The Kingdom of God!

Chapter 106

Jesus made a very interesting statement in John 5:17-23, (KJV)

"In his defense Jesus said to them, "My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working." For this reason they tried all the more to kill him; not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.

Jesus gave them this answer: "Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does."

For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. Yes, and he will show him even greater works than these, so that you will be amazed. For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it.

Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son, that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent him."

There is a lot of interesting, revealing statements in this scripture. In order to understand what Jesus was referring too we must understand that Jesus came here as the Son of Man! He never denied that He was the Son of God, but He never claimed to be the Son of God. In Matt. 26:63-64 Jesus was brought before the high priest and charged to tell them the truth,

"The high priest said to him, I charge you under oath by the living God: Tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God." "You have said so," Jesus replied. "But I say to all of you: From now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven."

When Jesus came to this earth, through the virgin Mary, He became the only begotten Son of God! Never before nor never again will a virgin be overshadowed by the Holy Spirit of God and beget a Son! Jesus was the first and only begotten Son of God. When He left heaven and became Jesus, He laid down all of His power and authority and was under restraint from the Father for doing anything by His own power but only what He saw His Father doing. He was our perfect example of how to be led by the Holy Spirit!

Jesus said in Luke 12:49, (NIV)

"I have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! But I have a baptism to undergo, and what constraint I am under until it is completed!"

Jesus knew that once His mission on earth was completed that He would be given all power and authority to put the devil under the feet of His Body, the Church!

In John 5:17 the Jewish leaders were upset because Jesus was breaking the Sabbath and by claiming that God was His Father, He was making Himself equal with God! In reality, He was of the same nature and spirit of God! However, for a period of time, Jesus has been given all power and authority by our Father but there will come a time when He will give it back to Him! He said in Matt. 28:19, (NIV) after he was resurrected,

"Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me."

Paul said in 1 Cor. 15:24-28, (NIV)

Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. For he has put everything under his feet." Now when it says that "everything" has been put under him, it is clear that this does not include God himself, who put everything under Christ. When he has done this, then the Son himself will be made subject to him who put everything under him, so that God may be all in all."

Today we are sons of God because of our faith in what Jesus accomplished and we have been baptized into the spiritual Body of Christ by the Holy Spirit of God. 1 Cor. 12:13, (NKJV)

"By one Spirit we were all baptized into one body,whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free,and have all been made to drink into one Spirit.

We are sons of God by the new birth. We are sons and daughters of God and brethren with Jesus! Heb. 2:10-11, (NIV)

"In bringing many sons and daughters to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through what he suffered. Both the one who makes people holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So, Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters."

Jesus also made a profound statement in John 6:44,

"No man can come to me, except the Father which has sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day."

The idea of being a soul winner is not in the Bible! No one can come to Jesus unless our Father draws him! We are to be witness of the Lord Jesus Christ living within us.

Jesus told his disciples in Acts 1:8, (NIV)

"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

Our lives are to be a witness to all we come in contact with and when the opportunity presents itself to us, we tell them the good news of what Jesus has done for us and that is why we are different than those in the world. Heb. 4:12-13 says, (NIV)

For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

When we share the good news of what Jesus has done for us, it's the word of God that draws the people to accept Jesus because they can see what knowing this has done in our lives.