The Establishment Of The Kingdom - Johnny Elmore

Well, it's evening. We are addressing our attention

to the subject of the establishment of the kingdom.

And I refer, of course to that that was promised by Isaiah in

Isaiah. The second chapter, which we

read a few of, from a moment ago in this place, we hear Isaiah

predicting. It shall come to pass in the

last days that the mountain of the Lord's house shall be

established in the top of the mountains and shall be exalted.

Above the hills and All Nations shall flow unto it now, whatever

the mountain of the Lord's House, maybe as described In

this passage of scripture when Isaiah spoke this, some 500

years before Christ, it was yet future.

It was something that was in the future and coming and he said it

shall come to pass. So the question we want to

consider tonight is What is the Lord's House?

I have spoken here. The answer of course, is found

in the second chapter of Daniel. There in this place, we here in

Daniel 2 and verse 35, that the prophet said, then was the iron,

the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold broken to pieces

together and became like the chaff of the summer threshing,

floors and the wind carried them away that no place.

Place was found for them and the stone that smote the image

became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.

Now, the interpretation of this Vision given by Daniel in Daniel

2 and 44, he said, in the days of these Kings, shall the god of

Heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed.

And the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it

shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms.

And it shall stand forever. Now, like to point out that when

he said the mountain of the Lord's house shall be

established in the top of the mountains, they mountain.

Of course, is simply a symbol for a kingdom.

And then he said, it shall be exalted above the hills now

heels, if the mountain is a kingdom, the hills would be

lesser governments, wouldn't it? And so this is what he's talking

about, but what is the Lord's? House.

He said the mountain of the Lord's house, shall be

established in the top of the mountains and exalted above the

hills, what we find, what the Lord's House is.

And First Timothy, the third chapter and verse 15 where the

Apostle Paul writes to the young preacher and he said that if I

tear along thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself

in the house of God, which is the Church of the Living.

God, the pillar and ground of the truth.

So the Lord's House. Is simply the church.

This is a prediction of the church and when it will be

established and what its purpose maybe now Daniel said, in the

days of these Kings, this tells us the time when the kingdom or

the church is to be established. But what Kings is he talking

about? We have to remember that this

was during the time of Nebuchadnezzar And the Bible

tells us that Nebuchadnezzar had a dream.

That's nothing uncommon. We all have dreams.

This dream was a very important dream.

It was a dream that was given him no doubt by God, And the

problem was that when he woke up the next morning, he couldn't

remember the dream. He said the thing has left me.

Have you ever had an experience like that?

Sure you have you've had a dream that seemed so real and so vivid

but then the next morning you couldn't even remember the

details of it. Well, that's the fix that

Nebuchadnezzar was in and so he called for his wise men and his

soothsayers and he's Chaldeans and they all came in and he

said, I have had a dream and I want you to give me the

interpretation. In Arabic, they said, all right.

You tell us the dream and we'll give you the interpretation.

Oh no, he said that's just the problem.

Paraphrasing is words. Of course, he said, I the thing

is left me. I don't know what the dream is,

but unless you tell me, you're going to be cutting pieces, and

I'm going to make your houses a dunghill on the other hand.

If you tell me the dream and you give me the interpretation,

you're going to get all kinds. He's of rewards and they said

well there's not a man on Earth that can tell you the dream and

then give you the interpretation, that's not the

way it works. You tell us the dream and will

tell you the interpretation thereof always said you're just

stalling for time and he said if you don't come up with this

dream, all of you are going to be killed and even though they

protested that was his decree. So he was rounding up all All of

the soothsayers and The Magicians, and the Chaldeans to

kill them and he sent for Daniel and the, the boys that were with

him from Judea. And Daniel said you give me a

little time and I'll tell the dream and I'll tell the

interpretation of it. And so of course he called upon

God to provide that interpretation and during the

night, God gave to Daniel the dream and the interpretation

thereof. And now we're ready to see what

that dream. And what that interpretation was

in verse 31. This is the thing that he said

to Nebuchadnezzar vowel King saw us and behold a great Image this

great image, whose brightness was excellent stood before the

in the form thereof was terrible.

