Righteous Reign part 2
Reigning in righteousness and ruling in judgment. That's what we have been equipped to do as kings and priests on this earth. That's the kind of authority and dominion our Daddy has given us. That's what it means to be IN the Kingdom of heaven and to BE the Kingdom of heaven. Because, guys, the Kingdom is simply the realm where the King rules and reigns. And that's what I want to talk about today. Because I think we almost have a twisted perception of what it means to rule and reign. It's the old adage that says, "absolute power corrupts absolutely." It's the idea where as soon as we have a little bit of power we can't think of anything else to do with it but use it to make others look smaller in order to make ourselves look bigger. But is that reigning in righteousness? Is that ruling in judgment? Is that taking the righteous judgment--the eternal, everlasting, abundnant, Resurrection Life sentence--that was passed down from Father to Son and executing that judgment? Preaching the gospel--or sharing the Good News--isn't about getting people to do stuff. It's about letting people know what Jesus already did! If we could stop telling people what to do and start telling people who they are... I truly believe everything else would start to flow. We wouldn't need to try to make ourselves look better if we understood that we're all in this together. We're all different parts of the same body. We're all connected. And because of this connection--because of what this connection IS--we don't have to draw lines in the sand or build walls. We don't have to deal in seperation because we have been reconcilied! See, the biggest difference between what our idea of a king is and what God's idea of a King is goes like this: Our idea of a king is people serving the leader. God's idea of a King is a leader who serves His people. A leader who leads... by carrying. That's why Jesus could say His yoke is easy and His burden is light: because HE'S the One who did (and in a sense continues to do) the heavy lifting. Jesus did it all--everything that needed to be done--over 2,000 years ago on an old rugged cross. And because He did it all, we get it all. And because we have it all, we don't need anything else. We don't need to lord over anybody else. We don't need to make ourselves look better. We don't need to demand authority or respect from anybody. Because true authority (and the respect that comes with it) doesn't come from making demands. It comes from laying down your life. THAT'S how we reign in righteousness. By serving. By caring. By loving. Jesus said there's no greater love than to lay your life down for your friends. That's what He did in a real, literal way on the cross. And that's what we do in a practical way every time we esteem others greater than ourselves. Every time we put someone else first. Every time we execute the righteous judgment of life that the Father passed down to the Son. When we love... that's how we reign in righteousness and rule in judgment.