This morning we will be looking at Kingdom Representation. We looked at the keys of the kingdom, we looked at four keys; prayer, bond of love, we looked at the word of God and the comprehensive name of Jesus Christ. Those keys are vital and important, but they will speak of nothing in your life if you are not representing the kingdom that holds the keys. And that is why kingdom representation is in the heart of kingdom matters. So, today we will be looking at Kingdom Representation: Three Critical Expressions.

 

Representation talks about the action of speaking. I love this definition because, it is in the heart of our conversation. It actually describes representation the way it should be. Representation is the action of speaking or acting on behalf of someone. So when we now combine it with kingdom, it means kingdom representation, is the action of speaking, or acting on behalf of the kingdom of God. Haven understood that, I want us to start our conversation from Luke 22:29. We will read quite a number of Scriptures, but please let us follow the Holy Spirit this morning. Jesus speaking to His disciples, He said; “And I bestow upon you a kingdom, just as My Father bestowed one upon Me…”

 

Please I want us to take note of that word ‘bestow’. Jesus said and I bestow upon you a kingdom. What does that word ‘bestow’ mean? Jesus said I confer on you a kingdom; I assign you a kingdom. He said I give you the right, I grant you access to a kingdom. Just as My Father bestow one upon Me. You will see that He repeated that bestow in the sense of I bestow upon you, ‘present tense’ a kingdom just as My Father ‘bestowed’. So, I am not giving you something I don’t have legitimate right over. I was conferred a kingdom; I am conferring the same on you. So when we talk about kingdom representation, it comes from Christ. So the first kingdom representative after Adam was Jesus Christ.  That’s why if you go through the book of Romans, it said; sin came from the first Adam, then the last Adam brought in grace, righteousness, life. So after Adam, the next kingdom representative that modelled it to us is Jesus Christ. So, He said, I bestow, because you will see, how did Adam get the kingdom? Adam was the first kingdom representative on the earth.  Let’s go to Genesis, so that we will see how it was conferred on Him. So that you will see that the word that Jesus used in Luke 22:29, is very apt and correct.

 

Genesis 1:28, “Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that ^[h]moves on the earth.” God blessed them. The blessing was conferred on Adam by God. So, that blessing, replace it with kingdom. God conferred blessing on Adam, God bestowed kingdom on Jesus. And the same kingdom, Jesus said I bestow on you. Meaning that the same thing that happened in Genesis 1:28, is what Jesus repeated as a transference in Luke 22:29. So, that when you are doing kingdom representation, let us know how it was from the beginning. God conferred the blessing on Adam, God bestowed the blessing on Jesus, and Jesus bestowed the same kingdom on us. It is the same blessing in Genesis 1:28.

 

Be fruitful, multiply, replenish the earth, subdue it and have dominion. Now let us see the essence of this; remember what Jesus said in Luke 22:29. I bestow on you a kingdom, I confer on you a kingdom, I assign you a kingdom. He said what I say to one, I say to all, He is not just talking to His disciples alone, He is talking about everyone that believes in His name and follows Him. So are you in Christ Jesus, are you a follower and a disciple of Christ? If you have the Holy Spirit resident within you, you are bestowed a kingdom. You have been assigned a kingdom. You have been called a kingdom representative. And what is your task? What is your assignment? You have the action of speaking or acting on behalf of the kingdom. That's our responsibility, that is our role. But there are three expressions to this role. So, we are going to go very quickly to see 2 Corinthians 5:20, then we go into the three critical things we need to know about how to represent the kingdom.

 

Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ Who bestowed on us a kingdom? Christ! I bestow a kingdom on you as my Father has bestowed one on Me. The Bible now said in that verse 20, "now then" because of the transference of this kingdom, the Bible says now we are ambassadors for Christ. We are Christ representatives; we are sent to speak for Christ. We have the action of speaking and acting on behalf of Christ. So when we say you are a kingdom representative, you are Christ representatives. Because the Bible says that the kingdoms of this world has become the kingdoms of our God and of His Christ.

 

So the kingdom bestowed on Christ, has Christ as the identity of that kingdom. So the kingdom He bestowed on you, is a kingdom in His name- the kingdom of Christ. So you are Christ representatives. Say this to yourself; I am Christ representative, I act and speak on behalf of Christ. That is the message of the kingdom. That's not religion. Religion will make you think you can never measure up to Christ. Yesterday we were taught that-about righteousness.

