Sunday, December 23, 2007

To Establish (the kingdom) and Uphold it...


“…to establish it and to uphold it…”


This is a short aspect to pick out of this verse to meditate on, but an important one nonetheless. Tomorrow (Lord willing!) we will focus on what Christ’s kingdom is established and upheld by, but I simply want you to stop at this point and contemplate the fact that He Himself establishes and upholds His kingdom. The fact that He establishes His kingdom means that He can do whatever He want to with it. He can establish it any way He pleases. You and I don’t have a say so in what we want His kingdom to be about or what we might think it should be about. He establishes and upholds it Himself. He does not need our counsel on how it should be established. He does not need our advice on how it should be upheld. In fact, He doesn’t even need our help establishing it or upholding it. The only reason ANYONE is able to be a part of His kingdom is by grace.
Tomorrow when we meditate on the fact that His kingdom is established and upheld with “justice and righteousness” we need to be assured up front that this is the way He designed it and ordered it to be. Our only response must be to submit, bow down, and humbly and joyfully accept what God has ordained. He established His kingdom the way He wanted to establish it. He knows best. Our job is not to offer counsel or even question Him on this. It is to joyfully accept it as it is and move toward being a part of this established kingdom the He will uphold by His own power and might.

Consider:

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me…And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20

“Jesus answered, ‘My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.’” John 18:36

The kingdom Christ established and upholds is not like any other kingdom. It is a spiritual thing. It is an eternal thing. Remember this when you wage war with the Gospel around the world. Remember this when you are tempted by the evil one. This is something that is not like the world’s way of government and kingdom. This is a spiritual thing that wages war on your soul!

Remember what Paul said to the Ephesians:
“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.” Ephesians 6:10-13


His kingdom is what it is by His design and order. Let’s submit to the Father of our spirits and live!

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