Tag: repentance

Get a Taste of This Kingdom!

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Weariness. Struggle. Disappointment. Separation. Helplessness. Grief. Illness. Battle. Pain. Regret. Fear. Disillusionment. Sorrow. These are just a few of the words to describe parts of our experience in the kingdom of this world. By “this world,” I mean the aggregate of all things earthly – the entire system of this currently broken cosmos. Temporarily, Satan is permitted to exert influence and humans are free to rebel against God. Hence, the Psalmist notes, “The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD and against his Anointed” (Psalm 2:2, ESV). The apostle Paul also reminds us of the devil who is “the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience” (Ephesians 2:2, ESV). The force of evil rebellion is wielded, and God’s creation suffers.

Enter Jesus Christ. Diving wholeheartedly into the mess, Jesus begins to tread the dirt of this earth two millennia ago. At the inauguration of His ministry, he walked to Capernaum by the Sea of Galilee and began preaching some of the sweetest words I have ever heard, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 4:17, ESV). The kingdom of heaven is at hand! Praise God! We can now begin to sense the infiltration of a kingdom ruled by what is right; the invasion of all we have longed for has begun!

Just in case we are questioning what the rule of God’s righteousness is honestly like, Jesus works His way through all of Galilee “teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people” (Matthew 4:23, ESV). Did you catch the wonderment of His action? Jesus healed every disease and affliction that broken humans could present to Him. He single-handedly demonstrated the heart of God . . . to cure what ails and destroys us. This heart of God prevails with the kingdom of heaven, so let us go back to Jesus’ prescription for the ushering in of that glorious kingdom.

Jesus exhorted, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” The prerequisite for my part in this kingdom is repentance. I must rightfully acknowledge my guilt in the hellish schemes of a sinful heart. I must confess that I am a sinner, and that I desire to be forgiven of my sins. The gist of repentance bids me go further – to agree to turn away from sin and toward God by the power Jesus grants to me. A repentant heart says, “I run to God and away from sin; and I desire to never look back, even though I know the cost will be great.”

You will notice that after calling people to repentance in anticipation of God’s kingdom, Jesus approaches individuals and asks them to follow Him (Matthew 4:18-22) – not just in a walk by the lake, but in a walk of self-denial and God-exaltation. He asks Peter and Andrew to come with Him, and both men left their fishing nets and embarked on a relationship with Jesus Christ. They deemed Him worth the adventure and all that would be asked of them.

After the call to repentance and the invitation to follow in the everyday walk of life, Jesus begins to display the heart of the heavenly kingdom with His miracles. How overjoyed the disciples must have been to begin realizing the momentous nature of that of which they had become a part. God wants things right! He wants our hearts right, our words right, our actions right, our relationships right, our bodies right, and our universe right! Jesus began in that small province in the Middle East to shine forth hints of what the kingdom of heaven is, and what indescribable joy we shall experience when – finally – “the kingdom of the world [becomes] the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ” (Revelation 11:15, ESV).

Friends, as surely as the words of John 3:16 are true, the words of Revelation 11:15 are true. One day this world’s dark kingdom will be replaced with the kingdom of our Lord. Then we will witness in full what Galileans witnessed in part in the days of Jesus’ earthly ministry. We will see with our own eyes afflictions disappear, weariness turn to strength, love prevail without challenge, grief be obliterated, fear become trust, sorrow vanish, regret run away, the earth be restored to perfection . . . and Jesus take charge forever.

Get a taste of this kingdom now, and join me one day when we feast together with our Savior!

Bad Trees and End Results

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No matter what we say in the name of Jesus or do in the name of Jesus, God discerns the truth of the matter. It is quite possible for someone to prophesy in God’s name and perform miracles without truly being a man or woman of God. Satan has the power to do counterfeit signs and wonders (II Thessalonians 2:9), and that will be one hallmark of the antichrist in the end times.

Jesus made clear to his disciples that they should examine fruit. In other words, we are to observe the end results of the life and work of a person. If my life does not please God, then neither does my purported work for Him. Though it is popular today to have a ministry for the Lord, this means nothing if we do not have a day-to-day way of living that pleases the Lord.

