Would Jesus
register with Caesar?
Published in the Kingdom of Heaven
Year of Our Lord, 1991
Scripture references from the New
King James Version
15 pages
Would Jesus register with Caesar?
By Pastor Paul Revere
We were talking earlier
this week about flags. Since the Kingdom of Heaven is a nation, what would be the
flag? I guess question number one is, Would there be a flag? If so, What would it be? We
were trying to describe the purpose of a flag. Those in the United States of
America put their hand on their hearts, look at the red, white and blue flag, shed a few
little tears and say, "I pledge allegiance to the flag." And this flag is
raised into the air as a focal point where everybody can observe it. In fact, if I carried
this flag, I could hold it out in front of me, exalted as high as possible. All the army
would be following behind me, and the flag would be a focal point wherever we're
going. All eyes would remain on that flag - and everybody has pledged their allegiance to
that flag.
One thing about that flag
is that it is carnal. If that man carries it as high as he can and a bullet comes
and shoots him down, that flag falls to the ground. Then someone else picks up the flag
and carries it forward. Of course, if you're carrying a flag, you can't carry a gun, too.
It means carrying either the flag or a gun. It's hard to shoot at the enemy and carry a
flag, but someone has to be out there carrying that flag. It's probably the most dangerous
position on the field. The flag directs where the forces go. If that flag is heading to
the rear, you know you're in dead retreat. But it's a carnal flag. It can fall, it can
fall to the ground and get dirty and stained and burned.1 2 Samuel 1:27
"How the mighty have fallen, And the weapons of war perished!"
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Christ is our Flag
What is a Christian flag?
What was raised up high where everyone could see? Jesus. Jesus was raised up on top
of the pole,2 John 3:14 "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the
wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up." and He's our
flag.3 Isaiah 11:10 "And in that day there shall be a Root of
Jesse, Who shall stand as a banner to the people; For the Gentiles shall seek Him, And His
resting place shall be glorious." He's in our heart, and no matter what
happens on the battlefield, that Flag can never be stained, that Flag can never be
drowned, can never be trampled on, because He's in our heart.4 Isaiah
59:19 So shall they fear The name of the LORD from the west, And His glory from the rising
of the sun; When the enemy comes in like a flood, The Spirit of the LORD will lift up a
standard against him. As long as Jesus remains in our heart at all times,
that's our focal point, He's our focus. Jesus is always in front of us. "Seek ye
first the Kingdom of Heaven and everything will be added unto it."5
Matthew 6:33 "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these
things shall be added to you." In other words, Christ is our focal
point. They can't take Him away unless we voluntarily give Him up.6
Hebrews 12:16 lest there be any fornicator or profane person like Esau, who for one morsel
of food sold his birthright.
Don't take eyes off goal
Let me give you a short
illustration. There was a man, an old time farmer named Samuel. He was out in his field
and noticed three young lads who thought they knew everything. Samuel couldn't stand it
anymore: "Hey lads come over here! I have a race for you." The lads thought,
"Who's this old white-bearded man who thinks he has a race for young kids?" They
came over and Samuel said, "Here are the rules. This is a different kind of race than
ever has been run. What I'm going to do is walk across this field. Now the objective of
the race is not to be the first one over here. The objective is to see which one can walk
the straightest line across the field to where I'm standing. The one who makes the
straightest line is the winner."
The boys wonder what this
race could be about and accept his challenge. Samuel stands at one end of the field and
the first boy makes his attempt. He is fairly nervous and inexperienced. He decides to
make very sure that his steps are the straightest. He keeps his eyes on his feet. He makes
sure one foot is right in front of the other as he walks across the freshly plowed field.
If you look at his tracks, they wander all over.
The second boy, thinking
he's smarter than the first, says, "I know what I'm going to do. I'm going to put my
eyes on that first boy, to give me a reference point." He ends up watching the first
one and does as badly.7 Matthew 15:14 "Let them alone. They are
blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a
ditch." I don't know the character of the third boy. All he knows comes
to him naturally. Maybe the Father in Heaven directs him. He puts his eyeballs on Samuel
standing at the other end of the field. And no matter what happens, no matter what noises
he hears, whether some car passes, he keeps his eyeballs on Samuel the entire time he
crosses that field. Can you imagine who made the straightest path across the field? Of
course, the third boy. He never took his eyes off Samuel. What's the point? We need to
keep our eyes on Christ.8 Hebrews 12:2 looking unto Jesus, the
author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the
cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
If we take our eyes off Christ, then we're going to wander.
