Being Kingdom Minded - Fellowship of The Holy Spirit

Let's look to God's word this morning.

We're in a series where we're talking about being kingdom-minded.

Can you say kingdom-minded this morning?

And although there are things in this world that continually try to take over our minds, continually try to become a distraction, we are called to be kingdom-minded just like Christ was kingdom-minded.

Thankfully, we have been given the mind of Christ.

Can you say the mind of Christ?

The mind of Christ through God's word, through the Holy Spirit, we can receive signals from the head of the church, which is Jesus Christ.

In his word, we find how to overcome the world.

Do I have any overcomers in the house?

I thought so.

Overcomers who enjoy the blessings of being kingdom-minded.

Even though we have the mind of Christ, being kingdom-minded requires you to do things out of the ordinary.

Out of the ordinary, we're a peculiar people.

That's okay.

Because doing things out of the ordinary leads to out of the ordinary results.

Do you believe that this morning?

It's true.

Try doing things out of the ordinary, God's way, and watch the blessings that start to pile up your way.

Praise the Lord.

We know Jesus did things out of the ordinary, and in doing so, he reflected the supernatural power of God.

See, the words that he spoke, the things that he did, they reflected the supernatural as he rode into Jerusalem, broke bread with his disciples, prayed in the garden, stood before Pilate, hung on a cross, died a thief's death, Jesus reflected the supernatural all over him.

Others would have fought back.

He didn't deserve to be treated this way.

Yet with supernatural love in his eyes, with supernatural healing and forgiveness in his hands.

Jesus, the Son of God, reflected the supernatural even until his last breath.

It is finished.

But we know that Jesus' death was not the end, and we celebrated that last week.

We knew that there was so much more left to the story.

Some had a difficult time seeing it.

Unfortunately, some still today have a difficult time seeing the rest of the story that God has.

But being kingdom-minded requires us to look towards what?

The future.

Because in the kingdom of God, there is always something to look forward to.

Do you believe that this morning?

There's some people who are still searching for the meaning of life.

There are some people who are still searching for purpose.

But a kingdom minds looks towards the future because God has so much more for you.

How do I know this?

In Psalm 145, 13, it says this.

Read this with me.

Your kingdom is what?

An everlasting kingdom.

And your dominion endures throughout all generations.

Do you know what that means?

That means you to your children, to your children's children, to your.

It keeps going.

The Lord is faithful in his words and holy in all his works.

Praise the Lord.

I love what it says in the book of Daniel, chapter 4, verse 3.

Daniel 4:3

Read this with me this morning.

How great are his signs and how mighty are his miracles.

We saw that this morning.

And his dominion is from what?

Generation to generation.

It doesn't run out.

It keeps going.

It keeps going.

You have so much to look forward to.

So get excited.

Wake up tomorrow with a smile on your face because God's got something for you.

Praise the Lord.

See, in the kingdom of God, you have to realize this.

In the kingdom of God, it's not just about the good old days.

People always talk about the good old days, the good old days, the good old days.

In the kingdom of God, I believe there are better days to come.

There are better days to come.

But if you are not being kingdom-minded, unfortunately, you're going to stay trapped in yesterday.

You're going to stay stuck in the problems of today, and you're going to miss out on the goodness and mercy that is to follow you the rest of your life as you dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Although Jesus was buried in the grave, the kingdom mind knew that better days were still coming.

Death was not the end.

Because on the third day the stone was rolled away, and Jesus is raised from the dead, again reflecting the supernatural, showing all of humanity that there is so much more to look forward to.

See, the world can only give you so much to look forward to.

I'm telling you that.

How many are like that?

Yeah.

There could be six of us, or there could be 30 of us, and Karen can take whatever she has in the cabinets, whatever she has out in the garden, whatever she has just laying out on the side of the house, and she will put together a delicious meal.

She can create things like that.

She knows how to make something work out of all of these created things.

And there's some people outside of food.

Maybe you're a builder.

Maybe you can just piece things together.

Mankind is pretty talented in that we are able to put things together and make beautiful things.

Look around the world today and all the beautiful things that mankind has been able to piece together.

We have different cuisines, praise the Lord.

You can go out to any style restaurant, especially in Rhode Island.

Cuisines, cities, medicines, airplanes, automobiles, all these beautiful things that have been pieced together with all the wonderful things that God has created.

Amen.

These wonderful things mixed with the creative mind, mixed with strength, mixed with endurance, mixed with collaboration and coming together, we can create some very useful things.

