KINGDOM TIMES #1
Jesus did NOT come with a message of being your PERSONAL savior.
What did He preach? REPENT for the kingdom is “AT HAND”
The kingdom is at hand!
“At hand’ is a timing thing. We have 200 mentions of the Kingdom of God, we have zero mentions of the word "personal"
Where’s Nice Jesus? Nice comes from the Latin word “Nescius” Which means ignorant. Makes you think of naive people, doesn’t it?
JESUS showed "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” Galatians 5:22-23
When I read the word, I don’t see a nice Jesus. I see a MANLY man. Not “toxic masculinity” no. HOLY Masculinity. Masculinity that reflects the image of God, like intended.
We see from the BEGINNING in Genesis, we are given DOMINION. That is a KINGDOM term. This is delegated power from on High. Now, we ruined it and fell because of our sin, we needed reconciliation with God to be part of His Kingdom again, and THAT is what Christ came to do. Not to create some feel-good cuddly circle. He came to bring restoration to the kingdom. He came to give us purpose in the kingdom. He came to give us the power of the kingdom. When? "already but not yet”
The Bible tells us the kingdom is within us. Luke 17:21 nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.”
The Bible also tells us it’s a place. Revelation 21 & 22
Eternal life is to Know God (John 17:3).
But we enter into eternity full either when we die or are raptured. Luke 23:42-43 & 1 Corinthians 15:51-52
God is OUTSIDE time. This is such a massive dynamic to get out heads around. 2D < 3D < 4D+
Like I preached last week, things are heating UP. Many know things will get extreme in the end times, so many Christians get excited when we see the tension in the world. We ARE told to look toward His coming every moment. There’s a whole lot else we’re told to do also! And it’s very militaristic. There IS a battle going on. I said something online on a secular meme website recently that got an incredible amount of likes. If I had said the same thing 5 years ago, I’d have been banned! People ARE waking up. The comment was on a video from a college when a kid was called the wrong pronoun. So, in response, the kid stands up and starts literally banshee screaming for like, 5 minutes straight. In the comment section, people were tripping. Political arguments, mocking, even defense of the guy because he was "suffering violence”. I pointed out, hey, you all laughed at us Christians for calling this demonic, are you laughing now? People really responded. Some even replied saying that for the first time they’d really started to think maybe the Christians weren’t crazy for believing demons exist. Jesus CAST OUT DEMONS! We act like this isn’t a thing anymore. Why? It certainly is.
John Cooper Vs Veggie Tales: To watch CLICK HERE
Matthew 11:12: The kingdom suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.
PRAYER WORKS.
We are called to be Warriors for the kingdom! Soldiers! We are given military armor and weapons! (Ephesians 6)
God has ordained things to occur at certain times. This takes us into the topic of today.
Chronos and Kairos + Christos: Giving time the Greek tweak.
Kairos + Cronos & Christos
We were originally going to go with Kairos & Cronos, but then realized… Christos fit right and we can’t really leave that out, can we? Christos in Greek, Christ for us, is THE context!
Kairos and Cronos are two separate words to refer to TIME. How do they relate to Christ? How do they relate to the kingdom? This will really help set up our whole month. So let’s spend some time on it.
Kairos is qualitative, Chronos is quantitative. In short, Chronos is the length or amount of time, and Kairos is how the time is spent. Chronos is that there are 107 days till June 21st. Kairos is that June 21st is my birthday.
How do these relate to the great Christos?
Chronos
We are dispensationalists. Dispensationalism is a way of understanding the Bible. It considers the history we see in the Bible as divided by God into dispensations, defined periods or ages to which God has allotted distinct covenants or administrative principles. According to dispensationalism, each age of God's plan is thus administered in a certain way, and humanity is held responsible as a steward during that time. Dispensationalism comes from inductive reasoning. It takes what we see in Biblical history, such as God giving an old covenant, and then later providing a new covenant, and concluding that He has chosen to act in a different way depending on what He has ordained for a given time.
There are many dispensations in the bible. But again, The fact we have an Old and New Testament, or Covenant, is fairly case and point about dispensationalism.
Let’s look at some of these dispensations in the Chronos!
Note: Like much of theology, there is some new wacky thought about this concept so I don’t endorse all of it by ANY means. (The covenant theology vs dispensationalist theology perspective on the old vs New Testament for example is a false dichotomy in our view)
"Ephesians 1:4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love"
God’s Plan for us has existed before the creation of the world! His Kingdom plan. He ordained it. We experience how it all plays out.
It begins with the first dispensation! (There is some overlap)
1. Creation/“Innocence".
2. Conscience period (the fall through to Moses)
3. The Law (Moses through to Jesus)
4. Grace/The time of the gentiles (The cross through till the rapture)
5. The Great Tribulation (7 years following the rapture)
6. The Millennium
7. The New Jerusalem
I think it’s interesting there are 7. innit.
What does this mean for us?
Christ could come at any time!
James 5:7–9
Be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain. You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. Do not grumble against one another, brethren, lest you be condemned. Behold, the Judge is standing at the door!
1 Peter 4:7 “The end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers”
Hebrews 10:24-25 Let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching
See also: (1 John 2:28; cf. 3:2; Colossians 3:4; 2 Timothy 4:8; 1 Peter 5:4).
Christ is within us NOW! [Already]
From the moment of salvation, the Spirit of Jesus Christ comes and dwells within us. We HAVE eternal life. Eternal life is to KNOW God.
The fullness of the kingdom is to come LATER [Not Yet]
We have the Holy Spirit now, but He is a “down payment” 1 Ephesians 1:13-14 13 In Him you also trusted after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.
What is to come is seen in Revelation 21 & 22. It is INCREDIBLE.
Kairos
WHAT DO WE DO WITHOUT TIME?!
Kairos of the Kingdom. Qualitative
We were talking military earlier. Luke 19:13 And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come.
2 Corinthians 10:3-53 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, 6 and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.
More:
Pray
Watch
Wait
Perceive
Listen
Rightly Divide
Discern.
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BID
REPENT! THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN IS AT HAND!