SECTION 3 In this section I would like to point out some of the amazing concepts of the kingdom that make it unlike any government, culture, kingdom or religion that has ever existed. Once again we will have to apply faith and believing to these special characteristics that make the kingdom so unique, because as you will see there is nothing like the invisible kingdom of God in this world. LESSON 23 The uniqueness of the kingdom – the least significant person Bible References: Luke 7:28 (1a, 1b) Genesis 1:27, 28 (2) Genesis 2:17 (3) 1 John 3:9 (4) John 8:34 (5) Romans 7:15, 17 (5) Ephesians 4:24 (6) Good morning and welcome to another Lesson From The Tent. Today we will look at one of the most unique aspects of the kingdom there is in the Bible. And this will also show why we need to repent and change the way we think about it. John the Baptist was a special person in history. The Bible shows that he was specifically born to prepare the way for the coming of Jesus the King. John was so special that Jesus said he was the greatest person naturally born of any woman;” (1a) That is a significant thing to say about someone, but it means even more because Jesus is the one who said this, which means it is a fact and not an exaggerated compliment. But what Jesus said right after this is what makes the kingdom so unique. Here is what He said. “Yet he who is the least in the kingdom of God is greater than John.” (1b) There were some great people who lived before John the Baptist. For example, Noah, Abraham, Moses, and King David to name a few. But according to Jesus, none of them was as great as John the Baptist. Yet, Jesus said the most insignificant person in the kingdom of God is greater than all of them, even John the Baptist. You can certainly see why Jesus said we need to radically change the way we think about the kingdom. In fact, if anyone other than Jesus said this, we would have to question it. But all His words are 100% true. He doesn’t exaggerate anything. He only speaks the truth. Before I begin to examine this, I want to remind you that we will definitely need to apply faith to this unique concept. So how does being in the kingdom make someone turn into such a great person? The first thing I want to point out is what we looked at in the first Lesson From The Tent. The kingdom is the whole purpose and plan of God. So, if you miss the kingdom, you miss the reason you are alive. It doesn’t matter how great anyone is in the eyes of those on the earth. True greatness is determined by God and He says the least person in His kingdom is greater than anyone born of a woman. The second thing I want to point out is that there could be no kingdom of God until Jesus was crucified for the sins of the world. That means no one who lived before Jesus could have experienced the eternal life kingdom relationship. Sin stood as a huge barrier between us humans and the Holy Spirit living and reigning from inside us. The third thing we need to understand is the purpose of the invisible kingdom to the whole plan of God. Mankind was meant to rule the world in the image of God. (2) We were to be His hands and feet and heart on this planet. We were meant to think and act as God would if He were living and ruling on earth. Our ability to do that though died the moment Adam and Eve disobeyed God and sinned. (3) But the moment someone inherits the invisible Spirit of God to live and reign from inside of them, this becomes a way of life once again. And that leads us to the reason why someone in the kingdom can be considered so great by Jesus. Listen to what God said about this. “No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.” (4) Let me say this in the language of the kingdom – When a poor in spirit sinner inherits the kingdom, they receive the seed of Christ inside of them and are now born of God as a new person. Yes, their old sinful man is still there but this new seed will never sin because it is the seed of Christ. You and I both know that sometime today you will violate what this says and sin, because all humans are born sinners and enslaved to doing sin, (5) and you know this by your own personal experience. So how can God say this? We are looking at one of the most unique aspects of the kingdom and it is also truly miraculous. Every human begins as a “seed” from their father and mother, and that “seed,” because of the fall is infected with sin before they are even born. Sin is in their genes. And of course, they add a million other sins during their lifetime. But God gives His favored ones a new seed – one that is perfect, ...
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7 min