Kingdom Citizenship TEXT : Phil.3:18-21; Eph.2:1-5,19; Jn.1:1-3, 12-15; 12:31; 16:11; 17:14–19; Rev.21:27; Col.1:12-13; 3:15-17; 1 Pet...
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| Kingdom Citizenship |
TEXT: Phil.3:18-21; Eph.2:1-5,19; Jn.1:1-3, 12-15; 12:31; 16:11; 17:14–19; Rev.21:27; Col.1:12-13; 3:15-17; 1 Peter 2:9-11; 2 Cor 4:4; Rom 6:16; 14:17; Gen 3:1; 1 Jn 2:16;5:19; Mt 3:2; 7:21.
Introduction:
In the first lesson, we have discussed the kingdom idea, concept and agenda. God’s overall idea is focussed on extending the kingdom of heaven to the earth, we as his children and citizens of heaven giving the responsibilities to culture the entire world with the heavenly culture and ideologies. In this lesson, by the grace of God, we will focus on the Kingdom Citizenship. Not only does the new birth make us citizens of Heaven, but our citizenship begins immediately. We are kingdom citizens right now. Our citizenship is a present reality. We are fellow citizens with God's people "Our citizenship is in Heaven". God "has brought us into the kingdom of the Son". Kingdom is the reason Jesus died, Kingdom is the focus of the church ministry, kingdom is our assignment in life as children of God.
WHY STUDY THE CONCEPT OF KINGDOM.
God created everyone for the express purpose of revealing his nature on the earth. The essence of colonisation is to make the foreign country just like the head nation.
Studying the concept of kingdoms is important for a couple of reasons.
1. God’s number-one priority for mankind is that we discover, understand, and enter the Kingdom of Heaven. A kingdom is the governing influence of a king over his territory, impacting it with his personal will, purpose and intent, producing a culture, values, morals, and lifestyle that reflect the king’s desires and nature for his citizens.
2. The mandate of the Creator for mankind was rulership and dominion.
3. Man has kingdom consciousness in him because it is God’s plan and idea
4. God established only two priorities for mankind: the Kingdom of God and the righteousness of God.
5. Ignorance of the kingdom concept makes it difficult to understand fully the message of the Bible.
6. Another critical reason to study and restore this concept of kingdom is because the Bible is not about a religion or an organization but a King and His Kingdom. Therefore, in order to correctly understand, interpret, and apply the Scriptures, knowledge of kingdoms is necessary.
7. God ordained mankind as his governmental representative of heaven on earth. ….
8. The moment of salvation, you become a citizen of heaven representing God to influence the culture of the earth for God. Eph.2:19;6:19-20. 2 Cor.5:17-18.. gave us the ministry of reconciliation….reconnect us to heaven ..go tell everybody to be reconnected…by every word that comes from the governor’s mouth…we live by the word of God….The good news is that the Kingdom has been restored back to earh.
9. God has giving us as His ambassadors the ministry of reconciliation. That isreconnecting man’s broken relationship with King.
10. As Ambassadors we must understand the culture, keys, principles, rules, laws, and other requirements of the King of the Kingdom. We must also understand our roles, responsibilities, rights and privileges.
THE KINGDOM PRIORITY
The kingdom was at the heart of the ministry Jesus and the apostles. John the Baptist Preached the Message of the Kingdom (Mt 3:1,2). Jesus Preached the Message of the Kingdom (Mt 4:17; 23-24). His mighty works were intended to prove that the Kingdom of God had come upon them (Matt. 12: 28). His parables illustrated to His disciples the truth about the Kingdom of God (Matt. 13:11). And when He taught His followers to pray, at the heart of their petition were the words, "Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven" (Matt. 6:10). On the eve of His death, He assured His disciples that He would yet share with them the happiness and the fellowship of the Kingdom (Luke 22:22-30).
Jesus called Men to preach the kingdom (Lk 9:60) and He Predicted the Continued Preaching of 'This Gospel of the Kingdom' until His Second Coming (Mt 24:14). Not only do we have Jesus and Paul as examples in this matter of preaching the Kingdom. We have the assurance from Jesus' own lips that this message of the kingdom should be preached ‘as a witness' to all the world. This is the main task we as the body of Christ have. And He promised that He would appear again. on the earth in glory to bring the blessedness of the Kingdom to those for whom it was prepared (Matt. 25:31, 34).
CITIZENS OF GOD’S KINGDOM AND SOJOURNERS ON THE EARTH – Tit.3:1-8;
Jn.17:15-18; Ephesians 2:19; Philippians 3:20; Colossians 1:12-13
WHO IS A CITIZEN? Person who is entitled to enjoy all the legal rights and privileges granted by a state to the people comprising its constituency, and is obligated to obey its laws and to fulfill his or duties as called upon. (Ephesians 2:19-22.)
A citizen is "one owing allegiance to and entitled to protection from a government." Christians are citizens of two realms--the earthy and the spiritual--and we have rights and responsibilities in both spheres . Christians live in two spheres and the tremendous contrast between those two spheres often poses a very difficult challenge. On the one hand, Christians are citizens of a heavenly kingdom with Christ as their Lord. On the other hand, they are called of Christ to represent Him in the midst of an age that is passing away and in a world system that is opposed to the plan and purposes of God.
