May we turn again to the Gospel according to Matthew, chapter 24. We will read one verse, verse 14:
And these glad tidings of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole habitable earth for a testimony unto all the nations; and then shall the end come.
The gospel of the kingdom must be preached in the whole habitable earth as a testimony to the nations, and then the end will come.
Our Heavenly Father, we do praise and thank Thee for leading us behind the veil into Thy very presence. We sense that in Thy presence there is life; there is light. We do open ourselves to Thee this morning. May the light of Thy countenance shine upon us.
May Thou fill us with Thine own life, and may Thy life be manifested through Thy body, that Thou mayest be glorified. Oh, we pray that even this morning Thou wilt quicken Thy word to our hearts. Make Thy word living and operative in us. Draw us, that we may run after Thee. We ask in Thy precious name. Amen.
The gospel of the kingdom is the gospel that our Lord Jesus Himself preached while He was on earth. It is the gospel the apostles continued to preach, as we find in the book of Acts. We believe it is the same gospel that we must preach until the end comes.
In a very real sense, the gospel of the kingdom brings in the end, because it proclaims to the world that the King has come and that He is building His kingdom even today upon this earth. When the spiritual reality is full, then the kingdom of this world shall become the kingdom of God and of His Christ. So we believe that the gospel of the kingdom has such significance because it hastens the return of the Lord and brings this world, this age, to an end.
What is the kingdom? We have mentioned again and again that this kingdom which our Lord Jesus presents to the world is a very different kingdom, entirely different from all the kingdoms of this world. Our Lord Jesus Himself testified, “My kingdom is not of this world.” Because it is of such a different nature, the world does not understand.
Even the disciples of our Lord Jesus failed to understand what kingdom He was bringing in. You remember that, towards the end of His public ministry, He was going to Jerusalem for the last time. Even at that late hour, the twelve disciples were still striving and struggling for a greater position in the kingdom.
They thought the Lord was going to Jerusalem as the King of the Jews, to establish His kingdom upon this earth. Their concept of the kingdom was still earthly. Therefore, it was such a critical moment to those disciples.
You remember the sons of Zebedee, James and John. They tried to outmaneuver the other ten disciples. They even got their mother involved. She came with her two sons to the Lord and said, “Lord, promise that You will give us what we ask for.”
They were very wise not to tell the Lord immediately what they wanted. But our Lord could never be deceived, so He said, “What do you really want?”
They said, “In Thy kingdom, let my two sons sit on the two sides of Thee, one on Thy right hand and one on Thy left hand.” In other words, they thought the Lord was going to Jerusalem to take His kingdom, and these two sons of Zebedee wanted to occupy the most prominent places in it.
The Lord Jesus did not blame them for desiring the kingdom. He only said:
Are ye able to drink the cup that I am about to drink?
Are ye able to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?
Actually, James and John did not understand what the cup was, nor did they understand what the baptism meant. But because of their desire to have the right and left places—the two high places in the kingdom—they answered without knowing exactly what it meant, “Yes, we are able. We are willing to drink the cup, and we are ready and willing to be baptized.”
Our Lord Jesus said, “Indeed, ye shall drink of My cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with; but to sit on My right hand and on My left hand is not Mine to give, but it is for My Father Who is in heaven to give.”
Dear brothers and sisters, oftentimes we have the same problem. We think that the kingdom means the right hand and the left hand of our Lord Jesus. We think that to gain the kingdom is a matter of striving, struggling, and asking.
But our Lord Jesus came to establish His kingdom, and His kingdom is of a very different nature. If anyone wants to be in the kingdom, and to be greater, as it were, in the kingdom, then he must drink the cup that our Lord drinks and be baptized with the baptism with which our Lord Jesus is baptized.
What is this cup? You remember in the Garden of Gethsemane that our Lord Jesus was agonizing in prayer, travailing in prayer. He said:
Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass away from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as Thou wilt.
He prayed in this fashion three times. After He had prayed three times, He said, “The cup which the Father hath given Me, shall I not drink it?” This is the cup that our Lord Jesus drank. What is it? It is the Father’s will.
