Citizenship In The Kingdom Of God

Citizenship in The Kingdom of God

Turn to Ephesians chapter 2….

Today I would like to talk about our citizenship in the kingdom of God

We have rights and privileges in the kingdom of God

We may live on this earth….

but we are not of this earth….

We are citizens of the kingdom of God

LISTEN

God has delivered and translated us into the kingdom

Ephesians 2:1 (NKJV)

1 And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins,

We were once did in Sin

Aren’t you glad that

you are not dead in your sins any more

Ephesians 2:2 (NKJV)

2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience,

At one time you and I were under the authority of the devil

We had a wrong nature

living in rebellion

rebellion and disobedience

Ephesians 2:3 (NKJV)

3 among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.

That sounds like me before I made Jesus as Lord

That’s who we were…

That was the lifestyles Satan had for us

Ephesians 2:4 But God,

Remember

… never take the but God out of your situation

The devil says

1. you’re not going to make it………. but God

2. You’re going down this time…………. but God

3. Your prayer is not working this time…………. but God

Ephesians 2:4-9 (NKJV)

4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,

5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),

Notice this: made us alive together with Christ

6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,

7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

When you give your life to Christ…

He wants to show his grace in kindness to us

8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,

9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.

Q: Did you notice here that God took you out of the picture…

So you couldn’t mess it up

Ephesians 2:10 (NKJV)

10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

1. God has a path for us

2. He has prepared good things for you and me

3. And he has done it with his grace and mercy

Ephesians 2:11 Therefore remember

When the enemy is coming in like a flood..

Remember what it was like before you make Christ Lord

Ephesians 2:11-12 (NLT)

11 Don’t forget that you Gentiles used to be outsiders. You were called “uncircumcised heathens” by the Jews, who were proud of their circumcision, even though it affected only their bodies and not their hearts.

12 In those days you were living apart from Christ. You were excluded from citizenship among the people of Israel, and you did not know the covenant promises God had made to them. You lived in this world without God and without hope.

Now that’s a bad situation

Ephesians 2:13-18 (NLT)

13 But now you have been united with Christ Jesus. Once you were far away from God, but now you have been brought near to him through the blood of Christ.

14 For Christ himself has brought peace to us. He united Jews and Gentiles into one people when, in his own body on the cross, he broke down the wall of hostility that separated us.

15 He did this by ending the system of law with its commandments and regulations. He made peace between Jews and Gentiles by creating in himself one new people from the two groups.

16 Together as one body, Christ reconciled both groups to God by means of his death on the cross, and our hostility toward each other was put to death.

17 He brought this Good News of peace to you Gentiles who were far away from him, and peace to the Jews who were near.

18 Now all of us can come to the Father through the same Holy Spirit because of what Christ has done for us.

Ephesians 2:19 (NLT)

19 So now you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens along with all of God’s holy people. You are members of God’s family.

We are joint heirs…

With all of God’s holy people. You are members of God’s family.