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In Jesus name we pray.
Yeah, please if you are here, you are in a good place.
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It's very important.
I want to you know and then nobody is there and then you're just speaking to yourself.
You know so just do as a favor.
Whenever we're here and then you're in a conducive environment, it is much more helpful for the person speaking and for all of us to see you, to see faces
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You know it's part of communication and it's very essential.
So I greatly appreciate that. I greatly appreciate it. Amen.
So this year we have been considering the topic manifesting the kingdom of God.
I really want to appreciate the pastors for their labor of love, for their investment, the priest's single mind, the hours, the minutes, the sacrifices.
That they put in place to ensure that we are properly fit in the Word of God.
And it is my prayer. It is also our prayer as a pastor to see that we keep growing.
You know in the knowledge of God that we keep growing and we keep increasing your knowledge of God.
So we've been considering the theme manifesting the kingdom of God and our text, our text has been Luke, a key text.
We have two texts that have helped us in giving a direction.
Luke chapter 17. Come with me to Luke chapter 17.
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Luke chapter 17. Luke chapter 17 from verse 20. Luke 17 from verse 20.
Being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom, I'm reading from the ESV, being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God will come.
He answered them, the kingdom of God is not coming in ways that can be observed.
Nor will they say, look here it is, or there, for the kingdom, behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.
The kingdom of God is within you in some translations.
And we also have a different edition Matthew chapter 12. Matthew chapter 12 verse 28.
Matthew chapter 12 verse 28. Matthew chapter 12 verse 28.
I read, and if Satan cast out Satan, I'm reading from verse 26.
Or I'm reading from verse 25. Knowing their thoughts, he said to them, every kingdom divided against itself,
every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand.
And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand?
Verse 27. And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out?
Therefore, they will be your judges. Verse 28. Which is the verse we focus on.
He says, but if it is by the Spirit of God, cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.
And by the grace of God today, I will just be giving us a charge on manifesting the kingdom of God.
Just a charge to charge us up, to stir us up.
And we have been in our different teachings that we've had in the previous week so far.
We are in February right now. We've established in our previous teachings what the kingdom of God is.
If you've been attending the ceremony, there's a lot of teachings that have been coming to us concerning what the kingdom is.
And as a reminder, for us to remember or to be reminded, it's very important that we keep reminding ourselves of the basics.
Because the basics is necessary for us to move forward.
We said the word kingdom is from the Greek word Basilia, which refers to dominion or rulership.
And we said that the kingdom of God is not something that is physical.
I believe these are some things that we've been emphasizing.
Emphasis is very, very essential.
Virtually every pastor that I've come to teach from January to now, I remember they must have said this in one way or the other, trying to emphasize these facts.
And when something is repeated, it's simply because it's very important.
As Paul would say in Philippians 3, Philippians 3 verse 1, briefly, let's just look at Philippians 3 verse 1 about the essence of empathy.
Philippians of the three was one Paul was writing to the Philippines and he's making a reference to, you know, them.
Him writing to them again and again.
And.
All right, let me read from the amplified.
It says, for the rest, my brethren, delight yourself in the Lord and continue to rejoice that you are in him to keep writing to you over and over of the same things is not axon to me.
That is, it's not a trouble to me to keep on writing the same thing to you.
And it is a precaution for your safety.
So oftentimes when there is an empathy of something, you know, it's not because we don't have many things to say.
We don't have new revelation to see.
But the reason is safety.
Emphasis is essential for us to grab really, you know, the idea of the kingdom of God.
So for us to keep repeating the same thing, for us to keep on teaching the same thing, emphasizing the same thing, it is our desire that we will have a better foundation, a better knowledge and understanding of what the kingdom of God is.
So we said previously, the kingdom of God, the word kingdom is from the Greek word, Pasifika, I think the second week in January, he gave us a word, Basilia, which refers to dominion or rulership.
And we also said that the kingdom of God is not a physical kingdom, which means that it is not a location that is physical.
And we can see in chapter 17, you know, he made that emphasis very, very clear.
Look, chapter 17 that we read previously that the kingdom of God is not, you know, what people will say it is, it is there or it is not in the visible what people will see with their physical eyes.
It is not what people can point to with their physical eyes and say it is there.
Look here or look there, you know.
But the kingdom of God is indeed a spiritual reality.
We can see also in Acts chapter 1 verse 6 where the apostles also when he was addressing them, Acts chapter 1 verse 6, he asked him a question.