The Father’s will was that cup which our Lord Jesus drank. Whether it meant bitterness, shame, curse, death, or the cross, if it was the Father’s will, then this was His portion, and He was willing to take it.
What is the baptism with which He was to be baptized? It means the cross. Even though, at the beginning of His ministry, He received the baptism of John, that baptism was a type, or a foreshadowing, that He was going to be crucified.
Dear brothers and sisters, the kingdom that our Lord Jesus presents to us is of a very different nature. As the King of that kingdom, He sets before us a good example: how He accepted the Father’s will and how He died on Calvary’s cross. Therefore, we say that the cross is the symbol of His kingdom.
If we desire to be in that kingdom, and desire to be greater in that kingdom, then we must drink the cup and be baptized with His baptism. It is not something for which we strive against one another. It is not a position that we try to obtain. It is a spiritual reality, and he who has that reality will be given a place in the kingdom.
Last night we fellowshipped together on the sons of the kingdom. It is true that we are born again into the kingdom of God. But after we are born again into the kingdom of God, the real issue is this: do we really live as sons of the kingdom?
To live as sons in the kingdom, we must be discipled to Christ. In other words, having received His life, we need to give ourselves over to Him and let Him have complete control over us. Then the Holy Spirit, Whom God has given to indwell us, may have the right and opportunity to work out in us the image of Christ.
Our Lord Jesus is the Firstborn among many brethren, and He will lead many sons into glory. Therefore, to be really in the kingdom, in a real spiritual sense, we must understand that spiritual reality has no time and space. It exceeds time and space. Even today, the kingdom of God is here on earth.
Whether we are living as true sons of that kingdom depends upon whether we are true disciples of our Lord Jesus. Have we given ourselves to Him completely, without reservation? Do we let Him be King of our lives? Do we let Him rule over us, discipline us, and train us?
Let the Holy Spirit organize, as it were, the life of Christ within us and transform us into the image of God’s Son. When that image is being formed, then we become the light and salt of this world. There is a testimony going forth, and it will be a witness to the world that the King has indeed come and that He is establishing His kingdom on earth.
In Colossians 1:13, we are told:
Who delivered us out of the power of darkness, and translated us into the kingdom of the Son of His love.
Thank God, through our Lord Jesus, He has delivered us from the authority of darkness. Before we were saved, we were actually under the authority of darkness. We lived in the kingdom of darkness and were under the rule of the prince of darkness.
But thank God, He has delivered us from the authority of darkness. That is to say, He took us out of one kingdom—the kingdom of darkness—and translated, or transported, us into the kingdom of the Son of His love.
So, dear brothers and sisters, in one sense, we who have believed in the Lord Jesus have already been translated into the kingdom of the Son of God’s love. In one sense, we are already in the kingdom. In one sense, we are His kingdom.
That is why our Lord Jesus says, “Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” It is the good pleasure of the Father to give us the kingdom.
There will be conflict. There will be battles. There will be suffering. There will be opposition. The world will hate those who follow the Lord. Yet we are told that it is the good pleasure of the Father to give us the kingdom.
What is this kingdom? It is the kingdom of the Son of God’s love. In other words, the kingdom is the Son. He is the kingdom.
You remember that one day our Lord Jesus took three disciples up to the mount, and there He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and even His garments were white and shining. Moses and Elijah appeared, and they were speaking together concerning His departure—His exodus from this world.
Suddenly Peter awoke, saw this beautiful scene, and blurted out, “Lord, it is good for us to be here. Let us make three tabernacles: one for Thee, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”
As Peter was speaking, a bright cloud—the Shekinah glory of God—came over them. Moses and Elijah disappeared. When they opened their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only. Then they heard a voice: “This is My beloved Son; hear ye Him.”
Peter tells us in his epistle that he actually witnessed the kingdom. This vision on the Mount of Transfiguration was a preview of the kingdom, or, to put it another way, it was the reality of the kingdom.
Peter thought the kingdom of God was Christ plus Moses plus Elijah. He thought the kingdom was Christ together with Moses and Elijah. But God corrected him and said, “No. The kingdom is the Son. The Son alone is the kingdom. This is My beloved Son; hear ye Him.”
