Do you know the difference between seeking the American dream and seeking the Kingdom of God?

Read Matthew 6:25-33, oh how we have raised the standard of living thinking that that will satisfy, but when our attention is on our standard of living and not the Kingdom of God anxiety and worry increase.

Are we ready for the kingdom to break into our church, into the service this morning? Do we even know what that would look like, are we preparing, do we expect it and are we ready to minister alongside the Spirit in His work?

Can we honestly say we are advancing in our understanding and obedience to Matthew 6:33? Do we believe this amazing promise? Are we anxious and worried that we are not doing that versus anxious and worried about the things of the world?

Has anyone taught you how to seek first the kingdom of God?

What is the lens that you look through to make sense of the world around you and bring hope?

Do you know what the kingdom of God is? It is the primary thing that Jesus taught His disciples and that the apostles taught. In summary it is the glorious reign and rule of God through the hearts of His people and the Church until Jesus comes and unites forever all things in heaven and earth and brings the fullness of God’s kingdom to a renewed earth.

Who is reigning and ruling your heart? The kingdom comes into our life when we begin to allow Jesus to reign and rule through the Holy Spirit in our heart.

LESSON 22

Verses: 2 Chronicles 17; Matthew 6:10,33, 16:18-19, 18:18-20, 25:1-13; Hebrews 12:28

The Kingdom of God was revealed in the OT through faithful prophets, kings and the nation Israel. In the NT the Kingdom of God is revealed through faithful followers of Jesus and the Church who seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness.

The uniqueness of Jehoshaphats heart for the Lord and the consequences

The Jehoshaphat 2 Chronicles account is twice as long as the Kings account, where Elijah and Ahab are dealt with in detail. 1 Kings 22:1-46

Jehoshaphat is revealed as one who experienced the favor of God and God’s kingdom being built around through him:

The Lord was with him

he walked in the earlier ways of David

Did not seek the baals

Sought God and walked in his commandments

not according to the practices of Israel  -the world

Therefore the Lord established his kingdom

His heart was courageous in the ways of the Lord -took down the high places

He sent officials, Levites and priests to teach the book of the Law of the Lord in all the cities

Fear of God fell on surrounding kingdoms – spiritual warfare victory

He had many mighty men of valor

What does all this mean for the promise of having the keys of the Kingdom which Jesus promised?

Matthew 13:11, the secrets of the kingdom being made known

Matthew 16:18-19, keys of the Kingdom

Matthew 18:18-20, binding and loosing, where two are more are gathering in His name

Matthew 6:10, Your kingdom come your will be done

Matthew 6:33, Seek first the Kingdom of God, His reign and rule, His ways

Matthew 25:1-13, dependence upon the Lord, to know Him

Hebrews 12:28, we have a kingdom that cannot be shaken

What does it mean to seek first the kingdom of God? His reign and rule in our life, His church and the world

What does it mean to possess the keys of the Kingdom? To walk in His authority in binding and loosing.

What does it mean to grow in a Kingdom of God mindset? To learn to live dependent upon the Spirit and ready for His return

LESSON 23

Verses: 2 Chronicles 18; Romans 12:1-2; 2 Thess. 2:1-12

Beware of alliances with the Kingdom of this world and especially any spiritual alliances for they will distract you from the will of God and bring confusion in hearing the voice of God.

The Chronicler wished to stress that Jehoshaphat had great wealth and honor, for he repeated 17:5b. Yet he at once mentioned Jehoshaphat’s marriage alliance with Ahab. Mixed marriages were always frowned on and were a continuing cause for concern (Ezra 10:2–5; Neh 13:23–27). The problems of mixed marriages with “those who hate the Lord” (19:2) continued on beyond the days of Ezra and Nehemiah. The

Thompson, J. A. (1994). 1, 2 Chronicles (Vol. 9, pp. 283–284). Broadman & Holman Publishers.

Ahab induced him

Jeho asks Ahab too inquire of the Lord, why didn’t he inquire of the Lord

These are the 400 hundred prophets defeated at Carmel by Isaiah the whole other side story going on from 1 Kings

The verb “urge” (hiphil of sût) in the NIV conveys a sense of “entice” or “induce.” The same verb is used at times to mean “to entice into sin or apostasy” (Deut 13:6; 1 Chr 21:1). The Chronicler thus indicates strong condemnation of Jehoshaphat’s action.

Thompson, J. A. (1994). 1, 2 Chronicles (Vol. 9, p. 284). Broadman & Holman Publishers.

