As we begin today I want to spend just a minute digging a little deeper into something I mentioned last week. It’s the concept of Jesus as the door to the kingdom. My illustration was of a shoe store, but I want to expand that a little bit. I want you to think about the kingdom of God not just like a shoe store but like an entire city. There is a wall around it, and only one city gate thru which you can enter. Jesus is that gate. Here’s the great news, there is no charge to go through the gate. Jesus paid the price for you to be able to enter...but the problem arises when you get inside. Most people never go any farther into the city than just on the other side of the gate. Why is that? The reason is because everything in the city is very expensive. The things in the kingdom will cost you everything. There is a store that offers peace, but the price is your ego and attitude. There is a store that offers financial security, but the price is generosity. As you walk past the gate of the kingdom, you are to surrender everything you have in return for what the King is offering. As long as you want to hold on to your stuff, you will never have what the king is offering. Again, there was no cover charge to enter the kingdom, but if you want what the King offers inside it will cost you everything. That is called unconditional surrender. It’s the understanding that nothing you possess actually belongs to you...it belongs to the King. The kingdom life requires that you surrender everything, in order to gain what it has to offer for your life here on earth.
Most Christians are not willing to do that, so they may be going to heaven, but their life here on earth is miserable. It doesn’t have to be that way. OK, back to today’s topic. When Adam sinned in the garden, he failed in his original assignment and lost the kingdom. And not just for himself, but for us also. Today we are going to unpack what that means and how we can get it back. When we talk about having lost the kingdom and getting it back, we have to understand how a kingdom operates. When a king takes over new territory, he doesn’t go live there himself to rule it. He sends someone to do that on his behalf. A kingdom operates through the authority of a kingdom government representative living in the colony. His job is to rule over the colony and ensure the King’s will is being done in His new territory. We call this kingdom representative “The Governor.” The governor is someone chosen from the king’s court. He is a trusted representative of the King’s will. He is the main connection from the kingdom to the colony. He is the first line of communication from the king to the kingdom citizens. When the governor is speaking, the king is speaking. You see, a new colony of a kingdom is still considered part of the kingdom when the governor is present, even though the king is not there. It’s the way the Roman Empire ruled over all the known world, even though Caesar lived in Rome. When they took over a territory, they didn’t take everyone away to Rome to be their slaves like all the other empires that came before them. When they colonized a new territory they sent a governor from Rome to live in the colony and ensure that the colony looked like, talked
like and functioned like Rome. They colonized in order to convert, not to destroy. The governor over a colony doesn’t just live anywhere. When He’s in the colony, He lives in the Governor’s mansion. The governor’s mansion isn’t like the rustic houses in the colony, it is built in the style and quality of the home kingdom. It stands out as being different, because this house represents, not the lifestyle of the colony, but the lifestyle of the king. In a kingdom, the governor is the literal embodiment of the kingdom. The people in the colony don’t get a say in what the governor does. His word is the king’s word and it carries the same authority. The only way the people in the colony can get out from under the authority of the governor is by breaking away from the kingdom. That’s called a rebellion. It’s what America did when our leaders signed the declaration of independence. By eating from the tree that God instructed him not to eat from, Adam the first man, rebels against the kingdom of God and by doing so, he makes his declaration of independence. Now when a colony declares independence, the first person to leave the colony is the governor. He’s the kings representative, and since the colony isn’t interested in being ruled by the king any longer, naturally, his representative must leave. When the governor is gone, the kingdom is gone. This is what happens when a colony declares independence and the kingdom governor leaves. They are on their own. Everything that the king used to provide for them is removed. You wanted to be independent, congratulations, you’re on your own.
While you were under the king’s ownership he provided protection with his army, he provided infrastructure, he provided stability and laws. But now you have to come up with your own means of protection, as well as a stable infrastructure. And one more thing you’ll have to figure out is a new constitution that lays out the laws you are willing to live by. It’s kind of like a child that runs away from their home, who soon realizes, this new independent life isn’t everything he dreamed it would be. And so he quickly comes back. It cost them more than they thought it would. But there are now conditions he must meet if he’s allowed to move back in the house. More on that a little later. When I talk about the loss of the kingdom of God, I’m talking about the loss of the Governor of the kingdom of God. Now since Jesus said what we should ask for is that the kingdom return, we have to realize that the first step in getting the kingdom back is the return of the Governor. If a colony wishes to be back under the rule of a king, they have to surrender their will to the will of the king and invite the governor to return. This has to be an unconditional surrender. They don’t get to set the terms of the relationship with the king. If they want the protection and stability of the kingdom, they don’t get to pick and choose which kingdom laws they want to follow. The king sets the terms, and they are as follows... unconditional surrender. So who is this kingdom governor I’m talking about? It’s the Holy Spirit. You see, it’s the Holy Spirit we lost when Adam rebelled against God. The Holy Spirit is our King’s representative in this earthly colony. He’s the connection to the
kingdom and if you don’t have the Holy Spirit, you don’t have the kingdom. The Holy Spirit cannot live in a house that is full of and ruled by sin. Because that house is under the penalty of death. The sacrifice of Jesus on the cross was not so that you could get into heaven, but so that heaven could get into you. What Jesus did was a means to an end. It was so the Holy Spirit could come back on the earth...So the Governor could come back to the colony and have a place that is free from sin to dwell within. Remember, what Jesus said...this is about His kingdom coming and His will being done on the earth, just as it is in heaven. The 3 year ministry of Jesus before His crucifixion was all about how we are to live while on earth. Jesus didn’t talk about an escape plan for getting out of this evil world, He actually prayed about the opposite. Just before he was crucified he prayed this John 17:13-19 “13 But now I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves. 14 I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 15 I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 17 Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. 18 As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. 19 And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth.” Jesus has sent us out into the world to be His light, just like The Father had sent Him into the world. The bible begins by talking about the earth. Look at Genesis chapter 1. The bible ends by talking about the earth. Just read Revelation chapter 21. The problem is that our hymn books end with heaven, but the Bible ends with earth. Do you want to base your theology on a hymn book or the Bible?
