24 Principle of the Kingdom of God System
It's different facets and functions are as real as life, taxes, sprained knees, stubbed toes, beautiful moments, and precious sunsets. They are real principles active in the spiritual world, constantly affecting the physical world.
If we live by these principles Jesus taught, we will have a roadmap of great wisdom to navigate the ups and downs of this life. If we ignore them, we may find ourselves blundering from one disaster to another not understanding why things are going the way they are.
Simply, this is how to live on Earth during the fall. The Kingdom of God system defined in the parables is our guide for life.
Let’s compare it to the American way of life. There are certain rules by which we live as Americans, and when we live these things, we succeed in the American system.
It’s simple stuff. We have a bank account at a local bank. We work a job. We show up to work on time. We do our best at our work. We pay our rent on time. We buy groceries. We do our dishes. We do our laundry. We have some mode of transportation. We regularly clean our homes. We have an alarm clock that is set. We have a cell phone to communicate with others. We’ve learned to read, to write, to understand language. All of these things play into a successful American life. If I stop doing any one of these things, my American life starts to get messed up.
Say that I stop doing my laundry. I’m going to survive for a while. I wear dirty clothes over and over. But pretty soon this causes me problems, and I get into trouble and can’t function right.
Let’s say I don’t use an alarm clock. Ok, I do ok for a while, but eventually I miss work, and eventually I lose my job, and pretty soon other areas of my American life system are messed up as well.
You see this with someone who starts drinking too much, it begins to affect every area of their life. They can’t hold a job. They stop doing their dishes, they pile up, they don’t do laundry, lose their cell phone. And eventually everything is out of whack.
It’s the same way with the kingdom of God. If we ignore certain parts of the kingdom of God system, we start to see our Christian life disrupted. And it disrupts everything else. If we stop praying, it starts to hurt other areas of our Christian life. If we stop forgiving others, we start getting bitter, it hurts our walk with Christ. If we stop going to church, if we disregard prophecy, if we go too comfortable in our salvation, if we start allowing sin a foothold, all these things can cause us to do something the Bible calls “stumbling.”
We start to stumble. The Holy Spirit convicts us, to make a change. If we do, we stop stumbling, and we get back on track. If we refuse the Spirit’s leading, we start to stumble more and more, and eventually we start to “fall.” The Spirit urges us to get back up, so we do, and we stumble along, and eventually find our footing again.
In any case, it’s very similar in the kingdom of God, if we live by the teachings of Christ in the parables, we find a smooth Christian life, we walk with Jesus, it’s not easy, but we’re able to fly above the storms of life. If we don’t it starts to get more and more difficult.
The kingdom of God as explained in the parables is kind of like the armor of God. It’s a complete picture of how to live rightly in this world. With all the principles of the kingdom of God, we are able to live a proper Christian life, honoring God in all things.
So let’s take a look at the parables as one big picture.
1. Our Return Home - Parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32)
First, the parable of the prodigal son identifies our position apart from Christ, a child who has gone astray. Squandering their inheritance. Ruining themselves. Ruining the gifts God gave them. But God’s heart is for the prodigal to grow so weary in the emptiness of this fallen world, that the prodigal returns to Him. And the Father runs out toward the prodigal, covers him in a new robe, and throws a celebration, he’s so excited he's returned to Him.
That’s the heart of God to the lost. The ultimate purpose of the kingdom of God is God’s glory and victory in our wonderful return home.
Or not. Free will is baked into this whole equation. We can return home or we can face judgment and condemnation. Oddly enough both scenarios bring glory to God, mercy or justice. But God prefers we return home safely.
First, the parable of the prodigal son identifies our position apart from Christ, a child who has gone astray. Squandering their inheritance. Ruining themselves. Ruining the gifts God gave them. But God’s heart is for the prodigal to grow so weary in the emptiness of this fallen world, that the prodigal returns to Him. And the Father runs out toward the prodigal, covers him in a new robe, and throws a celebration, he’s so excited he's returned to Him.
That’s the heart of God to the lost. The ultimate purpose of the kingdom of God is God’s glory and victory in our wonderful return home.
Or not. Free will is baked into this whole equation. We can return home or we can face judgment and condemnation. Oddly enough both scenarios bring glory to God, mercy or justice. But God prefers we return home safely.
2. Whosoever is Welcome - Parable of the Marriage Feast (Matthew 22:1-14) - Those invited to God's kingdom had at first been the nation of Israel, but now it's gone out to the whosoever. Wealth, class, ability, lack of ability, race, gender, it doesn't matter, the kingdom of God is open to anyone who is willing to come and participate in accordance with the rules of the system.
