Understanding God's Kingdom Print

Pastor David Koop 

God has a kingdom that operates much different than an earthly kingdom but Jesus did explain how it works for us.

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Text: Matthew 20:1-16

  1. The ways of the kingdom are upside down to us.
    1. “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” says the LORD. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts”. Isaiah 55: 8,9
    2. For example we know that 4000 men plus women and children were fed with 7 loaves and 7 baskets left over, 5000 men plus women and children were fed with 5 loaves and 12 baskets left over. Therefore if we extrapolate 7000 men plus women and children could be fed with 1 loaf and 22 baskets left over. See Mark 8:14-21.
  2. God is continually calling people to work in His kingdom.
    1. He gave them this charge: “What a huge harvest! And how few the harvest hands. So on your knees; ask the God of the Harvest to send harvest hands.” Luke 10:2
  3. The grace of the kingdom includes those who are overlooked.
    1. About 5 PM he went out and found some others standing around. He said to them, “Why are you standing here all day long without work” “No one has hired us”, they answered him. He said to them, “Work in my vineyard”. Matthew 20: 6,7
  4. God’s grace makes us equal in His kingdom.
    1. Our challenge is not that God didn’t keep His word to us but that the “latecomers” have been promoted to a place of equality.
    2. ‘These last workers put in only one easy hour, and you just made them equal to us, who slaved all day under a scorching sun.’ Matthew 20:12
    3. Jesus will confront our “I want my fair share attitude.” He did this by paying the last first.
  5. There is no scarcity God’s kingdom.
    1. And God is able to make all grace (every favor and earthly blessing) come to you in abundance, so that you may always and under all circumstances and whatever the need be self-sufficient [possessing enough to require no aid or support and furnished in abundance for every good work and charitable donation]. 2 Corinthians 9: 8 (Amplified)
  6. God pays by grace. To work with Him is a privilege.
    1. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.  Ephesians 2: 8,9
    2. The system of the law is you get what you deserve. The system of grace is God dealing with us according to who He is, not according to who we are. Under grace we can’t complain “God I deserve better than this!” Because God can reply, “So, do you really want me to give you what you deserve?
    3. If you have lost your sweetness of Christian service, it may be because you are busy comparing pay stubs.
    4. John Elliot - Loose what you cannot keep to gain what you cannot loose.
  7. The key to contentment is to staying hungry for God and focus on the harvest not our neighbor's pay stub.
    1. Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. Philippians 3: 12