Deliver Me into Thy Kingdom

The life of a new Christian is joy unspeakable. There is a heavenly euphoria caused by our release from the burden of sin...the sin that we all live in from birth. Some people tell us that it feels better than getting out of jail. Others are so happy that there are times when the tears of their bliss run freely and drip on the floor. In fact, one person lost their English language for several hours because the elation they felt carried them away from all present-day feelings. We could listen to thousands of people tell us of the wonder and awe of their jubilation. But no human can maintain a state of elation forever. At some point Christians reach a time where they will come down to earth for some testing. There will be times when we actually worry that we are not right with our God or that He is unhappy with us. At these times we must survive on our hope. The Lord knows us completely and He will always “make a way for us” if we simply call out for His help. God really wants to deliver us into His Kingdom.

Most of us know that our efforts to be good will never get us to Heaven because we are sinful. In fact, the disciples were surprised when they found out that no human will be in Heaven because of their own worth or position. The disciples were astounded. “Then who in the world can be saved?” they asked. Jesus looked at them intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible.” Matt 19:25-26 (NLT) It is plain that every human must seek divine deliverance from our situation on earth. Even after we are saved from this sinful life it is essential that we learn the ways of God for a complete deliverance. There is no way we will live in the Kingdom of Heaven if the Spirit is not allowed to change our life and show us the way. The Bible says this about a Christian; You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.) Romans 8:9 (NLT) Our deliverance is continually available if we rely on the Spirit of Jesus.

Over the years people have looked many places for God’s Kingdom but have never found it. Even when Jesus walked the earth it was hidden. “When will the Kingdom of God come?” Jesus replied, “The Kingdom of God can’t be detected by visible signs. You won’t be able to say, ‘Here it is!’ or ‘It’s over there!’ For the Kingdom of God is already among you. ” Luke 17:20-21 (NLT) Jesus taught us that He was the beginning of the Kingdom but that it was invisible to unbelieving humans. People will always have trouble believing in things that are invisible and this is why salvation is all about our faith. Without faith no one will ever be delivered into the Kingdom of Heaven. When Jesus came to earth most people did not want to believe that He was the Son of God and we still have the same problem today. After God went to the great effort of creating humans, it seems natural that He would want to save some of them for Himself. The Scriptures make it clear that God even sent His Son down from Heaven to deliver humans into God’s eternal Kingdom someday.

Although the baby Jesus arrived in humble circumstances, He always had the authority of the Almighty contained in Him. This authority was unlimited. One time when the Religious Leaders attacked He gave this answer; “Who does he think he is? That’s blasphemy! Only God can forgive sins!” Jesus knew what they were thinking, so he asked them, “Why do you question this in your hearts? Is it easier to say ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or ‘Stand up and walk’? So I will prove to you that the Son of Man has the authority on earth to forgive sins.” Luke 5:21-24 (NLT) When Jesus healed the hundreds of sick people He was simply trying to teach humans that He has the authority to deliver any person from any situation on earth. This included the temporary world of sickness or the eternal world of salvation from sin and deliverance into His Kingdom. It is plain that Jesus had the greatest authority dwelling in Him because not only did every one of His commands get answered but He fulfilled every prophecy in the Scriptures.

It is beautiful the way a Christian can trust Jesus and his power to deliver us from any situation. Remember the little lady that had been struggling with sickness for years. After learning about Jesus she took all her strength and forced her way toward the Master. She touched the fringe of his robe, for she thought, “If I can just touch his robe, I will be healed.” Jesus turned around, and when he saw her he said, “Daughter, be encouraged! Your faith has made you well.” And the woman was healed at that moment. Matt 9:20-22 (NLT) Nothing in this world could change her life but when she placed all her faith in Jesus her life changed in an unbelievable way. No one who ever trusted completely in the Son of God has been disappointed. This includes the most negative person in the world if they will make Him the Lord of their life. The fact is that Jesus can and will deliver us into the Kingdom of Heaven if we trust Him with our life.

There are times when our life is tough and it is hard to see anything good in our future. Unseen to us during these times, the power of our deliverance is still at work. During these situations we find out whether our faith in Jesus is complete or just partial. Paul had many trials that would possibly have ruined our faith in God. These trials always seemed to make Paul trust in Jesus more than ever. When writing to Timothy he said; But the Lord stood with me and gave me strength so that I might preach the Good News in its entirety for all the Gentiles to hear. And he rescued me from certain death. Yes, and the Lord will deliver me from every evil attack and will bring me safely into his heavenly Kingdom. All glory to God forever and ever! 2 Tim 4:17-18 (NLT) Yes, Jesus has the authority and the power to deliver any one of us into the Kingdom of Heaven. All we must do is continue to trust him with our life no matter what troubles we have or how terrible our future looks. God will deliver us into His Kingdom.