* An Illustration of the Kingdom of God, here on earth, would be the United States Embassy in a foreign land. The Embassy is considered a piece of America, governed by America in a different country. At this present time; God’s Kingdom here on earth is a spiritual one; where he reigns in the hearts and lives of those that have accepted his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior and are submitting to his Lordship.

As Christians, we can be likened to the U.S. Embassy: we are governed by God, but we live in a world that as a whole, is in spiritual darkness; where Satan still rules in the hearts and lives of unbelievers. The good news is that Jesus Christ made it possible to escape from Satan’s grasp and to enter the Kingdom of God, by translation at the new birth. As Ambassadors, this is the message that we proclaim to the citizens of this lost world. While on earth, Jesus Christ exercised the authority of God’s Kingdom, as can be seen in the casting out of demons, healing the sick, raising the dead and proclaiming the good news of the Kingdom.

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a. We have a King     ( His Majesty King Jesus, Lord and Savior )

1 Timothy 1:17   Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen.

-- New King James
1 Timothy 6:14   that you keep this commandment without spot, blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ's appearing,
15 which He will manifest in His own time, He who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords,

-- New King James
Revelation 19:16 And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.

b. Christians are his people

  1. By birth

-- New King James
John 3:3 Jesus answered and said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.''

  2. By translation

Colossians 1:13   Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:

C. Love is the primary principle

MATTHEW 22:37-39   Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
38. This is the first and great commandment.
39. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

  1. Loving God

  John 14:15, 21,24    Vs.15   If ye love me, keep my commandments.
  21. He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he
  that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest
  myself to him.
  24. He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not
  mine, but the Father's which sent me.

  2. Loving People

  John 13:35   By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to
  another.

  John 15:12   This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved
  you.

  1 John 3:11,14,16-18   Vs.11   For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning,
  that we should love one another.
  14. We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren.
  He that loveth not his brother abideth in death.
  16. Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we
  ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.
  17. But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up
  his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?
  18. My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in
  truth.

  3. Love enemies

  Matthew 5:44-46   But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do
  good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute
  you;
  45. That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his
  sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
  46. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the
  publicans the same?

4. The Excellence of Love

  1 Corinthians 13:4-8   Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it
  is not proud.
  5. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of
  wrongs.
  6. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
  7. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
  8. Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are
  tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. (NIV)

  5. Love is the Royal Law

  Romans 13:8-10   Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth
  another hath fulfilled the law.
  9. For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal,
  Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other
  commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy
  neighbour as thyself.
  10. Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

  6. God gave us his Love

  Romans 5:5   And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in
  our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.

* It’s my prayer that this Basic Study Course has helped you, to grow in Discipleship.

* For more information on kingdom principles and other subjects, see my other study
    courses.

May you grow in grace and truth.

2 Peter 1:5   But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue,
  to virtue knowledge,
  6 to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness,
  7 to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love.
  8 For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in
  the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

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