Who The Kingdom Belongs To

Today’s Bible readings are Leviticus 24:1-25:46, Mark 10:13-31, Psalm 44:9-26, & Proverbs 10:20-21

Mark 10:13-16

¹³ One day some parents brought their children to Jesus so he could touch and bless them. But the disciples scolded the parents for bothering him.

¹⁴ When Jesus saw what was happening, he was angry with his disciples. He said to them, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children. ¹⁵ I tell you the truth, anyone who doesn’t receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it.” ¹⁶ Then he took the children in his arms and placed his hands on their heads and blessed them.

Who is the Kingdom of God for? There is much talk & many opinions about this question. Many think that the kingdom of God is only for the “high & mighty” ones. Some people give the impression that others aren’t good enough yet to be a part of the kingdom of God. This sends a message to the multitudes that you have to have your life all cleaned up before you can have a share in God’s kingdom. This doesn’t help people find their way to Jesus; it pushes them away.

The problem is that this also goes against scripture. Jesus made it clear that we shouldn’t do anything to keep people away from Him who would come in true humility. It doesn’t matter to Him what your issues are. In fact, the only hope that you have to overcome your issues is to come to Him FIRST!!! Bring your issues with you & let Him set you free. Bring it to the cross & give it to Jesus. The only way to find victory over sin & the flesh is to come to Jesus with it.

Galatians 5:16

¹⁶ So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.

The only way to withstand the desires of the flesh is to WALK IN THE SPIRIT. The only way to walk by the Spirit is to COME TO JESUS JUST AS YOU ARE. Many churches & most Christians have it backwards. They try to tell people that they need to get all the sin out of their lives so God will accept them. This is not accurate. The ONLY way to deal with the sin & the flesh is by the Spirit. Once we connect ourselves to Christ & receive His Spirit then, & only then, do we find the power & ability to live in victory.

Who is the kingdom of God for then?

1.      Smokers

2.      Alcoholics

3.      Drug addicts

4.      Divorced people

5.      Women who have had abortions

6.      Men who struggle with pornography

7.      Poor people

8.      Good people

9.      Crazy people

10.   Wealthy people

Bottom line is this:

Revelation 22:17

¹⁷ The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let the one who hears say, “Come!” Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life.

Jesus & His Spirit is saying, “Come!” Come as you are. Lay your burden down. Find peace & rest. This is the answer.

Let’s make sure that we don’t make the same mistake that the disciples made. They thought they were doing Jesus a favor but we see that He was not happy with the way they handled it. He came to save & bless any who would come to Him in humility. Let’s make sure that these are the only requirements that we have of people also. Getting them to Jesus is the only way for them to ever find transformation. Things will change but only after He has touched them.

In closing, don’t ever let your issues keep you away for Jesus. Also, don’t ever send the message to others that their issues will keep them away from Jesus. Bring them to the cross & let Him transform them & you by His great power.

Pastor Richard Schlotter