13) The Kingdom of God
AIM: To show that the kingdom of God is based on the ten (relationship) commandments.
To show that our identity and value as individuals comes from a personal relationship with our heavenly Father, not from performance and achievement.
God’s kingdom protects the rights and freedoms of the individual.
Outline: Matthew 22:37-40 reveals God’s two great laws. God’s kingdom is vastly different from those of this world. God has a unique and personal relationship with each of His created children. This relationship is expressed in the first four of the ten commandments. Each of God’s children respects each other’s relationship with God and loves each other also. This is expressed in the last six of the ten commandments. The Ten Commandments protect our true identity.
Our value as individuals comes directly from our relationship to God. Luke 12:6,7 expresses the formula for the value system of God’s kingdom. Jesus contrasts the value of the sparrows to that of human beings by the amount of thoughts that God has toward us. God thinks about us every day. He numbers the hairs of our head, he knows exactly what burdens us and it hurts Him when we hurt. (See Ps 139). To determine how much God thinks about us we can look at Psalms 40:5. You thoughts toward us are more than can be numbered. This means that in God’s kingdom we are priceless. If we choose to embrace this system, we have worth beyond comprehension.
This connection between ourselves and God is reflected in Prov 17:6. The glory of children is their father. All of us yearn to be loved and be valued by those who care for us. When we do not receive words of blessings from our parents or guardians, life becomes hellish and we often feel worthless. God has promised us that if our parents forsake us then he will take care of us. Psalms 27:10 because He is our true father that will always love us and care for us. His love for us is expressed in the words of Matthew 3:17. This is my son whom I love. When we hear and believe these words we can glory in knowing and understanding Him rather than in wealth and might and our achievements. Jer 9:23,24
