The King, His kingdom, and the Gospel

PERFECTION

We can not understand God, His King, or His kingdom until we have a better understanding of PERFECTION.  We do know what it means, but we do not integrate that understanding of Go as the God Who is love.  Without flaw, blemish, contamination, totally and utterly pure are well-known words and phrases that describe Perfection and God.Truth, Holiness, and Righteousness are other words that describe His perfection.  Because none of are perfect nor even know the ways of perfection, we avoid thinking about it.  But God is perfect in all His ways. 

He cannot be imperfect nor allow imperfections.  We do not rightly understand PERFECTION.  Perfection must not tolerate contamination or it is no longer perfection.  Jesus says sin and error is like leaven/yeast which eventually permeates the entire loaf. Anything less than perfection is incompatible with God.  Love MUST eradicate every imperfection.  It is impossible for Him to tolerate the contamination of other gods, ideas, beliefs, practices, or sins among His people.  Time after time He demonstrated that He would not allow His people to dwell in His holy land if they continually did their own thing their way.  That is our God of love.  He loves us too much and will not allow us to live in a state less than He created us for.  As demonstrated in the Old Testament and the New, He will strongly show us the consequences of our sin and wayward ways and use our own backslidings to correct us. Jeremiah 2:19  It is not meanness or cruelty that brought about all the destruction of the Old Testament nor will it be the reason behind His final judgments at the end of the age, when He puts down all opposition, clearly and decisively.

If we don’t start with His perfection and holiness, we will build on the wrong foundations.  God has tied holiness to the power He shares with saints.  Rom 1:4. It is the basis of why Jesus was qualified to be Savior Heb_1:9 

It is contrary to His very essence to allow anything other than perfection.  Perfection can not allow any imperfection, but enables the imperfect to be perfect by changing it, not looking the other way or by saying “no big deal”.  Imperfection was such a big deal with God that it took the agonizing death of His son to deal with it.

  1. 1 Peter 1:16  Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.
  2. Le 11:44  For I am the LORD your God: ye shall therefore sanctify  [set yourselves apart from all that is not of ME] and ye shall be holy [separated]; for I am holy: neither shall ye defile yourselves with any manner of creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
    Le 19:2  Speak unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say unto them, Ye shall be holy: for I the LORD your God am holy.
    Le 20:7  Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye holy: for I am the LORD your God.
    Am 3:3  Can two walk together, except they be agreed?
    1. If we are not in agreement with holiness, we can not walk with Him while in disagreement, whether in thought or indeed.

The cross and the new birth was the only means by which He could impute His perfection into us.
If perfection was not required, the cross was not necessary.
It was drastic and costly, but necessary.  We must not trifle with imperfection.

We still have the choice to walk in it or not.  Most of the time we choose to walk after the flesh, the world (and its diversions, attractions, and demands), and the devil.
All is hopeless unless the church gets entrenched in the perfection of God and majors on it.  It produces godly fear in heathen and saint and causes the Christian walk to be easier.

THE FULL GOSPEL

THE FULL GOSPEL

The full gospel is the totality of Who God is and His ways and how His love is demonstrated toward sinning man.  It tells of how perfection has solved the problem of our imperfections and made us acceptable.  Too often, we omit the foundation of the full gospel.  We do not proclaim God as He is and how fearsome it is to be apart from Him.  We do not speak of His benefits, His love, His wrath, His sovereignty.  We call Him Father before we call Him King.  Without sovereignty over all, it would not matter how much He wanted to do anything for us, for we could not count on His ability to make it happen.  The void in presenting His sovereignty carries through to the world and the church.   Saints fret about every such thing, and few trust God to provide everything.

We steer people away from the biblical understanding of God.  They present a unified God

Isa 33:22 For the LORD is our judge; the LORD is our lawgiver; the LORD is our king; he will save us.
No soft language there.  But amidst the words of firmness and judgment, is our Savior.  An expression of Who He is, not the totality of Who He is.

Isa_52:7  How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.”

