We all understand the concept that computers have an operating system installed, a foundational set of rules by which it functions. And it can only run software that has been designed for that operating system. 2 Corinthians 5:17 ”17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” When we are born again into the kingdom, the King downloads a new kingdom operating system into us through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. We are a brand new creation, not meant to function using our old system. We are not just a refurb of our old self, we are a brand new creation. Too many Christians have the kingdom operating system installed in their life, but are still trying to function using software designed for the world. That’s why their life is constantly getting hung up and frozen on the same issues.
In Matthew chapter 5 we read about the famous sermon on the mount. In verses 21-48 Jesus lays out some fundamental Kingdom operation principles that need to replace our old thinking. He said being angry with someone is the same as murder. He said that if you lust it’s the same as committing adultery. He said you can’t take an eye for an eye, but you should turn the other cheek. He said you should love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. Jesus was teaching us that the kingdom’s operating system is the exact opposite of the world’s operating system. The foundational rule of the world’s operating system is that everything is based on what you want. The foundational rule of the Kingdom’s operating system is that everything is based on what the King wants. You can’t run the world’s programs on the Kingdom’s operating system. They are not compatible. So you have to delete the old software code line by line and replace it with the new upgraded code. This is not a fast process. It can take years because the old code is embedded into every area of your life. if you continue to use the world’s programs, you’ll stay in a state of sluggish performance or even locked up completely, not able to move your life forward without a complete system reboot. That is what is happening when you see the same people going to an altar to pray for forgiveness for the same things over and over.
Maybe you need a fresh install of the Kingdom operating system if you want a life that is full of purpose and fulfillment. Let’s look at how we do that. We have to have the hard drive wiped and reload the proper operating system. Your soul is the combination of your mind, your will and your emotions. Your soul gets input from your body. Your soul deposits that information into your spirit. You have to hear something 7 times for it to be permanently written onto your hard drive or spirit. Your body gives ur soul the info and the soul sends it to the spirit to judge. If you send the wrong stuff often enough, that is what gets written and it’s very difficult to erase. You have to overwrite the old code by living by the kingdom principles that Jesus taught during His ministry here on earth. When Jesus started His ministry, this is what He did. Matthew 4:23 “23 Jesus was going about in all of Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every disease and every sickness among the people.” He traveled around teaching in synagogues and proclaiming the Gospel (which just means “good news”) of the Kingdom. Then He healed the sick so people would listen to Him as an authority. How did Jesus teach about the good news of the kingdom? He taught it in the Lord’s prayer:
Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth, as in Heaven. He taught it in the Parables of Matthew 13: Jesus said the Kingdom of heaven is like...A Sower who went out to sow seeds and the seeds fell on different kinds of soil. the Kingdom of heaven is like... Some Good Seed that was sown in a field and then enemies sowed weeds among them. the Kingdom of heaven is like... A Mustard Seed that is the smallest, but grows the largest. the Kingdom of heaven is like... Leaven that is hidden in flour. the Kingdom of heaven is like... A Hidden Treasure that is hidden in a field. the Kingdom of heaven is like... A merchant searching for fine pearls. the Kingdom of heaven is like... A fishing net that is thrown into the sea. In Luke 10, Jesus sent 70 disciples out ahead of Him into the towns where He was going and told them this: Luke 10:8-9. “8 Whatever city you enter and they receive you, eat what is served to you; 9 and heal those in it who are sick, and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ Jesus told those disciples what to do, and what message to say to the people in each town. The message was that the kingdom was near. Here’s the first kingdom principle: Wherever the King is, His kingdom is present. Luke 17:20-21. “20 Now He was questioned by the Pharisees as to when the kingdom of God was coming, and He answered
them and said, “The kingdom of God is not coming with signs that can be observed; 21 nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or, ‘There it is!’ For behold, the kingdom of God is in your midst.” The religious leaders of that day were expecting a grand show of military power to be ushered into the city. They were excited about the arrival of a new King sent from God with political power in order to free them from Roman rule. But Jesus said that’s not how the kingdom is going to arrive. He said that He was there with them, and because He was there, the Kingdom had already arrived in their town. The kingdom expansion plan had already been re-engaged! When we accept Jesus as our Lord, He lives within us, and His plan for Kingdom expansion continues. If Jesus lives in you and you are in a room...the kingdom is in that room! The different areas you are moving in right now are potential kingdom territories...and the King wants them all. Every family, workplace and neighborhood that you are a part of, are all areas that God has given you influence over...for His Kingdom expansion. You have to understand that God placed you in those areas for His glory and not just your own benefit. The job you have is so much more than a paycheck, it is a kingdom assignment that you are supposed to use for the King’s glory. Let’s back up for a minute so we can understand how this kingdom expansion assignment starts. We’ve talked about the idea of accepting Jesus, but what actually happens when you accept Jesus into your life as Lord? You are born again...spiritually.
