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[Kat]

Mobile Conference 2005 - Audio 1
http://bible-truths.com/audio/M05 GospelOfTheKingdom_p1.mp3
http://bible-truths.com/audio/M05 GospelOfTheKingdom_p2.mp3


                                                      What Is The Gospel Of The Kingdom? 


                                                                  The Image Of God

He is creating, not created - finished - done.
If God created (ed - past tense) man in His image, why oh why did he sin? Think about it, are we saying that the image of God is a sinning image? How could the very image of God, sin? Well that’s what they say, they say he (Adam) was perfect.

One day Copeland said, Adam was so glorified, so majestic, so spiritual that you couldn’t see his body. That he glowed like a white star. He was so glorious you couldn’t even see his body, that’s how glorious he was before he sinned. Well why did he sin? How could anything so God-like sin? Because he wasn’t God-like at all!  He was as carnal as any slob who has ever drawn breath. That’s why he sinned. 

So this is the plan of God, He is making children in His very own image. We are going to be like God. We are going to be God’s children. You know what children are like. So we’ll be like God, if we’re going to be the children of God. We’re going to be like Christ.  Christ is called God and we are going to be brothers and sisters. We’re going to be sons of God.


                                                             UNDERSTANDING THE BOOK

If we don’t understand that God never intended for the masses of humanity to understand this Bible, then we won’t understand this book. This is not a book written to be understood. Human intellect will not allow you to understand this book. You can learn a lot about it, where and how it was written, the culture, the history and you can memorize it. 
You can be like Jack Van Impe and I don’t know he says he’s memorized 25,000 verses or whatever. But he has not a clue as to what the gospel is, not a clue. I don’t mean to pick on people. James Kennedy speaks Greek and Hebrew fluently and has not a clue as to what the gospel is. I’m serious, not a clue. You say, ‘oh well he doesn’t have it quite down yet.’ No, not a clue, he has not a clue. 

If you think God is going to torture most of humanity for all eternity, then you have not a clue as to what the gospel is… you have not a clue as to what Jesus Christ is… you have not a clue as to what God the Father is. Not a clue. You can not say in the same breath that God is love and God tortures most of humanity for all of eternity. You can’t say that!  That is as opposite as God and Satan, to say that.  Yet this is fundamental Christianity... God is love… God will torture most of humanity in real fire for all eternity. It’s insane! If you can’t see that that is insane, if you just sit there and say, ‘well I don’t know Ray, it makes sense to me.’ Then you will never understand this book. You just will never understand this book. 

This book was written so that nobody could understand it, until God picks somebody out and says I want you to understand this book and I’ll show you how to understand it. That’s the only way. He’s got to pick you out and open up your mind or you will never understand this book.  This book is written in all kinds of symbolism, figurative language, types, figures, images, examples, analogies, parables, metaphors and people think all those things are literal. That is confusion. That’s why the church is confused. That’s why there are supposedly 3000 Christian denominations in the world, because they don’t understand any of this stuff.

Jesus Christ said to His Apostles, to you it is given to understand, but to them it is not given to understand.

Mark 4:11  And he said unto them, Unto you is given the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all things are done in parables:
Mar 4:12  that seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand;

To you it is given, to them it’s not given. There’s you and there’s them and that’s just the way it is and the way it will be until the close of the age.

They are talking about worldwide revival. Rod Parsley was saying at the rate they are converting people, 250,000 a day, that in 12-14 more years the whole world will be Christianized, in just a matter of not too many years.  But Christ says when He returns will He find faith? Well that‘s all He’ll find is faith, everywhere, in every human being. NO! No, He asks the question because He won‘t find faith. There is not faith among millions, no, billions, we have to say billions now, there are 2 billion professing Christians.


                                                                           THE GOSPEL

I’m going to talk about what is the gospel of the kingdom of God? Gospel means good news. But good news about what? What is the good news?

Okay the single most pat and concise answer you will get in all Christianity, it is the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. I’m not saying there is no truth to that being part of the gospel, but let me ask you this, in reference to that. Jesus Christ came preaching the gospel, right, did He come preaching His death, burial and resurrection? I mean throughout His whole ministry. What I’m saying is Jesus Christ came preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, did He go around Judea and Galilee teaching His death, burial and resurrection? Can you show me that any where in the Gospels, that He taught that? No. So what is the gospel? He taught the gospel, He preached the gospel, but He did not go around saying I’m going to die, you’re going to kill Me and I’m going to come back to life and then I’m going to save you. 

In some places it talks about ‘the gospel’ and in some places ‘the gospel of the kingdom.’ But then we have another question, what is the kingdom? 

The reason He went up into the mount, on what they call ‘The Sermon On The Mount,’ the one express purpose was that is where He was going to actually choose out the twelve. You read that in Luke’s account.
Here’s the point I want to make, when you read all the verses that talk about the preaching of the gospel, it doesn’t tell you what it is.  Jesus came preaching the gospel of the kingdom.

Mat 9:35  And Jesus went about all the cities and the villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom,

What gospel?  What kingdom?  It doesn’t say.  Mark says, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God.

Mark 1:14  And after John was delivered up, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom of God,
v. 15  and saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God draws near  Repent, and believe the gospel.

Repent and believe the gospel… okay I believe it, but what is it? 

Mark 13:10  And the gospel must first be published to all nations.

Luke 9:6  So they departed and went through the towns, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere.

He went through all the towns preaching the gospel… what gospel? 

Luke 4:18  "The Spirit of the Lord is on Me; because of this He has anointed Me to proclaim the Gospel to the poor.

The poor have the gospel preached to them, well that’s nice, but what did they hear that the rich didn’t? 

Rom 1:1  Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, a called apostle, separated to the gospel of God

Paul was separated until the gospel of God, what was it? 

Rom 1:16  For I am not ashamed of the gospel: for it is the power of God unto salvation…

Well the gospel is the power of salvation. Well that’s good, but what is it? 

1Cor 1:17  For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel…

Paul said Christ didn’t call me to baptize, but to preach the gospel. I know what baptism is, but what is the gospel?

1Cor 9:18 … that I abuse not my power in the gospel.

Here Paul says I abuse not my power in the gospel. 

2Cor 4:3  But if our gospel is hid, it is hid to those being lost,

It says the gospel is hid from those who are lost. Maybe it is hid from some of us that think we are saved.
Paul said he was going to make known the mystery of the gospel. 

Eph 6:19  And pray for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel,

Wow, how are we going to know the mystery of the gospel, if we don’t know what the gospel is?
We have fellowship in the gospel.

Php 1:5  for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now;

We are doing that today, but maybe you don’t exactly see how it is that we are having fellowship in the gospel. 

It talks about the hope of the gospel (Col 1:23)
The truth of the gospel (Gal.2:5, 14; Eph.1:13; Col.1:5)
The glorious gospel of the blessed God (1Tim. 1:11)
Vengeance is on those that obey not the gospel (2Th 1:08)

You have to obey the gospel. Well how do you obey the gospel, if you don’t even know what it is? You got to know what it is, if you’re going to obey it, right. 
In the book of Revelation we read;

Rev 1:3  Blessed is he that reads, and they that hear the words of the prophecy, and keep the things that are written therein:

How are you going to keep the sayings of the prophecy in Revelation, if you don’t even know what it means. Well God chooses people out in every generation to learn these things and hopefully we will learn some of these things today.

We read in Gen. 12 about God making promises to Abraham.

Gen. 12:1  And Jehovah said to Abram, Go out of your country, and from your kindred, and from your father's house into a land that I will show you.
v. 2  And I will make you a great nation. And I will bless you and make your name great. And you shall be a blessing.
v. 3  And I will bless those that bless you and curse the one who curses you. And in you shall all families of the earth be blessed.

Paul says in Gal.3 that those promises in Gen 12, 18 and 22 was the gospel.  That those promises was the gospel, that is what Paul says.

Gal 3:8  And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, "In you all the nations shall be blessed."

In Revelation 14 we read that an angel or messenger is going to preach the eonian gospel to the whole world.

