Rhema Ehiemere - His Reputation Is at Stake

In any kingdom, the reputation of the king is not just derived from who they are but how they take care of their citizens. You live in God’s Kingdom and He is obligated to protect, promote and prosper you because His name and reputation is on the line. The success of your life is not solely dependent on your prayers, fasting and other spiritual disciplines. It also has a lot to do with your realization that you belong a Kingdom and your King (Heavenly Father) is more committed to your success than you are. This was the basis of Jesus' prayers in John 11 when He prayed for Lazarus to raise from the dead. He didn’t just pray for a resurrection but He prayed because of His reputation was at stake.

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Look at somebody and say, «His reputation is at stake.» You may be seated. His reputation is at stake; his reputation is at stake. I just want you to put your hands together for the praise team. That was powerful! Thank you so much; that was good. That was so good. Thank you, sir. Thank you. So today, I’m going to attempt to approach this popular text from a very different perspective. I’m going to be talking about the kingdom of God. The reason I’m doing this is that this is the only message that Jesus preached. When John the Baptist showed up in Matthew 3:2, he said, «Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand.» In the next chapter, Matthew 4:17, Jesus showed up and said the same thing: «Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand.» In fact, most of the parables of Jesus were about the kingdom. You will see things like, «The kingdom of heaven is like…» fill in the blank. «The kingdom of heaven is like a man going on a journey who gives his servants talents.» «The kingdom of heaven is like 10 virgins who took their lamps to see the bridegroom.» «The kingdom of heaven is like a farmer who went out to sow.» «The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a banquet.» The kingdom of heaven; the kingdom of heaven; the kingdom of heaven. But how many times do we talk about the kingdom of heaven? This is a challenge—a challenge for most believers. The reason it’s a challenge for most believers in the 21st century is that we don’t live in a kingdom society, nor do we even have a kingdom mentality. If you don’t live in a kingdom, you won’t appreciate the power, concept, or principles of the kingdom. Consequently, the Bible becomes difficult to understand because the Bible is not a religious book; the Bible is a kingdom book. That’s why everything you need is in the kingdom. I feel the power of the Holy Ghost! Everything you need is in the kingdom. That’s why Matthew 6 says, «Don’t worry about what you are going to wear.» Don’t worry about the lilies of the field; consider the lilies of the field—they don’t toil or spin, yet your heavenly Father clothes them. Look at the birds of the air. Is your life not worth more than this? So, seek ye first the kingdom, and every other thing will be added unto you, which means if you’re not seeing the additions, then you’re probably focused in the wrong direction. Because who you follow determines what follows you, and who you seek determines what seeks you. Pastor, can you prove it? I’m glad you asked! Psalm 23: «The Lord is my shepherd.» So you have to be a sheep that follows the shepherd. Most people want to run to the path of goodness and mercy following them, but if the Lord is not your shepherd and if you’re not a sheep that is following the Lord, who is your shepherd, how will goodness and mercy follow you? Somebody say, «The Lord is my shepherd.» The Lord is my shepherd! Oh, by the way, while we were on this whole subject of the Lord, I did some research and want you to understand something. Take this journey with me. As I searched the scripture, I discovered, Demetrius, that the most common word in the Bible is—you guess it—the Lord! The most common word in the Bible is «Lord.» It’s used over 7,700 times! Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord. It’s used so much that we don’t even understand what it means anymore. We probably used it this morning, but we don’t even know what it means: «Lord.» In fact, the word «Lord» is the most used word to describe who God is, and the problem is that the word «Lord» is not a religious term; it’s a kingdom concept. If you don’t understand kingdom concepts, you will miss out on the whole importance of the word «Lord.» All through scriptures, I just quote this scripture: Psalm 23: «The Lord is my shepherd.» Psalm 27: «The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?» Psalm 34: «Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good.» Psalm 100: «The Lord is good, and his mercy endures forever.» Psalm 103: «Praise the Lord; bless the Lord, oh my soul, and forget not all his benefits.» I can go on and on. Psalm 121: «I will lift up my eyes to the hills—from whence comes my help? My help comes from the Lord.» All through scriptures, we see the word «the Lord,» «the Lord,» «the Lord,» «the Lord.» In the kingdom, the Lord refers to someone who has total authority, control, and dominion over everyone and everything—over everyone and everything. That’s why Jesus is Lord! Why? Because he is the controller; he is the boss. Jesus is Lord because he has total authority and dominion over everything and everyone. I can drop the mic, and we can meet up next week because if you understand that the Lord lives in you, that’s why the Bible says, «The kingdom of God is within you.» You understand now why I can look at you and tell you it’s not yet over because the Lord lives in you. Don’t give up yet!