Victory Life KY

Ambassadors

Episode Summary

Believe God will empower us to take on this new nature. And that nature is found in our new Kingdom we’ve been born into.

Episode Notes

As I was thinking on our talk, I was going through our homework and the Lord began taking me in another direction. Lets be real, none of us want to hear a lot about anger management…

Now we’re still going to look at the peace and joy Jesus left us because I’m 100% convinced that a big part of our witness will be our peace and joy form the Lord.

But as I was hanging out in John 14 looking at what Jesus was saying in light of a scripture I shared last week out of Romans 14:17,NKJV- For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

But as I’m hanging out in John the Lord began showing me that we all need a clearer understanding of exactly what He did through Jesus. Who we are as His people, while we’re still confined to our humanity.

And this is where faith comes in, we’ve actually gotta believe this stuff. Believe God will empower us to take on this new nature. And that nature is found in our new Kingdom we’ve been born into.

But not just born into, but born with an assignment, a calling if you will.

Paul helps us see this clearer in 2 Corinthians 5, In Christ we have been given these new lives through Him and now He’s calling more back to Him through us since He’s given us the ministry of reconciliation.

2 Corinthians 5:20,NKJV- We ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.

MSG- All this comes from God, who settled the relationship between us and Him, giving the world a fresh start by offering forgiveness of sins.
God has given us the task of telling everyone what He is doing. We’re Christ’s representatives, His ambassadors.
God uses us to persuade men and women to drop their differences and enter into God’s work.

This is Jesus’ point in John 17, Because they’re in this world but not of this world, sanctify them with Your word. As You’ve sent Me, I’m sending them.”

So as we begin to discover and develop our new lives, it’s so important we remember, the Kingdom of God is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.

Make no mistake, these are not just suggestions from the Lord. He said, the Kingdom of God is!!

So the more we yield to the Kingdom of God, which according to Jesus in Luke 17 is in us the moment we give our lives to Him, the more visible the Kingdom becomes to those He sends us to.

And what things will be visible? Righteousness, peace, and joy.

You see, the more Kingdom minded we are, the more the things Jesus said to us take on a much clearer perspective. Right in the face of challenging situations.

John 15:11,NKJV- “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.”

Remember, the things of the Kingdom are spiritual in their reality. They come from the spirit into this world. Paul’s instructions in Romans is simply the result of the born again yielding to the Kingdom that’s already functioning in us.

This is why faith is so important, a key principle in understanding the Kingdom of God is being open to multidimensional thinking.

Remember in Luke 17, Jesus tells us, “The Kingdom of God is within you.”

And the more I dug into this, the further back I found myself going. In Genesis 1, God says, let’s make man in our image, according to our likeness, and let them have dominion over all the earth.

Psalm 115, The heavens are the Lord’s, but the earth He has given to the children of men.

The invisible taking on the visible. Adam was 100% spirit and human.
Jesus, the last Adam 100% spirit and human.

“Let them have dominion” is the fundamental principle of the Kingdom of God into this visible world God gave His creation.

Remember what Jesus told us, “we’re in this world but not of this world.”

This is why Paul makes radical statements like he did in Galatians when he told us to walk in the Spirit. In other words, govern our lives according to the Holy Spirit’s leading.

And since joy is a fruit of the Spirit, i think it’s fair to say, joy is the personality of the Holy Spirit.

Let me add this here, we can’t confuse joy with happiness. One is natural, inspired by emotion, the other a spiritual reality.

And I know I’m highlighting joy a little more than peace, but lets not kid ourselves, they go hand in hand. You see, God knows that these two spiritual forces will absolutely draw anyone that’s away from Him closer.

Think about it, would you rather be around someone joyful and upbeat, full of faith, or someone that’s always worrying, serious and grumpy all the time?

Joy and peace is this contagious quality of His character that He’s ordained for us to be a part of.

And this is why we’ve got to get our minds settled on this issue of faith, our born again nature is built to live by faith. But faith will not look like the world.

2 Corinthians 5:7, “We live by faith, not by sight.” NLT, We live by believing, not seeing.”

Peace and joy are products of Heaven, so stop looking for situations and people to provide only what God can.

Understand, God didn’t give them to us just to make us feel better, but to improve our countenance, strengthen our witness, improve our health and overall quality of life,
so that those we cross paths with will see and know, its not just something in ands of ourselves. He gets the glory.

Keep this out in front of you, Ambassadors

Let me ask ya this, how many of you think joy and peace have anything to do with our attitude?

Paul believed that choices not circumstances determined his attitude.

This is why we have to exercise our faith and put into practice what Paul told Timothy, “Stir up the gift that is in you”

And one unfortunate reality that way too many of us are guilty of is a negative mouth.

Think about it, there’s no way any of us will ever tap into peace and joy if all we do is think and talk our problems.

Seriously, we can’t rejoice and complain at the same time. This is why I think it’s absolutely vital we make a habit out of speaking the word over our lives, our situations.

Psalm 16:11,NKJV- You will show me that path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

As citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven, heirs to the throne, ambassadors for Jesus, our assignment is taking the kingdom everywhere we go.

Colossians 1:11-13,NLT- We also pray that you will be strengthened with all His glorious power so you will have all the endurance and patience you need.
May you be filled with joy, always thanking the Father. He has enabled you to share in the inheritance that belongs to His people, who live in the light.
For He has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of His dear Son.

But here’s the thing, possibly one of the biggest challenges the born again face isn’t so much the powers of the kingdom of darkness, it our refusal to embrace the world we’re born of, embracing a way of living that is beyond humanity.

Listen to Paul’s words again, He has enabled you to share in the inheritance that belongs to His people, who live in the light.

Make no mistake, comprehending all that Christ has made available for His people demands a new paradigm, the Kingdom of Heaven can only be accessed by faith.

Philippians 3:17-20,NLT- Dear brothers and sisters, pattern your lives after mine, and learn from those who follow our example.
For I have told you often before, and I say it again with tears in my eyes, that there are many whose conduct shows they are really enemies of the cross of Christ.
They are headed for destruction. Their god is their appetite, they brag about shameful things, and they think only about this life here on earth.
But we are citizens of Heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for Him to return as our Savior.

This is why Colossians is so powerful, God has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of His dear Son.

Remember Psalm 115, The heavens are the Lord’s, but the earth He has given to the children of men.
God put man in authority over the earth.

Kingdom of Heaven principles aren’t even legal here without an heir of the Kingdom exercising dominion.

Why do you think Jesus told His disciples to pray, “Father, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”

One of Jesus’ primary objectives was restoring God’s original creation to his God ordained position. This is why Corinthians calls Jesus the last Adam.
Jesus came to restore all that Adam lost through his rebellion against the Kingdom of Heaven.

Remember the kingdom of God is righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. And according to Jesus, the Kingdom of God in in us.