Introduction
I want to share a few thoughts with you about Success in the Kingdom of God. Success is something we all value, whether Christian or not. To varying degrees, we all desire to be successful; to do well as parents, to get good grades in school or to accomplish something great or heroic in life. The world has its own definition of success; to accomplish one’s goal, to attain wealth, position and or honour, positive performance. And each of these descriptions of success vary depending on the context; success in sports differs from success in politics, or one’s career, or family to name a few. Hollywood is very good at the dramatization of success and the epic struggles between good and evil.
Success affects all areas of our lives and culture. Success can be seen in the subtly of one’s inner character. And there is success as seen in our achievements, whether in family life, education or career of choice. We see successful athletes who overcome great odds to be the best of their sport. Businessmen and women who strive for the best accomplishment. To some degree, our culture has shifted from fine business suits and “power lunches” to casual dress and blue jeans and coffee at Tim Horton’s; however the desire for success has not changed. Needless to say, a lot of what we see as success today is seriously misleading. Success in relation to the Kingdom of God is very different in comparison to the world.
The theme of the Kingdom of God can be traced back to the beginning chapters of Genesis. It is important to understand before anything was created – God is – the self-existing one or the self-sufficient one. God’s Sovereign Rule as the King of All was established in the act of the Creation of the heavens and the earth, with man being the crown of his creating. As King of Heaven, his desire was to form a friendship with mankind and to create the earth for the dominion of man. Mankind was to rule over creation and take dominion, not over each other, but as a result of the fall of mankind into sin, Adam and Eve lost the benefits of God’s original purpose for them – to be sons and daughters of the King, representing and extending his rulership, his will and character from heaven to earth. Adam and Eve lost direct and personal fellowship with God, as well as their dominion over the earth. Satan began to exert counterfeit power and authority over mankind and distort the revelation of God by manipulating mankind into religious ways and the worldly pursuit of success.
The Kingdom of God first appears in Genesis 14, where Abraham offers a tithe of the spoils of war to Melchizedek, a mysterious king who was later bestowed with a semidivine status (Psalm 110) and to whom Jesus was likened to (Hebrews 5:6). We have the “Royal” psalms, especially Psalm 2, which is also quoted and applied to Christ in Hebrews 1. In the New Testament, Jesus demonstrated and preached on the Kingdom of God as seen in the Gospels. When Jesus showed up, so did the direct manifestation of the Kingdom. The Kingdom of God is revealed through the church but not limited to the church. In other words, Jesus’ power and authority is to have effect within the lives of his followers (the ecclesia) but also through his followers to the world at large. Jesus also taught the masses, and at one point instructed them how to pray for the coming of the Kingdom; “your kingdom come, your will be done…” (Matthew 6:10). The Kingdom of God can also be understood in the context of eschatology or the Return of Jesus Christ, His Second Coming. In short, by way of introduction, if we are to be successful in God’s Kingdom we need to connect with Jesus as King.
Biblical Success:
Success requires honesty and integrity and the full engagement of our heart or inner life to God. Success defined in kingdom terms can be boiled down to this one simple definition: a life of intimate relationship with God through Jesus Christ, in the power of the Holy Spirit. In other words, who we are on the inside shapes the success we target on the outside. We have a motto here at Courts of Praise, “Apprehending God’s Heart and Fulfilling His Dreams”. It is in this place of being apprehended by God that intimacy takes root and we are changed, and our lives transformed. We then desire to be faithful to see God’s Dreams Fulfilled in all that we say and do. As intimacy begins to take root in our lives we begin to see the fruit of success blossom. Let me say this – success is a good thing. God desires that we succeed for his glory and honour.
The word “success” and its derivatives are mentioned 10 or so times in the Old Testament, although the ideas surrounding success are more numerous – like prosperity. Abraham was shown success and a future in the birth of Isaac. Joshua was challenged to walk in success and the ways of God by following the Ways and the Word of God. Saul was afraid of David because in everything David did he had great success because the Lord was with him. The Psalmist cries out in Psalm 118:25 O Lord, save us; O Lord, grant us success. Success here is seen as prosperity, to advance, to make progress, to profit…
The New Testament concept of success is wonderfully unique and extremely challenging. The word success does not appear in the New Testament. However, we see Jesus as the Kingdom picture of Success. Phil 2 describes the picture and representation of true success. Jesus is seen as letting go of his rights and privileges as God. He became a servant in human likeness, and in humility accompanied obedience leading to death. This is authentic success whereby God the Father exalts Jesus to the highest place. Success in the Kingdom of God is not about self-interest and improvement. It is all about obedience to God.
I believe another picture of success is found in Romans 14:17. Here we see Paul addressing the church of Rome on issues related to food and drink, special days or holidays. He tells the church, “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit…” There are three key points here take note of:
· Righteousness – the act of doing what God requires. There is a righteousness that is imparted to us by grace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Hallelujah, this is so wonderful to experience. Salvation, conversion, justification…
However, if we are to walk in success with God there needs to be an application of Jesus’ righteousness to whatever we put our hands to. This righteous living cannot be overlooked or avoided or stepped around. Yes, we have the righteousness of Jesus imparted to us. And yes, we must make use of this righteousness in our everyday lifestyle.
· Peace – a set of favourable circumstances involving peace and tranquility. We experience peace in growing measure as we put righteousness into action. Peace is to be free from trouble, to have no worries, to be at rest in one’s inner life.
· Joy – this brings us to a state of happiness or joy or gladness. A by-product of success in the Kingdom of God is being joy-full. Joy is often seen and heard. Happy dance. Singing. Laughter. There is a difference between happiness which is the result of a positive happening, and joy. Joy moves beyond happiness and it able to maintain itself even when our circumstances are challenged or difficult.
Conclusion:
There are many synonyms describing success; some of which have Biblical association and others not. Here are a few; accomplishment, achievement, advance or arrival, benefit, boom, fame, flying colors, fortune, gain, good times, grand slam or gravy train, happiness, laughter, mastery, profit, progress or prosperity, realization, triumph, victory and last but not least to win. Success is a favorable or pleasing outcome or result; it is the fulfillment of something hoped for.
We must remember that intimacy with Jesus is at the heart of our relationship with God. We are to apprehend God’s heart and in turn let him touch our lives. When success becomes the chief goal of man we simply step into idolatry. When we struggle with sin or wounds or lies we hinder our intimacy with Jesus. Jesus our Healer wants to heal us and make us whole again.
Success is conditional whether spiritually speaking or in a secular context. As seen in the previously mentioned Scriptures, we are called to act upon Jesus’ directions. He longs for us to put humility and obedience into action. We are to not only love and receive his righteousness but to put it into action. He longs for us to be successful in our accomplishments for the glory of the Son of God.
Application:
How do we apply today’s message. There are two things that come to mind to help us get onto the road of Success in the Kingdom of God.
#1 – take a moment to remember a positive time when you felt successful.
#2 – take a moment to appreciate Jesus in that thought.
Let’s Pray
We bless your wonderful and holy Names God and come into your presence with a thankful and seeking heart. We appreciate who you are! We pray your kingdom come and your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Not our will but your will. May we discover more and more each day as to what is taking place in heaven. May we experience intimacy with you and abundance of life, health, peace and prosperity. Thank you for being our daily Provider and the giver of testimonies of praise. I am grateful that any sin, wounding or lies in my life are and will be totally overcome. You are my guide, and we trust you to lead us into righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit which reveals the Kingdom of God. You are our defender and deliverer, my strong tower. We are forever blessed… Amen…