Pastor Kelvin Keith teaches on God's kingdom using the Bible as its constitution, outlining believers' rights: direct access to God, forgiveness, divine provision, and eternal life. Entry requires child-like humility, not self-reliance.
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This program is brought to you in part by the friends and partners of 514 Grace Ministries. Coming up next on the Grace Nation Broadcast, the new kingdom.
Amen.
Yeah. Jesus, Jesus, who still reigns. Jesus, Jesus, we shout one name. Jesus, Jesus, chains snap when we call that name. We lift one name. Jesus, Jesus, hell backs up when we praise. We shout one name. Jesus, Jesus, walls fall, giants hit the ground. We lift one name. Jesus, Jesus, King of Glory, wear your crown. Light hit the dark, now the night gotta move. Fire in my chest, got My faith in the groove. Storm tried to talk, but it don't run the room. Grave lost the fight when it stepped from the tomb. Name got power. Strong tower in the midnight hour. Devil tried smoke, but he lost that flame. We came alive when we called that name. One voice, one cry, hands up, eyes high.
Praise God. Praise God. When a black man buys a Cadillac, he wants to know the benefits, amen? What's in it for me?
Amen.
I don't want to be looking bad when I'm going down the road. Amen. Praise God. I got to have my gangster whitewalls shining. Amen. Praise God. So there's definitely benefits of becoming a citizen of the kingdom of heaven. Just a quick recap on some things here. Last week, We were going over a recap of parts 2 and parts 3, and I'm going to go just slightly fast over part 3. One addendum was added to part 3 here when it was talking about the— part 2, I'm sorry, when we were talking about discussing entering the kingdom of heaven. Amen.
Amen.
Amen. That's one more addition to that. Amen. We were going over last week John chapter 3, verse 3, and John chapter 3, verse 5. But there's another very compelling point that needs to be brought up. The attitude and the aptitude that God first needs us to have in order to begin enjoying the benefits of becoming a citizen of the kingdom of heaven. Amen. Matthew 18, verse 3. Amen.
Amen.
Praise God. Matthew 18, verse 3 reads out of the English Standard Version. Matthew chapter 18, verse 3. Truly I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Amen. Hallelujah. Entry into the kingdom of heaven requires a radical and inner reorientation towards humility, dependence, and receptivity, qualities embodied by a child. Amen.
Amen.
So many times, uh, as we use this, um, The example last week, when we get caught up in the culture of saying we put our own bootstraps on, there's nothing wrong with doing things that we need to do that we can do on our own around the house and pursuing an education or pursuing having— working for the family to make sure they're provided. There's nothing wrong with that and working hard. Amen. Because the Bible says, if a man doesn't work, he doesn't eat.
That's right.
So there's balance with this. It's just that the wrong attitude, if we have a slip into the attitude of saying, hey, I've done all these things that are successful for me, I'm the one responsible for it.
That's right.
I'm the one responsible for the nice house that we live in. I'm responsible for the talent that I have. And making it grow. I'm the one that won the NBA championship for the team. I'm the one who did this and did that, that's great and glorious. I did it on my own. No, we ventured over into a space that we're not supposed to venture into. We're saying we're self-supported. We don't need God. We're the one who created and provided this miraculous event for ourselves, amen?
Yes, sir.
Then we're getting into the wrong attitude, amen? There's nothing wrong with working, for us to work for our— go to a job, go to our business and whatnot, work hard and things, but we also, at the end of the day, thank God that we have had the opportunity to have the strength to go to work. Thank God he gave us a business that's prospering. Thank God that we have food in the pantry, food in the refrigerator, that we have nice transportation, that we have 3 acres of land or whatever. Amen. That we have nice clothes and things. Always giving God the praise and the glory for the things that he's given us. Amen. Not saying that we did those things on our own. Amen. So that's where that humility comes in at.
That's right.
That's good.
