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Chapter 1. I'm talking about the kingdom of God. And I want to—

chapter 1.

I'm not really sure if I really want to start all over, um, but I do want to try to do a brief recap if I can for those of you who are just now getting it. Or getting it for the first time. But anyway, here we go. So in verse 1, chapter 1 of the Gospel according to Saint Mark, the Bible says, the beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. And this talks about the beginning. And in the beginning, according to Jesus' ministry, Jesus came forth and he started his ministry. At the right time, the time where he was ready and mature. And so verse 1 tells us that this is the beginning of the gospel, or the beginning of the ministry concerning Jesus Christ. And in verse 8, we learned that in the beginning of Jesus' ministry, he was baptized with water by John the Baptist. Secondly, we learned that in the beginning of Jesus' ministry, We see the presence of the Holy Ghost on the scenery. Then we learn in verse number 11 that there came a voice from heaven saying, thou art my beloved Son, which means the presence, the power— the Holy Spirit is the power— and the mantle of God the Father is upon his life in verse 10. And verse 11, the confirmation or the affirmation of God's voice is there in verse 11 when the Bible says that he said, thou art my beloved Son. In verse 12, immediately the Spirit drives him into the wilderness, which means he's now being tried Because there are just certain prerequisites that have to be in place when you take off for God. He was tempted in the wilderness 40 days and 40 nights, and he overcame that. And that's important to understand because until you've been through some things, you can't help somebody else go through. Verse 14 says that he came forth from the wilderness preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, which means even though he went through some things, he didn't lose his focus. He kept preaching the gospel. See, sometimes in life you're going to go through some things. But you got to keep doing what God wants you to do. Amen. Verse 15. Here's the message. This is the gospel that he preached. The kingdom of God is at hand. He let people know that it's all about God's kingdom. And then he tells them, repent and believe, which means change and turn from that certain lifestyle and then believe. The gospel.

Why?

Because something comes forth when you believe the word. Manifestation comes forth when you believe the word. Change comes forth when you believe the word. A divine reversal comes forth when you believe the word. Now he goes on as his ministry begins To spread out. And in verse 16, he finds Simon and his brother Andrew fishing or casting a net at the sea because they were fishers. They had occupations, they had a job. But Jesus tells them, leave your job, which represents your own purpose in life. Give up what you feel like your life should be about, and then you come and follow me, and let me reveal to you the purpose of God for your life. See, that's what he said in verse 17. He said unto them, come after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men. In other words, your life is too important for your life to just be about your job, because you can work a job and that job has nothing at all to do with your purpose. He said, but if you're willing to walk in your purpose, then show me that you're willing to let go of your job, your own natural physical occupation. This isn't about full-time ministry here. This, this, this is about putting him first and then pursuing after what God placed you in this earth to do. And can I suggest that greater than being a parent, a spouse, a sibling, a friend, Greater than those particular responsibilities and obligations is your responsibility to God. Greater than your responsibility to your children, greater than your responsibility to your parents, greater than your responsibility to your husband or your wife is your responsibility to God.

Amen.

And he said, if you come after me, I'll make you to become fishers of men. They were fishermen, which means they were just fishing to make a living. But God said through Jesus that I'm going to transform your entire life, and I'm going to have you fishing to make a giving. The difference between fishing to make a living, which fishing to make a living is an occupation, and it's fishing to make money. Greater than fishing to make a living, which is getting and receiving, is the fact that God will make you to be a fisher of men Which means he's allowing you to give and impart into people's lives. See, if you're just a fisherman, it's just about your life. I'm working to pay my bills. I'm working to pay my rent. I'm working to put food on my table. I'm working to put shoes on my feet. I'm working to take care of my kids. I'm working to take care of my house. It's just all about you. That's a self-centered Agenda. But when you are a fisher of men versus a fisherman, then you're working for the kingdom, you're working for God, and your focus is to give into the lives of men and women, to give wisdom, knowledge, direction, advice, understanding, counsel, guidance, strength, anointing. And the list goes on and on and on and on and on. And it is important to understand that your life doesn't consist of natural occupations as much as it does your spiritual purpose in life. Verse 20: Straightway he called them. They left their father Zebedee in the ship with the hired servants and went after Jesus. So after he brings Simon and Andrew into the kingdom to work in his ministry, he then finds these 2 boys, 2 men, and he tells them, come after me. And what do they do? They come after Jesus immediately, but this time they don't just leave their occupation, they're willing to leave their family members for the purpose of the gospel. Oh, this is kingdom talk. I know you need an understanding for that, so let me break it down. Leaving their family members doesn't mean that they're turning their back on their family. It means they're putting Jesus before their family. Y'all look so confused right now, like y'all don't have a clue of what I'm talking about. Um, Okay, Jesus said himself, except ye deny yourself, take up your cross and follow me, you're not worthy to be my disciples. He goes on to say, he that does not put mother, father, brother, sister behind them— in other words, putting Jesus first— and then take up their cross and follow me, they are not worthy to be my disciples. So what he's saying is that you got to be willing to put me first before your mama, your daddy, your brother, your sister, your husband, your wife, your sons, your daughters, your cousins. Y'all already know this, don't you? Yes.