3. You can Start at any Age - Parable of Laborers in the Vineyard (Matthew 20:1-16) - For the kingdom of God, it's best to start from birth, being raised up in Christ, but, even if you join in when you're fifteen, or twenty-five, or forty, or seventy, you are welcome, and you will be rewarded for your labor.
4. It Starts Small - Mustard Seed Parable (Matthew 13:31-32) - The Kingdom of God system begins very small, a person is born again and they are a new Christian. They've been declared righteous in Christ, but a long journey of growth (sanctification) is just beginning. Over the years the kingdom grows and grows within them, and they go from a tiny mustard seed, to a large and mighty tree.
5. Transformation - Parable of the Wineskins (Luke 5:37-39)
Remember the parable of the old cloth on a new coat, or the new wine into old wineskins? When the Father puts his garment on the prodigal son, just as when he puts his garments of righteousness on us, we become new people. And we are called to a new way of life. The old human can’t be the kingdom of God in the world. Only a born again person can be.
Remember the parable of the old cloth on a new coat, or the new wine into old wineskins? When the Father puts his garment on the prodigal son, just as when he puts his garments of righteousness on us, we become new people. And we are called to a new way of life. The old human can’t be the kingdom of God in the world. Only a born again person can be.
Only the new can inherit eternal life. This can only be accomplished by God changing us inside. The truth is written on our hearts. We are new people, this is God’s work in us.
6. Sin comes from Within - Parable of the Heart of Man (Mark 7:14-23) - In general things that go into us, food or drink, or things outside of us aren't the main cause of sin. In the Kingdom of God we understand sin comes from our hearts, the things we think, the temptations we battle. Don't look at externals, look within, and ask God to bring change in your heart. Don't allow anyone to claim victimhood to external circumstances. The heart is the issue, and God can change the heart to produce good things in Christ.
7. First Importance (Value) Treasure in a Field (Matthew 13:44-46)
The parable of the hidden treasure in the field, or the pearl of great value, reminds us of the immense value of the salvation we’ve found in Christ. It’s everything. We should value it in such a way that our whole way of life is transformed. It’s a pearl of great value, infinite value.
Jesus tells the parable of the good shepherd who leaves the 99 to find the lost sheep. If a Christian gets lost, Jesus comes seeking after them, to bring them home. How important is it? The most.
The lost coin parable, of a woman who loses a coin of great values and sweeps the house and finds it, illustrates the value of God's kingdom. She celebrates to illustrate the excitement of heaven when one sinner turns to Christ.
Principle five of the kingdom reminds us nothing is more important than what we’ve found in Christ. Therefore, keep God first in your life, seek first His kingdom and His righteousness (Matthew 6:33).
The parable of the hidden treasure in the field, or the pearl of great value, reminds us of the immense value of the salvation we’ve found in Christ. It’s everything. We should value it in such a way that our whole way of life is transformed. It’s a pearl of great value, infinite value.
Jesus tells the parable of the good shepherd who leaves the 99 to find the lost sheep. If a Christian gets lost, Jesus comes seeking after them, to bring them home. How important is it? The most.
The lost coin parable, of a woman who loses a coin of great values and sweeps the house and finds it, illustrates the value of God's kingdom. She celebrates to illustrate the excitement of heaven when one sinner turns to Christ.
Principle five of the kingdom reminds us nothing is more important than what we’ve found in Christ. Therefore, keep God first in your life, seek first His kingdom and His righteousness (Matthew 6:33).
8. Commitment - Count the Cost (Luke 14:25-35)
So as we build this new life, we’re told to count the cost, recognize the cost of being a disciple of Jesus. Therefore be a wise builder, who builds on the rock of Jesus Christ. That’s similar to the wineskins parable, because we can’t build on the old way, we have to build on the new way, having been transformed by Christ. We are a new project, a new creation, and we’re being transformed over our lives into the likeness of Jesus Christ.
Count the cost, and the dedication needed to complete this journey. The way is narrow that leads to life. You must take up your cross daily and follow Jesus. You must forsake the world, and follow the new path completely. It’s a big commitment.
Luke 14:27 says, "Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple." And again in verse 33, "So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple."
In short: Go all in.
9. Redeemed Redeemer - Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37) The parable of the good Samaritan mirrors the prodigal son, God says, this is my heart toward you, like a Father coming to welcome his lost son home, now do the same with the lost and hurting around you, rescue those who are in danger, show them my love, through your actions.