The other part that we were going over last week, what is the constitution of the kingdom of heaven? We define the constitution as the supreme set of fundamental principles and rules or laws by which our country, state, or organization is governed. It establishes the structure of government, defines the scope of its power, and guarantees the basic rights, liberties, and responsibilities of its citizens. The Holy Bible covers every aspect of that definition. Amen?
Amen.
We don't need to look to nowhere else. We don't need to find a document at Oxford. We don't need to find a document at UCLA. We don't need to find a document at Spelman or Morehouse. It's the Holy Bible. Amen. That's the Constitution. Amen. Praise God. Praise the Lord. The Bible, we said last week, as a king's law coming out of Isaiah 33:22, for the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our king, he will save us. A kingdom's constitution expresses the will of the judge, Lawgiver, and King, all roles God holds. We said Psalms 19:7, the law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul.
That's right.
The Bible is not advice, it is legal foundation of God's rule, amen? Let's go over part 2 of this dealing with the Constitution. The Bible is our preamble, showing God's sovereign authority.
Amen.
Part 2, the preamble, God's sovereign authority. Our first agenda that we were sharing yesterday was the Bible as the king's law. This is all under the Constitution. Now we're talking about the preamble, God's sovereign authority. If we go to God's— showing God's kingship, Psalms chapter 24, verse 1. Psalms chapter 24, verse 1. We're talking about the Bible as our preamble. The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof. Amen.
Amen.
The world and those who dwell therein. Number 2 of the preamble, Christ is supreme authority. Matthew chapter 28, verse 18, and God— excuse me, and Jesus came and said to them, all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Amen.
Amen.
We're showing that God is our King, that Christ has been given the supreme authority. This is setting up the kingdom. Amen. The new kingdom. Amen.
Amen.
Praise God. And we're going to be showing next week benefits of being a citizen of the kingdom. Amen. But we want to make sure that we have everyone to understand these different aspects of the kingdom for it to make sense.
Yes.
Number 3, the constitutional identity. Who are the citizens? Who are the citizens of the kingdom of heaven? We're about to answer that. Part number 1, chosen people. We find this in 1 Peter chapter 2, verse 9. We're talking about the chosen people. 1 Peter chapter 2, verse 9. But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood.
Yes. Amen.
Amen.
A holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. This is a wonderful position to be in. Amen. Identifying the citizens. It does a whole great deal for a person to realize they have a new identity with Christ. It makes you feel good inside.
Yes.
We can look at no further than the example of Jesus. Know how Jesus must have felt in his heart When God Almighty said to him, "This is my beloved Son, my Lord. I am well pleased." Do you understand the affirmation that gave? We need to be affirmed from time to time, and God accepting us as His new citizens into the kingdom. Yes, it is.
Amen.
It lets you know that you are a part of something great, that God has not— excuse me— treated you— excuse me— like the world, that you are accepted regardless of your background, regardless of any things that we see on the outside.
Amen.
He affirms you.
Yes.
I love you, my daughter.
Yes.
I love you, my son.
Yes.
You humbled yourself and received Jesus Christ into your heart, the passport into the kingdom of heaven. Amen?
Amen.
That's a very good thing right there, to be affirmed. That affirmation that Jesus received when God said, this is my beloved Son.
Amen.
In whom I'm well pleased. Jesus was on cloud nine when he heard the Father say that. Amen. He needed to be refreshed as well.
That's right.
When you have that in your spirit, that God says, Minister Ofei, you are affirmed by me. You are a citizen of the kingdom. You're my daughter. I love you.
Amen.
That gives you the courage and the strength to go beyond any people that try to put obstacles in you and say, hey, regardless of the obstacles that you're trying to put in my way, I'm on cloud nine. The joy of the Lord is my strength. It does a whole lot for a child of God to be affirmed, even in the natural, with our natural children. That's right, amen. It does a whole lot for a child to hear his mom or dad says, baby, I'm proud of you. You make me proud. You were awarded this award on good behavior. They said that you're a role model at school, that you're saying yes ma'am and no sir. Do you turn your work in on time? We see the hard work that you're getting. The teacher said, we see the hard work that you put into your assignments.
