The Incomparable Kingdom

Have you heard of this kingdom?

Do you know the King of this kingdom?

Are you a subject of this kingdom?

Brother Woon led us in our first worship service this morning; he read and ministered to us from Psalm 145. It is a Psalm full of praises and thanksgiving to the Lord, for His greatness, His excellencies, His glorious Name, His mighty acts, His tender mercies, and on and on.

May the Lord instruct us in those blessed truths so that we too may be eloquent and intelligent in praising Him.

Read the Psalm here: https://www.blueletterbible.org/kjv/psa/145/1/s_623001

But what struck me are these wonderful descriptions of a kingdom in verses 11-13. Note them, and may these majestic statements of His kingdom bless our heart, knowing that in Jesus Christ, we have been made citizens of and accepted into THIS kingdom.

There is this incomparable kingdom; rejoice if you are a citizen of this kingdom - a kingdom that is described as glorious, majestic, and everlasting.

Do you and I see the kingdom of God in the same as the blessed psalmist?

Psa 145:11-13

11 They shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom, and talk of thy power...

12 To make known to the sons of men his mighty acts, and the glorious majesty of his kingdom.

13 Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and thy dominion endureth throughout all generations.

"... HE HATH MADE US ACCEPTED..."

"He hath made us accepted in the beloved"

versus the popular lie of

"I accepted Christ as my Saviour."

Eph 1:6

To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.

"... HE HATH MADE US ACCEPTED..."

Saw this meme above and it stirs a thought.

It has been liked and loved by 488 people and shared 460 times. Of the 50 comments, nearly all are a simple and hearty "Amen."

What if I repeat it this way:

"The most important decision you can make in your life is accepting John (your father's name) as your father."

How does that sound?

I left the 51st comment,

"Only an ALREADY SAVED man can believe Jesus is his Saviour. Jesus is ALREADY his Saviour without any acceptance on his part; acknowledging the fact that Jesus IS his Saviour and accepting Him to be his Saviour are two vastly different concepts."

The former is the truth, the latter is a fable. It assumes that an unsaved man, still dead in trespasses and sins, is capable of perceiving spiritual things and accepting Jesus as the Saviour in order to be saved be saved by Him.

It is like saying that when you accept John as your father that he becomes your father and you his child; without your acceptation, he is not your father and you, not his child.

How stupid (i.e. without common sense) can one get? That's the effect of the ignorance of God's word.

1 Corinthians 1:18 KJV — For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which ARE SAVED it is the power of God.

There is one acceptation that matters and hardly any boast about it. They are obsessed with their acceptation but are oblivious of having been made accepted in the first place.

Ephesians 1:6

To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.

Regeneration through the gospel preaching is NO gospel

6 From which some having swerved have turned aside unto vain jangling;

7 Desiring to be teachers of the law; understanding neither what they say, 

nor whereof they affirm. 1 Tim 1

 Have you understood the gospel yourself?

Closely related to the truth stated in the meme is this:

"If you are clear in your theology and in your doctrine you will know that no preaching of the gospel is involved in the Holy Spirit’s work of regenerating… So if you think the Holy Spirit depends on your preaching for Him to regenerate a man, you are denying the gospel; you have not understood it yourself."

Regeneration that is conditioned upon the preaching of the gospel is a REPUDIATION of the gospel; regeneration that is freely by the sovereign and immediate act of the Spirit of God is good news indeed; the latter alone guarantees the regeneration of each and every elect by the sovereign Spirit of God at God's own appointed and approved time.

Any country bumpkin farmer knows that the activity of the wind DOES NOT in any way depend upon his presence or activities on the farm. But not a few preachers insist that their preaching ministry play a vital role in the regeneration of those dead in trespasses and sins.

John 3:8

The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.

The gospel ministry is remotely involved in the regeneration of the elect; its divinely ordained purpose is for FEEDING the children of God, those that have been born of God.

John 21:15-17

So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs...  He saith unto him, Feed my sheep... Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep.

You feed the Lord's sheep with the food that He Himself has provided for His sheep.

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Part 2

6 From which some having swerved have turned aside unto vain jangling;

7 Desiring to be teachers of the law; understanding neither what they say, 

nor whereof they affirm. 1 Tim 1

Have you understood the gospel yourself?

#regeneration

If you have, then you will admit and confess and rejoice that only those ALREADY SAVED by God, i.e. regenerated elect, are capable of believing the gospel. The gospel, the good news of what God has done to save His people, is intended for the children of God so that they may know the truth of their salvation in Jesus Christ. The facts recorded in a child's birth certificate declares what has transpired; knowing its contents brings great blessings to the child.

If a preacher goes around offering the gospel to the natural man, those still in their native state of sin and trespasses, and expecting them to believe, then he is as stupid (i.e. lacking common sense) as the man who goes around offering food to the dead and expecting them to accept and eat it, and live.

There are not a few of such preachers hawking their own gospel. The most fantastic and grandest offer is of no use to the dead in trespasses and sins. It is as elementary as that. Offering salvation to the dead in trespasses and sins is both evil and wicked, it is taunting and mocking the dead; many think it is the ultimate kindness. They have not understood the gospel themselves.

John 3:3

Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

1Cor 1:18

For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.

1Cor 2:14

But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

Eph 1:13

In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise.

(I was blessed to spend two years, 1989-91, at the London Theological Seminary, supported by the Martyn Lloyd-Jones Memorial Fund.

