Mystery of the Kingdom
Introduction
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Audio: Reading of Mystery of the Kingdom Introduction by author, Dr. Steven Lambert:
God is in the process of purifying His Church toward the end of glorifying the Eternal Bride of Christ, the Lamb’s wife (Rev. 21:9). That is to say, God has already begun to take the Church through a process of purification unto glorification, which shall result ultimately in exaltation of the true Bride of Christ unto the final status and station unto which she is destined.
Every former move of God throughout history shall be eclipsed by what is about to take place as God exalts the Church into “all her glory” (Eph. 5:27). And, this thing shall not be done in a corner (Acts 26:26). The entire world shall be made to witness this spectacular phenomenon, the exaltation of a people, a nation, what is called, “A Holy Nation,” the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing, a mighty throng, clothed in white garments, girded about with the Truth and the golden breastplate of righteousness, having the high‑praises of God in their mouths and a two‑edged sword in their hands. While the world, on the other hand, shall be thrust into a chaotic period in which everything that can be shaken, will be, so that in the end all the kingdoms of men shall be toppled. In the midst of the rubble shall arise another Kingdom—a Kingdom of all majesty and glory—the Kingdom of God.
But, God is even now orchestrating the prelude to this exaltation of the Bride into “all her glory,” which is the prerequisite that she be brought into a state of maturity in which she has “no spot or wrinkle or any such thing.” To bring her to this state, God has begun to effect a certain kind of judgment of the Church which must precede judgment of the world, for “judgment begins with the Household of God” (1 Pet. 4:17). However, this is not the kind of punitive judgment that will come upon the unbelieving world, but rather a judgment for purging and pruning, a refining judgment, which God long ago foretold He would bring upon the Bride of Christ, the remnant of true believers:
“And it will come about in all the land,” declares the Lord, “that two parts in it will be cut off and perish; but the third will be left in it. And I will bring the third part through the fire, refine them as silver is refined, and test them as gold is tested. They will call on My name, and I will answer them; I will say, ‘They are my people,’ and they will say, ‘The Lord is my God.'” (Zech. 13:8,9)
God has already begun to take believers through this refinement process, toward the end that He might reproduce within them the Kingdom of God, that they might bear fruit corresponding to the Life and Kingdom of God, and that they might do the works of Jesus, and greater works in these last days. Indeed, bearing such Kingdom-fruit, as this volume will point out, is a Divine requisite for attaining unto Eternal Life and inheriting the Kingdom of God.
Central to this purification unto glorification process, is one particular parable of Jesus, the Paramount Parable—the Parable of the Sower. Paramount, because Jesus Himself indicated that understanding this parable was the key to understanding all His other parables concerning the Kingdom of God, and that it contained the very essence of “the mystery of the Kingdom.”
Indeed, within this one remarkably ingenious parable is an allegorical revelation, in capsulated form, of the essence of “the mystery of the kingdom,” that is, the “secret” of how the Kingdom of God operates and is formed, or reproduced, in the hearts and lives of believers. No other single passage of Scripture so effectively captures and depicts all that is involved in believers bringing forth the fruit of the Kingdom and Life of God in this world.
The Parable of the Sower is paradoxically simple, yet profound. Its meaning is uncomplicated and easily understood. Nevertheless, its import and scope are profound, revealing divine understanding concerning the most vital and essential elements of the Gospel of the Kingdom. As is the case with the entirety of Scripture, the Parable of the Sower is like the proverbial onion—made up of layer after layer of revelation knowledge, and until perfect knowledge is come (1 Cor. 13:10), no one will fully exhaust its meaning.
In the parable, Jesus delineates four different categories of hearers of the Word of God, which are stereotypical of everyone who has ever heard it. Though each category of hearers heard the Word, it was productive in the lives of only one of the four categories. That is to say that only one category brought forth the fruit that the Word of God is intended and has the innate ability to produce in the lives of earnest and effectual believers. The parable reveals specifically what it was that prevented the first three categories of hearers from bearing the fruit of the Kingdom of God in their own hearts and lives, and what all believers must do to avoid the patterns that produce barrenness. All things considered, no subject is more central to Christianity, or more vital to Christians.
I truly believe every believer can greatly benefit from a study of this very rich and ingenious parable of Jesus, in which He reveals “the mystery of the Kingdom” of God. In fact, I will take it a step further and say that, based on Jesus’ own comments regarding the parable to the early disciples, no disciple of Jesus can expect to understand the Kingdom of God, how it operates, and how to bring forth Kingdom‑fruit without understanding this parable.
However, my experience tells me that the vast majority of believers do not grasp many of the truths revealed in this parable. My conviction is that they would be substantially and eternally revolutionized spiritually if they did.
To that end, I earnestly invite you to join me for an in-depth study of the Paramount Parable as our path to understanding “the mystery of the Kingdom.”
>>>Next: Chapter One — The Paramount Parable >>>
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