Point 2. THE PAIN OF EXCLUSION FROM THE KINDOM OF GOD
Matthew 7:21-23; Luke 13:23-25
If it so happens that somebody who has gone to seminary and has studied the Bible in both the original languages – Hebrew & Greek, and in all the other languages yet misses the Kingdom, the pain of exclusion will be unbearable. It is same for anyone who attends the Bible Study regularly, or is a teacher of the word and misses the Kingdom of God. God because of His grace, mercy and love wants everyone to enter the Kingdom, but unfortunately, there will be people who will be excluded. “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the Kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 7:21). What is the Will of God? Many think the Will of God is only in marriage. Some others that when a prophet prophesies to them and they accept, that is the Will of God. But Jesus is saying they call Him Jesus, Lord, read the Bible, preach to others, prophesy but work iniquity, not free from sin both in the private and public. They don’t believe that they can be free from sin. They will be rejected by Christ on the Final Day (Matthew 7:22-23). Pray that you will not be a worker of iniquity. Strive to enter in yourself, and don’t worry about other people (Luke 13:23-24). The opportunity to enter the Kingdom is not forever; there is a time that the door of grace will be shut against those who sin with impunity. “When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye are” (Luke 13:25). They ate in His presence and sat under His teaching, but will be rejected on the final day as workers of iniquity. If the Bible Study has not cleansed and separated us from iniquity then it has not done what it ought to in our lives and it will profit us nothing on the final day. The question is why do people who read and study the Bible miss the Kingdom of God?
(i) Delay – Isaiah 55:6. They have heard and know that it is essential to be born again, but they delay the day of their salvation. Just like the five foolish virgins who knew the Lord was coming, went to meet Him but delayed in having extra oil to keep their lamp burning and missed the Bridegroom at His coming. You will not delay.
(ii) Double-mindedness – James 1:8. They are double minded in their decision to accept the Lord Jesus Christ as their Saviour. You don’t know when Christ will come, if you are going to be saved, do it now! “A double minded man is unstable in all his ways” (James 1:8). Always changing their minds
(iii) Disregard – Hebrews 2:1-3; 12:15. They hear but they disregard the warning of the word of God. The greatest thing in your life is salvation; don’t neglect it. Remember Esau who disregarded his birthright and missed his opportunity, and there was no chance to repent to regain it. “For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears” (Hebrews 12:17). A day will come when the tears, sorrow, seeking will not avail. Don’t delay, be freed from double mindedness and disregard for the word of God
(iv) Denomination – Matthew 3:9-10. Some will miss heaven because of denomination because their assurance is not based on Christ and repentance – turning away from sin and having the witness of Spirit of God that they are children of God – but on their denomination. They will be surprised on that final day.
(v) Drunkenness – Luke 21:34-35. “And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares” (Luke 21:34). Pursuit of the fashion, aspiration, ambition of the day, the cares of this life becomes like wine that intoxicates you, and takes the Bible, sobriety and remembrance of the Kingdom of God away from you.
(vi) Distractions – Luke 17:32. You look back from the path of truth, are distracted, and then you go back. “Remember Lot’s wife” (Luke 17:32). She saw angels that laid hold on her hands, pointed to the way of escape, warned them of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, but she was distracted along the way – all the herdsmen, cattle and everything they ever laboured for were back in Sodom, and she looked back and became a pillar of salt
(vii) Deafness – Zechariah 7:11; Acts 7:57. They are deaf to the call of the Spirit of God. “But they refused to hearken, and pulled away the shoulder, and stopped their ears, that they should not hear” (Zechariah 7:11). They blocked their ears deliberately to the salvation messages and only want to hear of faith, deliverance, prosperity, healing and moving mountains. Pray that salvation will not miss you.
Stop! you are running too fast, the world is too much embedded in your soul; ambition is taking away righteousness from you, money is eating up your very heart, and the things of this world are becoming your life-consuming fire. Stop! think and turn around! Don’t be like Lot’s wife, Esau, Balaam, king Saul, Gehazi, mixed multitudes, Judas Iscariot or Demas. If you miss Heaven, there is no return from Hell which is forever and ever with Satan. God forbid that you spend eternity in Hell with Satan. Be wise, therefore and Stop that rat race. Put on your thinking cap again and know the reality of pain of exclusion from the Kingdom of God. But thank God, you will not miss Heaven and Kingdom of God.