Recently a man said to me,
"If you take a stone, a small round stone that fits in your hand, and throw the stone
at Baal and hit his nose, and chip it, you've still worshipped Baal."
Why? Because you took your eyes off Christ. In order to pitch the stone at Baal, you had
to look at Baal.
World requires registration
The question that we're
addressing is, Would Jesus the Christ, the Messiah, register with Caesar? Would He do such
an act? Why do we even ask the question? Because that is the controversy. We're not
going out of our way to say, "Hey, let's cause some trouble down at the city
hall." That's not our intent. Why would anybody want to do that? That's not very
nice. That's not loving your neighbor. Why would you want to cause somebody a whole lot of
grief? Especially when the locals have decided it's a good idea that you should go get
these registrations with the State or the cities. Registrations come in different forms,
it's just a matter of language. Sometimes they're called a license, sometimes you register
to vote, sometimes you register your children in school, sometimes you get a permit
to build. It can come under all kinds of different premises, but the world requires
registration with the world.
Jesus' Family Registered
Let's take a look at
Jesus. While Jesus was still in the womb, while Mary was still carrying Him, a decree was
issued that everyone shall register. I believe it's recorded at Luke, Chapter 2,
beginning at verse 1: "And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out
from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered." That's a common
act. Notice his name was Caesar Augustus. In those days all the kings were referred to as
Caesar. They were kings or emperors over all the known world and Rome had brought all the
nations under their power. It was the greatest nation that the world had ever known. It
was a very simple thing that they required: "Come and register with us. Now we
don't care what your religion is, we don't care if you worship turtles, we don't care if
you love Jupiter, we don't really care what you do. But just come and register with
us." So at that time, when Christ was still in the womb, Augustus required that
everybody be registered:
This census first took place while
Quirinius was governing Syria. So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city. And
Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of
David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be
registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child. So it was, that while they
were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. And she brought forth her
firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because
there was no room for them in the inn.9 Luke 2:1-7 |
And the story goes on.
Jesus became like us to free us
Technically, Jesus was born
under the law. He didn't have a whole lot of choice in it. It was the will of God.
He was to be born under the law. He was to be registered. I believe Galatians 4:4 supports
that:
But when the fullness of the time
had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those
who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. And because you
are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, 'Abba,
Father!' Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God
through Christ.10 Galatians 4:4-7 (emphasis added) |
What a peculiar passage.
What in the world is going on? God sent His only Son to be born under the law to set us
free? I'm confused. How can we possibly be set free by someone who's born under the law?
I'll give you a clue through an illustration.
Gandhi wouldn't advise what he was not doing
There's a man who helped
free India from British rule in the 1940's named Gandhi. Now Gandhi was refused membership
in a Christian church because of the color of his skin, but he believed in the scriptures
and the Sermon on the Mount went straight to his heart.11 Matthew,
Chapters 5-7 One day a woman came to Gandhi to get her little boy to stop
eating sugar. The woman said to Gandhi, "My son eats sugar. Will you please tell him
to quit eating sugar? It is doing him harm. I know he'll obey you." Gandhi thinks it
over for a few moments and says, "Please come back next week."
The woman is puzzled, but
she knows Gandhi is a wise man so she says, "Okay, we'll come back." Besides,
Gandhi is a very busy man. He has salt marches and many things to do. In a week the lady
and child return. Gandhi sees them and says, "Child, come over here. Climb up on my
knee." The child does so, because the child respects Gandhi. Gandhi jokes with the
boy, hugs him and says, "Please don't eat sugar, it is not good for you." The
lad says, "Yes, I will do that." Gandhi is quite pleased, the lad jumps down,
and the mother comes over shaking her head in unbelief: "I don't understand, Gandhi.
It took a whole week just to tell him that. Why didn't you tell my son this a week
ago?" Gandhi smiles showing the few teeth in his mouth and replies, "Last week
I, too, was eating sugar."
