My kingdom

JOHN 18:33-37  My Kingdom!


36 Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here.

God's kind of love is not self-serving or self-seeking. Agape love will cause a person to lay down his life for another (Jn. 15:13), because he has literally forgotten himself. Many times when heroes are asked why they put themselves in jeopardy to save someone else, they reply that they didn't even think about themselves. All they thought of was the danger to the other person. That's God's kind of love.

God's type of love involves and employs emotions many times, yet it is not an emotion. It is an act of our will. We can choose to love even when we don't feel like it and we can always conduct ourselves in a godly manner when we feel God's kind of love. God's kind of love is a choice.

God's kind of love is also the antidote to selfishness and pride. We cannot conquer self by focusing on ourself. The only way to win over self is to fall in love with God more than with yourself.  It is in discovering God's love that we lose self-love.

Jesus didn't feel some emotional sensation when He chose to die for us, but that was the greatest demonstration of God's kind of love that the world has ever seen. He made a choice in spite of His emotions. Because He was consumed with God's love, He acted properly, even when His emotions didn't agree.

Jesus is the ultimate example of God's kind of love.

Christ's kingdom is spiritual, in the hearts of men - not physical; therefore, our fight as Christians must not be with carnal weapons but with spiritual weapons (2 Cor. 10:3-5). Spiritual forces cannot be defeated with human weapons.

When we are being attacked for being a part of Christ's kingdom, we must fight with spiritual weapons. Our warfare is not against people, but against the spiritual powers that operate behind the scenes through people. We must realize who the real enemy is and fight with the spiritual weapons the Lord has given us.

We often think that anger will put a person in his place. But "the wrath of man does not work the righteousness of God" (Jas. 1:20). The anger displayed against people puts us right into the hand of the devil. The way to overcome the spiritual powers that come against us through people is to turn the other cheek (Mt. 5:39). That makes the demons flee in terror.

One of the main weapons the Apostle Paul speaks of is the Gospel, which is the Sword of the Spirit, (the Word of God). It's the Word backed by God's Spirit that can pull down and crush the strongholds of Satan.

Every Christian is at war. There is a perpetual struggle against Satan and his kingdom from which there are no "leaves" or "discharges." Our enemy goes about as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour (1 Pet. 5:8). Those who resist the devil will see him flee (Jas. 4:7). The only ones whom he devours are those who don't actively fight against him. That is when you have allowed Satan into your heart and mind. There is a battlefield in your mind! 

** Which way have you been leaning? 

 Wile, we tend to find ourselves in opposition with others it is not productive to go around spouting negative and mean things about others all the time! So do not get caught in a defeating spiral of hate  - rather seek the love as Christ taught!

Practice loving your neighbor and following the admonition of Christ!

*** If we are in doubt reread this lesson again!