They live in the world, but they are not of the world (John 15:19; 17:14, 19). As those who live in this world, they are to live as aliens and sojourners and as ambassadors for the Saviour without being contaminated by the age and the world system whose god is the devil himself (Rom. 12:1-2; 1 Pet. 1:17f; 2:11-12; 2 Cor. 5:20).
GAINING KINGDOM CITIZENSHIP – Jn.3:1-21; 2 Cor.15:1-5; Rom.10:9-10 – THE NEW BIRTH
The essentials of the New Birth for heavenly citizenship – John 3:3 Jesus answered him,
“I assure you and most solemnly say to you, unless a person is born again [reborn from
above—spiritually transformed, renewed, sanctified], he cannot [ever] see and experience
the kingdom of God.”
New Birth Clarifications – John 3:5 5 Jesus answered, “I assure you and most solemnly say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot [ever] enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh [the physical is merely physical], and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
Identity, nature, and citizenship acquired at the new birth
New Birth is essential • We must be born as a child of God • John 3:3-7
1. Acknowledge our sin, Lost state, and the offering made for man – the truth of the Gospel. I Cor.15:3-4 - I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me. Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. 4 He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said.
2. Believe in your heart the sacrificial offering
3. Confess with your mouth
Romans 10:9-10 New Living Translation (NLT) - 9 If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved.
4. Growth as evidence of life and required to enjoy full benefits of citizenship Gal.4:1 - 7
SALVATION EXPOSITION FROM Ephesians 2:1–10
In the New Testament, there is no better place to turn than Ephesians 2:1–10 to understand the meaning of salvation. It presents an overview of salvation that describes our past, present, and future condition.
The Reason for Salvation:
Our Past Condition (2:1–3): There are five aspects of our past condition that made it necessary for Jesus to rescue us from our sins. We Were Dead (2:1); Deceived (2:2); Disobedient (2:2); Defiled (2:3); and ultimately Doomed (2:3).
Our Present Condition (2:4–6, 8–9): BUT GOD … Throughout the Bible, God is the One who makes the difference. He is the One who steps in, extends grace, and saves sinners from the path of destruction. When Paul begins verse 4 with “But God,” we know the remedy for man’s condition is about to be presented.
The Remedy of Salvation: There are five elements in the formula by which God reached down to save mankind. Rich Mercy (2:4); Great Love (2:4); Rich Grace (2:5–8); Free Gift (2:8–9); and Through Faith (2:8)
The Result of Salvation: Eph.2:7,10
There are five elements in the formula by which God reached down to save mankind. Rich Mercy (2:4) - We are spiritual criminals—sinners—desperately in need of God’s mercy. Mercy forgives wrongdoing and forbears punishment. God is rich in mercy—He
withholds the wrath and eternal death that we deserve. Not one of us would be able to be saved without His forgiveness. It is only because He transferred our punishment to His Son, Jesus Christ, that we can be saved.
Great Love (2:4) - Why would God lavish His mercy on us? It is not because we have done anything to deserve such kindness. It is because of the “great love with which He loved us.” According to Romans 5:8, “God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (emphasis added). And 1 John 4:9–10 says God’s love was manifested through Christ. God’s great love, directed toward individual sinners, is the reason we can be saved.
Rich Grace (2:5–8) - God’s grace is what saves us. While mercy withholds the punishment we deserve, God’s grace extends blessings that we haven’t earned. God spared us from the penalty we deserved, and then He lavished His grace upon us. Grace is nothing less than God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. Paul was painfully aware of his own sinfulness, having persecuted the Church of Jesus Christ before his conversion. Even though he was
“formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man,” he obtained “exceedingly abundant” grace from God (1 Timothy 1:13–14). The same gift of grace is available to every person, no matter what they’ve done, if they trust Jesus Christ as the Lord and Savior of their life.
Free Gift (2:8–9): The fourth element of God’s formula for salvation is its cost. Jesus paid the price for us, enabling us to receive it for free. Salvation is “the gift of God”; it cannot be earned or bought. The only way to become a Christian is to accept the gift of salvation God offers by His grace.
Through Faith (2:8): finally, the last part of the formula is faith. That’s how we receive God’s free gift, “lest anyone should boast.” God offers us salvation through faith alone.
The Result of Salvation:
Our Future Condition (2:7, 10): We can think of the results of salvation from two perspectives: results for God and results for mankind.
1. For God (2:7): God’s purpose in salvation is to demonstrate “the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.” Every Christian saved by grace will be a trophy of that grace for all eternity in heaven. God will receive the glory of His own grace as a result of our salvation. Because of salvation, God will spend eternity with His redeemed children.
For Mankind (2:10): The result for mankind is the opportunity to perform “good works, which God prepared beforehand” for us. We are not saved by good works, but we are most definitely saved for good works. The New Testament is filled with verses that describe the Christian’s responsibility to perform good works (John 15:8; 2 Corinthians 9:8; 2 Timothy 3:16–17; Titus 2:14; James 2:20). It’s essential to understand the sequence of salvation first, then works. Our good deeds demonstrate our faith and give our life meaning, but they do not save us from the penalty of sin. Christians are God’s masterpieces, fashioned by Him to represent Him on this earth and in heaven for eternity. God has done all the work necessary to save us in order that we might become prepared and equipped to do works that glorify Him. How well does your life reflect His workmanship?
Would You Like to Claim God’s Gift? If you have wondered how to become a Christian, it is as simple as receiving a gift. Your part is to reach out and accept it. Tell God you would like to accept His gift by praying a simple prayer
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