Rev 14:6  And I saw another angel (messenger) flying in mid-heaven, having the everlasting (eonian) gospel to preach to those dwelling on the earth, even to every nation and kindred and tongue and people,

So what is it? It’s called the gospel of God, the gospel of Christ, Paul called it my gospel and it’s our gospel and it’s called the gospel of our salvation. So it behooves us to know what the gospel is and to obey it. Like it says in Eph. 2 it is the gospel of our salvation. It’s an important thing.

Eph 1:13  In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation;

 
                                                             THERE ARE TWO SEEDS

Now let’s go back and get a little more prospective on everything.
There are two seeds on the earth. In Genesis 3 we read about the seed of the serpent (the seed of Satan) and the seed of the woman, there are the two seeds.

Now we are going to see the progression of the gospel. In Genesis 3;

Gen 3:15  And I will put enmity between you (serpent) and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He (it) will bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.

This is talking about something that is going to come and bruise - the word is actually closer to crush than bruise, in both places.

So we have this promise of a Seed back in the garden, the Seed of the woman. Now we come a few generations down the road and God says to Abraham.

Gen 22:18  And in your Seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.

We want to follow the progression of the seed, so look at Galatians 3.

Gal 3:16  And to Abraham and to his Seed the promises were spoken. It does not say, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, "And to your Seed," which is Christ.

So we see just read that in Genesis 22, I’m going to bless all nations, in your seed. 
Notice “And to your Seed” and He said not and to seeds, with a ‘s’ plural “as of many;  but as of one, to your Seed (singular - one Seed), which is Christ.”

There it is. So we were promised the Seed through Eve and God said through Abraham I’m going to bless your Seed and then we come to the New Testament and it says Jesus Christ is that Seed. What was taught back there was the gospel.

That was the gospel in chapter 3 of Genesis  That was the gospel in chapter 12, 18 and 22 of Genesis, to Abraham. Now we come down and we say that this Seed is Christ. So it’s going to come about through Christ, the one Seed. Jesus is the Seed of Abraham - the Seed of the woman, the one Seed by which the whole world is going to be blessed. Paul tells us this is the beginning of the gospel.

Now we have the two seeds. Notice this, here in 1 Peter are the two Seeds.

1Peter 4:17  For the time is come for judgment to begin at the house of God: and if it begin first at us, what shall be the end of them that obey not the gospel of God?

You’ve got the seed of the Serpent and you’ve got the Seed of the woman. The seed of the woman, through the Seed of Christ, is going to obey the gospel. How are they going to come into obedience, by the way? What is going to bring about this obedience?  Judgment! “for judgment to begin at the house of God” that’s how you come into obedience to the gospel.

Paul says what is going to happen to those who don’t obey the gospel of God. We have that answered in 2 Thes. 1:8, with God’s fiery wrath and indignation is going to be poured out on those, who what? Do not obey the gospel of Jesus Christ.

2Thes 1:8  in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Keep everything in mind now.  We have a good message - a good news message through God to Eve, there is coming a Seed in you and it’s going to do battle against the seed of the serpent. Then God tells Abraham I’m going to bless all nations through your Seed.  Paul says Jesus Christ is that Seed. But the two Seeds keep going, the two Seeds are here until the end of time. Those that obey the gospel - those that do not obey the gospel, you are of your father the devil.  If you were Abraham’s children, the seed of the woman, you wouldn’t do that. 

The gospel has to do with good news about a Seed coming through the woman, being passed on through the genealogy of Abraham, all the way down to Jesus Christ being born of the virgin Mary in Bethlehem of Judea. He’s the Seed. 

But now we don’t hear about the gospel of the one Seed. Jesus Christ didn’t call His gospel ‘the gospel of the one Seed,’ did He? No, He called it the gospel of what? The kingdom of God. He preached the gospel of the kingdom of God. In Isaiah 52 we learn about this gospel.

Isa 52:7  How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of him who brings good tiding (good news - gospel), that publishes peace; that brings good tidings of good, that publishes salvation; who says to Zion, Your God reigns!

That all sounds like pretty good stuff. We have good tidings, we have peace, we have good tidings of good things, publishing - broad casting about - proclaiming salvation and unto Zion, God reigns. This is the good news, this is the gospel! Jesus Christ preached the gospel, Jesus Christ is the Seed, right.

The Jews knew that this Scripture was in Isaiah. They knew that a Messiah was going to come and bring good news and publish peace, bring tidings of good things, proclaim salvation and rule out of Zion. Jesus Christ said He was that Messiah. 

But then He threw them a curve, near the end of His ministry. You know they thought and were all excited… you know those people who were waving palm fronds and ‘singing Hosanna in the highest,’ when Christ was coming into Jerusalem. Why were they so excited? They thought He was the King, He was the Messiah. He was the one that was going to bring about this in Isaiah, He is going to reign. Then a few hours later, well a little more than a few hours, but after Passover evening, they were beating Him, spitting on Him, mocking Him and He doesn’t fight back. How is He going to set up the kingdom? He can walk on water, He can feed 5000 with 2 fishes, He can heal the sick and He can raise the dead, so what is He doing? They are making a mockery out of our king! He doesn’t look like He’s a king at all. When is He going to call down fire out of heaven and destroy all these Roman soldiers and set up the kingdom? He’s not.

They said are you a king?  He said, you say I am;

John 18:36  Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world.

It’s not of this cosmos, not in this system, not in this particular society or His servants would fight and He would take over. So everybody lost confidence. Some of the same ones that were singing Hosanna, were saying crucify Him, He’s nothing but a phony. They mocked Him on the cross, ‘He can save others but He can’t save Himself, He’s a phony.’ 

[Kat]

                              THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN

So Jesus Christ preached the gospel of the kingdom. What is the kingdom? It doesn’t seem like it’s this kingdom back here in Isaiah 52, where He is going to reign from Zion. They knew where Zion was, it’s in Jerusalem. If that’s not the kingdom and Christ is preaching the gospel of the kingdom, what kingdom is He preaching about? If it’s not this one, what kingdom is He preaching about? Well there is another kingdom or there is some other facets of this kingdom that is not being revealed here. 

So I don’t even know what the Protestants and the Catholics teaching is... they teach that the kingdom is something in your heart and then you go to heaven, maybe that’s the kingdom. I don’t know exactly what they think or believe the kingdom is. It’s just kind of God in your heart or something. That’s not what the gospel of the kingdom is. 

Jesus gave Peter the keys to the kingdom. 

Mat 4:17 …Repent! For the kingdom of Heaven is at hand.

If you were there in Jerusalem and you heard a man come up and say, repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand, would you have repented? Would you have known what he meant by the kingdom of heaven? Would you say, ‘what are you talking about?’ So did everybody where Christ went, did they repent? No. Some repented at the baptism of John, but you don’t find all these people repenting before Christ. The few examples were when somebody came up and they really wanted to follow this man, like the rich man… He said to him, you go a sell everything you have and give to the poor (Matt. 19:21). He said I’m not paying that steep a price. 

Christ did not convert one man during His whole ministry, not one, you all know that right? He never converted a single human being.
 
People will send me emails… ‘How many people have you converted Ray?’ I say none, how many have you converted? Only God can convert somebody. Jesus Christ did not convert a single man. 

The last evening of the Passover He said to Peter, when you are converted. Was he converted at that evening of the Passover? No. He said you’ll all forsake Me. Peter said, I won’t forsake You Lord, maybe all the rest will, but not me (Matt. 26:33). He said, hush your mouth Peter, the cock won’t crow till you deny Me 3 times, this night. He said you’ll all forsake Me. Did they all forsake Him? Did Peter deny Him 3 times and curse that same night? Yes he did. Why? Peter wasn’t converted that’s why, he was not converted. 
 

                              PARABLES ABOUT THE KINGDOM

Matt. 13:11  …Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven…

What are the mysteries of the kingdom? But you don’t even know what the kingdom is. Even the kingdom is a mystery. Well I’ll tell you what the kingdom is. The kingdom of God is like a man sowing seed.

Matt. 13:3  Then He spoke many things to them in parables, saying: "Behold, a sower went out to sow.

Now do you know what it is? Of course it is also like a mustard seed and it’s also like a treasure.

Matt. 13:31  Another parable He put forth to them, saying: "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field,
v. 32  which indeed is the least of all the seeds; but when it is grown it is greater than the herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches."
And it’s also like a treasure.