Yes, sir. Amen.
We're very proud of you. Even the teachers saying, we're proud, they're proud of you. Praise God. That affirmation just gets, refreshes that child. It makes them want to go on to the next level, thinking about maybe college after post-graduation. Amen. After graduation from high school. That affirmation. So important. Heavenly citizenship. This is part 2 under the constitutional identity. Who are the citizens? Heavenly citizenship. Philippians chapter 3, verse 20. But our citizenship— Philippians chapter 3, verse 20. But our citizenship is in heaven. In heaven. My Lord. There was no mistake that you heard. You couldn't confuse that with anything. Our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Man, if that don't get the fire burning on the inside of Praise God, I don't know what will. Oh my God. Our citizenship is in heaven. I can just imagine the newly freed slave or whatever reading that after receiving Christ in their heart, going through all kind of trepidations and all kind of pain, all kind of rejection, all kind of bad obstacles put in their way and whatnot for them to make things better for them in the future. God gives them that encouragement in their spirit.
Yes.
You are a citizen of heaven. Of heaven, amen. That would just put that former slave on cloud nine. I'm going over yonder. That's the song they'll be singing. At the end of this trial and tribulation, this tedious journey, I'm going over yonder. They know that gives them hope. Yes, it does. I may have been treated bad down here, but I'm gonna be seeing glory on the other side. Amen? That affirmation once again, that you are a citizen of the kingdom. Amen. Hallelujah. The Bill of Rights, number 4. We're gonna go over a few more next week, amen?
Amen.
The Bill of Rights. This is dealing with promises, protections, and privileges. These verses outline the rights and guarantees granted to kingdom citizens. The Bill of Rights— the aspects of dealing with promises, protections, and privileges. These verses outline the rights and guarantees granted to kingdom citizens. Amen. Amen. This is all found in the word of God. That's why we look to the word of God for our hope. If we read it and rightly divide it, you'll be on cloud nine for sure. God telling you and affirming to you, you're my child. I know your future. It's a good future. One of peace. One of joy. A prosperous future I have for you. That's what you want to hear.
Amen.
Amen.
I mean, you're right. Yes, sir.
Let's go over item number 1, right to approach God. That gives a great thing to a child of God, a right to approach God. Now, one time back in the, uh, early years when Martin Luther was going before the churches and whatnot, people thought that they had to go through a man to— in order to speak to God. Martin Luther was saying, no, you can have your own personal relationship with God. Amen. You can approach God. I don't have to go to Pope so-and-so. I don't have to go to Father so-and-so. I personally can have that closet in my own home. I can open up that closet, get on my knees, and talk to the Father. This was a big relief to people who got that revelation as Martin Luther and others were telling them, hey, that you don't have to go to this place. You can do it right here in your heart at home. Hallelujah! That was great news.
Hallelujah.
You don't have to have a man in between you and God.
Hallelujah.
Remove the middleman.
Yes.
You can approach God for yourself.
Yes, Lord.
That was a great thing to find out. Great revelation. Right to approach God. Hebrews chapter 4, verse 16. Hebrews chapter 4, verse 16. Verse 16. We're talking about the rights to approach God. Let us then with confidence, not with those shaky legs, not with no feebleness, not trembling in our hands or whatnot, but with confidence. Let us then with confidence. Where is that confidence coming from? Knowing that God loves you. Knowing that God is not going to hold things against you in your past and whatnot, that you see him in your spirit with open arms saying, Minister Tracy, come to me. I love you. I'm waiting here to wrap my, wrap my loving arms around you. You can approach me.
Yes.
It was done on the cross. This is one of the great benefits Of the spilled blood of Jesus, our Lord and Savior. He made that bridge between you and God. Thank you, Jesus. That's why that death on the cross is not in vain. You don't have to see the high priest and the priest going toward the Holy of Holies and killing those animals and whatnot. Amen.
That's right.