He said when they had come together, they asked him, Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel, which means that these men upon all that Jesus has discussed, he has taught them after the resurrection upon all, you know, the teachings that he has done and all the things that he has exposed them to.
They were still having this expectation of a physical kingdom.
You know, they were still having this expectation of something that is that is in the natural.
They were still expecting something in the natural, you know.
So he said to them, it is not for you to know times nor seasons that the father has fixed by his own authority, you know, but you receive power, verse 8.
When the Holy Spirit has come upon you and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and all Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth.
So we see Jesus here shifting their attention from what they were perceiving to be a natural phenomena.
Something that involves, you know, physical or human kingdom.
Of course, they may have an idea from their experiences in the civilization that they were looking at the oppression they were facing under the Roman Empire.
So they may have been looking forward to a kingdom, you know, that will, you know, give them independence from the Roman, you know, colonial government.
But we see here Jesus Christ shifting their attention away from what is earthly to what is spiritual.
So we see him directing them on what or where the kingdom is, not something that they see with their physical eyes, not something that they know the physical location where they can go to.
You know, so this kingdom of God is a spiritual reality and being a spiritual reality, the accession of this kingdom.
We also saw that it is in the demonstration and the workings of the spirit of God. How we can access this kingdom, right, is through the spirit of God.
And this we can see Jesus's conversion with John, with Nicodemus in John chapter three.
You know, when Nicodemus came to him and was was asking a very, very important question.
Let's turn to John chapter three. John chapter three. Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.
This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no man can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.
So by virtue of the activities that we see that they see, Jesus manifested, probably he might have seen Jesus Christ having power over demons.
Probably made of seeing Jesus Christ having authority over debt. Probably made of seeing Jesus having authority over sicknesses.
Probably mercy. Jesus Christ performing miracles, signs and wonders and exerting authority, exerting dominion, exerting rulership over the power of Satan.
And he had come to conclusion because he says we. You see, said this man came to Jesus Christ by night and said to him, Rabbi, we know that this not only him, you know,
there's a possibility that in his carcass, they might have discussed Jesus and they might have come to this conclusion that, ah, this man really is a man that is not earthly.
This man is a man that has something that has not been seen before. This man must be a teacher come from God for no one can do these signs.
So the signs that Jesus was performing, the activities that they see manifested through the life of Jesus Christ was actually the demonstration of the dominion, the rulership of the kingdom of God.
So Nicodemus acknowledged this reality for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.
In verse three, Jesus answered to him, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
So Jesus Christ brings him to a reality. How this kingdom, this experience is you've seen how you know you can be a partaker of this is when you are born again, when you are born from above,
when there's a regeneration that happens to you as a man, you must be born from that source before you can have access to the things that you see me manifest.
Truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. But Nicodemus has a misconception or he has a misunderstanding.
He asked in verse four, how can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?
You see, not only that the apostles, the disciples of where Jesus Christ had a misconception about the kingdom,
but even the ruler of a Jew, a teacher, a Pharisee, who is a scholar, who has read the Old Testament, probably memorized the entire, you know, Old Testament scriptures,
because I believe this is what makes you a Pharisee. You must be an expert in the law, especially the law of Moses in the old books from Genesis to Malachi.
But yet he had no understanding, you know, of the kingdom, which means that you can have a knowledge of the scriptures, right?
And if you don't put your faith in Jesus Christ, you know, you cannot have access, you know, into the kingdom of heaven.
So Nicodemus said to him, how can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born again?
Be born, Jesus answered in verse five, truly, truly I say to you, unless one is born of water, which is a spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.
That which is born of the flesh is flesh. So Jesus here is distinguishing what is natural from what is spiritual.
Unless the man is born of water, which is the fairing to the spirit, unless there is a regeneration that happens in the man, which is a spiritual activity,
this man cannot have access to the spiritual realities because this kingdom is a spiritual reality.
So for a man to come into this experience, for a man to come into this reality of the kingdom, there must be a spiritual activity that happens in his life,
which means that he must be born again, he must be born from that realm.
For what that which is born of the flesh is flesh and that which is born of the spirit, spirit, do not be marveled.
I said to you, you must be born again. You must be born again.
The wind blows where it wishes and you hear it sounds, but you do not know where it comes or where it goes.
So it is everyone who is born of the spirit, Nicodemus said to him, how can these things be?
Jesus answered him. Jesus answered him. Are you the teacher of Israel and yet do not understand these things?
Are you yet a teacher and do not understand these things?
Truly, truly I say to you, we speak of what we know and bear witness to what to what we have seen.
But you do not receive our testimony.
If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things?