Importance of hearing from the Lord, discernment; like then today there are true prophets and false

Ahab’s response was to call four hundred of his prophets, not one of whom was an acceptable prophet of Yahweh. One of the marks of a true prophet was that he often stood alone against the opinion of others who made prophetic claims (36:16; 2 Kgs 17:13–15; Neh 9:26; Jer 25:4; 26:4–5; 28; 29:24–32; cf. Matt 23:33–37). For Jehoshaphat the fact that all those prophets agreed was sufficient evidence they were in collusion.

The third from Micaiah is recorded in the passive, “They will be given into your hand.” This was an ironic reply, but the Lord’s name was thus divorced from this false utterance from the mouth of a true prophet. A slight alteration was made in the text in light of the Chronicler’s theological concern to protect the integrity of the Lord.

18:15–16 Ahab recognized the sarcasm in Micaiah’s tone and demanded that he speak plainly. Micaiah, using the familiar imagery of sheep without a shepherd (Num 27:16–17; Isa 13:14; Zech 10:2; 13:7), gave a grim forecast of Israel scattered and leaderless.

Thompson, J. A. (1994). 1, 2 Chronicles (Vol. 9, p. 285). Broadman & Holman Publishers.

18:7–8 Ahab admitted that there was one man whom he hated because he was always criticizing him. Jehoshaphat’s rebuke of Ahab demonstrates his genuine fear of the Lord. Ahab ordered the recalcitrant prophet to be brought to him.

Thompson, J. A. (1994). 1, 2 Chronicles (Vol. 9, p. 285). Broadman & Holman Publishers.

Here we are granted a glimpse into the heavenly council, which played an important role in Israel’s understanding of warfare. It was normally involved in the mustering of the heavenly army to fight on Israel’s behalf. Sometimes it aroused even the forces of the cosmos to join the Divine Warrior in a united campaign against the enemies of God (2 Kgs 6:15–19; 7:6; Isa 13:1–13; Joel 3:9–12). In the present instance the heavenly council devises the death of Ahab and the defeat of Israel’s (the north’s) armies. The lying prophets were not just deceitful men but men inspired by demons. Yet everything was under the control of the Lord.

Thompson, J. A. (1994). 1, 2 Chronicles (Vol. 9, pp. 285–286). Broadman & Holman Publishers.

Tie in 2 Chronicles 19:1-2, The Lord makes clear that Israel was to be unequally yoked and the consequences of confusing words from the Lord when this happens and God wrath and discipline.

Romans 12:1-2

“I appeal to you therefore brothers by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship, Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

2 Thess. 2:1-12

The lawless one will come with by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders and with great deception. v9-12, He will try to get believers to make an alliance with him, 666 and trust him through political and spiritual deception.

LESSON 24

Verses: 2 Chronicles 19-20; Jeremiah 17:4; Hebrew 2:1-4; Matthew 11:11-12; Romans 7:6

The “High Places” in the OT represent the deep places of spiritual warfare in people’s hearts. Jesus has made a way through the Gospel of the Kingdom to seal our hearts with the Holy Spirit so we can live in victory over the flesh, the world and the devil.

2 Chron 19-20

The Lord brings His wrath against Jeho, but he turns to the Lord and the people turn to the Lord – apply 2 Chron 7:14 and a great deliverance happens, the battle is the Lord’s

However, even with all this Jeho at the end again gets unequally yoked with evil and suffers the loss of his shipbuilding endeavor.

The application of the promises of God move from external and Israel and the nations in OT to internal and the church in the NT.

2 Chron 20:33, “The high places however were not taken away, the people had not yet set their hearts upon the God of their fathers.” Refer to 17:6 where Jehoshaphat got rid of them, but they keep coming back.

He like his father Asa, tried to remove the high places, but they kept coming back. 14:5, 15:17, 20:33, 1Ki 22:43

Show how the high places represent the tendency of hearts in the OT to revert back to pagan ways.  Show how the power of the Gospel to awaken the spirit with the Holy Spirit and start to take the ground of the soul, mind, emotion and will and body until the final glorification.

The Spirit was unable to rest permanently upon someones heart in the OT because the final sacrifice was not done through Christ yet.

Show from scripture how the heart is wicked and how can know it – leading to the glory of the gospel and what God has done through Jesus for our inner being.

Jeremiah 17:4

“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? I the Lord search the heart and test the mind.”

Hebrews 2:1-4

Matthew 11:11-12

Romans 7:6

The way of salvation in the OT was the same as NT -by faith in God. But in the OT they had to commune with God through a priesthood and law and sacrifice – where we today have Jesus who paid they perfect sacrifice, fulfilling the law for us and pouring out the promised Spirit upon all believers, whereby we are to learn to walk in a whole new way.

So, how do we know we are seeking first the Kingdom of God? Are we learning to embrace this great salvation in our hearts and have our mind, emotion, will and body led by the Spirit of God in victory as an overcomer over the power of the flesh, the world and the devil?