Mat 13:44  "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

Is a mustard seed a treasure? Well they’re both the kingdom of God, a treasure and a mustard seed, they’re both the kingdom God. That what it says it’s in the book. The kingdom of God is like a merchant man. Oh really, how is that?

Mat 13:45  "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls,
v. 46  who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.

The kingdom of God is like a net that got cast into the sea. Then you pull in the net and you separate the fish.

Mat 13:47  "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet that was cast into the sea and gathered some of every kind,
v. 48  which, when it was full, they drew to shore; and they sat down and gathered the good into vessels, but threw the bad away.

That’s the kingdom of God. Oh okay it’s like fishing with a net, separating and cleaning fish, but I hate cleaning fish. The kingdom of God is like a householder. 

Mat 13:52  Then He said to them, "Therefore every scribe instructed concerning the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure things new and old."

The kingdom of God is like a king with his servants. He takes his servants and tells them what to do, some he gives talents to them and he will increase the talents.

Mat 25:14  "For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them.
v. 15  And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey.
 
That’s what the kingdom is. Now do you know what it is? The kingdom of God is like a man with his laborers in the vineyard, like people going to work in the fields. Some come early in the morning, some come late in the afternoon  The ones that come late in the afternoon get paid as much as the ones that come in the morning. That’s the kingdom of God. Now you know what it is, right?

Mat 20:1  For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard.
v. 8  "So when evening had come, the owner of the vineyard said to his steward, "Call the laborers and give them their wages, beginning with the last to the first.'

That’s what the kingdom of God is, like laborers in the vineyard, laborers out in the field. That’s what the kingdom of God is. Did you get that? No, not quite? Alright try this one. The kingdom of God is like a king who is going to have a big wedding feast for his son. He bids all these people to come and some of them have excuses why they can’t come. So then he says go out in the highways and by-ways and just bring in strangers and they all came to the wedding feast. Of course even then there is one and guess what? He didn’t have a wedding garment on. He says how can you show up here without a wedding garment? Throw him out.

Mat 22:2  "The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who arranged a marriage for his son,
v. 3  and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding; and they were not willing to come.
 
That’s what the kingdom of God is, like a wedding feast, where some don’t show up and others came and even one of those didn’t have a garment. That’s what the kingdom of God is. The kingdom of God is like 10 virgins, 5 are wise and 5 are foolish. That’s what the kingdom of God is like wise and foolish virgins. Now you got it, right?

Mat 25:1  Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.
v. 2  Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish.

The kingdom of God is like a king who goes on a far away journey. That’s what the kingdom of God is like and then he returns with the kingdom.

Mat 25:14  "For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them.
v. 19  After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them.

Yeah that is what the kingdom is, but what is this kingdom he returns with?  Well that’s what we are trying to answer. But this is good news though. All of this with the fish… the field… the seed… it’s all good news. But what is it? 

Mat 6:33  But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

Okay we know what righteousness is, that’s doing right, doing good. So do good… but that’s a separate thing, you seek the kingdom and His righteousness. Okay what’s the kingdom? It doesn’t say the kingdom ‘of’ righteousness, but the kingdom ‘and’ His righteousness. The kingdom is more than just righteousness, but what is it? 

Now I don’t think I will blow too many of you away if I was to suggest to you that in the parable of where the king went to receive a kingdom… that the king was Jesus Christ. Who is going to reign in Zion, according to Isaiah. 

Isa 52:7  How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of him who brings good tidings, making peace heard; who brings good news, making salvation heard; who says to Zion, Your God reigns!

The Lord is going to reign in Zion. He is going to bless the whole world, all the nations… the Seed. Who is the Seed? Jesus Christ. Who is the king? Jesus Christ. He is going to receive unto Himself a kingdom. He is going to go some place and get a kingdom and then bring it back. What is it?

When we were members of WorldWide and I just marvel at how many of us were.  But we were taught, just like good old Protestants that a kingdom is a king and it has to have subjects to rule over and it has to have a territory of which the kingdom is and it has to have laws and regulations governing the kingdom. That’s what a kingdom is and that’s what the kingdom of God is. 

But I don’t think in any of these Scripture and I only gave you about 10 of 35-45 parables and the gospel appears in the New Testament 98 times. Most of those are in what we call the gospels and most of those in the book of Matthew. So Christ is the King and He’s going to get a kingdom and He's going to return.

Luke 19:12  Therefore He said, A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive a kingdom for himself, and to return.

Now we learned about the promise to the woman. The promise through Abraham’s seed… Christ is the Seed. But in between there it looks like God was going to work this thing out historically.

Exo 19:6  and ye (all Israel) shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation.

The difference between you and "ye" is, if I say ‘you’ I’m talking about one individual and when I say "ye" I’m talking about this whole group. Ye is plural. We lost that in our English and that was good, you and ye, now it’s just you or ya’ll.

There it is. He is going to bring in this kingdom. He’s going to bring in this blessing to the whole world, right. You’re going to be a nation you’re going to be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation and it’s going to conquer the nations, the Gentiles, the heathens and the pagans and fill the whole earth. But it never happened. He said ye shall be unto Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. Did He lie? Did He fail? Or is this typical of something else? 

You see they never were a holy nation. God said, oh that there would be such a heart in them that they would obey Me from the heart. 

Deu 5:29  Oh that there were such a heart in them that they would fear Me and keep all My commandments always,

There was no such heart in them. Israel never obeyed from the heart. There were times when they had some peace, because they had a strong leader and he cracked the whip. People stayed in line for a while, but as a nation they were never holy, never.   

[Kat]

                 
                        A KINGDOM OF PRIESTS - A HOLY NATION

But He said you will be unto Me a holy nation and He is talking to Israel. Now this has got to come about Israel has to become holy nation, a kingdom of priests. A kingdom implies kingship, royalty implies kingly, so if it’s royal it’s kingly. King… priests… holy nation… Israel. He said it, you shall be, thus says the Lord. It must happen. But it didn’t happen. It never happened historically, never happened.

It was a type. The Levites are gone, the priests of Aaron are gone, the Tabernacle and in later times the Temple, it’s all gone. They never became a holy nation. But the Christian world looks for it to happen yet, over there in Palestine. Some of the most carnal people that ever lived and they say they are going to be that holy nation, that it’s going to happen through them. It will not happen through them. It will happen through God’s Israel though, make no mistake about that. 

This was a type, the whole Old Testament is a type. Even though the first 5 books are called the Torah - the Law, the whole Old Testament is also referred to as the Law. 

Now Hebrews 10, here we’re not talking about the 10 Commandments, we are talking about the Old Testament - the old covenant - the Law of Moses and everything that went with it, the Law.

Heb 10:1  For the Law which has a shadow of good things to come…

There it is. There is your answer. God said Israel, all of you Israelites will be a kingdom of priests, a holy nation. Paul tells us that it was a type, a shadow of good things to come, not the very image of the things.

Heb 10:1  … not the very image of the things, appearing year by year with the same sacrifices, which they offered year by year continually, make the comers there unto perfect.

They could not be a holy nation, if you’re holy you’re perfect, they weren’t. The writer of Hebrews says the Old Testament couldn’t bring about this holy nation. It was a shadow of what? Better things to come. Now there is some more of the definition of gospel - good news - better - good things to come. He didn’t do it through Israel. Hebrews says it was a shadow of something to come. But the priests were all gone, the priests and the Levites and even the nation. 

Nobody knows where the nation is anymore. There is a good chance that people who claim to be Jews, may not be Jews by race at all. But by religion, not by race. I mean there are a lot of Jews in Ethiopia, these are black African people and they are Jews. Ethiopia has a large population of black Jews and that history goes all the way back to the first century, that they have been Jews.
 
People have gotten sifted through the countries and the nations for 2000 years. So these people in New York, Chicago, Miami, LA and Jerusalem that claim to be Jews, some of them may have some Jewish blood in them, some may not. 

There are better things to come. There is an interesting Scripture in Galatians. If Israel is gone and the Levites are gone and the Aaron priesthood is gone and the Temple is gone and God is going to have a holy nation, where are they going to come from? We’re in the book of Galatians, are the Galatians Jews or Gentiles? Galatians are Gentiles. 

Gal 3:29  And if you (Galatians - Gentiles) are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise. 