  • How often do we preach the gospel as happiness?  The focus here and throughout the Old Testament seems to be on THIS life  In the Old Testament there was a great focus on the coming Kingdom of God and His reign, but it is mostly the story of God’s reign and provision in THIS life and a hope for a better kingdom eternally.
  • Also, note that it does not say MY God reigns or OUR God reigns.  We speak to the unsaved as if He is not their God, as if they are not accountable to Him, as if He will not judge them, or bless them.  He IS their God whether they believe in Him or reject Him.  And all will be required to give answer to Him on His terms at His judgment seat. The difference between them and us is that we get to know and enjoy Him and the knowledge of His care of us in this life.  Even the NT was about life with Christ in THIS life. The blessed hope of eternal life was presented for the sake of encouragement and hope, not as a carrot to entice like is done too often today.  We reign in THIS life in Christ Jesus (Eph_2:6) and will reign with Him eternally (For us, eternity started when He saved us)
  • It seems that is the central obvious theme in the Old Testament, and clearly stated in Psalms in word and the reset by example. Genesis and Exodus entirely demonstrate that God is in charge. As is every book in the Old Testament.  That is how the Jews that Jesus preached to saw Him.  We have forgotten that God.  We no longer proclaim God as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.  Yes, He does have an eternal kingdom but He now rules over us.  Satan is an imp who is the prince of the power of the air, but He influences but does not reign.  He is the god of this world, but not the God Who IS God.  He only has the dominion that man gives him.  The world’s system is his system.
  • We do not preach a holy God who hates iniquity, nor do we preach a God who desires to give us His kingdom. We do not preach a God who says,

    • 2 Corinthians 6:17  Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,

      • We preach a God who only says “I will receive you”.  I can think of no promise in all of scripture which does not have an “IF” or “WHEN” before it.  Yet, those IFs and WHENs may be mentioned, but not focused on.  In the judgment seat, all will realize how inflexible God is.  It is either perfection or nothing.  And by His mercy and grace He has bestowed perfection of the spirit upon us, but not a perfection of the flesh.  That will happen when we are translated at His second coming.
      • Yes, He is merciful and delights in mercy, but His display and benefits of mercy and grace are conditional
        • Jer 3:12  Go and proclaim these words toward the north, and say, Return, thou backsliding Israel, saith the LORD; and I will not cause mine anger to fall upon you: for I am merciful, saith the LORD, and I will not keep anger for ever.  13  Only acknowledge thine iniquity, that thou hast transgressed against the LORD thy God, and hast scattered thy ways to the strangers under every green tree, and ye have not obeyed my voice, saith the LORD.
        • While some are abler than others, we all are too guilty of those things.  In doing so, we hinder His mercy and grace and can not enter into all the goodness He desires for us.
  • God makes His requirements for believers very clear
    • James 4:4  Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever, therefore, will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.
      • How often is that message proclaimed?
  • God is the God of love, of mercy, of grace, of acceptance, but receiving each of those requires satisfying an “IF” or “WHEN”.  He does not violate His own perfection or holiness in His love, mercy, grace, or acceptance.  If He did, He could not be God.  The cross and the new birth was the only means by which He could impute His perfection into us.  But we still have the choice to walk in it or not.  Most of the time we choose to walk after the flesh, the world (and its diversions, attractions, and demands)

The last picture that God establishes and imprints on our minds is of Jesus Christ as KING OF KINGS and LORD OF LORDS.  It seems that John was making it clear that from then on, that was to be our thought on Jesus’ primary identity. Yet, how seldom is that truth of Jesus preached?  He could not be Savior unless He IS KING OF KINGS and LORD OF LORDS.  He is the Lamb of God, meek and mild.  But throughout eternity we will know Him as the KING OF KINGS and LORD OF LORDS Who rules with a rod of iron.

The gospel of the kingdom (which is the ONLY gospel Jesus told His disciples and us to preach) begins and ends with the King.  The Kindom is only the realm in which He reigns and demonstrates how He reigns. THERE IS ONLY ONE KINGDOM. The fact that God reigns is the overriding theme of the entire Bible. Yet, we may mention it (especially in our songs) but it seems to be missing from most preaching.  Peter’s first “sermon” was based on the fact that Jesus was King, and they killed Him.  And thousands were saved.  Could that be the reason why we see so few saved?  Why are we not preaching the gospel of the Kingdom? Why is not all that we preach based and centered on the reality that He is KING OF KINGS and LORD OF LORDS, filled with Majesty and power?  How else can hearers have the confidence in Him.  Even believers look to the world for provision and safety because they have not been taught to rely on Him as KING OF KINGS and LORD OF LORDS.

  • 1Ch_16:31  Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice, and let them say among the nations, “The LORD reigns!”
  • Psa_96:10  Say among the nations, “The LORD reigns! Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved; he will judge the peoples with equity.”
  • Psa_97:1  The LORD reigns, let the earth rejoice; let the many coastlands be glad!
  • Matthew 6:13b …For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

Discipleship

Discipleship

Jesus made it very clear what a disciple is and is not.

