THE COST OF THE KINGDOM Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, BUY, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price (Isaiah 55:1) (caps mines) There is no disputing that salvation (regeneration) is a free gift which Jesus Christ purchased with His own shed blood. Nevertheless, we must also come to the sober conclusion that sanctification (being conformed into His image) has an expensive price tag and will cost us everything! Sanctification or being sanctified unto the Lord means being separated FROM everything that is unlike God and simultaneously being separated UNTO everything that is of God. In other words, our faith in the Person of Jesus Christ gets us into the Kingdom of God, but we can only bear fruit in the Kingdom as we allow the Holy Spirit to continue His sanctifying work in our lives. Jesus freely purchased our rights to be citizens of the Kingdom, but it’s going to cost us EVERYTHING to eat/partake and to be fruitful within the Kingdom. When the Lord called Israel and blessed them with the land of Canaan as an inheritance, He gave it to them freely. However, when it came time for Israel to POSSESS the land, they would have to fight for every square inch of it. To INHERIT the promises cost Israel nothing, but to POSSESS the promises of God, they would have to obediently and sacrificially fight for it! This truth also resounds within the Kingdom of God! “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field” (Matt 13:44). It is so clear from this parable, that the Kingdom of heaven is a Kingdom that will cost us everything! Jesus begins with an individual who in their intimate search for treasure eventually found something that was so precious he hid (protected) it and after hiding it, sold EVERYTHING he had in order to possess it. The only way this person was able buy the WHOLE field is because he gave ALL to purchase it. This teaches us a very important principle in the Kingdom, IF WE DON’T GIVE ALL, WE WILL NOT GET ALL. WE GET ONLY WHAT WE ARE WILLING TO PAY THE PRICE FOR. Let me ask a very serious question at this time. Is the Kingdom you’re claiming to be a part of that precious to you, that you’re willing to sell everything you have in order to possess it? If not, perhaps you may have to honestly ask yourself, “Am I truly a citizen of this great Kingdom or do I only possess a form of this Kingdom? It is clear from the scriptures that the Kingdom of heaven is going to COST us everything, but the question remains, are we willing to pay the price? The Bible speaks of the five wise and the five foolish virgins who both went out to meet the bridegroom. The difference between the five wise and the five foolish virgins were not the lamps they had, but rather, the light that they possessed (Matt 25:2 ,3). Anyone can carry a lamp during the day, but ONLY the lamps that have the OIL can truly give light and enduring SEEING during midnight. It appears that the five foolish virgins possessed an amount of oil (Matt 25:8), but not what was sufficient to get them through the night. The foolish virgins then asked the wise virgins for some of their oil. But the wise told them, what they had was ONLY enough for them (Matt 25:8,9). It appears that all the virgins went out together to meet the bridegroom, but around midnight, things became extremely personal. It appears if you didnt have what you were claiming to have, the MIDNIGHT would expose that. The scriptures declare that the five wise told the five foolish to go to those that SELL OIL and BUY for themselves (Matt 25:9). What a shame that the five foolish virgins embraced a form of godliness rather than a genuine one. The scriptures are clear that when the five wise told the five foolish to go BUY for THEMSELVES from them that sell oil that they finally went to BUY(Matt 25:10). This means that the five foolish virgins knew WHERE and HOW to get the oil for their lamps all the time, but just CHOSE not to. Could it be that the five foolish virgins didnt want to buy the oil because it was too expensive and they were not willing to pay the price for it? Or perhaps, they figured that their standing as virgins was sufficient enough to get them entrance into the Bridegroom? Maybe they honestly thought that what they had was enough to get them through, but apparently it wasnt. This parable is a clear indicator that what we refuse to pay for in the Kingdom may very well get us kicked out of the Kingdom! The scripture says “And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready (prepared) went in with him into the marriage: and the door was shut. Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered and said, I know you not (Matt 25:10-12). Dearly beloved, the midnight (deep/gross darkness) is inevitably coming. It is NOW (right before this dark time comes in fullness) that we will NEED EVERYTHING that the Spirit of God is offering to us. We are living in an hour where our blatant and indifferent refusal to yield to the Holy Spirit can cost us everything! A form of godliness will wither away like a dried out branch when History’s clock strikes midnight. Will you be prepared when it comes knocking on your door? What we carry WITH US AND WITHIN OUR VESSELS (hearts) will have to be sufficient enough to get us through these coming days. This is why, while it is still day (light outside and we can still see), we must DO what He is asking of us without excuses. Whatever we need to endure during this coming storm will be found in our obedience to HIS LEAD. Human strategies, social club church gatherings around donuts, cookies and coffee are fine, but they don’t possess the necessary weightiness of the supernatural that will be needed to persevere through these days ahead. Only a true, genuine and obedient relationship with Christ and one led by the Holy Spirit will carry us through the coming days. We must also accept the truth and know that EVERYTHING He (the Lord) will ask of us will COST US something. The proverbs state, “BUY the truth, and sell it not, also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding” (Pro 23:23). In order for us to possess the truth in our lives, we must be willing to PAY THE PRICE FOR IT! The price of truth will cost us our lying. Not only will truth cost us, but wisdom, instruction and understanding will cost us also. Whatever advancement we think to achieve in the Kingdom will cost us another piece/part of our flesh. If you are a believer and you find yourself (so called) advancing without it costing you anything from your pocketbook of flesh, perhaps you might want to reconsider who it is that may be advancing you! If we are truly advancing/growing/maturing in Christ, the manifestation of His glory will always call for the death of some area of our flesh, “For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it (Luke 9:24). Although this process may hurt, the fruit that it will inevitably yield will be so worth it! I am reminded of the church of Laodicea, who figured because they were rich (financially) and had increased with goods (worldly things) that somehow, this meant they were in favor with the Lord. However, this (according to Jesus own mouth) couldn’t be further from the truth! Jesus instructed this church saying, “Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing, and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: I counsel thee to BUY of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be clothed and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear, and anoint thy eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent” (Rev 3:17-19). What an irony. The church that appeared to be rich was truly poor. The church that appeared to have everything had nothing and the church that THOUGHT they had it going on, was in great spiritual danger of being knocked off. Jesus admonished them to BUY from Him. In other words, their form and pretenses of looking like Jesus was not sufficient, He saw right through them to their core When Jesus asks us to BUY from Him, He’s asking us to purchase His goodness in exchange for our grossness. The Bible is clear when the five foolish virgins came knocking on the door that Jesus said that He did not know them. What Jesus was saying is, I dont recognize you, you look nothing like me. In other words, what we purchase from the Lord with the price of our flesh, makes us look a little more like Him and a little bit more unlike ourselves. We must take of His identity, not only in theory but in truth. We must allow the Holy Spirit to conform us into the image of Jesus (Rom 8:29). We MUST be changed from image to image and from glory to glory. We cannot expect to live with Him in eternity if we are resisting Him here on earth. The Kingdom is free because Christ purchased it by His own shed blood, but our change/transformation/fruitfulness will cost us everything of our flesh. If your conversion isnt leading you to the place where it costs your flesh everything, I say this in love, beloved, you must examine your conversion. The Kingdom of God will cost us OUR life in exchange for His.
Posted on: Tue, 21 Jan 2014 08:35:31 +0000
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