Automatic Transcript Generated
Speaker 1
Gorov is asking guys, you use the definition citizens of heavenly Kingdom.
Speaker 2
And this is a reference to, I think, two weeks ago.
Speaker 1
By what signs do you suppose to recognize, quote unquote citizens of heavenly Kingdom and distinguish them from, quote unquote illegal immigrants? Do we have some kind of features mentioned in the new Old Testament? Are there they the same for all 200 USA Christian denominations? Are Jehovah’s Witnesses and Mormons included? PS. Keep in mind that I am a product of a little bit another culture.
Speaker 2
So great question, I’m very excited to see it. And we asked Gaurav also for a bit more clarification and he was talking about he’s interested also in sort of these dichotomy pairs, black versus white, good versus bad, light versus darkness. So if someone’s in the kingdom, what’s the opposite of someone who’s not even so I want to start off with Matthew seven, verse 15. And we’ll read to verse 21. And this is Jesus speaking. And he says, beware of the false prophets who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. And then the next verse he says, you will know them by their fruits. So how is he saying we identify these people by their fruits? Do men gather grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistles? He’s now using literal fruits in a sense to give an example of it. And then the next verse Jesus says a good tree. Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. And then in verse 18 he says, a good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
Speaker 2
Therefore by their fruits you will know them. Not everyone who says me Lord, Lord shall enter the kingdom of Heaven, but he who does the will of my Father in heaven. And for some people they don’t know what’s that Lord, Lord. But what Jesus is saying is people who are professed Christians or professed followers of God who claim I worship God, Jesus, say not even all of them are going to enter the kingdom of Heaven because something’s horribly missed with them. And what is that? They don’t do the will of the Father. What’s? The will of Father. We talked about it at the beginning, right? What does God want? To worship Him, to love Him with all of our heart, soul, mind, strength, spirit. And then actually the next part is then to love your neighbor as yourself. Love. That is what God wants us to do. This is how we do his will, is by loving. And I would say the false prophets, the false Christians, what they get wrong is probably love. They don’t love God, they don’t love their fellow man. They think they do. They think they’re doing what God wants.
Speaker 2
But really it’s not the real love it’s almost kind of like they have a promiscuous relationship with some other God, not realizing they’re married to Christ and God. So Galatians 522 gives us a list of fruits, or actually you should say this is the fruit. It’s singular. Galatians five, verse 22, but the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self control. Against such there is no law. So because these are the fruit, we are supposed to bear all these fruit. If we have the Spirit, we will have this fruit. It’s this package. Like if you bite into it, these are going to be all the flavors of that fruit of the Spirit that we have. And I don’t think you’ll really ever see just one of these happening by themselves. You’re going to see them all together or not at all. And these are the hallmark then of someone who is bearing the fruit of God. Revelation 22, verse 14. Jesus says, blessed are those who do his commandments. Sorry, John’s writing, blessed are those who do his commandments, that they might may have the right to the tree of life and may enter through the gates into the city.
Speaker 2
So who gets to go into the city? It’s referring to heaven, to the kingdom. It says those who do his commandments, which again at the core of them is to love. And then verse 15 it says, but outside of the holy city, outside of the kingdom. So this is the opposite of God’s. People are the dogs. Another name for that would be male prostitutes, the sorcerers, sexually immoral, murderers, idolaters, and those whoever loves and practices a lie. Wow. So right there. Okay, so who’s in and who’s out? Well, that long list of people largely are people breaking the Ten Commandments. Those are just different ways of putting it. And then the sorcerers, well, you don’t exactly see that in the Ten Commandments. But elsewhere God talks about don’t go close to sorcery don’t go close to dealing with evil spirits. I mean, basically you’re totally in Satan’s camp if you’re doing that sort of thing. Ephesians five, verses one through seven, it says, therefore be imitators of God as dear children and walk in love. This keeps coming up, right? Love keeps coming up. God’s people love as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling aroma.
Speaker 2
But fornication and all unclean, cleanliness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you as is fitting for saints. And then the next verse, verse four, it says, neither filthiness nor foolish talking. Foolish talking, so no coarse gesting, so no bad raunchy jokes which are not fitting, but are rather giving of things. For this you know, that no fornication unclean person nor covetous man who is an idolater has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. So again, these people are breaking the Ten commandments don’t have God first who are loving themselves, not loving others. These are the ones who don’t get into the kingdom. You’re either in the kingdom or you’re not. There’s no illegal immigrants in heaven, to use Garov’s term. You’re either in it or you’re not. And those who are in it are keeping God’s commandments. So I’ll end with one of my favorite verses, john 13, verses 34 to 35. And Jesus says, any commandment I give to you that you love one another. As ourselves? No, as I loved you, that you also love one another. By this, all will know that you are my disciples if you love one another.
Speaker 2
So how does Jesus say you can tell someone loves him if they’re his disciple? By how they love one another? And we see such an absence of that today in a world around us.
Speaker 1
Even often within our faith communities.
Speaker 2
Unfortunately, almost I’d say I want to say almost especially at times within church communities, satan works the hardest within the church, renders people’s hearts cold. And they think they’re serving God, doing the acts of Satan, because there’s no love in them. They don’t realize it. They can’t see it. They see the Ten Commandments, they think it’s just a checklist. They do it not realizing there’s a higher principle, higher law, even above that which the Ten Commandments are pointing to, and that is love. So what is the sign of those who are citizens of heaven versus those who are not? It’s love. Who’s really living out true Godly love. That’s the best surest sign.
Speaker 3
Amen definitely agree with that. Love is the fulfillment of the law.
Speaker 2
Oh, exactly.
Speaker 3
So, yes, we need to love what you said. It was interesting what you said reminded me of the Apostle Paul when he was Saul, remember, he was killing Christians and he thought he was doing God’s will by murdering Christians until Jesus had to make an intervention and said, Why do you persecute me? And he’s like, Isn’t it hard to kick against the pricks? The more you try to wipe these Christians out, the more they just keep coming. So there’s something wrong here.
Speaker 2
Yeah. And just pretty much anytime anybody is aside from a direct command from God to go do something which he doesn’t do anymore, to say he doesn’t say anymore to go and kill people, to go kill unbelievers, to go kill those who aren’t Christians or doing heresy, he doesn’t say that anymore. Christ abolished any remnant of that. And so if we see anybody doing anything so hateful and murderous today, that’s a hallmark of an agent of Satan, whether they mean it intended or not. Because as you’re right, paul totally thought he was doing what God wanted. It’s such a great example of that.
Speaker 1
Yeah, he’s kind of the epitome of where he says, lord, Lord, didn’t we do this in your name? And he says, I never knew you.
Speaker 2
He loved God and he was so upset that there was this false cult he thought that had to be abolished.
Speaker 3
And yeah, so just a zeal went in the wrong direction. It wasn’t love. It was zeal. He’s zealous not loving.
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In His Service
BibleAsk Team
