You would agree with me that every house only needs one foundation. So is real life!
So, what foundation are you building your life on? Is it Jesus? Is it yourself? Or is it something else?
Based on John 18, we can identify what could make a solid foundation in our lives. In this scripture, Jesus is telling Pilate (verses 33-40) that His Kingdom is not of this world. What then is this kingdom Jesus is talking about?
Jesus’ entire message, throughout His life, was around the Kingdom of God. His first preaching, according to Matthew 4, was on the theme: “repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is near” (verse 17). That took place before calling the disciples. Let me point out that “Kingdom of Heaven” or “Kingdom of God” mean the same. These are statements you come across in the four gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John). They both mean Kingdom of God. The use of “… of Heaven” was possibly intended for a Jewish audience. In the Jewish tradition, one cannot say the name of God. It is related to Exodus 20: 7 saying “one shall not say the name of the Lord in vain.” As of the use of “… of God” was possibly addressed to a non Jewish audience.
[bctt tweet=”Jesus talking about God’s Kingdom implied God’s intentions for humankind.“]
[bctt tweet=”God’s original intentions were to create order and balance in the universe.”] In the book of Genesis (chapters 1 and 2), He created everything out of chaos. The Bible talks of the void in the beginning. God filled it up with planets, stars, animals, birds, plants, and humans (Adam and Eve).
However, the order and balance God intended for the universe will be disturbed at the appearance of the devil in the garden of Eden. He will convince Adam and Eve to break God’s command of not eating from the forbidden tree (Genesis 3: 1-7). The argument the devil uses in this scripture is that by doing it, Adam and Eve will be like God. Also, they will be able to know more. Knowledge and power are things that, if not used appropriately, can destroy relationships.
By disobeying God, everything will change forever. What Adam and Eve did was to replace God with themselves. Instead of having God at the center of their lives, as originally intended, they shifted everything around. Their attention moved from where God wanted them to be to where they chose, following evil and ungodly advice.
God’s intentions would later be clarified in the wilderness.
God gives the ten commandments to the people of Israel (Exodus 20). [bctt tweet=”The commandments did not aim at restricting the people’s freedom.”] [bctt tweet=”The ten commandments were given in order to help us love God and neighbor.”]
God’s intentions for humankind are re-defined through Jesus Christ.
As pointed above, Jesus’ message was: “repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is near” (Matthew 4: 17).
[bctt tweet=”Repentance is the only way to work on our relationship with God! “]It is the only thing that can allow God’s intentions to become clear in our lives. In other words, God’s Kingdom, being about relationships, affects how we relate to God and other people. It dictates therefore what kind of lifestyle we embrace.
3 things we can learn about God’s Kingdom (based on John 18), and which should become our foundation:
- His Kingdom is not of this world.
- His Kingdom is grounded in truth.
- His Kingdom requires obedience resulting from a personal relationship with God.
Because God’s Kingdom is not from this world, it can then never be destroyed. It is grounded in Truth that is Jesus Christ Himself (John 14: 6). This truth brings life, order and balance.
[bctt tweet=”God is the only One who gives us order, abundant life and balance, no matter what! “]
That is the kind of foundation we all need in life. Don’t we?
This reflection is based on the sermon, Collision of Two Kingdoms, from the series, Final Hours of Jesus Christ on Earth, based on John 18 delivered on March 20 2016 at the United Methodist Church in Harris and Lake Park, IA.
Click below to listen to the audio sermon!
