Sunday, May 24, 2020
SALVATION – ASSIMILATED INTO THE KINGDOM OF GOD
5/17/20 “His Bride Has Made Herself Ready”
- being transformed into:
the family God, the God of Israel, wants
the bride Jesus gave Himself for and is perfecting for who He wants
- saving grace that includes us Gentiles
transforming grace that “makes us ready” for Him
Ruth – Gentile/”foreigner”/”not like your maidens”
- not just saved within Israel; not a Gentile within Israel
but transformed for the God of Israel
but fruitful to build the house of Israel
- left her family & familiarity, country & culture, background & ways
she was the same Ruth, yet willing to be different, assimilate into Israel
John 3:3 “…unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
- ‘born again’ was not a new term to Nicodemus
but understood to mean a Gentile converting to Judaism
- Nicodemus must have thought, but I am Jewish
- Jesus is saying that you must be made different, yet remain the same
metamorphosized; i.e. same, but new; His kingdom life living in you
- ‘see the kingdom’; i.e. to understand
Kingdom of God contrasted to the kingdom of nations/Gentiles
Salvation from the ways of the Gentiles:
Matt 5:43-48
5:47 “…Do not the Gentiles do the same?”
Matt 6:25-34
6:32 “For all these things the Gentiles eagerly seek…”
6:33 “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness…”
Matt 20:20-28
20:21 “…in Your kingdom these two sons of mine may sit…”
20:25 “…the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them…
exercise authority over them.”
20:26 “It is not so among you, but whoever wishes to become great…
shall be your servant,”
20:27 “…whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your servant,”
I Cor 5:1 “…immorality…kind as does not exist even among the Gentiles…”
1 Cor 10:20 “…things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons…”
1 Cor 12:2 “…ye were Gentiles, carried away unto these dumb idols…” KJV
- immorality & idolatry = Babylonian system
1 Thes 4:3-8
4:5 “not in lustful passion, like the Gentiles who so not know God;”
Eph 4:17-20
4:17 “…that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk,
in the futility of their mind,”
4:18 “being darkened in their understanding (not ‘seeing’ the kingdom)
excluded from the life of God (not kingdom life of God)
1 Pet 4:1-3
4:3 “For the time already past is sufficient for you to have carried out the
desire of the Gentiles…”
Kingdom of God is offered to all nations/Gentiles
Salvation from the ways of the Gentiles & brought into the ways of the kingdom
Salvation is being assimilated into the kingdom of God
“assimilate” – to absorb; take up, digest
to understand; grasp, learn, see
to adjust; adapt, acclimate, conform
- assimilating into His kingdom:
absorb, take in and digest His word
“see”, understand, grasp and learn of His kingdom
adjust, adapt and acclimate to His ways
conform to His image
“Born again” – changed/metamorphosized by the Spirit of God into “new”
- saved from Gentile ways & assimilated into kingdom of God ways
- from foreigners to legal citizens
> problem – legal, justified by Christ’s blood, citizen
yet not changed, not willing to become different
yet not assimilated, unwilling to conform to His culture
as w/naturalization, conferring American citizenship on alien
> problem – legal, but not willing to assimilate to become American
within our country, but not a part of our country
retaining their ways & not accepting our ways
> problem – is the church doing the same thing
claiming Him, but not willing to change for Him
not willing to give up our Gentile ways
not fully assimilated into His kingdom
5/17/20 “His Bride Has Made Herself Ready”
- being transformed into:
the family God, the God of Israel, wants
the bride Jesus gave Himself for and is perfecting for who He wants
- saving grace that includes us Gentiles
transforming grace that “makes us ready” for Him
Ruth – Gentile/”foreigner”/”not like your maidens”
- not just saved within Israel; not a Gentile within Israel
but transformed for the God of Israel
but fruitful to build the house of Israel
- left her family & familiarity, country & culture, background & ways
she was the same Ruth, yet willing to be different, assimilate into Israel
John 3:3 “…unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
- ‘born again’ was not a new term to Nicodemus
but understood to mean a Gentile converting to Judaism
- Nicodemus must have thought, but I am Jewish
- Jesus is saying that you must be made different, yet remain the same
metamorphosized; i.e. same, but new; His kingdom life living in you
- ‘see the kingdom’; i.e. to understand
Kingdom of God contrasted to the kingdom of nations/Gentiles
Salvation from the ways of the Gentiles:
Matt 5:43-48
5:47 “…Do not the Gentiles do the same?”
Matt 6:25-34
6:32 “For all these things the Gentiles eagerly seek…”
6:33 “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness…”
Matt 20:20-28
20:21 “…in Your kingdom these two sons of mine may sit…”
20:25 “…the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them…
exercise authority over them.”
20:26 “It is not so among you, but whoever wishes to become great…
shall be your servant,”
20:27 “…whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your servant,”
I Cor 5:1 “…immorality…kind as does not exist even among the Gentiles…”
1 Cor 10:20 “…things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons…”
1 Cor 12:2 “…ye were Gentiles, carried away unto these dumb idols…” KJV
- immorality & idolatry = Babylonian system
1 Thes 4:3-8
4:5 “not in lustful passion, like the Gentiles who so not know God;”
Eph 4:17-20
4:17 “…that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk,
in the futility of their mind,”
4:18 “being darkened in their understanding (not ‘seeing’ the kingdom)
excluded from the life of God (not kingdom life of God)
1 Pet 4:1-3
4:3 “For the time already past is sufficient for you to have carried out the
desire of the Gentiles…”
Kingdom of God is offered to all nations/Gentiles
Salvation from the ways of the Gentiles & brought into the ways of the kingdom
Salvation is being assimilated into the kingdom of God
“assimilate” – to absorb; take up, digest
to understand; grasp, learn, see
to adjust; adapt, acclimate, conform
- assimilating into His kingdom:
absorb, take in and digest His word
“see”, understand, grasp and learn of His kingdom
adjust, adapt and acclimate to His ways
conform to His image
“Born again” – changed/metamorphosized by the Spirit of God into “new”
- saved from Gentile ways & assimilated into kingdom of God ways
- from foreigners to legal citizens
> problem – legal, justified by Christ’s blood, citizen
yet not changed, not willing to become different
yet not assimilated, unwilling to conform to His culture
as w/naturalization, conferring American citizenship on alien
> problem – legal, but not willing to assimilate to become American
within our country, but not a part of our country
retaining their ways & not accepting our ways
> problem – is the church doing the same thing
claiming Him, but not willing to change for Him
not willing to give up our Gentile ways
not fully assimilated into His kingdom
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Lexington Foursquare Gospel Church
(PO Box 570) 21 Snowy Egret Lane Lexington, VA. 24450 |