But the world in all of its creativity is only limited to what has already been created by God.

Do you understand that this morning?

Maybe you've experienced that yourself this morning.

Because while there are so many more creative things still to be uncovered, so many more fusions to put together, some contraptions to create, mixtures or concoctions to compile.

There comes a place in everybody's life where something more is needed.

How many have ever been there?

You can have all the things in the world, but something more is needed.

You can have your job, your car, your pretty house.

You can even have your family, but yet something more is needed.

Everyone comes to a point in life where they feel the things of the world have reached their end and they need something more.

Maybe the resources weren't enough.

Maybe the resources ran out.

Maybe the resources weren't there when you needed them.

The resources couldn't promise you a future.

That includes you and I.

We're good because God created us.

But these created things can only go so far without God sustaining and fulfilling their fullest potential.

We were only meant to go so far.

And without God, we miss out on reaching our fullest potential.

Without God, eventually the things of the world will run out.

They will reach their end because that is the result of a fallen, sin-filled world.

These resources were made to get us pretty far, but we weren't meant to survive on these resources alone.

If I look at the story of Jesus speaking to the woman at the well, you know this story where Jesus reveals himself to who he is.

He says this in John chapter 4.

John 4 · chapter mention

Jesus answered and said to her, Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again.

But whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never be thirsty.

But the water that I will give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up to eternal life.

Although the water that was being drawn from the well was created by God, it was only meant to quench the thirst for a time.

But Christ would reveal a different kind of resource, a supernatural resource that would become the fountain of water springing up to eternal life that you and I have access today.

When the world's resources run their course, when the war world's resources let you down, and let me tell you, they will.

When the Israelites ran out, God provided.

God created, God worked as supernatural and gave them a future.

When we need a future and a hope, guess what?

Jesus died on a cross.

When we needed a future and a hope, Jesus died on a cross for us and rose again.

Why?

To give us access to everlasting life, to show that He has the power over death and the grave.

All supernatural acts of God, being kingdom-minded, yes, is looking towards the future because God is in the creating business, and there is so much more that has been created for you to enjoy today and experience tomorrow.

Doesn't that get you excited?

And I want you to know that God has so much more for you.

I don't know what it is, but I know that He talks about peace that passes all understanding.

He talks about joy unspeakable.

He talks about a place that's prepared for us.

He talks about goodness and mercy that follows us all the days of our lives.

He talks about blessings upon blessings upon blessings.

God has so much more in store for you.

Thank you, Lord.

Can you just begin to thank him right now?

Just begin to thank him.

Thank you, Lord, for your good.

Thank you for your provision.

Thank you for looking at just a simple soul like mine.

Yet you're so mindful.

Yet you have a plan, yet you have a purpose.

So much more than I could ever imagine.

Thank you, Lord.

I look forward to it this morning.

I get excited about it this morning.

Thank you, Lord.

Thank you, Lord.

Can you say thank you, Lord?

Say it again, thank you, Lord.

Last week, when we talked about Christ's ascending, we shared in the book of Acts, Jesus speaks these words before he gets ready to ascend into heaven in Acts 1, 6 through 8.

So when they had come together, they began asking him, saying, Lord, is it at this time that you are restoring the kingdom into Israel?

But he said to them, It is not for you to know the periods of time or appointed times which the Father has set by his own authority.

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you.

And you shall be my witnesses both in Jerusalem and all Judea and Samaria and as far as the remotest parts of the earth.

After Christ's ascension, Jesus gives the disciples still something to look forward to, and that was the arrival of the Holy Spirit.

Looking forward to the arrival of the Holy Spirit and the empowerment to be witnesses of Jesus Christ throughout all the world.

Being kingdom-minded, they continued to look towards the future of the kingdom of God and all that was in store, even without Jesus walking alongside of them in the flesh.

They knew there was more to come.

What would come next was not immediate.

You have to understand that.

But they were instructed by Christ to tarry in Jerusalem until they were endued with power from on high.

Something special to look forward to.

And while they were waiting, Scripture says that they were praising God continuously in the temple.

What are you doing while you're waiting?

What are you doing while you're waiting for the future that God has promised you?

Oh, it would be days after that the next big thing would come.

They ran to the temple, they were praising God, looking forward to what was coming.

In Acts 2, it comes in verse 1 when the day of Pentecost has come.

