Category Archives: Sermon

Kingdom of God

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Luke 17: 20-24

Jesus, grilled by the Pharisees on when the kingdom of God would come, answered, “The kingdom of God doesn’t come by counting the days on the calendar. Nor when someone says, ‘Look here!’ or, ‘There it is!’ And why? Because God’s kingdom is already among you.”

But if I cast out demons with the finger of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you. (Luke 11:20)

He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love. (Colossians 1:13), The kingdom of God is not matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. (Romans 14:17)

Luke 17:22, 23,24 Lord Jesus tells them during the temporary separation, (when after Jesus Christ is taken up to heaven) these disciples will become weary and discouraged without Jesus and want to see HIM.

Jesus will come back and establish HIS literal Kingdom on earth, the whole world will see it (like lightning in dark sky shines from one end to another)

Rev 19:11-14; 2 Thes 1:7,8; Jude 1: 14,15; 1 Thes 4: 16-18; Zechariah 14:2, 4, all these verses in the bible speaks about second coming and its nature.

Luke 17:26–Jesus continues to say how the people will be during the period of HIS Coming. Giving examples of the people in Noah era and Lot and his family. God brought both judgement and salvation. Similarly, in these end days too there will be Judgement on one group and salvation on the other group. (1 Thes 5:3)

What made God bring judgement? (Gen 19:17-20)

  1. People’s tendency to rejected God and don’t want God’s control or counsel, want to do according to their own desire of flesh and mind.
  2. No realization of sin and its consequences.

Good example in Bible the Life of Samson the judge in OT. (Judges 14,15,16 chapters)

He was mighty warrior, chosen by God to be Nazarene and brought up very carefully by his parent to be holy and set apart for God. He was a judge on the whole Israel, did mighty things by the special anointing on him. (Judges 16: 16, 19, 20, 21)

But we see, that just he fell prey to the lust of his eyes. He wanted to marry a philistine woman (who did not know God) against his parents wish just because she pleased his eyes. Then he fell for a harlot who enticed him and found the secret of his strength and sold him to philistines for money.

Samson once who defeated philistine as a single person, now became slave to them and lost his eyesight, had to be imprisoned where the mighty judge of Israel was pulled down to grind flour.

What a pity?

Sin (small or big) is powerful to pull anyone out of their great purpose in the kingdom of God.

Today how many people of God who are anointed, taking part in Lord table, doing ministry are deceived by such sin.

God gave 3 chances to Samson to realize the deception of sin, but he did not. (judges 16:7,9)

Even today many God’s people have fallen for flesh. In each person’s life there is God’s plan and Satan’s plan. We need to submit ourselves and use God’s grace to overcome the desire of flesh (Roman 6:12,13,14) thereby fulfill God’s plan.

3. Preoccupied their heart with present world and cares of this life. (Luke 21:34)

  • Angle said “Escape for your life! Do not look behind you nor stay anywhere in the plain. Escape to the mountains, lest you be [c]destroyed.” Genesis 19:17. But Lot did not want to go to the hill but wanted to stay in plain only. (v 19:18)

Likely, even today people don’t want to take effort to receive higher spiritual experiences.  Just stay in comfortable zone. (come to church and go, just they and their family). Unlike Moses climbed the mountain to see God’s glory and Peter, John and James climbed transfiguration mountain and seeing the glory of our Lord.

Instead obeying of word of angel he said, “See now, this city is near enough to flee to, and it is a little one; please let me escape there (is it not a little one?) and my soul shall live.” Ver 20.

Today also many people have fallen prey to small sin, which eventually destroys their entire life.

  • Luke 17:31 people’s heart is filled with lust of worldly things or with the worries of the world like Lot’s wife. Instead our heart should be filled with Godly love and mercy.

Today my dear brothers and sisters are we like Lot?

Not willing to fast and pray and walk in the narrow path of life to grow in the likeness of God?

Still is our heart longing for the useless entertainment of this world, cinema, serial, gossip, parties?

Do we really want to be the part of the kingdom of God?

Are we ready to submit ourselves wholeheartedly to the complete control of God?

Let us judge ourselves and turn towards God.

May God establish HIS kingdom in us and through us.

