HF125 - The Secret Growth and Rule of God's Kingdom

To:  Hebraic-Foundations@yahoogroups.com
From:  "Pastor Buddy Martin" <Bro.Buddy@ChristianChallenge.org>
Date: Tue, June 29, 2004 
Subject:  Bible Study HF125 - The Secret Growth and Rule of God's Kingdom

Hebraics,

In the Bible the term 'kingdom of God' speaks of the direct rule of God. So when Jesus tells believers to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, He is telling believers to always seek the direct rule of God in their lives. Seeking His righteousness is to seek the path He has for us, or His answers for our situations.

This brings up a very interesting issue concerning the rule of God in our lives. One of the mysteries of the kingdom of God is how God rules in our lives in secret ways. Let's look at this issue.

This is Bible Study HF125 - The Secret Growth and Rule of God's Kingdom.

Jesus gave two parables which address the growing principle of kingdom. He said, "What is the kingdom of God like, and to what shall I compare it?" He then says, "It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and threw into his own garden; and it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air nested in its branches."

The Lord gives a second illustration: "To what shall I compare the kingdom of God? It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three pecks of flour until it was all leavened." (Cf. Luke 13:18-20)

In both these cases we see a mystery growth principle and yet in due time we see the result. Thus the Lord is telling us that the working of the kingdom of God is not something that we readily apprehend with our eyes, yet His rule is there and will be seen in due time.

The secret growth or rule of the kingdom of God can be applied in more than one way. The rule of God will eventually have its place in all of creation. In this case we hear the angel in Revelation 11:5 say, "The kingdom of this world has become the kingdom of our Lord and His Christ; and He will reign forever and ever." Here the kingdom of God speaks of a point in history when all rebellion is subdued and God's rule is fully in place in the world and in creation.

However there is another aspect of the secret growth of the kingdom of God that I want to especially address in this study. It has to do with how the rule of God works in our experiences as believers. To give a foundation for this aspect of God's rule we first need to place two aspects of truth together. The first aspect is called 'positional' truth. The second aspect is called 'experiential' truth.

A positional truth never changes. Positional truths speak to the finished work of the cross and to how all believers are fully identified with Jesus Christ in His death, burial, resurrection, ascension, and glorification. A positional truth is what Paul is referring to when he says, "Even when we were dead in our transgressions, [God] made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus." (Eph2:5,6)

It is the positional truths that believers are to learn to base their walk of faith on. In the scheme of salvation, heaven is not something we have to be concerned about making. From God's side every believer is already seated in heaven in Christ Jesus. This is what Paul meant in saying, "When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory." (Col3:4)

A positional truth is where John says, "By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He [Christ] is, so also are we in this world." (1John4:17) John's point is that the believer's life cannot be separated from Christ's life.

And so positional truths speak of the finished work of the cross. There is nothing to be added to these truths. There is nothing that can be taken away from them. The believer simply needs to have a revelation of positional truths. These truths make up the inheritance of all true believers. They are our treasures in Christ.

So we hear Paul's prayer in this regard. He says, "I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe." (Eph1:18,19. This is a snippet of Paul's full prayer in Ephesians 1.)

This isn't the only place we hear Paul making prayers concerning God's people coming to a fuller or deeper understanding of the work of the cross. Listen again:

"I pray that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and in all discernment, so that you may approve the things that are excellent..." (Phil 1:9,10) The term 'real knowledge' is 'epignosis' in Greek. Epignosis speaks of a deeper apprehension of truth by which the believer acquires, experiences, and participates in the realities of all that pertains to his salvation, to Christ, and to God's kingdom.

Ok --- We know a bit about positional truths. Perhaps it should be said now that it is as we experience the reality of positional truths that we become much more aware of the secret part of God's rule in our lives. The Greek word for truth, that is, aletheia, denotes the 'unveiled' reality that is behind an appearance. With regard to the kingdom of God, it has to do with the secret of how our faith grows through the experience of Christ. These faith experiences of His reality becomes part of our living testimony.