Moses and Elijah, great as they were—Moses representing the law and Elijah representing the prophets—the law and the prophets speak of the Son. God does not want us to be distracted by Moses or Elijah. God does not want us to remain with the law or with the prophets. He wants us to see no one but Jesus only.
He is the Son. He is the kingdom. To be in His kingdom is to hear Him.
What is the kingdom of God? If it has any law, we mentioned last night that Matthew 5, 6, and 7 are not laws in the ordinary sense in which we understand laws. They are not rules and regulations of the kingdom of God.
In the kingdom of God, we see only the Son. If there is a law in the kingdom of God, there is only one royal law: the law of love. This is the kingdom of the Son of God’s love. Love is the law of God’s kingdom.
That is why the Lord tells us again and again that we need to love one another as He has loved us. Why? Because this is the very character of the kingdom of God.
This morning we would like to continue our meditation, using one phrase from the Bible. I have to say that I am using it, as it were, out of context. I always remember the sentence, “A text out of context is a pretext.” I am not going to use it as a pretext, though I take it out of its immediate context.
The reason is that, within its context, it has its proper application. But because it is such a principle of life, it can be applied in many other areas. That is why we want to use it in this broader way.
This phrase is found in Matthew 19:12. The Pharisees came to the Lord Jesus to tempt Him. They asked, “Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause?”
The Lord Jesus answered them with Scripture. He referred them to Genesis:
Have ye not read, that He Who made them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife; and the two shall become one flesh? So that they are no more two, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.
The Pharisees immediately reasoned, “Then it is not lawful for a man to put away his wife for every reason. But Moses commanded us that if a man puts away his wife, he is to give her a bill of divorcement.”
The Lord Jesus said, “Moses did say that if you want to put away your wife, you are to give her a letter of divorce. But you must remember why Moses said it. Moses said it because of the hardness of your hearts. But from the beginning it hath not been so.”
Man had fallen to such a degree, and man’s heart had become so hard, that Moses had to make a concession. But when our Lord Jesus came, He restored everything to the beginning, to the original design of God.
The Lord said:
Whosoever shall put away his wife, except for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and he that marrieth her when she is put away committeth adultery.
Even if there are problems, conflict, or incompatibility, unless it is because of fornication, what God has joined together, let not man separate. When the disciples heard this, they were frightened. They said, “If this is the case, it is better not to marry.”
The Lord Jesus said, “Not all men can receive this saying, but they to whom it is given.” Then He spoke of eunuchs who were born so, of eunuchs made so by men, and of those who made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. “He that is able to receive it, let him receive it.”
In 1 Corinthians 7, we find that married people must take care of the things of the world and of their spouses. But those who are unmarried may devote themselves more fully to the Lord and may not be burdened in the same way. Yet this is not for everyone. It is given only to some.
There are people who are willing to remain single for the sake of the kingdom. In other words, they are willing to sacrifice something most precious for the sake of the kingdom.
Now, of course, we do not want to use this only in the area of marriage. I am certainly not trying to encourage everyone to remain single. If the Lord gives you that gift, and if you have that desire for the sake of the kingdom, that you may not be distracted in any way, thank God for that. But it is not for everyone.
We would like to use this phrase in a broader sense. It applies to everyone. Dear brothers and sisters, there is something here for the sake of the kingdom. Everyone needs to see that, because the kingdom is so tremendously important, there is something that we must do for the sake of the kingdom.
Seeing the kingdom and seeing the King, we must respond. As we respond to Him, that is for the sake of the kingdom.
There are many corresponding phrases in the Bible. In Matthew 5:10, we read, “Blessed are they that have been persecuted for righteousness’ sake.” Righteousness is so important that we must be right in the sight of God and before men, even if it means persecution.
The whole world lies under the wicked one. If you go the way of injustice, you will find many companions and will be welcomed. But if you go the way of righteousness, you may be lonely, considered strange, and persecuted. Yet the Lord says that those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake are blessed.
In other words, righteousness is of such importance that you are willing to sacrifice and pay a cost for it. You are willing to suffer persecution for righteousness’ sake.