No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the son of man.
And as Moses lift up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the son of man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.
And on and on we see just further on going to chapter 16 to say for God so loved the world that he gave his only son,
that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have this eternal life.
This eternal life refers to the kingdom of God, refers to, you know, having this experience of the kingdom.
So Jesus now explained to him how he can access this life, this rebirth, this new birth.
And it's only through what believing in Jesus Christ.
We see him make a reference to Moses as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness.
I believe that Nicodemus here must be familiar with the story of Moses.
He must be an expert in what Moses has done.
He must have taught what Moses, the significance of what Moses did.
And Jesus Christ is referencing this to him, that through Jesus Christ, through him, through him who God has sent into the world,
this life, this kingdom can be accessed. This kingdom can be accessed.
So it is essential that we establish this clearly that this kingdom of God is a spiritual reality.
And we'll keep on emphasizing that the access to this kingdom is not by five steps.
It's not by principles from, you know, secular books.
But it's through the faith in Christ Jesus. It's through faith in Christ Jesus that we access this kingdom.
And we also establish that every believer, all right, every believer has access to this kingdom.
Every believer has received this kingdom. Every believer is in this kingdom.
Everyone who has put his trust in Jesus Christ is a beneficiary of all the resources that is in this kingdom.
So all of us are candidates and citizens of the kingdom of God.
The believer is not looking forward to the kingdom of God, but he has already access and is in the kingdom of God.
Colossians 1 verse 3 was one of the texts we saw that emphasizes this truth to us. Colossians 1 verse 13.
Colossians 1 verse 13.
He says he has delivered us from the domain of darkness.
The domain of darkness, referring to the dominion of darkness. He has delivered us from the kingdom of darkness.
He has delivered us from the the the rulership of darkness.
And then he transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved son.
So this is what has happened in the believer. It's not what will happen.
But the believer has been delivered from the domain of darkness and has been transferred to the kingdom of his beloved son.
So this verse establish this fact that we are what are, you know, are in the kingdom.
We already have the kingdom.
Philippians 3 verse 20 also emphasizes this reality that we have.
Philippians 3 verse 20 says, but we are citizens.
We are citizens of the state. I'm reading from the Amplified. Of the state that is the Commonwealth, the homeland, which is heaven.
You and I that have believed our word are citizens of heaven.
We ask of heaven now and from it also we earnestly and patiently await the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Messiah, our Savior.
So we are what we are citizens. And in this kingdom, there is a Commonwealth.
There is a Commonwealth in the in the in the in the cell units.
You know, we've been teaching about the realities that are in heaven.
We also teach this coming Friday, we see that there are realities in the in heaven, you know, and all the riches of heaven are ours because we are citizens of this kingdom.
We read Ephesians chapter one, we see all the realities that is ours, that is immaterial, that is ours.
Because we are citizens of the kingdom, we belong to the kingdom.
So we are expected to do what to enjoy the privileges to manifest, you know, the kingdom.
So it's not only for us to enjoy, but it's for us to take responsibility to also manifest the kingdom.
So the charge for us today is on the important thing that we must do in order to manifest the kingdom.
The essence of the charge today is for us to realize how we can manifest the kingdom, what is necessary, what kind of mindset do we have to possess in order for us to what to manifest the kingdom is not just OK for us to say, OK, we have the kingdom.
Then what is not see being a believer, right?
It's not enough. Don't get me out of context. Just being in the kingdom does not mean that automatically you manifest the kingdom.
There must be a deliberateness from us and we're going to see it in a short time.
It doesn't matter, you know, your status, whether you are a leader in a cell unit, whether you are a pastor in any safe.
It doesn't matter your calling doesn't matter the kind of exploits that you've done before or you're looking for to do.
It doesn't matter, you know, the passion and the desire you have.
Or your gift is it doesn't matter how long you've been in the faith because some people, you know, some of us, we we equate been in the faith for a long time, you know, to actually growth.
Now, without the requisite attitude, we're focusing on the kind of attitude we need without the requisite attitude.
It becomes impossible for you. It becomes impossible for me to manifest the kingdom of God here on Earth effectively.
It becomes impossible for us. It becomes impossible for us believers.
So if we must manifest the kingdom of God as God is expecting us, it's not just OK for us to just say, OK, we are citizens of the kingdom.
You know, we'll keep on, you know, saying this as a cliche.
Oh, we are members of the kingdom of God. We are part of the family of God.
We are in the we are part of the or care of God.
We are part of the family of God. We are part of, you know, the the the commonwealth of God.