The this images head was of fine, gold his breast and his

arms of silver, his belly and thighs of brass.

His legs of iron his feet, part of iron and part of clay.

Now, saw us till that a stone was cut out without hands, which

smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay and

break them. Pieces, then was the iron, the

clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold broken to pieces

together and became like the chaff of the summer threshing.

Floors and the wind carried them away that no place was found for

them and the stone that smote the image became a great

mountain and filled the whole earth.

This is the green and we will tell the interpretation thereof

before the king. Now, the word king, of course,

refers to a dynasty of kings and each one.

But now let's read the interpretation.

He said the owl King are to King of Kings for the god of Heaven.

Hath given thee, a kingdom, power and strength and Glory.

I like to point out that the Bible says, God gave it to him.

Sometimes we think that we have a hand in the Affairs of men,

but God. God rules in the kingdoms of

men. And he said, God gave you this

Kingdom and wheresoever. The Children of Men, dwell the

beasts of the field and the fowls of the heaven hath.

He given into thine hand, and hath made thee ruler over them.

All thou art this head of gold. This is a significant statement

Nebuchadnezzar was the head of gold of that great image that he

saw in his vision and after they shall arise another, Kingdom

inferior to thee and another third Kingdom of brass which

shall bear rule over all the earth.

And the fourth Kingdom shall be strong as iron forasmuch as iron

breaketh in pieces and subdueth with all things and as iron that

worketh all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise and

whereas thou sawest the feet and Toes part of potters.

Clay. And part of iron the kingdom

shall be divided but there shall be in it of the strength of the

iron Iron forasmuch as thou sowest the iron mixed with Miry

clay and as the toes of the feet were part of iron and part of

clay. So the kingdom shall be partly

strong and partly broken. And whereas thou sawest iron

mixed with Miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed

of men but they shall not cleave one to another.

Even as iron is not mixed with clay and in the days of these

Kings shall the god of Heaven set up a kingdom, which shall

never be destroyed. And the kingdom shall not be

left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and

consume all these kingdoms and it shall stand forever.

Now notice if you will, the four things that he describes year,

the head of gold, he described as being, King Nebuchadnezzar.

In other words, that part of the Kingdom that part of the pyre.

And then he said that there was silver and then there was the

brass and then there was the iron and part of iron and part

of clay later on, we're going to see that these represent the

four Great World Empires known to man.

And this is very easily done because when he said

Nebuchadnezzar, thou art that head of gold, he identified that

as the Bible own Ian Kingdom. One of the great world Empires.

You remember in the study of history.

No doubt that these four Universal dynasties Babylonia

was the first. And then we have no trouble,

locating the others. Daniel 8 tells us who they are

in. Daniel the 8th chapter and verse

20. He said, the ram, which thou

sowest having two horns are the kings of media and Persia.

And the rough goat is The king of Grisha and the Great Horn

that is between his eyes is the first king now that being

broken. Whereas, for stood up for it for

Kingdom, shall stand up out of the nation, but not in his

power, You Remember by reading God's word and history that the

Babylonian kingdom was that which passed away because the

medes and the Persians Came Upon it.

So that Median kingdom was that second Kingdom.

I should say, was the, the kingdom, and then the silver, of

course, was that, which represented Greece, we can

notice then that, in this, in this way, the four kingdoms are

described now, I believe I have this mixed up just a little bit

here. Let's read again.

What He says. He said, the third kingdom was a

kingdom of brass and it shall bear rule over all the Earth

that silver Kingdom represented. The Macedonian Empire of which

Alexander you remember, was the great was the ruler.

