Sasolburg Baptist Church

Revealing the heart of God to all nations

Kingdom Families

Listen to the sermon:

The DNA of family:

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground." Gen 1:27-28 (NIV)

Characteristics of God's Kingdom

Kingdom of God - Romans

Four Definitions: John Piper

1. It is the reign of God, not the realm of God.

We tend to think of a kingdom as a place. But for Jesus and for Paul it almost never has that meaning. Rather it means the reign or the rule of God. You can see that here: Where the Holy Spirit is bringing about righteousness and peace and joy, the kingdom (that is, the reign of God) is being manifested.

2. The kingdom of God refers to his saving reign, not to his total providence over all things.

In one sense God reigns over all. So you could call everything "God's kingdom." But that is clearly not the way Paul uses the term. The kingdom of God is God's redemptive reign. His saving reign. When Jesus said to pray, "Hallowed by your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven" (Matthew 6: 9-10), he meant that the coming of the kingdom would be the extent of God's rule where his name is hallowed and his will is done the way angels do it—obediently and joyfully. So the kingdom of God is God's reign, not realm; and it is his saving, redeeming reign bringing about the hallowing of his name and the joyful doing of his will.

3. The kingdom of God is fulfilled partially in the present and will be consummated at the end of the age when Christ comes a second time.

Paul speaks of unbelievers not inheriting the kingdom of God (1 Corinthians 6:9), and so treats the kingdom as yet future. But then he also says to believers that "He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son," and so treats the kingdom as already present.

4. The kingdom of God and the kingdom of Christ are the same.

He says in Ephesians 5:5 (ESV), "Everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous ... has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God." There is one kingdom, and it is the kingdom of Christ and of God. So to serve the kingdom of God is to serve Christ, and to serve Christ is to serve the kingdom of God.

Characteristics of God's Kingdom

Righteousness:

The righteousness that God imputes to us when he declares us righteous through faith even when we are guilty sinners. (Romans 4:5).

The free gift of righteousness impacts our living and behaviour. We can now live righteously. We do this by walking in the Spirit.

Righteousness deals with the image of God. "And to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness." Eph 4:24 (NIV)

(Romans 6:13, 16, 18, 19, 20).

Peace

Jesus' peace is the inner calm and freedom from anxiety that comes from trusting in the sovereign God and knowing that you are obedient to him.

"Therefore , since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ..." Rom 5:1 (NIV)

(Eph 4:3; John 16:33)

Joy in the Holy Spirit:

The quality or attitude of delight and happiness, which is ultimately grounded in the work of God.

It is also the joy which God possesses and experiences. God gives us joy because He is joyful. He is the source of joy, just as He is the source of love, of truth, of mercy, and so on. Joy is both a description of God and a description of what He gives. (Bob Deffinbaugh)

The Holy Spirit is the means by which the joy of our Lord, is conveyed to the believer. The presence and ministry of the Holy Spirit produces joy in the life of the Christian family.

Gal 5:22 - The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace...

"I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete." John 15:11

Power:

The mighty ability of God in action.

The answer to this inadequacy of human beings to solve their own problems, even after they are saved, is found in God's provision for power over sin and the power to have victory in Christ. To accomplish the purpose of a Christian leading a holy life, God has made rich provision.(John F. Walvoord)

"The Lord said to Moses, Has the Lord's hand (His ability and power) become (thwarted and inadequate)? You shall see now whether My word shall come to pass for you or not." (Numbers 11:23 AMP)

reflectionReflection Time

Kingdom of God within and among us.

Jesus replied, "The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, nor will people say, ‘ Here it is, because the kingdom of God is within you." Luke 17:20-21 (NIV)

Before one can administrate God's kingdom within one's family, it needs to be a reality within one's own heart.

The evidence that Christ rules in one's own heart :

Ruling from within.

"When you enter a house, first say, ‘Peace to this house. If a man of peace is there, your peace will rest on him; if not, it will return to you." Luke 10:5-6 (NIV)

"As you enter the home, give it your greeting. If the home is deserving, let your peace rest on it; if it is not, let your peace return to you." Matt 10:12-13 (NIV)

"I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen You with power through his Spirit in your inner being" Eph 3:16 (NIV)

"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power (the mighty ability of God in action) that is at work within us..." Eph 3:20 (NIV) Italics added.

The Kingdom of God within us is : Christ the King within us ruling through us.

reflectionReflection Time

In your current situation:

Administrating God's Kingdom: (Light shining in the darkness)

"Giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves." Col 1:12-13 (NIV)

"God is light: in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light..." 1 John 1:5-7 (NIV)

"Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did" 1 John 1:6 (NIV)

"Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and there is nothing in him to make him stumble." 1 John 2:10 (NIV)

1. Decide which kingdom you are going to administrate/ advance. "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light." 1 Peter 2:9 (NIV)

2. Abide in the Light (Jesus) in order to administrate God's kingdom. "...if you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." John 15:5 (NIV)

3. The Righteous will live by faith. "So again I ask, does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you by the works of the law, or by believing what you heard?" Gal 3:5 (NIV)

Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The "NIV" and "New International Version" are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™
Scripture quotations marked (ESV) are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright© 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the Amplified® Bible (AMP), Copyright © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation Used by permission. www.Lockman.org