 

Everybody trying to cook up their own righteousness. Trying to measure up to God on their own standard. But we are Christ representatives because we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus. See what the Bible says; now then we are ambassadors of Christ, as though God was pleading through us, we implore you on Christ behalf. See how apostle Paul is speaking, we implore you on Christ behalf, what is he doing? He is doing the work of a kingdom representative. We are ambassadors, when we speak, we don't speak of our own authority. When we come to you we don't have an opinion of our own. We speak on behalf of Christ. When we show up we don't show up in our own authority, we show up on behalf of Christ. Is that not what we learnt when the Holy Spirit was teaching us the comprehensive name of Jesus Christ? That when we appear we appear in His name, that's what representatives do. You don't need to be the one that has all the authority, He has it. Once you are representing Him, the same authority is what you carry. Have you seen those epic movies where kings send out their representatives, and the take a signet or a staff or a symbol of the king? And they go and deliver a message, once they get to the place, the king is not present, all they have is the symbol and the presence of the representative. The person will bow as though the king is there.

 

That's the same way circumstances and situations must bow to the name of Jesus on your lips as though Jesus is physically present. Because you are His representative, that's what kingdom representation speaks about. When you appear, you don't appear like a weakling, you don't appear as one that does not have authority, because those are the things that Jesus did that made the Pharisees afraid. They said see how he speaks as one that has authority. If it only happened to Jesus we would have said it is because it's Jesus. When they got to Antioch and the people discovered that these were unlearned men, these were men that have not gone to school, these were men that did not graduate from Harvard or oxford and they saw them speaking wisdom in excellence, they perceived that these people had been with Jesus.

 

They missed it, they said these are little Christ, no! They were Christ representatives; they were His ambassadors. They will appear as though Christ has appeared. They will speak in His name and things Jesus will do physically will happen. Jesus raised Jarius daughter to life, Peter raised Dorcas to life. Everything as though Jesus were present, representing Him. So, when we understand kingdom representation, we will not struggle and the devil will not mess around with us. Because kingdom representation is in the heart of our assignment on the earth. There is nothing God has called you to do, that is outside representation. You are not God but you are the son, steward, servant of God. So when you come and show up, it is as though God has showed up because you are representing Him.

 

It says now then we are ambassadors of Christ as though God were pleading through us, we implore you on Christ behalf, be reconciled to God. what was Jesus doing when He was on the earth? Reconciling men to God, repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand, if I do this by the finger of God, that means the kingdom of God has come upon you. That’s what Jesus was doing, He was preaching the kingdom. So if we are Christ representatives, then we must do the works of Christ. We must represent Him correctly. Are we reconciling men back to God? Are we doing the works of Christ? Because, we are acting and speaking on His behalf. When Christ shows up on a scene, does He show up beggarly or apologetically? If He shows up in authority, then you must show up in authority.

 

If He shows up and there is great healing and power, at work in that place, that’s the same way you must show up. That’s kingdom representation. So, we are Christ ambassadors. We are His representatives. Because, the kingdom is about Christ. The Bible says; He has been given a name that is above every other name, that at the mention of the name of Jesus, at the appearance of that name, every knee will bow, every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord to the glory of God the Father. So, every time we show up, Christ must be seen, God must be glorified, that’s our assignment. And that’s why we need the Holy Spirit.

 

The Holy Spirt has come to show us Christ and to glorify God. That’s why you cannot live on the earth representing the kingdom without the Holy Spirit. The Spirit of the kingdom is the Spirit that ushers us into allowing the world to see Christ in us and the glory of God on the earth. Kingdom representation is not possible outside the Holy Spirit.  The Bible says; handkerchief and aprons were taken from the body of Apostle Paul, and they were taken to sick people, and they were healed. The shadow of Peter was healing the sick. Don’t look at them and say O they are apostles of the Lamb; they have been impacted. He has given us His Spirit, the supply of grace. In the person of the Holy Spirit. He said it is to your advantage that I go, howbeit when I go, the Father will send the Spirit in My name, then I will send My Spirit to you and then it will be in you, it won’t come and visit you, it will be in you, and you will start doing marvelous things.

 

When the disciples were asking, when will you return the kingdom to Israel? He said leave those matters but your own responsibility is tarry here in Jerusalem, until you are endued with the power from on high. Acts 2, the Spirit of the Lord came, there was a sound as a rushing mighty wind and the Holy Spirit fell in that place, 120 of them were filled with the Holy Spirit with cloven tongues of fire on each and every one of them, and they started representing the kingdom. Kingdom representation is not possible without the Holy Spirit. And that’s why these three things we will be sharing together this morning, are critical and it’s not possible without the Holy Spirit. They are not possible; you can’t work in these dimensions without the help of the Holy Spirit.