How about that! Promised through the woman, through Abraham, through Isaac, through Jacob and then we have the one Seed arrives. Jesus Christ taught all these things. He said, if ye are Christ's, the one Seed and you’re Abraham's, now you’re into multiple seeds. Now go to the last chapter.

Gal 6:16  And as many as walk according to this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God.

Is He talking about carnal Pharisees and the Scribes? No. Those that walk according to this rule, this new rule, this being an Israelite without being an Israelite, being circumcised without being circumcised, being a Jew while you’re a Gentile. That’s what this is all about, this is something different. But it’s going to fulfill that promise back in Exodus, He will make a royal nation, a royal priesthood and a holy nation out of who? Israel. What Israel? The Israel of God, not those who are circumcised in the flesh, no no no.

Rom 2:28  For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh;
v. 29  but he is a Jew who is one inwardly (he's writing to the Gentile Romans here…) circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit (he is the spiritual Jew; the Roman - the Galatian - the Philippian…) not in the letter; whose praise is not from men but from God.

So if you are in Christ, you are of the Seed of Abraham, even though there is no bloodline connection. Spirit is thicker than blood. 


                                   THE ISRAEL OF GOD

Let’s see what Peter had to say about all this, in case you think Peter didn’t understand some of this stuff. Actually Peter was pretty good with the Scriptures. You remember who Jesus Christ gave the keys of the kingdom of heaven to? Peter. Peter had it all worked out, he had a little problem there at Antioch, but after that he had it all worked out from then on.

1Peter 2:9  But ye (he is talking to Gentiles) are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own peculiar (special) people…

Does that sound a little bit like Exodus 19? I will make out of you a royal priesthood, a holy nation. Where do you think Peter got it? 

Exo 19:6  And ye shall be unto Me a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.

A chosen generation... a royal means, kingly priesthood, a holy nation. A peculiar people, that comes out of about 3 different Greek words, the pronoun 'his' is in there and peculiar really means special. So what this is saying is, you are His - God’s precious people. That’s pretty neat, you are His precious people, not the Israel of old, not the Israel that came down through the seed of the devil, that was who? The Scribes and the Pharisees and they personified it, the leadership of the church and the Temple system, personified the nation. Not that seed, the seed of the devil. You are the seed of Jesus Christ, you are of this Israel of God, like Paul talked about in Galatians.

Gal 6:16  And as many as walk according to this rule, peace and mercy be upon them and upon the Israel of God.

1Peter 2:9  …so that you might speak of the praises of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;

So the kingdom of God is what? The Israel of God! It’s those who through the faith of Abraham… that is the same faith that God gave to Abraham He gives to us, that’s the faith of Abraham. We become this peculiar, special people to God. 

Now get this. Here's what He said we are. He said I will have a nation and I will have a people and it didn’t happen... but it was a type, a shadow of something that will happen. 

The writer of Hebrews tells us that there is an "Israel of God," those who are baptized in the Spirit, circumcised in the Spirit and they are now spiritual Israel - Jews. They are the real Jews, the ones that are converted in heart and mind and spirit. Then Peter comes right out and says, you are that royal family, that special people, that kingdom of priests, that holy nation, that’s what you are. 

So what is it? It’s the gospel of the kingdom. What is the kingdom? YOU - WE are the kingdom! How about that. We are the kingdom. It’s the gospel, the good news of the kingdom. When you are spiritually converted and you are holy and you are circumcised in spirit and mind and soul and heart you are a spiritual Jew. You are the one that He said back there, I’m going to make you a holy nation, Israel... but not that Israel, that was a type. That was a shadow, that was only going to be a nation of people living in a certain land. 

This kingdom is going to what? Bless all the nations. This is a big kingdom and it’s a spiritual kingdom, because the more we do away with the flesh, the more spiritual we get. The more we die to the flesh, the more we grow to the spirit. 

So it’s not as negative as it seems when you get old and decrepit like me. The flesh is dying, but hopefully the spirit is growing. Where as I use to be dead in my spirit and soar in my flesh, now I’m almost dead in my flesh and soaring in my spirit. That’s good, that’s the way it should be. Do you see that in your life? You should see the flesh dying. I’m going to talk a little bit about that in the second part.


                                 HEAVEN OF THE HEAVENS

So what is the kingdom? We are the kingdom of God... we are the kingdom of the heavens. Where does God reside? In heaven. God resides in heaven, but it is not called the kingdom of heaven in the Greek, you can check Rotherham and all those, it’s kingdom of the heavens, plural. We are the temple of God... God resides in His temple... God resides in heaven. We are the heaven in which God resides, where He dwells. But don’t get to haughty, because the Scriptures say, not even all the heaven of the heavens can contain Him.

2Chron 6:18  …Behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain You.  How much less this temple which I have built!

But never the less it is true, He does dwell in the heavens. But they can’t even contain Him, He’s bigger than that. But He does dwell in His heavens, we are His heavens, we are His spiritual kingdom. But it does not yet appear what we shall be, we only have the earnest, down payment of His spirit.

Eph 1:14  which is an earnest of our inheritance, unto the redemption of God's own possession, unto the praise of His glory.

We have the down payment, but John says we will eventually see Him as He is, because we will be like Him. We will be like Jesus Christ!

1John 3:2  Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is.

So we are the kingdom of God. Christ is going to return with a kingdom... what does He return with?  What is the symbolism of how Christ returns? He returns on... what is He riding? A white horse. Is anybody with Him? An army! Are they walking? They are riding on white horses too!

Rev 19:14  And the armies in Heaven followed Him on white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.

What is that army? The kingdom of God... IT'S US! We are coming with Him, He is going to gather US up. Gather up what? His army, His kingdom! 

We still have all these parables though. We are the kingdom of God, so what are all these parbles?
The kingdom of God is like… a merchant
The kingdom of God is like… a seed
The kingdom of God is like… a king that goes afar
The kingdom of God is like… workers in a vineyard
Like… like… like…what is it like? 

Specifically we will see what the parables are all talking about, they are all talking about the same thing. Jesus Christ says, “Do you not know this parable? And how then will you know all parables?” (Mark 4:13)

So does it mean if you know one parable that you can know them all? Yes. Why? They are all the same. That’s why the kingdom of God is like this and also like this and like this and this, etc. Well what is that ‘like,’ like what?  Well it’s like Seed. But what is that? What is it saying though? The Seed and the country and the vineyard and the leaven… what is it actually saying? What is it like? What is the ‘like’?
Sorry - to be continued in part 2.

[Kat]

Audio  2

                      WHAT IS THE GOSPEL OF THE KINGDOM?

So we are the kingdom! We are the kingdom of God. We are the temples - the heavens in which God’s Spirit dwells. We are a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar special people to God and through this kingdom, with Christ as the King, all the families of the earth are going to be blessed. But we are blessed through judgment and they are going to be blessed in judgment. We may think it would be nice if it was another way, but it’s through judgment. 


                             WHAT IS THE KINGDOM LIKE ?

But I want to clear up this thing with the kingdom of God is ‘like.’
It’s like a king…
it’s like a laborer…
it’s like a treasure…
it’s like leaven…
it’s like a fishnet cast into the sea. 
What is all that? What are all those parables saying the kingdom of God is? What is all of this it’s like, it’s like, it’s like, etc.? It’s like there are many called, but few chosen! That is what every parable is. That’s what the parables are or some form of that. Who would have ever thought.

You have the mustard seed? It’s something that is very small and grows into something very strong. 

1Cor. 1:26  For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called.

The nobodies - the nothings - the mustard seeds. That’s what God calls us. But they grow. 

Christ is the King who is gone into a far nation. To do what? What does the parable say, what is He going to get there? A kingdom! 

Where is Christ now? He is in heaven. But what is He doing on the earth? He’s getting Himself a kingdom. It started with the Apostles - the few. He said to ‘you’ it’s given to understand, you are the few. But to ‘them’ - the many, it is not given, but to the few. Many called - a lot of seeds scattered around, but only some seeds fall on the good ground, the few. 

If you cast the net into the sea and you pull in all these fish. But you throw a lot of them away, because only a few are the good ones that you save. That’s what the parable are all about... all of them. God choosing out the few for His kingdom. The kingdom of God is like this, it’s like that, it’s like, it’s like… it’s like US and what God is doing through us.

