The Jews, however, couldn't be citizens of the kingdom of God, they could only be subjects because they could not keep God's law. When Jesus lived the Father's law perfectly, then died on the cross as one who had broken every commandment; that fulfilled the old covenant. Jesus did not dissolve the kingdom of God, however, He added it to the new covenant. Jesus promptly gave all mankind His righteousness, according to 1John 2:2, which gave all mankind citizenship in the kingdom of God, which gave all mankind access to the blessings of the old covenant. Jesus does not, however, impose His will on mankind. So although all mankind is born again as citizens of the kingdom of God, that citizenship must be advocated for by the believer.
In Mark 11:23, Jesus said, "If any man speak to this mountain," so Jesus is not speaking of any mountain. He is speaking of a particular mountain. The word, "this," indicates it. The word, mountain is used as a metaphor of a kingdom all throughout the Old Testament and the word, sea, is used to represent the human race. What Jesus is telling us is, if we speak to the kingdom of Satan and tell it to cast itself into the mass of humanity and do not doubt that Jesus took all your sin in His own body on the cross, it will obey you. In other words, citizenship in the kingdom of God must be enforced. The new covenant is an aleatory covenant.
The Jews could not be citizens of the kingdom of God because the Jews could not keep the laws of the kingdom of God. Citizenship is maintained by obedience of the kingdom's laws. This made the Jews subjects of the Father's kingdom and the old covenant an express covenant. Jesus kept the Father's laws perfectly, then gave His perfect keeping to all mankind. Jesus paid the price for disobedience against His Father's laws on the cross, wiping out any curse for disobedience. All that is left is to advocate for the blessings based on these truths. If we speak to the kingdom of Satan and tell it to remove from our lives, it will obey us. The problem is we have not understood these simple truths.
I have taken to confessing, "Father, I want to thank you. You made Him to be sin, who knew no sin, that I might be the righteousness of God in Christ. I am a citizen of the kingdom of God, born again in your kingdom. Now, kingdom of Satan, I am commanding you to leave my life and cast yourself into the mass of humanity. Father, I am asking for my inheritance." I do not believe it is appropriate to address Satan personally.
I do this several times a day. In this way, I am enforcing my citizenship in the kingdom of God and giving notice to Satan, his authority over me has ended. Though I was born in Satan's kingdom as a citizen of his kingdom, I am choosing to live in my other address and putting Satan's kingdom on notice. Again, Jesus will not enforce your right of citizenship in the Father's kingdom, you must do that for yourself. Jesus will not impose His will over yours. You have every right to live in either kingdom.
New York city has a very high tax rate and even if someone spends part of their time in another municipality, New York will impose its tax rate and demand payment. Anyone who moves to another municipality must prove residency over and over again in multiple ways in order to be exempt from the New York city tax department.
The scriptures tell us our God is the one who loved us so much He sent His only begotten Son to die for us. Having done this, how will He not freely give us all things? He is the God who is more than enough, beyond anything we can think or ask and will answer our prayers accordingly. The problem is the written record of the new covenant was lost to history, compliments of Satan, and Christians have not understood what it means to live in covenant with Jesus.
If we do not advocate for what belongs to us in faith believing we are citizens of God's kingdom and deserving of God's goodness, not because of anything we have done, but because of what Jesus has done for us, we will live out our lives as citizens of Satan's kingdom and subjects of God's wrath, even while redeemed from it.
The parable we call the prodigal son really has very little to do with a prodigal son and everything to do with the power of citizenship. The younger son understood the power of citizenship and advocated for it and lived in the lavish blessings of his father, but even after he had used up his inheritance he realized he was still a citizen and returned and advocated for his citizenship and received it, and not in a diminished capacity, but the full measure. The older son did not understand citizenship and lived his life as a slave while owning everything. The modern Christian is like the older son. Christians are not strangers and foreigners to the kingdom of God and don't need to beg and plead, but they do need to ask in the full assurance of citizenship.
Jesus said, "Whatever you ask the Father in my name, He will do." The kingdom of God is part of the kingdom of heaven. It is under the control of Jesus. You must ask the Father based on a fact of your heart, in full assurance of faith, that Jesus lived the Father's law perfectly and died as one guilty of transgressing it all for you. This is what it means to ask in Jesus' name. If you do not have that kind of faith, faith comes by hearing and hearing by God's Word. This is why I'm preaching this truth; that you might believe and receive the incredible riches of citizenship. Copy and paste this message into a speak app and listen to it a few times to increase your faith.
