GOD'S KINGDOM

As I looked, a stone was cut out by no human hand, and it smote the image on its feet of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces; then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold, all together were broken in pieces, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away, so that not a trace of them could be found. But the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth. Daniel 2

"The Kingdom of God"…."The Kingdom of Heaven." What is it? What does it mean?

- ''Thy Kingdom come."

- "The Kingdom of Heaven is like treasure hidden in a field."

- "The Kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls."

- "The time is fulfilled, the Kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel."

When it comes to realizing the Kingdom - knowing exactly where it is and what it is, belonging to it and living in it --- multitudes of believers are at a loss.

And the reason is simple: they are so wrapped up in their own kingdom that they can neither see nor experience God's Kingdom.

My kingdom is the world over which I am king. Where I’m the Boss. Things revolve around me and yield to my will.

God's Kingdom is the world over which God is acknowledged King.... where His will is done the way it's done in Heaven.

God's Kingdom is God's program. My kingdom is my program.

It's very easy for the believer to get so caught-up in their own program – their own spiritual progress, or their own spiritual battles, My ministry, or My problems, that we lose sight of Gods' program.

"O God, I've got something going here, but I need your help. Please pour out your blessing upon it."

"0 God, can't you see this mess I'm in? I'm surrounded by unbelief and evil, Lord. If you don't come down here and do something soon I'm not going to be able to hold out."

"0 God! Look at all those lost souls down there on Vernor Highway! We're trying to save them. But Lord, we're going to have to have more help from you."

- As if God is asleep and has to be roused.

- As if God is indifferent and needs to be inspired with some of our wonderful compassion.

- As if God has gone wandering off to some distant sphere and needs to be called back to this troubled earth.

And all the while God has a thing going that's a million times more wonderful than our most glorious dreams.

Not only is God at this moment following the footsteps of every sinner on earth with unspeakable love - not only is God covering the sins of a billion souls with the blood of His Son,

- God is building on earth right now a Kingdom which will stand forever.

- God is keeping the promises He made to Abraham 4000 years ago - watching over His people Israel, gathering them back to their calling and, causing the "fig tree" to bud.

- God is causing men and women from every nation under Heaven to be born of His Spirit and to know Him as Father.

- God is opening the road on which Messiah will very soon come to set up His reign of Peace on this planet.

By comparison with what God is doing on the earth at this hour, our programs are just so much wood, hay, and stubble. What we need to do is give up trying to get God to bless our programs - let go of them, let them die, they're dead anyway - and start fitting in to God's program.

It doesn't matter whether you've been spending the last six months trying to get God to cure your athletes foot, or whether you've been laboring for years to bring together a real genuine New Testament Church, or whether you've been completely swamped by a hopeless marital situation-the one thing needful in every case is to quit grinding your teeth over God's failure to fit in with you, and start fitting in with God’s.

Abraham left his program back in Haran and spent the rest of his life fitting in to Jahweh's plans.

Moses left his program back in Pharaoh's palace and spent the rest of his life learning to fit i n with Jahweh' s plans.

Not one man or woman in scripture who was of any use to God had a program of their own. And every person who tried mixing their own program with God's was quickly removed from God's.

When Nadab and Abihu offered unholy fire before the Lord, they were devoured by fire.

When King Saul started doing his own thing along with God's he was abandoned by God as was every other King of Israel that went his own way.

When the Son of God himself came on the scene, His whole life was one of submission to what His Father wanted Him to do.

"I don't even speak words that are my own - they are my Fathers. Not my will, but thine be done."

When He took the vinegar and said, "it is finished", and died on that cross, the finished work was not His own but His Fathers. God the Father had broken the curse of death and the chains of sin through the obedience of the Son to His program.

The most needful thing at this hour for every person reading these words is for us to leave our kingdoms behind and enter fully and completely into God's Kingdom. To do this there are several things we have to understand;

1. The Kingdom of God is really here -

- it's not pie-in-the-sky-bye-and-bye,

- it's not something we're hoping for and secretly crossing our fingers about,

it's in our midst. That stone cut from the mountain by no human hand is in our midst! And that stone, whose name is Jesus, is now Lord!

Every power and principality on earth is subject to His name. He has already overcome your sins - made peace for you with the Father through His blood. All you have to do is call on His name and He will deliver you from bondage to every other Kingdom, and put you into the Kingdom of God.

