Topic : Commitment To His Kingdom

Text : Mark 1:14-15

Date: 28/3/2010

Speaker: Pr. Joshua Lee

Mark 1:14-15 (NKJV)
14 Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God,
15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.”

After John the Baptist, was put in prison, Jesus began his ministry by preaching the gospel of the kingdom og God.

The kingdom of God is the central message of John the baptist and Jesus when he was  on this earth. There are about 72 verses that talk about the Kingdom of God in the NT. 

What is the kingdom of God?

• The kingdom of God is the realm where God rules as King. He is in charge and rules this whole universe. He also wants to rule in our lives as well. The kingdom of God is therefore God’s kingly rule in the hearts of those who are fully submitted to Him.

Why we must committied to the kingdom of God?

1. Jesus asked us to seek after it.

Matthew 6:33 (NKJV)
33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

The kingdom of God is what Jesus came here for to establish in the hearts of men.

Luke 17:21 (NKJV)
21 nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.”

The kingdom of God is here already in the hearts and lives of those who are fully submitted to the Lordship of Jesus. In their lives. But it is also the not yet because the kingdom of God will only be fully consummated when Jesus Christ finally comes as the true king to reign and rule in this world.

Revelation 11:15 (NKJV)
15 Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!”

2. We are living in the last days.

Matthew 24:3 (NIV)
3 As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”

Matthew 24:5-14 (NIV)
5 For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many.
6 You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come.
7 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places.
8 All these are the beginning of birth pains.
9 “Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me.
10 At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other,
11 and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people.
12 Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold,
13 but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.
14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

Ephesians 5:14-17 (NKJV)
14 Therefore He says: “Awake, you who sleep, Arise from the dead, And Christ will give you light.”
15 See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise,
16 redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
17 Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is

One pastor said, it may take 20 years to 200 years. The point is that we are to live circumspectly as though Jesus is coming back tommorrow and yet living one day at a time. Those who are schooling continue to study to the best of your abilities, those who have family continue to raise them up on the ways of the Lord. As we are busy we all this daily living, we must not forget to live with the end in mind, that Jesus is coming back soon. Making every opportunity to be a witness for Jesus.

3. Our lives on this earth are only temporal.

Psalm 90:10 (NIV)
10 The length of our days is seventy years— or eighty, if we have the strength; yet their span is but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away.

Psalm 90:10 (NLT)
10 Seventy years are given to us! Some may even reach eighty. But even the best of these years are filled with pain and trouble; soon they disappear, and we are gone.

All of us do admit we don’t live forever on this earth. Over the past 15 years of conducting wake services.

Each time as I conduct a funeral, God reminds me that our time on this earth are temporal. So make use the time that God

had given us each day. Treasure your love one, enjoy them while we are still alive.

Another important thing we must committed to do Is not to be busy in the kingdom of God and neglect our family. There must be a balance, We cannot just busy with God’s kingdom and neglect our family.

We must find time for your family.

Yongi Cho use to said :

1.God

2.Our family

3. Ministry.

If our family are in trouble, it is not wise for us to busy with kingdom of God. Yes, the kingdom of God is important. Our family

Are equally important. Col Stringer once said “What is the point of reaching the whole world and losses my own family.”

On the last day of our camp, Pr. Victor share a devotion concerning preparing our death.

He ask us to think and write down what years you would pass away from this earth. Help us to draft the verse we are going to put, …….

The greatest investment is not your EPF, Unit Trust, Amanah Saham, etc although this are needful when we are on this earth, but the greatest investment is the kingdom of God that will last forever.

4. The judgment seat of Christ.

All the good work that we do on this earth will be tested by fire on the judgment seat of Christ.

Romans 14:10 (NKJV)
10 But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.

1 Corinthians 3:13-15 (NKJV)
13 each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is.
14 If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward.
15 If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.

5. There is coming an eternal kingdom.

Revelation 11:15 (NKJV)
15 Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!”

At the coming of Christ. Anti Christ and his ten kingdom empire will be crushed, and the whole earth will become the kingdom of the Lord (the Father) and His Christ (the Son). It will be an eternal kingdom. It is at the conclusion of the kingdoms and the kingdom of Satan. He will reign eternally and the kingdom will not be left to any others. There will be no succession of kings and kingdoms as there has been in the history of earth’s kingdoms. God’s kingdom is eternal. He reigns forever and forever!