Then, in Matthew 5:11, the Lord speaks of being hated for His sake. People may hate you, speak evil of you, and say untrue things about you. The only reason may be because you belong to the Lord.
Oh, the Lord is so precious. If you see His preciousness, you are willing to pay the cost of being hated by the world. You are willing to pay the cost of being misunderstood because people simply cannot understand you. Are you willing, for the sake of the Lord?
The Scripture also speaks of suffering for the sake of the gospel, for the sake of Christ, for the sake of the Lord Jesus, and for the sake of the kingdom. These are corresponding phrases.
If we see the King, and if we see what the kingdom of God is to God’s purpose and plan, then we must be willing, for the sake of the kingdom, to do something and to pay some cost.
But before I say more, let me underline this: it is all of grace. It is the grace of God. The question is, having received grace, how do we respond to it?
It is the good pleasure of the Father to give us the kingdom. In spite of all opposition, the grace of God is always available. The grace of God is here. But the question is: how do you use this grace? Do you abuse grace, or do you respond positively to it?
If you respond positively, you will find that grace enables you to pay the cost. When you look back, you may say, “It was not costly at all. It really did not cost anything.” Why? Because it was grace.
There are a few things that we must do by the grace of God. These are tokens and indications that we really respond to grace.
First of all, we find in Matthew 6:33:
But seek ye first His kingdom, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
We must seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. It is true that it is the good pleasure of the Father to give us the kingdom. But there is another side: we must seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness.
If you do not seek it, you will miss it. Even though it is freely given to you, if you do not seek it, you may lose it.
The word seek tells us that this is not something that comes automatically or mechanically. To seek means that you set your heart and mind upon certain things and pursue them patiently until you find them. It is done with purpose, determination, and perseverance.
The Lord said that the gate to the kingdom is narrow and the way is straitened, so that few find it. If you do not look for it, if you do not seek it, you cannot find it. You will miss it.
All human beings are seeking, but what are we seeking? So far as the world is concerned, people seek what they shall eat, what they shall drink, and what they shall be clothed with. These are the things the world seeks after.
The Lord Jesus says, “Do not be anxious, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?” Look at the birds of the air. They do not sow or reap, and yet your Heavenly Father provides for them so abundantly.
Observe the lilies of the field. They do not toil, neither do they spin; yet your Heavenly Father clothes them with such beauty that even Solomon in all his glory cannot be compared with one of these lilies. How much more will your Heavenly Father take care of you?
But seek ye first His kingdom, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
Dear brothers and sisters, if we really see the kingdom, if we really see the King, what are we seeking after? How often, as believers, are we still seeking the things of this world? We are still occupied with the cares and anxieties of this life.
It is true that we must live. It is true that we must eat, drink, and be clothed. Our Heavenly Father knows that we need these things. These are legitimate things, but remember: they are not the things that we seek.
We do not set our minds on these things. We do not determine that we must obtain them simply because our neighbors have them. In Luke 21, we are warned to be careful that we are not ensnared by the cares, anxieties, and riches of this life.
When the Lord comes, we may find ourselves so bound and rooted to this earth that we cannot go up. Seeing the kingdom of God, let us seek the kingdom of God. Let us seek righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. Let us seek to do His will.
If we make His kingdom and His righteousness the things we seek with intention, then not only will we find the kingdom, but all these things shall be added unto us.
We are living in a time when the end is coming soon. We are living in a world that is worldly, earthly, and materialistic. Everything is measured by wealth, comfort, and luxury. What a temptation this is to God’s people.
How many of God’s people have found themselves fully occupied—not only in time, but in heart and mind—by all these things. Remember, these are the things of the world: the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life. The world and the things of the world are passing away.
When they pass away, if that is what you seek, you will pass away too. Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.
For the sake of the kingdom, do not seek the things of this world. I feel that the simpler the Christian life, the better. Modern life is not conducive to our spiritual growth. We need to be careful. Let us seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and thank God that what we need, He will add to us. How faithful He is.
Second, we find in Matthew 11:12:
And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and men of violence take it by force.
