* Kingdom Destiny

According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and

 godliness, through the knowledge  of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:

Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises:

that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature,

having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

2 Peter 1:3-4

Kingdom destiny is ordained by God.

Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.  Jeremiah 1:5

God’ plan for us has already been established as the scripture above indicates.  God also made his plan known through the teaching of Apostle Paul:

Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:  That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:   In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:  Ephesians 1:9-11

Our destiny, as some may think, is not designed by us, but by God.   Though we are born in sin, it was God, through the coming of Jesus, who unlocked the door, broke the chains and paved the way to His kingdom.  If we have any part at all in the plan that God designed for mankind, it is the choice to walk in the liberty made available to us through Christ Jesus. 

Walking in liberty does not mean that we are free from the pull of entanglements, bad situations, undo influences or negative situations – all designed as tests and distractions to move you from the destiny God has placed on our lives.  We are not to be moved, but realize that once we have accepted God as the captain of our destiny and received His Holy Spirit, we have something within us that is far greater than whatever comes against us.  We do not have the wherewithal to deal with what comes against us but the faith we have in God allows the power of God within us to stand and sustain us:

Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.  Mark 9:23

Our choice to walk in the liberty in which God set us free comes with the realization that in order to remain free from the bondage once imposed upon us, we need to stay connected to God not only through our prayers to Him, but we also must get to know God in an intimate way.  We have to build a relationship with Him based on knowledge and experience.    Both knowledge and experience build faith as we learn the sovereignty, wisdom and love of God.  Preparation is paramount.  Peter tells us:

Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.  And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;  And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.  For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.  2 Peter 1:4-8

Jesus freed us from the penalty of sin and gave us the power and authority to remain free.  However, it takes desire and effort on our part.  Apostle Paul tells us that we are not to remain conformed to the world, but rather we are to be transformed in order to realize the good, perfect and acceptable will of the Lord.

And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.  Romans 12:2

The renewing of our mind is something that we must do by changing our attitude of worldly standards to that of godly standards.

Because God destined us to be His sons, we have a responsibility; an obligation to show our praise unto  Him.  We cannot do this if we are still living in darkness.

But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light;  1 Peter 2:9

A transformed mind allows the Holy Spirit to work within us to do the will of our heavenly Father. 

We must be willing to make God’s kingdom our priority.  Because He is truly King, then He should have full authority in our homes, our finances, our careers, our recreation, our ministries, and every other area of our lives.

Some of us miss the boat. We think that once we find the Lord, we can quit seeking Him.   Our salvation experience is not the end of our seeking the Lord, but only the beginning of seeking the kingdom of God and His righteousness. God is so big and His kingdom is so vast that we learn something about the Lord every day until the day we die and even then we still won’t comprehend the magnitude of our God.

Those who have a genuine relationship with God want to know all about Him and all about His kingdom. Seeking the Lord and His kingdom does not stop when you give your heart to Him; it is just the beginning.

Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.  Colossians 3:2

But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.  Matthew 6:33

To seek means to look for, to search, to pursue, to strive to for, to endeavor to obtain: to seek.  This is one of the most important statements made by Jesus because it establishes what should be the priority of our lives.  Jesus identifies the Kingdom of God as more important than: food, water, clothes, shelter etc.; all of those temporal but necessary things.  Jesus tells us not to worry about these temporary things as God will supply all of our need.

But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.  Philippians 4:19

God’s number one priority for mankind is to discover, understand, and enter the Kingdom of Heaven.  The priority of all human beings is concealed in the words: “Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and everything you need for life will be added to you.”  This declaration of Jesus also suggests that there must be something about the Kingdom of God that all of mankind has missed and misunderstood.  If everything we pursue and strive for to live and survive are found in the Kingdom of God, then we have been misguided and perhaps have imposed on ourselves unnecessary hardship, stress, and frustration.  People continuously do all that they can in their own strength and in the strength of others and when they have finally depleted all resources then they turn to God.  Priorities are confused.  If only they had sought the kingdom of God first, understood its role and position in our lives, the stress and worry and, most time, failures would be avoided. 

Our first instruction from Jesus is to seek which means to “to pursue, study, explore, understand, learn & consider.”  To seek means to give diligent dedication to and to preoccupy oneself with that which we are seeking.  The Kingdom of God must be pursued, studied, understood, and learned.  Secondly, Jesus tells us to make the Kingdom of God a first priority, indeed, our top priority, the principle thing to place before all others as most important.  We are to place the highest value on the Kingdom of God, setting it above everything as our primary focus. There should be no competition for the placement of this priority.

There is no way, when we make the Kingdom of God our priority, that we miss out on a remarkable relationship with God.  As we seek His kingdom, we become better acquainted with God; His will and His purpose for our life.  As we find joy, peace and comfort in the kingdom, we share what we know with others.

For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.  Romans 14:17

Jesus began immediately to preach the kingdom of God:

Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God,  Mark 1:14

He understood what His earthly mission was all about.

And he said unto them, I must preach the kingdom of God to other cities also: for therefore am I sent.  Luke 4:43

He instructed the disciples to preach the Kingdom of God.

And he sent them to preach the kingdom of God, and to heal the sick.  Luke 9:2

After Jesus death, the Kingdom of God continued to be preached.

But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.  Acts 8:12

Like Apostle Paul, we are to continue preaching the good news of Jesus and the Kingdom of God.

Preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence, no man forbidding him.  Acts 28:31

Bible Studies

11/27/19

05/19/21