Seeing that His divine power hath granted unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him that called us by His own glory and virtue;
whereby He hath granted unto us His precious and exceeding great promises; that through these ye may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world by lust.
Yea, 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 other foundation can no man lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
But if any man buildeth on the foundation gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay, stubble;
each man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it is revealed in fire; and the fire itself shall prove each man’s work of what sort it is.
If any man’s work shall abide which he built thereon, he shall receive a reward.
If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as through fire.
Father, we want to thank Thee for being with us these days. We thank Thee because Thou art not only the beginning; Thou art also the end.
So, Lord, as Thou hast brought us to the last morning of this conference, we look to Thee for the end. Thou art the end of all things, because all things are from Thee, through Thee, and unto Thee; and be glory unto Thee.
Lord, we just pray that Thou wilt continue to open Thy Word to our hearts, speak to us, and bring us to where Thou hast designed for us. We ask in Thy precious name. Amen.
We thank God for gathering us these days, for His Word, and for fellowship. And we thank God for being so faithful to us, bringing us to these last few hours of the conference.
Everything comes from Him, and everything is returned to Him.
Now, in these mornings, we have considered together this matter of the kingdom. Our Lord Jesus, when He was on earth, that is the message He preached.
Even after His resurrection, before His ascension, during those forty days when He appeared to His disciples, He still spoke on the kingdom of God. And this is the message that our Lord Jesus committed to the church.
So, from the very beginning of church history, we find that the message—the gospel of Jesus Christ—which they preached is the gospel of the kingdom. In other words, the emphasis is always on the kingdom.
Our Lord Jesus, who was slain, God hath raised Him up, seated Him at the right hand of God, and anointed Him to be the Christ and Lord. God has appointed Him to be the Judge of all the nations.
And even the apostle Paul, at the end of the book of Acts—of course, we know the book of Acts has no end—but in the record we find he was still preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God and teaching the things concerning our Lord Jesus.
Now, unfortunately, today it seems as if the church has forgotten this message. And I believe because of this, we find the present situation of the church. Because the gospel of the kingdom has not been preached.
So, dear brothers and sisters, by the grace of God, this is something that we have been considering together. And hopefully, it may really impress upon our hearts.
The gospel of the kingdom—the gospel of the kingdom of the heavens—is not just a theory. It is a truth. And, brothers and sisters, if we know the truth, the truth will set us free.
Shall we look to the Lord that this truth of the gospel of the kingdom, of the kingdom of the heavens, will be deeply inscribed upon our hearts and set us free, that we may be living spiritually every day in that kingdom? And then we look forward to the returning of our King.
From eternity to eternity, our God is God. Therefore, His kingdom knows no end. His dominion is over all generations. Everything is under His rule, and everything expresses His kingship—that is, His character. That is the kingdom of God.
But, as we have mentioned, unfortunately there were rebellions, not only of the angels, but even of men. So, strictly speaking, the kingdom of God is where God really rules over a people who listen to Him, who obey Him.
That is the reality of the kingdom of God throughout the centuries. Even though, overall, His kingdom is over everything—over Satan, over the world, over man, over everything—those who are really representing His kingdom are all those who submit themselves to the authority and rule of God.
They allow God to work out in their lives His own nature and character, that they may be like Him.
And we also mentioned the second morning the term, the kingdom of the heavens. That is the literal translation: the kingdom of the heavens.
Now, this special term refers especially to one section in the kingdom of God. It begins with the first coming of our Lord Jesus. The King of the heavens has come to this earth, so that begins the kingdom of the heavens.
While He was on earth, He was the King. He was born to be King, and He came to this earth to bring heaven upon earth—the rule of heaven upon earth.
But in the beginning, the message was, “The kingdom of the heavens has drawn nigh.” Even though He was already here, He still said, “The kingdom of the heavens has drawn nigh.” Why? Because He did not have a people to rule over, to enable Him to impart to them His life and to be partakers of His divine nature.
But these days were very short, because very shortly our Lord Jesus said, “The kingdom of the heavens is taken by violence, and men of violence take it by force.” In other words, our Lord Jesus began to have His disciples—those who were under His teaching, under His training, under His discipline.
