"WHAT ARE YOU MORE CONCERNED WITH --

SELF-INTEREST OR THE KINGDOM OF GOD"

MF Blume
October 11, 1998 am



Christ is said to be the last Adam and from Christ's side, similarly to Adam, the wife of Christ came forth -- the Church.

God wanted Adam to fill the earth and multiply.

With 5 billion people in the world today, the world is certainly filled by "Adam". Cain was the firstborn of Adam and Eve. Cain was one who was known to only work with things which he naturally knew. Abel on the other hand was a man of faith, living by more than the natural senses.
 

Abel reached out by faith.

We all require something for proof before we act upon it.

Noah built an ark to save his family, and yet we read he was given nothing that he could sense naturally to base his actions upon.

Do we believe in God or don't we? Adam would have been the Vine. Jesus is now tree of life.

Cain's sacrifice was not a thing that God instructed him to offer.

No wonder Cain was self-centred. But God had a will for her and Adam. And her son was identical. But Abel was different. Cain was more concerned over self-interest than the Kingdom and the overall purpose of God. Adam was made in the FORM of God. So much religious activity. When Abel's sacrifice was accepted, rather than realize he was simply wrong in offering vegetation, and he could simply re-offer a sacrifice with blood in it, Cain was personally insulted.

We must prioritize God's Kingdom in our lives.

Jesus taught putting priority upon the things of God above all else.

And the filling that Satan put inside Adam and Eve was the knowledge of good and evil.

Paul spoke to the Romans concerning the Kingdom of God and how we must act accordingly to the position we hold in that Kingdom. Due to self-interest, being offended by another's liberty or another's restrictions, we can ruin the forward progress of the Kingdom of God.

Let us take Jesus' example and be willing to suffer loss of whatever liberty we enjoy if it means keeping our easily-offended brethren working for God.

The Kingdom of God is not built upon SMALL things like meat and drink, but BIG THINGS like...
  1. RIGHTEOUSNESS - Live righteously and get along with brethren.
  2. PEACE - make peace between each other and do not quibble over the SMALL things.
  3. JOY IN THE HOLY GHOST -- enjoy living for God and make it as enjoyable for others, also, as you can.  Do not make gathering together a labour due to fear of what else all may quibble over.
  4. Roma 14:17-19  For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. For he that in these things serveth Christ [is] acceptable to God, and approved of men. Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another.

Those who contend for their minor differences to the point of division from others are simply too interested in self-interest than they are the Kingdom of God.

Rather than correct himself and realize that God's will is more important than a bit of pride being crushed due to a rejected sacrifice, Cain chose to stand on his self-interests and jealously slew his brother Abel.

 

TOO MUCH SELF-CENTRED TIME

There is NECESSARY concern over the overly liberal believer and the overly restrictive believer. Jesus is the Way, Truth and Life. The fruit of LIFE represents not only the SPIRIT of God, but stress upon LIFE represents STRESS upon God's KINGDOM, for God's KINGDOM depended upon whether man would eat that LIFE or not.