30th Mar 26 | 13:54
Studies by Book
Luke 17 20-37 Be occupied with the work of His kingdom, till He returns 03 Established by the Spirit of grace
📖 Luke 17:20-37
10Aug2020 - *Established by the Spirit of grace* - _Luke 17:20-37_ - OCCUPY TILL HE RETURNS 3 – Bible reading: _John 3:3-5_
_Luke 17:20-21 Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, "The kingdom of God does not come with observation; (21) nor will they say, 'See here!' or 'See there!' For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you."_
Our task is to be occupied with the work of His kingdom until our Master returns. To enjoy the full, external outworking of His kingdom, which He will set up, we need to be experiencing the kingdom of God within us.
How are we to experience the kingdom of God within us? This is the question that we will be exploring in the next few studies. This question becomes critical to be answered since we are living in the end time and we are being barraged with strange and peculiar doctrines.
_Hebrews 13:9 Do not be carried about with various and strange doctrines. *For it is good that the heart be established by grace*, not with foods which have not profited those who have been occupied with them._
People are being occupied with these strange doctrines in these end-times but we need to be occupied with living out the gospel of His kingdom from within us, by the Spirit of His grace. Grace is divine enablement and so, we are living in the Spirit of His grace, in our hearts.
All through the day, we face challenges, choices, irritations, inconveniences, altercations, doubt, anxiety and fear. We also experience joys, laughter, quietness and our concern to love God and love our neighbour. Life is a mixed bag. How do we go through these experiences? Is it by the way of our flesh and on how circumstances lead us?
This is where we convert every experience and take it within us and there allow the Holy Spirit to take over and produce His nature from within us. We live in the enablement of the Holy Spirit.
As we learn this experience, we will only want to live in the Spirit and not in the flesh at all. This is the experience of the kingdom of God within us. _(It is like learning to swim or learning to ride a bicycle. Initially, we will stumble but soon the joy of swimming or riding the bicycle takes over)._ The Lord has intended for all of us to live in the realm of the Holy Spirit always and not operate in the realm of the flesh.
Are you experiencing the kingdom of God within you, throughout the day?
Secondly, _John 3:3-5 Jesus answered and said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." (4) Nicodemus said to Him, "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?" (5) Jesus answered, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God._
To experience the kingdom of God within us, we must be born again. To many of us, the ‘Born Again’ experience is a onetime encounter. In a sense this is true. We do come to a time in our life, when we repented of our sin, sought God’s forgiveness, accepted the work of Jesus for us on the cross and invited Him into our lives to be our Lord and Master.
Nevertheless, let us understand that the old man needs to be constantly put off and we must be clothed with the new man. How does this happen? This happens in being born of water and the Spirit. The water represents the word of God _(Ephesians 5:26)_ but the water also represents that we are identified with Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection. This is the core gospel message.
The self in us needs to be crucified with Christ, buried with Christ and we rise up as a new person in Christ, every day. This is to be clothed with the new man. We are also born of the Spirit of God continuously and this is not just a onetime experience.
Reflect on what you have understood today and let it become a reality in you to have the kingdom of God within you.
*Thought to ponder*
The flesh in us is the conduit for the kingdom of satan to control us. There is no neutral ground. We are either operating out of the kingdom of Jesus or out of the kingdom of the devil.