Luk_14:26  If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also,

he cannot be my disciple.

Luk_14:27  And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me,

cannot be my disciple.

Luk_14:33  So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath,

he cannot be my disciple.

We no longer even think of that standard, much less preach it.  Why is that so? Can we claim to be true disciples?

We present God and Jesus as a friendly group leader who loves to make us comfortable with the world.

A disciple is one who fulfills the greatest commandment

Mar_12:30  And thou shalt love the Lord thy God

  • with all thy heart, and

  • with all thy soul, and with

  • all thy mind, and

  • with all thy strength:

this is the first commandment.

Being a disciple is only a demonstration of what total love looks like in action

GOD IS LOVE

GOD IS LOVE

The common concept of God’s love is probably the most corrupted of all concepts in Christianity.  Now, it is no different than the one defined by the Humanists. It is in total agreement with man-made psychology.  It infects or destroys every doctrine, every truth and our every action and every life.  It is a malignant cancer that is destroying the Body of Christ’s testimony. It is a total misrepresentation of God and only based on a portion of Who He is and how He defines love.  It is taking the part and making it the whole.  Most saints are spending their time involved with and worshipping the god of Humanism, and not the true God because we have allowed Him to be defined wrongly. And we prefer it because it brings us favor with men (at the expense of favor with God)

God did not start being love when Jesus died.  That is only when His greatest act of love was demonstrated.  He was love in His EVERY act in the Old Testament.  All the destruction, the wars, the famines, the captivity, all the blessings, the riches of the Soloman reign, their prosperity: everything was an act of His love.  He does nothing aside from His love.  We do not preach a God that “whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.”  But that is at least as much of His love as are His blessings.  And such things are an expression of His mercy and grace, for we deserve death and severance, not mere scourging for the least of our transgressions and lack of loyalty or love to Him.  You will NOT find our current notion of God’s love found in the bible apart from His justice, judgment, and faithfulness to chastise and scourge.

Heb 12:5  And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him:  6  For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.

If we want to know what that can look like, we only have to look at the Old Testament, or the cross, or Ananias and Sapphira, or His letter to the seven churches.  We do not understand PERFECTION.  Perfection must not tolerate contamination.  Jesus says sin and error are like yeast which eventually permeates the entire loaf.

A good and practical definition of godly love would be this: Words, actions, and prayers whose only aim is to cooperate with God for the eternal benefit of God and His kingdom and for the eternal benefit of the person.    Speaking the truth in love accomplishes those things.  Love does not allow another to be involved in anything that hinders their effectiveness in te kingdom or lessens their joy in the Lord.  True love does not refrain from truth to keep communications open or worry about offending the person or hurting their ego or feelings and .  Love is concerned about obeying God and doing things His way.  We will never find anywhere in scripture to support our lack of confrontation with another. The sole purpose of speaking the truth in love is so the other person may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: Eph 4:15.

Love does not have as its aim to comfort, rather it is to enable and correct unto a fruitful and meaningful life in Christ.  It is not to make them feel good or act as if their sin and error do not matter.  The only motive for the one who loves is to partner with God in the removal of anything that hinders a full relationship with Jesus Christ. That often brings rejection from the one spoken to because we are all blind to our greatest errors and ungodly thoughts and actions.  We identify those things as being who we are, and who is anyone else to tell us what God is saying?  A telling sign that we are responding in an ungodly manner is when we start faultfinding and berating the “accuser”.  Self-justification is never the right response.  We are to submit to God and ask Him to verify any truth in the statement.  And if the “accuser” has been in error, pray that that sin not be held against them and then inform them where and how they have been in error that they may fear to speak presumptuously for the Lord.

God does and prefers to speak comfortably with His people, that was true in the Old Testament and the new. But for those who would not or could not hear, or for those who had an ego problem, He will usually send someone to rebuke and chasten as His voice.  That is the testimony of all of scripture.  We are to entreat those who are broken and without hope, in being longsuffering and patient.  But we must be willing to be like Paul who told the Corinthians to immediately deliver the sinning man over to satan for the destruction of His flesh 1 Corinthians 5:5  (but note the reason for it.  It was out of love and his best benefit).  Those who are unwilling to be blunt are worse in God’s kingdom than those who are blunt and caustic, for at least the truth is told and it is the person’s ego that is the problem.