They only covered the sin. It didn't do away with the sin. Hallelujah. Right to approach God. Let us then with confidence— you do it with confidence because you know and you know that God loves you. So you can go with confidence. Draw near to the throne of grace. With confidence, draw near to the throne of grace. That we may receive mercy and find grace to help in a time of need. Hallelujah. This is a great thing for a man or woman of God who's thought that they weren't good enough to approach God, thinking that the things, the mistakes of the past keeps Satan trying to keep that guilt trip on you and whatnot. Hallelujah. Come on.
Yes.
But when God talks to your spirit and lets you know that, hey, those things in the past are done away, you run to God with confidence. God, you're not holding that against me? No, you're my daughter. I love you. If I didn't love you, I wouldn't have sent my son, my very best, the apple of my eye. I wouldn't have sent the apple of my eye to die for you. I love you. Once you know that in your spirit, that confidence just builds. Lord, I'm coming. I'm running. You forget to put your house shoes on, you running. Hallelujah. Lord, I'm coming. That confidence Yes. To draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in a time of need. Right to forgiveness. Item number 2, right to forgiveness. This is a big one. 1 John chapter 1, verse 9, right to forgiveness. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from what? All unrighteousness. Now, this is a terrible scripture for Satan.
Yes.
Why?
Come on.
'Cause Satan is trying so much to help you to believe that lie.
You blew it.
Why are you going to the Father? What are you doing wasting your time? You messed up big time last week. Come on now. You did such and such to this person. You talked behind the pastor's back. You slandered somebody in private. Now you want to ask for forgiveness? You, you, you, you're not worthy to be— to go before God. You're no good. But when God shows you how much he loves you, he says, daughter, you have a right to forgiveness. That shame that Satan wants to bring is no more.
No more.
You can tell Satan to get out of my way.
Yes.
You and your lies.
Yes.
They didn't work.
Now.
I know.
Yes, sir.
Amen. That God accepts me.
Yes, sir.
I'm about to go before the throne humbly.
Yes, sir.
Confessing my wrong.
Yes.
Saying, Lord, forgive me.
Lord, forgive me.
And you'll see how much he loves you.
Yes.
Amen.
Amen.
Right to forgiveness.
Yes, sir. Yes, sir.
That does a lot for relationship.
It does.
Come on now. Because if you feel like God is not gonna forgive you for your— our mistakes and whatnot, we don't have any confidence to go on before him. We're able to shy more and more away from God. Why would we shy more and more away from God? Because we don't feel like we will ever be accepted in his presence again. And it's like God is like saying, "Why are you backing away? Why are you? What's wrong? I love you. Just confess that thing. Just come before me humbly. Tell the truth. Lord, I love that wrong thing that I was doing, that bad habit that I had." God says, "That's all I needed to hear." Just confess it. Just confess it. I'll help you get over that. It's like the thief on the cross said, we deserve to be here, but this man doesn't. What did Jesus say? Today. Lord have mercy. Not tomorrow, not next week, but today you'll be with me in paradise. My Lord. Thank you, Lord. Even the thief on the cross got the revelation.
That's right.
Oh my goodness. I deserve to be on this cross. You deserve to be on this cross. But this man right here, he doesn't deserve to be on this cross.
That's right.
I know I messed up. This man is innocent. Right. Jesus said, today, come on, you'll be with me. What did the man do? He humbled himself, admitted, yes, did not try to run away from responsibility to say that I did wrong. He said, yes, I know I messed up. You don't belong here, I belong here. God saw the what? The sincerity of the heart. Just like the Ethiopian eunuch that was caught on the road, that the, uh, the man of God interpreted Isaiah to him. He was sincere.
That's right.
He wanted to find out what was the meaning that was in Isaiah, and he explained it. The man of God explained it to him, and he received his salvation. That was the one thing he's like— he was lacking conversion. He had appreciation for the things of God. He had appreciation for knowing God. That's why he left Ethiopia and many times was going to Jerusalem to worship God. He just needed the conversion. He needed to receive Jesus in his heart. Why did that happen? Because God saw this man was sincere.
