1 Peter 1.3

³Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead…

1 Peter 1.1, 2

¹ Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,
To the pilgrims of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, ² elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ:
Grace to you and peace be multiplied.

1 Peter 1.1, 2

¹Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,
To the pilgrims of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, ²elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ:
Grace to you and peace be multiplied.

Rough sailing? It may only be the Spirit blowing.

You're in a war. Are you engaged?

“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” Matthew 6.33

Pray for the Kingdom

We’re continuing to look at the primacy of the Kingdom of God as Jesus taught and lived it.

“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” Matthew 6.33

Shiloh

Jacob had prophesied of his son, Judah, that God would establish a Kingdom under his oversight that would include Israel and all nations (Gen. 49.8-10).

“Then the kingdom and the dominion,
And the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven,
Shall be given to the people, the saints of the Most High.
His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
And all dominions shall serve and obey Him.” Daniel 7.27

The faithfulness of God

As the promises of Abraham slipped through the fingers of God’s wayward people, even the faithful among them must have wondered if God had changed His mind, and His covenant were no longer valid. Had the people of God at last and finally forfeited their privileges, and the promise of a kingdom, through their unbelief and disobedience?

“Then the kingdom and the dominion,
And the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven,
Shall be given to the people, the saints of the Most High.
His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
And all dominions shall serve and obey Him.” Daniel 7.27

The folly of kings

It may have been that David and Solomon set the bar of expectations so high in ancient Israel that the very greatness of their success bred the disasters of Israel and Judah in the generations that followed.

Give the king Your judgments, O God,
And Your righteousness to the king’s Son…
He shall have dominion also from sea to sea…
And blessed be His glorious name forever!
And let the whole earth be filled with His glory. Psalm 72.1, 8, 19

This Kingdom flourishes through the interaction of heaven and earth

The psalms of David testify to the nature, importance, and power available through the communion God enjoys with and among His people.

The LORD said to my Lord,
“Sit at my right hand,
Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.” Psalm 110.1

The Kingdom is a gift from God

David understood the coming Kingdom of God as an incredible, wondrous, mysterious, and glorious gift from God.

“When your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will set up your seed after you, who will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be his Father, and he shall be My son...And your house and your kingdom shall be established forever...” 2 Samuel 7.12-14, 16

From the beginning

It’s clear that ideas about dominion, kings, and a kingdom – even of a coming mysterious “Him-Whose-It-Is” King – were in the minds of God’s covenant people from the very beginning.