We’ve all heard that phrase. Being “born again”, but what does it mean? Is it more than just something christians say to make us sound weird? Because it does sound weird. As a matter of fact, the first time it’s mentioned in the Bible, it got a curious response. John 3:1-6. “3 Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews; 2 this man came to Jesus at night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.” 3 Jesus responded and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless someone is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” 4 Nicodemus *said to Him, “How can a person be born when he is old? He cannot enter his mother’s womb a second time and be born, can he?” 5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless someone is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which has been born of the flesh is flesh, and that which has been born of the Spirit is spirit.” It’s a strange concept for sure, but let’s look at it through a kingdom lens and see what it reveals. Jesus told Nicodemus, he had to be born again. Here is why that is a significant statement. Sin entered the world thru Adam and you were naturally born into sin because you are a blood relative of Adam. We were natural born citizens of earth. That’s how you have citizenship in a country, you are born into it. You are considered a “natural born citizen”. So we all begin life as a natural born citizen of the earth, with a fresh install of the world’s operating system. But after accepting Jesus, The King says we have been born again into a new kingdom citizenship.
We are now kingdom citizens with a new kingdom operating system. We are to operate as citizens of Heaven Philippians 3:20 “For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we eagerly wait for the Savior, the lord Jesus Christ.” Ok, so our citizenship is no longer earth, it is now in heaven. But does that really matter? Yes, and this is why. Citizens have rights, benefits, and also responsibilities. Kingdom citizens have the right to be called God’s children John 1:12 “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe on His name. We are now children of the King. And as children of the King, He is responsible for our care. The reputation of a king is established by how well he takes care of the citizens in His dominion or kingdom. We have benefits as citizens of the kingdom. Matthew 6:25-30 “25 “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?[g] 28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor
spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? This is why Jesus taught us that we should not worry, because our Father knows what we need and if we are seeking His kingdom first, He will provide all we need. If we worry, we are putting ourselves in the position of God and trying to make sure we are taken care of. And instinctively we know that is not within our power, so we worry about how to do it. But it’s not our responsibility to begin with. Kingdom citizens have a responsibility to be ambassadors. 2 Corinthians 5:20 “Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us.” When an ambassador is in a foreign country, he speaks for and represents the government or king of his home country. He’s not there to promote himself or his ideas. As ambassadors of the Kingdom of Heaven, our only job is to represent the Kings opinion. We don’t get to use the phrase: “I’ll tell you what I think”. Social media is built on that principal, and it’s a big problem. This where a lot of christians get their life off track. When they have a problem they go to people, even other christians, who want to give their personal fleshly opinion and not the opinion of the king. And that’s because they haven’t studied His word and they don’t actually know what the King’s opinion is on that topic.
As an ambassador, who is supposed to be the embodiment of the kingdom...You have taken on His name. And now, you are supposed to represent Him in everything you do. Colossians 3:17 “17 Whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus” In light of this, what do you think the third commandment means? Exodus 20:7 “7 Thou shall not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.” I grew up believing that this commandment was all about not saying GD or using the name of Jesus as a cuss word. Now, while I believe that those actions are certainly covered within the meaning of the commandment, let me shed some new light on it for you. Because it is a much broader principal that we need to understand. The commandment does not say we shouldn’t speak the name of the Lord in vain. It says we shouldn’t take the name of the Lord in vain. When a woman gets married, what does she do with her husband’s last name? She takes it. Or in other words, she now identifies as part of him. So if we have taken the name of Christ, by calling ourselves Christians, we are supposed to identify as part of Him. This means that you should not “take His name” as in marriage and then act like you’re not married to Him. If you do, you’ve taken it in vain. You have not upheld your position as a family member of the body of Christ. And you have betrayed the trust
given to you as an ambassador of His name. It’s in vain to use His name for your purpose and not His. “In vain” means: to no effect, pointless, futile...etc. Matthew 15:8-9 “This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.” Our Father, in heaven. Hallowed be Your name. God’s name is something He holds in the highest regard. The Kingdom operating system does not come naturally Our flesh wants to operate in the worlds system Can’t just try to change our behavior. Spiritual diets don’t ever work for us. Romans 12:2 “2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” Do not be conformed to this “world’s operating system” but be transformed by the upgrading of your thoughts. We must think differently in order to function differently.. And we can only think differently by having the word in our heart.
Comments