Alexander had conquered all of the known world and he was ruler

of it all. And when Alexander died, He had

no hair no, to leave it to, he had only one son who was an

incompetent and his his generals took over the kingdom and that

when he said that being broken, whereas, for stood up for it for

Kingdom, shall stand up out of the nation, but not in his

power. So since we have noticed, the

medo-persian and the, and the Macedonian, or the Grecian

Kingdom that leaves only one to be described and of course that

was the Roman Kingdom. It is described so minutely that

it's unmistakable. It first comes as iron the Roman

Kingdom breaking everything in its power and its way and later

a spirit of moderation is introduced and he says the clay

begins to mingle with the iron. This is in the feet of that.

Great Image the Eye. Iron and the Miry clay but while

they mingle, they will not cleave together.

And Daniel 2 and verse 43 says, whereas thou sawest iron mixed

with Miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed

of men but they shall not cleave one to another.

Even as iron is not mixed with Clay.

So now we have described these kingdoms as the medo-persian The

Grecian. And finally, the Roman, those

are the only four World Empires. The iron of this Roman Kingdom

became mingled with clay and of course, that produced a

weakness. Now, Gibbons says in the second

century of the Christian era, the Empire of Rome comprehended.

The fairest part of the earth and the most civilized portions

of mankind, Gibbon wrote the history. of the Roman Empire and

he said again the principal conquests of the Romans were

achieved under the Republic and the emperor's for the most part

were satisfied with preserving, those dominions which but had

been acquired by the policy of the Senate, the act of emulation

of the count of the consoles and the Marshal enthusiasm of the

people, the 7 first centuries were filled with rapid

succession of primes but it was reserved for Augustus to

relinquish Which the ambitious design of subduing, the whole

earth and to introduce a spirit of moderation, into the public

councils in these two quotations that I have read from Gibbon the

historian. We learned that the Roman Empire

was the kind of a thing that broke everything in its path.

Some of our modern Scholars have said that the Roman army was

absolutely Invincible in its Force.

And it broke other nations to pieces and that was the Republic

that did that hence the iron marks, the Roman Empire and its

Republican form of government. But then there comes the clay.

What about the clay? He says, the Kings mentioned

mingle themselves with the seed of men and it was this seed of

men to which they would not cleave.

Now, if you will, notice the Romans changed from the Can form

of government to a kingdom but they never did abolish the

Senate therefore they retained a part of the Republic, the part

that was iron and that was mingled with a synod named

Daniel said there shall be in it.

The strength of the iron, the emperor's, the Kings with the

Senate. Did they cleave together?

I submit that, they did not Gibbon.

The historian of Rome says the Words of the Assassin.

Something deep into the mind of Commodus and left an indelible

impression of fear and hatred against the whole body of the

Senate. They we can see that there was

strife and animosity between the Senate and those who represented

the King again from Gibbon. He said the tyrants rage after

having shed the noblest blood of the Senate at last recoiled on

the principal instrument of his cruelty.

That's Page 106 of Gibbons history of the Roman Empire.

Now I could read many more quotations from Gibbons tonight

to show that the Roman emperors were the Kings who mingle

themselves with the seed of men, but would not cleave one to

another. Hence, the emperor's were the

clay of the image, while the Senate was the iron, and I'm

mentioning all of this tonight because that shows the age of

the world when God was To set up his kingdom.

He said, in the days of these kings, that is the Roman kings

in the days of these Kings, shall the god of Heaven, set up

a kingdom. Now, that was the Roman Caesars,

and that was during the time when the kingdom would be

established. Now, like to point out that it

was the mission of John the Baptist.

To make the way of the Lord plane that was his mission.

And so, we're not surprised to read in.

Matthew the 3rd chapter and verse 1 in those days, Came

John, the Baptist preaching in the wilderness of Judea and

saying, repent. Ye for the Kingdom of Heaven is

at hand. At hand means to cause to

approach to draw near it. Hadn't come but he said it's at

hand. It was not.

I was very near again. We hear Jesus coming upon the

scene. Jesus was born some six months

after John. The Baptist was born and John

was his Forerunner. The one who prepared his way,

and Jesus came upon the scene and the disciples asked him.