Oh, okay.

All right, all right. So you see this in example when these boys not only leave their jobs, but they leave their father. In other words, they're saying, Dad, you know what? My destiny to walk with Jesus the Christ and be a disciple and an apostle that will help change this world is now calling me not away from you but apart from you. In other words, I got to go after my calling. I got to go after my purpose. I got to go after my destiny. I got to go after the reason I'm placed in this world. I'm, I'm going to always be your son, but I may not always be your son in your house. I might have to be your son outside your house now because my purpose has called me to move forward. That's what's happening in verse 20. They don't say— at least the scripture doesn't give us any point of reference— that they had to think about it, pray about it, or talk about it. The Bible does say, and straightway, which is another word for immediately, they left their father Zebedee in the ship with the hired servants, and they went after Jesus. Now that's a test to pass, but this is when you know you're kingdom-minded, when you're willing to move forward in the direction God has called you to, knowing that you're stepping into unfamiliar territory.

Amen.

You never been there before. You never done this before, but yet you're doing it because you know that this is what God has called you to do. So once they do that, things begins to happen. The form begins to take place. Verse 22 says they were astonished. This talking about Jesus at his doctrine, Jesus' doctrine, for he taught them as one that had authority and not as the scribes. Now, Jesus' authority is divine authority, and divine authority means authority from above or heavenly authority. And so what is happening now is that Jesus' ministry is really beginning to come full circle. It's taking its place, it's taking its course. And at this particular juncture, He's talking to them and he's showing them how to operate in their purpose, in their callings. And in the kingdom of God, we take this example that Jesus set because the prerequisite of getting to the place of operating in authority comes from every step that I just talked about in the first 10 minutes. Again, being baptized with water, which is number one. Secondly, being baptized in the Holy Ghost, where, as we see it in scripture. Thirdly, having the presence of God in your life. Fourthly, having the voice of God in your life. Fifthly, having survived your wilderness experience. Number 6, come forth still preaching in spite of what you've been through. still proclaiming and declaring what God told you to say and what God told you to do. Next, declaring that the message is all about the kingdom of God and helping people to understand how to repent, how to operate in faith. And from that point on, you are in a place where you can begin to operate in kingdom authority.

Amen.

So we're talking about the kingdom. Go with me to Matthew chapter 6. That's just the introduction. Matthew 6. We're gonna have a short night of word tonight. Matthew 6, beginning at verse 25. Are you there? Therefore I say unto you, take no thought for your life. So God is now saying, don't worry about your life. In other words, don't worry about being Bills, food, shelter, clothing, bills, money, any of these things that you feel like you gotta have. Don't worry. Now, he, he didn't say don't plan. He didn't say don't consider. He said take no thought, which means Not to worry. He didn't say that you can't have these things on your mind because you got to have them on your mind because you know that you got to have a life where you are responsible for making sure you pay bills, right? Raise kids, right? Put gas in your car, right? All all those things. But he says take no thought, which means. Don't worry. Don't let life and life bills stress you, depress you, perplex you, smother you, and drive you nuts.

That's right.

It can happen. And if it haven't happened— if it haven't happened for you yet, then keep worrying and you're gonna find yourself talking to yourself, answering yourself, Preaching to yourself. Take no thought for your life, what you shall eat or what you shall drink, nor yet for your body, what you shall put on. Is not the life more than meat and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air, they sow not, neither do they reap nor gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are you not much better than they? What is that question again? Are you not much better than they? So he's telling us, don't let these things that you feel like you got to have from day to day become your primary focus in life, because you can't serve God's Purpose in your life, and have worrying existing over things, stuff, and bills. Because worrying is going to cause for you to not be able to focus on what God wants you to do. What did I just say? You can't focus on what God wants you to do if you're worrying about bills and all those things. You got to be willing to say, I turn it over to Jesus, because it'll stress you out trying to pay bills. I'm just gonna stay right there since y'all quiet. I'm gonna stay right there. Trying to pay bills. It'll turn your hair gray in your 30s. Give you gray hair. It'll have you going to the doctor frequently. It'll drive your blood pressure up. It'll take your appetite away.

