar 13:26 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory.

Luk 21:27 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.

1Co 4:20 For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power.


The kingdom of God … in power!


Eph 1:19 And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,


His mighty power!


1Ti 6:16 Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen.

Jud 1:25 To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.

Rev 4:11 Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.

Rev 5:12 Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.

Rev 7:12 Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.

Rev 11:17 Saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned.


Thy great power!


Amazing!


Now let's look at the word glory for a moment.


The Greek definition-

G1391
δόξα
doxa
dox'-ah
From the base of G1380; glory (as very apparent), in a wide application (literally or figuratively, objectively or subjectively): - dignity, glory (-ious), honour, praise, worship.


Dignity, glorious, honor, praise, worship.


Exo 24:16 And the glory of the LORD abode upon mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days: and the seventh day he called unto Moses out of the midst of the cloud.


The Hebrew definition for the word glory is this-

H3519
כּבד כּבוד
kâbôd kâbôd
kaw-bode', kaw-bode'
From H3513; properly weight; but only figuratively in a good sense, splendor or copiousness: - glorious (-ly), glory, honour (-able).

Properly weight. Figuratively- splendor, glorious, honor.


The glory of the LORD abode upon mount Sinai- is it safe to say that God honored mankind with His presence there on mount Sinai? I think it is. The glory, the splendor we cannot even begin to fully fathom was there.


Exo 24:17 And the sight of the glory of the LORD was like devouring fire on the top of the mount in the eyes of the children of Israel.


Like devouring FIRE! Anyone that has ever been exposed to the power of fire witnessing the flame's power can understand this. Like fire- powerful like fire is powerful and yet that bush the LORD revealed Himself to Moses in was not destroyed, and the mount the children of Israel gazed at was not destroyed by this image of a fire without devouring power. A fire contained, power controlled. Think of it, a fire that doesn't destroy how miraculous a sight that has to be. Could you imagine starting a campfire and the fire burning brightly but the logs you put on that fire not being consumed, not being charred, not a speck of burned bark upon in? Wouldn't that just amaze you to no end? A fire that has plenty to burn yet not burning a thing. What glory! What amazing glory is that!


1Ch 16:27 Glory and honour are in his presence; strength and gladness are in his place.


Psa 8:1 To the chief Musician upon Gittith, A Psalm of David. O LORD our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! who hast set thy glory above the heavens.


Psa 19:1 To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.


Psa 24:10 Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, he is the King of glory. Selah.


Psa 29:2 Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.


Psa 57:5 Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens; let thy glory be above all the earth.


Psa 63:2 To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary.


Psa 79:9 Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of thy name: and deliver us, and purge away our sins, for thy name's sake.


Psa 145:11 They shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom, and talk of thy power


Isa 2:19 And they shall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth.


Isa 6:3 And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.


Isa 40:5 And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.


Hab 2:14 For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.


Zec 6:13 Even he shall build the temple of the LORD; and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne; and he shall be a priest upon his throne: and the counsel of peace shall be between them both.


Mat 16:27 For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works


Mar 13:26 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory.


Luk 2:14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.


Joh 17:5 And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.


Joh 17:24 Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.


Rom 5:2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.


Php 2:11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father


Col 1:27 To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory


1Pe 1:7 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:


1Pe 5:10 But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.
1Pe 5:11 To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.


Jud 1:24 Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,
Jud 1:25 To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.


Rev 4:11 Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.


Rev 19:1 And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the Lord our God


Rev 21:23 And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.


Again these are just a few verses of the many. The glory of God is unimaginable, it's wondrous, it's indescribable really.


Mat 6:13 ... thine is… the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen


Truly we are to never forget the power and glory of our Father in heaven. Every prayer we utter is done so by the power and glory of God, it is by His kingdom- through Salvation, through our Savior.