That's right.
He kept coming from Ethiopia to Jerusalem to worship, and God said, this man is real.
Yes.
Wow.
God's seeing the sincerity. That's why God says, hey, I don't look at things that you look at. I weigh the heart. I see the motive. I see what you're talking about. I see what you're trying to do. If it's pure, if your heart is pure, you're going to see the benefits of coming to me with a pure heart. The right to forgiveness. Hallelujah.
Hallelujah.
That's a big step in keeping you strong with God, because just as the, uh, person that was given much for their debt, this man had came to the king begging Begging not to be thrown into the debtor's jail. Please forgive me. Give me a chance to, uh, to pay you and whatnot. And the king saw that he was in great turmoil because he owed much. He says, all right, I forgive you. That put a whole weight off that man.
Yes. Wow.
Praise God.
Hallelujah.
Item number 3, right to provision. Right to provision.
Hallelujah.
Matthew chapter 6, starting at verse 31, going through 33. Right to provision. We're talking about different aspects and different benefits of the, of the, um, of the constitution here, which is identified in the Bible. Matthew chapter 6:31-33. Therefore do not be anxious, saying, what shall we eat?
Right.
Or what shall we drink? What shall we wear? For the Gentiles seek after all these things. And your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God.
Kingdom of God. Amen.
God says, hey, I know you need those things.
Yes, that's right.
Seek the kingdom first.
Seek the kingdom first.
These things about what you need to drink, what you need to wear, Yes. Shelter to live in.
Yes.
God says, hey, this, this is just the byproduct of doing things my way, doing my will.
That's right.
God says, hey, get your priority on seeking the kingdom first. First priority, seek the kingdom first, and all— not half, not a quarter, not one-fourth, not 0.25. Not that 25%.
That's right.
Not 75%, 3/4.
My goodness.
Not 75%.
My goodness.
Not 1/8.
My goodness.
Not 1/3.
That's right.
But all, the whole number 1.
Oh yeah.
Not 1/2, half, meaning 50%, but the whole number 1. Not point five oh, just the whole number one. All these things will be added. God said, "I know you need this, but seek ye first the kingdom." Hallelujah! Hallelujah! He said, "All these things the Gentiles seek, people that don't serve me." That's right. People that don't seek me.
That's right.
People that don't have me first on their agenda. That's right, come on. They're seeking these things.
That's right.
Your heavenly Father knows you need all them, but seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
Yes.
God says, this is an afterthought. This is a byproduct of doing things my way. You will be taken care of.
Yes.
Right to provision. This is part of the Constitution. This is what you see in the Constitution. What is the Constitution? The Holy Bible. Last item for the Bill of Rights, item number 4, right to eternal life. My Lord. Better have that former slave say, "When I'm going over yonder, they'll be shocked." Hallelujah! Hey, I may have been treated badly down here, but hey, my last breath, I know I'm about to go over yonder. Right to eternal life. John chapter ten, verse twenty-eight. Amen.
Amen.
Right to eternal life. And we're about to bring this to a close. John chapter 10, verse 20— what? 28. I give them eternal life. I didn't say that, God said that.
That's right.
Hallelujah. I give them eternal life and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. Now you're talking about a guarantee. Thank you, Jesus. The right to eternal life. Yes.
Thank you, Lord.
That'll set somebody on fire right there. God, you mean you're not going to hold those things up against me that I confess and said forgive me about? No, they're thrown away as far from the east and the west. Can you see it down there on the west? Can you see it down there? No, I can't see it, Father. Well, you get the point. It's over with. It's gone. Kaput.
Yes.
You got to realize my love for you is more than that sin that Satan is trying to keep you feeling guilty about. Satan is trying to keep that mistake boldly before your eyes to bring you shame and guilt and whatnot. My thing is I'm trying to say, hey, I want to embrace you.
That's right.
I love you.
That's right.
Forget about the sin.
That's right.
You've asked for forgiveness and it's, and it's over with.
