What it Means to Live in His Kingdom
On Sunday, we discussed the preaching of Jesus regarding the kingdom of God and how our understanding of our position in His kingdom, as both a child of God and an heir (Rom. 8:17), can bring much comfort, confidence, and boldness to our lives in these dark times. In fact, we began the message by showing this mindset of the kingdom, and Jesus as Sovereign King, is what gave the church the confidence to move forward with their mission regardless of the attacks and persecutions hurled their way.
Just watching the early church grow stronger and more committed no matter what the enemy tried to do has been a great encouragement to me and a huge motivator to learn more about how they spiritually thrived while under constant attack and then incorporate those traits in my own life. For I firmly believe the church in the West needs to become intimately familiar with these same spiritual traits we see manifested in the book of Acts by the early church. I know I certainly do.
What, Me Worry?
So what do we know at this point?
One, we know from the Revelation (Rev. 19:16), among other places, that we belong to the King of kings and the Lord of lords, and He chose us for no other reason than “the good pleasure of His will” (Eph. 1:5). And we know we are citizens of His kingdom, where He rules in righteousness and justice (Ps. 89.14).
But this is where it gets exciting.
Two, God, through His love and grace, moved us closer to Himself, as more than simply citizens who serve their King. In Romans 8 and elsewhere, He now declares us His children, who have received the spirit of adoption. We are now members of His family, His children, adopted according to the “good pleasure of His will” (Eph. 1:5), or simply because He wanted to.
For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God – Romans 8:15-16.
Makes you stand taller when you recognize who your Father is, doesn’t it? I mean, what can this world do to us when we belong to Him? Nuthin’. Absolutely nothing.
And finally, the trip to intimacy with our Father grows even deeper. If you continue reading in Romans 8, we go from adopted children to heirs, ones who share in everything that belongs to our Father. There is really no greater blessing an earthly father can give to their adopted son, much less a Heavenly Father.
And if children, then heirs— heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together – Romans 8:17.
You might want to take a deep breath and read that again slowly. Since we are children of God, He declares we are also “heirs of God” and, unbelievably so, co or “joint heir with Christ.” How is that even possible? And how could we ever be so blessed?
We are children of the ultimate King, God the Father, the great “I AM,” the Ever-Present One. And if that wasn’t enough, we are heirs, receiving an inheritance along with His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. This means, regardless of our failures, the Father has fully received us as His children, and not as some second-class member of His family.
So when you take a few minutes to let the implications of that sink in, ask yourself what you should be afraid of in this world? What can the enemy do to you that would cause you to fear? What is there to worry about? Answer: Nothing. Why? Because you are a child of the King, and a member of not only His Kingdom, but also His family. Not as a distant cousin, once removed. But as His beloved child.
There is more we will discuss in the coming days, but I hope this encourages and emboldens you to live large and loud for Him as His precious child.