And these became the kingdom of the heavens on earth in spiritual reality. So, dear brothers and sisters, from that time onward until today, the kingdom of the heavens is now here in the hearts of those who not only believe in the Lord Jesus, but also obey Him, trust Him, commit themselves to Him, and allow Him to work out His character in their lives.
Thus, they will be like Him, representing Him on this earth. That is the kingdom of the heavens now.
But, of course, we know that we are looking forward to the day when the kingdom of the heavens shall be publicly manifested on this earth. That will come at the second coming of our Lord Jesus.
That is the day for which we are waiting, when He shall reign over this earth. The kingdom of this world will become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ. Now, thank the Lord, it is coming.
And then we considered together this matter of the relationship between the kingdom and the church. The kingdom builds the church.
The reason why the church today is not built as it should be—or, to put it another way, our Lord Jesus said, “I will build My church.” He is the Builder. But why is it that the building is still unfinished?
It is not because the Builder is not skillful or is not able to do it. It is because He is not building with the living stones such as we are, and we are the problem.
He will not do anything against our will. He respects our will. Now, brothers and sisters, is that not tremendous, that God respects our will? He will not force us.
Even when we rebel against Him and will not listen to Him, He will persuade, He will beseech, and even as in Romans 12, He will beg through His apostle. But He will not work without our will—our willingness to be His people.
So that is the reason why the work is delayed. But thank God, He will finish what He has begun. Oh, God never does anything unfinished. It may take longer, but eventually He will finish it.
So we mentioned that it is the kingdom that builds the church. We need to submit ourselves to the authority of our King.
As our brother mentioned last night, we present our bodies a living sacrifice—not in the sense of working for Him; that will follow—but in the sense of allowing Him to work in us.
There is so much in us that is unfit for the kingdom of the heavens, and all these things have to be dealt with. The only material that can be built into the kingdom of the heavens is His life. That is the only material.
And His life has to grow in us. We grow up individually, and we grow up together. And that can only be done when we are under the headship of Christ.
If we continue to be our own head, this work will be delayed. But if we are willing to bow before Him and take Him as our Head, our King, obey Him, and follow Him in all things, then the work will speed up and it will be done.
So, dear brothers and sisters, this is what authority means. There is no authority except God. Do not think that any one of us has authority in ourselves. We do not have it. Our duty is to submit, to obey.
God is the only authority. He may delegate His authority to men, but that delegation is not according to position. That delegation is according to His life. In other words, it is the life of Christ in us that is authority. Other than that, there is no authority.
And, brothers and sisters, our concept of authority is so foreign to God, because our concept of authority is the concept of this world.
You remember even the disciples with our Lord Jesus in those days. In their minds, authority was to take the highest position—to sit on the right hand and the left hand of our Lord Jesus. Then you were in authority. Then you could command, and everybody would have to yield to you.
Oh, how we long for that authority. The disciples were always striving and struggling among themselves: who was the greatest? And we are no different.
But our Lord Jesus said that in this world, in the kingdom of this world, that is what authority is: you exercise authority over people, and people have to obey you.
But our Lord Jesus said, “Not so in the kingdom of the heavens. If you want to be the first, be the last. If you want to be the head, be the bondservant of all.”
That is the way that God exercises His authority. He exercises His authority in love. He exercises His authority by humbling Himself, emptying Himself, becoming low, lower, and lower.
Our Lord Jesus said, “I am in the midst of you as He that serveth.” That is authority.
So, dear brothers and sisters, authority is life. Authority is love. Authority is sacrifice. Authority is service. It is not taking a high position and commanding other people.
With this authority of life in us, we minister and serve one another. And that is the way the church is to be built.
And thank God, the church is also the instrument used by God to bring in the kingdom. The whole creation is groaning. They are under corruption unwillingly, and they are crying out for liberty.
But when will that come? When will all creation be restored to God’s original design? Not until the manifestation of the sons of God. So, brothers and sisters, we have a tremendous responsibility.