Regeneration precedes and is independent of preaching

Have you understood the gospel yourself?

#regeneration

If you have, then you will admit and confess and rejoice that only those ALREADY SAVED by God, i.e. regenerated elect, are capable of believing the gospel. The gospel, the good news of what God has done to save His people, is intended for the children of God so that they may know the truth of their salvation in Jesus Christ. The facts recorded in a child's birth certificate declares what has transpired; knowing its contents bring great blessings to the child.

If a preacher goes around offering the gospel to the natural man, those still in their native state of sin and trespasses, and expecting them to believe, then he is as stupid (i.e. lacking common sense) as the man who goes around offering food to the dead and expecting them to accept and eat it, and live.

There are not a few of such preachers hawking their own gospel. The most fantastic and grandest offer is of no use to the dead in trespasses and sins. It is as elementary as that. Offering salvation to the dead in trespasses and sins is both evil and wicked, it is taunting and mocking the dead; many think it is the ultimate kindness. They have not understood the gospel themselves. 

John 3:3

Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

1Cor 1:18

For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.

1Cor 2:14

But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

Eph 1:13

In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise.

(I was blessed to spend two years, 1989-91, at the London Theological Seminary, supported by the Martyn Lloyd-Jones Memorial Fund.

Ye are the temple of God

“Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?” (I Cor 3:16).

“What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?” (I Cor 6:19).

TOP TEXTS: Rightly divide these verses that are quite similar. The first verse warns ministers that a local church is God’s temple, so they better serve it wisely and well. The second verse warns individuals against fornication and other sins affecting their physical bodies. Remember both warnings!

SPIRITUAL ADULTERY: Learning about a spouse flirting or in full intimacy with your enemy is one of the most painful events possible. It is what we do to God when we flirt with the world (Jas 4:4). Our God is Jealous (Ex 34:14). The most graphic language in the Bible is for this heinous crime (here).

EXAMINE SELF: If your marriage is not great, then change! Stop blaming your spouse. A good woman in a bad marriage can do what is right. A good man in a bad marriage can change his life to win his wife. The blame game was in Eden. Blame yourself. Change yourself by Christ’s strength.

BIBLE READING: Today is – Acts 6! Even apostles focused on the word of God and prayer, so they told the church how to select deacons, which we followed for a building committee. There was a special deacon that you get to read about today and tomorrow. See Jewish blindness and hatred!

CURRENT STUFF: If there is a whirlwind worth talking about, God sent it, “The LORD hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet” (Nah 1:3) ... a young-earth scientist was fired for a terrific find, but he eventually won his case ( http://blog.drwile.com/?p=15259 ); ... a woman writes to pornography about the effect on her marriage ( http://www.christianpost.com/…/an-open-letter-to-pornograp…/ ) ...

BOTTOM TEXT: Glory and death! Fully grasp this fabulous verse! What gets you most excited and thrilled? It should truly only be one thing – Jesus Christ’s death for His people. What is your relationship to the world? It should be dead to you, and you should be dead to it! Amen, Paul!

“But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world” (Gal 6:14).

For the cause of God and Christ and truth and for the profit of His people...

Put off your baggage to enter the strait gate

Put off your baggage to enter the strait gate

Matthew 7:21-23

21 ¶ Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?

23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

Entry into the kingdom of heaven is conditional upon God's children believing and doing the will of the Father.

Entry into heaven is conditioned solely upon the finished work of Christ freely applied to each elect, thus making them perfectly fitted for eternal glory, without them doing NOTHING at all.

Is failure to enter the kingdom of heaven the same as being excluded from heaven itself where the Father is? That's what so very many misguided people think because they are taught by teaches of falsehood that their entry into heaven is conditioned upon something they do! Such know NOTHING about the grace of salvation though they insist they do!

Many God's children (they are children solely by the sovereign activity of God in begetting them) FAIL to enter the kingdom of heaven because they have too many ideas of their own instead of believing and doing the will of their Father.

Many preachers are in that category! And they have many followers too. Are you one of them?

So many misguided folks think the Lord Jesus is talking about getting into heaven! For God's children not entering into the kingdom of heaven while on earth means a messed up life devoid of the blessings of fellowship (i.e. not known by Christ), and are indeed working iniquity!

Remove your pretty antlers, then you may enter the kingdom of heaven!

FEED... FEED... FEED My lambs, my sheep;

FEED... FEED... FEED My lambs, my sheep;

NOT make... make... make sheep for Me!

October 2, 2011 at 9:15 AM ·

FEED... FEED... FEED My lambs, my sheep;

NOT make... make... make sheep for Me!

"He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs.

"He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep.

"And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep."

The sheep are already there by Christ's work, He sends you to feed them that are already there by His free and sovereign act of giving them eternal life through His Spirit.

But SO MANY of preachers - both Arminians as well as their elitist cousins Calvinists don't even understand this simple command; they sincerely think Christ commands them to go and help Him make His sheep through their preaching!

Oh, those deceived and deluded gospel regenerationists!

What has bewitched them?

Why aren't they content with the noble work of feeding Christ's sheep with the food provided by the Lord Himself?

Why must they insist their role in the divine work of regeneration?

Why must they usurp God's divine work of giving eternal life?

Isn't that an example of repudiating the word of Christ, and being an enemy of the cross of Christ?

I have never heard of a midwife foolish enough to insist that she played any role in the conception of the child she is helping to deliver into the family. But such foolishness prevails in the Christendom.