Building Kingdom Families
Listen to the sermon:
Building Kingdom Families – Righteousness and its rewards.
"He who receives you receives me, and he who receives me receives the one who sent me. Anyone who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet's reward, and anyone who receives a righteous man because he is a righteous man will receive a righteous man's reward." Matt 10:40-41 (NIV)
Characteristics of God's Kingdom
- The kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Romans 14:17 (NIV)
- For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power. 1 Cor. 4:20 (NIV)
- Righteous
- Peace
- Joy
- Power
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:
- Righteousness
- Peace
- Joy in the Holy Spirit
- Mighty power of God in action
Jesus Christ the Righteous One.
"The God of our fathers has chosen you to know his will and to see the Righteous One and to hear words from his mouth." Acts 22:14 (NIV)
"My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defence – Jesus Christ, the Righteous One." 1 John 2:1 (NIV)
We who receive Jesus, receive the rewards of His righteousness.
The Rewards of Christ's Righteousness
"For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God's abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ." Rom 5:17 (NIV)
"So that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ." Rom 5:21 (NIV)
- Grace reigns
- Righteousness reigns
- Life (Death being the separation from the life of God.)
Grace: It is all of God working in one's life by the Holy Spirit. The wholly generous act of God in the experience of man by the Holy Spirit.
Righteousness: In a right standing with God just as if I had never sinned.
Life: God's eternal life. His Life is in me.
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.™