What must we do in order for us to be  committed to the kingdom of God?

1.. Surrender our lives to the Lordship of Jesus.

    “Come into my life, Lord, a young man said, “Here’s the room you can have – two hours on Sundays, grace before meals, and two hour on Friday cg. But that’s all The rest of my life is mine – my work, my sport, my friends, my thoughts, my money and my marriage. You can live in the back room of my life, but keep out of all these other rooms.

Is that what Christ’s Lordship over our lives means? Paul’s prayer for God’s people was that “Christ may dwell in our hearts through faith…..(Eph 3:17). The word ‘dwell’ really means ‘to be at home’ Jesus wants to be at home in oru heart. He’s not happy to live like a boarder in the back room, or be just a visitor. No, he wants to dwell, settle down, abide and make His permanent home I nteh center of our lives. He wants to have freedom to enter into all the rooms He wants to be Lord.

Ephesians 3:14-21 (NKJV)
14 For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
15 from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,
16 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man,
17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love,
18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height—
19 to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
20 Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us,
21 to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

1. Each person’s life is like a house make up of many rooms. Each room is filled with some special interest or activity. For the person who is not a Christina, ‘self’ is the center of his/her life controlling all these things. ‘Self’ still holds all the keys. And the front dorr is till locked to the Savior. He has never been allowed to come in. But is He ‘at home’? Have you given him the keys to every room? That’s what it means to make Him Lord. Can He be Lord of our lives if we lock him into 2 hour on Sundays or a few minutes each day? Can He makes his home in oru heart if we keep him out of our thought life. Our daily relationships, our social activities or our daily work? Ij Jesus is not Lrod of all, then He’s not really Lord at all.

Luke 9:23 (NKJV)
23 Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.

Galatians 2:20 (NKJV)
20 I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.

Colossians 3:1-4 (NKJV)
1 If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God.
2 Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.
3 For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
4 When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.
 

Christ’s Lordship over our lives means recognizing that He must be Master over the whole of our life – our eating, our sport, our books, our TV, our family, and even our thoughts. We must open the door of every room of our life to His presence and His control. Those parts of our lives that we keep closed to Christ’s Lordship remain in darkness and death. But as we open them to His presence. He comes in, cleanses, renews and fills them with light and life. His plan is that through discipleship we may be filled with all the fullness of God. So that His light and love may fill our whole life.

Ephesians 3:19 (NKJV)
19 to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Ephesians 5:8 (NKJV)
8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light

2. Grow in the knowledge of His word, fellowship and prayer.

Acts 2:41-42 (NKJV)
41 Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them.
42 And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.

The bible tells us that there are different stages in our Christian walk.

1 John 2:12-14 (NKJV)
12 I write to you, little children, Because your sins are forgiven you for His name’s sake.
13 I write to you, fathers, Because you have known Him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, Because you have overcome the wicked one. I write to you, little children, Because you have known the Father.
14 I have written to you, fathers, Because you have known Him who is from the beginning. I have written to you, young men, Because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, And you have overcome the wicked one.

·        It is important for us to grow in the knowledge of God’s word.

That is why we are launching the School of discipleship, so that you can grow in the knowledge of word.

It you are just a new believer, we need to complete

1.      beginning your new life and living your new life.

          Then you can sign up for this course on Basic doctrine 1 etc.

          The reason we do this so that we are well taught of the knowledge of the word

          of God. The basic doctrine is essential for our Christian faith. What do we really

          believe.

·         It is important for us to be a part of a cell group.

So that be a part of a community to grow together.

·         It is important for us to learned to pray privately and corporately.

3. Serve in whatever capacity we can.

Example: the boy with 5 loaves and 2 fishes.

Ephesians 2:10 (NKJV)
10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

Greatest example : Jesus

Matthew 20:28 (NKJV)
28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”

5 loaves and 2 fish

•God uses 
what you have 
to fill a need which 
you never could have filled.

•God uses 
where you are 
to take you where 
you never could have gone.

•God uses 
what you can do 
to accomplish what 
you never could have done.

•God uses 
who you are 
to let you become who 
you never could have been.

Conclusion

Make sure the thing you’re live for worth dying for. – charles mayes.

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