Another Kingdom - Part 2

#1 · December 13, 2010, 9:23 am

Quote from Forum Archives on December 13, 2010, 9:23 am
Posted by: Asn <Asn@...>

Did you know you've been invited into Christ's Kingdom? The invitation is open to "whosoever will" (Mark 8:34, Revelation 22:17). There is, however, only one Door - despite all the brash arguments to the contrary. Consider this: Let's say you wish to host a party. You send out invitations to friends, neighbors, co-workers and acquaintances, and soon your doorbell begins to ring. As guests continue to arrive, however, a loud crash interrupts the merriment. Bewildered, you follow the sound to a back room and discover that one of the invited guests has broken out a window and is climbing in through the hole. You stand there utterly speechless as the man brushes off the shards of glass and hurries to join the party. The doorbell rings again, but before you can get to the door, someone cuts a hole in your ceiling and drops down through the opening. How would you respond? Would you be alarmed? Would you call the police? Perhaps you would be inclined to scream, "Use the door, people! It's there for a reason!" The invitation was given to all of the guests, but only those who entered through the door came in legally.

"Very truly I tell you Pharisees, anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger's voice." Jesus used this figure of speech, but the Pharisees did not understand what he was telling them. Therefore Jesus said again, "Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. (John 10:1-9a NIV)

Perhaps you're thinking that the ones who entered illegally still made it in. In Matthew 22, Jesus tells the parable of a king who held a great wedding banquet for his son. Those who had originally been invited proved themselves unworthy of the invitation, so he sent his servants to the highways and byways to gather everyone they could find. "But when the king came in to view the guests, he looked intently at a man there who had on no wedding garment. And he said, Friend, how did you come in here without putting on the [appropriate] wedding garment? And he was speechless. Then the king said to the attendants, Tie him hand and foot, and throw him into the darkness outside; there will be weeping and grinding of teeth. For many are called (invited and summoned), but few are chosen." (Matthew 22:11-14 AMP) He made it in, but because he had not put on the wedding garment, he was not allowed to stay.

Are you in the kingdom? Have you entered in through the Door? Have you put on the wedding garment? We'll talk about how you do that in Part 3.

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Posted by: Asn <Asn@...>

Did you know you've been invited into Christ's Kingdom? The invitation is open to "whosoever will" (Mark 8:34, Revelation 22:17). There is, however, only one Door - despite all the brash arguments to the contrary. Consider this: Let's say you wish to host a party. You send out invitations to friends, neighbors, co-workers and acquaintances, and soon your doorbell begins to ring. As guests continue to arrive, however, a loud crash interrupts the merriment. Bewildered, you follow the sound to a back room and discover that one of the invited guests has broken out a window and is climbing in through the hole. You stand there utterly speechless as the man brushes off the shards of glass and hurries to join the party. The doorbell rings again, but before you can get to the door, someone cuts a hole in your ceiling and drops down through the opening. How would you respond? Would you be alarmed? Would you call the police? Perhaps you would be inclined to scream, "Use the door, people! It's there for a reason!" The invitation was given to all of the guests, but only those who entered through the door came in legally.

"Very truly I tell you Pharisees, anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger's voice." Jesus used this figure of speech, but the Pharisees did not understand what he was telling them. Therefore Jesus said again, "Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. (John 10:1-9a NIV)

Perhaps you're thinking that the ones who entered illegally still made it in. In Matthew 22, Jesus tells the parable of a king who held a great wedding banquet for his son. Those who had originally been invited proved themselves unworthy of the invitation, so he sent his servants to the highways and byways to gather everyone they could find. "But when the king came in to view the guests, he looked intently at a man there who had on no wedding garment. And he said, Friend, how did you come in here without putting on the [appropriate] wedding garment? And he was speechless. Then the king said to the attendants, Tie him hand and foot, and throw him into the darkness outside; there will be weeping and grinding of teeth. For many are called (invited and summoned), but few are chosen." (Matthew 22:11-14 AMP) He made it in, but because he had not put on the wedding garment, he was not allowed to stay.

Are you in the kingdom? Have you entered in through the Door? Have you put on the wedding garment? We'll talk about how you do that in Part 3.

To subscribe: <adevotionalgroup-subscribe@welovegod.org>

To unsubscribe: <adevotionalgroup-unsubscribe@welovegod.org

If you have questions: <adevotionalgroup-owner@welovegod.org>