What's the point? Gandhi
would not advise anybody to do anything that he himself was not already doing.12
Romans 2:21 You, therefore, who teach another, do you not teach yourself? You who preach
that a man should not steal, do you steal? How can you give advice to
anybody unless you yourself are of that situation? In other words, I wouldn't invite
anybody to do anything that I wasn't doing. And I would give them a few tips so they can
avoid some of the pitfalls.
Let's come back to Jesus
Christ. Jesus was born under the law. Why? Because we were born under the law. And for
Jesus to lead us out of bondage and slavery, we need someone who was in bondage and
slavery with us.13 Hebrews 2:14-15 Inasmuch then as the children have
partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared the same, that through death He
might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and release those who
through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.
Here is Jesus, born under
the law, born of the elements, born of a woman, just as we are.14
Galatians 4:3-5 Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of
the world. But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a
woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive
the adoption as sons. And when He comes of age at the time appointed by the
Father, He announces, "Come! Follow me!"15 Matthew 4:19 And
He said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men."
What for? Because He's going to take us out!16 Luke 4:18
"The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel
to the poor. He has sent Me to heal the broken hearted, To preach deliverance to the
captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed, To
preach the acceptable year of the LORD." Just like Moses took His
people out.17 Exodus 3:9-10 "Now therefore, behold, the cry of the
children of Israel has come to Me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the
Egyptians oppress them. Come now, therefore, and I will send you to Pharaoh that you may
bring My people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt."
The Kingdom of Liberty
This is a New Covenant!
Moses was the First Covenant and Moses took the people out through the First Covenant. But
Jesus is the Second Adam18 1 Corinthians 15:45 And so it is written,
"The first man Adam became a living being." The last Adam became a life-giving
spirit. and Jesus is going to take us out through the Second Covenant,
because the First Covenant fell short.19 Hebrews 8:7-8 For if that
first Covenant had been faultless, then no place would have been sought for a second.
Because finding fault with them, He says: "Behold, the days are coming," says
the LORD, "when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the
house of Judah." It fell short of what it was intended to do. The
people were not released from their bondage. They were not released from men. They were
still caught in sin and they were still dying. So God sent the Second Adam, the Christ,
and showed us a new way, "Come. Follow me. For the Kingdom is at hand." The
Kingdom. What in the world is this Kingdom?
There are many diversions
that take us away from seeking Christ's Kingdom. Just what is the Kingdom of Heaven? There
are many people around the world claiming to be Christians. Yet, very rarely have I sat in
a pew in church and listened to a minister talk about the Kingdom of Heaven. But, if I
open up my New Testament, I will find reference after reference to the Kingdom of God or
the Kingdom of Heaven. John the Baptist20 Matthew 3:1-2 In those days
John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying, "Repent, for
the kingdom of heaven is at hand!" and Jesus Christ21
Matthew 4:17 From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, "Repent, for the
kingdom of heaven is at hand." announced, "The Kingdom of
Heaven is at hand! Repent!" What is this Kingdom of Heaven? What are we going
after? "Sell everything you have, and come follow Me."22 Luke
18:22 So when Jesus heard these things, He said to him, "You still lack one thing.
Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven;
and come, follow Me." What is it?
If He's going to take us
out of bondage and out of slavery, the Kingdom must be Liberty!23
2 Corinthians 3:17 Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there
is liberty. Freedom! But then the people became suspicious,
"Hummm! What do you mean I'm not going to be under law? There's no way! You mean I
can do anything I want?" No. He recognizes the challenge. He says, "What kind of
perverts are you?24 Galatians 5:13 For you, brethren, have been called
to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love
serve one another. Do you think you have the liberty to go and do away with
the law? I haven't come to destroy it! I've come to fulfill it!"25
Matthew 5:17 "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not
come to destroy but to fulfill." And yet they couldn't understand. How
could somebody not be under the law and yet fulfill it?26 Romans 3:31
Do we then make void the law through faith? Certainly not! On the contrary, we establish
the law.
