Brother Gary Wednesday Evening 3/18/15

Brother Gary Wednesday Evening 3/18/15

Mat 6:9  After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.

Mat 6:10  Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

We want to keep the kingdom of God real in our lives every day and keep it real that we are a servant in the Kingdom of God every day.

Rom 14:17  For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.

Rom 14:18  For he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God, and approved of men.

Rom 14:19  Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another.

Unless people know what righteousness is, it is just another word.  The kingdom of God is not meat and drink but it is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.  He that in these things serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved of men.

We cannot serve God with just a religious lingo.  “I am praying, I love Jesus, everyone is going to heaven, Oh God please help…”  We must serve God in righteousness peace, and joy.

Follow after things which make for peace and things wherewith one may edify another.

Brother Bill – I looked up the word, “Kingdom” in the Strongs Concordance on the IPad and one definition was a realm.  I thought of the atmosphere of God, The righteousness, peace, and joy.  In heaven, there must be such tranquility, to be in the atmosphere of God! 

Ps 24 and Ps 15 talk about “Who will dwell in thy presence… He that has clean hands, and a pure heart, not lifting up his soul unto vanity.”  To be in the atmosphere of God, where there is peace, righteousness, and joy, we must come to Him. 

We don’t meet Him halfway.  God doesn’t come to our atmosphere, if we want the atmosphere of God, we must go to where He is.  Where we meet His conditions and not the other way around. 

When people get saved, they have met His conditions and by getting forgiveness they have that atmosphere of God where they can have that righteousness, peace, and joy. 

The enemy is forever trying to take us from that atmosphere of righteousness, peace and joy.  In Revelations 8 it speaks of the different horses.  The red horse is the spirit of unbelief.  He comes to take peace from the earth. 

In Hebrews, it tells us to “Take heed lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God.”  If we give in to unbelief, it will cause us to depart from the living God. 

After salvation we must forever work to keep that atmosphere.  The tranquility of Heaven!  Oh what joy, absence from turmoil and strife!  In Proverbs it tells, “It is better to eat a dinner of herbs where there is peace than to dwell in a house full of sacrifice where there is strife.”  You cannot put a value on peace.

Sister Sue –

Psa 85:10  Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other.

Adam Clarke - Mercy and peace are on one side; truth and righteousness on the other. Truth requires righteousness; mercy calls for peace.

They meet together on the way; one going to make inquisition for sin, the other to plead for reconciliation. Having met, their differences on certain considerations, not here particularly mentioned are adjusted; and their mutual claims are blended together in one common interest; on which peace and righteousness immediately embrace. Thus, righteousness is given to truth, and peace is given to mercy.

Now, Where did these meet? In Christ Jesus.

When were they reconciled? When he poured out his life on Calvary.

Abraham’s faith was counted to him for righteousness.

Isa 32:17  And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever.

“When I see peace, the work of righteousness is peace, then I will know that you are righteous.”  This references personal character, uprightness between man and man.  Spotless in personal character.  Spotless holiness, and obedience. 

Sister Alice –

Rev 1:4  John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne;

This is speaking of the Alpha and Omega the beginning and the end. 

Rev 1:8  I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.

He told Abraham, “Know that I am the Almighty.”  The Almighty is the God that is enough.  What God is to us: He could be a big tool as a hammer, or a little tiny screwdriver to fix our glasses.  He is what we need. 

Rev 1:5  And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,

Rev 1:6  And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

It is finished.  It is done.  Kings are the ones that conquer, those that have power.  We have power as a king to reign over sin in this kingdom.  Power to reign over anything in unrighteousness. 

If we don’t have joy sometimes we have to take joy.  If we don’t have peace then something is messing with our righteousness. 

The priests in this kingdom have audience with God.  In the Old Testament there was only one high priest that was allowed to have audience with God.  That was such limited access to God to have to go through that Priest.  In this kingdom because of what Jesus did, every one of us can have access with God.

Sister Dorothy – Jesus talked of the kingdom to Nicodemus. 

Joh 3:5  Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

Joh 3:6  That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

It doesn’t come by observation because it is within you.  The only observation that world can see is when the kingdom is within us and we have that atmosphere around us.  Then they can see the kingdom. 

2Co 7:1  Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

Without righteousness there is no peace there is no joy.  We have to be right first. 

2Co 7:10  For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.

2Co 7:11  For behold this selfsame thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves, yea, what indignation, yea, what fear, yea, what vehement desire, yea, what zeal, yea, what revenge! In all things ye have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter.

Then it tells us in Philippians what to think about.  That is perfecting holiness.  I am so thankful that He can keep us in the right way so that no matter what comes we can have righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Ghost.

Brother John – In Romans chapters 14, 15, and 16, it talks about personal convictions and strengths and weakness.  If we start at a position of what we do have then we can work together to build one another up. 

Let us not judge one another: if we pick at each other with where we feel we are strong or what we feel they are weak in, then we don’t make for peace. 

The Kingdom of God is not meat and drink, it is working together for peace.  It is not all men that will approve; those that are picking fussing and fighting will not approve.  One must be in humility to approve. 

It doesn’t matter what we personally think about anything, the Kingdom of God will go on.  We must change our motivation to cooperate with where the Spirit of God is moving.  “I really feel strong about these things so I have a right to judge.”  No, we must be willing to put our feelings aside to help our brother and sister. 

Real strength is not telling others how to be, but lifting and strengthening each other.  In chapter 16 Paul commends those that were spending their effort to build the kingdom.  It was not those that were trying to make a name, or be strong.  They were trying to carry the load, doing the little things that made it all come together. 

It is amazing how much you can get done when you are not worried about who will get the credit.  Pride gets in the way and destroys.  It makes a mess of things.  We need to work together, stay humble, and let the weaker brothers and sisters express themselves and don’t point out what we think is weakness, but let them do their part.  There is beautiful harmony when everyone is working together.