Lord, teach us to pray and Jesus said after this manner,

therefore pray, ye Our Father which is in heaven, Hallowed be

thy name, thy kingdom come thy will be done on Earth as it is

in heaven. Jesus taught his disciples to

pray, thy kingdom come. So at that point in time, Jesus

was on the scene, but his kingdom had not yet.

Come we come on down. When Jesus came with his

disciples to caesarea Philippi. And there it says area Philippi

he asked his disciples whom do men say that I the son of man

a.m. and they said, well some say that you're John the Baptist

others jeremias Elias or one of the prophets he says unto them

whom say ye that. I am Simon Peter, you remember

was the outspoken one and he said Thou Art the Christ, the

son of the Living, God, Jesus pronounce the bit.

Action of Heaven upon him. He said blessed art thou Simon

bar-jonah for Flesh and Blood hath, not revealed it unto thee

but my Father which is in heaven and I say also unto thee that

thou art Peter and Upon This Rock, I will build my church and

the Gates of Hell shall not Prevail against it and I will

give unto thee the Keys of the Kingdom of Heaven and

whatsoever. Thou shalt bind on Earth shall

be bound in heaven and whatsoever.

Thou shalt loose on Earth shall be loosed in heaven.

So now Jesus is talking in terms of the Search or the kingdom.

And he said, I will build that future tense again in Matthew,

18 and 3. We hear Jesus saying to his

quarreling disciples as he sat a little child down in the midst

of them except ye be converted and become as little children,

ye shall not enter into the kingdom.

Again, the apostles were not in the Kingdom at that point in

time, again in Luke 22 and verse 18 just before Or Jesus was

betrayed. He was observing the last

supper, with his disciples and he said in Luke, 22 and verse

18, verily. I say unto you.

I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of

God shall come. So, here we are now on the last

night of our Lord's life upon this Earth, and he's saying the

kingdom shall come future tense, you remember that?

Jesus was crucified. The next day.

And placed in Joseph's new Tomb. And on the Sabbath day, he slept

in the darkness and the Gloom of that tomb.

And on the third day, he came forth with beams of healing in

his wings, to dispel the darkness Gloom of Calvary, and

the grave. And to give man a view of that

land, that's over Yonder Beyond deaths tied.

And he stood over there on the mountain and gave the Great

Commission and commissioned his disciples.

He spent 40 days showing himself by many infallible proofs that

he was indeed alive. He appeared to over five hundred

Brethren at one time, we're told by Paul in 50 chapter First

Corinthians. And finally when those 40 days

were over, he led the mount to mount all of it, all of it as

such sweet and tender memories. And there he began to talk to

them in terms about their Duty, no doubt.

And one of the disciples said to him, Lord.

Weird. When thou at this time restore

the kingdom again to Israel. And Jesus said, it's not for you

to know the times or the seasons which the father has put in his

own power but ye shall receive power after that.

The Holy Ghost is come upon you. In other words, they understood

the kingdom hasn't come and Jesus informed them.

It hasn't come, you have the wrong idea of it, but you will

gain the right idea when the Holy Spirit comes, Now in the

vision of Daniel Daniel the 7th chapter, we hear Daniel

explaining what happened. You remember how that Jesus

Arose. He began to rise up into the air

and a cloud received him out of their sight.

And as I stood looking up into the heavens where Jesus had

gone, we hear him saying the Angels saying, you men of

Galilee why stand ye here gazing up into heaven, for this same

Jesus, which you have seen go into heaven, shall so come in

like manner, as ye have seen him go into heaven.

Jesus left, but we have in the seventh chapter of Daniel.

A picture from God's viewpoint. Then you'll say it in Daniel 7

and 13. I saw in the night visions and

behold. One like unto the son of man

came with the clouds of heaven and came to the Ancient of Days

that could be none other than God himself and they brought him

near before him and there was given him dominion and glory and

a kingdom that all people Nations and languages should

serve him. His Dominion is an everlasting

Dominion which shall not pass. Us away and his kingdom that,

which shall not be destroyed. So, there is god's picture of

what happened. When Jesus ascended to Heaven,

you remember that? Some 10 days later the disciples

were there in the city of Jerusalem, all with one Accord

in one place. And we're going to see what

happened. Incidentally.

