What Is the Kingdom? | The End of the Exile

by Alan Smith

Therefore the Lord God sent him out of the Garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken. So He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the Garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.
Genesis 3:23–24

He broke the rules and was banned for life from Major League Baseball. How many sports talk shows have filled their airtime discussing whether or not Pete Rose should be allowed in the Hall of Fame? Too many! Few argue that he’s not guilty, but many still desire to see the all-time hits leader restored to the game he was so clearly destined to play.

We too have been banned for life—exiled. God promised that one day the exile would be over. The story of Israel is a story of exile and return. When Jesus arrived, Israel was longing for an end to their exile. They longed for YHWH to forgive their sins, return to Zion, restore the Temple and priesthood, defeat their enemies and vindicate the faithful who truly belonged to Him.

When Jesus announced the arrival of the kingdom of God, this was heard and understood as an announcement that, in Jesus, the exile was finally coming to an end. Of course, they were thinking too small and expected this to manifest in the defeat of Rome, but in a real sense, Jesus came to do exactly what they were expecting Messiah to do. He embodied YHWH’s return to Zion. He provided for the forgiveness of sins. Our bodies are now the temple. His people are now a holy priesthood. He has defeated our true enemy--the serpent, the devil. The exile is over.

Your sins are forgiven. The relational distance between you and God is no more. Your body is His temple, the place where His glory dwells. You are His priest. Your enemy is defeated. Your exile is over. That’s part of what the kingdom of God is—the end of your exile. Start living like it!

1. In what ways do we as believers sometimes live as if we are still in exile?

2. The end of exile means that we are no longer separated from God’s presence. What can you do to live more fully aware of God’s presence in your life each day?

3. Your enemy is defeated! Are there some areas in your life where you need to experience this reality? Take a moment to declare God’s victory through Jesus in each area that comes to mind.

What is Repentance? | Laying Down Your Life

by Alan Smith

He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.
John 12:25–26

I’ve been blessed with three wonderful children. As great as they are, I must admit there are some lessons I haven’t had to teach them, like how to not share, and they all learned the same exact first word—“mine!” It seems all three emerged from the womb as the star of their own movie and the center of their own universe. They were born completely ruled by what they think, feel and want. My mom tells similar stories about me. How about you?

God created each of us with a soul. Our souls include our mind, will and emotions. Prior to Adam’s sin, God designed my soul to yield to His presence and voice through a unity of my spirit with His. When Adam sinned, that unity was severed, and mankind became ruled by the soul rather than submission to God by the Spirit. After The Fall, humans  came into the world ruled by the soul—what they think, feel and want.

Jesus operated differently. He yielded His soul to the Father. Instead of exalting His soul, Jesus laid His down. The Bible speaks of Jesus laying down His “life,” this is always translated from the Greek word that means “soul.”

Jesus laid down His life (soul) on the cross, and in doing so, He made a way for us to lay down ours as well. How do we lay down our lives? How do we die to ourselves? We lay down our soul—what we think, feel and want! True repentance is a daily decision to lose our lives in this way. Jesus promises if we will lay down the life of our soul, we gain eternal life.

1.  What area of your life is most difficult to lay down?

2.  How does Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross help you with this?

3.  How would your relationships be different if you were to more fully and consistently lay down your life?