We are we are in union as far as Emmanuel would start us about our union, you know, with God.
It's not just enough for us to have this knowledge, but we must possess the right attitude because this knowledge can only can only be manifested through an attitude.
Manifesting the kingdom is not just about words.
It's not about what the Bible says. The kingdom of God is not only in what first Corinthians for 20 said that first Corinthians, the four was 20.
When Paul was making, you know, an explanation of of the ministry of the apostles, and then he was trying to speak about those who are doing some things that is not is not in a right.
You know, let me read to give his contest from verse 14.
Then we'll read down to 20 says, I do not write these things to make you ashamed, but to admonish you as my beloved children, for though you have countless rights,
you do not have many fathers, for I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel.
You can imitate us of me. That is why I sent you Timothy, my beloved and faithful child in the Lord, to my ways in Christ as I teach them every way in every church.
Some are some are arrogant. Yeah.
Some are arrogant. And, you know, it's quite unfortunate that in the house of God,
there are people that are arrogant. You know, this is not the kind of attitude that is necessary in manifesting the kingdom.
Arrogance is not one of the attitudes in manifesting the kingdom.
Vasity says some are arrogant, as though I were not coming to you, but I will come to you soon, if the Lord wills, and I will find out.
I'll find and we'll find out not the talk of these arrogant people, but their power.
Because you see, this kingdom is not in words. It's not in, oh, you know, I'm the I'm the cell leader.
I'm the I'm the pastor of this church. You know, I'm the leader of this team.
I'm the do you know how long I've been the faith? You know, it's not it's not it's not just about talk, but it's about the life that is manifested.
It says for the kingdom of God, verse 20 does not consist in talk, but in power.
The kingdom of God is in a powered Christian life. This power referring to the power that is exerted from a Christian life.
The kingdom of God does not consist just in talk. Talk is cheap, as we always say.
Talk is cheap, but we want to see the manifestation is in power.
And the power begins from a life that has been affected by this kingdom.
We must see our life are aligning with the reality of who and where we say we belong to.
Romans of the four verse 17. Romans of the four verse 17.
The kingdom of God is not just about talk or is not in words, but is in demonstration of the spirit is in the activity is an activity is demonstrated
in manifested through activities, not just in words. Romans chapter.
Chapter four, verse 17. Am I seeing the right place?
I think I got this scripture wrongly. OK, so we see here is not just in in in talk, but is in what is an in power.
So if we must manifest the kingdom, right, we must not just stop in talk.
It's chapter 14 rather than chapter four. Chapter 14, verse 17.
It says for the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking.
It's not just in canal things, right? It's not just in physical activities, just some things.
It says but of righteousness. Righteousness has to do with, you know, living right.
And peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. And joy in the Holy Spirit.
And join the Holy Spirit. So let's see how the Bible describes the kingdom of God for us to have the attitude that is requisite for demonstrating the kingdom of God.
Let's look at what the Bible, you know, how the Bible when Jesus Christ was teaching, how did he describe, you know, the kingdom?
First of all, let's go to Matthew, some of the parables, especially Matthew 13.
Matthew 13, verse 44. Matthew 13.
Let me read from verse 44 to 46. This is Jesus, you know, teaching.
He says the kingdom of heaven. You know, Matthew always will say the kingdom of heaven.
We've told you before, I will teach you in the cell, you know, the difference between the kingdom of heaven and the kingdom of God.
Or if there's a difference, the kingdom of heaven is like a treasure.
In a field, hidden in a field, when a man found it, he hid it again and then in joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.
Let me read it again. It says the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field.
When a man found it, he hid it again and then in his joy.
What does it do? We saw earlier on Romans chapter 14, verse 17.
What comprises a kingdom is joy, is righteousness, is joy in the Holy Ghost.
His power demonstrating, you know, that is what describes a kingdom.
And we see here in the parable, he says, and then in his joy, he went and sold all the things.
He went and sold all that he had and bought that field.
So in this parable here, Jesus likens the kingdom of heaven to a treasure.
Something precious, something valuable, something that is of great value.
And this thing that is of great value is hidden.
So you see a man finding this treasure, you know, and then he hid it again.
He hid the treasure, which means that he values it, which means that he placed a high value to what he found.
He has found a treasure. He placed a great value on it.
He is full of joy. He sold all that he had, not some things that he had, not some few things.
But he sold out everything that he has, all his possession, not some of his possession.
And he bought the entire land that has this treasure.
This is the worth and the value he places on this treasure that he has found.