It's all too easy for us here on earth to choose to blind ourselves to the wonders of God. We choose not to see God's glory all around us, we choose to forget God's working in our history, we choose to be blind and deaf and we do this because Satan would have it so. The evil one doesn't want us dwelling on God's glory or His power. Caught up in self we are all too happy to keep the blinders on because the true revelation of the glory and power of God through the kingdom to come, by the grace and mercy of our Savior is something that demands our recognition as creatures, created by another for His glory. Selflessness, true selflessness is true love and that selflessness is found in our Savior, our Creator.


Yes, 'Thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.'


Acknowledgment.


Mat 6:9-13

Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever.
Amen.


Amen.

Thy kingdom come, thine is the kingdom

Mat 6:9-13

Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever.
Amen.


The study of the 'kingdom' began when we were studying Matthew 6:9-13 where Jesus said this- 'After this manner therefore pray ye…' and then He began to teach us the manner of praying. We realized that twice Jesus mentions the kingdom. The importance of understanding the kingdom is something we couldn't, and can't overlook. The kingdom coming, and the kingdom that is the Father's, we need a real understanding of the kingdom and I believe we've begun a little to comprehend such a wondrous subject.


Jesus came to preach the kingdom of God to man, this gospel message is all about the kingdom to come, the kingdom found only in our Savior.


We read these words- 'United Kingdom' and what do we think of? Britain, right? Here's the Wiki definition in part--

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK, or Britain) is a sovereign state located off the north-western coast of continental Europe. It spans an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of the island of Ireland, and many smaller islands. Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK with a land border with another sovereign state, sharing it with the Republic of Ireland. Apart from this land border, the UK is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, the North Sea, the English Channel, and the Irish Sea.


This is the United Kingdom that exists in our world today and when we think of the UK as it's known, we think of territory, we think of a place. Just as if I were say - United States, instantly you think of a place in our world. If I were to say the Kingdom of God you would be inclined to think of heaven, and rightly so because we know God's dwelling place is in heaven. So when we pray 'Thy kingdom come' are we praying for heaven on earth? We are, aren't we? Are we praying for God's kingdom to come and do away with all other kingdom's on earth? We are, yes? We are wanting God's kingdom to rule the entire earth and no other kingdom to be on earth whatsoever. Right now our earth seems to broken up into many 'kingdoms doesn't it? But the truth is it's still one kingdom here on earth in respect to who owns the kingdom on earth. Man likes to believe he owns bits and parts of the earth- Canadians live in Canada and own their bits of Canadian earth, Mexican's living in Mexico own their bits of Mexico earth- we've labeled our bits of earth and parceled it out to people who claim ownership, who claim rulership. In a dictatorship one man claims rulership. In a democracy it's touted everybody in that kingdom of democracy has a bit of rulership. But we have another who claims rulership over kingdom earth, someone who has power to take from any human in existence - any king, any dictator, any president, pauper, person alive. That *other* is Satan. You remember this, we've studied it several times and I think just recently as well.


Mat 4:8,9 Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.


Were men on earth at this time? Yes. Was there a ruler in Rome at this time? Yes. Were there rulers elsewhere around the globe at this time? Yes. But at this same time the devil claimed ownership of all the kingdoms of the world. Two rulers? Dual rulership? No. The devil didn't say he had to check with the ruler of Rome over whether or not he could give Jesus Rome, did he? No. The devil had complete authority over ALL the kingdoms of the world.


Did Jesus take all the kingdoms of the world from the devil? No. Why? Because they came with a price. Satan was selling them, not giving them away freely. The price of that sale was worship. Worship! People don't think WHO they worship is important, well guess what, it's eternally important. Jesus could have bought all the kingdoms of the world from the owner of those kingdoms but He wasn't willing to pay the asking price for them. To pay that price would be to deny God's natural right to all the kingdom's of the world. The only reason the devil had all the kingdoms of the world was because he took them from Adam and Eve, He took ownership when Adam and Eve sinned putting themselves first over God, allowing temptation to fill their hearts, succumbing to that temptation that the devil put before them. They chose to follow Satan's will rather than God's will. The earth that had been given to them by God they gave to Satan- choosing him over God. Satan took hold of the rulership of the kingdoms of the world and has never let go. So while mankind believes in their own manner that they own bits and pieces of the kingdoms of this world in truth ALL the kingdoms of this world are the devil's.