Remember how the Revelation believers overcame the enemy? It says, "And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death." (Rev12:11)

The secret growth of God's rule in a believer's life takes place in us even when we aren't aware of it. It is because it is 'life' itself that is at work within us. The issue is that not only is God ruling in our lives beyond anything we can comprehend, but He is also continually overruling things in our lives that would do damage in or to us. Thus we hear Paul say, "For it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure." (Phil2:13)

So, the secret growth and rule of God's kingdom is Christ unveiling His own life and His own reality to us and in us. The longer we walk with Him the more we begin to understand that all kingdom work is done for Him, through Him, and to Him. Paul gave a summery of this in saying, "I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me." (Gal 2:20)

Notice carefully that Paul placed his being crucified with Christ in its past tense. It is so sad to see believers laboring under some false concept of having to try to live the crucified life. You don't have to try to be crucified. Every child of God 'was' crucified with Christ. We need to come to the knowledge of this glorious 'positional' truth. But it isn't simply our being crucified with Christ. We were also resurrected with Him. And it is Christ Himself who is alive in us. He is our life!

Notice Paul said that Christ was now living His life in him. This is true with every believer. Let me share a simple testimony that shows some of the awesome reality of Christ's rule that is behind the outward appearances of our walk with Him. It has to do with a sister's testimony that she shadre with me the other evening.

A lady in our church recently shared with me concerning her struggle over a wayward son. She was kept in sadness. Her prayers were in place but nothing seemed to be happening. Her hurt was the hurt of a mother over her child. But then this dear sister shared something that I was able to speak to her of about how Christ is ruling in our lives even when we aren't so aware of it.

The sister told me that the other night she woke up singing a song. While she could not afterwards remember the song itself, she did recall how refreshed she became because of her experience. What I share with her was that the song was a song of Christ. It was a song of deliverance. It was a song of Christ rejoicing over her. It was Him overruling her despondency. Again this is what Paul means by saying, "He is our life."

The next morning the Lord shared a Scripture with this dear sister. Her eyes were drawn to Psalm 42:8, which says, "The Lord will command His lovingkindness in the daytime; and His song will be with me in the night, a prayer to the God of my life." Jesus was sharing with this sister His own joy and peace. It manifested in a song of the night.

Someone outside the kingdom would say this is but a psychological working of the mind. Not so with the child of God. David spoke of God's secret rule when he wrote, "You are my hiding place; You preserve me from trouble; You surround me with songs of deliverance." (Psalm 32:7) Then we have this in Hebrews 2:12, where the Lord Jesus says, "I will proclaim Your name to My brethren, in the midst of the congregation I will sing Your praise."

And so Jesus explained the secret growth principle of the kingdom as seemingly insignificant in the beginning, like the tiny seed planted in the field, or, like the bit of leaven in the bread, but grow it will. The reality is to be seen in due season. And it is this reality that makes up the spiritual grown of each child of God.

Think of all the times you as a believer have been made aware of God's rule over your life. This is one reason I encourage our students to keep a prayer journal and/or a journal of experiences that they've had in their walk with Jesus. As for me I could easily filled a book case with my 'secret' experiences with Jesus and of His rule over my life. But you could also. (I've kept a prayer journal for years. - off and on - )

As we come to the latter part of the study, I want to draw attention to how the Bible often speaks of the 'secrets' God has between Himself and His people. Here is a partial listing:

"The secret of the LORD is for those who fear Him, and He will make them know His covenant." (Psa25:14)

"For in the day of trouble He will conceal me in His tabernacle; in the secret place of His tent He will hide me; He will lift me up on a rock. And now my head will be lifted up above my enemies around me, and I will offer in His tent sacrifices with shouts of joy; I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the Lord." (Psa27:5,6)

"You hide them in the secret place of Your presence from the conspiracies of man; You keep them secretly in a shelter from the strife of tongues." (Psalm 31:20)

"I will give you the treasures of darkness and hidden wealth of secret places, so that you may know that it is I, the LORD, the God of Israel, who calls you by your name. " (Isa45:3 - Spoken to Cyrus but the principle applies to all who belong to the Lord.)

"Surely the Lord GOD does nothing unless He reveals His secret counsel to His servants the prophets." (Amos 3:7 - This applies to all new covenant believers since the prophetic anointing has passed to all who are born from above.)

"But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you." (Matt6:6)

"For nothing is hidden, except to be revealed; nor has anything been secret, but that it would come to light." (Mark 4:22)

"Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery which has been kept secret for long ages past..." (Rom16:26)

"I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me." (Phil4:12,13)

There is much more to be said about the secret growth and rule of God's kingdom. Feel free to join in with your thoughts and questions.

The study is open.

Buddy
Lawrence E. (Buddy) Martin, HF Host 
email: Bro.Buddy@ChristianChallenge.org

Web: http://www.christianchallenge.org/

"See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled." (Heb12:15)

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