Living in God's Kingdom: Peace, Forgiveness, and Blessings
Summary
In today's message, we explored the profound concept of living a life rooted in God's kingdom, where peace and forgiveness are central. The journey begins with understanding that true peace comes from loving God's law, as highlighted in Psalm 119:165. This peace allows us to live without offense, not by avoiding standing for what is right, but by doing so without the cloud of anger. This approach transforms our daily interactions, even in mundane situations like traffic, into opportunities to bless others and live in the Spirit of God.
We delved into the idea of living from God, which means taking our life from Him and surrendering our daily challenges to His will. This surrender is not passive but an active engagement with God through prayer, where we talk to Him about what we are doing together. Prayer becomes a partnership with God, where we align our actions with His will, seeking His guidance and strength in all things.
Forgiveness is a crucial aspect of this life. When we forgive, we acknowledge that we are not in control, but God is. This act of forgiveness is a miracle, a divine intervention that allows us to respond to evil with goodness and cursing with blessing. It is a daily adventure, a moment-by-moment decision to live in the kingdom of God, where we are empowered to face challenges with grace and love.
We also discussed the importance of blessing others, which is the positive side of dying to self. By putting God's cause and the good of others first, we live a life of blessing, extending God's love and mercy to those around us. This is not just about doing good deeds but about being a conduit of God's grace, allowing His blessings to flow through us to others.
Finally, we reflected on the power of the benediction from Numbers 6:24-26, a blessing that we can give to others, willing their good under God's invocation. This blessing is a profound expression of God's love and delight in us, and it is something we can share with others, bringing peace and hope into their lives.
Key Takeaways:
1. Living Without Offense: Embracing God's law brings great peace, allowing us to live without offense. This peace is not about avoiding conflict but engaging with the world without anger, transforming our interactions into opportunities for blessing. [00:22]
2. The Power of Forgiveness: Forgiveness is a divine act that acknowledges God's control over our lives. By forgiving, we release the burden of revenge and allow God's goodness to flow through us, responding to evil with blessing. [06:19]
3. Prayer as Partnership: Prayer is a conversation with God about our shared endeavors. It is an active engagement where we align our actions with God's will, seeking His guidance and strength in all things. [09:39]
4. Blessing Others: Living a life of blessing means putting God's cause and the good of others first. By doing so, we become conduits of God's grace, extending His love and mercy to those around us. [15:38]
5. The Benediction's Power: The blessing from Numbers 6:24-26 is a profound expression of God's love and delight. By sharing this blessing with others, we bring peace and hope into their lives, willing their good under God's invocation. [27:22]
Youtube Chapters:
- [00:00] - Welcome
- [00:22] - Living Without Offense
- [01:01] - Embracing God's Kingdom
- [01:42] - The Illusion of Control
- [02:51] - The Miracle of Forgiveness
- [03:22] - Living from God
- [05:33] - Trusting God in Challenges
- [06:19] - The Power of Forgiveness
- [09:39] - Prayer as Partnership
- [10:50] - God's Work in Our Lives
- [12:42] - The Role of Prayer
- [15:38] - Blessing Others
- [20:12] - Sharing the Gospel
- [27:22] - The Benediction's Power
- [34:07] - Extending Blessings to Others
Study Guide
Bible Study Discussion Guide
Bible Reading:
1. Psalm 119:165 - "Great peace have those who love your law, and nothing can make them stumble."
2. Numbers 6:24-26 - "The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace."
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Observation Questions:
1. According to Psalm 119:165, what is the result of loving God's law?
2. How does the sermon describe the concept of living without offense? [00:22]
3. What role does forgiveness play in our daily lives according to the sermon? [06:19]
4. How is prayer described as a partnership with God in the sermon? [09:39]
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Interpretation Questions:
1. What does it mean to live a life rooted in God's kingdom, as described in the sermon? [01:01]
2. How does the act of forgiveness demonstrate God's control over our lives? [06:19]
3. In what ways can prayer be seen as a conversation with God about shared endeavors? [09:39]
4. How does the benediction from Numbers 6:24-26 serve as an expression of God's love and delight? [27:22]
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Application Questions:
1. Reflect on a recent situation where you felt offended. How might embracing God's law have changed your response? [00:22]
2. Identify a person or situation in your life where forgiveness is needed. What steps can you take to release the burden of revenge and allow God's goodness to flow through you? [06:19]
3. How can you incorporate prayer as a partnership with God in your daily routine? What specific actions can you take to align your actions with His will? [09:39]
4. Think of someone in your life who could benefit from a blessing. How can you be a conduit of God's grace to them this week? [15:38]
5. Consider the power of the benediction from Numbers 6:24-26. How can you use this blessing to bring peace and hope into the lives of those around you? [27:22]
6. What are some practical ways you can put God's cause and the good of others first in your daily interactions? [15:38]
7. Reflect on a time when you felt God's delight in you. How can you share that experience with others to encourage them in their faith journey? [30:06]
Devotional
Day 1: Living in Peace Without Offense
Living a life rooted in God's kingdom means embracing His law, which brings profound peace. This peace is not about avoiding conflict but engaging with the world without anger. It transforms our interactions, even in mundane situations like traffic, into opportunities to bless others. By living without offense, we can stand for what is right without being clouded by anger, allowing God's peace to guide our actions. This approach helps us to see every encounter as a chance to extend God's love and grace. [00:22]
Psalm 119:165: "Great peace have those who love your law; nothing can make them stumble."
