30th Mar 26 | 13:54
Studies by Book
LUKE 19 11-27 TO EVERYONE WHO HAS, WILL BE GIVEN 02 His kingdom representatives
📖 Luke 19:11-27
10Dec2020 - *His kingdom representatives* - Luke 19:11-27 - TO EVERYONE WHO HAS, WILL BE GIVEN 2 – Bible reading: _Daniel 7:13-14_
As the New Testament church, we need to intentionally grasp our life in His kingdom. Here is an identity statement that we will keep polishing as we go along in this study.
_We are citizens of the kingdom of God, redeemed and reconciled back to God, through the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus, fulfilling His work in the enablement of the Holy Spirit, as His kingdom representatives here on earth. We prayerfully await the Messiah to return, to set up the fullness of His kingdom, and to rule alongside with Him._
_Luke 19:11-12 Now as they heard these things, He spoke another parable, because He was near Jerusalem and because they thought the kingdom of God would appear immediately. (12) Therefore He said: "A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and to return._
We saw yesterday how the Jews were so caught up with the expectation of the kingdom of God to be fully functional immediately, as the Messiah had arrived. It was for them to understand and get the right perspective of the setting up of His kingdom that the Lord gave this parable.
He began by analogising the setting up of His kingdom to that of a certain nobleman who went to a far country to receive a kingdom and return. Jesus was presenting Himself through this story.
Jesus is receiving His kingdom from the Father.
_Daniel 7:13-14 “I was watching in the night visions, And behold, One like the Son of Man, Coming with the clouds of heaven! He came to the Ancient of Days, And they brought Him near before Him. (14) Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, That all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, Which shall not pass away, And His kingdom the one Which shall not be destroyed._
We belong to the everlasting kingdom of Jesus, which shall not pass away and shall not be destroyed.
This is the truth that must take hold of us and grip us so powerfully that we will operate our everyday lives from this reality.
_I Peter 3:22 who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, angels and authorities and powers having been made subject to Him._
_Ephesians 1:20-23 which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, (21) far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. (22) And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, (23) which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all._
Not only is Jesus raised to be seated with the Father at His right hand in the heavenly realms, but the church is also the body of Jesus, the fullness of Him, who fills all in all. Friends, do you see the high and glorious position to which the church has been raised in Christ?
This is the truth that our enemy, the devil, does not want us, the church, to know and live out.
If we were to live out of the basis of this understanding, we will put the devil to flight. So, he plagues us with divisions and ego clashes that we are left immersed in all the interpersonal conflicts that we have lost sight of who we are already set out to be in Christ.
_Ephesians 2:4-7 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, (5) even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),_
We come up to this verse and we are very joyful that God loved us and made us alive together with Christ and that we are saved by His grace. We stop here and do not proceed further.
_(6) and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, (7) that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus._
God saved us not just to be satisfied with our salvation and enable others to also come into the realm of being saved but the Lord has saved us in order that we will sit together with Christ in the heavenly places.
This is the place of the church, which is to be regents of God, reigning with Him, which implies that we bring the kingdom rule, the kingdom ethos, the kingdom culture, into our world, which is running on the culture of darkness and evil, insinuated by Satan.
Not only are we to reign with Jesus in this age but the experiences of reigning with Jesus now, are the training opportunities that the Lord is giving the church, for we will reign with Jesus in the age to come. This time here is preparation time/dress rehearsal for the main event which is the everlasting age of the reign of Jesus.
_Daniel 7:18 But the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom, and possess the kingdom forever, even forever and ever.' Daniel 7:22 until the Ancient of Days came, and a judgment was made in favor of the saints of the Most High, and the time came for the saints to possess the kingdom. Daniel 7:27 Then the kingdom and dominion, And the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven, Shall be given to the people, the saints of the Most High. His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, And all dominions shall serve and obey Him.'_
*Thought to ponder*
Will we offer ourselves to be regents of Jesus, to reign with Him now and also be prepared to reign with Him in the age which is to come?