The principle is that once we’ve returned, we help return others. Makes sense. We’ve found precious gold, now help others find it too. Basic.
10. Expect varied Responses to the Gospel - Parable of the Sower (Matthew 13:1-23) - Our attitude in sharing the gospel should be to spread the seed far and wide. Depending on the condition of each heart receiving it, they may receive it gladly, then fall away, or reject it, or it may get crowded out by the ways of the world, but some will receive it and produce their own harvests in Christ. We may be surprised by who rejects the message, and even more surprised by those who receive it gladly. Allow God to surprise you.
11. Hypocrites in the Kingdom - Weeds among Wheat (Matthew 13:24-30) - in the kingdom we will encounter people who seem to be in the kingdom but are not living out what it means to be a Christian. We should not trouble ourselves in trying to sort out whose saved and who isn't. We may mislabel someone who is a new believer as a hypocrite, or a hypocrite as a true follower. The weeds and the wheat are growing together, and Jesus will sort out each grouping when he returns (Parable of the Net) (Matthew 13:47-50).
12. Shine brightly - (but don't show off) - Parable of the Lamp (Mark 4:21-25) - The Kingdom of God system requires members to shine brightly before the world as an example of faith and why it's good. We don't hide our beliefs, or refuse to speak for fear of making waves or offending someone. We speak. However, we are also told not to act like the Pharisees who did things to be seen by others. They wanted to feel important. They wanted to be well thought of. We're told to strike a careful balance of shining for Christ, but not doing it for selfish reasons.
13. Using your Kingdom Talents - The Talents (Matthew 25:14-30) - every saint born into the kingdom of God is given certain talents and abilities to be used to help and bless God's family. If you don't use them, you'll be held accountable. If you do use them, you'll be rewarded. This is also depicted in the parable of the barren fig tree (Luke 13:6-9). Kingdom saints should be consistently producing fruit, if not the Father will correct us, see also the vine and the branches (John 15:1-17).
14. Humility - The Pharisee & the Publican (Luke 18:9-14)
Many of the parables indicate the incredibly important value of staying humble in your walk with Christ. Pride is perhaps the single greatest danger to a Christian, pride tells us to take credit, to judge others, to think of ourselves as better than others, the humility of Christ reminds us to stay so focused on the reality that God is all and my job is to love and serve others.
The parable that best displays this is the parable of the Pharisee and the publican, one man beat his chest and cried out for mercy humbly, and the other, a Pharisee said thank you lord I'm not like this evil tax collector. Which one did God justify? The humble one.
These are all sidelines and boundaries for a kingdom saint, you, and how you’re to live.
Principle six is to embrace humility at every turn, and guard against pride (pride is a chief danger to the kingdom of God system). How? We guard our hearts.
Many of the parables indicate the incredibly important value of staying humble in your walk with Christ. Pride is perhaps the single greatest danger to a Christian, pride tells us to take credit, to judge others, to think of ourselves as better than others, the humility of Christ reminds us to stay so focused on the reality that God is all and my job is to love and serve others.
The parable that best displays this is the parable of the Pharisee and the publican, one man beat his chest and cried out for mercy humbly, and the other, a Pharisee said thank you lord I'm not like this evil tax collector. Which one did God justify? The humble one.
These are all sidelines and boundaries for a kingdom saint, you, and how you’re to live.
Principle six is to embrace humility at every turn, and guard against pride (pride is a chief danger to the kingdom of God system). How? We guard our hearts.
15. Examine Yourself First - Speck and Log (Matthew 7:3-5) - the parable of the speck and the log tells us that we naturally look at others and judge them. But it's different in God's kingdom. in God's kingdom we're told to look at ourselves first, and deal with sins in us, and then we can help others to find freedom from sins as well.
16. Bold Access to the Throne - The Friend at Midnight (Luke 11:5-13) - Kingdom saints have an intensely personal access to God. Kingdom saints should use that access to it's fullest extent. Come boldly before God again and again, boldly asking for assistance, and God brings justice and mercy. You can apply the same principle to other Christians, come to them boldly for assistance. By your audacity, they may just give you what you need.
17. Forgiveness - The Unforgiving Servant (Matthew 18:21-35)
Several of the parables outline the concept of forgiveness, that we must forgive those who have hurt us. That’s how the kingdom works, our sins are forgiven by Jesus own blood so we are commanded to forgive others their wrongs against us, with the caveat, that if we don’t forgive others, we also won’t be forgiven on the last day.
