The Kingdom – Live the Crazy Life

Keys to the Kingdom

March 27, 2024 No Comments

This is not your typical Easter message but one I think needs to be heard (or at least read). When I sat down to write this blog I wasn’t planning on it being about Easter. I was just thinking about this month’s post about the Kingdom of Heaven. But the more I studied this month’s verse the more God began to show me that it is about Easter; and God’s resurrection power and his triumph over death. The verse for this month is Matthew 16:19 which reads “I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will have been bound in Heaven, and whatever you loose on the earth will be loosed in Heaven” (CSB). It is probably a familiar verse to lots of us. It is also probably a confusing verse for lots of us, too (I include myself in that group).

To fully understand this verse you need to understand the context it was spoken in. Jesus is hanging out with his disciples and asks them, “Who do people say I am?” They give him a few different answers, like John the Baptist, or Elijah, even Jeremiah, or one of the prophets. Jesus then asks them who they say he is. Peter speaks up proclaiming Jesus as the Messiah – the Son of God. Just two verses down we come to our verse for this month. Peter could only have the keys to the kingdom once he understood who Jesus really is. The saying “I will give you the keys” was a Jewish expression that signified the rising of someone to great authority and power. There is a prophecy in Isaiah that talks about Jesus being given the keys of David, and whatever He opens can not be shut (see Isaiah 22;22). We know that Jesus is the fulfillment of the Davidic Kingdom that has no end. We also know that Jesus in his death and resurrection now holds the keys to death and hell (see Revelation 1:18). So the keys that Jesus is giving Peter here in this verse and then to all the disciples in Matthew 18:18 are the keys to eternial life. Peter and the disciples and even you and me (if you consider youself a disciple or student of Jesus) have been given the ability to help unlock eternal life for people by sharing the Good News and leading people to confession of Jesus as the Messiah, the Son of God. Are you starting to see how this lines up with Easter now?

Let’s unpack a few more words in our key verse to help us understand this better. We know the keys are figurative for power and authority, but what about this binding and loosing business? These two words were commonly used words in church lingo that referred to things that were lawful or unlawful for those in the church to do or partake in. They were medical terminology that meant what was lawful for a human body to do in a physical sense like food is lawful and even needed to sustain life, but certain foods were unlawful or poisonous leading to death. A person living around the time of Jesus would have understood this in the natural sense and been able to apply it to the spiritual sense. Think about all the laws that the Jewish person had to know and live by. The Pharisees and leaders of the Synagog were constantly declaring something lawful or unlawful. These words binding and loosing became Rabbinical idioms. Here is what they mean in the original greek. To bind means to declare, to be prohibited or unlawful, to put into chains. To loose means to unleash, let go, release what was once held back.

What I think this verse is saying first to Peter and then to all disciples in Matthew 18:18 is that we have been given the power to bind the enemy who blinded people from hearing and seeing the Good News. “For the god of this world has blinded the unbelievers’ minds [that they should not discern the truth], preventing them from seeing the illuminating light of the Gospel of the glory of Christ (the Messiah), Who is the Image and Likeness of God.” (Amplified Version). When we are sharing the Gospel we have the authority to pray and bind this spirit that keeps people from knowing God. We can also loose the mind of Christ over them.

We have the keys to the Kingdom of heaven. It’s our ability to share the love of God with those who don’t know Him yet, in a way that compels them into God’s Kingdom through salvation in Jesus, and confessing Him as Lord. So as Easter approaches we who are holding keys to the Kingdom of Heaven should bind the god of this world, loosing souls to confess Jesus as Lord. That could be as simple as inviting them to church with you, or taking someone out to dinner with the intent to share the full Gospel story. However you do it, let’s walk in the authority we have, and bind doubt and unbelief and loose salvation for thousands this Easter.

The Kingdom, Uncategorized

Characteristics of Kingdom Citizens

February 29, 2024 No Comments

green trees near body of water under blue and orange sky during golden hour

February is almost over as I start to study the “Kingdom” verse for the month. My life seems to be going at a pace I struggle to keep up with. But I still have 2 days (thank you Leap Year) this month to get my blog posted about the word Kingdom in the Bible for this month.

This month’s verse is found in the Beatitudes from Matthew chapter 5. Because it is from a famous portion of scripture called the Sermon on the Mount we will look into that and what is maybe just as popular a portion within the Sermon on the Mount titled the Beatitudes.