Seven-year-olds fulfill law
To give you a short
example, we have a couple go-carts on the Church premises. I've trained children as young
as 6 or 7 years old to use them. We step down the power so they can't go very fast. And they're
under the law - deeply under the law. I tell them, "See this pedal, it is your
brake. This one is your gas. Push this one to stop, push that one to go. This is the
steering wheel, if you turn this way it goes left, if you turn that way it goes right. Do
you understand?" You must work with them and work with them. They start learning, but
they're under the law. I say, "Come. Follow me. I'm your teacher. I'm going to
show you how you can fulfill the law of driving this go-cart, without colliding
into things." We're not talking about a perverted, demented mind that says, "I
have the freedom to do anything I want once we get the go-cart going." No, it's the freedom
to exercise the power of the go-cart, to harness the power that's inside that engine and
make that machine go where you want to go.
You can take those same
children a year later, put them behind that same go-cart, without any instruction and
without putting them under the law. They'll slam on that gas, their rear wheels will spin
like crazy, gravel will be flying and they'll head down the road. Then they'll do a full
spin in the middle and charge back up the road. And they'll perform miracles! Literal
miracles on that go-cart. Things that you've never seen before. And the child never broke
a single law. He was not under the law, yet he fulfilled it. That's what life is all
about.27 Galatians 5:18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not
under the law.
Let all the old die
The Kingdom of Heaven.
What is it? It's the place we're going. But some of you will see it before you die.28
Luke 9:27 "But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who shall not taste
death till they see the kingdom of God." Some of you won't. Some of you
will backslide, some of you will give up.29 Luke 9:62 But Jesus said to
him, "No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the
kingdom of God." Only those who stand until the very end and completely
fulfill the law, will see the Kingdom.30 Matthew 24:13 "But
he who endures to the end shall be saved." And how glorious that day
will be. You have to be changed.31 Philippians 3:8 But indeed I also
count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for
whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain
Christ. You can't stay who you are. There's no way. If you want to remain as
you are, you've already lost, because your self has to die. Because what you are is
wrong. Everything you've strived for, everything you've worked for is wrong. You're going
to have to put it away. You're going to have to die whether you like it or not. And, of
course, the old always wants to remain alive. But, in order for you to see the Kingdom;
there is one requirement - YOU HAVE TO LET ALL THE OLD DIE. LET IT GO. LET IT PASS AWAY.32
2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things
have passed away; behold, all things have become new. The Kingdom's only for
those who will be reborn.33 John 3:3 Jesus answered and said to him,
"Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of
God." Those who will return as little children.34
Matthew 18:3-4 and said, "Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and
become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore
whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of
heaven." Those who humble themselves before the Lord and admit that
they've fallen short, that they don't know everything there is to know.35
2 Chronicles 7:14 "if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and
pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and
will forgive their sin and heal their land."
Have you ever witnessed
high school students. They finally come to graduation and they think they know everything.
"Ah, Mom and Dad, you're a bunch of dumb-dumbs. I've been through school, I have a
high school diploma." Yet, they've only begun. And until they change their attitude,
or have it changed by a few hard knocks, they have a long, hard road to travel.36
Proverbs 16:18 Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before a fall.
When they finally humble themselves, they'll realize that they have to start all over
again, even though they have a diploma that says they have graduated.
Kingdom requires undivided allegiance
Let's go back to Jesus.
Jesus was sent by God. He made an announcement, "Repent! For the Kingdom of Heaven is
at hand.37 Matthew 4:17 From that time Jesus began to preach and to
say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." Come. Follow
me."38 Matthew 4:19 And He said to them, "Follow Me, and I
will make you fishers of men." Through many parables, examples and
miracles Jesus tried to demonstrate what the Kingdom is and how to enter it - what
loyalty, what kinds of allegiances are required. At one point in the scripture, He
declares that you have to give up everything to be His disciple.39
Luke 14:26 "If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and
children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My
disciple."
Thus, Jesus was saying,
"You have to forsake all allegiances to the world, to mom and dad, to your wife, to
your children, to your property." And then Jesus becomes vicious with you and says,
"You must even forsake your own life." You can't even have an allegiance to
wanting to stay alive! "The one who shall try to save his life will lose it. But the
one who will lose his life for Me, shall save it."40 Mark 8:35
"For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My
sake and the gospel's will save it." With that kind of strong attitude,
I don't think it can be refuted - Jesus Christ wants our undivided allegiance. He is
the Light.41 John 8:12 Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying,
"I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have
the light of life." He is the Way,42 John
14:6 Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the
Father except through Me." and few there be that will find it.43
Matthew 7:13-14 "Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way
that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate
and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it."