Rev 5:10  And You made US kings and priests to our God, and WE will reign over the earth.

WE are the kingdom! You are going to have to do a little rethinking in your minds here maybe. We are the kingdom.

Rev 2:26  And he who overcomes (that’s us) and keeps My works (that should be us)  to the end, to him (that’s us) I will give power over the nations.

This kingdom is going to rule over the nations.

Rev 2:27  And he (that’s us) will rule them…

Remember the us and the them “to you it is given” (Luke 8:10). That’s us, but not to them. The us, the we, are going to rule over the nations, over them. 

Rev 3:21  To him (that’s us) who overcomes (I hope that is all of us, because if you don‘t overcome then you won't be, it‘s just as simple as that) I will grant to sit with Me in My throne,

The throne is over a kingdom and the King of a kingdom… the throne. 

1Thes. 4:17  Then we (that’s us - the kingdom) who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them (in this case it’s those that were asleep in the earth) in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we (that’s us) shall always be with the Lord.

Jude 1:14 "Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints,

That’s us, that’s the kingdom. The kingdom of what? The Kingdom of the heavens. 

There is the one seed - Christ. But if you are IN Christ you are Abraham’s seed, multiple seed. But in Christ we are ONE.

Mat 24:31  And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect (that’s us) from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

Then He comes back and that’s His army. He gathers them and He comes back with them and He rules the nations with a rod of iron…US the kingdom of the heavens.

Rev 19:14  And the armies in heaven (that‘s us on white horses), clothed in fine linen…

Fine linen that‘s righteousness - your doing what is right, which far exceeds the Scribes and the Pharisees or you shall in no wise inherit what? The kingdom of the heavens. So they‘ve got white linen on, because these people are righteous, they do what is right.

Rev 19:16  On His vesture and on His thigh He has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.

You know who the King is, that’s Christ. Who are the kings? The kings are the heavens. We are the heavens. Here is a portion of God’s kingdom made up of heavens. God’s Spirit is dwelling in you - God dwells in heaven, but in plural, heavens. God dwells in the heavens of His kingdom. We are the heavens of His kingdom.
 
“King of kings, Lord of lords.” Who is Lord? Jesus Christ. Who are the lords, plural? We are the lords. 
     

                                       THE GOSPEL

Now notice what Peter says to the Gentiles in chapter 10, but first in Acts 15 Peter tells us it was through him that God first took the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles. 

Acts 15:7  And when there had been much dispute, Peter rose up and said to them: "Men and brethren, you know that a good while ago God chose among us, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe.

When you read the many many Scriptures about the gospel, the gospel of the kingdom of heaven, the gospel of the kingdom, the gospel of… you really don’t see what it is. When you go and find someplace where you actually find where this gospel was taught, most people don’t even realize… wait a minute he’s teaching the gospel there. So what he is teaching there, that’s the gospel. Now it includes Christ crucified and resurrected. But that’s not what Christ taught, that's not what He specifically taught you see. Because Christ Himself taught the gospel of the Kingdom of the heavens, plural. 

Now here is Peter, you know the story: God shows him a sheet full of unclean animals and He told him to kill them and eat. Peter said, no Lord I have never eaten anything uncommon. God says don’t call common what I have cleaned. Then he sent some people to come to Joppa and they were to go to Cornelius. Peter still wasn’t quite sure what this was all about. But when he got there he realized what this vision was. God is opening up the gospel to the Gentiles and so he said;

Act 10:35  But in every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him.

Peter realized that now. It doesn’t just have to be a Jew, they can be from any nation. 

Acts 10:36  You know the Word which God sent to the sons of Israel, preaching the gospel of peace by Jesus Christ (He is Lord of all!);
v. 37  that word which was published throughout all Judea, and began from Galilee, after the baptism which John preached;
v. 38  how God anointed Jesus Christ with the Holy Spirit and with power, and He went about doing good, and healing all those who were oppressed of the Devil, for God was with Him.
v. 39  And we are witnesses of all things which He did, both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem. Whom they slew and hanged on a tree;

This is all part of the gospel. He is teaching this now to Cornelius.

v. 40  but God raised Him up the third day and showed Him openly,

This is part of the gospel. Christ was crucified, was dead, rose from the dead.

v. 41  not to all the people, but to chosen witnesses before by God, even to us (Peter was a witness) who ate and drank with Him after He rose from the dead.
v. 42  And He commanded us to preach to the people, and to testify that it is He who was ordained of God to be the Judge of the quick and the dead.

Oops, how did that slip in there? Did you notice that? Did you notice what the gospel is? Jesus Christ is “the judge of the quick and the dead.” That is the gospel. This takes us all the way down to Rev. 22, doesn’t it. It certainly does. This thing of judgment is part of the gospel… "Judge of the quick and the dead." Now John says that as Christ is, so are we. Christ is the judgment. Guess what? So are we. 

1Cor 6:2  Do you not know…

Who is the you? Corinthians. Who are the Corinthians? The chosen, these are uncircumcised in flesh, circumcised in the heart, in spirit… Gentiles. They are the kingdom of God, these are the heavens where God’s Spirit dwells and He says unto them.

1Cor 6:2 …that the saints shall judge the world? 

That’s the gospel. Jesus Christ was appointed for that thing, to be the judge of the quick and the dead and as Christ is so are we. Guess what? We are to judge the world. Well of course, we are going to rule them with a rod of iron. That is how we are going to start out in the kingdom of God on this earth, over the nations of the world, in what’s called the millennium or the thousand year reign. 

Rom 8:22  And we know that the whole creation groans and travails in pain together until now.

The whole world. If you have any doubts about that, just turn on the evening news. If it’s not the weather; the hurricanes, the earthquakes, then it’s wars and terrorist. Now they are burning down Paris, for eight days straight. This is always been the condition of the world. They say the history of mankind is a chronicle of wars. Man is either in war, coming out of war or preparing for the next war.

Rom 8:19  For the earnest expectation of the creation waits…

This whole world, this whole creation is groaning and travailing in pain. Is waiting for what?

Rom 8:19 …for the manifestation of the sons of God.

That’s us, the sons of God or the kingdom of God. They are the heavens in which the Spirit of God dwells and will rule the nations.

Obadiah 1:21  And saviors shall come up on mount Zion to judge the mountain of Esau (this is them); and the kingdom shall be the Lord’s.

The “saviors” are going to rule from mount Zion, not over there in that ugly swill of a city called Jerusalem. But from spiritual mount Zion. He is going to rule them, "Esau" is them, "and the kingdom shall be the Lord’s." What kingdom? The kingdom of what, in this context? Kingdom of saviors, plural saviors. Who are these saviors? That’s us, we’re saviors. Well this sounds a little odd, I mean we’re saying we’re going to be the saviors of the world. Well we do have a leader though, King of kings, Lord of lords, Savior of saviors and Son of sons. We’re sons right, He’s the Son of the sons. He will always have a name superior to every other one.


                                      A BRIEF RECAP

Just a brief recap here of what we have seen so far.

The gospel of the Kingdom of God... we are a chosen generation, a royal kingly priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar - that’s God’s special people. We are the manifest sons of God, we are saviors to the world, we are lord and overseers and priests and judges and kings. Is that lofty enough for you. You get an idea, when it says the high calling, this is high. 

But let me tell you something, there is a price. You don’t become a king, a priest, a lord, a savior, a very special person to God by falling off a rock. In the original gospel it was just very broad.

Gal 3:8  And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the nations through faith, preached the gospel before to Abraham, saying, "In you shall all nations be blessed."

Here was the good news, here is what Paul said, God Himself preached to Abraham and He called it the gospel. "In you (your seed) shall all nations be blessed." In these few words you can sum up the whole purpose for the creation - the world - the university - humanity, “all will be blessed.” We will be the blessers, they will be the blessees. We are already being blessed. They have no idea what it is like to be blessed. They think the physical is the spiritual. If you get rich and famous and have a huge mansions and have all this materialism, then you are spiritually blessed. What?! If anything it comes closer to a curse. Why? “a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of the heavens.” Hardly!   

