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Principles of the Kingdom

 INTRODUCTION

Every kingdom must have its laws by which its citizens are governed. The basic requirements that constitute a kingdom are:

  • A KING, OR SOVEREIGN HEAD
  • THE PEOPLE, OR REALM OVER WHICH HE RULES
  • THE PRINCIPLES OR LAWS, BY WHICH HE RULES

The Kingdom of God likewise has its laws. To live by them is to enjoy Kingdom Living. The laws of this Kingdom are not legalistically enforced with a death penalty to invoke for breaking them, as was the Law of Moses.

They are principles for living which the Word of God will build into every submissive citizen of the kingdom.  Paul calls this, walking in the Spirit, and says that if we do this we will not fulfil the desires of the flesh. (Gal. 5:16)  He further adds that walking in the Spirit will enable us to inherit the Kingdom. (Gal. 5:21) If we do not obey these laws, we suffer spiritually. We experience a loss of peace, joy and blessing in our daily walk with God.We therefore need to study the laws of the Kingdom to discover just how God would have us live.  The law of the Lord, “is perfect, transforming the soul… and in keeping of them, there is great reward.” (Ps.19: 7)

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 KINGDOM PRINCIPLES AS STATED IN THE BEATITUDES

King Jesus announced the laws of the Kingdom in Matthew 5, 6 & 7.  May I suggest that you read these chapters again to familiarize yourself with them.  Lack of space prohibits a full examination of them, but we shall look at them briefly. Throughout the letters of the Apostles I have discovered that they confirm these teachings of our Lord Jesus. I have added a few of these verses to every statement of Christ.  These laws are nothing more than Kingdom principles, which set the agenda whereby Kingdom living is executed.

    1.       THE PRINCIPLE AGAINST UNJUSTIFIED ANGER (Mt.5:21-26)

Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life in him.  (1 Jn. 3:15)

If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or else you will destroy one another. (Gal. 5:15)

There is anger, which is justifiable. For example the Bible mentions several times that God was angry with various people. This kind of anger is often called righteous indignation. It is the controlled expression of annoyance of displeasure. That anger which the Kingdom law prohibits is that of enragement, fuming, bitterness, recrimination and vexation, the anger which is vented against someone with venom and nastiness. God is particularly displeased with the anger which causes one to lose control of oneself.

2.       THE PRINCIPLE OF INNER PURITY  (Mt.5:27-32)

      “Having eyes full of adultery.”  (2 Pet. 2:14)

      Marriage should be honoured by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral. (Heb. 13:4)

Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body. Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? (1 Co. 6:18, 19)

Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desire.  (Gal. 5:24)

Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which are idolatry.  Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. (Col. 3:5,6)

The cure for such a problem lies firstly in making a determined vow against all moral impurity and then fulfilling it with resolute action. Jesus is not advocating the literal amputation of the hand, or the physical gouging out of the eye.  Neither the hand nor the eye is the real source of the trouble.  There is a motivation behind both hand and eye, which needs to be dealt with.  Christ is saying, “Whatever is needful to keep your heart pure, do it, with determination, for if you play with sin it will destroy you.”

  1. 3.              THE PRINCIPLE OF HONESTY AND INTEGRITY (Mt.5: 33-37)

“Above all, my brothers, do not swear—not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. Let your ‘Yes’ be yes, and your ‘No,’ no, or you will be condemned.” (Jas. 5:12)

The Kingdom citizen must be faithful to his word. His yes must be yes and his no must be no.  He must be a man of his word so that people will learn to put confidence and trust in what he says. He must be reliable and consistent. This applies to such matters as keeping appointments and being on time for them. Keeping promises even when it becomes inconvenient to do so.

    4.       THE PRINCIPLE OF NON RETALIATION  (Mt.5:38-42)

Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else.  (1 Th. 5:15)

Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. God has established the authorities that exist.  Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. (Ro.13: 1,2)

Our role is to love our enemies, to do them good, and allow God to deal with them.

The Kingdom citizen never retaliates. He never goes to law against his neighbours, but always seeks how he may bless his enemies.