Right.

It'll have you with sleepless nights. You cannot You can't— even if you can't pay bills, that's the best part about not worrying. Why worry if you can't pay them? You might as well just enjoy yourself. 'Cause if you can't pay them, then you ain't gotta worry about them. It is what it is. I ain't got no money, and I ain't gonna let you stress me about something I ain't got.

That's right.

I can't pay you until the 15th of next month. And I ain't gonna spend the next 30 days worrying about why I couldn't pay you this time. You just have to catch me then, but catch me before the other people catch me now. 'Cause I can't pay everybody at one time. First come, first served.

Yes.

So if you, if you know that you're in a position where you can't do what you need to do, what you worrying for? Why worry about something you can't do? Why worry? You can't fly. I don't think you're worried about not being able to fly, are you? Right? That's why we got transportation, right? 'Cause God didn't give us wings. So if I can't fly, there's no need of me being mad and upset about it. If the birds can fly, let them fly. If I can't, let me walk. Let me get in the car. What's my point? Why worry about something you can't change? Why worry about something you can't do? Why worry about something you can't pay? Okay, certain things needs to be done, but if God say he got it, then give it to him and let him have it. And the only time you need to worry is if he gives it back to you and tell you you got it. But as long as he said, I'm going to supply your need according to my riches and glory, then you need to let him do it. One thing I've learned about him is that if you think you can do it, he's going to let you do it. So he tells us very clearly in verse 25 and 26 of Matthew 6 not to worry about food, shelter, raiment. And then he compares that to how the birds—they don't have a job, they don't have hands. But yet they eat when it's time to eat because our Father feeds the birds.

That's right.

It's amazing sometimes how that you could be out at a park and you could be eating a hamburger, for example, and you've got all the way to the point where you're just about ready to finish that hamburger off, and all of a sudden you just get full. with like 2 or 3 bites left on the hamburger, you just get full. And there's a wastebasket next to you or within proximity that you can easily take the leftovers and throw it in the trash. But then the bird come and land right there by the picnic table or by the bench where you're sitting and start picking up little particles and fragments on the ground.

Right.

And then all of a sudden it comes to your mind You got a couple little pieces of sandwich still left in your bag. And you decide the bird will eat this.

Right.

And you pull it out the bag and you break it up in little pieces and you start throwing it down there to the birds. And then the birds eat the little food, go, come back again, you give them some more, go, come back again, you give them some more. And then it's all gone. Then you get up and you going on about your business. And you won't even think about that no more for the rest of the day.

Right.

And then what has happened is that the scriptures just got fulfilled.

Amen.

God used Burger King, if that's where the sandwich came from, McDonald's or Wendy's or wherever, to prepare food for you, to feed you until you were full. Then that little piece that was left from that sandwich was ordained from the foundation of the world that that was gonna be enough for that bird To go feed his family, and every time that bird flew away, it was taking bread and little pieces of hamburger to his babies, and it fed a whole household of birds. And that was God's doing. You didn't know it. He didn't tell you that a part of that sandwich was supposed to be for the birds, but that's the way that it worked out, didn't it? Because that's the way He ordained it. He wanted to make sure that the birds would have something to eat. So what's my point? My point is this, since you asked. My point is this. If God is meticulous enough and detailed enough and strategic enough and methodical enough to make sure that these birds get their food, even if he have to use you to give it to them, Yes. then how much more is he gonna touch somebody's heart to give you the job you need, to give you the money you need, to bless you with a dress, to bless you with a suit, to bless you with a pair of shoes, to give you a promotion, to give you a raise. Sometimes you don't even have to ask for it. He already got it already worked out.

Amen.

And what he's saying to us is just like these birds are well taken care of, You created in my image and in my likeness. From this moment on, consider yourself well taken care of. Go ahead and say it: I'm well taken care of. Somebody else leftover. Can become enough to be your surplus. Amen. Amen. So he says, "Don't worry." This is kingdom at work because the way the kingdom is set up is based upon a law of reciprocity, a law of sowing, and a law of reaping. And everything that happens in the kingdom of God operates on that law. Even if it's soul winning, it operates on that law of sowing and reaping. In fact, in the book of John, Saint John chapter 12, I want to show you this and then we'll come back here. Look at John 12. John 12. Verse 24. Verily, verily, I say unto you, except the corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abides alone. But if it dies, it brings forth much fruit.

Amen.

Fruit. You know, Jesus, although he's using this law of reciprocity and he's talking about sowing and reaping as a principle, but he's really referring to himself when he says, except the corn of wheat fall into the ground and die.