I don’t want to be materially rich. If I were I would try to get rid of a lot of it very fast. I don’t want that burden hanging over me. It’s not worth it, because if you start thinking about all the trinkets that you can buy with a lot of money. You won’t have time to think about spiritual things.
 
That’s why they say, there are no atheist in a life raft in the middle of the oceans. There are no atheist in a fox hole, when bullets are flying everywhere. Because why? Because you don’t have time to think about sex and fancy cars and all that stuff. Your emotions are very intent on one thing… survival. At a time like that people turn to God, they really do, in dead earnest. 

When you’ve got a bank account and can’t count all the 0’s and big houses and cars and fancy girls and you know whatever comes with it. How are you going to get your mind on spiritual things? It says, hardly shall a rich man inherit the kingdom of heaven. 

                               
                    JESUS CHRIST WENT INTO EVERY SYNAGOGUE

Mat 4:23  And Jesus went about all Galilee (that‘s a pretty big area and you remember how He went about all Galilee? He walked), teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people.
v. 24  Then His fame went throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and torments, and those who were demon-possessed, epileptics, and paralytics; and He healed them.

Syria, depending on who’s drawing the boundary lines, went all the way from the Mediterranean way across the Salt Sea and way out into the desert. Everything south of Galilee and north of the Dead Sea, where Sodom and Gomorrah was, that whole area. 

Now notice what it says, “and His fame went throughout ALL Syria.” I mean not only, wherever He went people were following Him, but His fame went abroad and they came by the droves. You never see this in the movies about Christ. Everywhere that man walked, He was mobbed, always. Why? He healed the sick! Everybody knows somebody who was sick, diseased, crippled or whatever. 

Mat 4:25  Great multitudes followed Him--from Galilee, and from Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan.

Now notice back in verse 23.

Mat 4:23  And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues,

The synagogues came about someplace between their return captivity and the rebuilding of the Temple. When the Temple was destroyed, before Herod rebuilt it… you know the Temple was destroyed and rebuilt a couple of times. So they didn’t have this central Temple place to give their religious homage and so on. So every town and village developed a small community place where they all met, called a synagogue. Jesus Christ went to every synagogue, you’ve got to get that in your mind. He taught all the people, He healed all the sick and He went into every synagogue, from synagogue to synagogue to synagogue. What did He do when He went in the synagogues? He did it in every synagogue…

Luke 4:16  And He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And, as His custom was, He went in to the synagogue on the Sabbath day and stood up to read.

He always did that, He went into every synagogue. Wherever He went there was a synagogue and He went in.

Luke 4:17  And was delivered to Him the book of the prophet Isaiah. And unrolling the book, He found the place where it was written, v. 18 "The Spirit of the Lord is on Me; because of this He has anointed Me to preach the Gospel…

This is every place He went and He covered a big area. He went into every synagogue and He said bring Me the book of Isaiah, He opened it up and read to them. 

Luke 4:18-19  The Spirit of the Lord is on Me; because of this He has anointed Me to proclaim the Gospel to the poor. He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight of the blind, to set at liberty those having been bruised, to proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD.

Then He sat down.

Luke 4:21  And He began to say to them, this day is this Scripture is fulfilled in your ears.

He taught that in every synagogue, synagogue after synagogue after synagogue, year after year after year, for 3½ years that’s what He taught, right there. He said this is what I am all about, this is who I represent, this is what I’ve come to do and you are seeing Me do it. But not completely.

He said, verse 18, “And recovering of sight of the blind. Yes He did heal those who were blind, so that they could physically see. He did raise the dead and He did heal the sick, but they all died later. Most of them were not, spiritually, that much better off. Physically they appreciated being rid of diseases and all that. Physically they were very happy, they couldn’t see and now they can see, they couldn’t walk now and they can walk. 

 
                                       GREATER WORKS

But just like when God said to Israel, I’m choosing you, it was a shadow. Now Christ came and we say, at last now we have the real thing. That was right, He was the real thing. He was the Seed! 

But part of this gospel involves judging, right. Peter said it involves judging the quick and the dead. Did Jesus Christ judge the quick and the dead when He was here? Some of this remains and has yet to a fulfillment and it has to. I will tell you why it has to. Jesus Christ told His disciples…

John 14:12  Truly, truly, I say to you, He who believes on Me, the works that I do he shall do also, and greater works than these he shall do, because I go to My Father.

He healed the sick, gave vision to the blind, caused the lame to walk, caused the dead to live… you’re going to do greater things than that. Oh really? What might that be Lord? 

I’ve had people ask me numerous times, ‘Ray can you walk on water, have you raised the dead, have you…?’ As a matter of fact I have. Which is greater, to raise somebody back to physical life, so that they can physically die again or to raise someone who is spiritually dead to spiritual life? God is doing greater things through the called, chosen, Elect few of His church, than He did in His own ministry, when He fed 5000, walked on the water, calmed the storm, healed the sick and raised the dead. He said we would do… “greater things,” they are greater. They are not greater if you’ve got a carnal mind, they are not greater then, it sounds like foolishness. That’s what it will sound like to you, unless you have the spiritual mind to see it. 

I get email back to back, one says, ‘Ray I’m in tears, I’m blown away, I never knew there was such a God. I never knew that the Scripture said such marvelous things as you are telling us.’ Then I get another email, ‘May you rot in hell you s_o_b_ , you son of Satan.’ Two emails back to back! You tell me what’s the difference… seed of the woman through Christ - seed of the devil.

So when Jesus read this many among them had already heard it, maybe the day before He had came into this synagogue in this village. If you read the Scripture it says every town, every city, every village, every hamlet and everywhere there was a synagogue He was there. He taught this Scripture and they saw that He did these things. But what do we read in John…

John 6:63  It is the Spirit that quickens, the flesh profits nothing…

But He healed the sick… the flesh profits nothing, but He caused the blind to see… the flesh profits nothing. 

V. 63 …The words that I speak to you are SPIRIT and are life.

‘You mean these words that He quoted to every village and town and hamlet and city in Jerusalem and Judea and all around Galilee, you mean all these words are Spirit?’ That’s what He said, I believe Him. These are words of Spirit. He’s not talking about giving sight to the blind, who can’t see the sunset. He talking about giving spiritual sight to those that are spiritually blind! The words of Christ are Spirit, there fulfillment are Spirit. 

Christ has a kingdom made up of heavens - people who in their heavens, have God indwelling. This is Spirit!  Spirit is more real than physical, because physical is temporary, Paul tells us. This kingdom will last, Daniel says. This kingdom is not going to be over turned in so many years by some more powerful nation. 

 

[Kat]

         
                            THE KINGDOM IS AT HAND

Mark 1:15  and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe the gospel."

Mark says the kingdom of God is at hand, now that should tell us something. The kingdom of God was at hand. Well then His Apostles went out after Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection and they taught the kingdom of God is at hand. Then the second generation of church leaders taught the kingdom of God is at hand. Here I am sitting before you today and I am telling you the kingdom of God is at hand. How is it at hand? It is at hand for you!

“Repent, and believe the gospel." It’s at hand for YOU! It’s at your hand right now, for you! It wasn’t at your hand before you were born, if some of you die this week or next month or next year or whatever, it won’t be at hand for you then. The kingdom of God is at hand NOW. When you hear this message, that’s when it is at hand for you. This is God telling you, repent the kingdom of God is at hand, right now, while you are sitting there, right now it’s at hand. 

How is it at hand? Because Jesus Christ is, was and He will be! 
It is at hand for us now. 
It was at hand for them when it was preached back then. 
It will be at hand if there is generations beyond us, before our Lord returns. 


                          IT'S ALL ABOUT THE GOSPEL

Now we know who is the head of this kingdom, Jesus Christ the King. If we are going to be in the kingdom, we have to be like the King. If you are going to be in the kingdom, if you are going to be a king, under the King, you’ve got to be like the King, right? You can’t have some other agenda, you have the same agenda as the King. 

Now how do you become like the King? Well you believe the gospel… “Repent, and believe in the gospel."  What is the gospel? Well we had a little smattering of it... the gospel is this message that Jesus Christ is going to raise the dead, heal the spiritually sick, give spiritual sight to the spiritual blind and be a blessing to all nations, all of these things. 