He was willing to let go of everything that he has accumulated throughout his life.
Probably, you know, he owned businesses.
Probably he owned degrees. Probably he has established himself in many, many industries.
Probably he has built a very big ministry.
He came across something of great pleasure, of great value, and he is willing to let go of everything that he had.
He was able to trade, which means that he placed this treasure more than whatever that he has accumulated in his life.
If you don't place maximum value on that which God in Christ has achieved for you, you can't enjoy.
Listen to this. You can't enjoy. Talk more of manifesting the kingdom.
There must be a great degree of value. You must be able, you must trust God to see.
Because oftentimes, as does as the disciples and the apostles, we often easily correlate with what is physical and what is spiritual.
So we must trust God, right? We must trust God that our eyes is open to the value of what Christ, you know, in this in 1 Peter,
he is writing about the preciousness, the preciousness of the blood, the life of Christ, the life that he has given us.
So if we cannot see value in the Kingdom of God, if we cannot see value in the Kingdom of God,
if we cannot place value in the Kingdom of God, if you and I cannot prioritize the Kingdom that we have,
if you and I cannot prioritize the dominion, if you and I cannot prioritize the...
...the kingdom that God has given us in Christ,
The citizenship that we have, then we cannot even enjoy it.
Because we will have something, listen, we have something as valuable as this, but we
are busy crying and hungry and dying, you know, and pursuing things that are not of
value.
A man that realizes what Christ has done, and he plays the utmost value in what Christ
has done.
He understands the value of what Christ has done.
That is the beginning of him living a fulfilled life.
That is the beginning of that man living a life full of joy.
You must place maximum value.
This comes by revelation.
You must see the greatness, the preciousness of what Christ has done for us.
Verse 45, verse 45 of Matthew 13.
Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls.
Similarly, when he found one of great value, he went away, he sold everything.
You see, similar to the man that found, you know, the hidden treasure.
He sold everything he had bought.
He sold everything he had accumulated.
And what did he do?
And bought that fine pearls.
So we see again, the kingdom is described in the activity of the merchant.
In the activity of the merchant looking for fine pearls, something of great value for
him.
So the same attitude we see in the merchant, he traded everything he had for this one important
thing of great value.
So my brother, those things.
Thank you.
And those things that we are holding so dear to our hearts, as limiting us from seeing
the preciousness of what Christ has given us.
I mean, we have to search our own hearts and see what are those things?
What will you, what should you take the way to hold fast to the kingdom that you have
received?
What are you holding to?
Which value do you, you know, put in comparison to the kingdom of God?
What is that thing that you are valuing?
They are putting on the same equal, in equal standard or in equal status to the kingdom
that you have received.
What are you placing in equal value to what God in Christ has given to you?
You know.
Some of us, if we get what we are looking for, we will forget about our realities in
Christ.
In other words, what we are saying is, what are you prioritizing?
What are you prioritizing?
What is your priority in life generally?
The kingdom or other things you hold so dear to you.
What are the things that you're holding as important to you?
What are those things that you are raising the value equal to the realities that are
spiritual that you've received in Christ Jesus?
We will see, you know, sometimes, you know, these things are legitimate things.
It could be that the affairs of this world have taken away, you know, taken us away from
the most important, the most important thing.
Sometimes these things seem so legitimate.
Matthew chapter 6 verse 25, we'll see Jesus Christ speaking about anxiousness because
sometimes the things that seems to take us away from our focus is realities of life.
Verse 25, Matthew 6, 25 says, Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life.
What you will eat or what you will drink, know about your body, what you put on is not
life more than food and the body more than clothing.
This is talking about things that are physical.
And these essentially are legitimate needs.
These are not necessarily, you know, illegitimate things.
Verse 26, it says, Look at the birds of the air, they need not so nor rear their back
into birth, and yet your heavenly Father feel not of more value than they.
And which of you be in a single of his?
Why?
I am really how they grow.
They need a toil.
Verse 27, and which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?
And why are you anxious about clothing?
Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow.
They need a toil nor spin.
Yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown
into the oven, will he not know much more of little faith?
Therefore now, not be anxious, saying, what shall we drink or what shall we wear?
For the Gentiles seek after all these things and your heavenly Father knows that you need
them all.
And for some of us, our concerns, right, especially for us young people, our concern is about
our life.
Oh, my life, oh, my career, oh, my, my, my business.
Oh, you know, I need to, I need to make a meaning in life.
All these things are good things, but these are the same thing that the Gentiles, those
who are not in the kingdom are concerned about.