Return to God with Weeping

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Jeremiah 50:4-“In those days and in that time, declares the Lord, the people of Israel and the people of Judah shall come together, weeping as they come ,and they shall seek the Lord their God. They shall ask the way to Zion, with faces turned toward it ,saying Come, let us join ourselves to the Lord in an everlasting covenant that will never be forgotten. “

Almighty God prophesied through Jeremiah that though the God’s people were sent into captivity to Babylon due to their persistent disobedience to the word of God, after 70 years they will return to their land .

What kind of return was this?

It was a wholehearted return with a thankful weeping to worship God the Father who has remembered them and brought them back to their own land. Ezra 3:12 As we see that these people who once worshipped God were taken as captives in their young age  and remained  in the enemy’s land with no such worship. But now after 70years they come back as elders of old age with weeping and joy to once again  worship and seek God wholeheartedly.

Even during these days of the pandemic,  the church suffered similar situation of no worship in the churches due to Lockdown. But now by God’s mercy , as we come back to our church worship, what is the state of our hearts?

Is our worship full of repentance and shouts of  thanksgiving ?

How do we return to God and seek HIM?

For The Bible says many blessings upon those who seek HIM earnestly.

  • Lament 3:25–.”The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seek him.”
  • Psalms 9:10-God does not forsake them.
  • Psalms 34:10- they lack no good thing.
  • Psalms 40:16– those who seek God rejoice and are glad in HIM.
  • Psalms 69:32- their heart is revived, and they are healthy.
  • Amos 5:6- says seek the Lord and live.
  • Isaiah 65:10-says God prospers them who seek HIM.
  • Hosea 10:12 – says this is the time to seek God.

Yes, my dear brothers and sisters in Christ,  we need to seek God with all our mind and heart , meditate on HIS goodness, read and meditate on His word with humble broken spirit.

Never let go one day without seeking HIM in prayer and bible meditation.

Jeremiah 50:5  here the returned people want to establish everlasting covenant with God through our Lord . because the earlier covenant they broke it by not giving the due respect and honour to God through their disobedience .

We all have made this eternal covenant through water baptism. But are we careful enough to keep it safe?

Covenant itself is giving production, covenant with Almighty God which is eternal by always keeping our face turned towards GOD and diligently walking in HIS ways .

This is what the people of God did when they returned from their captivity.

They turn their face towards Zion and ask the way to Zion, the church of God.

Today we find different groups of people in church. Some of which are as follows:

  1. Many do not turn towards ZION/Church, neither want to know the way. They are satisfied with their worldly life, seeking temporal things
  2. Some slightly turn their face towards Zion, but don’t want to know the WAY, they live with secret sins, practice all immorality, alcoholism, etc., but just come to church as spectators.
  3. Some others seek knowledge, but their life is far away from God with no personal experience of salvation. They know forgiveness of sin and salvation through Christ is very important, but don’t have personal experience of the joy of salvation which comes through forgiveness of sins.

It is not possible to reach Zion without following Christ, He is the only way to Zion.

Isaiah 2:3 “Many people shall come and say, “Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, To the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, And we shall walk in His paths.  ” For out of Zion shall go forth the law, And the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.”

Our Lord teaches us His way, through Bible, Holy Spirit, and servant of God. The way of Zion is the narrow gate, having pain, sorrows but it leads you to Zion

Mathew 7:13,14  “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.

Isaiah 35:10 And the ransomed of the Lord shall return And come to Zion with singing, With everlasting joy on their heads. They shall obtain joy and gladness, And sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

People return from Babylon they really understood their transgression and deeply repented, turned towards God and Zion , decided wholeheartedly that they would thereafter only listen to God’s counsel and serve Him alone and thus stay in the eternal covenant with God.

Which group do we belong to?

Though life is full of struggle, we need to constantly listen to the Holy Spirit and walk in God’s ways.

When the people return like this, how does God bless them?

  1. Jeremiah 50:19, God brings them back to green pastures and satisfy their souls.
  2. And he shall feed on Carmel and Bashan; His soul shall be satisfied on Mount Ephraim and Gilead. (Michael 7 :14,15 God leads them through the path of wonders.)
  3. Jeremiah 50:20 God shall forgive and blot all their sins and iniquities and replant them in their land.

Halleluiah what a wonderful God we serve?

HIS faithfulness and mercies endure forever.

Come church, Lets decide to worship this wonderful God wholeheartedly and seek Him first all our days of life.

Amen.