Somehow we’ve taught that church is just a Jesus themed escape room and that our ultimate objective is to get out of here. To believe that, is to ignore what the Bible teaches about our responsibility as kingdom citizens. Here’s the process we normally follow: We come to Jesus for salvation, because we want to go to heaven or because we don’t want to go to hell. It’s all about us and what we want. We think about Jesus as just an extended warranty for our life, so we’re covered when we die. Jesus is just an accessory we add to our life, just incase the Bible is true. Standard marketing practice tells you to advertise your product based on the consumer’s mindset of “what’s in it for me?” That’s where a lot of churches get it wrong. They talk about Jesus offering you a free ticket to heaven, but they don’t talk about what it means to surrender to King Jesus. Our relationship with Jesus may begin by wanting to get something for us, but when the Holy Spirit, our kingdom Governor, starts working in your life, you begin to see that it’s really about the King’s plan for your life, which is about loving others here on earth. He’s shows us how to fully surrender to the King. When we surrender to King Jesus, it has to be an unconditional surrender. We don’t get to pick and choose which of His laws we will follow and which ones we won’t. Those who think that, have not read the contract closely enough...if at all. The bible is clear that Jesus is the King and we are citizens of the kingdom. And that requires unconditional surrender in all areas of your life. We have to accept the fact that the goal of Jesus was not to get us into heaven, but to get heaven’s governor, the Holy Spirit, back into us. So that we could fulfill God’s dominion mandate for man and see His will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
When someone repents of their sins and surrenders their life to King Jesus, He sends His kingdom Governor, the Holy Spirit, to live in a new governor’s mansion. Take a look at how our physical bodies are described in scripture. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 “19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, 20 for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” The price you were purchased with was the blood of Jesus. Since Jesus laid down His life as an innocent sacrifice, you now have a way for your sins to be removed, thus providing a clean house for the Holy Spirit to move into. And when the Holy Spirit has come, the kingdom has come. And when the kingdom has come, His will can be done. You are the Governor’s mansion. You are now the embodiment of God’s kingdom on the earth. This is why the enemy want’s to destroy you. Every time he sees you, he sees a temple of the kingdom. Remember the verse it all started with? Genesis 1:26 “26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness...” The Governor’s mansion was made in the image of the King. It was made to reflect the lifestyle of the kingdom not the lifestyle of the colony. The Holy Spirit in His function as Governor of heaven’s colony on earth has a job. And His job is to ensure that the citizens of the kingdom colony look like, talk like and function like the home kingdom of heaven.
John 16:7 “7 Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.” Jesus said that it was important for Him to leave the earth, so the Father could send the Holy Spirit to us. While Jesus was on earth He had a dual nature, He was fully man and full of the Holy Spirit at the same time. After Jesus freed us from our sin problem, he could then send the Holy Spirit to live in us also. This allowed the Spirit to dwell in Christians all over the earth and oversee God’s kingdom expansion plan once again. John 16:12-15 “12 “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. 14 He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. 15 All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.” The Holy Spirit speaks truth to us in order to keep us in alignment with the King. The truth will glorify the King. John 14:25-26 “25 “These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. 26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.” The Holy Spirit is our teacher. He reminds us of all the things Jesus has said to us in the word. Galatians 5:16-18 “16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from
doing the things you want to do. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.” Your flesh is always fighting against the Holy Spirit. Because your flesh wants to go back to being comfortable. The Holy Spirit is in us to fight against the desires of our flesh. Galatians 5:22-23 “22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” If we are maturing as Disciples of Jesus, we will have the fruit of the Spirit growing in our lives. The fruit of the Spirit grows like any other fruit. It begins as a seed and then matures over time. What we are looking for is a harvest. The way you know that fruit is mature and ready for harvest is that it looks like what was planted. Corn is ready to harvest when the ear has kernels that look just like what was planted. Oranges are ready to harvest when the fruit looks just like the fruit the seed was taken from. Your life is spiritually mature when it looks just like the fruit of the Spirit that God has planted in you through the work of the Holy Spirit. How does your life look? Are you producing mature fruit? That can only happen when God’s kingdom Governor, The Holy Spirit, is dwelling in your house and keeping you connected to the kingdom.
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