It abides alone.

It abides alone. He's really talking about him as the Son of God being planted as a seed in the earth through death. And then the part where he says it's going to bring forth fruit is referring to after his resurrection and ascension into heaven. People will be saved to the point where it's considered to be a multitude that no man could number. And when you read Revelation, he knew that he would be that seed and we would be that harvest. And so in the kingdom of God, everything operates on that law.

You give.

then you receive.

Right.

You sow, then you harvest.

Right.

When it comes down to anything you expect to receive, you gotta give it first. You gotta sow it first.

Amen.

He that wants friends, has friends, desires friends, must first show himself friendly or sow friendship. To reap love, you give love.

Amen.

Be not deceived, God is not mocked. Everything that a man sows, that's what he's going to reap. So the kingdom of God operates on the law of reciprocity, which means to reciprocate. Which means when it is given, it comes back. When it is sent out there, it has a return. Ecclesiastes 11:1 says, cast your bread upon the waters and you'll find it after many days. That's sowing and reaping.

Amen.

Anything that you want, even as a church, as a ministry, if we want to have a crowd of people in our church, we have to sow into the communities. We have to sow into the jails. We have to sow into the streets. We have to sow into the society or the neighborhoods.

That's right.

Anything we want to reap, we have to sow. If we do not sow, we do not reap. And we have not because we sow not. Make sense? Okay. Go back to Matthew 6. Verse 27. Which of you by taking thought or by worrying can add one cubit unto his stature?

Yes.

It's talking about height. In other words, if you're born a short man, you're gonna die a short man. If you're born a short woman, you're gonna die a short woman. Ain't nothing wrong with being short. Why take you thought? Why worry for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field. Now he's talking about plants. He said they grow, they toil not, neither do they spin. In other words, They don't have an occupation. And yet I say unto you that even Solomon, King Solomon, in all of his glory, was not arrayed like one of these plants or one of these lilies. Wherefore, verse 30, if God so clotheth the grass of the field, Yes. which today is, which means it exists today, and then tomorrow it can be withered away by the sun. Which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven. Shall he not much more clothe ye? Oh ye, a little faith! Can he not much more clothe you or put clothes on your body? New clothes. God says, "I can send you shopping. Not just pay your bills. I can send you shopping." How many of you want God to send you shopping? He says, "You just need faith." But this kind of faith right here is kingdom faith. And kingdom faith is when you are using your faith in the kingdom for the purpose of building God's kingdom. See, sometimes we're using our faith to build our kingdom.

Yes.

Which means we're using our faith to be on the receiving end, to receive. But sometimes you got to use your faith to be on the giving end.

Amen.

God can send you shopping, but he sends you shopping because you've put his kingdom first in your life. And if he don't send you shopping, he can send somebody else shopping for you.

Amen.

Somebody who has your taste and you don't even know it. Somebody who likes the same stuff you like and you don't know it. Somebody who has your size.

Amen.

You know that?

Yeah.

Somebody who has your clothing size. Somebody who bought something, thought they were buying it for themselves, And before they can put it on, God said, now I want you to take that and bless Brother So-and-so, Sister So-and-so with it.

Amen.

And they not only used their money, but they used their car, their gas, their time. And not only did God give you the things you would have bought yourself, but he sent somebody else to go get it for you. While you had the luxury of staying at home watching Steve Harvey Family Feud. Yes, sir.

Do you mind if I say this, Pastor? We quote this and we say this a lot, uh, God, if you take care of my things, I'll take care of yours.

Uh-huh.

And just what you're saying, we say that, but then we back away from that. When I say we, I put myself first. I look at me. I examine me first because we say that because it's so easy to to say it. But just like you're saying, when you're going through, when you can't pay your bills, when you go to work, when you go to stress it, I did that. Been there. But when you're talking about the key, and I hope everybody get this as you're teaching this. When you're talking key, you keep your mind. When you're kingdom-minded, you put kingdom-minded stuff first, and God will take care of your business.

Yes. When you taking care of the kingdom. Yes.

That's the way I see it. Yes. That's the way I'm trying to grab this and hold on to it.

Yes.

So, you know, I, I thank God for that word. And sir, may I add, you are kingdom-minded. No matter what you go through, sir. Amen. No matter what you go through with this ministry, you still are focused on kingdom business.

Thank you, sir.

Thank you. No matter what come against you, and we don't pervade.

Amen. Somehow we don't pervade. Bless you. Bless you.

Bless you. Any other questions?

I put God first and then just taking care of you.

I taught Sunday school for many years. Many years I taught Sunday school.

I can't hear you in the back.

