KINGDOM LIVING NOW
OBSERVATION: LUKE WROTE PRIMARILY TO HIGHLIGHT CHRIST’S HUMANITY. HE COMPILED EVENTS IN CHRIST’S LIFE AND MINISTRY FOCUSING PRIMARILY ON A GENTILE (NON-JEWISH) AUDIENCE. CHRIST’S IDENTITY, CHARACTER AND MISSION UNFOLDS. HE WAS MORE THAN A MEER MAN.
INTERPRETATION: LUKE 17:21 (NKJV) NOR WILL THEY SAY, SEE HERE OR SEE THERE! FOR INDEED, THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS WITHIN YOU. LUKE 17:21 (AMPLIFIED) NOR WILL PEOPLE SAY, LOOK! HERE IT IS! OR SEE, IT IS THERE! FOR BEHOLD, THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS WITHIN YOU, IN YOUR HEARTS AND AMONG YOU, SURROUNDING YOU.
POINTS TO PONDER:
YOU ENTERED THE KINGDOM OF GOD WHEN YOU WERE FIRST BORN OF THE SPIRIT (JOHN 3:5). IMMEDIATELY, YOU HAVE CONFIDENT ASSURANCE BECAUSE THE SPIRIT OF GOD BEARS WITNESS WITH YOUR SPIRIT (ROMANS 8:16).
LOOKING EVERYWHERE FOR THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS FUTILE UNLESS YOU FIRST HAVE IT IN YOUR HEART! CHRIST EXPRESSED THIS TO THE BLIND PHARISEES (RELIGIOUS JEWS). THE PHARISEES EXPECTED A POLITICAL KINGDOM EQUAL TO THE POWER AND GLORY OF KING DAVID’S KINGDOM.
CHRIST TAUGHT THAT THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS UNLIKE THE KINGDOMS OF THE WORLD. JESUS TOLD THE PHARISEES IT DID NOT COME WITH OBSERVATION. THAT IS BECAUSE IT IS WITHIN YOU AS A BELIEVER.
KINGDOM LIVING IS HEART LIVING. YOU HAVE YIELDED YOUR HEART AND PLEDGED YOUR LOYALTY TO CHRIST ALONE. YOU ARE HIS DISCIPLE!
APPLICATION: CHRIST TOLD THE PHARISEES THE KINGDOM WAS NOT PHYSICAL BUT SPIRITUAL. LOVING GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART AND LOVING YOUR NEIGHBORS AFFIRMS THIS REALITY (LUKE 10:27-NKJV) SO HE ANSWERED AND SAID, YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND, AND YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.