From the time of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven is taken by force, and forceful people seize upon it. We do not like the word violence, because today it has a very bad connotation. But the word itself is neutral; it depends on how it is used.
Some translations say that the kingdom is taken “by force.” It is as if you must force your way into the kingdom of God, as if you were attacking a city, breaking through its gates, and seizing it.
This expression reveals something: the kingdom of God does not come easily. The kingdom comes in such a way that you have to fight for it.
But with whom are you fighting? With whom are you violent? It does not mean that you must be violent with other people. Some people feel that the world owes them something. They have a grudge against everybody and become enemies of everybody. That is not what Scripture teaches.
It is true that the kingdom of God is taken by force, but this violence is not directed toward other people. It is directed toward yourself.
In Matthew 18, the Lord speaks of little children. He says that unless we are converted and become as little children, we cannot enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself as a little child is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
Then the Lord speaks of offenses:
And if thy hand or thy foot causeth thee to stumble, cut it off, and cast it from thee: it is good for thee to enter into life maimed or halt, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into the eternal fire.
And if thine eye causeth thee to stumble, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: it is good for thee to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into the hell of fire.
In other words, do not offend a little child, and do not offend yourself. How can you get rid of these offenses? If your eye offends you, cut it off. If your hand or foot offends you, cut it off. Rather enter into life maimed than enter into the fire with two hands and two feet.
What does this mean? How often we find that the members of our own body—our eyes, our hands, and our feet—try to offend us, in the sense of leading us astray.
May we put it this way: it is the self-life within us. How often this self-life tries to lead us away from Christ. There is a life of Christ within us, but there is also a self-life within us, always struggling with the life of Christ. Oftentimes the self-life gains the ascendancy and leads us astray.
It not only leads other people astray; it leads us astray. When such things happen, what should we do? Are we to give in to the lust of our eyes, the lust of our flesh, and the gratification of our self-life?
The Lord Jesus said that he who gains his soul-life in this age shall lose it; but he who loses his soul-life for Christ’s sake and for the gospel’s sake shall gain it unto eternity. He said, “If any man would come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.”
In a natural way, we all love ourselves. We love ourselves so much that we yield to our passions and lusts. We are afraid to be hurt. We want our self-life to be satisfied.
But, dear brothers and sisters, as we yield to our self-life, it seems that we gain our soul-life. For a time, we seem to get what we want, and we seem happy and satisfied. Yet actually we have offended ourselves. We have done ourselves a serious wrong.
If we gain our soul-life today, we will lose it in the age to come. But if, for the kingdom’s sake, we are willing to be drastic with ourselves—willing to be desperate and violent with ourselves—then we may enter into life.
Of course, this is not to be taken literally. Unfortunately, it has happened in church history that some people took it literally. I am afraid they did not have enough hands to cut off.
This must be taken spiritually. If you find that your hand offends you, let the cross cut it off. Do not yield to the lust and passion of your soul. Rather, be willing to suffer. Peter says that we must have the will to suffer, and then we are delivered from sin. Oftentimes we are not delivered because we are afraid to be hurt.
Who can seize the kingdom? The kingdom is not for weaklings. The kingdom is for those who are violent—violent toward themselves. Do not be violent toward your brothers and sisters, but do be violent toward yourself.
Again, we must say that it is grace. Who does not love himself or herself? It is natural. But the life of Christ is within us, and the Holy Spirit is within us. As our soul-life struggles, the Holy Spirit applies the cross to our soul-life.
If we cooperate, we will find that His grace is sufficient and His power is manifested in our weakness. If we try to struggle by ourselves, we will fail. We cannot cut off our own hand or foot, nor can we pluck out our own eye. If we try to do it ourselves, we simply cannot do it.
Yield yourself to the Lord. Let Him do it. Let the Holy Spirit do it. He is the power, and He will do it.
For the sake of the kingdom, brothers and sisters, we must be violent toward ourselves. We must deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Him.
Third, we find in 2 Peter 1:5-11:
And for this very cause adding on your part all diligence, in your faith supply virtue; and in your virtue knowledge;
and in your knowledge self-control; and in your self-control patience; and in your patience godliness;
and in your godliness brotherly kindness; and in your brotherly kindness love.
