Equality of the Kingdom #5: The Throne
In this time of social unrest, we have been
considering the equality of the Kingdom.
The things that the world is clamoring for, peace, justice, unity, and
equality, are only found in the Kingdom of God.
The kingdom is not a place, it is a state of being in your heart. The Kingdom is within you (Luke 17:21). We have a special promise that God will fully
manifest the Kingdom on earth, we call it the consummation of the Kingdom. When Jesus returns everything will accelerate
in being set right.
In session 1: We have been reminded that entrance into the
Kingdom is open to everyone who chooses to believe the good news of the
Gospel.
John 3:16 (MSG)
"This is how much God loved the world: He
gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be
destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life.
In Session 2:
We have been reminded that women are on equal footing with men in the
Kingdom. She is not a second-class
citizen who is prohibited from exercising the gifts given to her by the Spirit
of God.
Acts 2:17 (NIV)
'In the last days, God says, I will pour out my
Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
In Session 3:
We have been reminded that there are no elites in the Kingdom. Every believer stands on the level ground
located at the foot of the cross. All
are slaves of Christ.
Romans 2:11 (NIV)
God does not show favoritism.
In Session 4:
We have been reminded that there is no racism in the Kingdom. A person’s skin color, the place they come
from, the language they speak, even the sins they have committed, are not
grounds for discrimination in the family of God. The Holy Spirit has united every
believer.
Revelation 7:9-10 (NIV)
I looked and there before me was a great multitude
that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language,
standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white
robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a
loud voice:
"Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on
the throne, and to the Lamb."
There is equality in the Kingdom. If you are not a citizen of the Kingdom of
God, if you are not a member of the family of God, today that can be changed. Look at the world. What do you see? Unity, peace, order, and
love? If so, I want to know where you
are looking. Equality is only found in
the Kingdom. If you want to live in the
Kingdom, ask God to grant you entrance.
Seek God with all your heart and you will be found by God and the Holy
Spirit will guide you into all truth.
The scripture reveals that those who call upon Jesus believing in His
gospel will be made into their true selves, their child of God selves. Today if you decide this is what you want,
let me know, I want to pray with you, I want to encourage you in your newfound
faith.
This session’s teaching on Kingdom Equality is the
most amazing; all the other qualities are self-evident. Why they have not been
practiced is because of religious sin, human folly, seduced by the times in
which they lived. Today you live this
equality, it starts inside when you see every human being as precious in God’s
sight, and flows out of you as love for others.
The equality we will highlight deals with sharing
the very Throne of Jesus. What incredible
equality, Jesus shares His throne.
Revelation 3:21 (NKJV)
To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me
on My throne
We’re going to figure out the meaning of the throne,
discover who the overcomers are, and the meaning of sitting on the throne with
Jesus.
A Throne is a special seat for a monarch. You might be familiar with the British
Monarchy, Queen Elizabeth is the only person who sits upon the Throne of the
United Kingdom. This seat is a special
place of power and authority, of majesty and honor. The Queen does not sit upon the Throne in
street clothes, she is regally dressed.
From the Throne, one expects to hear the word of justice, or comfort, of
command, and encouragement. From the Throne, one can receive pardon,
condemnation, or commission. No less from the Throne of God. To the heavenly Throne,
we can add that it is a place of holiness, purity, grace, and eternal life, the
very traits of God because the Throne and God are inseparable. God declares
that the Heavens are His throne and the earth His footstool (Isaiah 66:1). The prophet Ezekiel often uses the word
“like” to describe the things he sees in his vision. In the 26th verse of the first
chapter in the writing that bears his name, Ezekiel says high above what looked
like a throne was God.
The Apostle John has a vision also
Revelation 4:2-6 (MSG)
I was caught up at once in deep worship and, oh!—a
Throne set in Heaven with One Seated on the Throne, suffused in gem hues of
amber and flame with a nimbus of emerald. Twenty-four thrones circled the
Throne, with Twenty-four Elders seated, white-robed, gold-crowned. Lightning
flash and thunder crash pulsed from the Throne. Seven fire-blazing torches
fronted the Throne (these are the Sevenfold Spirit of God). Before the Throne,
it was like a clear crystal sea.
Now whether you believe there exists a literal
throne upon which the Father sits is immaterial. The important reality is that you realize
that the throne is the seat for absolute authority, Divine Truth, wisdom, and
justice. The one who sits upon the
throne has these qualities inherent within.
So from the throne truth, wisdom, and justice are dispensed, for the one
who sits upon the throne is the authority.
There is another symbolic phrase the represents
authority, truth, wisdom, and justice.
We read it in Hebrews chapter 10 where the writer reveals that Jesus has
taken a seat at the right hand of God.
(Hebrew 10:12). Literally, this conjures up a wrong
understanding of the actual relationship that is being described, to be seated
at the right-hand means. In Hebrews 10 the phrase means that it is through Jesus
that the Father’s will is done.
