The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into a large amount of flour until it worked all through the dough.
Matthew 13:33
Thoughts and beliefs are powerful things. Jesus said that to look with lust at a woman was to commit adultery, and to be angry at someone without a cause is to murder him. Ultimately, it is what you think and what you believe that will either deliver you or condemn you to an eternal judgement of hell.
We can tend to look at our actions primarily, in the Christian life, but the unsurrendered self is perhaps the most dangerous weapon against the Kingdom, even as a believer. Yet one sinner can destroy much good (Ecclesiastes 9:18).
The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not overcome it.
John 1:5
The light is real. It shines with a glory that the natural eye cannot see.
As the people around Jesus’ baptism, some heard the voice, and some say, “It only thundered”.
The things of the Kingdom cannot be seen by those who do not believe. You could hear the principles of the Kingdom expounded for years and years but it is only when Faith comes that the light finally comes on.
As with parables, the purpose was the hide the obvious. Yet, for the person who sees beyond the veil, they become a little more clear every day. The parable meant to conceal becomes the best setting to display the jewel.
Matthew 5:3-12 are what are commonly referred to as the Beatitudes. They are simple phrases, which are the statement of the secrets of the Kingdom of God, hidden for the ages. For some reason, even to myself, they seemed so hard to understand. Perhaps it is that they are not taught that often, or looked at as not as relevant, but as I have come to know them, they perfectly describe the man in faith.
There are eight of them, all identical in form, each having four parts. The word “blessed” is really a compound word meaning “happy” with the equivalent of the prefix “macro-“, so “macro-happy”, or “hugely happy”, or “super happy”, or, simply “Most Happy”. “Most Happy are” is the first part. Second we have a group of people. The verb “are” is always present tense. The people are happy in these conditions. Third is the word “for”, meaning “because”. The people in the condition (#2) are Most Happy (#1) right then because (#3)… Because of what? That’s the place of faith. Finally, the truth of the Kingdom of Heaven. #4. Read more…
Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.
Matthew 7:7
This is part of the good news Jesus came to bring. If we ask for it, He will bring it. If we look for it, we will find it. If we keep knocking at the door, eventually, it will open for us. This is Kingdom 101 quite often, and, whether it is accepted as such or dismissed from there, it can often get little investigation later. However, as with many of Jesus’ sayings, they apply to multiple levels.
For instance, take the phrase “Seek and you will find.” This, of course, applies to the Kingdom of Heaven, to God the Father, and to Jesus. This of course applies to answers and deliverances and other such burdens we offer towards heaven. But, let’s look at this another way for a moment.
Jesus ministered on the Earth in the power of the Spirit. The gifts were evident yet not on display. The Spirit was present, and the gifts were promised, but the primary focus of the teaching was directed towards the Father’s will.
Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them, saying:
Matthew 5:1-2
When Jesus sat down on the mountain, He wasn’t just talking to them, He was talking to us. What He was teaching was not just a good lesson, it was the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven. What he showed was the perfect walk of faith, failures, a picture of what living the by Spirit looks like, how to communicate with God, why it is enough and we don’t need to fear, and the true nature of sons of the Kingdom. Finally, He gave it’s guarantee. Those who follow His instructions will stand.
Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
Matthew 7:21-23
The Way is not power, it is faithfulness. The path is not promotion, it is servant-hood. The gift is not yours, it is theirs (2 Corinthians 1:6). The road is not wide, it is narrow.
Jesus said plainly, unless you hate father, mother, sister, brother, children, spouse, even your own life, you cannot be His disciple (Luke 14:26). He said quite distinctly that if you love someone else more than Him, you are not worthy of Him (Matthew 10:37).
They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.
Acts 2:42
After the day of Pentecost, after the outpouring of the Spirit, and after the 3000 who were saved in an afternoon through Peter’s stand and preaching, this short verse describes what they considered important.
This verse has several similar to it in the New Testament, as a word study on such words as “devoted” demonstrates, but it is the first, listing four parts that were what they “devoted themselves to”. Whether it was an exhaustive list is not the point, but simply that these four were important enough to be mentioned.
You don’t have to live a life of anger. You don’t have to just accept it. Receive Jesus. Heed His warnings in Matthew 5:21-22. You’re in danger. Only Jesus saves. Live the life of Faith and, by obeying the truth, have your soul purified so you can actually love each other with a real, genuine, and love you can feel the warmth of. That’s what the goal of the gospel is… Faith expressing itself through Real love proceeding from a clean conscience… You can be free.
What is one of the simplest ways to teach faith? The Beatitudes.
Right here, the Teacher demonstrates one of the simplest ways. As small as it is, it can grow to be the largest of all “garden plants”.
Take any dire situation you have as a Christian. Take any lack, or any shortage, any place where your feel worn thin, and pressed hard. Everyone encounters these, and even Jesus said that we would experience storms, even when we were built upon the rock.
Most Happy are those who are poor in Spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.
But seek ye first the Kingdom of Heaven and His Righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.
Matthew 6:33
There are many things we see in church today.
We have programs. We have buildings. We have ministries. We have ministers. But seek first the Kingdom.
James 3:16 says that where there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there is confusion and every evil thing. Competition between brothers rises, looking to a particular gifting or position in order to get attention abound. Attempts to fill unmet needs in the soul by some level of attainment in the spirit are present in our ministers.
The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into a large amount of flour until it worked all through the dough.
