Which Kingdom are you In?

In Rev. 11:15, teh "kingdom of this world becomes the kingdom of our Lord...". Untilmately that happens, in teh meantime there are 2 kingdoms-- the World and the Heavenly. They both have values and principles to live by. When you are of the world, you live by the world's principles and are worldly, of the world. When you are in the kingdom of heaven, you live by heaven's principles, and blessed by Heaven's king.


In the Parable of the Kingdom in Matthew 20:1-16, we see a Landowner, who is . . .

1. Passionate in His Love for the Vineyard.
Sometimes the simplest truth, the truth that sets me free, is the one hardest to get my mind around. And sometimes, that difficulty hinders my walk and service to the King. At times, we just need to pause and reflect on that simple truth-- God, the creator of the universe and one true and living and holy God, loves you. You are the "apple of His eye", the joy of His heart, the one He sent His Son to die for.

Look at how The Message describes His incredible love and grace, that He has lavished on us...

Ephesians 1:3-9; 11-14

How blessed is God! And what a blessing he is! He's the Father of our Master, Jesus Christ, and takes us to the high places of blessing in him. 4 Long before he laid down earth's foundations, he had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love, to be made whole and holy by his love. 5 Long, long ago he decided to adopt us into his family through Jesus Christ. (What pleasure he took in planning this!) 6 He wanted us to enter into the celebration of his lavish gift-giving by the hand of his beloved Son. 7 Because of the sacrifice of the Messiah, his blood poured out on the altar of the Cross, we're a free people - free of penalties and punishments chalked up by all our misdeeds. And not just barely free, either. Abundantly free! 8 He thought of everything, provided for everything we could possibly need, 9 letting us in on the plans he took such delight in making. He set it all out before us in Christ, 10 a long-range plan in which everything would be brought together and summed up in him, everything in deepest heaven, everything on planet earth. 11 It's in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for. Long before we first heard of Christ and got our hopes up, he had his eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living, 12 part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone. 13 It's in Christ that you, once you heard the truth and believed it (this Message of your salvation), found yourselves home free - signed, sealed, and delivered by the Holy Spirit. 14 This signet from God is the first installment on what's coming, a reminder that we'll get everything God has planned for us, a praising and glorious life. (The Message)

You think He loves you? You bet!

2. Persistent in His Pursuit of Laborers.

He pursues Continually.
Often there is an intentional process He uses to get us “on frequency” with Him: a circumstance, an event, a maturity level, a colleague or coworker, a difficulty, an observation... But he is persistant in His pursuit of us, as the"hound of Heaven", coming back again and again seeking us and convicting us and drawing us to Himself.

He pursues Expectantly. "Why are you standing here idle?" is the question of one who has offered opportunity, and knows there is no reason to not be in the vineyard. He expects us to be participating in the harvest.

He pursues Knowing our Limitations. Some are limited by time, or age... They get into the vineyard late, but are still able to contribute something, and are given the chance. He knows our limitations, but still wants us active. Notice, it's never too late to get in. To e saed, to serve in the vineyard.

3. Powerful in His Presence among the Laborers. Matt 4:24 shows us what happens when Jesus is reigning in His kingdom. And these things will happen around us as we are living the Kingdom life. Whgen you live according to His principles, He is active and moving. Though it may seem difficult, it is the only way to experience the full and abundant life He promised.

4. Punctual in His Payment of Laborers.Though the pament is different than some expect, God's grace is abundant as He pays what He has promised, not what is deserved. But He can to trusted to be faithful to His promise. There is a payday coming