Coming from the other angle. We see that John the, the one to

whom the Revelation was given. Sometimes people call him the

Revelator, but actually Jesus was the Revelator.

John was the Revel 80, I guess you could say.

And John said, I John who also am your brother and companion in

Tribulation and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ.

So John I was in the Kingdom, wasn't he?

Now, let's notice the definitions of the word Church

and Kingdom. Some people don't see how that

could be the same institution, but I submit that it is because

the church comes from a word, that means the called out.

And when we are members of the church were called out of the

world, it's an assembly. It's an assemblage of those who

are saved, the Church of Christ would be See those who were

called out by him. Now in the Kingdom that

describes it from the standpoint that the Christ is King.

Now, in order to have a kingdom there for things that are

necessary, you have to have a king, you have to have subjects,

you have to have laws and you have to have a territory.

Now, Jesus may have had subjects and a law while he's on Earth,

but he had no territory. But in You're 28 and 18.

Jesus said, all power is given unto me in heaven and in Earth,

go, ye, therefore, and teach All Nations.

John was in the Kingdom. So it had to come after Jesus

Ascension into heaven, and before John who gave the Book of

Revelation got into it. So now let's come back word to

the, to the time of the Kingdom's, establishment notice?

We have said over here even at Jesus Ascension at his

crucifixion. His Ascension into heaven the

kingdom had not yet come because the disciples are asking Lord

wilt thou at this time restore unto us the kingdom unto Israel.

So the kingdom had come at that point yet over here when John

wrote the Book of Revelation and AD 96 we find John saying that

he was in the Kingdom so somewhere In this period of

time, the kingdom had to come and be established.

We're going to find out from God's word when that happened

again in Colossians. 1 verses, 13 and 14.

We hear Jesus. We hear of the Apostle Paul

saying who act delivered us from the power of darkness and hath

translated us into the kingdom of God's dear son.

Now that means that when Paul wrote his Letter to the

Colossians somewhere along here. That the Kingdom at that time

wants and existence Also let's see if we can find another

scripture again in Acts the second chapter and verse 47.

You remember that on the day of Pentecost, the Bible says in

Acts 2:47 they having favor with all the people and the Lord

Acts 2:47

added to the church daily. Such as should be saved.

So this was some 10 days after Jesus.

Jesus Ascension to heaven, we find people being added to the

church. So if the Lord added to the

church daily, it's conclusive that the church at this point in

time, had an existence. Now couldn't have been set up,

nor it couldn't of the Kingdom. Couldn't have been established

later than the day of Pentecost, but we've learned that only 10

days before Pentecost. It hadn't been established.

Now, let's notice again in Mark the 9th chapter and verse 1,

Here. Jesus told his disciples verily.

I say unto you. That there be some of them that

stand here which shall not taste of death.

Till they have seen the kingdom of God.

Come with power. This is before the cross when

Jesus was here upon the earth. Now notice what he said, he said

there's going to be some standing here which shall not

taste of death. Till they have seen the kingdom

come with power. The Old Time, Gospel preacher

said, you know if we can find It out.

When the power came, we can find out when the kingdom came.

And of course, if we can find out that then we know what time

that was. All right, let's try again.

In Acts 1 and verse 8, we hear Jesus saying to the disciples

just before he ascended, you shall receive power after that.

The Holy Ghost is come upon you. Look here, if we can find out

when the Holy Ghost came, we can find out when the power came, if

we find out when Power came, we can find out when the kingdom

came can't. Wait, can we find out when the

Holy Ghost came? Well, I believe we can turn over

there. The second chapter of Acts at

verse 1, where the Bible says. And when the day of Pentecost

was fully come, they were all with one Accord in one place.