Point 3. OUR PRIVILEGE IN THE EVERLASTING KINGDOM OF GOD
Matthew 6:33; Luke 7:28; 20:35-36; 22:18,29-30; 1 Corinthians 6:2-3; 2 Timothy 4:7-8; 2 Peter 1:11,8-11; 2 Timothy 2:12; 1 Corinthians 2:9; Revelations 22:2-5; Daniel 7:13-14,27; 12:2,3
The Kingdom of God has earthly and heavenly sides. The heavenly side is where we enjoy the privileges in the everlasting Kingdom of God. “But seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matthew 6:33). There is only one Kingdom of God and it is holy, great and eternal. Your priority is to seek it with your heart, mind and life, forgoing every other thing that competes with it. You cannot seek the Kingdom of God without righteousness. The number one thing is salvation, repentance and forgiveness of sin; additions will come. “For I say unto you, Among those that are born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist: but he that is least in the Kingdom of God is greater than he” (Luke 7:28). Here is the highest and greatest honour you can ever have. John the Baptist, greater than all men and women that ever lived before him, but now, the least in the Kingdom is greater than John the Baptist. What a great privilege! As we become citizens of the Kingdom, we will be equal with the angels when we get to that everlasting Kingdom (Luke 20:35-36). Salvation and repentance are very important and essentials if we must get there. You must know the time, day and the event when you got born again. You must be very sure of your salvation experience, and the Spirit of God bearing witness in your heart, with a definite change of life. “For I say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine, until the Kingdom of God shall come” (Luke 22:18). What a great privilege to be sitting on the same table with the Lord Jesus Christ, the Saviour, Alpha and Omega, the Prince of Peace, Son of God, sitting and eating with Him. That privilege alone should make you to abandon every other thing and get into the Kingdom of God. As those apostles are judging the twelve tribes of Israel, we the saints of God will judge the world and the fallen angels (Luke 22:30; 1 Corinthians 6:2-3). “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing” (2 Timothy 4:7-8). What Paul fought is different from what you are fighting. Fight whatever takes prayer and interest of the Kingdom away from your heart; pressures to keep you in the family religion, fear of man that will not allow you the freedom to obey the Lord and get into and abide in the Kingdom; whatever it is that will hinder you, fight it. If they will smash your head, burn you up, you must get into the Kingdom. No man on earth will take the Kingdom away from you. If you are diligent to come into the faith, add virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness and charity to your life, then an entrance will be granted you in the Kingdom, “For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting Kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:11). The blessing of the Kingdom will be ours in Jesus Name (1 Corinthians 2:9). Whatever you are going through, challenges, persecutions or temptations that want to draw you away from the Kingdom, always remember that everlasting Kingdom. For all the citizens of the Kingdom of God, many blessings, great, invaluable and innumerable benefits await us. We have blessings now, and we have manifold eternal blessings awaiting us in the everlasting Kingdom. What we may deny ourselves of are nothing in comparison with the glorious benefits awaiting us in that heavenly and eternal Kingdom. God is preparing a Kingdom, and I will be there. The world behind me, the cross before me. I will not miss that Kingdom. I will bear my Cross and every challenge, and fight anything that will draw me away from the Kingdom. I will spread the message of the Kingdom, and when that day shall come, I will be there! “And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever” (Daniel 12:2,3). I will not miss that Kingdom for anything on earth. Whatever the devil is flashing before you, brush them aside and focus on the Kingdom of God, “But seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matthew 6:33). If you are born again, don’t allow delay, denominations, double-mindedness, distractions, disregard, drunkenness to hinder you. This Kingdom is yours, and you must have it. Pray through and enter the Kingdom. If you are in the Kingdom already, pray for more grace to be established and to remain solid and stabilized in the Kingdom of God. Be serious with the things of God.
Ponder on this! Look at the things you do in life: sleep, eat, work, attend college, obtain certificate, get married, have children; all those things are not as important – individually or collectively, as the Kingdom of God. You can have those things and miss Heaven. The most important thing you should seek and pursue is the Kingdom of God. Pastor (Dr) W.F Kumuyi.
Ponder on this! Stop! you are running too fast, the world is too much embedded in your soul; ambition is taking away righteousness from you, money is eating up your very heart, and the things of this world are becoming your life-consuming fire. Stop! think and turn around! Don’t be like Lot’s wife. Pastor (Dr) W.F Kumuyi.
Ponder on this! We enter the Kingdom, and continue to the end. The Kingdom must remain the priority of our lives at every moment. Pastor (Dr) W.F Kumuyi.
Hard Sayings – Without entering the Kingdom, all we know, do, possess, or attain to in life: is vain. Pastor (Dr) W.F Kumuyi.
Reflection – The Kingdom of God is the government and dominion of God, the reign of God. When Christ enters a life, reigns and controls that life, that is the Kingdom. Pastor (Dr) W.F Kumuyi.
Words on the Marble – You cannot seek the Kingdom of God without righteousness. Pastor (Dr) W.F Kumuyi.
Key Words – The opportunity to enter the Kingdom is not forever; there is a time that the door of grace will be shut against those who sin with impunity. Pastor (Dr) W.F Kumuyi.
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