All the kingdoms of the world will remain Satan's until- God's kingdom comes. Jesus wants us to pray to the Father who is in heaven, whose name is hallowed- 'Thy kingdom come, thine is the kingdom.'


Thine is the kingdom. The kingdom is God's. Jesus died so that the kingdom of God would come. Jesus preached the kingdom of heaven, Jesus preached the kingdom of God, Jesus brought this gospel to all He could. The kingdom of God WILL come to earth and no longer will Satan have all the kingdoms of the world to offer because they will no longer be his to offer. His power will be gone. Is Satan's power gone right now? Has Satan power to deceive and to destroy been taken away? Is there any evil in the world still? We know these answers, we do. Evil still exists, and evil will NEVER exist in God's kingdom. Satan has been defeated he knows that his ownership of all the kingdoms of the world is temporary. God's kingdom WILL come of this there is absolutely NO doubt.


When we pray 'thy kingdom come' we are praying for the end of the kingdoms ruled by the devil, we are praying for salvation in Jesus Christ so that we may be a part of the kingdom that is to come. Remember the good seed- the wheat, and the bad seed- the tares, will dwell together until the harvest- the end of the world as we know it. The good seed will be gathered up to the kingdom of God, the bad seed will be burned to non-existence. We want to be gathered into the kingdom of heaven, the kingdom of God.


God's kingdom will come- the kingdom we are to pray for every single day. We are to live for the kingdom of God, the kingdom Jesus preached, the kingdom Jesus died for so we could become part of, the kingdom Jesus brought and bought for us, the kingdom we are to born again into all by His grace, His mercy, His righteousness- in His perfect love!


For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever.


Amen

Jesus... 'I must preach the kingdom of God...'

Mat 10:7 And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.


Mar 16:15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.


Luk 4:18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,
Luk 4:19 To preach the acceptable year of the Lord


Luk 4:43 And he said unto them, I must preach the kingdom of God to other cities also: for therefore am I sent.


Luk 9:2 And he sent them to preach the kingdom of God, and to heal the sick.


Luk 9:60 Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God.


Act 5:42 And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ.


1Co 1:23,24 But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness; But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.


*******

Preach the KINGDOM of heaven.


Jesus said these words- 'I must preach the kingdom of God…'


I MUST… What does that mean, that word- must.


Let's look at the dictionary definition-

must
1 [muhst]
–auxiliary verb
1.
to be obliged or bound to by an imperative requirement: I must keep my word.
2.
to be under the necessity to; need to: Animals must eat to live.
3.
to be required or compelled to, as by the use or threat of force: You must obey the law.
4.
to be compelled to in order to fulfill some need or achieve an aim: We must hurry if we're to arrive on time.
5.
to be forced to, as by convention or the requirements of honesty: I must say, that is a lovely hat.
6.
to be or feel urged to; ought to: I must buy that book.
7.
to be reasonably expected to; is bound to: It must have stopped raining by now. She must be at least 60.
8.
to be inevitably certain to; be compelled by nature: Everyone must die.

Pasted from


Do you see the words used to describe 'must'… OBLIGED, IMPERATIVE REQUIREMENT, NECESSITY TO, REQUIRED or COMPELLED TO, FORCED TO, URGED TO, EXPECTED TO.


Jesus said… I MUST meaning that Jesus was obliged, Jesus was bound by imperative requirement, Jesus was under the necessity to, Jesus was required to, Jesus was compelled to… PREACH the kingdom of God! Yes, the verse goes on to say more but for this moment right now let's just try to comprehend the importance of what is being said here.


We don't imagine anyone in control having to do much of anything, do we? We believe deep in our hearts that time and time again people who have power don't have to answer to the rules the way the average, common person has to. Power has given them the unspoken right to kill, cheat, lie, steal, rape, beat, abuse as they desire to. Throughout time people in power have lived horrible lives of debauchery this is undeniable. Many of those in power hear the words 'you must' and they turn around and say they will do as they like, there is nothing they 'must' do.