And suddenly, there came a sound from Heaven as of a rushing,

Mighty Wind, it filled, all the place, where they were sitting,

there appeared unto them, cloven tongues, like as of fire, and it

sat upon each of them and they were all I failed with the Holy

Ghost and began to speak with other tongues, as the spirit,

gave them utterance. So we found out that the Holy

Ghost came on the day of Pentecost.

We know it was about 9:00 in the morning from the context of that

passage. Well, when the Holy Ghost came

to power came and when the power came, that's when the kingdom

came, we've pinpointed the time that the kingdom or the Church

of Our Lord was established. I'd like to On out, that that

day. Jesus rule on Earth, began the

mountain of the Lord's House was there, and then established in

the highest government on Earth, in the top of the mountains and

the god of Heaven set up that Kingdom, which shall never be

destroyed. That was a wonderful occasion

that day. Because on that day, at energize

the apostles, and we hear the Apostle Peter standing up and

being the spokesman of the hour, if you will, he preached A

wonderful sermon that day in which he set forth.

The fact that Jesus was indeed the Christ.

The anointed one of God, the one that the prophet spoke about and

he said that it wasn't David that he was talking about when

he said over there, Thou shalt not suffer thine, Holy One to

see corruption nor his flesh to see corruption.

He said that referred to Christ and then he came down to the

climax of his sermon down there in verse 36.

When he said, let all the House of Israel know assuredly that

God hath made that same Jesus whom you crucified both Lord and

Christ. Now I want to tell you this when

that was spoken that was like a hammer breaking.

Those old Stony hearts into pieces because they realize they

had crucified godson, they'd kill the Lord Of Glory, and they

began to cry out and say men and Brethren.

What shall we do? Peter standing up with the

eleven said, repented Be baptized every one of you in the

name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins and ye shall

receive the gift of the Holy Ghost for the promise, is unto

you to them that are far too to your children, to them, that are

far off as many as the Lord. Our God shall call with many

other words. Did he testify and exhort

saying, save yourselves from this untoward generation.

The Bible says, they that gladly received his word were baptized

and there were added unto them that day about three thousand

Souls. They continued steadfastly in

the apostles Doctrine and fellowship and breaking of bread

and in prayers, fear Came Upon every soul and Many Wonders and

signs were done by the apostles. Then we read down there in verse

47. It says having favor with all

the people and the Lord added to the church daily.

Such as should be saved. Wasn't that a wonderful occasion

in Ephesians? The first chapter?

And verse 20? We hear Paul saying which he

wrought in Christ when he raised him from the dead and set him in

his own. Own right hand in the Heavenly

places. Far above all principality and

power and might and dominion and every name that is named not

only in this world but also in that which is to come and it's

made him to be head over all things to the church, which is

his body, the fullness of him that filleth all in all.

Now, there's a question. When was Jesus set at God's

right hand as Paul spoke of there in Ephesians the first

chapter? Well, Acts 2 and verse 33 says,

therefore being by the right hand of God, exalted and having

received of the Father, the promise of the Holy Ghost, he

has shared forth this which you now.

See, and hear that occasion, was that great and notable day of

the Lord. Isaiah said, it shall come to

pass in the last days. When acts 2:17 it shall come to

Acts 2:17

pass in the last days. Saith God, I will pour out of my

spirit upon All Flesh. You know what Peter said this is

that that was spoken by the prophet Joel.

It was the last days. Zachariah, one in 16 said

therefore thus saith the Lord. I'm returned to Jerusalem with

mercies my house. Shall be built in it.

Saith the Lord. Of hosts and the lion shall be

stretched forth upon Jerusalem in Luke, 24 and verse 46.

Jesus said, thus, it is written, and thus it behoove Christ has

suffered to rise from the dead. The third day that repentance

and remission of sins should be preached in his name, among all

nations, beginning at Jerusalem, and you are witnesses of these

things. And behold I send the promise of

my father upon you but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem until

you be Endued with power from on high.