17. Forgiveness - The Unforgiving Servant (Matthew 18:21-35)
Several of the parables outline the concept of forgiveness, that we must forgive those who have hurt us. That’s how the kingdom works, our sins are forgiven by Jesus own blood so we are commanded to forgive others their wrongs against us, with the caveat, that if we don’t forgive others, we also won’t be forgiven on the last day.
This is illustrated in the parable of the unforgiving servant in Matthew 18:21-35. The master cancelled a large debt for his servant, but then the servant went and had a man imprisoned who owed him money. The hypocrisy is searing. We who have sinned so terribly against God have no business holding up unforgiveness to those who have hurt us. Forgive quickly.
18. Persistence - The Persistent Widow (Luke 18:1-8)
Do you recall the parable of the persistent widow? She kept bothering the judge day and night asking for justice and as a result, she finally received what she asked for. That’s how the kingdom of God on earth works too, we must keep praying, keep seeking God, keep crying out, and He answers. But the key is dogged persistence, never giving up, day and night always persistent (Luke 18:1-8).
Do you recall the parable of the persistent widow? She kept bothering the judge day and night asking for justice and as a result, she finally received what she asked for. That’s how the kingdom of God on earth works too, we must keep praying, keep seeking God, keep crying out, and He answers. But the key is dogged persistence, never giving up, day and night always persistent (Luke 18:1-8).
Also, recall the man at midnight, who knocked on his neighbor's door, his audacity and persistence caused his neighbor to wake up and help him, so it is with our Lord, when we are persistent, God sees that and responds.
19. Faithfulness (Proven Faithful) (Matthew 24:45-51)
The test of God in the kingdom system is faithfulness when no one is looking. Will I keep serving God? Will I be committed even when the master is delayed?
19. Faithfulness (Proven Faithful) (Matthew 24:45-51)
The test of God in the kingdom system is faithfulness when no one is looking. Will I keep serving God? Will I be committed even when the master is delayed?
The parable of the faithful servant reminds us to be faithful day in and day out, committed to God, because we don't know when His return will be.
As it says in Matthew 24:45-46, “Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns."
The parable of the rich man and Lazarus reminds us of the consequence of a faithless life. The rich man lived a self-serving life, rejecting God, rejecting the ways of the kingdom, and he paid for it by being sent to hell. And Lazarus had nothing but God, so he received salvation, because he had faith.
20. Action unlocks the kingdom (Matthew 21:28-32)
In the parable of the two sons, the father asks the sons to go out and work in his field. One son says yes, but never goes. The second refuses, but later changes his mind and goes and works in the field. It points right at hypocrites pretending to be part of God’s kingdom and says: Your words don’t matter as much as your actions. They prove who we are. It points to the concept of fruit bearing, you will know people by what their actions produce. That's a key kingdom secret. These are keys that open doors in the kingdom of God. Without them we’re blind and we don’t understand how to live rightly.
Many of the parables are aimed at Israel and how they had failed to recognize the coming of the messiah, and so the kingdom was being passed on to gentiles ahead of them. This is indicated in the parable of the wedding feast where the people invited to the wedding won't come, so the king sends out his servants to the streets and the markets and invites anyone who wants to come. And they come and they celebrate the wedding.
Many of the parables deal with the end times and the final judgment, Jesus clearly wanted us to consider the day when we’re judged and prepare for it carefully.
It all fits together. The parable of the talents reminds us that we will be held accountable for how we use the gifts God has given us. We must prove ourselves faithful in our actions.
20. Action unlocks the kingdom (Matthew 21:28-32)
In the parable of the two sons, the father asks the sons to go out and work in his field. One son says yes, but never goes. The second refuses, but later changes his mind and goes and works in the field. It points right at hypocrites pretending to be part of God’s kingdom and says: Your words don’t matter as much as your actions. They prove who we are. It points to the concept of fruit bearing, you will know people by what their actions produce. That's a key kingdom secret. These are keys that open doors in the kingdom of God. Without them we’re blind and we don’t understand how to live rightly.
Many of the parables are aimed at Israel and how they had failed to recognize the coming of the messiah, and so the kingdom was being passed on to gentiles ahead of them. This is indicated in the parable of the wedding feast where the people invited to the wedding won't come, so the king sends out his servants to the streets and the markets and invites anyone who wants to come. And they come and they celebrate the wedding.