 

 

THREE CRITICAL EXPRESSIONS OF OUR REPRESENTATION IN THE KINGDOM

 

Number One: SONSHIP: Matthew 5:9. “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.” there are people that argue that it’s not possible to attain sonship in God, that when you come to God, everybody is a slave. You are not a slave; you are a son. And the reason why sonship is number one is because everything you do must come from the place of sonship. If you are not a son, other expressions are not possible. The first expression you must attain, is the expression of sonship. They shall be called sons of God. so being a son of God is possible. Luke 6:35, I am starting from here so that we would understand that even Jesus had made mention of these things not just in the epistles. “But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High.” Jesus said you will be sons of the most-high. So, you must attain sonship and sonship is possible.

 

John 1:12, I am reading all these Scriptures deliberately because this is the most important, because it is from this expression that other expressions come about. John 1:12-13. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the ^[e]right who gave the right? But as many as receive Christ, as many as have received Christ, He gave them the right, He conferred on them the right, He gave them access to become children of God. Who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. when you accept Christ, you are born unto God as a child. But haven been born as a child you must attain sonship. Romans 8:13-14. For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. ¹⁴ For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are- as many as are led, in the leadership, under the tutelage of the Holy Spirit, they are the sons of God.

 

The sons of God are not common place, those that have received Him, believed in Him, He has given right to become children, but as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God. these are the people that have attained sonship. So, you must be a son. So the first critical expression of kingdom representation is that you are a son. You cannot represent the kingdom as a child. Have you seen any king that wants to send a special envoy and they will send a two-year-old alone? No! it will be foolishness. You must attain maturity. And that is why the leadership of the Holy Spirit is critical. Without His leadership you can’t attain maturity in this kingdom. Maturity does not fall on people in the kingdom, you become born again and you just become mature, no! you must be led.

 

You must be led into sonship. When you get into sonship, yes, you are ready to represent the Father. So, we must be sons, very important. 1 John 3, I just implore that we read the rest, there are so many Scriptures. 1 John 3:9-10. Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God. ¹⁰ In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother.  Now, if you go through all these Scriptures, it teaches you and tells us how to attain sonship. The first Scriptures we read says blessed are the peace makers. So you must walk in peace to become a son of God. that’s why Galatians 5:21 talks about the fruits of the Spirit. These are the fruits that the Spirit of God bears. Love, joy, peace; these are the levels in which the Holy Spirit will lead you to become a son.

 

Sons are those that have the spirit representative in their lives. When you see the life of the son of God, you will see these things at work. You will see these fruits, you will see that the son is a tree of righteousness, bearing fruits of the Spirit. The Holy Spirit is repeating this to us, sounding a note of warning, this is the principal point of expression to representing. You must attain sonship for accurate and correct kingdom representation. Because until God can certify you a son, all the others can’t be acceptable, you must be a son.

 

Number Two: STEWARDSHIP. Genesis 2:15. When God created Adam in His image and in His likeness, the Bible says in verse 7 of Genesis 2, and God formed the man of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and man became a living being. One the things God did with Adam came from God as a son not a child. God made him a son straight. Adam came from God as a representative of God. Scripture says let us make man in our image, according to our likeness, and God conferred sonship, blessed Him, fill the earth and have dominion and Adam became a son. Then in verse 15, God took the man, the son. If you remember the prophecy of Jesus in Isaiah, it says; unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given. Sons are gifts in the kingdom.

 

That is why in the kingdom, sonship is so important. You are not a gift from the kingdom to the world until you become a son. And it says the government will be on His shoulder, He will steward it. Now Genesis 2:15, then God took the man and put Him in the garden of Eden, to do what? To tend and keep it. Adam became a steward. Who is a steward? A trustee, who owned the garden? God. who is the steward of the garden? Adam.  But Adam will not steward the garden of God if he was not a son.  When God created him, God didn’t create him and quickly put him in the garden, there was a process. And that is why in the kingdom of God, God is more interested in the process of your life and your becoming than the things that you do for Him.

 

You can be in a hurry from today till tomorrow, if God says you are not ready, you are not ready. And that is why God will invest a lot to make us ready. And God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and to keep it, Stewardship. When you have become a son, you will now become a trustee. You become a steward. This is the second expression of kingdom representation. You represent the kingdom of God in stewardship, you steward the resources of God. if you read from verse 8 down to verse 14, you will see the kind of investment that God handed over to Adam. God planted a garden, eastward in Eden. Fed it with four rivers, and started talking about the gold, the trees, all the things that are in it, but God handed it over to Adam to steward after he had attained sonship.