And the Bible says that God knows that we are in need of these things.
He knows that these things are our needs.
For the Gentiles seek after all these things, all these physical things, the Gentiles seek
after them and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.
What is he saying in verse 33, but seek first the kingdom of God, seeking first the kingdom,
putting the kingdom of God at the topmost of our priority and his righteousness.
And all these things will be added to you.
Therefore, do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself, sufficient
for the day.
It is untroubled.
So right now, what really is holding you to, you know, really, really prioritizing the
things which we have in Christ, those who are fit, who are fit for the for manifesting
the kingdom are men who have one focus in life.
If you and I must truly manifest effectively the kingdom of God here on earth, you must
be men and women of one focus.
We must be men and women of one priority.
And that priority must be the kingdom.
If our priority is our career, if our priority is placed on our job, if our priority is placed
on even ministry itself, then it becomes impossible for us to truly manifest the kingdom.
Because those who are fit for the kingdom are men and women who have one focus.
Luke chapter 9 verse 57, Luke chapter 9 verse 57, Luke 9.57.
We'll see where Jesus is speaking.
Luke chapter 9 verse 57, I'm reading from the Amplified.
Luke 9 verse 57.
Yes.
And it occurred that they were going along the road.
A man said to him, Lord, I will follow you wherever you go.
And some of us when we became born again, oh, this has been our song.
I will go with Jesus anyway.
No matter the roughness of the road, no matter the dangers we face, no matter the temptation.
You know, Peter was one of these, you know, I was teaching us on Sunday and I was seeing
the arrogance and the ruthlessness of Peter.
So that if everybody will betray you, if everybody will forsake you, I will not forsake you because
he was trusting in himself.
And immediately, you know, he faced temptation, he faced trials.
He was, he was willing to, you know, not only deny Jesus Christ, but invoke courses on himself.
Denying in totality that he has never seen or even heard of Jesus Christ.
And we see here, Jesus, you know, in verse 57, as they were going along.
And in the court that as they were going along the road, a man said to him, Lord, I will
follow you wherever you go.
And Jesus told him, foxes have locking holes and the birds of the air have roots nest,
but the son of man has no place to lay his head.
Jesus did not come to the world to accumulate houses because oftentimes the kingdom is wrongly
interpreted to acquiring, you know, financial, you know, wealth, houses, estate on earth.
Oh, you know, this man is enjoying the kingdom.
No, no, that's not the manifestation of the kingdom because Jesus Christ never had, never
had a house.
He said he does not have a house to lay his head.
And verse 59, and he said to another, become my disciple, side with my party and accompany
me.
And he replied, Lord, permit me first to go and bury, I'll wait the death of my father.
See, sometimes we see, we used to think that this man is saying, let me go home, right?
Maybe his father have died.
Okay.
So he will now go home and then do the better.
He's not a defied.
I've died.
He wants to go and wait for his father to grow old and died.
Let him enjoy, you know, his father's, uh, is his father first.
Let him go and enjoy his family first.
Then he can now come and follow Jesus because he knows that in following Jesus, he has to
depart his comfort.
He has to depart the comfort of his family.
So as to follow Jesus Christ, he has to depart, you know, the luxury of being in his comfort.
But Jesus replied, the man replied rather, permit me first to go and bury.
I'll wait the death of my father.
But 60, but Jesus said to him, allow the debt, bury your own debt.
But as for you go and publish abroad throughout all regions, the kingdom of God, as for you
go and preach about the kingdom.
So if you're attached even to family, see you're not fit to manifest.
If you're attached to your comfort, you're not fit to manifest.
If you're attached to anything that you find comfort for, then you are not fit to manifest.
Verse 61.
And also he said, he said, I will, another said, I will follow you Lord and become your
disciple and say it with your, and sign with your party.
But let me first say goodbye to those at my home.
Look at what Jesus replied in verse 62 consistently.
Verses, so Jesus said to him, no one who puts his hand to the plow looks back.
Now in bracket, the amplified in bracket explains something that is very, very important.
He says to the things behind, Jesus said to him, no one who puts his hand to the plow
and looks back to the things behind is fit for the kingdom of God.
That is to say no one who has, who has, who has embraced the kingdom and they're holding
onto things which are behind is fit in order to do what?
To manifest, in order to do the work of the kingdom, in order to, to, to, to manifest
the kingdom.
You must be a man of one focus.
I must be a man of one priority.
And my priority is what?
Is the kingdom.
Those who must manifest the kingdom are those who must lay aside everything.
Everything simply means everything.