Now, this morning, as the conclusion, we want to consider together this matter of the kingdom and you—the kingdom and I. In other words, we do not want to be merely talking about the kingdom. We want to make it personal, make it practical.
What does the kingdom of the heavens mean to you and to me? What is our attitude toward it? How do we respond to the truth of the kingdom of the heavens?
And further, our response will determine our future, our destiny. Now, brothers and sisters, these are very personal and very important to us.
Before we can answer these questions, probably there is something that we have to understand, and that is the matter between gift and reward.
Now, to many Christians, in their minds there is only gift—grace, all is grace. Now, thank God, God is the Giver of all things. That is true. And this matter of reward is almost foreign.
But the Bible says God is the Rewarder of those who seek after Him. So our God is not only a Giver; He is also a Rewarder.
Now, what is the difference between gift and reward?
A gift depends wholly on the giver. It has no condition upon the receiver. It all depends upon the pleasure of the giver. If he wants to give, he gives, and we just receive it with thanksgiving.
A reward involves both. It involves the one who works for that reward, and it also depends on the one who gives the reward.
A gift is free—no condition, no discrimination—free for all who are willing to receive. A reward is given only to those who are worthy.
Gift is pure grace, the grace of God. Reward involves work. You have to work to receive a reward. If you do not work and fulfill the conditions, you are not rewarded.
So, brothers and sisters, these are two things you find in the Word of God. The Word of God tells us that God is the great Giver. He is the Giver of all good things. He loves to give. There is no condition—free for all, open.
“If any man willeth, let him come, and take the water of life freely.” That is grace.
But, brothers and sisters, in the Bible you do see this matter of reward. You have to work for it. If you do not, you lose it.
So the question is: Is the kingdom a gift or a reward?
If the kingdom is a gift, then all you need to do is receive it by faith, and all is yours. No matter how you live the rest of your life, it has nothing to do with it, because it is a gift—the free gift of God.
But if it is a reward, then, brothers and sisters, if you do not work for it, you may lose it.
Now, what is it? Thank God, the kingdom is both a gift and a reward.
Initially, it is a gift. Potentially, it is a gift. Positionally, it is a gift.
You remember our Lord Jesus said:
Fear not, little flock;
for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.
The kingdom is given, and it is according to the good pleasure of the Father. Therefore, do not be afraid. It is yours.
But strangely, in the same breath our Lord said:
Seek ye first His kingdom, and His righteousness;
and all these things shall be added unto you.
Seek it.
Colossians 1 tells us that by His grace He hath delivered us out of the power of darkness and translated us into the kingdom of the Son of His love. So you are there. You have not done anything.
How are you delivered from the power of darkness? You have not done anything. You are under that power, but there is One more powerful than darkness, more powerful than the one who holds darkness, and He delivers you out of it. Grace.
And He brought you into His own kingdom. So, brothers and sisters, the kingdom is basically, primarily, a gift. It is grace. We do not deserve it.
All the potential of inheriting the kingdom has been given to us.
You know, in 2 Peter 1, we are told, “His divine power hath given unto us.” Now, notice the words, hath given. His divine power hath given unto us all things which relate to life and godliness.
It is His divine power, and His divine power is so powerful that He hath given unto us all things concerning life. That means His divine life, and godliness.
Godliness simply means being like God. Not only has He given you His life as a gift, but He has also given to you all things that concern godliness. In other words, that life will develop into being like God—not in the sense of joining the Deity, no—but in the sense of taking upon ourselves His character.
Brothers and sisters, it is all given. Not only is life given—we all know that—but even godliness is given. All the potential, all that, just needs to be developed. That is all.
Just like the children of Israel: God delivered them out of Egypt, but that was not God’s purpose. God’s purpose was to bring them into the promised land, flowing with milk and honey. That is the purpose of God.
And God had already given that land to them. It was theirs. And not only that, God had already brought them to the border of it, and He had all power to bring them into the promised land. All the potential was there.
But they needed to go in, put their feet down, and wherever they trod, it was theirs. Now, that is it.
So, in other words, it is a gift, but with the gift it becomes a reward. You have to work it out.
