A few thoughts on The Kingdom of Heaven

Sunday, October 4, 2009
A few thoughts on "Kingdom of Heaven"

"The Kingdom, it's all about the Kingdom," they say. It seems all the popular preachers are offering a new viewpoint on "The Kingdom of Heaven." Some say it's this and some say its that, so in my confusion I set out to form my own opinion of the consistence of "The Kingdom." Out of 352 references in the Bible to the word "kingdom", I came up with three thoughts about this subject: explanation, qualifications, and the keys to the Kingdom.

How do I explain the "Kingdom of Heaven?" Matthew 3:2 says, “Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near." So, the Kingdom is about repentance and turning to God. Repent means to change the way you think. So a man thinks, so he is. If we turn TO God, then we must turn FROM something. We must turn from being SELF-CENTERED and SELF CONTROLLED and turn our lives over to Christ's direction and Christ's control.

Secondly, what are the qualifications of the "Kingdom of Heaven?" Refer to Matthew 5:3-12, "The Beatitudes," 1)We must first and foremost realize that we have a need for GOD. 2)We must mourn, period. 3)We must be "humble" which translates to "human" which translates to this: "be yourself and not a copycat of someone else" 4) Hunger and thirst for justice. 5) Be merciful to all. 6) Have a pure heart. 7) Work towards peace. 8) Proclaim who we are in Christ regardless of what other think even if we are persecuted.

Third is the "keys to the Kingdom." In Matthew 16:19 Jesus said,
" And I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven. Whatever you forbid on earth will be forbidden in heaven, and whatever you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven.” Through the power of forbidding and permitting, Jesus turned the power to forgive others over to US according to John 20:23, because He forgave us. Freely we have received, freely we shall give"

The "Kingdom of Heaven" is about being in right relationship with God through repentance and allowing His word to change our thinking. It's about being in right relationship with others by meeting the "qualifications" and using the keys to offer them hope. Do you need to "change the way you think and turn to God?" Are you headed to heaven? Are you qualified for the Kingdom of Heaven? Christians that are reading this, when is the last time you allowed God's word to be a mirror in your life? When is the last time you exercised the power of forgiveness in your own household? Who was the last person you told about God's love and lead them to Christ? Just a few thoughts, on the "Kingdom of Heaven."

In love with Christ.

Donald Hobbs