SECTION 1
During these first nine lessons I would like to talk about why we are here on this planet called Earth. I do not believe we are here by chance or by some cosmic accident. It is obvious there is a purpose for our existence and that is what Lessons 1-9 are about.
 
LESSON 7 – When the kingdom comes 
Bible References: 

Matthew 6:10 (1) 
2 Peter 3:9 (2) 
Acts 3:19 (3) 
Matthew 13:44-46 (4) 

 
Good morning, and welcome to another Lesson From The Tent. I wish you could see the male peacocks strutting around the tent right now. They are in full bloom, and their tails are about five feet long and look spectacular. I sure enjoy God’s creation. 
For this lesson I will be continuing with the idea of God ruling from inside His favored ones, and I would like to begin with a question ─ why would God even want to live and rule from inside such poor in spirit, sinful people? 
Well, the answer to this question explains the reason God created us, and it also reveals His heart, His soul, and His character.  With all that said the answer to this question is actually a pretty simple one in terms of words. But it is far more complex than all the knowledge known to mankind.  The simple answer is, He created us humans to have an intimate, relational partnership with Him. He has no desire to rule over those in His kingdom from a distance like other kings and rulers do. He wants a hands-on working partnership with us.  
Yes, He is God and the creator of everything. Yes, He rules over us. And yes, we are to surrender to His reign. But God is unique in this way. He has a singular desire when it comes to His human creation and His kingdom – He wants more than anything to have an intimate, personal relationship with us even though we are so inferior and terribly disobedient to Him.   
God did something entirely different when He created us. He gave us humans a soul filled with emotions and individual desires with the freedom to express them within a partnership with Him, even though He knew beforehand that we would eventually fall into sin. But it is our willingness to participate in this intimate relationship with Him that He desires. He will never force anyone to be in His kingdom who does not want to participate in this partnership with Him. 
To help understand this kingdom relationship we need to look at what Jesus said takes place when the kingdom comes. One day while teaching His disciples about prayer, Jesus told them to pray for the kingdom to come soon, so God’s will can be done on earth, just as it is in heaven.” (1) 
Now that is an interesting truth about God and His kingdom. Jesus said, when the kingdom comes, God’s will is done on earth, just as it is in heaven.  
If when the kingdom comes, God’s will is done, then that would mean His will, His desire, and His perfect plan is to reign from inside His favored ones with His invisible Spirit, which is exactly what happens when His kingdom does come. 
I know a lot of people think God loves to judge them and that He gets a kick out of sending people to hell. But that is absolutely not the God of the Bible. That is not His will at all. In fact, Jesus said hell was created for the devil and his angels. It was not created for us humans. But there are only two places that we can go after we die and leave earth – one is hell, and the other is the eternal kingdom of God.  
If you understand what the kingdom is, why would anyone choose to go to hell? You may be thinking, “Wait a minute, no one chooses to go to hell.” But I’ve got to tell you, we choose our own path when we reject His kingdom so in actuality, we send ourselves to hell when we reject His desire to live and reign from inside of us. 
Let me give you one of the great truths about God’s will that is taught in the Bible, that says. “God is not willing for anyone to be sent to hell. He wants everyone to change the way they think about the purpose of their life and return to Him.” (2) 
Now that is the will of God. And it takes place when the kingdom comes. Or, to say it another way, when you change how you think about God and His purpose for you and become poor in spirit, you receive His kingdom, and that is what God wants for each of us. 
In another place in the Bible God says it like this. “Change the way you think about God and Jesus and return, so that your sins can be completely wiped away, so times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord; and He can send you the gift of His Holy Spirit.” (3) 
Once again, this is the will of God, and it is fulfilled in all those who become favored. God’s will is to live and reign from inside His favored ones and this all takes place when the invisible kingdom comes to earth. This is not only the will of God but it is also the purpose of your life. 
Even though we are fallen sinful people we were originally created in the image of God and that is why we are such relational people. But, because of our fallen sinful nature, we find it very difficult to experience relationships the way we were meant to, yet we still want them because this is what we were created to do. And the number one relationship we were created to experience and participate in is with God.  
But remember, it is only when the kingdom comes that we will be able to experience this relationship the way God wants. And once we do, we can then begin to experience relationships with others the way God meant them to be.  
If you have learned anything through these first seven lessons you should at least understand that the kingdom of God is the greatest treasure anyone can ever obtain,(4) because everything in life works the way it was meant to when the Holy Spirit reigns inside God’s favored ones. When He doesn’t, life is very frustrating and difficult. 
Well, that’s it for today and once again, there’s just one thing ─ Pray that God’s kingdom comes to you so His will can be done in your life just as it was meant to. 
 
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