Seeking the Kingdom, Part 1 of 7
Jesus Speaks to Us
Part 1- Repent
of Seven elements in Seeking the Kingdom:
Matthew 4:1 1
Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.
Matthew 4:17 NIV
and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near."
It seems to be a condition of living life that too often we are selfish, arrogant, and self-serving at the expense of others. It is called sin. It has been this way since God created mankind. Why?
Because God gives us choices in our everyday behavior. And, even when we do not realize it, we too often we make sinful choices losing friends while creating barriers. For that barrier to be removed, to regain friendship we have to sincerely apologize for our behavior with a promise to change our behavior. The same is true with God.
For all but three years of Jesus' adult life, He knew of His special place in the world, and what He would face. The big questions for Jesus during those years and during those 40 days in the wilderness was, "How do I start my ministry. How do I impress upon God's people the His desire for them to have a Righteous Relationship with Him, and what is the single most important message I can impress on them to begin this new Relationship."
Making final decisions on this is what His desert experience was all about! Staying true to God's ways, Trusting Our Father, knowing God's will, accepting the guidance of the Spirit at His baptism, and having the experience of mankind, Jesus KNEW the most important message for our needs on this earth. He knew it was not the magic of giving bread from stones or flying from a high place that Righteously would draw people to Him. People's greater need was much more than magic shows.
Instead, the brilliant mind of Jesus had a revolutionary new concept of God's Kingdom to be imprinted on mankind, a new behavior toward God, and a New Covenant/Promise to be accomplished. To do this, Jesus was led to one most important word to begin His ministry. A word that would standout in peoples minds to turn people to a new promise to create and sustain God's Kingdom in mankind. That one word became Jesus' first command to begin mankind's new Relationship with God, it was and still is, "Repent!"
In our lives, saying your sorry to someone because you did them wrong is sometimes so very hard. But saying, "I am sorry" is just half the equation. For the "sorry" to be real, behavior must change to complete the equation. When we tell God, "I am sorry for my selfish behavior" that is great. But for real meaning, our behavior must change. Repent means to turn around and go a different direction. In repentance, behavior change is just as or more important than the "I'm sorry." Without the change, without a new direction in our behavior, the words mean nothing. As it is with friends, so to, it is with God.
Repentance is the fundamental foundation of our relationship with God creating the most important part our behavior for a Righteous Godly relationship. Without repentance toward God, there cannot be in a Right Relationship (righteousness) with Him. God loves us and wants that relationship with us, but we are required to be repentant in our Righteousness before Him. When we are repentant toward God acknowledging our sin, when we accept Jesus as Lord, and we accept the Holy Spirit as our guide in life, then and only then does a Righteous relationship with God begin.
Like it or not, it's The First Command from Jesus
Because God gives us choices in our everyday behavior. And, even when we do not realize it, we too often we make sinful choices losing friends while creating barriers. For that barrier to be removed, to regain friendship we have to sincerely apologize for our behavior with a promise to change our behavior. The same is true with God.
For all but three years of Jesus' adult life, He knew of His special place in the world, and what He would face. The big questions for Jesus during those years and during those 40 days in the wilderness was, "How do I start my ministry. How do I impress upon God's people the His desire for them to have a Righteous Relationship with Him, and what is the single most important message I can impress on them to begin this new Relationship."
Making final decisions on this is what His desert experience was all about! Staying true to God's ways, Trusting Our Father, knowing God's will, accepting the guidance of the Spirit at His baptism, and having the experience of mankind, Jesus KNEW the most important message for our needs on this earth. He knew it was not the magic of giving bread from stones or flying from a high place that Righteously would draw people to Him. People's greater need was much more than magic shows.
Instead, the brilliant mind of Jesus had a revolutionary new concept of God's Kingdom to be imprinted on mankind, a new behavior toward God, and a New Covenant/Promise to be accomplished. To do this, Jesus was led to one most important word to begin His ministry. A word that would standout in peoples minds to turn people to a new promise to create and sustain God's Kingdom in mankind. That one word became Jesus' first command to begin mankind's new Relationship with God, it was and still is, "Repent!"
