The Kingdom Within by Rev. Christine Emmerling 11/13/22 (text)
“The Kingdom Within” Rev. Dr. Christine 11/13/2022
Today I’m talking on “The Kingdom Within.” Jesus the Christ’s main message was about God’s kingdom. The Jews at that time thought of God as being far away with the stars. And where the stars were was known as the heavens. This way of thinking of heaven as out there somewhere along with God, only got more entrenched in Christianity as the years passed.
I remember being told that there was a small speck of God within us. But, mostly was taught that we were separate from God. It was all very confusing for me. Then as an adult I began to search out for myself, and found in the Bible in Luke 17:19-21, “When Jesus was demanded of the Pharisees, when the Kingdom of God should come, he answered them, the Kingdom of God cometh not with observation: Neither shall they say, Lo here or, lo there! For, behold, the Kingdom of God is within you.” That was a revelation for me.
We find in the Bible the sayings “The Kingdom of God” and “The Kingdom of Heaven” as being interchangeable. Fannie Brooks James says in her book Truth and Health: the Kingdom of God is a state of harmony within you. Source of all harmonious conditions. The Kingdom of Heaven is harmonious conditions - The Divine Principle made manifest on earth, and in the body. The Kingdom of God is at hand.
Then by Charles Fillmore in the Revealing Word, the Kingdom of God is the Christ consciousness, the Kingdom of Heaven. Then the Kingdom of Heaven is the realm of divine ideas producing their expression, perfect harmony. It is within us. Kingdom within - that realm in man’s consciousness where he knows and understands God.
Jesus’ message of the Kingdom of God is Within You was known as the Good News to go forth and preach. What is this Kingdom like? According to the Holy Bible Jesus had a lot to say about this Kingdom within us.
In, Matt 6:5-8, Jesus is teaching his disciples in how to pray by entering into their inner chamber and lock their door, and pray to their Father who is in secret. This is saying to go within our own consciousness, that quiet place within our mind where its just our self. We take our attention away from the world, worldly thoughts and concerns. Being in the Kingdom of God requires our full attention.
Today’s Bible readings are translated from the Aramaic language by Lamsa. Holy Bible. In Matt 6:9-13, he gives the Lords Prayer as a method to praying: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven so on earth. Give us bread for our needs from day to day. And forgive us our offences, as we have forgiven our offenders. And do not let us enter into temptation, but deliver us from error. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory for ever and ever. Amen.
We first acknowledge the Infinite Divine Presence, and know as sacred. Then we claim God’s will is done in heaven, in consciousness, and what is done in consciousness is also done in our earthly experiences. Next we acknowledge God as our source for all our needs as in our daily bread or spiritual nourishment. We then practice forgiveness. We ask for guidance that we be led aright. And, close with acknowledging God as the only power and goodness, and that it is forever eternally so.
In Matt 6:31-34 we are assured that God’s Kingdom provides for all our needs. Jesus says “Therefore do not worry or say, what will we eat, or what will we drink, or with what will we be clothed? For worldly people seek after all those things. Your Father in Heaven knows that all of these things are also necessary for you. But seek first the Kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will look after itself. Sufficient for each day is its own trouble.”
Just imagine Jesus teaching the Jewish people about this new kind of God, who’s kingdom is within them. They didn’t have a word at that time for consciousness that pervades everything and is within as our very being. So, when I read Kingdom of Heaven, I think of our Christ or Divine consciousness, our holy temple within us, and where our thoughts are about God, Truth and Oneness.
In the following parables Jesus is speaking about the Kingdom of Heaven to the multitudes: Behold, a sower went out to sow; and when he had sown, some seed fell on the roadside, and the fowls came and ate it.
Other seed fell upon the rock where there was not sufficient soil; and it sprang up earlier because the ground was not deep enough; but when the sun shone, it was scorched, and because it had no root, it dried up; and other seed fell among thistles, and the thistles sprang up and choked it. And other seed fell in good soil and bore fruit, some one hundredfold and some sixty and some thirty. Matt 13:3-9.
