DEPENDING ON THE KINGDOM TREASURE | Rev. Ampong | SUNDAY SERVICE | ICGC CHICAGO

Jesus sets the kingdom before the little flock as the Father’s good pleasure. The Father knows the daily needs, even the clustered mind that is full of job, house, car, marriage, money, and all kinds of things. The kingdom is the greatest treasure, not a double job, not a big house, not fancy cars, not husband or wife, but the rule and gift of God inside the believer.

Anxiety minded living wakes up and asks, “What am I going to do?” Kingdom minded living hears Jesus say, “Do not worry,” and learns to sleep good because God knows what is needed. The old life says the world is in a person. The new life says the kingdom of God is in a person. Jesus has bought that kingdom by his precious blood, so the believer is not called to sell everything to purchase it, but to treasure it, value it, and promote it.

The call to trust the kingdom means not being like the world. Matthew 6 says the Father knows the things needed before they are asked. The call to seek the kingdom first means no laziness, no excuses for prayer, no pushing the word of God aside because a friend called. Colossians 3 says the mind must be set on things above, not on things on earth. The call to receive the kingdom as a free gift rests on God’s value, love, and constant thought toward his children. Hebrews 12 says the kingdom received cannot be shaken, even when marriage, job, business, health, and life itself can be shaken.

Depending on the kingdom treasure requires embracing it. Embracing the kingdom is not a little touch, but holding on to it because Jesus is in the kingdom and Jesus embraces his own. Joshua’s word, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord,” calls for a choice against the gods of Egypt and the gods of the land. Kingdom exploit uses gifts, talents, skills, and degrees for God with courage. Kingdom engagement uses those gifts actively, faithfully, and creatively. Kingdom evidence is not gift alone, not just tongues or prophecy, but the Holy Spirit working through a person and also working in a person, chopping away bad character.

Entrusting life to the kingdom calls for childlike trust and surrender, not tug of war with God. Childlike trust talks to God first when the day begins. Kingdom encouragement comes from the word and from trusted people. Kingdom experience becomes testimony, and testimony becomes a spiritual weapon. Endurance stays in the race, stays in the lane, and stays to the end. Staying to the end refuses spiritual gaslighting, refuses disqualification from people, and keeps moving because God qualifies whom people may reject.

##

---

Key Takeaways

• 1. The kingdom cannot be shaken The kingdom is not like marriage, job, business, health, or money, because all those things can shake. Hebrews 12 places the believer inside a kingdom that cannot be moved, and that means the deepest security is not in what can be lost. The kingdom must therefore be valued with action, not only with words, because the Father has given the greatest treasure. [23:03]
• 2. Anxiety and kingdom cannot mix Anxiety minded living carries the world and tries to put it inside the kingdom. Jesus calls for separation, because the Father already knows what is needed before the request is even made. The clustered mind becomes quiet only when the kingdom becomes first, not when every earthly question has been answered. [17:57]
• 3. Gift must become kingdom exploit Kingdom exploit is not a slogan for people who only quote Daniel and sit on their gifts. The gift, talent, skill, and degree must serve the kingdom courageously, because God did not give them for private comfort alone. The question is not whether great exploits sound good, but whether the treasure in a person has helped bring someone closer to the kingdom. [34:05]
• 4. The Spirit works in and through Kingdom evidence is not only prophecy, tongues, or visible power. The Holy Spirit works through a person in gifts, but he also works in a person to deal with character, rebellion, impatience, and lovelessness. A gift without inner formation can still leave the process slow, because God is not only using a vessel, he is shaping the vessel. [38:18]
• 5. Endurance stays in the lane Endurance is not only staying in the race, but staying in the lane God assigned. The desire to leave one’s own place and correct another person’s lane can become the very thing that disqualifies. Faithfulness finishes what God started, even when others are hooting, judging, or calling someone last.
  
  ## [52:12]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [02:15] - Depending on the Kingdom Treasure
• [03:14] - Luke 12 and the Little Flock
• [05:30] - The Father Gives the Kingdom
• [07:59] - Moving From Anxiety Minded to Kingdom Minded
• [11:08] - The Old Life and the New Life
• [14:21] - Jesus Bought the Kingdom
• [15:31] - The Call to Trust the Kingdom
• [18:29] - Seeking the Kingdom First
• [19:59] - Receiving the Kingdom as a Free Gift
• [24:06] - Embracing the Kingdom
• [32:23] - Kingdom Exploit and Kingdom Engagement
• [37:19] - Kingdom Evidence and Character
• [40:39] - Childlike Trust and Surrender
• [49:21] - Endurance in the Race

Bible Reading

Luke 12:22-32
“And he said to his disciples, 'Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds! And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest? Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass, which is alive in the field today, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be worried. For all the nations of the world seek after these things, and your Father knows that you need them. Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things will be added to you. Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.'” [03:11]

Hebrews 12:28-29
“Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.” [21:57]

Matthew 6:8
“Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.” [17:42]

Colossians 3:2
“Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.” [19:38]

Joshua 24:15
“And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the LORD, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” [27:11]

Observation questions

1. In Luke 12, what examples does Jesus use to show that the Father knows and cares for daily needs?
2. What specific contrasts are made between anxiety minded living and kingdom minded living? [07:59]
3. According to Hebrews 12:28-29, what response should come from receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken?
4. What three calls are emphasized: trust the kingdom, seek the kingdom first, and receive the kingdom as a free gift? What is said about each one? [15:31]

Interpretation questions

1. Jesus says, “Fear not, little flock,” and then says it is the Father’s good pleasure to give the kingdom. What does that connection show about the way fear is overcome in the life of a believer?
2. If the Father already knows what is needed before his children ask, why does anxiety still take such a strong hold on people, and what does it reveal about where trust is resting? [17:57]
3. Hebrews says the kingdom cannot be shaken, while marriage, work, health, and money can all be shaken. How should that truth reshape the way security and stability are understood? [23:03]
4. Kingdom evidence includes the Holy Spirit working through a person and also in a person. Why is that distinction important when people often focus only on visible gifts? [38:18]

Application questions

1. What has been filling the mind lately—job pressure, money pressure, family pressure, health concerns, or something else? In what part of life is there a need to move from anxiety minded living to kingdom minded living? [10:13]
2. Jesus says to seek the kingdom first. What usually pushes prayer, Scripture, or obedience aside in daily life? What is one practical change that could help put the kingdom first this week? [18:29]
3. The kingdom is a free gift bought by Jesus, not something earned. Is there any place where life with God has started to feel more like self-effort than trust and gratitude? [14:21]
4. Gifts, talents, skills, and degrees are meant for kingdom exploit. What gift or ability has been sitting unused, and what would it look like to use it courageously for God in a real and specific way? [34:05]
5. The Spirit works in a person’s character as well as through a person’s gift. What area of character may God be pressing on right now—patience, love, humility, surrender, or something else? [38:45]
6. Childlike trust speaks to God first at the beginning of the day. What usually happens first in the morning instead, and how could a simple first response to God begin to grow this week? [42:24]
7. Endurance means staying in the race, staying in the lane, and staying to the end. Where is there temptation right now to quit, compare, interfere with someone else’s lane, or let people disqualify what God has called? [52:12]