Many of the parables deal with the end times and the final judgment, Jesus clearly wanted us to consider the day when we’re judged and prepare for it carefully.
It all fits together. The parable of the talents reminds us that we will be held accountable for how we use the gifts God has given us. We must prove ourselves faithful in our actions.
21. Tough Times and Problems - Parable of Rich Man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31) - Christians will often face harder times than those of the world. They go through many trials in God's kingdom to test and refine their faith. Christians may have to die for their faith. They face persecution. Meanwhile the selfish and self-interested seem to get rich and live long lives of luxury. But in the next life, God sorts things out. The rich man had everything in his earthly life, but hell in the next. Lazarus had nothing in his earthly life, but heaven in the next.
22. Reward in Heaven - The Invited Guests (Luke 14:7-11) - We're told to serve others who can't repay us in God's kingdom, then we'll be rewarded in the next life. Otherwise the people we help will repay us and we receive no reward. Having the most important seat at the party isn't important, but instead it's best to serve others humbly who can't give back. In God's kingdom things are often reversed, the first are last, and the last are first. The greatest is the servant of all. The servant of none is the lowest of all.
23. Watchfulness - Wise and Foolish Virgins (Matthew 25:1-13)
The parable of the wise and foolish virgins emphasizes supremely the concept of watchfulness, of having the expectation that Jesus will return at any moment, and so we should we watchful and ready, seeking God day and night, storing up oil for his arrival, like the wise virgins did.
The parable of the watchful servants also underlines this principle of waiting up late for the masters return, always watching carefully the times which we live in.
24. Preparation (Faith + Action) - The Sheep and the Goats (Matthew 25:31-46)
The sheep and the goats reminds us that the proof is in the pudding. A cook can talk about what a great cook he is, but the proof will be in if his food is delicious or not. So, we too, will be proved out by how we live. We can say we’re Christians all we want, but our actions will prove it. Similarly with the sheep, they practically served God, meeting needs, food, water, shelter, visiting prisoners, providing clothing, and the goats did not. So at the final judgment the sheep are accepted, the goats are rejected.
And of course the parable of Drawing in the Nets reminds us that at the end of the age there will only be two camps, the bad fish and the good fish, the bad fish are tossed out, the good fish are brought in. We see this also repeatedly explained as a harvest being brought in, where the wheat is harvested and brought into the barn, and the weeds are burned in a pile.
The final principle is preparation. The kingdom man or woman is preparing carefully for the day of judgment, living a faithful life of love, fearing God, loving God, living in faith, and in deep relationship with God, while also actively living out what it means to be a Christian through practical acts of service, sharing the gospel and meeting needs in His name.
The parable of the wise and foolish virgins emphasizes supremely the concept of watchfulness, of having the expectation that Jesus will return at any moment, and so we should we watchful and ready, seeking God day and night, storing up oil for his arrival, like the wise virgins did.
The parable of the watchful servants also underlines this principle of waiting up late for the masters return, always watching carefully the times which we live in.
24. Preparation (Faith + Action) - The Sheep and the Goats (Matthew 25:31-46)
The sheep and the goats reminds us that the proof is in the pudding. A cook can talk about what a great cook he is, but the proof will be in if his food is delicious or not. So, we too, will be proved out by how we live. We can say we’re Christians all we want, but our actions will prove it. Similarly with the sheep, they practically served God, meeting needs, food, water, shelter, visiting prisoners, providing clothing, and the goats did not. So at the final judgment the sheep are accepted, the goats are rejected.
And of course the parable of Drawing in the Nets reminds us that at the end of the age there will only be two camps, the bad fish and the good fish, the bad fish are tossed out, the good fish are brought in. We see this also repeatedly explained as a harvest being brought in, where the wheat is harvested and brought into the barn, and the weeds are burned in a pile.
The final principle is preparation. The kingdom man or woman is preparing carefully for the day of judgment, living a faithful life of love, fearing God, loving God, living in faith, and in deep relationship with God, while also actively living out what it means to be a Christian through practical acts of service, sharing the gospel and meeting needs in His name.
Closing Challenge
I would challenge you: Examine the parables of Jesus one by one, and begin to fit the puzzle pieces together of how the Kingdom of God system practically works. If we understand the functions of the system, we can live and walk in accordance with the system God has designed. If we walk in accordance with that system, we can walk in deep relationship with God, in deep love relationship, living out His commands and loving Him and our neighbors just the way God wants us to. What a beautiful challenge, and what a great adventure!