In our lives, saying your sorry to someone because you did them wrong is sometimes so very hard. But saying, "I am sorry" is just half the equation. For the "sorry" to be real, behavior must change to complete the equation. When we tell God, "I am sorry for my selfish behavior" that is great. But for real meaning, our behavior must change. Repent means to turn around and go a different direction. In repentance, behavior change is just as or more important than the "I'm sorry." Without the change, without a new direction in our behavior, the words mean nothing. As it is with friends, so to, it is with God.
Repentance is the fundamental foundation of our relationship with God creating the most important part our behavior for a Righteous Godly relationship. Without repentance toward God, there cannot be in a Right Relationship (righteousness) with Him. God loves us and wants that relationship with us, but we are required to be repentant in our Righteousness before Him. When we are repentant toward God acknowledging our sin, when we accept Jesus as Lord, and we accept the Holy Spirit as our guide in life, then and only then does a Righteous relationship with God begin.
Without repentance, there can be no real love for God or for anyone else. Without repentance there can be no Righteous Relationship with God, without repentance there is no Peace, no Hope, no Christ, no abundant mercy on our souls, and eventually, no Holy Spirit. Without repentance toward God, we continue to become more arrogant, selfish, self-centered, and so sinful we eventually cast off the Holy Spirit. And then, in disavowing the need of the Holy Spirit, relying only on ourselves, we die to God and He no longer knows us.
With repentance, with our going a different direction, we change the future, our future. It is only after we repent of creating hurt and we say we are humbly sorry for our behavior that we have a chance to mend fences, remake friendships, and reestablish relationships. This is true with our friends and the absolute truth with God. A friend might not grant forgiveness, but God already has forgiven us through His Son's death on the cross.
To begin or to restore our full Righteous Relationship with God, our creator, all we have to do is:
in humility,
1- change our lives through giving up our selfish arrogance and contented self-righteousness,
2- ask God for forgiveness, and
3- humbly Repent of our Sin.
But, this is just the beginning, with repentance there is new hope in living life in God's will. This begins with Loving God "with all your heart".
In repentance, learning the love of God and in learning to love God we acquire greater freedom through our Righteous Relationship with Him. In our repentant walk with God and in this new freedom to love, we open ourselves to His abundant blessings and gifts.
Thanks be to God
With repentance, with our going a different direction, we change the future, our future. It is only after we repent of creating hurt and we say we are humbly sorry for our behavior that we have a chance to mend fences, remake friendships, and reestablish relationships. This is true with our friends and the absolute truth with God. A friend might not grant forgiveness, but God already has forgiven us through His Son's death on the cross.
To begin or to restore our full Righteous Relationship with God, our creator, all we have to do is:
in humility,
1- change our lives through giving up our selfish arrogance and contented self-righteousness,
2- ask God for forgiveness, and
3- humbly Repent of our Sin.
But, this is just the beginning, with repentance there is new hope in living life in God's will. This begins with Loving God "with all your heart".
In repentance, learning the love of God and in learning to love God we acquire greater freedom through our Righteous Relationship with Him. In our repentant walk with God and in this new freedom to love, we open ourselves to His abundant blessings and gifts.
Let go of self, repent, Love God,
and let God bless you abundantly.
Thanks be to God
©
Lonnie Coggins
2- Love God-
3- Love Others
Matthew 22:34-40 NKJV
The Greatest Commandment
34 But when the Pharisees heard that He had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together.35 Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, 36 "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?" 37 Jesus said to him, "'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.' 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' 40 On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets."
4- "Hunger and thirst"
for a Righteous relationship with God
Matthew 5:6 NIV
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
Jesus Sets the Example for Us
5 Live in humility toward God
Matthew 11:
28"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.29Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
6- Pray
Matthew 5:44 NIV
But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
Matthew 14:23 NIV
After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone,
Matthew 26:36 NIV
[Gethsemane] Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, "Sit here while I go over there and pray."
Matthew 26:41 NIV
"Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak."
7- Seek the Wisdom of the Bible through the Jesus
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