Kingdom Living in 4 Steps

We have been given the authority to become children of God and enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but what exactly does that look like? Today we are going to summarize kingdom living, breaking it down into 4 essential steps.

Untitled, a photo by by and by on Flickr.

1. Enter the Kingdom. 
You might be surprised at the prerequisites that are required before gaining entrance into the Kingdom. Matthew 5:20 says, “unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven." It would be hard to get more righteous than the scribes and Pharisees, men who dedicated their lives to observing detailed rules of holiness, but take a look at Matthew 21:28-32. What kind of righteousness could tax collectors have that pharisees didn't? 


The Pharisaical Law says that as long as I don't actually kill Bob I'm not guilty of murder. Jesus says that even if you're just angry at Bob then you're guilty of murder. In other words, righteousness is something that comes from the heart. But this is an impossible standard, how could we live up to it? The answer is that we are forced to rely on Jesus as our Savior. 

In Matthew 7:21-23 Jesus is still talking about entering the Kingdom of Heaven. Doing great things doesn't cause us to enter the kingdom, but knowing Jesus does, and the result of knowing Him is following Him in righteousness and obedience. We have to have a relationship with Jesus, not just pay Him lip-service. 

Another prerequisite is found in Matthew 18:1-4: Humility. We can attend church, get baptized, work miracles, and speak in tongues, but unless we are walking like a little child we don't have any hope of entering the Kingdom. 

Matthew 19:23-24 gives a word-picture of how hard it is for someone who is rich in this world to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. No matter how you interpret this passage, it's clear that Jesus is saying that worldly wealth makes it difficult to enter the kingdom. We must keep riches as our servant, not our master.

"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow.
They do not labor or spin."
Tiger Swallowtail and Lily, 2012/07/09, a photo by Aaron of NEPA on Flickr.

2. Make it a Priority. 
Matthew 6:33, "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." In everything, even the little things, always put the Kingdom first. Don't begrudge sacrifices and serving others; this is all Kingdom stuff and it's an A1 priority. Everything else (personal goals, job, house, etc.) pales in comparison. 

Matthew 21:42-44 tells us that if we're not producing the fruit of the Kingdom it will be taken away from us. Did you produce the fruit of the Kingdom this week?

3. Live out the Kingdom. 
How do we do this? It starts with you. We live in a world full of activities, opportunities  ministries, etc., but the first item on our Kingdom agenda must be to manage our own spirits. Matthew 5:21-7:12 gives us the guidelines for what we have to live out. 

Hatred, reconciliation, sexual purity, oaths, vengeance, love, humility, and many more topics are all covered here. Living out Jesus' brand of righteousness looks like going the extra mile, being a loving person to neighbors and enemies, being humble, praying and meditating, fasting and strengthening our spirits through discipline, not hoarding possessions, not worrying or being fearful, etc. This is living out the Kingdom on a personal level. 

Armor, a bit dusty, a photo by Unhindered by Talent on Flickr.

4. Do the work of the Kingdom. 
This is what the next few Sundays will be concentrating on. What is the gameplan for Kingdom Living? The authority that we've been given is for a purpose after all, otherwise why wouldn't we just be saved and automatically "raptured"? 

There is a battle, a war going on, and the work of the Kingdom is to do warfare—storm the gates of Hell. Jesus talks about these gates in Matthew 16:16-18. Where are they? We've all been there. We have been rescued from the kingdom of Hell, but this world is still in there. We are meant to blow those gates wide open and set the captives free. We need to find our place in the battle, as individuals and as a fellowship. We didn't get delivered out of the kingdom of darkness just to sit back and relax. We were rescued and given new citizenship in order to go back. Jesus asks us to back into Hell itself to rescue the people who are in bondage. He's given us the authority, the equipment, and the gifts to accomplish this. We shall prevail.