Pastor Sola Ogidan
There is a whole lot that is available to be said about the kingdom because the end of everything is the kingdom and not the church. ‘Light’ is progressive and sometimes it is also a function of development. Therefore, the doctrine is not something to fight or argue about. By discernment, you may know it’s not an error but the person’s understanding is a determinant. A person is not a false teacher because he says what is wrong (if he does not know what is right). A false teacher understands the truth but teaches something contrary to it. You cannot be false if you have not been true. The purpose of preaching is for people to engage in the realities that have been shown to them. If we truly preach the kingdom, people will press into it and we will see its reality. [biblegateway passage=”Luke 16:16″ display=”Luke 16:16″] – our assignment is not just to preach and understand but to press for the reality. God will not do any new thing for us, all that He will do has been done through Christ Jesus but coming to the reality of these things that have been done is our business.
[biblegateway passage=”1 Corinthians 15: 22-26″ display=”1 Corinthians 15: 22-26″].
Last week we discussed that we cannot be kingdom people if we are still bound to the fear of men. The kingdom of God shifts you from all fear so that you can with focus press into it. Today, there is another important thing that characterizes our freedom. As long as there are still resistances to God’s will, this age will linger. We cannot talk about kingdom matters if we are not talking about death. We have to start looking at death, not as something to fear. Death is an enemy meaning that it hinders God’s will and purpose. The understanding of this makes us look at death from another perspective, [biblegateway passage=”Hebrews 2:14-15″ display=”Hebrews 2:14-15″].
God captured sin and on the cross destroyed it. Jesus came, wore the flesh and as he was nailed to the cross sin was also destroyed. It is the devil that has the power of death and he has been destroyed verse 14. The control of death has something to do with sin; if there were no sin there would have been no death. Therefore, if sin can be destroyed, death can be destroyed. [biblegateway passage=”1 Corinthians 15:55-56″ display=”1 Corinthians 15:55-56″] – Death gains control through sin but in Christ’s death, sin was destroyed, [biblegateway passage=”Romans 8:3.” display=”Romans 8:3.”] Since the one who holds the key of death has been destroyed, then we are not supposed to live in the fear of death. [biblegateway passage=”Romans 5:12-14″ display=”Romans 5:12-14″], sin was the gateway of death, therefore we cannot take away death if we have not dealt with sin. Though death came into the world, it did not have dominion immediately, death gained prominence as sin was strengthen.
[biblegateway passage=”1 Corinthians 15:25″ display=”1 Corinthians 15:25″]
There is no full establishment of the kingdom until death has been truly destroyed. We can even say the peak of our kingdom experience is when we come into a place where death does not have a grip. The full manifestation of kingdom life cannot be seen until the full manifestation of death is dealt with. There is no fullness of joy when death is still present. Our manifestation of kingdom life is also an expression of our victory over the force of death.
[biblegateway passage=”Revelation 21:1-5″ display=”Revelation 21:1-5″]
The former things began from Genesis (from the fall). According to Hebrews 2:5-9, that man (Jesus) was still liable to sin. When God created Adam, he was crowned with glory and honour so he can exercise lordship over creation. The crowing of glory and honour was even for Adam as at the time God created him, therefore the crowning of Jesus with glory and honour cannot be a post-resurrection thing. Jesus died not because he had sinned but he was made sin so that he can die. Genesis 3:22 – In his natural capacity man would not have lived forever but if he had taken of the fruit of life he would have had immortality (which is also a life). The provision of God for man to live forever was partly in that tree. [biblegateway passage=”2 Timothy 1:9″ display=”2 Timothy 1:9″]- It is in abundance of life that you find immortality. Man did not die physically immediately (the day) he died spiritually. The same way, it is in the abundance of life that immortality will gain expression in the body.
[biblegateway passage=”Romans 8:9-11″ display=”Romans 8:9-11″]
‘Dead’ means dead but ‘mortal’ means liable to death. At the fall of man, there is a death that has occurred but it took time to see the body falling, now even though there is death, the body can be sustained from falling off. “…he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwells in you” ([biblegateway passage=”Romans 8:11″ display=”Romans 8:11″]).
[biblegateway passage=”2 Corinthians 5:1-4″ display=”2 Corinthians 5:1-4″], Gaining immortality means you don’t need to be unclothed to be clothed but you can be double clothed till one consumes the other. You do not need to fall off to gain immortality, but while you live immortality swallows mortality in you. This is one of the expressions of the kingdom. When you step into life, it ought to be as if death is not existing though it still exists.