    5.       THE PRINCIPLE  OF RIGHT MOTIVATION  (Mt.6: 1-18)

“And you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.” (2 Pet. 1:11)

“All this is evidence that God’s judgment is right, and as a result you will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering.” (2 Th. 1:5)

 “The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory for ever and ever.” (2 Ti 4:18)                                     

“The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said, ‘The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign for ever and ever.’” (Rev. 11:15)

“Then I said, ‘Here I am – it is written about me in the scroll – I have come to do your will, O God.” (Heb. 10:7)

 “For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding.” (Col. 1:9)

Religion is concerned largely with right acts and deeds, but the King is interested in inner motive.  What is my reason for doing this?  Is my motive pure?  Am I doing this for the right reason?  The Scribes and Pharisees specialised in religious acts.  They did all the right things, but often with an imperfect motive. Our righteousness must exceed theirs (Mt. 5:20). In the Kingdom of God we are to do the right thing, from a pure, right and just motive.

    6.       THE PRINCIPLE  OF RESPONSIBLE STEWARDSHIP (Mt..6:19-34)

 “Keep your lives free from the love of money.” (Heb. 13:5)

“And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.”

As citizens of the Kingdom we have relinquished all our “rights” to the King. As His “love slaves”, we no longer own anything.  All we have and are belongs to Christ. Now we are stewards, of what we have, on behalf of the King.  V.21 is a key to responsible stewardship. “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”  What we invest our finance in reveals where our heart’s affections really lie. If we invest in earthly things, moth, rust and thieves will destroy our investment. Treasures invested in the eternal kingdom will produce eternal dividends.

    7.    THE PRINCIPLE OF RIGHT PRIORITIES (Mt.6:24-34)

“Know ye not, that to whom ye present yourselves as servants unto obedience, his servants ye are whom ye obey?”  (Rom 6:16)

“If I were still pleasing men, I should not be a servant of Christ.” (Gal. 1:10)

“In nothing be anxious; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God…and my God shall fulfil every need of yours according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” (Phi. 4:6,19)

“Casting all your anxiety upon Him, because He cares for you.”   (1 Pet. 5:7)

“We brought nothing into the world, for neither can we carry anything out: but having food and covering in these we shall have enough. (1 Ti. 6:7,8) 

Successful Kingdom living depends largely on getting our priorities right – that is, giving our attention to the most important things first. Jesus clearly defines our first priority: “Seek ye FIRST the Kingdom of God, and all these ‘things’ – food, drink, clothes, etc. Which the Gentiles seek after (strive for) – will be added unto you.”

Give the Kingdom of God and righteousness, the first place in your thoughts, desires, and actions.  Make it the number One priority in your life.  Let everything else take second place to it. Love the King, more than anyone else. Serve His purposes with dedication and purpose. He will supply the needful things of life.

    8.    THE PRINCIPLE OF TOLERANCE TOWARDS YOUR BROTHER (Mt.7:1-6)

“Judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and make manifest the counsels of the hearts;  and then shall each man have his praise from God.” (1 Co. 4:5)

“Brethren, even if a man be overtaken in any trespass, ye which are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of meekness; looking to thyself, lest thou also be tempted. Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.” (Gal. 6:1,2)

The worldly man judges and criticizes others regardless of how great his own weakness and failings are.  He often tries to remove a speck from another eye, when there is a log in his own.  This is not so in the Kingdom.  Jesus says, we are not to criticize or condemn our brother. Moffatt’s translation of Rom.14:13 says, “So let us stop criticising one another.” This does not mean we should be blind to the faults of a brother.  We are not to disregard such faults.   It means that instead of criticizing and condemning him, we should minister to him in love, with compassion, seeking to help him overcome those weaknesses.  Our action would be positive, not negative.  How we treat such a person will determine how we ourselves are treated. “For with what measure ye judge, ye shall be judged.”  (Mt.7:2)

    9.   THE PRINCIPLE OF DISCRIMINATE TEACHING (Mt. 7:6)

(The Principle of Pearls and Pigs.)

“The mind of the flesh is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can it be.”   (Rom.8:7)

“Now the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him; and he cannot know them, because they are spiritually judged. The spiritual man makes judgements about all things, but he himself is not subject to any man’s judgement.”  (1 Co. 2:14-15)

“He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes or decide by what he hears with his ears.” (Is. 11:3)

The pearls, to which Jesus refers, are the truths of the Kingdom, which are formed in our lives, as a pearl is formed in the oyster.  These truths are sacred and precious.  God has gone to great lengths to build these truths into you.  They are holy things, sacred and personal. Do not go around sharing them indiscriminately, as one who would feed holy things to dogs, or pearls to swine. Treat such precious truths with respect.  Treasure them in your heart. We are to share the message of the Kingdom with whomever. But the mysteries of the Kingdom are for the committed.  Do not try to impose mature truth on immature people. Let the Holy Spirit guide you about whom, when and how to share the deeper truth of the Kingdom.