We must cease affection from everything, everything that is physical, everything that is natural,
everything that is, is to our own comfort and advantage.
Matthew chapter 16, Matthew 16 verse 21 to 25.
Matthew 16, 21, 25, yes.
From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many
things from the elders and the chief priests and scribes and be killed on the third day,
be raised.
And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him saying, far be it from you Lord, this
shall never happen to you because Peter in the flesh was not seeing what Jesus was seeing,
was not willing to, to, to, to, to see that Jesus will actually die.
You know, that Jesus should die.
Verse 23, but he turned and said to Peter, get behind me Satan, you are a hindrance to
me for you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.
So the eyes of Peter was fixed on carnal things, on physical things, on things that are of
his realm, but not on the spiritual because his eyes have not been aligned to the spiritual.
Verse 24, then Jesus told his disciples, if anyone will come after me, that is in context
of what Peter have just done right now.
If anyone will come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow me for
whoever will save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find
it.
Very essentially, very essentially for whoever would save his life will lose it.
Whoever loses life for my sake will find it.
Anyone who must come after me, let him first of all, what lose sight of himself, that is
let him deny himself, let him take up, let him deny himself of any, of any, of any, let
him put himself secondary.
Let him put himself secondary.
We see also in Luke chapter 14 verse 26, Luke chapter 14 verse 26 as we round up, Luke 14
26, Luke chapter 14 verse 26.
If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father, previously we see Jesus Christ
making reference to denying himself.
So now he's bringing the father and the mother, the family.
If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and his wife and children
and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life cannot be my disciple.
Very, very clear and very, very, you know, unambiguous.
Hating here we've taught before that has to do with putting God at the topmost priority
to anything that matters, including our own lives, including our own lives.
This is the attitude that we must have in order for us to actually manifest this kingdom.
We must see things of God of utmost priority.
We must prioritize our lives.
We must put the kingdom first.
We must put the kingdom as, as the most important.
Let's look at an example as we close of Paul in Philippians of the third, Philippians of
the third.
We're going to look at some examples from the Old Testament, you know, to pattern our
lives.
And Philippians of the three from verse two, you know, from the amplifiers, look out for
the dogs, for the judicers, legalists, look out for those mischief makers, look out for
those who mutilate the flesh.
Now the context is, is writing about those who were emphasizing what we're emphasizing,
you know, fiscal rituals as essential for, for, for, for, for, for, for, for having a
relationship with God.
For some of the rights they have as Israelites, busting of their, of their, what we call it,
their natural privileges.
Verse three, for we Christians are the true circumcision who worship God in spirit and
by the spirit of God and exalt and glory and pride ourself in Jesus Christ and put no confidence
or no dependence on what we are in the flesh.
So we believers, we don't put our confidence and our, you know, our dependence on who we
are, our status, what we accumulate, what we are, we are trying to acquire in the physical,
in the flesh and on our outward privileges and physical advantages and external appearances.
Verse four, though for myself, speaking about himself, I have at least grounds to rely on
the flesh.
If anyone has to have reason to rely on the flesh and his physical and outward advantages,
I have still more.
Why verse five?
Now you enlist the things that he has ground to bust about.
Circumcise when I was eight days because they were emphasizing on circumcision of the race
of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew and the son of Hebrews, that is his father
and mother are both Hebrews.
So he was not a mixed breed, right?
He was a Hebrew of Hebrews.
As to the observance of the law, I was of the party of the Pharisees, which means that
he knows the law and then he had practiced the law to this end.
And to my zeal, I was a persecutor of the church and by the law standard of righteousness
supports justice, uprightness and right standing with God, I was proven to be blameless and
no fault was found with me.
But whatever former things, remembering whatever former things I had, right?
Whoever put his son on the floor and look back to things that are in the past, whatever former
things I had, whatever the former things they face to everything we have in the physical
refers to any inclination we have to anything physical we have, we have attachment to whatever
former things that I had, what that might have been gained to me, I've come to consider
as one combined loss for Christ's sake.
The moment he come to, you know, encounter the reality of the kingdom of God, he considers
every status, every experience, every privileges, every identity that he had in the past as
a loss for one thing of priority for the sake of the kingdom, for the sake of Christ.
Yes, I count everything as loss compared to the possession of the priceless privilege.
He considered being in the kingdom as a priceless privilege, the overwhelming preciousness,
the surpassing worth and supreme advantage of what?
Because the kingdom, all right, is about knowing Christ Jesus as my Lord and of progressively
becoming more deeply and intimately acquainted with him, of perceiving and recognizing and
understanding him more fully and clearly.
