YOUR FATHER’S GOOD PLEASURE

Rev 4:11 Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things,
and for thy pleasure they are and were created.

Luke 12:27-38
27 Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his
glory was not arrayed like one of these.
28 If then God so clothe the grass, which is to day in the field, and to morrow is cast into the oven; how much
more will he clothe you, O ye of little faith?
29 And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind.
30 For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: and your Father knoweth that ye have need of
these things.
31 But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you.
32 Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.
33 Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that
faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth.
34 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
35 Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning;
36 And ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding; that when he
cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately.
37 Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he
shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them.
38 And if he shall come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those
servants.

I. THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE COMING KINGDOM.

A. Announced by both John the Baptizer and Jesus Christ.
1. Matt 3:1-2 In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, And saying,
Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

2. Matt 4:17 From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is
at hand.

3. Matt 4:23 And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel
of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.

B. Those with a desire to know the truth find the kingdom more easily than others.
1. Mark 12:28-34 28 And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and
perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all?
29 And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one
Lord:
30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and
with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.
31 And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other
commandment greater than these.
32 And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none
other but he:
33 And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the
strength, and to love his neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.
 2
34 And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, he said unto him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of
God. And no man after that durst ask him any question.
II. THE KINGDOM OPENED TO MANKIND.
A. The keys of the kingdom.
1. Matt 16:18-19 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my
church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the
kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever
thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

B. The keys delivered to man.

1. Acts 2:37-41
37 Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the
apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?
38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the
remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
39 For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our
God shall call.
40 And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward
generation.
41 Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about
three thousand souls.

3. John 3:5-7 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of
the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that
which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.

C. The kingdom presented.

1. Acts 19:8 And he [Paul] went into the synagogue, and spake boldly for the space of three months,
disputing and persuading the things concerning the kingdom of God.

2. Acts 28:23 And when they had appointed him [Paul] a day, there came many to him into his lodging;
to whom he expounded and testified the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus, both
out of the law of Moses, and out of the prophets, from morning till evening.

3. Acts 8:12 But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God,
and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.

4. 1 Cor 4:20 For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power.
 3

5. Col 1:9-18
9 For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be
filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;
10 That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in
the knowledge of God;
11 Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with
joyfulness;
12 Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in
light:
13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his
dear Son:
14 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:
15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:
16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether
they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:
17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.
18 And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all
things he might have the preeminence.

6. 1 Thess 2:11-14
11 As ye know how we exhorted and comforted and charged every one of you, as a father doth his children,
12 That ye would walk worthy of God, who hath called you unto his kingdom and glory.
13 For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye
heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually
worketh also in you that believe.
14 For ye, brethren, became followers of the churches of God which in Judaea are in Christ Jesus: for ye also
have suffered like things of your own countrymen, even as they have of the Jews:

III. THE WORKS OF THOSE IN THE KINGDOM BRING PLEASURE TO GOD.

A. God’s pleasure is that His people desire and do His works.
1. Phil 2:12-16 We need to realize that God works in us to accomplish these things.
12 Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my
absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.
13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.
14 Do all things without murmurings and disputings:
15 That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and
perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;
16 Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither
laboured in vain.

2. 2 Thess 1:4-5 So that we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your patience and
faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that ye endure: Which is a manifest token of the
righteous judgment of God, that ye may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which ye
also suffer:

Invitation: Hear, Believe, Repent, Confess Christ as the Son of God, Be Immersed for the remission of
sins, and then grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ, remaining faithful until death.
 4
If you are a Christian and have sinned publicly, then you are invited to remove your
separation from God by public repentance so that prayers can be offered with you and for you.