Jesus told his disciples that the preaching of the Gospel was

to begin at Jerusalem and all the events that we've mentioned

here tonight took place there also.

So this strengthens the whole of what we have said acts 11 and

verse 18 says that Peter in recounting his mission to the

Gentiles over there at the house of Cornelius.

Said, as I began to speak The Holy Ghost fell on them, has on

us at the beginning, that was the beginning of the church.

The beginning of the reign of Jesus, since the apostles

received, the Holy Spirit, on the day of Pentecost, it follows

that the day of Pentecost is the day that the mountain of the

Lord's House was established. Now that happened about 9:00 in

the morning. You remember Peter said, This is

the third hour of the day that was at 9:00 in the morning.

And so, we've established here tonight that the church that

Jesus Built that Kingdom, that was prophesied by Isaiah and by

Daniel, and by those prophets of the Old Testament, had its

Inception. Its beginning shortly.

After Jesus crucifixion upon the cross, some 53 days, after he

was crucified, And it has continued since that time.

Now, the Lord willing tomorrow night, we're going to trace the

Journey of the church down Through the Ages as briefly as

we can, in the amount of time that is allotted to us.

But tonight, I'm through with this lesson and I hope that in

this study that we've had tonight, as brief as it is, that

you've been able to catch a glimpse of that Kingdom, that

shall never pass. Away shall never be destroyed

that. Daniel, and Isaiah spoke about.

Here's the wonderful thing about this tonight.

You and I can be members of that church that Kingdom Jesus said,

you know, to his disciples. He said I pointed to you a

kingdom. My table in My Kingdom, that you

may eat and drink at my table, in My Kingdom.

Jesus has a kingdom in that kingdom is his church.

He said to Peter, I'm going to build my church and I'll give

you the keys to the kingdom of heaven.

So we understand then the church and the kingdom described that

institution that Jesus promised to build and the prophets spoke

of in the Old Testament, and here's the wonderful part.

You and I can have a part in that great Kingdom.

And the way that we do that is by casting off all man-made,

opinions, and ideas, and simply taking God at his word.

Now, on that day of Pentecost, when people first become members

of it, they became Believers in. Jesus Christ.

They'd heard Peters matchless sermon, and they realize their

guilt and their distance from God.

And so Peter told them to do the next Thing which is to repent

and be baptized. And the Bible says they that

gladly received his word were baptized.

Now, here's a question. I want you to consider very

carefully tonight. If the Lord added people to the

church back in Bible times his church, who simply did what

Peter said, wouldn't the Lord adds you to the same

institution? If you did the same things, they

did sure he would because the Bible says, in Acts the 10th

chapter, and the believe it's verse 43, that God is no

respecter of persons. He's no respecter of persons in

every nation, he that feareth God and worketh righteousness is

accepted with him so that means that that you can be a member of

that church without ever joining any human denomination.

You can yield obedience to the gospel of Christ and the Lord

will add you to his church just like he did those back there on

the day of Pentecost. That's a wonderful and great

blessing. We don't have to pass in review

before some board of a cliche See a sticks and be voted on.

We don't have to join it as though.

We were joining, some Human Institution will obey the

gospel. The Lord saves us for our sins.

He adds us to the church, he writes our names in his Lamb's

Book of Life and we have that hope of Life Beyond this Vale of

tears, I may be speaking to someone tonight.

Who would walk right down the aisle?

Make that good confession. I believe that Jesus Christ, the

son of God be immersed in water. ER, in the name of the Sacred

thread, become a member of that church that you read about in

the Bible. We thank you for listening to

our podcast. Put on by the Church of Christ

at 22:15 plans. Road in Bakersfield, if you

would like any additional information or you would like to

receive a free Bible correspondence, course by mail.

Please email us at info at her Church of Christ.

Bakersfield.com. Our service times are on Sundays

at 10:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. and Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m. please,

make plans to join us. We would love for you to be our

honored guest