Hebrews 10:12-14 (MSG)
As a priest, Christ made a single sacrifice for
sins, and that was it! Then he sat down right beside God and waited for his
enemies to cave in. It was a perfect sacrifice by a perfect person to perfect
some very imperfect people. By that single offering, he did everything that
needed to be done for everyone who takes part in the purifying process.
Jesus accomplishes His mission and sits down. Sitting down on the Throne signifies His work
was done and done well. Mission
accomplished. The right hand is
symbolically a place of honor.
As we read from Revelation, Jesus shares his
throne with those who like Him overcome the Devil and his schemes, overcoming
the challenges inherent in completing their assigned mission. You have an
assignment, you have a mission, and a reward for the successful completion of
that task. When you have you are one of
the overcomers.
Revelation 12:11 (NIV)
They overcame [the Evil one] by the blood of the
Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as
to shrink from death.
In the Kingdom, we are to continue the work of
Jesus in this world. Each one who calls
him or herself a follower of Jesus has a job to do. That job is to be like Him in the place we
are at. Being like Jesus requires self-sacrifice. Hopefully not self-sacrifice in martyrdom,
but definitely of your agenda, your plans, your time, your talent, your
treasures, all freely given to profit another.
It is because of Jesus' sacrifice that you have
the opportunity to be God’s blessing to the people in your world. Adam’s sin separated all of humanity from a
right relationship with God. Jesus
atones for that sin and when we acknowledge, believe, and commit we find
reconciliation with God. By the blood of
the Lamb—“The very next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and yelled out,
"Here he is, God's Passover Lamb! He forgives the sins of the world!”
(John 1:29-30 (MSG).
“On his Cross and through His Resurrection, Jesus
overcame forever the worst that evil could do to Him; and those who have
entrusted their lives to Him share in that victory.” (Barclay's Daily Study
Bible (NT) This is the amazing gift of equality
in the Kingdom, sharing the victory equally with Jesus.
Charles Wesley [And Can It Be?] sung:
No condemnation now I dread;
Jesus,
and all in him is mine!
Alive in him, my living Head,
And
clothed in righteousness divine,
Bold I approach the eternal throne,
And claim the crown, through Christ my own.
Because of Jesus' self-sacrifice, the overcomer
has a right relationship with God and is empowered to become the person God
always intended them to be, to do the things Jesus did for their generation. That crown that Wesley sang about is the
Crown of Life that is given to all who hear the words: “Well done good and
faithful servant.”
We share in the victory of Christ through faith in
His gospel and by the word of our testimony.
This word is more than just speaking.
Sometimes we think the words we speak, saying the right formula,
reciting the sinner's prayer, performing the prescribed rituals, makes us a
Christ-follower. They do not. When you follow Jesus you are a Christ-follower. Actions speak louder than words. So actions are very much a part of the word
of your testimony. The actions of a
Christ-follower are deeds of self-sacrificing love.
When Revelation 12:11 was written Christ-followers
were dealing with great oppression. This
is the time when the State and the State Religion were so anti-Christ that it
sought to eliminate all believers from the face of the earth. All that was necessary was for an accusation
to be leveled against you and the police would be knocking at your door, drag
you before the court, and there you would be put to question. Are you a Christian? You could answer no, sacrifice a pinch of
incense to the State God, and be let go.
Or you could say yes, and have your property and livelihood taken from
you or find yourself and your family unarmed in the arena, in the gladiatorial
games. Saying “yes” is a testimony that
cost many believers their very lives. In
death, they overcame the evil one and its schemes. Because of their sacrifice,
Jesus shares His victory with them, they sit on the Throne with Him.
In those times one-way self-sacrificing love was
demonstrated through martyrdom, killed because of your faith and your refusal
to recant your testimony.
Self-sacrificing love means that you care more about obeying God and
loving others than you do about your agenda.
Jesus taught those who would follow--
Matt 16:25-26 (MSG)
Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to finding
yourself, your true self. 26 What kind of deal is it to get everything you want
but lose yourself?
It is truly amazing that by loving God and loving
others we discover that we have loved ourselves more than if we just looked out
only for our interests. When your work
of loving others on this earth is done, Jesus makes room for you to sit down
next to Him.
Ephesians 2:3-7 (NIV)
Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath.
4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us
alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions--it is by grace you
have been saved. 6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in
the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he
might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to
us in Christ Jesus.
In God’s spiritual economy he has already raised
us and seated us. That is your destiny
as an overcomer. Jesus shares His
Throne, His place of honor with you.
The equality of the Kingdom will be manifested in
Jesus sharing His victory and all its rewards with everyone who follows his way
of self-sacrificial love, completing their earthly mission. Upon the Throne,
the place of honor, a place of holiness, of purity, of grace, and eternal life,
is your seat.
Your task now is to live valiantly, laying down
your life for the profit of another, so that by the word of your testimony
people are attracted to the Kingdom. If
you haven’t yet taken up the responsibility of living for the glory of God, ask
the Holy Spirit to guide you into your holy vocation of loving God and loving
others. Live a life worthy of a seat next to Jesus.
The world wants equality. Let kingdom equality flourish within you and
give them what they want.
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