The wonder of the kingdom of God By Pastor Fernando Cabrera

What is the Kingdom of God? The first proclamation made was about the Kingdom of God (:14-15). The Kingdom of God is God's authority and right to rule. The Kingdom of God is His kingship, His rule, His authority. In order to enter the future realm of the Kingdom, one must submit himself in perfect trust to God’s rule here and now. Jesus said “But when Jesus saw this, He was indignant and said to them, “Permit the children to come to Me; do not hinder them; for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. 15 Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all.” (Mark 10:14-15). How do we receive the kingdom of God? As a little child. What is received? The ? Heaven? What is received is God’s rule. Every true child of God received the rule of God upon their lives. The kingdom is Now and Not Yet. There are two ages mentioned in the 'This Age' and 'The Age to Come'. This age began with the first coming of Jesus. In 'This Age', there will be hostility to but in the 'Age to Come' those who have followed Jesus will be free from oppression and given eternal life. The Age to come will be inaugurated by the second coming of Jesus and the resurrection of the dead. The kingdom of God currently exists in the world, but not yet in its fullness. At the second coming, the kingdom of God will come in fulness. There is an overlap between the two ages. Although the 'Age to Come' is in the future, it can still be "tasted" now, and its power can penetrate this age. Let me give you an illustration to make this point. On June 6, 1945, the Allied troops during World War 2 invaded the beaches of Normandy. It is known as D-Day. D-Day became the turning point of the war. But the Nazis did not surrender until April 30, 1945. This is known as V-Day, for Victory Day. Our D-Day was on the day Jesus resurrected from the day, but our V-Day will be when Jesus comes back again. The kingdom of God is both present and future. The ultimate victory will occur when Jesus comes back, but the war was won when Jesus resurrected from the dead. Now we can enjoy the power of God which will be fully revealed when Jesus comes back again. The writer of the book of Hebrews explains that even now we have “tasted of the powers yet to come” (Hebrews 6:5). There are people who say that God should be number one in our lives, then our spouse is second, our children third, church fourth, and so on. But when God is number one, there is no number two. When God is number one in your life, he becomes number one in your marriage, single life, children, job, ministry, church and in everything else in your life. His will is first in every aspect of our livies. Every part of my life is ordained of the Lord, even washing clothes! God’s kingdom takes priority over every aspect of our lives. When God is number one in your life, you get to experience his presence in every aspect of your every day life. Is the church and the kingdom the same thing? The kingdom creates the church. In Luke 22:28-30 we see the distinction between the kingdom and the church when Jesus said ““You are those who have stood by Me in My trials; 29 and just as My Father has granted Me a kingdom, I grant you 30 that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom, and you will sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.” It is clear in this passage that the church is not the kingdom. The church is the people of the coming Kingdom. They are the citizens of heaven. Churches are the embassies of King Jesus. The church is the emissary of the king. The righteousness of God’s Kingdom is the product of God’s reign in the human heart. God must reign in our lives now if we are to enter the Kingdom tomorrow. Forgiveness is the acquittal of guilt by the king who came in his kingdom. Christ’s resurrection was itself the first act of the final resurrection. It is the “first fruits” of which the eschatological resurrection will be the harvest (1 Cor. 15:20). The king resurrected first so the rest in the kingdom could resurrect as well. The church is the instrument of the kingdom of God. It is does not convert this age into the spiritual age to come, but it demonstrates its power and glory now. The church is the custodian of the kingdom of God. We are the caretakers. Jesus put it this way in :43–44 “Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruits. And the one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him”. As custodians of the kingdom, the church has the majestic authority to bind and loose on earth, what King Jesus has already declared in heaven. Jesus said in :19 “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” Every kingdom has a culture. Culture is the way you do life. It is what you celebrate, value and fear. There is also Kingdom culture in heaven. It is how heaven functions and operates. When Jesus asked us to pray for his “kingdom to come and his will be done on earth as it is in heaven”, he was inviting us to pray for God’s presence impacts and influence here on earth that mirrors heaven. How does the kingdom come? The kingdom comes with power. Paul the apostle said “For the Kingdom of God is not in word, but in power” (1 Corinthians 4:20). The coming of the kingdom is seen in Jesus' miracles of healing, for which the Greek word meaning "to save" is used. Let me show you how Jesus saving power is at work. We find his kingdom brought power to heal. In Mark 5:34, Jesus said “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.” We also find the kingdom brought “power to deliver”. Jesus said “But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you" (Matt. 12:28). Notice that the impact of the kingdom is measurable. You can measure a change when the kingdom of God comes. Jesus is saying, when my kingdom comes, demons will be cast out. It is not theoretical, but real and measurable. The kingdom of God also brings “power to resurrect”. We find in Mark 5:23 that a father “…pleaded earnestly with him, “My little daughter is dying. Please come and put your hands on her so that she will be healed and live.” The kingdom salvation power has the power to resurrect the dead today. The Kingdom of God is concerned not only with people’s souls but with the salvation of the whole person. The life and power of heaven dwells within you so you can impact the world. The world needs an encounter with the power of the Kingdom of God today. We owe it to the world. We can no longer make up excuses for powerless churches, because powerless churches do not make an eternal difference. It is time display the true and raw power of the Kingdom of God. Kingdom of God vs. Kingdom of Darkness The kingdom of God cannot be stop. It is ever advancing and making progress. Jesus declared “ I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven” (Matthew 16:18-1). In ancient times, the most influential and powerful leaders would gather at the gates. Jesus is saying that the most powerful principalities and demonic powers cannot stop the forward march of the church. Jesus mandate from his heavenly Father was: “For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil” (1 John 3:8). Don’t let the devil ever lie to you about who you are in the kingdom and how you will win at the end with Jesus. You have a mission to advance the Kingdom of God. You will experience adversity and attacks from the kingdom of darkness. But be assured that at the end we win! Final thought As you pray, ask for the future kingdom to break into the present world. It is not calling down perfection from heaven, it is calling for the power of the world to come to invade this age. Remember also, the kingdom rules where there are surrender hearts. The more you surrender, the greater the kingdom power you will experience in your everyday life.