When we think of God the ALL powerful... to use the words- God must- seems absurd. God can do anything, right? Yet we read these words-- Jesus said 'I must'. He didn't only use those two words with preaching the kingdom of God, but this is what we've been studying lately and that is why we are studying this particular instance.


Luk 4:43 And he said unto them, I must preach the kingdom of God to other cities also: for therefore am I sent.


Jesus said He MUST preach the kingdom to other cities. Preaching the kingdom was WHY Jesus was sent. SALVATION! REDEMPTION! This is the preaching of the kingdom! All preaching should revolve around salvation in Jesus Christ. The entire Bible is about this- the old testament looking forward towards it and the new testament looking back at it- salvation through Jesus Christ our Lord.


There is no wonder whatsoever that our Savior said He '...must preach the kingdom of God to other cities also, for therefore am I sent. ' It is the pure truth.


The kingdom exists. The kingdom is NOT fantasy. The kingdom is LIFE everlasting. Preaching the kingdom, preaching the gospel is revealing this reality. We must ALL live in this reality but sadly many don't, many refuse to even think about this reality preferring to live without any thought of the kingdom. It's tragic, very, very tragic but people go day after day after day without truly understanding these words….


'Thy kingdom come', 'Thine is the kingdom'.


They might say these words - some might say them even daily- but do they live them? Do we live with the living kingdom of God in their hearts as a reality they need to share with others? A reality that Jesus came to preach? A reality we must preach, a reality we must live.


By the grace of God may we live the kingdom that Jesus was born to give to us, that Jesus preached to us, that Jesus died to fulfill, that Jesus was resurrected to give to us fully.


Amen!

Entrance...into the everlasting kingdom

2Pe 1:1 Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ:
2Pe 1:2 Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord,


Like precious faith- the faith of the apostles. Obtaining this precious faith comes THROUGH the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ.


That didn't say through our righteousness… it said through the righteousness of God and our Savior Jesus Christ.


Grace and peace be multiplied. Amazing! Multiplied grace, multiplied peace, who wouldn't want their grace and peace multiplied? If someone were to tell you that your grace and peace could be multiplied wouldn't you quickly ask how? We are told this-- grace and peace be multiplied…through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. Through what? Through KNOWLEDGE of God and of Jesus our Lord. KNOWLEDGE. Through the knowing of God and of Jesus our Lord.


And there is more…

2Pe 1:3-4 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.


We are given exceeding great and precious promises! It is through the promises that we are partakers of the divine nature- partakers of our Savior! We escape the corruption in the world through lust by being part of that divine nature of our Savior, through HIS righteousness. The fact that we have to escape the corruption in the world through lust should tell us something very important. There is something we have to ESCAPE. We cannot be all caught up in the world and truly believe that Jesus Christ is our Lord. Satan is lord of this world, if we worship this world we are worshipping Satan. If we don't escape the corruption that is in our lives in this world through lust then we are part of this world and we are not part of the divine nature. Our Savior gives us many promises and it's through Him, through His righteousness that we have any hope at all.


Let's continue with this passage…


2Pe 1:5-8 And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.


Add to our faith (given to us by the righteousness of Christ)… add virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness, and charity.


Add. When you add to something you had to have something first in order to add to it. We have to have the faith given to us through the righteousness of God and our Savior Jesus Christ. Without that faith we can't add to anything. Is it possible that too many seek to have virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness and charity without having that faith? We have to give diligence to ADD to our faith, we can't ignore adding to our faith and we can't presume to add to something we might not have. Accepting the gifts of God is so important. Understanding that these spiritual gifts though unseen are the essence of what makes us who we are is very important. Accepting the faith given to us is paramount.


Continuing on…


2Pe 1:9 But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.
2Pe 1:10 Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:
2Pe 1:11 For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.


