GOD’S WORD FOR NOVEMBER 19 ~ ~ Psalm 45:6 ~ ~ “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom.”

From the book, How to Read the Bible by Dr. Michael Youssef

Part 2 ~ ~ The Kingdom and the Covenant

The themes of the Kingdom of God and God’s New Covenant with humanity are woven throughout the Bible. If you know where to look, you can find these two themes in each of the sixty-six book of the Old and New Testament.

Rosalind Goforth (1864-1942) was an English-born Canadian author. She and her husband Jonathon Goforth, served as missionaries to China. In a biography of her husband, “Goforth of China,” she tells the story of her conversion to Christ.

When she was twelve years old, she went to a revival meeting where an evangelist preached on John 3:16, in which Jesus tells Nicodemus, “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.,”

Young Rosalind was deeply moved by the story of God’s great love for all people. “I yielded myself absolutely to the Lord Jesus Christ,” she wrote, “and stood up among others, publicly confessing Him as my Master.”

On my way home from the meeting, she told her parents that she had an absolute assurance that God loved her and had saved her. Her parents, however, told her it was foolish to think she could be certain that she was saved.

Troubled with doubts, she went home, opened her bible, and started reading the Gospel of John. When she came to John 6:37, she found the assurance she was searching for in the words of Jesus. “Whoever comes to me I will never drive away,.”

About a year after she publicly confessed Jesus as her Lord and Savior, young Rosalind and her sister were having breakfast on Easter Sunday, “It was so warm,” she recalled, “Only spring clothes could be worn. My sister and I decided at breakfast that we would not go to church, as we had only our old winter dresses.”

She went to her room and took out her Bible, which she studied every morning. She opened it to Matthew 6 and read, “Why take ye thought for raiment (clothing)?….Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you.” (Matthew 6:28 & 33)

“It was as if God spoke the words directly to me,” she wrote., “I determined to go to church, even if I had to humiliate myself by going in my old winter dress. The Lord was true to His promise. I can still feel the power the resurrection messages had upon my heart that day so long ago.” As an extra gift of grace, the next day Rosalind received a package from her aunt. In the package were new spring dresses for herself and her sister.

Rosalind Goforth experienced an unforgettable lesson in importance of seeking the Kingdom of Gd.

Jesus told us that we should seek the Kingdom of God above all else – but what is the Kingdom of God? Many Christians have prayed the Lord’s Prayer countless times without understanding what the phrase “Your Kingdom come” really means.

As we trace the concept of the Kingdom of God from the Old Testament through the New Testament, I believe your faith will be deepened and strengthened in a powerful new way. Let’s grapple as if your lives depend on it, with the Biblical concept of the Kingdom of God.

A Tale of Two Kingdoms:

Most people fix their hope on things that pass away. Many seek meaning for their lives by getting attention on social media., Others have invested everything in gaining success and wealth. As religious belief has declined in the Western world, many people have made politics their religion, as if the political kingdoms of this dying age are the only things that matter.

But a Christian who truly understands the priorities of God’s Word has a very different focus. We do not fix our hope on things that are passing away – on worldly politics, wealth, or status. As Christians, we are called to seek first the Kingdom of God.

The Lord Jesus has promised us an eternal Kingdom in which He will one day transform everything. In His Kingdom, all the things people prize so highly will be less than a memory. Jesus’s earthly ministry was focused on the Kingdom. The central theme of the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) is that this world is wracked with poverty, injustice, sorrow and persecution – yet through Jesus we possess the “Kingdom of Heaven” (a term He used interchangeably with the “Kingdom of God”).

Jesus taught us to pray, “Our father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:9-10). We are to pray continually that the Kingdom of God will come and that God’s will would be done on earth.

Luke’s gospel recounts a time when the Pharisees approached Jesus and asked when the Kingdom of God would come. Jesus replied,

“The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be observed, nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is in your midst.” (See Luke 17:20-21).

The King James Version renders it “the kingdom of God is within you.”

(Tomorrow he’ll continue with this subject ~ ~ A Tale of Two Kingdoms)

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Psalm 68:32

Sing to God, you kingdoms of the earth; Oh, sing praises to the Lord, Selah

Isaiah 37:20

Now therefore, O Lord our God, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You are the Lord, You alone.”

John 14:12

Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.

Proverbs 3:26

For the Lord will be your confidence, and will keep your foot from being caught.

Ephesians 3:12 (Amplified version)

 in whom we have boldness and confident access through faith in Him [that is, our faith gives us sufficient courage to freely and openly approach God through Christ].

Isaiah 40:31

But those who wait on the Lord
Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint.

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