He said that His disciples were to go out and spread this gospel, did He not. Were they commissioned to spread the gospel? Do we know anything about what they did? Well yes, because they wrote it down in books and letters. 

You read in the beginning of most books as Paul says in the first chapter of Romans, therefore it behooves me or something to that effect, to bring you (the Romans) the gospel. He came to give the Romans the gospel and you can’t say amen and close the book, no because that is only the first half of chapter one. Well what do you think is in chapter 2? The gospel! What is chapter 3 of Romans? The gospel. What is chapter 4? The gospel. Chapter 15, chapter 16? The gospel, the gospel, the gospel. Well what is first Corinthians? The gospel. Second Corinthians? The gospel. Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians and Colossians? The gospel. I and II  Thessalonians and I and II Timothy? It’s the gospel! 

In Philemon He shows to Onesimus how to apply the principles of… the gospel, if he wants to be in the kingdom of God.

In Hebrews? It’s all about the gospel… the Old Testament and the Laws and what it couldn’t do and the New Testament and the Spirit and what it can and will do. James, Peter, John, Jude, Revelation it‘s all the gospel! 

Col 1:27  To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles…

This is the gospel. The gospel was preached to the Gentiles and the rest of the verse,

v. 27…which is Christ IN you, the hope of glory.

If you want to be this royal nation, this kingdom of priests, this peculiar treasure to God, one of the judges, one of the priests, one of the lords, one of the kings, then you have to have Christ IN you. That's the hope of glory, Christ in you!   

Col 1:28  Whom we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.

That’s what the gospel is all about. Acts, Romans, Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Timothy, these are all teachings on how to bring children - infants in Christ to perfection - maturity. So that we can be elevated… King of kings and Lord of lords. 


                             IN CHRIST  - IN SPIRIT

Col 2:10  And you are complete in Christ, who is the Head of all principality and power,

This is talking to the Colossians here, these are Gentiles, these are people who are trying to be the kingdom of the heavens.

Col 2:11  in whom also ye (all of you) are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands (no more physical rituals, talking about the real stuff now, in your heart - in your mind - in your soul - in your spirit), in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ,

People will say, ‘so Ray you are saying that we don’t need to be baptized anymore?’ Oh I never said that. I never said we don’t have to be baptized anymore. We have to be baptized, we have to be circumcised, we have to partake in the foot washing, we have to keep the Sabbath, we have to partake of the bread and the wine…  IN SPIRIT. 

If you don’t do it in spirit, then forget it. When you go down dry, you’ll come up wet... you will loose some skin and some blood and that’s all. You’ll eat a little piece of wafer and you’ll drink a little grape juice and that’s all. This is the real thing, SPIRITUALLY.

Spiritually you must be circumcised, you must have the foreskin of your heart, that flesh cut off. You must be baptized with Christ, that means you have to die. That’s not too popular, that you have to die to the flesh... the flesh doesn’t want to die. The flesh says, here I am look at me, don’t let me die, pay attention to me, puff me up, make me great, make me important. It’s flesh flesh flesh. 

We have to be crucified with Christ!

Gal 2:20  I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loves me and gave Himself for me.

But this next verse is...

Col 2:12  buried with Him in baptism…

It doesn’t say buried in water. Where do you see buried in water there? I don’t see buried in water, I see "buried with Him in baptism."

Col 2:12 …in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.

I don’t see anything about water there. You say, ‘well that’s what it’s all about isn’t it?’ Paul said in the first chapter of Corinthians, Christ has NOT called me to baptize.

1Cor 1:17  For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel,

He said that’s not my calling, He called me to preach the gospel. This is the gospel... being baptized in Christ is the gospel and persecuted with Christ, and hated of all nations.

Mat 24:9  Then they will deliver you up to be afflicted and will kill you. And you will be hated of all nations for My name's sake.

Is Billy Graham hated of all nations? I don’t mean to pick on poor Billy, but he’s got every award, citation, and congressional honor that you can get. He has received every accolade from them. From the children of the devil, he’s got every accolade in the world from them. You though, you’ll be hated.

I knew a lovely man when I was in Worldwide. He came down and gave some Bible studies for us and I really did love the man. His name was Ray too. But he made the comment once… now he understood about universal reconciliation, he just did not get the spirit. He said, ‘we can be thankful we live in a nation and in a time where we are not persecuted.’ He said, ‘I’ve never been persecuted.’ Guess what? He was not living completely Godly in Christ Jesus, that’s why.
 
When you always do what’s right, you will be persecuted and probably by some of your closes friends. Maybe your wife or husband, your mother or father, your children or neighbors or working associates. Not the least of which is your own brethren in the church will persecute you, if you always do everything that is right. 

They say - Oh we’re going to make little ribbons and hang them on the trees, to say bless our soldiers, may they kill many Arabs today. 
You say - well I don’t want to do that.
Them - what?
You - I don’t think it’s right that we do that.
Them - well what’s with you? You’re not patriotic? You don’t believe in killing?
You - no.

If you don’t think you will be persecuted, I’ll tell you that you will be persecuted. 


               JUDGMENT MUST BEGIN AT THE HOUSE OF GOD

What did Paul say, “judgment must begin at the house of God.” “Judgment”… persecution is part of that judgment. Overcoming the flesh, this is all part of that judgment. Those fiery trials and so on. 

And what is part of the gospel? We are going to bless the whole world, all the nations. How are we going to do that? Christ doesn’t change, I change not, yesterday today and forever. How does He bring about perfection and maturity? “Judgment must begin at the house of God.” JUDGMENT.

How is the world going to be blessed? JUDGMENT. The world is not cursed to eternal damnation in some fires of hell, to be tortured aions unending. They are to be judged. We are to be judged into perfection. Can we see that? Why does the word judge mean something here and then over here it means else? Judgment must begin at the house of God.

1Peter 4:17  For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God?

What does that judgment do? It makes you obedient to the gospel. If you are not judged beginning at the house of God and you're not part of that judgment, what are you then? He says, well what will happen to them that obey not the gospel? Well those are not being judged now. But they will be and when they are, guess what?

Isa 26:9  …for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.

Yes they will. I don’t care if every Theological seminary on the face of the earth denies it, when God’s judgments are in the earth the inhabitants of the whole world WILL LEARN RIGHTEOUSNESS. God does not torture righteous people for all eternity. Most people have never heard the gospel. 

In Mark we get some of the earliest indications of what has to be done regarding this gospel. I could try to go through Acts and Romans, Corinthians and Ephesians, Colossians, I and II Timothy and James, Peter, John and Jude and show you all the things that Christ is going to do in and through you. There’s the judgments and the trials and all the things we are to learn. 

Hopefully if some of you could attended our Bible studies and you keep reading the material on Bible-Truths.com, you will learn how to think and act and accomplish these things that are taught. Get it out of your head that Matthew, Mark, Luke and John are the four gospels. The whole New Testament is the gospel. What, do you think Paul did not preach the gospel? He is just as much the gospel as Luke. John is just as much the gospel as Mark. It’s all the gospel. It’s good news. If it is good news… if it’s good, anything that you read in here it’s the gospel.


                         WORKS TO BE SEEN OF MEN

But I want to zero in on one thing though. Just this one requirement for entering the kingdom, just one. Of course if you qualify in one area perfectly, it would cover other areas. But I want to just cover one area, because it was specifically mentioned several times in connection with, either being in the kingdom or not being in the kingdom. Just one requirement.

Mar 1:15  …repent ye, and believe in the gospel.

Mat 5:20  …except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no wise enter into the kingdom of heaven.

Your righteousness must FAR exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees. But there is one giant sin that will keep you out. There is one thing that Jesus said about the Pharisees, something about them, the way they always were, they way they operated, the way they did and thought and so on, that He just berated. 

Matt 6:1  Take heed that ye do not your alms (your good deeds - works) before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward with your Father who is in heaven.
v. 2  Therefore when you do your alms, sound not a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have received their reward.

Do not do good to show off, do not do good to be seen of men, do not do good to have your flesh glorified - puffed up - pumped up. God says that you will have no reward, that is your reward.