Reflection: Think of a recent situation where you felt offended or angry. How can you approach similar situations in the future with God's peace, turning them into opportunities for blessing?
Day 2: The Divine Power of Forgiveness
Forgiveness is a divine act that acknowledges God's control over our lives. By forgiving, we release the burden of revenge and allow God's goodness to flow through us, responding to evil with blessing. This act of forgiveness is a miracle, a divine intervention that empowers us to face challenges with grace and love. It is a daily adventure, a moment-by-moment decision to live in the kingdom of God, where we are empowered to face challenges with grace and love. [06:19]
Colossians 3:13: "Bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive."
Reflection: Identify someone you need to forgive. What steps can you take today to begin the process of forgiveness, allowing God's goodness to flow through you?
Day 3: Prayer as a Partnership with God
Prayer is not just a ritual but a partnership with God. It is an active engagement where we align our actions with His will, seeking His guidance and strength in all things. By talking to God about what we are doing together, we surrender our daily challenges to His will. This surrender is not passive but an active engagement with God through prayer, where we align our actions with His will, seeking His guidance and strength in all things. [09:39]
James 1:5: "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him."
Reflection: Consider a challenge you are currently facing. How can you actively engage with God in prayer about this situation, seeking His guidance and strength?
Day 4: Becoming a Conduit of God's Blessings
Living a life of blessing means putting God's cause and the good of others first. By doing so, we become conduits of God's grace, extending His love and mercy to those around us. This is not just about doing good deeds but about being a channel through which God's blessings flow to others. By putting God's cause and the good of others first, we live a life of blessing, extending God's love and mercy to those around us. [15:38]
1 Peter 4:10: "As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace."
Reflection: Think of someone in your life who could use a blessing today. How can you be a conduit of God's grace to them, extending His love and mercy?
Day 5: The Power of Benediction
The blessing from Numbers 6:24-26 is a profound expression of God's love and delight. By sharing this blessing with others, we bring peace and hope into their lives, willing their good under God's invocation. This blessing is a profound expression of God's love and delight in us, and it is something we can share with others, bringing peace and hope into their lives. [27:22]
Numbers 6:24-26: "The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace."
Reflection: Who in your life needs to hear a blessing today? How can you share the benediction from Numbers 6:24-26 with them, bringing peace and hope into their lives?
Quotes
"Great peace have they who love thy law, nothing shall offend them. To be able to live without offense would be a wonderful gift, wouldn't it? And in order to do that we don't have to stop standing for things or seeing to it that what is right has done, we just do it without the fog of anger that envelops us normally." [00:22]
"Forgiveness is a miracle, we just have to accept that and so then from forgiving, we move on to living from God. The whole idea of living from God, we are taking our life from God, and when we do that then we find the reality of this, and we find that it's quite actually, you know, I've experimented with it." [03:10]
"When you are not forgiving you are essentially saying, 'I am running this show, I'm running this show, and I will see to it that they are punished.' I will see to it God says no, no, don't revenge yourselves, don't respond in kind, respond to evil with goodness, respond to cursing with blessing." [06:23]
"Prayer is fundamentally talking to God about what we're doing together. That's what prayer is, a lot of other things involved in it, that's the center of it. And if you don't agree with that just look at the model prayer that the Lord gave us, it's about life, it's about what we're doing together." [09:36]
"Death to self means putting first the cause of God and the good of others, and we go out in blessing. When we do that we turn our lives over to do what is good. I don't know if you've ever bothered to just read what Paul, for example, says about doing good, he just won't get off of it." [15:38]
"Living from God leads right into the life of prayer because prayer is where we do business with God. Prayer is fundamentally talking to God about what we're doing together. That's what prayer is, a lot of other things involved in it, that's the center of it." [09:39]
"When we bless someone we explicitly will their good under the invocation of God. We explicitly will their good under the invocation of God. That makes sense to you in other words, we don't just say it in our hearts now, we go out in action or word, we explicitly will their good." [27:22]
"The Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord make his face to shine upon you, the English of that is may the Lord smile at you, may he beam at you. Do you ever see someone's faces beam, beaming face, little children often grandparents looking at little children, things and that's what they have beaming faces." [29:56]
"May the Lord delight in you, we are to seek the face of God, to have the face of God turned away from us is a terrible thing, to have his face turned towards us is a great thing. So may his face shine upon you and be gracious to you, that's mercy, be gracious to you." [29:56]
"The Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord make his face to shine upon you, the Lord be gracious unto you, the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. Now I'm going to ask you if you can do it, to say this to one another." [31:27]
"You can give that to people, you can do that and if you do Mission Viejo may catch on higher, because I'll tell you what people are looking for in every direction you experienced in that moment of blessing and you can extend it to those who are unpleasant and unkind." [34:07]
"This is the reality of the gospels, it is the reality of Christ's people, and all we have to do is do it, just do it." [35:02]
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