Daily Devotional | Not Far From The Kingdom

[Music] well hallelujah to the lamp I'm pastor Jeffrey Johnson senior I'm the senior pastor of the Eastern Star Church in Indianapolis in Fishers Indiana seeking to give you a word of exhortation through these dark and difficult times that we're facing in our country and in our world and today is out of the Gospel of Mark chapter 12 verse 34 now when Jesus saw that he answered wisely he said to him you are not far from the kingdom of God Jesus was holding a theological conversation with a scribe with academia in with a a professor of theology in the first century and Jesus was explaining to him how when you love it fulfills the commandments we know the commandments thou should not steal thou shalt not kill thou shall not bear false witness and Jesus says that when you love it satisfies the law because if I love you I won't kill you if I love you I won't steal from you if I love you I won't lie to you and as Jesus had this conversation with this professor of theology the professor understood if he could replay it and rehearse it and Jesus said to him you're not far from the kingdom and really what he's saying is you're in the kingdom neighborhood you're on the kingdom doorstep you're on the kingdom porch you have your hand on the kingdom doorknob the rule the rain and the righteousness of God but you're not in the kingdom you're near in you could be near it without being in it so it's not enough just to visit a church is not enough just to talk about theology it's not enough just to listen to gospel music and listen to messages we have to get in the kingdom and the way we get in the rule the rain and the righteousness of God is to believe in Jesus Christ for salvation and invite him into our hearts and until you do that you might be near the kingdom on Kingdom doorstep but not in the kingdom when I travel I'm able to look outside the plane through the window and I see the baggage handlers handling the bags and they're putting the bags the luggage on the plane and they're so very close to the plane they're so close to it that they could put the luggage on there and they close it up and they shut it up and then when the plane taxis and the plane takes off they're not on it because the baggage handlers they are close to the plane but they're not in the plane they're in the neighborhood of the plane they're not far from the plane they're not in the plane you're it's not enough just listen to sermons and listen to the gospel music is not enough just to have theological conversation because when the kingdom of God takes off you can't just be near the kingdom you have to by faith in Jesus Christ be in the kingdom you're on the kingdom doorstep go ahead and come on in by faith let us pray father thank you for the sacrifice that Jesus made on the cross thank you for raising Jesus from the dead thank you for heart for us to know you and dear God thank you that we don't just have to be in the kingdoms neighborhood but through Jesus Christ we get to be in the kingdom continue to save souls so that people can get in the kingdom of God in Jesus name Amen [Music]

Channel: Eastern Star Church

Views: 774

Rating: 5 out of 5

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Id: fc7JeVMypLU

Length: 4min 4sec (244 seconds)

Published: Tue Jul 21 2020