The Kingdom Rules

Scripture:
 Genesis 1:26-28 “Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28Then 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 moves on the earth.”

I. The first rule of the Kingdom of God.
A. Be fruitful
B. Being fruitful means fulfilling the destiny and purpose of a thing.
C. As God’s people, we represent Him as His ambassadors.
Ephesians 6:17-22 “And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; 18praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—19and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, 20for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.”
D. Being fruitful also means that we take on the attributes of the One who has created us in His image and after His likeness.
Galatians 5:22-25 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. 24And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.”

II. The second rule of the Kingdom of God.
A. Multiply. We have a responsibility to help enlarge the Kingdom of God on the earth.
B. The earth must be filled with people who are the offspring of God.
C. Our respons8ibility is to bring a message that allows people to be birthed into the Kingdom of God.
II Corinthians 5:18-19 “All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation; 19that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us” (NRSV)
D. The earth was especially created to be inhabited with God’s people.
Isaiah 45:18 “For thus says the LORD, Who created the heavens, Who is God, Who formed the earth and made it, Who has established it, Who did not create it in vain, Who formed it to be inhabited: “I am the LORD, and there is no other.”

III. The third rule of the Kingdom of God.
A. Subdue the earth.
B. This is a charge to walk in the authority that God’s gives to us when we come into relationship with Him.
Matthew 10:1 “And when He had called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease.”
C. The seventy return to Jesus excited over the authority Christ had given to them.
Luke 10:18-20 “Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. 20Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.”
D. The whole earth is actually waiting with anticipation for the people of God to be revealed.
Romans 8:19-21 “For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God; 20for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope 21that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.” (NRSV)

IV. The fourth rule of the Kingdom of God.
A. Have dominion.
B. Having dominion begins when we gain dominion over our own spirit.
Proverbs 16:32 “He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.”
C. God is preparing a people who will have the ability to rule with Him in His eternal Kingdom.
Revelation 3:20-22 “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. 21To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. 22“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”’”
D. Overcoming is a demonstration of our dominion.
Revelation 12:10-11 “Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down. 11And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.”

V. We follow these rules because we are citizens of the Kingdom of God.
Psalm 103:19 “The LORD has established His throne in heaven, and His kingdom rules over all.”
A. The earth and everything in it belongs to the Lord.
Psalm 24:1-2 “The earth is the LORD’S, and all its fullness, the world and those who dwell therein. 2 for He has founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the waters.”
B. Kingdom citizens stand before the King to offer praise and worship and to receive blessing from His hand.
Psalm 24:3-5 “Who may ascend into the hill of the LORD? Or who may stand in His holy place? 4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, nor sworn deceitfully. 5 He shall receive blessing from the LORD, and righteousness from the God of his salvation.”
C. The goal of all God’s Kingdom citizens is to see the earth submitted to the Kingdom of Heaven.
Matthew 6:9-10 “In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name .10 Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”
D. Kingdom citizens are spiritually alive because of the breath of God.
Genesis 2:7 “And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.”
John 20:21-22 “So Jesus said to them again, “Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” 22And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.”