They were all together in one place, and suddenly a noise like a violent rushing wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting, and tongues that looked like fire appeared to them, distributing themselves, and a tongue rested on each and every one of them, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with different tongues as the Spirit was giving them the ability to speak out.

The helper had come.

He says, But I tell you the truth.

For if I do not leave, John chapter 15, and if I do not leave, the helper will not come to you, but if I go, I will send him to you.

John 15 · chapter mention

And he, when he comes, will convict the world regarding sin, and righteousness and judgment regarding sin because they do not believe in me.

And regarding righteousness, because I am going to the Father, and you are no longer going to see me.

And regarding judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged.

Watch, I have so many more things to say to you, Jesus says.

But you cannot bear them at this present time.

This is way before Jesus dies on a cross.

I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them at this present time.

When he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth, for he will not speak on his own, but whatever he hears, he will speak, and he will disclose to you what is to come.

He will glorify me, for he will take from mine and disclose it to you, and all the things that the Father has are mine.

This is why I said that he takes from mine and will disclose it to you.

Jesus outlines the purpose of the Holy Spirit, this communicator, this one who is going to reveal the mysteries of heaven to us.

As Jesus will continue to speak, even though after his ministry is done on earth.

As the Father speaks, his revelation is being poured out, the Spirit will communicate these things.

They will disclose it to us.

See, being kingdom-minded requires fellowship with the Holy Spirit.

Being kingdom-minded requires the fellowship of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus tells his disciples that there's so much more to say, but it can only be revealed through the Holy Spirit, which is to come.

Listen, you and I cannot be kingdom-minded if we are not allowing the Spirit of God to guide us into all truth.

If you want to be kingdom-minded, you need to allow the Spirit of God to guide you into all truth.

Now we know when we give our lives to Christ, the Holy Spirit lives inside of us.

Scripture talks about that.

To listen to what it is saying.

And as you listen to the spirit, you will find yourself not only growing in your relationship with the Lord, but you will find yourself becoming more of what He intended for you to be.

How do you know the Spirit is speaking to you?

I get that question asked all the time.

How do I know it's the Lord speaking to me?

How do I know the Spirit is speaking?

Well, what are the fruits of the Spirit?

Same if you know them.

Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

I'm going to say it again.

What are the fruits of the spirit?

Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

Listen.

If what you are hearing isn't lining up with these things, or if what you're hearing doesn't line up with the word of God, then it's probably somebody else talking.

It's probably something else talking.

But when you begin to listen to the Spirit of God, you find that what the Spirit of God speaks points to the kingdom of God.

Paul says this in Romans chapter 14.

Romans 14 · chapter mention

He says, For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but what?

Righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost.

So the kingdom of God is righteousness, we know that.

The kingdom of God is peace, we know that.

The kingdom of God is joy in the Holy Ghost.

You'll realize that the kingdom of God is very much interlinked with the Holy Spirit.

Being kingdom-minded requires us to fellowship with the Holy Spirit.

If you want to be kingdom-minded, you have to start fellowshipping with the Holy Spirit and enjoying the benefits of it.

In 2 Corinthians chapter 13, it says this.

2 Corinthians 13 · chapter mention

See, on the day of Pentecost, the apostles and everybody else who is in that upper room were filled with the Holy Spirit.

Bringing their fellowship with the Holy Spirit to the overflow.

Overflow.

Do you believe that this morning?

What do you think caused them to speak in tongues?

It was an overflowing of the Holy Spirit.

Not being satisfied with just a little and a little and a little, but this ongoing fellowship with the Holy Spirit, causing them to become full-on kingdom-minded people.

And this morning, I want to ask you this question.

Maybe you've never been asked this question before.

What is your fellowship with the Holy Spirit?

What is your fellowship, as mentioned in Scripture?

What is your fellowship with the Holy Spirit?

Do you know the third person of the Trinity?

The Father, Son, and the Holy Ghost?

Watch this.

Do you allow the Spirit of God to speak to you and reveal His Word to you?

When you're reading the Word of God, do you just read it?

All right, I get it.

Or do you allow the Spirit of God to begin to interpret it and reveal it to you?

Because the Spirit will, if you allow it.

What's your fellowship like with the Holy Spirit?

Do you do you allow the Spirit of God to speak through you and speak his word and to speak goodness?

Have you ever experienced the baptism of the Holy Spirit?

That overwhelming experience that they experienced on the day of Pentecost.

In being kingdom minded, if you truly want to be kingdom minded, I invite you, I encourage you, refresh your fellowship with the Holy Spirit this morning.