Jesus, the great Shepherd of our souls

Jesus, the great Shepherd of our souls

Let us look at what scripture says about Jesus, the great Shepherd of our souls and compare it with our Humanistic version of Him that we promote in the church.
Psa 80:1 Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, you who lead Joseph like a flock. You who are enthroned upon the cherubim, shine forth.  3  Restore us, O God; let your face shine, that we may be saved!  4  O LORD God of hosts, how long will you be angry with your people’s prayers?  5  You have fed them with the bread of tears and given them tears to drink in full measure. 6  You make us an object of contention for our neighbors, and our enemies laugh among themselves.  He is always the God of love, but His love, just like a parent’s love, takes on different forms as the accasion warrents.  He would much rather hold us in His arms and give us the kingdom, but we choose things of this world’s kingdom that prevent Him.  So, He prunes them from us, and it is usually painful to our pride, our reputation and our other loves.

  1. Psa 22:28  For kingship belongs to the LORD, and he rules over the nations.
  2. Psa 47:6  Sing praises to God, sing praises! Sing praises to our King, sing praises!  7  For God is the King of all the earth; sing praises with a psalm!  8  God reigns over the nations; God sits on his holy throne.
  3. Rev_19:6  Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out, “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns.
  4. Psa 93:1  The LORD reigns; he is robed in majesty; the LORD is robed; he has put on strength as his belt. Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved.
  5. Psa 99:1  The LORD reigns; let the peoples tremble! He sits enthroned upon the cherubim; let the earth quake! 2  The LORD is great in Zion; he is exalted over all the peoples. 3  Let them praise your great and awesome name! Holy is he!
    1. That God is seldom proclaimed.  That is why sinners do not fear Him or see the need for salvation.
        1. He is portrayed as a kindly and undemanding grandfatherly type who is waiting for us to favor Him with our acceptance of  Him.  What arrogant foolishness!

 What is God’s goal for man?  What end does He have in mind?  If God is Love, then the goal and end purpose of love is the same.

  1. Luke 12:32  Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.
  2. John 17:11  And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are.  21  That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.  22  And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:
  3. Romans 8:29  For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son…

Those who choose to live in the contaminated can never participate in the glories of His perfection while they are choosing and living in imperfection. But He can’t give it to the contaminated or the less than perfect. Or to those who do not walk in perfection (walk in the Spirit) or compromise with the flesh and the world.
We have replaced peace with God with peace with man and have confused the two because those we have peace with other believers.  But it is usually a Humanistic peace, no different than most teams or lodges in the world know.  Just because our vocabulary is different, does not make the fellowship different than the world’s.  Gathered in His name does not mean using His name in the gathering. It means gathering for His purpose, to accomplish His purpose, to edify one another for the work of the ministry and calling, that the kingdom may be revealed through His saints (For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power. 1 Corinthians 4:20  [something we seem to have no concern about today – it is only about words and it seems an unconcern to us that God is not confirming our words Mark 16:20  Hebrews 2:4 Romans 15:19  Mt 12:28.  Why is it no longer necessary that God confirms His word by us, not even when we quote His word directly?  Without such a confirmation, the kingdom of God would not have spread as it did.  Jesus and the apostles had the Old Testament scriptures, yet that was not the source of their power.  They lived and walked in the power of the Spirit and spoke His words, not their own words.  It was not their quoting of scripture that turned men’s hearts unto God, It was because they spoke the words God gave them, without apology, compromise, softening them for the sake of not offending or trying to be nice or cruel.  Their words brought rejection, hatred, and persecution more often than acceptance.  Why do we preach for acceptance?  It was Peter’s caustic accusation Ac 2:36  that brought salvation to 3,000.  What to our soft words bring about? ])
There is one thing that saints will not do, they are not willing to say things that will bring disfavor to them.  They will see and let the stumbling blocks remain in the lives of saints and sinners.  We will never let someone know those things that are preventing them from entering into the fullness of God.  We will encourage but never rebuke or chasten (which means “cleanse”). They are like the modern liberal parent who only wants their child to like them, regardless of the child’s behavior that is ruining his character and future.

.  Church and fellowship is not to be about sharing our interest or concerns about our job, our hobbies, our ailments, our problems, except as those are related to God’s purposes and solutions regarding each of them. We enjoy saints as people, just like the world.  We do not see them as essential to our own spiritual health and growth and the furtherance of the kingdom.  And because of that, there is backbiting, gossip, and divisions over personal interests.