Jesus appeals to basic logic when He reminds us that it is simply impossible for a diseased tree to bring forth healthy fruit. If we are still diseased by sin at our core, our work for God will not heal the disease. The ultimate results of our life will still wreak havoc.

I may appear to do great things for God, but if people walk away from interaction with me disturbed by my spitefulness and rattled by my lack of self-control, then I am not bearing the fruit of the Spirit of God. If the end results of my relationships are destruction and unrest, if I never follow-through in faithfulness, if selfish impatience is my prominent trait, if sadness and gloom surround me always, or if imperviousness marks my every path; I am bearing fruit that is diseased. (See Galatians 5:22-23) The core of me needs fixed. For, “A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit” (Matthew 7:18).

To be sure we understand the seriousness of bad fruit, Jesus said, “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; Depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness’” (Matthew 7:22-23). You see, in Heaven it will not be necessary for people to cast out demons, prophesy, or perform miracles. What will be essential is the love between brethren and all the kindness, gentleness, and self-control that comes with real love.

A grave issue stands at hand. Let us grapple with it. Diseased trees bear diseased fruit. Alleged work for the Lord notwithstanding, “Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire” (Matthew 7:19). It is the truth of our lives that matters, not what we appear to be because of all kinds of ministry efforts. This is a matter of integrity; what are we at the root? Because what we are will come out in the everyday effects of our living.

Why would Jesus throw a diseased tree into the fire? Good fruit will never come from it. The eternity the people of God want to enter is a forever of good things. The eternity fitting of our holy God is a forever of righteousness. What is – at its core – not good, must go.

Before the time of Jesus’ teaching what we have briefly discussed, He preached clearly, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 4:17). If your soul is diseased and you recognize it, there is hope for you. Jesus proclaims, “Repent.” Turn around. Change your mind completely. Realize the core needs healed. Realize more work will not change you. Decide that you need Jesus to clean your heart. He will. He promises that the kingdom of heaven – of goodness – is right around the corner.

The Only Thing We Ever Really Have

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All the money in the world. Fame beyond imagination. A body to be envied. Success of unbelievable proportions. All of this is meaningless the moment we take our last breath. And, perhaps, all of this is meaningless right now. The world is filled with people who are scared on the inside because life on the outside does not provide security whatsoever.

Think about this: we cannot even guarantee we will have a heartbeat in the next five minutes. When we strip away all the pride and self-sufficiency, we realize we are helpless creatures – completely unable to secure our destinies. What do we ever really have?

All we ever really have is the opportunity to connect with our Creator. We are at His mercy; and His mercy provides the opportunity to reach out to Him and react to His desire to hold us tightly.

I cannot control the world. (That is quite an understatement!) I cannot control tomorrow. I cannot control people. I cannot control the continuance or discontinuance of my very earthly life. The Word of God makes clear that God alone owns everything and controls everything. In Psalm 24:1, David penned, “The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.”

We may rebel against God’s ultimate ownership and control, but the truth remains unchanged no matter our disagreement. Many people’s ongoing denial of the sovereignty of God keeps them up at night, causes them internal and external distress, diseases their minds with discomfort and confusion, and saps them of the energy to live.

When a person comes to terms with the simple truth that the only thing he or she has is the opportunity for relationship with God, then a person is on the road to a life worth living.

David also said in Psalm 111:10 that “the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom.” In other words, to stand in reverent awe of God – to recognize we are at His mercy – is the ultimate starting point for the wisdom necessary to navigate this world.

What is the way to the only real life there is? Admit that you are helpless in the shadow of the living Lord who created you. Ask Him to make things right between you and Him by the sacrifice of Himself – the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the second Person of the Godhead. In this sincere plea, we ask God to cover with the righteousness of Jesus our sin and inability to please Him.

What then? We rest. Isaiah proclaims in Isaiah 30:15, “In repentance and rest is your salvation.” We rest because we now finally and clearly see that the only thing we ever really had was the opportunity to connect with our Creator. Believing we are in control is a delusion, and one can never really rest in a lie. “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:32)