In other words, Jesus
knows there are many gods out there.44 1 Corinthians 8:5-6 For even if
there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as there are many gods and many
lords), yet for us there is only one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for
Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live.
I assume Caesar would fit in that category. Caesar in those days was considered a 'god.'
He ruled. I have not been able to find anywhere in the scripture where Jesus approached
any of the Caesars of that time and registered. If I were a king, would I go register
under another king? If I were a king, would I want any of my disciples to register with
other kings?45 Isaiah 30:1-2 "Woe to the rebellious
children," says the LORD, "Who take counsel, but not of Me, And who devise
plans, but not of My Spirit, That they may add sin to sin; Who walk to go down to Egypt,
And have not asked My advice, To strengthen themselves in the strength of Pharaoh, And to
trust in the shadow of Egypt!" Or would I be a jealous king? Would I
want your entire loyalty? Would I want your entire life? Would I want you to
half-time it with Caesar?46 Matthew 6:24 "No one can serve two
masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to
the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon."
Would Jesus say:
"Caesar keeps track of the highways and the byways, he regulates them. Better go
register with Caesar. Those are his roads." Or is Jesus going to say, "Go, and
make disciples of all nations. I want you to do it on My authority.47
Matthew 28:18-20 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been
given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching
them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even
to the end of the age." Amen. I don't want you to go to anyone and ask
for permission, because if you do, you are going to put My words to no effect. I command
you. Go! Go to all nations making disciples of everyone of them. Bring them into My
Kingdom." Kingdom? Maybe that means government.
Christ's Kingdom is
different from Caesar's. To be a citizen of Heaven, a resident of the nation known as the
Kingdom of Heaven, the number one requirement is allegiance. Allegiance is a form
of love. To love God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind48
Matthew 22:37 Jesus said to him, 'You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart,
with all your soul, and with all your mind.' - that's allegiance.49
1 John 3:23 This is his command: to give our allegiance to his Son Jesus Christ and love
one another as he commanded. NEB He doesn't want you to serve other gods,
other Caesars.50 Matthew 4:10 Then Jesus said to him, "Away with
you, Satan! For it is written, 'You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you
shall serve.' " Not that He's a Caesar, but that Caesars are taking
God's place - they're imitating God! But they bind heavy burdens.51
Matthew 23:4 "For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men's
shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers."
Do we not know this today?
"Son, they have no jurisdiction over
you"
As we travel around,
trying to go from place to place, are we not loaded with heavy burdens by the Caesars of
today? Do I need to prove it? Try throwing your plastic card away, and see what
they do with you.52 Revelation 13:16-17 He causes all, both small and
great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their
foreheads, and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the
beast, or the number of his name. A few years ago the Word of God came upon
Abraham and he wrote on a piece of paper, " Son, your citizenship is in
Heaven."53 Philippians 3:20 For our citizenship is in heaven,
from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. They
have no jurisdiction over you."54 Colossians 1:13 He has
delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His
love. He has no idea about us, he has never met anyone from the Embassy of
Heaven Church. But the message from Heaven came.55 Galatians 1:11-12
But I make known to you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not
according to man. For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came
through the revelation of Jesus Christ. He stares at the piece of paper:
"What is this? Your citizenship is in Heaven, they have no jurisdiction over you.
What is that?" He's too young to know what's going on. He sticks it in his pocket,
and that evening gets stopped going home from work. The police officer demands to see his
driver's license. He's part of Caesar. He goes for his pocket and realizes his driver's
license is not there. "Oh, I remember, it is on my bedroom stand." He explains
the situation to the officer, "We're only two blocks from home. If we just quickly go
over there, I can show it to you." The lady officer gives him a ride - straight to
jail.56 Luke 20:25 And He said to them, "Render therefore to
Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's."
That was the best thing the police could have done, because Abraham realized the note in
his pocket was definitely from God. But he was young then. Now he is growing up.