Let me tell you honestly. I don’t want materialism. It’s not that I wouldn’t enjoy having it or I can’t appreciate it or any of those things. I do and I can and I probably would, but I don’t WANT it. Because I fear that it would interfere with my spiritual growth and I could even be turned away. Now I wouldn’t have said that twenty years ago, no. I would have said bring it on Lord. I don’t want it now, I don’t want it anymore, I don’t want it. I do want to wear nice clean clothes, but I don’t need to have a ton of them and they don’t need to be the Reitz Carlton, designer everything, it just doesn’t have to be.

So don’t do your deeds to be seen of men, because then you have your reward.

Now in Matt. 23 He makes a very profound statement, he mentions this over and over. But here He says something a little stronger yet.

Mat 23:1  Then spake Jesus to the multitudes and to his disciples,
v. 2  saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses seat:
v. 3  all things therefore whatsoever they bid you, these do and observe: but do not ye after their works; for they say, and do not.
v. 4  Yea, they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with their finger.
v. 5  But ALL their works (how many of their good deeds? ALL) they do to be seen of men, They make their phylacteries broad and enlarge the borders of their garments.
v. 6  They love the best places at feasts, the best seats in the synagogues,
v. 7  greetings in the marketplaces (to be seen of men),

All their works, I don’t think Christ was lying… ALL their works. Read chapter 3 and tell me that one of these people are going to be in the kingdom of God. Some of the works could be good works, it doesn’t matter. If you are doing it to be seen of men, if you are putting back the flesh that you was supposed to have cut off. If you are struggling to come back to the surface of that baptism in Jesus Christ and you say I’ve been down there long enough, I want to come up and dry off, I want some of this flesh back.

[Kat]

                               
                                       HUMBLE YOURSELF
                                   
I have read you what God has in store for us. A kingdom of priests, royal, kingly, holy, Godly nation, special precious people unto God. Judges, saviors, sons of God, lords, kings, you don’t get lifted any higher than that in the universe in all eternity ever. That the pinnacle, that’s it that’s the ultimate height.
Now notice what James says. 

James 4:10  Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.

You’ve got to be humble, it’s of paramount importance. But be careful how you judge people. You know I can raise my voice, I can even be a little sarcastic and some people think that is haughty. But they don’t know me and that’s alright. Sometimes when they go a little overboard on that, I copy and paste from my ‘Jesus Christ to the Pharisees.’ Where I just take out all the terms - hypocrites, lying two faced, blind guides, generation of snakes and I send it to them. I say do you think Christ is humble? “Well yea, He was.’ So you can lift your voice and call a spade a spade and still be humble? ‘Well He can, but you can’t.’ Oh okay, but I thought we were suppose to be like Him? Christ is the anointed and guess what? So are we, we are the anointed, Christ lives in us. We are the heavens of the Father's dwelling place.
 
A friend of mine wrote a book, about how to leave church without leaving God or something like that. He sent me the manuscript before it went to press. I said to him, you can’t say these things, I mean it had some really foul language. I said you can not use language like that, it won’t fly. I said to him, Paul said don’t let any filthy communication come out of your mouth (Eph. 4:29). Do you know what his response was to me? Well I’m not Paul and I don’t claim to be Paul. But what does the gospel of Paul say? Follow me as I follow Christ. We are suppose to be like Paul. That’s not humble to say, well I’m not Paul or I’m no Christ, as He is so are we in the world. Isn’t that what John said,

1John 4:17  …because as He is, so are we in this world.

Peter said He left us an example, that we walk and we follow in His footsteps.

1Peter 2:21  For hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, that ye should follow his steps:

I mean we don’t even walk beside or behind Him, but in the same steps.

Mat 23:5  But all their works they do to be seen by men.

James 4:10  Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.

Mat 18:2  And Jesus called a little child to Him and set him in their midst,
v. 3  and said, Truly I say to you, except you are converted and become as little children, you shall not enter into the kingdom of Heavens.
v. 4  Therefore whoever shall humble himself like this little child, this one is the greater in the kingdom of Heaven.

Humility, God loves humility. When you see how weak you are, then God can show how strong He is. But if you are the 99 that don’t need saving, you won’t be saved.
Christ said…

Mat 9:13  For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.

That's tongue and cheek. There are no righteous, just those that think they are righteous.
Jesus said…

Mat 11:28  Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
v. 29  Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am meek (Greek there is gentle and humble) and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

Jesus Christ was gentle and humble. Somebody just made the comment once to Him, they said “good master” and He said whoa whoa slow down.

Mat 19:17  So He said to him, "Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God.

Don’t call Me good. I mean if Jesus Christ says don’t even call Me good, that's humility. Because it isn’t that He didn’t know He did everything right and good, He just didn’t take credit for it. It was all of God. Come unto Me for I am gentle and meek and lowly and you shall receive rest unto your souls. Some people are in turmoil, they are in constant turmoil, they are not happy. Why? They are striving, they want to be happy, happiness it’s out there… it’s up there… it’s in the future, but they don’t have it. 

I was going to talk today about who wants to be happy. But this one was going to be too long, so I scratched it. It was going to be either the one on the destiny of women or who wants to be happy. Happy lost. 

Be humble, be teachable, read it, see it, believe it, do it. I don’t assume that everything I teach is automatically perfect. Certain things I know, I know when I’m on safe ground, I know. I mean I’ve been around the block a few times and I’ve repented before God. I understand spiritual principles, but I don’t claim to know it all. But when you live by the Word, then you understand the doctrine.


                         LAODICEAN - LUKEWARM - DECEIVED
 
Let me give you something powerful. Everybody has kind of a feeling, they say, ‘well nobody is perfect and I’m not perfect and therefore I’m okay, because nobody is perfect.’ This is the attitudes of Laodiceans, I’m lukewarm. What does God say about lukewarmness? "I will vomit you out of My mouth." 

There is either light or darkness with God. Jesus Christ says if you are not for Me, you are against Me. ‘Well wait there must be something in between, you can be pretty much, maybe not completely.’ No, you are either for Me or against Me. If you are lukewarm you are totally deceived.

Rev 3:14  "And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write, "These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God:
v. 15  "I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot.
v. 16  So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew you out of My mouth.
v. 17  Because you say, I am rich and increased with goods (‘oh I understand these truths, I know all this, I could teach it, I could write articles on this, I know these things, they are second nature to me’), and have need of nothing; and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked.

Wow, it doesn’t say you are a little deceived, I mean come on. Here is somebody that believes in God, these are members of the church of God, this is the seventh phase, Laodicea. “you say, I am rich and increased with goods and have need of nothing, and do not know…”  You don’t know you are totally deceived… “that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked.”

You are like the emperor that had no clothes on and when somebody says ‘you don’t have any clothes on.’ He get’s angry with you and says beat that servant. The truth of the matter is he doesn’t have any clothes on and you are just trying to save him some embarrassment. But he hates the servant and would whip the servant that would ever suggest such a thing.


                                      HIDDEN TREASURE

Rev 3:18  I counsel you to buy from Me gold tried in the fire…

Buy it, that is the hidden treasures. The “gold tried in the fire” is the hidden treasure. Buy it whatever it takes, sell everything you’ve got and buy it. That’s what you want, you want that gold tried in the fire. That’s what you want. You are either for Me or against Me.

Remember in verse 10 James said, “humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord.” Now back up in verse 6 notice what it says.

James 4:6  But He gives more grace. Therefore He says, God resists the proud, but He gives grace to the humble.

He resists the proud. If you start to go with these truths… I’m talking about when you left your first love and now you are coming back, if you don’t grow in these truths, God will resist you. 

If you don’t grow you are like the man that took his talent and wrapped it in a napkin and hid it, so it can’t grow. Guess what? You will lose the one talent you had. If you had some abilities and you are not growing, guess what? God will take them away, He will take them away and you will lose what you had. He will resist the proud. 

Psalms 119:165  Great peace have they who love Your law (and we know that God‘s Law is spiritual), and nothing (not anything) shall offend them.

If you are living by God’s Law, you can’t be offended. You will only pity the poor slob who tries to put you down. If you are not offended, truly not offended, you will be a king who will bring judgment to that person one day. Then they will learn to be humble like you. 

So God has great things in store for the few, the called, the chosen, the humble. The ones that are like little children, just wanting to do the will of their Father. 

Kings - lords - priests - a royal nation - a peculiar people - a special people to God. It’s all at hand, that how close it is, it’s at hand.