Now, the two tribes did not want to go into the land. They were satisfied with the land on the east side of the River Jordan. Why? Because they had many cattle. They would rather stay with the cattle and be satisfied than go into the fullness of God’s purpose.
How many Christians today are like that?
All has been given. All the provisions are given. Thank God, He never gives an order or command without first providing and supplying the power to fulfill it.
So, dear brothers and sisters, you find that the kingdom is a gift, but it is also a reward.
But even though it is a reward, it is still a gift. Why? Because it is grace.
Now, in our minds, we think grace and work are contradictory; gift and reward are opposites. But in the Word of God, you find gift and reward, grace and work—they are complementary.
As our brother mentioned last night, God first works in—not only the willing, but the working—and then we work out our salvation with fear and trembling. So, after all, it is grace. We have nothing to boast of.
The only difference is that some people abuse the grace of God or bury the grace of God, but other people respond to grace. They use grace. From grace to grace, brothers and sisters, that is the difference.
So here you find in 2 Peter that everything has been given concerning life and godliness. And He has given us many precious promises to encourage us. It is all through the living knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ that we may be partakers of His divine nature.
Then, immediately following that, he says, “For this very reason.” Because it is such a gift, it is such a provision, therefore use diligence to make your calling and election sure.
Because if you do not use diligence, then you are blind. You forget your sins have been forgiven, what grace has been given to you. But if you are diligently seeking, then the result is that you will enter into the everlasting kingdom of our God and our Lord Jesus Christ abundantly.
Now, that is what God wants us to do. So, dear brothers and sisters, take courage, knowing that after all, it is not our doing; it is His working. But He works in us.
We must learn to cooperate, to submit ourselves, to allow Him to take charge over us, over our lives. Then He will work out the full salvation.
Brothers and sisters, the kingdom is coming, very surely.
You know, when Miss Barber, Margaret Barber, was on earth, one day at the end of the year, Brother Watchman Nee and his father were praying together. And this sister, she waited for the Lord.
She said, “Maybe when you turn the corner of the street, you will meet Him.”
Brothers and sisters, our Lord is coming. His kingdom is coming to be set up upon this earth. Are we waiting for it? Are we longing for it? Are we praying for it? Are we cooperating with it?
Today, if we live in the reality of the kingdom of the heavens, then when that kingdom comes, you will be there. But if not, you will not be there.
Today determines your future destiny.
You remember in 1 Corinthians 3, the apostle Paul says the foundation is laid, and there is no other foundation but Jesus Christ. But we are building on Him. We are an extension, as it were, of our Lord Jesus.
But the apostle wants us to be careful: how do you build? With what material are you working?
If you build with gold, silver, and precious stones, or if you build with wood, hay, and stubble—there is a difference.
Gold represents the nature of God; silver, the redemption of Christ; precious stones, the work of the Holy Spirit. If our lives and our labor are all according to God, out of Christ, in the power of the Holy Spirit, that is the way you build.
Or you can build with wood, hay, and stubble. Wood represents the nature of man; hay, the beauty of man; stubble, the work of man.
If we still live according to our old nature, according to the flesh, using our natural strength, and build, there is a difference.
Today, those who build with wood, hay, and stubble build very quickly and can build very big, huge buildings with almost no cost—little cost. It will be seen. It may be admired and praised today. But one day, the fire shall appear.
If you build with gold, silver, and precious stones, it costs everything. It costs your life, your self-life, as our brother said last night. And you cannot be very big. People may not even notice it or see it.
But the difference is, one day our work will be tested. Fire will appear.
You know, brothers and sisters, we do thank God, because our Lord Jesus on Calvary’s cross took our judgment upon Himself. And because He was judged in our stead, we will not be judged before the great white throne.
We will not be judged for eternal life or eternal death. That judicial judgment is past. Thank God for that.
But that does not mean that, as Christians, as the family of God, as those in the kingdom of the heavens, there will be no more judgment. No.
The Bible tells us that one day, at His coming, we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.
In 2 Corinthians 5:10, we shall all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, and we will be judged according to our works. Romans 14:10 says we shall all appear before the judgment seat of God.