Remember that the unregenerate man cannot even “see” the Kingdom. He does not even know that it exists.

    9.     THE PRINCIPLE OF PRAYER (Mt.7:7-12)

“Praying at all seasons in the Spirit.” (Eph. 6:18)

“And whatsoever we ask, we receive of Him, because we keep His commandments, and do the things that are pleasing in His sight. This is the boldness which we have toward Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He heareth us: and if we know that He heareth us whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions which we have asked of Him.”

(1 Jn. 3:22; 5:14, 15)

“Let him ask in faith, nothing doubting.”  (Jas. 1:5)

“Ye, brethren, were called for freedom; only use not your freedom for an occasion to the flesh, but through love be servants one to another.” (Gal. 5:13)

There is a definite sequence and progression involved in the principle of prayer. Jesus outlined it thus:

        a.  “ASK, and it shall be given to you.” This is the simplest form of prayer.  Making our requests known to God, with thanksgiving.

       b.  “SEEK, and ye shall find.”

Here is a deeper level of prayer; which goes far beyond making our requests known to God. Seeking God is the earnest pursuit of God in prayer.  “Ye shall find me, when you search with all your heart.”  David called it “Seeking the face of God.” (Ps.27:8). It demands more time, dedication, and sacrifice than the simpler kind of prayer. It also results in greater rewards not simply in the attaining of things we may desire but the development of our deeper spiritual life.

        c.  “KNOCK and the door shall be opened.”

This introduces a deeper level of maturity in Spiritual things. This is not the pounding upon the door, insisting that it shall be opened to you.  It is not the frenzy of purpose, which would almost break down the door.

Rather, it is the gentle knocking of request, with great respect, which understands that God will not willingly open the door to any situation with which we are too immature to cope.

There is an aggressive faith that may insist on an answer which is harmful or injurious.  For example, Israel insisted on having a king to rule them.  God unwillingly gave them their requests but it brought leanness into their soul.  How much wiser they would have been to “Knock gently and see if God would respond. This does not exclude a persistent seeking to know Fathers will and to have the boldness as a son to stand before Him with full assurance , without doubting that He will answer your request  (Heb 10:19-22  and Luke 18: 1-5)

     10.     THE PRINCIPLE OF SOLID FOUNDATIONS (Mt.7:24-27)

“If any man build on the foundation gold,  silver,  costly stones,  wood,  hay,  stubble;  each man’s work shall be made manifest:  for the day shall declare it,  because it is revealed in fire;  and the fire itself shall prove each man’s work of what sort it is. If any man’s work shall abide which he built thereon,  he shall receive a reward. If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as through fire.” (1 Co. 3:12-15)

“But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of out Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.” (Jude 20,21)

Jesus teaches the necessity of  “having the word”, rather than merely “hearing” it.

Christ said, those who heard His sayings, but did not practice them, were like fools who built a house on sand.  Without a firm foundation it would be destroyed by the storms of life. In complete contrast, those who “do” the words of Jesus, practice them and live by them, are wise, building upon a rock.  The storms of life fall on them also but the structure of their life will withstand every storm.

Too many Christians are content to “hear the sayings of Jesus”. They store them in their mind and memory. They give intellectual assent to them, but never practice the principles. It would be better to know one truth, and practice it, than to know hundreds of truths and never put any of them into practice.

Living by these principles of the Kingdom builds a firm foundation, for our Kingdom role.  Through the practice of the principles, God is preparing us for our function in the coming manifestation of the Kingdom of God, which will exercise its government over all the nations.   The wise man differs from the foolish man in attitude. He detected something in the Person of Christ, which the foolish man never did. The moment our Lord referred to the coming storm (judgment), he knew that it was a solemn truth. He detected the words of Christ as that from God and was filled with fear. This is the reason why, according to Luke, he dug deep down till he found a solid rock upon which to build.

A FEW IMPORTANT EVALUATIONS ONE SHOULD CONSIDER IN ONES OWN LIFE TO SEE IF YOU ARE SHOWING THE FRUIT  OF YOUR FAITH – (2Cor 13: 5)

1. Will you take seriously the Kingdom principles God set out?  Write down 3 of these principles Jesus has taught us that you need to apply in your personal life?

2. Can you recall some of these principles that you are applying daily in your life?

3. Are you willing to follow God’s kingdom plan for your life, no matter what direction it takes?

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