Advancing The Kingdom
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On Wednesday evenings we have been exploring Pentecost, the Baptism of the Holy Spirit and what we receive with that Baptism. This coming Wednesday evening we will be studying the subject of Dominion using Genesis 1:26 and Psalms 8 as a launching pad. Believe me; you won’t want to miss this one.
Our beginning text this morning as we discuss Advancing the Kingdom comes from the Gospel of:
Matthew 11 NIV
11 I tell you the truth: Among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.
12 From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it.
Here Jesus reveals to His disciples how that with the coming of John the Baptist there was ushered in a new era of spiritual dynamics.
Along with John the Baptist, who was that promised spirit of Elijah, the voice of one crying in the wilderness, came the era of forceful advancement for the
Jesus is saying that John’s voice and ministry marked the beginning of violent efforts to expand, advance and enhance the
It is amazing how the voice of one person crying in the wilderness can arouse such passion that men would make their mad rush to press into the
All of this happened as a result of one man with a mission from heaven and the power of his voice.
This is the result of a one who:
* Knows His Ministry
* Knows His Message
* Knows His Mark
We too, each one of us, have been given a voice in the earth. Our voice is designed to advance the
So, lets look at three forceful voices God has given to each one of us:
1. The Voice of Prayer
2. The Voice of Confession
3. The Voice of Command
and the ministry, the message and the mark of each voice..
I. The Voice of Prayer
A. The Ministry (The goal or purpose)
1. Communication With God
2. A Relationship Builder
B. The Message (The content or process)
1. Thanksgiving
2. Intercession
3. Petition
C. The Mark (Who is this designed to reach)
1. Prayer goes to God
2. No one else is worthy to receive our prayers
3. No one else even need hear our prayer for it to be effective
4. Prayer is not a time to preach or get a point across to others
Prayer which reaches the heart of God comes from the heart of man.
Matthew 6 NKJV
5 ¶ "And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.
6 "But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.
Vain repetitions spoken to be heard of man or to keep a tradition is not what God is listening for. Prayer is talking to God.
Not only have God’s children been given the voice of prayer which we direct back to God but we have also been given:
II. The Voice of Confession
A. The Ministry (The goal or purpose)
1. Make Declaration
Job 22:28 You will also declare a thing, And it will be established for you; So light will shine on your ways.
2. Establish Boundaries
Joshua 24:15 “… as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
B. The Message (The content or process)
1. Change what you think
2. Change what you feel
3. Change what you want
4. By changing what you believe to line up with what God says
C. The Mark (Who is this directed towards)
1. Ourselves
2. Others
3. God
This is the place to preach, to expound if desired, God’s got the time and so do we and others. Use this voice of confession to:
– Make a Vow; Commit to God’s will; Establish Covenant; Repent or Confess sin, Apologize, Say I’m Sorry, Set Your Course.
The third God given, force-filled voice we have been given is:
III. The Voice of Command
A. The Ministry (The goal and purpose)
1. To Exercise Dominion
2. To Effect Change
3. To Forcefully Advance The
B. The Message (The content or process)
1. The Kingdom of God is here and things are changing
2. Move over or get run over – resistance is futile …
3. Yield; Submit; Obey
C. The Mark
1. Spiritual Darkness, Demons and their Devices
Luke 10:19 "Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.
2. The Mountains of Life
Key Scriptures: Mark 11 NKJV
22 So Jesus answered and said to them, "Have faith in God.
23 "For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says.
24 "Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.
Each one of us has a:
Voice of Prayer which we use to speak with God
Voice of Confession we use on ourselves and others
Voice of Command we use on the devil and the mountains of this life
We are in a New Testament, Messianic era, and have been given these voices to forcefully advance the
The devil won’t lie down and quit just because you are saved. You may have to get forceful. You can help God by strengthening yourself in prayer and confession and by exercising command and control by the voice God has given you.
This Wednesday evening when we look at the subject of why God created man, we will get a better grasp of our role in this world and how to exercise the dominion God intends for each of us to have.
If you only get one thing from this morning let me encourage you to use your voice of prayer to build a closer and stronger relationship with God. He is your Father and He loves you so. Talk to Him today, He will listen and He will answer your prayer.
Then, learn to whom you should be talking, how you should be addressing them and what the results can be.
