The Kingdom

This morning in church the pastor preached a message titled "His Kingdom Never Ends", and as I was sitting there God kept laying different passages on my heart, and different illustrations, so I had to come here and write a little note about it. The focus passage was Hebrews 12:28-29, where the author writes " 28Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, 29for our "God is a consuming fire." When he made his first point he was talking about the "kingdom that cannot be shaken". Here it really hit me, God spoke to me loud and clear. The kingdom of God is here and it is not going anywhere, nothing anyone can do is going to break the walls of God's kingdom down and infiltrate. God is too strong and His kingdom will always be. This truth is not just so in the life we are living here on this earth, but it will continue for ever, through out all of eternity we are going to be living in the Kingdom of God. Not weapon, not man, not science, not Satan himself will be able to destroy the kingdom.Jesus came and started preaching this all around, He came saying " repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is near", He spoke parables trying to paint pictures of what the kingdom is like. The kingdom is like a mustard see, like a man who sows good seed, like yeast that was mixed into flour and then made into dough. He commanded us to seek first the kingdom of God, he explains who will have the hardest time making it into His kingdom. He explains the type of person that will inherit the kingdom. Jesus focused a lot on teaching of the kingdom and I feel like we neglect to understand, or even think, or more importantly focus on this kingdom that God has built for us. Well, what is this kingdom Jesus spoke of, where is it? The same Jesus who teaches us what the Kingdom is like tells us where it is, well Heaven of course, but how is it that I can say the Kingdom is here now? Because Jesus tells me in His word that it is inside of me, and all of us who believe in Him. Luke 17:20-21 " 20Once, having been asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, "The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, 21nor will people say, 'Here it is,' or 'There it is,' because the kingdom of God is within[a] you."Here is where my strength is found, this is why I know that I am indestructible. Sure you may be able to take the breath from my body, but inside me lies the kingdom of God, the kingdom that cannot be shaken, and for that I am thankful. I am a part of the kingdom that has endured thousands of years of people and powers and principalities trying to break down the walls, trying to persecute to the point where nothing will remain. The kingdom I am a part of survived great persecutions from the Roman empire, under Nero and Domision, countries leaders like China and Russia try to keep the kingdom from being preached in there nations but were unable to stop it. China is said to have the strongest church, the most active and full body of Christians in the world. Why? Because you can't stop it," the kingdom of God is too big to hide" Dr. Thomas Strong. The word of God is too loud to silence, the truth my friends has set us free, from any bondage, any chains that this world can put us in. I am reminded of a story in Acts 5 where the Apostles were in Jarusalem and they were performing all kinds of miraculous signs, and all of the believers were meeting in a part of the Temple called Solomon's colonnade, and the high priest and his Saducees became jealous so they arrested them. They were wanting to persecute them, but along came a teacher of the law named Gamaliel and told them " "Men of Israel, consider carefully what you intend to do to these men. 36Some time ago Theudas appeared, claiming to be somebody, and about four hundred men rallied to him. He was killed, all his followers were dispersed, and it all came to nothing. 37After him, Judas the Galilean appeared in the days of the census and led a band of people in revolt. He too was killed, and all his followers were scattered. 38Therefore, in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. 39But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God." And here we are! Still strong, still unshaken, un able to be contested. All of these people who try to stand against the Kingdom of God find themselves defeated and unable to silence God's people. And one great and glorious day will come when we get to be in this kingdom that God is preparing for us, a place that we can't even beguine to imagine. This is the place where I have made my home, this is the place that I get to spend eternity with my Savior. " 15The angel who talked with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city, its gates and its walls. 16The city was laid out like a square, as long as it was wide. He measured the city with the rod and found it to be 12,000 stadia[a]in length, and as wide and high as it is long. 17He measured its wall and it was 144 cubits[b] thick,[c] by man's measurement, which the angel was using. 18The wall was made of jasper, and the city of pure gold, as pure as glass. 19The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, 20the fifth sardonyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst.[d] 21The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of pure gold, like transparent glass. 22I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. 23The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp." Revelation 21:15-23 This is where we will be, let's not neglect to introduce as many people as we can to this stronghold, this unshakable kingdom of which we are citizens.