“The Kingdom of God” Part 7 by Dave Bessey

We are no longer part of this world system yet we act like it. Even our worship resembles a Hollywood reward ceremony. What are we doing? Stop, come back to our knees, bos before Him and repent. We have been born into, transferred, rescued, as in saved in this Kingdom of God. From the displaced the darkness and He set us in the heavenlies in His Dominion as our King Jesus the Christ.

Subtitle: “The Believer’s Transfer”

“For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and ’ transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son.”Colossians 1:13 (NASB)

Dominion of Darkness

Because of the treason of Adam and Eve (Genesis 3), the whole world, including each one of us, lived under the power and dominion of Satan, the prince of darkness.

“As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobe- dient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath” Ephesians 2:1-3.

Read in Romans 1:18-31 a description of the full outworking of life in the Dominion of Darkness.

Rescued!

But, like a life-saver diving into the murky, churning water to save a drowning man, Jesus came into our world of darkness to rescue us.

“...God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power...he went around do- ing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him Acts 10:38 (see also 1 John 3:8).

Only one way out death

Death is the only way out of the Dominion of Darkness. So, when Jesus died on the Cross, He represented us. He died our death for us.

“If we have been united with him like this in his death...we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with” Romans 6:5-6.

The moment we believed in what Jesus had done

for us, a miraculous transferrence took place out of Satan’s domain into the Kingdom of God! All records of our citizenship of the Satan’s domain were wiped out (read Colossians 2:11-15).

Born into the Kingdom

There are no passports, no visas, to get into the Kingdom of God. There is only one way we have to be born there.

Only one way in birth

A miracle happens the moment we receive Christ as Saviour. We are born again.

“...‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God’...unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God...'” John 3:3-8 (also 1 Peter 1:3; John 1:12-13; 1 Peter 1:23; Galatians 3:26).

Born of water - cleansed

“Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless”

Ephesians 5:23-27 (NASB) (John 15:3).

Born of the Spirit - a new creation

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” 2 Corinthians 5:17.

Believers in the Lord Jesus Christ have been transferred into the Kingdom of God’s dear Son. We are citizens of Heaven (Philippians 3:20). This is where we belong. We are in this world but we are not of it (John 17:16).

SERIES: THE TREASURES OF THE KINGDOM -- LESSON 7

Copyright © 2010 Paul Collins and Bunty Collins. A ministry of Fountaingate Christian Foundation. May be freely reproduced, except for profit, provided copyright and contact information is kept intact. P.O. Box 1033, Newcastle NSW 2300, Australia. Online at www.kingstable.org Scriptures quoted from the New International Version, unless otherwise stated. Used by permission.