Now, again, Jesus said, "If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love," so although you can enter God's love by faith and advocation, you cannot remain there without keeping Jesus' commandments. The kingdom of God is now part of the kingdom of heaven and citizenship in the kingdom of heaven is gained the same way citizenship is gained in any kingdom. It is by invitation and obedience. Jesus kept the old covenant laws for us and in our stead so we don't have to keep them; all we have to do is believe Jesus kept them for us. We must keep the laws of the kingdom of heaven, however, or fail to establish citizenship in the kingdom of heaven.
Curiously, John 3:16 tells us all we have to do to gain eternal life is believe in Jesus, but which Jesus? Jesus was God, who took on Himself humanity and died on the cross. He was however, raised from the dead with all power in heaven and in earth. Which one must we believe in to receive everlasting life? Jesus said, "If you keep my commandments you will abide in my love." Hebrews 5:9 tells us, "He gives eternal life to those who obey Him." And 1John 2:4 tells us, "He that says I know Him and keeps not His commandments is a liar and the truth is not in Him." It is possible to know the Christ and not know the Lord but it is the Lord who grants citizenship in the kingdom of heaven. Those who react to the King of heaven in obedience gain citizenship there.
Are we saved by grace through faith? Absolutely! It is by the incredible generosity of Jesus that all mankind is born again in the kingdom of God but mankind must believe Jesus was given all authority in heaven and earth and decide His commandments were issued with that authority before mankind will keep them. Thus we are saved by grace and faith. As long as Christians believe Jesus was not talking to them in Acts 1:4-5, and the commandment to wait for a baptism with the Holy Spirit does not apply, Christians will fail to make heaven their address. Jesus will not impose His will on mankind. The new covenant is a whosoever will contract. This is why the Holy Spirit will never convict the Christian for not keeping Jesus' commandments. Whom the Son sets free is free indeed! That is free to obey or disobey.
All mankind has dual citizenship. All mankind is born citizens of Satan's kingdom and are subject to his wrath on mankind but because of the love of the Father and the incredibly generosity of Jesus, mankind is born again in the kingdom of God. Jesus will not impose His will on mankind but Satan will. If believers do not daily confess their faith in Jesus, His life of righteousness and death under penalty of unrighteousness, each believer in Jesus will live their life subject to Satan's wrath. We have seen this play out over and over again. The only way to live free of Satan's authority is to believe Jesus took all your sins in His own body on the tree, that you being dead to sin, should live unto righteousness and advocate for citizenship in the kingdom of God accordingly. You must believe you are the righteousness of God because of Jesus' death on the cross. If you believe your actions are sinful, and repent of disobedience of commandments you have been redeemed from, you will remain in Satan's kingdom.
Jesus has redeemed mankind from the old covenant law, according to Galatians 4:4-5. If mankind is redeemed from the law, the old covenant, with its condemnation and shame for disobedience, no longer applies. Christians are righteous by faith in Jesus and are not unrighteous by behavior as it pertains to the law. There is a new Lord in town.
In Philippians 2, we are told the Father gave to Jesus the name above every other name and Jesus took this authority and established a new covenant with new law. The new covenant makes all mankind righteous according to the standards of the Father but establishes a new standard for righteousness with three new commandments. Those who disobey those commandments set up a conflict of righteousness within themselves. They are righteous by faith but make themselves unrighteous by behavior. They cannot remain in God's love while disobeying Jesus' commandments.
The commandments Jesus issued in Acts 1:4-8, were issued by the Lord of Lords and King of Kings. If you ignore these commandments or say they do not apply to me, you deny Jesus' right to rule over you as citizen's of His kingdom. In short, you deny yourself citizenship in His kingdom, the kingdom of heaven. You must believe in Jesus in order to be saved but it is not the Christ you must believe in; it is the Lord, the one who issued the commandments the Church ignores. Forgiveness is offered by 1John 1:9 if you repent and practice obedience.
Because of the incredible generosity of Jesus, the Holy Spirit resides in the heart of all mankind. In order to receive a gift of tongues, all mankind has to do is let Him flow out. Now some believers find this very easy to do; others find it incredibly difficult, but repentance counts as obedience for those who attempt obedience and are unsuccessful. The Holy Spirit will manifest Himself as an unknown language when He passes over the lips.
By speaking this unknown language daily, the believer keeps himself saturated with the Holy Spirit and will exhibit the fruit of the Spirit. Fruit grows on fruit trees. When the believer is not constantly under the shame and guilt of the old covenant law, the believer has more energy to produce fruit and fruit that will remain.