For his sake, I have lost what?
Everything and consider it all to be mere rubbish, to be refuse in order that I may
win Christ the anointed.
Hallelujah.
That he may win Christ, that he may have Christ, that he may come to this, to this, to this,
to this, you know, enjoying this reality that he has in Christ.
And then verse 20, he went on to talk about, you know, our citizenship and what we have
in Christ.
So, brethren, is it essential that we prioritize the kingdom?
And prioritizing the kingdom simply means that we must organize our life in such a way
that allows us to focus on the kingdom, that allows us to focus on the kingdom.
Now, when Paul became a believer, he never ceased from being Paul the tentmaker.
Don't get it wrong.
He never ceased from doing things.
We read further in scriptures about his life in the physical, in the natural.
But he had one focus.
Something is of great priority to him.
His pursuit was not the things of the world, but he had only one determination.
And his determination is what?
In some part of scriptures, he would say, for me to leave is Christ and to die is again.
When it comes to the realization of who he is and what he is, for the surpassing knowledge,
the knowledge of the fellowship, the experiences they should have and enjoy, and the work that
he has, the privilege and the responsibility that he has in the kingdom, he count everything
that he has as lost.
So my brothers and sisters, if truly we must manifest the kingdom in this season, then
you and I must remain and remain of one focus.
We must be consumed.
Our passion, our life must be organized in such a way that our priorities in life is
nothing but the kingdom, which means that, you know what, we invest our time in knowing
God, which means that we do what?
We invest our time in church.
We invest our time in what?
In the things that we are learning.
We invest our time in what?
In our communion with God, which means that we value things that are spiritual more than
any other things.
So I just want us to just pray, begin to pray at this moment.
There's a lot we can say.
There's a lot of examples that we will see in scriptures, but I just want us to just
at this moment with this church, just allow the spirit of God to search our hearts and
see where our heart is.
You know, the kingdom of God is not in words, right?
It's not in just what we say, but our hearts must be aligned.
When I mean our hearts, our passion must be aligned with our realities.
I just want us to pray as Jesus will say that the passion for the kingdom of God has consumed
me.
I want you to say, Lord, let my desire, let my passion, let my priority be to know you,
let my priority be to exercise, to know, to come.
See, for us to manifest, we must have knowledge because we cannot manifest what we don't know.
We cannot manifest what we don't know.
We must have knowledge.
We must seek knowledge.
And God has arranged system around us to know.
The church is God's provision for our growth, is God's provision for our effectiveness,
is God's provision for our equipping to manifest the kingdom that I am committed, that I am
faithful, that I am committed, that I don't look back, that I don't prioritize things
that are fiscal, that I seek not the things of the world, but I seek first the kingdom
of God.
That my focus, my ambition, my desire, my priority, my passion is for the things of
the spirit.
As a citizen, as a member of the family of God, that I'm all about my father's kingdom,
that I'm all about my father's business.
Not all the passion for my father's house has consumed me.
That as I sleep, as I wake up, as even as I sit in my classroom, what is consuming my
thoughts is about the kingdom business.
What influences my decision?
What influences the way I spend my money?
What influences the way, you know, what influences my decision of where to live, how to live,
how I organize my life, how I arrange my activities for the day?
It must be inspired by my passion for the things of God.
Only through this attitude shall we truly manifest the kingdom of God.
Only through this attitude of prioritizing, we must prioritize the spiritual things, then
shall we be able to manifest.
Father, we bless you.
We thank you so much because we know that there's a yearning and realignment in our
passion in the hearts of the pastors of this church, in the hearts of the leaders of this
church, in the hearts of each and every one of us, our heart is yearning more and more
that we see more reason to dedicate ourselves in knowing you, in having an intimate relationship
with you, in building our relationship with you, in knowing you, in enjoying fellowship
with you, and also committing ourselves to service as well.
Thank you so much Lord that we grow in knowledge, we grow in wisdom, we grow in understanding
and our passion is telling much more and more.
In this season, we are not like those who put our hands on the plow and are distracted
by activities that happen around us.
They were distracted by the things that are in the past.
They were distracted by the things that are in the natural.
But our focus is just like that man who found this treasure and is willing to sell everything
that he has, that he will focus on this one thing that he has gained, which is a kingdom.
Father we exalt you, we glorify you because this is our reality in this house.
In Jesus' gracious name we pray.
Amen.
We appreciate you being here today.
We hope you carry this word with you throughout your week.
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