Before we get to the verse at hand we need to understand what is happening in this section of the word. Jesus is speaking not to the crowds as some might think, but to His disciples. Matthew 5:1 tells us when Jesus saw the crowds He went up the mountain and sat down with His disciples. The Sermon on the Mount includes at points a larger audience, but this little section known as the Beatitudes only seems to include the 12 disciples. Matthew 5:2 tells us Jesus opened his mouth to teach them. In my opinion, if Jesus is teaching then it is a lesson worthy of our attention, and retention. The word for teach in Greek means to cause someone to learn and it almost always refers to teaching the scriptures.

Jesus then goes into rhythmic statements about those who are blessed. When I read these they are a little confusing and don’t seem to align with my Western mindset of what being blessed means. The specific Beatitude I want to look into is found in Matthew 5:10 – “Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”(TLV). It is interesting to note that Jesus starts the list of Beatitudes with “Blessed are those who are poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:3 TVL) and ends with our verse 5:10. These are the only two from this list that mention the kingdom of heaven. Jesus also follows up this portion of the Sermon on the Mount with details about those who are being persecuted. No other blessed person does he go into as much detail about. I think Jesus wants us to understand that persecution will happen if you are a Christ follower. It may not be grand; but in some way, we all can anticipate persecution. Before we get too far down the road of persecution, let’s gain some understanding that will aid us in understanding this verse.

Let’s first look at the most common word in the Beatitudes which is blessed. The word blessed can mean a myriad of things. To the modern reader it can mean wealth, for non-believers it can mean luck, and to the ancient Jewish person it means happy. That is the most basic meaning of the word, but happy has much more depth in the Biblical sense than our American word. It means the happiness you feel when God extends His benefits to us. The mindset of persecution used to be that of one with honor, because it meant that you were able to empathize with the sufferings of Christ. It was understood that while you were not promised earthly vindication you were promised a great reward in heaven. Perhaps this understanding helps us make sense of those who are martyred and had a sense of peace about them in the process, like Stephen in Acts chapter 6. This knowledge of honor and approval of God coupled with a reward in heaven may make the momentary pain worthwhile.

Let’s look at some other words in this verse. Persecuted means to be pursued with haste, hunted down, overtaken, or troubled. Righteousness means judicial approval, and in the New Testament, it almost exclusively means the approval of God. Who as a follower of Christ wouldn’t want God’s approval on their lives?

The last word to look at is my theme word for the year Kingdom. It means a realm in which a King sovereignly reigns. It can mean the reign of Christ in the heart of believers, as well as a literal kingdom where Christ is King. The New Testament uses the word kingdom in three ways. 1. The kingdom of God in a believer’s heart. 2. Referring to the united body of believers as a kingdom ruled by Christ. 3. The future kingdom prepared for believers after death.

If we keep reading Matthew 5, verses 11 and 12 give us more insight into why you are blessed in persecution. To be persecuted for Christ places us among some of the great heroes of our faith. The prophets who were often mistreated and misunderstood but obeyed God’s command on their lives anyway. The Apostles many of whom gave their lives to further the gospel and of course our Lord himself. Remember Jesus is talking to the disciples all of whom were persecuted in one way or another. I think Jesus was giving them something to hold onto in those dark moments of persecution.

The idea of being blessed for being persecuted is a blessing that we won’t fully understand or receive in this life, but the anticipation of the promise that waits for us makes it bearable. God is faithful to his word. If you are persecuted, He will bless you; and a blessing from God is the best kind there is.

Heaven will be full of persecuted people, those who gave their lives, to those who were mistreated, insulted, and misunderstood. God will be there smiling telling us how pleased He is that we loved Him more than our own comfort and even our own lives. To those who have given the greatest sacrifice to God, we honor you here and can’t wait to meet you in the Kingdom of God.

Jesus, The Kingdom

The Unshakeable Kingdom

January 16, 2024 No Comments

gray concrete triumphal arch surrounded by flowers

I am not one for New Year’s Resolutions. You probably already know that based on the fact that the first post for this year is almost halfway through the month. I do, however, lean into words or themes God gives me for the year. A couple years back I felt like the Lord wanted me to study the word steadfast love, or “hessed”, in the Hebrew. I wrote a blog about steadfast love (https://www.livethecrazylife.com/?s=steadfast+love) if you are interested in that. This year I feel led to study the word Kingdom specifically “The Kingdom of God.” In fact “The Kingdom” is a common topic for Jesus throughout the Gospels. Depending on which Gospel and which translation, it is mentioned over 50 times in Matthew, 17 times in Mark, and over 40 in Luke. John, on the other hand, has a much different style and approach in his Gospel only mentioning it 3 or so times. “The Kingdom” is mentioned in most other New Testament books and quite a lot by Paul as well. It is clear that “The Kingdom” is a major theme of the New Testament and should be for a believer as well. The problem is that word or phrase “The Kingdom” or “Kingdom of God” is so over used most of us don’t know much about what it actually means other than Heaven in the most broad sense of the word. My goal this year is to gain a deeper understanding of what the bible (mostly the New Testament, but I wont completely leave the Old Testament out) means when it mentions “The Kingdom” or “The Kingdom of God”.

