Entering the Kingdom of God & Light

Last week the Sermon compared the Kingdom of God & Light to the Kingdom of this World & Darkness

How do we move people into the Kingdom? (Ourselves & others)

You can’t get in just by being good:

Matthew 5:20 (NIV) “For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.”

It’s not a popular road:

Matthew 7:13-14 (NIV)  “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. ¹⁴  But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”

You do have to do God’s will, and not break his Laws:

Matthew 7:21-23 (NLT2)  “Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter. ²²  On judgment day many will say to me, ‘Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.’ ²³  But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws.’

• This is not proclaiming that you get in BECAUSE you do God’s will
  • You get in because of your trust in and belief in Jesus
  • But if you refuse his lordship in your life it can keep you out
  • If he’s not king in your life, if you’re refusing to live as he says, are you really in the kingdom? Are you under his rule and reign?
• Example – Getting a ticket for an event by grace
  • But the contraband in your pocket that you won’t get rid of can keep you out of the arena even though you have a ticket

• Paul applied it this way

Galatians 5:19-21 (NLT2) When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, ²⁰  idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, ²¹  envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.

• Paul wrote this to the Church in Corinth

1 Corinthians 6:9-11 (NLT2) Don’t you realize that those who do wrong will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Don’t fool yourselves. Those who indulge in sexual sin, or who worship idols, or commit adultery, or are male prostitutes, or practice homosexuality, ¹⁰ or are thieves, or greedy people, or drunkards, or are abusive, or cheat people—none of these will inherit the Kingdom of God. ¹¹ Some of you were once like that. But you were cleansed; you were made holy; you were made right with God by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

• • Don’t hold on to the darkness
  • Don’t choose to go back to live in it
  • Whatever you WERE before Jesus, you are no longer
    • Don’t hold onto that label, or that guilt

James 2:19-20 (NLT2) You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror. ²⁰  How foolish! Can’t you see that faith without good deeds is useless?

Matthew 18:3-4 (ESV)  “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. ⁴  Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”

• Jesus gave another insight into how to enter the Kingdom and be able to live obedient to God:

John 3:5 (NIV) Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit.”

• It’s possible to live in a way that conforms us to the character of God
  • People should be able to see the character of God in the people of God
  • And read about it in his word
• We have to learn to think differently
  • To focus on what God says, how he says to live
  • Realize how different it is from where we are

Romans 12:2 (NLT2)Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

• Find scripture that speaks about the change God is leading you to make
  • Memorize that Scripture
  • Think deeply about it
• It’s a process you HAVE to engage in, because anywhere you’re refusing to let God rule in your life, anywhere you’re ignoring him to do it your way
  • You’re refusing to enter the Kingdom of God
  • You’re refusing to submit to his rule and reign

Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.

• That’s not a punishment God inflicts on you. That’s not him smiting you.
  • That’s you refusing to submit, and you only have yourself to blame when you face the consequences
• And it’s not what God wants for you

Philippians 3:7-14 (NLT2) I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. 8  Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ 9  and become one with him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith. 10  I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death, 11  so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead! 12  I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. 13  No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, 14  I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.

• Do you want Him? Do you want His ways – even if they are different from yours? Different from what WE want?
• Revival started at Asbury Seminary & University near Lexington, KY

O Lord our God, grant us grace to desire you with our whole heart:

that desiring you, we may seek you;

and that seeking you, we may find you;

and that finding you, we may love you;

and that loving you, we may hate those sins from which you have delivered us;

through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.