It is a time of reckoning—reckoning from the day you believed in the Lord Jesus, reckoning from the day you came into the family of God, reckoning from the day you were transferred into the kingdom of the Son of His love.
How do we live? How do we work? All these things will be judged.
It is the judgment seat of Christ, not a throne which is judicial—life and death. For it is family judgment: to be rewarded or to suffer loss.
And there is the fire. Our Lord is a consuming fire. He will judge us according to Himself, judge us according to Christ.
How much has He given to you? How much has He revealed to you? To whom much is given, much is required. Brothers and sisters, we will be judged.
And if it is wood, hay, and stubble, it is just material for the fire—burned up, consumed.
In other words, with all that God has given so graciously to us, with all the potential and the provisions that God has already given to you to fulfill, if you still live on your own without submitting yourself to the Lord, all these years—oh, no.
That does not mean you are not saved. He says you are saved; you are still saved, but barely saved.
But, on the other hand, brothers and sisters, if you build with gold, silver, and precious stones, it may cost you dearly today. But thank God, when the fire tests you, it glows with glory.
In other words, you will enter into the kingdom of the heavens and reign with Christ for a thousand years, because you are fit for it.
Now, brothers and sisters, the Bible uses different ways to tell us what the reward will be.
It is true that even today, if you follow the Lord, on the one side you seem to lose a lot; but on the other side, you are rewarded. You are rewarded by the smiling face of our Lord Jesus. You are rewarded with peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. You are rewarded by the Lord Himself being with you.
But the reward that the Bible especially emphasizes is in the coming kingdom.
All the promises, the rewards, which our Lord Jesus promised to the seven churches, basically, primarily, and fully are fulfilled in the thousand years.
Our God uses various ways to attract us: crowns, a crown of glory. If we are faithful in what God has committed to us, we will receive the crown of glory.
There is also the crown of righteousness. If we look forward to His return, finish our course, fight the good fight, and keep the faith, then we will be crowned with the crown of righteousness.
Or we will be crowned with a crown of life. If today we suffer, endure sufferings and tribulations for Christ’s sake, if we endure temptations and overcome, we will receive the crown of life.
If we finish our race, we will receive the incorruptible crown.
And sometimes the Bible uses the word throne—sitting on the throne with our Lord Jesus, as He sits with His Father on the throne.
Or sometimes it speaks of five cities, ten cities: to rule and reign for the Lord according to Him.
And sometimes He says, “Come, and enter thou into the joy of thy lord,” being invited to attend the marriage feast of the Lamb.
Brothers and sisters, you find our Lord Jesus has tried to encourage us. He knows that today we have to deny ourselves, take up the cross, and follow Him. So He encourages us. He says there is something waiting there.
Some people say, “If you work just for reward, that is selfish.” So they say, “We do not want any reward. We just love the Lord.” Very spiritual.
But, brothers and sisters, it is true: if your eyes are on the reward only, that is wrong. But to despise what the Lord is pleased to give, that is wrong too.
We need to seek to be rewarded. Why? Because it pleases Him.
That is the way He wants to do it. After all, it is His doing. We have not done anything. We just receive His grace, allow His grace to work through us. That is all.
But it pleases Him even to reward us, as if we had done it. Now, is that not wonderful? Is not our God so gracious, so loving, so kind, so generous?
So, brothers and sisters, thank God we have a blessed hope. What are we waiting for? The world is not our home. We are passing through.
And thank God, He is coming. Therefore, the Spirit and the Bride say, “Come, Lord Jesus.” And may we respond and say, “Come quickly.”
Thank God, He says, “I come.” Let us pray.
Dear Lord, indeed, even though we have not seen Thee, we love Thee. We believe in Thee. But we do look forward to the day when we shall see Thee face to face.
Our prayer is that when we see Thee, we will not be put to shame, but we will gladden Thy heart.
Thank God, Thou hast called us. Thou hast supplied us every need. Now, Lord, may Thy Spirit work it out in each and every one of us.
There will be no regret, but only praise and worship. In that precious name, amen.