I have decided to start with a verse from Hebrews that mentions “The Kingdom”. Hebrews 12:28 in the Tree of Life (TLV) reads “Therefore, since we are receiving a Kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude – through this we may offer worship in a manner pleasing to God, with reverence and awe.”

When I am studying out a verse I look for key words, or words that draw my attention. I then look them up – usually on Biblehub.com. From there I will look into the surrounding verses to get context, and any verse that the verse I am studying either quotes or connects to in thought. I almost always read commentaries on the verse, look it up in other translations, and often ask a few close friends their take on the verse. It can be a long process, but it always is rewarding.

For this verse here are the words I looked up in the Greek:

Receiving – paralambano a compound greek word meaning para – come along side and lambano to take aggressively. You get the idea of joining with God (or rather God coming along side us) and us aggressively taking hold of something. From this you get the understanding that The Kingdom of God comes from God; but we have to be active participants in occupying it or advancing it. It also gives the idea of an on-going receiving – not just a one time thing. Which I find interesting and intend to pray through more and see if God reveals anything to me on that.

It would be hard to study on the concept of The Kingdom without looking into the word itself. In this particular verse the word relates the idea of God making men partners in His Kingdom to advance the interests of the Heavenly Kingdom. It is from the Greek word basileus which means the realm in which a king sovereignly rules.

I also looked up shaken, gratitude, offer worship, and reverence and awe. The phrase “cannot be shaken” is one word in the Greek: asaleutos – which means unmovable. It underscores the concept that The Kingdom is unshakeable because Jesus is always in charge and always triumphs. Gratitude means grace in the original language, which is a Greek word with so many subtle meanings. Overall it is the picture of one possessing greater authority leaning forward with arms open and palms extended out facing up as if offering something to one of a lower statute (God giving to mankind). The word worship isn’t fully in the original language but the word offer is which means I worship, or I serve. It implies one being hired for a technical task because they are well qualified. God hires us, so to speak, because we are well equipped or qualified to serve Him or worship Him in service. Reverence is a word picture that looks like someone carrying a priceless vase across a room. The person carrying the vase is aware of its value and is cautious, taking into account the seriousness of the job they are undertaking. And awe means Holy fear.

The author of Hebrews, while unknown, is one skilled in the Greek language, and possesses in depth knowledge of the Septuagint, and has a good grasp on the Temple sacrificial system. He is most likely referencing Daniel 7:18 (“But the holy people of the Most High will receive the kingdom and will possess it forever—yes, for ever and ever.”) and the end of Haggai chapter 2:20-23 (Then the word of the LORD came a second time to Haggai on the twenty-fourth day of the month, saying, “Speak to Zerubbabel governor of Judah, saying, ‘I am going to shake the heavens and the earth. ‘I will overthrow the thrones of kingdoms and destroy the power of the kingdoms of the nations; and I will overthrow the chariots and their riders, and the horses and their riders will go down, everyone by the sword of another.’ ‘On that day,’ declares the LORD of hosts, ‘I will take you, Zerubbabel, son of Shealtiel, My servant,’ declares the LORD, ‘and I will make you like a signet ring, for I have chosen you,’” declares the LORD of hosts.) Based on these two verses, you get the understanding that God’s Kingdom is everlasting and God will shake and remove all other kingdoms one day.

The take ways for those who heard this message preached by this unknown speaker is the same as it is for us. Jesus is the one true King, He is coming back and His Kingdom will be the only Kingdom left standing. Through your faith in Jesus you will live one day in this Kingdom. God is going to shake and remove both spiritually and literally anything in our lives that is not rooted in Him. Our faith is not in governments, bank accounts, or job titles because all of those can be shaken and destroyed in a moment. God’s Kingdom – our home and future dwelling place for eternity and it’s King who is Jesus – is the only thing we can be sure won’t be shaken, broken, or taken away. We are to live here and now with a then and there, mindset, ever looking forward to the Kingdom that cannot be shaken.