Luke 6:46 Why do you call me, 'Lord! Lord!' but not do what I say?

Jesus had a way of making a deep point using very few words. Every kingdom has a king. Likewise, every kingdom has citizens. The Kingdom of Heaven is special, for it knows no geographical boundaries. Its People are also special, for any person can become a part of it. It is free of charge to become a citizen, but it will cost you everything.

Before one becomes a Kingdom Citizen, he must make an oath of obedience to the King. Any and all considerations to the contrary are foolishness. How can one claim to be part of a kingdom, but at the same time disobey the king? And what shall the king do with the disobedient upon gaining knowledge of such? The chances are good that the evil-doer will be punished. And if the disobedience continues, the king must at some point determine that the "pledge of allegiance" was bogus. The person will be lead unceremoniously to the door and declared a foreigner.

So it is with the Kingdom of Heaven. Being a Christian is not about "getting saved" or "getting into heaven". It is about being able to call Him Lord in honesty.

Now please hear me out for this is a very important message for church-goers:

• Matthew 13:41 The Son of Man will send forth his angels, and they will collect out of his Kingdom all the things that cause people to sin and all the people who are far from Torah;
• Matthew 13:42 and they will throw them into the fiery furnace, where people will wail and grind their teeth.
• Matthew 13:43 Then the righteous will shine forth like the sun in the Kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears, let him hear!

The astute reader observes and ponders the phrase "out of his Kingdom". Apparently, there are those in the Kingdom who do not truly belong there. They will be removed and judged to their destiny.

• Matthew 13:49-50 So it will be at the close of the age — the angels will go forth and separate the evil people from among the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace, where they will wail and grind their teeth.

Those, who claim to be righteous, but are evil, shall be separated.

• Matthew 13:51-52 "Have you understood all these things?" "Yes," they answered. He said to them, "So then, every Torah-teacher who has been made into a talmid for the Kingdom of Heaven is like the owner of a home who brings out of his storage room both new things and old."

Jesus, the Lord of Lords, is speaking again. He wants to know if the hearers comprehend the gravity of the situation - that there is a difference between being evil in the Kingdom, and being righteous in the Kingdom. Being in the Kingdom is not enough! Jesus also makes a firm difference between teachers, and disciples. In the context, God is going to weed out those who know His Will, out of the midst of those who practice it.

It is of utmost importance to not only be in the Kingdom, but on the correct side of the segregation. This is something we cannot afford to miss. Not everything growing in the field is wheat, not all caught in the net are good fish.

• Matthew 13:26-27 When the wheat sprouted and formed heads of grain, the weeds also appeared. The owner's servants came to him and said, 'Sir didn't you sow good seed in your field? Where have the weeds come from?'
• Matthew 13:28-30 He answered, 'An enemy has done this.' The servants asked him, 'Then do you want us to go and pull them up?' But he said, 'No, because if you pull up the weeds, you might uproot some of the wheat at the same time. Let them both grow together until the harvest; and at harvest-time I will tell the reapers to collect the weeds first and tie them in bundles to be burned, but to gather the wheat into my barn.'"
• Matthew 13:47-48 "Once more, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a net thrown into the lake, that caught all kinds of fish. When it was full, the fishermen brought the net up onto the shore, sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad fish away.

It is the decided goal of the His Kingdom website to prepare and present quality "food for thought" documents. Great numbers of church-goers and pastor-submitters will not make it unless they step off the broad way and onto the narrow one. They risk being among the foolish virgins, expecting the bridegroom, but missing the wedding feast.

Sincerely,
Scott Wallace Brians
www.his-kingdom.net