Over with.
I wanted you to have eternal life and be with me.
That's right.
Thank you, Lord. You're on the wrong point.
That's right.
Satan wants to keep you in guilt, shame, humiliation.
Yes.
I want you in the kingdom with me.
Hallelujah.
Thank you, Lord. I want to see you. I want to see Pastor Harry. I want to see Pastor Tracy. I want to see Minister Sophia and many others.
Yes.
I want to see you in the kingdom with me.
Hallelujah.
Because my love for you is so great.
Yes.
Isn't that the desire of a mother and a father to see their children at home with them?
Yes.
When they're 5 and 6 and 10 years old, you don't want them in another person's house. That's right.
Amen.
You want them in the house with you.
That's right.
Because you love them so much.
That's true, Lord.
You don't want them to be with anybody else.
That's right.
You want them to be at home with you. Yes. Amen. Just like the prodigal son. The prodigal son messed up.
Yes.
He made mistakes.
Yes.
He shamed the family name. Yes. But the fathers that was there were open arms. Son, I love you more than those mistakes. All I want is you. For anyone out there listening or whatnot, get that point and never let it go. The best point of today: all I want is you. Get that point down in your spirit.
Hallelujah.
Whether you snorted cocaine last week, whether you took meth, fentanyl, whether you slapped someone last week, whether you cheated on the government last week, you stole time off the clock last week or last month, God's like saying, all I want is you.
Hallelujah.
I want you to ask for forgiveness for those things, but I want you. All I want is you. I want you in the kingdom with me. That's the part that Satan is trying to keep from you. The big picture is that God said, I want you in the kingdom with me. It's the love part that you're missing. Satan wants to keep you focused on the mistake. God wants to keep you focused on his love. Hallelujah. Praise God. We're going to end it right there. Amen. Thank you, Lord.
If you're watching us right now and you don't know Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, consider this. Pray this prayer with me. Say, Lord, come into my heart. Jesus, save me. Father, I denounce anything that is not like you. Jesus, I want you to be my Savior. I want you to be my Lord. Forgive me for all the wrongs that I've done. Forgive me of the sins that I've committed. And Father, thank you. I do believe in the blood and that the blood has covered my past, my sins. Jesus, become my Lord and my Savior. Save me this day. And if you prayed that prayer with me, you are now born again. Welcome to the household of faith. Welcome to the family of God.
Amen.
And do me a favor, those of you that are watching us, we want to publish this Word of God globally, this Gospel of the Kingdom. Please go to our website, our website, www.514gracechurch.org. Give an offering. Support us. Support the vision. Become a 2020 partner with 514 Grace Church. Whether you give $5, $10, $20, $50, $100, $1,000. If you want to give 6 figures, God bless you. We'll accept it. But we want to get this message publish. Go to our website, go under Give and give, and God will bless you. Support this vision while we do the things that God calls us to do. And those of you that are following us on social media, like, comment, subscribe, DM us, let us know that you're listening to the word of God. And if you're in this area and you're looking for a home church, consider 514 Grace Church. Tracy and I, my wife Tracy and I, we're love to talk with you, meet with you. So will the leaders love to talk with you and meet with you. We love to be able to support both you and your family. Allow this church to be your home church. Allow me to become your pastor. I would love to pastor both you and your family, your young ones. And God bless you. Thank you guys for watching. Thank you for supporting. Thank you for listening. Thank you for following. And know this, the best is not over. The Holy Spirit is in you and upon you. And remember, next week we're not out of word. I'm not going to be preaching, but the man of God is going to be preaching, our— one of our lead pastors, Pastor Kelvin Keith. Man, I'm excited for this. And stay tuned, God has a word for you. God bless you, and we'll see you next time in Jesus' name.
One sound who we call. Jesus, Jesus, Jesus. Who still reigns.
Jesus, Jesus.
We shout one name.
Jesus, Jesus.
Chains snap when we call that name. We lift one name.
Jesus, Jesus.
Hell backs up when we praise. We shout one name.
