Fourthstream

As we contemplate the King’s teaching about the Kingdom in the book of Matthew, it is important to recognize that this is the backdrop for all four Gospels. As you listen to our 8 minute God Story, read Psalm 2 as a backdrop. What do you think is going on in the bigger story? Are we evolving upward as some postulate? Where do we fit within the purposes of God?

“Why are the nations in an uproar and the peoples devising a vain thing?
The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers take counsel together
Against the LORD and against His Anointed, saying,
“Let us tear their their restraints upon us apart and cast away their cords from us!” 

He who sits in the heavens laughs, the Lord scoffs at them.
Then He will speak to them in His anger and terrify them in His fury, saying,
“But as for Me, I have installed My King upon Zion, My holy mountain.” 

I will surely tell of the decree of the LORD: He said to Me, ‘You are My Son, today I have begotten You. ‘Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Your inheritance,
And the very ends of the earth as Your possession.
‘You shall break them with a rod of iron, You shall shatter them like earthenware.’” 

Now therefore, O kings, show discernment; take warning, O judges of the earth.
Worship the LORD with reverence and rejoice with trembling.
Do homage (embrace) to the Son, so He will not become angry, and you perish in the way,
For His wrath may soon be kindled. How blessed are all who take refuge in Him!”
– Psalm 2

Selah. (Cast this up to the highway of our God!)

Difficulty is so clearly a part of the process of experiencing meaning in life. All men and women encounter it. Anyone who wishes to swim against the stream know it. Jesus embraced it. Often the things learned from our difficulties and darkest times shape us in some of the most significant ways.

And even beyond the reality of the difficulties of life is the issue of suffering, and it appears  suffering is an included and even designed part of God’s Kingdom plan.

Peter taught about it in 1 Peter 1:20:
“For what credit is there if, when you sin and are harshly treated, you endure it with patience? But if when you do what is right and suffer for it you patiently endure it, this finds favor with God.”

Paul understood this and chose to be shaped by his weaknesses:
“And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.”  – 2 Corinthians 12:9

And Jesus chose to live in deep difficulty – ever day:
“In the days of His flesh, He offered up both prayers and supplications with loud crying and tears to the One able to save Him from death, and He was heard because of His reverent submission. Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered.” – Hebrews 5:7-8

Pages 31-33 in Kingdom: Finding Your True Self unfolds the benefits of difficulty and suffering in producing Kingdom depth. While this seems very un-American (why would anyone choose to suffer?) it is completely taught in both the past and present of Jews and Christ-followers.

Sobering – but with a very amazing result (1 Peter 5:10): “After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you.”

Matthew continues to teach us about the nature of the Kingdom. It is really breathtakingly simple. But why is it so difficult to pull off in real time? The nature of the Kingdom is all about the heart. God has made us to use our mind, our intellect, our faculties. What a great gift!

But this is only a part of who we are. Our physical beings are amazing as well. And we are complex computing machines! “I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; wonderful are Your works, and my soul knows it very well.” (Psalm 139:14)

We also appear to have a part of us that the Bible calls our heart. It it the place our mind and body act based upon our core beliefs – our personal world-view as it were. Our character, our choices to act or not act, our approach to circumstances and people challenges – all find residence in our hearts. Taken together they make up the expressive regions of our soul. Does this make sense?

Jesus invites us to give up ourselves and choose His Kingship over our lives. This means that despite our disadvantaged internal condition, the entropy of life and personal attainment, and our most often-as-not out of control self-centeredness; we are to find ourselves by losing ourselves. This brings all of the benefits of humbling ourselves under God’s perfect authority.

Pages 29-31 in Kingdom: Finding Our True Selves embraces this conversation. What clarity we can find when God opens the door of our heart!

Hope you are enjoying meditating on the King and His Kingdom. So good for my heart!

Who we are should be more important than what we do. By this I mean the essence of who we are, not the position we hold or the influence we exert over others.

It is first about the WHO and then about the WHAT. If Jesus had the authority He says He did, then He would be able to do the works of a King. We are quite limited when it comes to supernatural authority and the ability to reverse the effects of nature. Jesus was not. Investigate the other religions of the world and look for eyewitness testimony to supernatural activity. No one comes close to Jesus the Nazarene. No one.

We spoke a little earlier of the authority of Jesus the Son – King of the earth. The wind and waves obeyed Him. Demons were rebuked by His word. Lepers were cleansed. Those who had lost all hope were healed. And here’s the big one: “Those who were reclining at the table with Him began to say to themselves, “Who is this man who even forgives sins?” (Luke 7:49)

It is too easy to mistake the what for the who and miss the real Jesus. His major conflicts were with the religious leaders. These were Jews. They were God’s people. They had been given everything. And yet Jesus excoriates them for their self-centered hypocrisy (Matthew 23). So then, we conclude, that religion is insufficient. We must not live for the what but the Who. Make sense?

This is what first King – then Kingdom – then Church is all about. How will we every be able to define Church if we cannot understand the depths of King and Kingdom?!

Enjoy pages 27-29 of Kingdom: Finding Our True Selves. You can find printed, audio, or electronic versions upper right of the home page.