Jesus was explaining that the more the soul is prepared in consciousness the greater is the understanding and the greater is the abundance. The lesser the spirituality the lesser the abundance, and the soul deeply entrenched in a material physical world, reaps nothing of the kingdom’s abundance. Even what little appears to be received, is not taken to heart, and is quickly lost among all the other beliefs. Basically a person will not hear the true message, or it won’t take root and stay with them unless they have an open and willing heart to learn something new.
Malinda Cramer, in Divine Science and Healing states “In the beginning of study of Divine Science if students do not understand it they should indulge no argument within themselves from the standpoint of previous beliefs and opinions; nor should they argue with others, from that standpoint, about what they do not understand. In calm meditation learn to reason from the plane of Unity. Commence your calculation in Infinite Being, where all things commence, and you will know the Truth that frees.”
Then in another parable, in Matt 13:24-30, he says the kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. And when men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went away. But when the blade sprang up and bore fruit, then the tares (weeds) also appeared. So, the servants of the landowner came and said to him, our lord, behold, did you not sow good seed in your field; whence did the tares come into it?
He said to them, an enemy did this. His servants then said to him, do you want us to go and pull them out? But he said to them, It might happen that while you were pulling out the tares, you might uproot with them also the wheat. Let them both grow together until the harvest; and at the harvest season, I will say to the reapers; Pick out first the tares and bind them into bundles to be burned; but gather the wheat into my barns.
The enemy represents our subconscious mind where all our beliefs seeped in fear, doubt, lack and limitation of all kinds. The tares represent our negative beliefs, doubts, limitations and fear, and the seed represents the truth received in consciousness. But, if the focus becomes on the tares to uproot, rather than nurturing and affirming what is true, they both may be rooted up, and leave confusion. This is much like arguing or discussing your opinions with others that have no agreement. Wait until the truth has matured, grown strong within our consciousness. Then nothing can make us waiver in our truth, and the tares can be safely removed.
In our Divine Science teachings on prayer, we use denials to reason out our old beliefs knowing they have no real power of themself, and then immediately follow with an affirmation of truth.
In Matt 13:31 He related another parable to them, saying, The Kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field. It is the smallest of all seeds; but when it is grown, it is larger than all the herbs; and it becomes a tree so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches.
Here again the seed is truth, and even the smallest amount of truth that we take and nurture in our consciousness will grow and become strong and be a foundation to support even more truth as its received.
Another parable in Matt 13:44, Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a treasure which is hidden in the field, which a man discovered and hid, and because of his joy, he went and sold everything he had, and bought that field.” And, in Matt 13:45-46, “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant who was seeking good pearls. And when he had found one costly pearl, he went and sold everything he had, and bought it.”
Here the parables are speaking of the value of truth, and how we seek it, and when we find it will secure and treasure it above all else in our life. No material thing can compare to its value.
Then in Matt 13:47, again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net which was thrown into the sea, and it gathered fish of every kind. When it was filled, they drew it to the shore, and sat down and sorted them; the good ones they put into bags, and the bad they threw away.
This parable is another one about separating the false beliefs from the truth. We hear a lot of different and contradictory opinions, and for us to sit down in quietude and discern what is truth. And, then release all that isn’t of value.
Many people of today are just as closed to the deeper teachings of Christ Jesus. Or they try to mix them, as with the parable of the wine skins, when Jesus warns against putting new wine into old wineskins, or to patch the old wineskin with new skin. Instead, we need to release the old worn ideas and have an open mind ready for the new ideas of truth to mature.
And Jesus said that the Kingdom of God is at hand, right here and now it is within us, and it is the Christ consciousness. But it is more than just within us, it is all of us. God is expressing in through and as us. It becomes real to us as we acknowledge this truth and live it in our lives as unconditional compassionate love, harmony, peace, love, power, knowledge, wisdom and abundance. Then we too shall know and see heaven on earth.