 

Romans 14:12. “¹² So then each of us shall give account of himself to God.” This was the thing that happened to Adam. Adam did not understand that he was but a steward. He was living in the garden as though he owned it. When it was time for him to give account. That was why God will always come to him in the cool of the day, to see; Adam how are you faring? Hope you are stewarding correctly; hope you are faithful? That’s why the Bible says it is required of a steward to be found faithful. Because it’s not yours.

 

When Jesus wanted to show us the example of stewarding, he gave us the parable of the talent, it said a master was going on a journey, and he gave his servants talents, one five, one two, and another one. And he went but by the time he came back, they were to settle account. And the one that had five came and see master you gave me five, you entrusted me with five talents, I have traded with it and I have five more. The one that had two came and said master you entrusted me with two, I have traded with it and I have two more. The one that had one came and said master I know you love to reap where you did not sow, how can you put me here and you will just go?  How can you just go like that I did not even see you? What I just did so that there won’t be any loss, I buried it, what you gave me to steward for you, this is how you gave me, take it back.

 

And the Bible says God called him a wicked servant. He said at least you should have kept it in the bank, there would be little interest in it, you should have at least use this talent, if you cannot start a trade on your own, go and trade with those that are already trading. Put it in the bank, banks trade with your money, when you deposit money in the bank, it’s not just lying there, they trade with it, if you don’t have anything else to do with the money, give it to those that are trading. Let them at least trade with what you have. So if steward is required to be found faithful, in kingdom representation, what God has given to you, God expects you to come and settle account. It says so then each of us shall give account of himself to God. so each son as a steward will give account. Father this is what I did with what you gave me. The voice that you gave me, the wisdom that you gave me, the honor that you gave me, the blessing that you gave me, this is what I have been able to do with them.

 

That’s stewardship, you are holding in trust, you are a trustee. Tend and keep it. What have God given to you? Tend and keep it. Everything God gives to you comes with an instruction. There’s always that underlining instruction that comes with it. Sampson had an instruction for his gifts but he abused it. That’s why it is critical that we first attain sonship, maturity before we start stewarding. So that you don’t steward the wrong way. Because when you attain sonship you attain maturity, you know how to handle stewardship. You can’t run into stewardship if you have not attained sonship.  

 

Number Three: SERVANTHOOD. 1 Corinthians 3:9. ⁹ For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field; you are God’s building. For we are Gods fellow workers, we are working with God, we serve at the pleasure of the king, we are His fellow workers. So when God has an assignment, He says boys we are moving to Nigeria, particularly to FCT-Bwari lets go, and you show up, you are serving, wherever He wants you to be, that is where you are. You are not gallivanting; you are a waiter. You wait on Him to see where He wants to send us, we are not going ahead of Him, we are not coming behind Him, we are waiting on Him right where He is that’s where we are. It takes attaining sonship to understand servanthood. When the disciples of Jesus wanted to be gallivanting up and down, He said even Me that is your master, I am one among you that serves. The one that wants to be the greatest among you, let Him be the servant of all. You willing to serve? Are you ready to serve? Are ready to serve the pleasure of the king. Kingdom representation has to do with servanthood.

 

2 Corinthians 6:4. We give no offense in anything, that our ministry may not be blamed. ⁴ But in all things we commend ourselves as ministers of God: -as servants of God, in much ^[a]patience, in tribulations, in needs, in distresses, ⁵ in stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labors, in sleeplessness, in fastings; ⁶ by purity, by knowledge, by longsuffering, by kindness, by the Holy Spirit, by sincere love, ⁷ by the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armor of righteousness on the right hand and on the left, ⁸ by honor and dishonor, by evil report and good report; as deceivers, and yet true; ⁹ as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold we live; as chastened, and yet not killed; ¹⁰ as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things. That is how we serve.  Serving at the pleasure of the king. Job said even though He slays me yet will I praise Him. Serving His every word, serving every commandment that comes from Him. It takes sonship to serve.

 

Imagine if apostle Paul has not attained sonship, he cannot serve, service requires you coming low, there are certain things that you will encounter, some will not be palatable, and you are still staying there serving, it takes maturity. I will conclude with Mark 16, because it is important we listen to the voice of Jesus concerning this. Because Jesus now sums up everything in this statement He made.  Mark 16:17-18. “And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; ¹⁸ they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” Jesus summed up these three expressions of the kingdom representation in this statement.

 

He said those that believe in me, those that have become sons, their life will show the things they steward, and they will serve. So these three kingdom expressions are critical if truly we want to represent the kingdom, if truly we want to represent the King of kings and the Lord of lords, we must attain sonship, we must steward faithfully, and serve relentlessly. And I pray the Lord will help us as we give ourselves over to this assignment in the name of Jesus.

Thanks for the gift of your time, I am Lara Gboyega Adedeji!

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