I said for many years I taught Sunday school. I put, um, I went to Sunday school, left there, went to work, came back for night service. For many years I did that. My daughters are grown and they're not in my home anymore, and I've asked God to send somebody to walk alongside with them to help build them and keep them ministry-minded, kingdom-minded. And as I was away this last month, my daughter's— one of my daughter's friends pulled me inside and said, I'm working on her. She don't know, but I'm working on her. I'm working on her. We're going to have her as a member of our church. Church family. We're working on making her a member of our church family, and all I can say is Lord, I thank you because you never forget the work that we do for you, and you always keep your word. He always keeps his word. So when you do for God, and I mean, if you ask my kids, they'll say we were born in church. We lived on the third row. Blah blah blah blah blah. But now when I can sit back and see God working in their lives, I thank God for he keeping his word because I put. him first before, you know, before everything else. He was first. Before I went to work, I went to church. When I left work, I came back to church. When I woke up in the morning, I was praying. My kids would wake up in the middle of the night, I was praying. So they don't know anything else. But when you live that type of life, God opens doors when you don't expect it.

Yes.

He gives you things that you're not looking for. He gives you people that you don't even know you need. just because you have honored him with your life. And then when you get my age, you can look back and say, he's still blessing me. Hallelujah. He's still blessing me. When I can go and somebody say, I'm watching over your daughter, I'm praying for her, and I can say, thank you, Lord, because I'm doing that here for somebody else's daughters.

Yeah.

So God will take— if you put him first, if you do his work, he won't fail you. He will not fail you. You may go through some stuff, you may cry some nights. Got some plenty of tape, some plenty pillowcloths that I had to put in the washer and dryer in the morning, but that's okay. 'Cause when the end came, when the rest of it, when it all fared out, God had done what he said he was gonna do. And all I could do was say, thank you, Lord. That's all I could do.

Amen. All right, yes.

To be kingdom-minded is like you said, just like the old grass of the field and he feeds the birds.

A benefit of the kingdom is not having to worry about tomorrow. The Bible says take no thought for tomorrow because tomorrow will take care of itself. So that's a benefit of being kingdom-minded, you know, that's a great benefit because I don't have to worry about tomorrow. I don't even have to think about it because God already goes before me and makes my crooked places straight and my rough places smooth. So everything is already plotted out for me and planned for me. And, um, I can say that because like today, uh, well yesterday I did a job Um, and, uh, I had to get, you know, half the money up front so I could go and get some of the supplies. And when I— when the investor gave me the money, I went to Ace and I took my tithe out first. And by the time I got back to his house, he said, hey, listen, I need you to put a bid in to paint the whole interior of the house. You know, but it's about being kingdom-minded. knowing that, hey, God, like you said, I'm gonna put him first. I'm gonna make sure I put you first, and then you gonna make sure I'm taken care of, and I don't have to worry about where the next, you know, paycheck or the next finances are coming from. As long as I stay focused on doing what pleases you, then you're gonna make sure that I'm taken care of. Amen.

Amen.

That's the way he operates. That's the way he does it. Yes.

For instance, like Zachary Timbs, when he— when a lot of people want his type of ministry, but he was kingdom-minded when he did ministry. Like working with the youth, he put all his focus, all his his the money, the time in the youth, and that's how he built ministry. You can't build ministry without being kingdom-minded and not being like not being selfish. It it can't be just all about the people that's in in the house or. in the church building. You have to go outside of the church. And it takes a lot of sacrificing with churches. That's why you see a lot of small churches that don't grow because, like, people say they have a building fund for God knows how long. They don't want to do nothing for the outside people or the youth. The youth is our future.

Yeah.

If we don't put into them and invest into them and sow into their life, then we won't have another generation.

That's right.

And the kingdom won't be built and the kingdom won't last. Here on earth, it won't. And just— this is a good subject. This is a very good subject because it takes your mind off of just church and it puts you at a different level when you start Talking about kingdom and start talking about kingdom work. It takes your focus off of you and what you think, what you think about, and what you want to do in life. So this is a very good topic. I thank God for it. It opens up our minds. It makes you more excited about what God wants to do in your life and what He's about to do in your life.

Amen.

And so the the final verse. 33, verse 33 says, seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and then all these things shall be added unto you.

Right.

What are these things? Food, clothing, shelter, money, anything that you feel like you want, you need, you gotta have. God says the way you get it is by putting the kingdom of God first. Amen.

Amen.

All right, good. That concludes our Bible study for tonight. Bow your heads. Father, in Jesus' name, we thank you for the opportunity to have your word. May your word stick with us, oh God. May it be a seed growing on the inside. May it germinate, sprout,