Spiritual blindness, unable to see the reality of future promises, forgetting that we were redeemed from our old sins… we can't be blind, we can't forget the future promises, we can't allow ourselves to ever forget that we were purged from our old sins, we can't! But people do and people will forget. People will go blind, people will stop seeing far off and only live in the here and now. We have to give diligence to make sure that we are right with our Savior, to make sure He is our all in all. If we do these things… WE SHALL NEVER FALL.. We will be Christ's forever! And make no mistake, you can be Christ's and then leave Him, you can forget and it a forgetting that can cost you eternity.


An entrance shall be given to us abundantly…. INTO the everlasting KINGDOM of our LORD and SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST!


An entrance shall be given to us!


An entrance shall be given to us…. how amazing!


We want an entrance into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior, don't we? This entrance shall be given to us abundantly. We must listen to these words we can't ignore them, we just can't. We are admonished in many ways and for our own good. To think that we can do otherwise is to be blind, to be shortsighted, to forget.


By the love of our Savior may we forever be His, forever! May we never ever forget! May we have our eyes opened, may we see far off, may we NEVER forget all through the grace, through the righteousness of our God and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!.


Amen!

Deadly fallacy

Mat 7:21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.


The will of the Father.


The Father's kingdom will come.


Today I read an article that was a bit disturbing. The article talked about a mega superstar preacher who seems to believe that everyone will be in the kingdom of heaven- without exception. He believes there is a new Christianity on its way and the old hell-fire and damnation is a thing of the past. It makes me incredibly sad to read things like this because I know who is behind it all- the great deceiver.


How can anybody read this…


Mat 7:21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.


… and believe everyone will be in the kingdom of heaven no matter what, that there is no eternal result to not repenting of sin and accepting Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.


Who can read this…

Ecc 12:13

Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter
Fear God, and keep his commandments
- for this is the whole duty of man.


… and believe that man can do whatever he pleases and he will be in the kingdom of heaven.


Who can read this…


Joh 3:3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.


…. And believe that those who are NOT born again will be in the kingdom of God?


Who can read this…


Joh 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.


… and believe that you don't really have to believe in an active, living, breathing way and you'll still be saved.


Who can read this…


Eph 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God


….and believe that they don't need an active, living faith in the grace and in the gift of God?


Who can read this…


Mat 13:36 Then Jesus sent the multitude away, and went into the house: and his disciples came unto him, saying, Declare unto us the parable of the tares of the field.
Mat 13:37 He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man;
Mat 13:38 The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one;
Mat 13:39 The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels.
Mat 13:40 As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world.
Mat 13:41 The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity;
Mat 13:42 And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
Mat 13:43 Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.


… and believe that the good seed and the tares will both be in the kingdom of heaven?


I could go on and on and on but truly is it necessary? There will be righteous people and wicked people when Christ comes again and they will be separated. The righteous in Christ will go to the kingdom of heaven and the wicked will eventually be burned completely up in the lake of fire and be no more. We are NOT guaranteed the kingdom of heaven just because we are alive, just because we are human beings. This fallacy that is spreading and finding a home in a 'new' sort of Christianity is a deadly fallacy and those who believe the lies will hear these words of Christ our Savior --


Mat 7:23 … I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.


If Jesus is telling us the truth, and He can do nothing but that, then NOT EVERYONE…shall enter into the kingdom of heaven. If some of those saying Lord, Lord are not going to be in the kingdom of heaven how can we ever believe that those who don't even say Lord, Lord, will be in the kingdom of heaven? It's ludicrous.


Who dares to contradict the words of Jesus Himself? Obviously some do and many believe the lies that others are spoon feeding them as they are told they are being fed the truth. It truly saddens me to know that many are being swallowed up by the deception of Satan and lost to the truth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.


May God help us to fully give our hearts, our lives wholly to our Savior. May we truly have the grace of Jesus Christ, may we have His righteousness save us in the purest love that ever existed and still exists and will forever exist in Him.


Amen.