For if these things are yours and abound, they make you to be not idle nor unfruitful unto the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
For he that lacketh these things is blind, seeing only what is near, having forgotten the cleansing from his old sins.
Wherefore, brethren, give the more diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never stumble:
for thus shall be richly supplied unto you the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
For the sake of the kingdom, dear brothers and sisters, we must use diligence. Our God is a diligent God. We often say that God will never use a lazy person. But I read somewhere that D. L. Moody said God would never save a lazy person. You may figure that out.
For the sake of the kingdom, we need diligence. The very life within us is a diligent life. Laziness is the nature of our old life, but diligence is the nature of our new life. We must allow that nature to be developed into character.
What is the kingdom of God? The kingdom of God is the Son Himself. He is the Firstborn among many brethren, and He will lead many sons into glory. In other words, Christlike character must be developed. As that character develops in us, we enter richly and abundantly into the kingdom.
Why? Because it is grace. Grace requires faith. Faith is not that you come and do something; faith is receiving what He has done. Grace has already been given. Therefore, have faith in His grace.
If you have faith, add virtue. Faith without works is dead. If it is living faith, it will produce fruit. Yet it is the work of faith, not dead works.
With virtue, add knowledge. It is not merely good works. As Paul prayed for the Colossian believers, we need to know the will of God in all wisdom and spiritual understanding. It is not enough that something appears good; it must be God’s will.
Add to knowledge self-control. Some people have knowledge and think that because they have knowledge, they have liberty to do whatever they like. They forget their weaker brothers and sisters, as the Corinthian believers did. With knowledge, we need temperance and self-control.
With self-control, there must be endurance. With endurance, godliness. With godliness, brotherly kindness. With brotherly kindness, love. Use diligence so that the character of our Lord Jesus may be built up in your lives.
As these characteristics are built up in your lives, you make your calling and election sure. I am not a Calvinist, but I do believe in election. I also believe that you need to make your election sure. How do you do that? Use diligence to build the character of Christ in your life. Then you will enter the kingdom richly and abundantly.
Finally, Hebrews 12:28 says:
Wherefore, receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us have grace, whereby we may offer service well-pleasing to God, with reverence and awe.
Dear brothers and sisters, we have received a kingdom that cannot be shaken. In the preceding verses, we find, “Ye are come unto mount Zion.” We have come to Mount Zion. It is not merely that we are coming; we have come.
Mount Zion is where the palace and throne of David are. In other words, it represents the kingdom. We have been given a kingdom that cannot be shaken.
Everything that can be shaken will be shaken, and we are living in a period in which everything is being shaken. Thank God, let all that can be shaken be shaken, so that what cannot be shaken may remain.
We have received a kingdom that cannot be shaken. But notice this: “Let us have grace.” The grace of God is given; now let us have it, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and awe.
We have the grace of God. Now let us use this grace to serve God. The kingdom of God does not allow us to be idle.
You remember the parable of the kingdom. A man went out in the morning and engaged people to work in his vineyard. At various hours he found people still idle and brought them into the vineyard. Even at the latest hour, shortly before the day’s work ended, he engaged people.
In other words, the kingdom of God does not allow us to be idle. Many parables speak of the kingdom and of servants. The Lord gave His property to His servants: five talents, two talents, and one talent. The servants were to trade with those talents. When the King returns, He will ask what they have gained.
Dear brothers and sisters, let us serve God acceptably, according to His will, with reverence, devotedness, and awe. Let us be wise and faithful servants of God.
In one version, the word serve is rendered worship: “Let us worship God acceptably with reverence and awe.” Our service should be our worship to God.
For the sake of the kingdom, dear brothers and sisters, let us not be negative or passive. Let us press on into the kingdom.
Oh, Heavenly Father, we do praise and thank Thee that it is Thy good pleasure to give us the kingdom. But, Lord, Thou dost require us, for the sake of the kingdom, to press on.
Yes, Thou hast given us the kingdom, but we have to put our foot down and step on it, so to speak, that we may enter into Thy kingdom with abundance, to the praise and glory of Thy name. Amen.