Page 103 - TH130 Kingdom of God A4 Final

Life in the Kingdom

kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you
as well” (Matthew 6:33).

To Act on the Teachings of the King
Our responsibility is not only to hear the words of Jesus; we must also
act on what He says. Jesus said, “Everyone who hears these words of
mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man.… But everyone who
hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a
foolish man” (Matthew 7:24, 26). Wisdom is not in hearing the words of
the King, but in putting them into practice.

To Do the Will of the Father
Those living for the kingdom of God do not seek their own will but the
will of God. Jesus said, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will
enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father
who is in heaven” (Matthew 7:21). It is not enough to simply go to church
and sing, “He is Lord!” with the rest of the worshipers. The person living
for the Kingdom must do the will of his Lord.

Categories of Responsibility in the Kingdom

Jesus said: “From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom
of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold
of it” (Matthew 11:12). From this verse, we can divide our kingdom
responsibilities into two categories: those involving laying hold of the
Kingdom and those involving advancing the Kingdom, as follows:

Laying Hold of the Kingdom

Jesus said that forceful people are “laying hold” of the kingdom
of God. This phrase speaks of one’s personal experience in the King-
dom. Kingdom blessings are not
passively received; they must
be aggressively pursued. Each
believer is individually responsible Kingdom blessings
for appropriating the blessings of are not passively
the Kingdom for himself or herself.
Jesus taught that we must seek the received; they must be
kingdom of God (Matthew 6:33). aggressively pursued.
The Greek word here translated
“seek” was again used by Jesus

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