2. The Kingdom of God will soon bring all other kingdoms on earth to an end.

As I looked, a stone was cut out by no human hand, and it smote the image on its feet of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces; then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold, all together were broken in pieces, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away, so that not a trace of them could be found. But the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.

And that's exactly what we shall soon see with these eyes as Messiah comes in glory and brings the reign of human power-lust with all it's confusion, terror, deceit, and bloodshed to an end.

3. The Kingdom of God is tied to the prayers of the redeemed.

Mystery of mysteries – God has chosen to move redemptively on earth only when the hearts of His people are joined to His in true prayer.

Not,

"0 God, come down and fit into our program."

But,

"0 God, come down and carry out your program."

"Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven." And as we pray this from our hearts, streams start flowing in the desert. Light from Heaven pierces the darkness of this world.

"The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; pray, therefore, the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest."

- He is the Lord of the harvest.

- It's His harvest.

- He cares about it a million times more than we do.

But He ties the sending out of laborers - indeed, the harvesting itself - to our prayers.

"You who put the Lord in remembrance take no rest and give Him no rest until He establishes Jerusalem and makes it a praise in the earth."

- God loves "Jerusalem" (his kingdom) more than we do.

- The making of Jerusalem a praise in the earth is part of His program and He will do it.

But, He ties it all to the prayers of the redeemed.

4. The Kingdom of God is tied to the faith of the redeemed.

"This is the victory that overcomes the world – our faith."

"You are the salt of the earth....

You are the light of the world."

Who are the salt of the earth and the light of the world? The people of radical faith in Jesus Christ!

It's faith which permits the light of God to shine forth on this earth. Some follower of Jesus has to believe before the redemptive power can flow out and heal.

As we believe, Jesus confirms His word and manifests the presence of God's Kingdom among us.

- The blind receive their sight.

- The lame walk.

- Lepers are cleansed.

- The deaf hear.

- The dead are raised.

- The poor have the gospel preached to them.

5. The Kingdom of God is tied to the obedience of the redeemed.

The Kingdom of God is not manifested on this earth except through men and women who do the Father's will.

We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

"Not everyone who says, 'Lord, Lord', shall enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in Heaven."

The Son of God humbled himself and became obedient unto death, and those who belong to Christ manifest His presence in their lives by obedience.

- By our obedience God's love is felt.

- By our obedience God's word is heard and understood.

- By our obedience Jesus Christ is lifted up before men as crucified.

6. The Kingdom of God needs you, but it can get the job done without you.

- If you won't pray - God will find somebody who will.

- If you won't believe - God will raise up someone who will.

- If you won't obey - God will raise up someone who will.

When Saul copped-out, God raised up David. When the people who were invited made excuses, God sent his servant into the streets and lanes of the city, the highways and hedges and filled his banquet hall.

God wants to use you and me in ways that are beyond our imagination. He wants to make even our motley little Jerusalem a praise in the earth. But don't ever get the idea that we have God over the barrel - that we can drag our feet and modify God's plans.

If we start getting lazy, sloppy, stubborn, He'll do the job without us. He'll raise up others to take our place.

God wants us in His Kingdom, but it will be as glorious a Kingdom without us as with us. If we insist on doing our own thing, the Kingdom of God will go on without us.

7. The Kingdom of God permits no compromise.

We can't have God's Kingdom and our kingdom. If it's going to be God's Kingdom, the break with our own kingdom has to be radical and complete.

No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the Kingdom of God.

That stone cut out of the mountain without hands doesn't join itself to the image – it doesn't make a treaty with the image – "If you let me alone I'll let you alone" – it smashes the image so that there isn't a trace of it left! Because the image is false as is every power on this earth that refuses to take God into account.

The image is man's kingdom. The stone cut without hands is God's Kingdom.

- They have nothing in common.

- They are opposed to each other.

- You cannot belong to both.

You must decide clearly and finally which kingdom you belong to.

If you commit yourself to God's Kingdom than do it right;

- burn your bridges,

- cut your ties,

- set your face toward Heaven.

As Daniel explained it so long ago, the huge image is the world system, including everything done "for God" apart from the clear leading of God.

Settle it in your mind that you have no part in the image any more. Your own kingdom, even if it's religious, even if it looks beautiful, is nothing. Your program, your plans, are of no use.

- Your eyes are on Jesus.

- Your heart is set on doing His will

- Fitting in with His plan.

The King is executing his plan on earth right now, and He will use you in bringing it to pass if you will keep your hands on the plow, your eyes on Him, and never look back.