Jesus requires many things
of us. I believe he requires complete, one hundred per cent dedication and allegiance to
Him. We must renounce all allegiance to every other god - anything that can prevent us
from plowing that field. If you have to look back, you're not worthy of the Kingdom.57
Luke 9:62 But Jesus said to him, "No one, having put his hand to the plow, and
looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God." It's going to be a long,
hard road, a very strait one and very few people are going to make it.58
Matthew 7:14 "Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to
life, and there are few who find it." It's all in the scripture.
Registration requires bowing to other gods
Imagine if Jesus did go
down to Caesar and register. What would that do? What kind of relationship would Jesus
have with Caesar? What kind of relationship would He have with God? God sends Jesus into
the world, to go after the lost,59 Luke 19:10 "for the Son of Man
has come to seek and to save that which was lost." to establish His
Kingdom on earth. And Jesus, as an example, goes down and registers with Caesar. I would
say that would be similar to His encounter with Satan in the desert. What happened during
that encounter? All Satan wanted was Jesus to bow down and worship him, and He could have
all the kingdoms of the earth. He could have them handed over on a silver platter.
"Just bow down and worship me." I'd say that sounds like registering.
"Register with Satan! And I'll give you everything. Register with the State. Register
with the nations, and we'll see that you get anything that you want." Jesus turned it
down.60 Matthew 4:8-10 Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly
high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said
to Him, "All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me."
Then Jesus said to him, "Away with you, Satan! For it is written, 'You shall worship
the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.' " His Kingdom was not
of this world.61 John 18:36 Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not of
this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should
not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here."
Seekers of His kingdom
throughout history have steadfastly refused to register with the Caesars of their day.
John Bunyan, who wrote "Pilgrim's Progress," spent 12 years in prison for
refusing to get a preaching license. The Clerk admonished him saying, "You must
submit to the laws of the land, and leave off those meetings which you were wont to have,
for the statute law is directly against it; and I am sent to you by the justices to tell
you that they do intend to prosecute the law against you if you submit not."62
The Complete Works of John Bunyan, Bradley, Garretson & Co., 1876. "A
Relation of the Imprisonment of Mr. John Bunyan, Minister of the Gospel at Bedford, in
November, 1660, Written by Himself."> But Bunyan refused. Time after time he was
brought before the magistrates and told that he could be set at liberty if he would just
submit to their demands to get a license. But Bunyan stood his ground for 12 years. He
knew he didn't need permission from the State to preach. Jesus Christ had given him all
the authority he needed.63 Luke 9:1-2 Then He called His twelve
disciples together and gave them power and authority over over all demons, and to cure
diseases. He sent them to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.
62
The Complete Works of John Bunyan, Bradley, Garretson & Co., 1876. "A
Relation of the Imprisonment of Mr. John Bunyan, Minister of the Gospel at Bedford, in
November, 1660, Written by Himself."> But Bunyan refused. Time after time he was
brought before the magistrates and told that he could be set at liberty if he would just
submit to their demands to get a license. But Bunyan stood his ground for 12 years. He
knew he didn't need permission from the State to preach. Jesus Christ had given him all
the authority he needed.63 Luke 9:1-2 Then He called His twelve
disciples together and gave them power and authority over over all demons, and to cure
diseases. He sent them to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.
The early Christians also
refused to obtain a license from Caesar. The Roman Empire used licenses to establish
sovereign authority over her conquered subjects. Rome generously declared that her
subjects could worship any god they chose and in any manner they chose. All these
privileges were available with one minor requirement - they must first obtain a license
from the Roman government.64 Persecution in the Early Church, A
Chapter in the History of Renunciation, by Herbert B. Workman, M.A., Oxford University
Press 1980, page 28-29, "By Roman theory the State was the one society which must
engross every interest of its subjects, religious, social, political, humanitarian, with
the one possible exception of the family. There was no room in Roman law for the
existence, much less the development on its own lines of organic growth, of any
corporation or society which did not recognize itself from the first as a mere department
or auxiliary of the State. The State was all and in all, the one organism with a life of
its own. Such a theory the Church, as the living kingdom of Jesus, could not possibly
accept either in the first century or the twentieth."> Why couldn't the Christians
apply for a license? To accept a license meant to seek permission from an authority
outside the Church. For Christians to acknowledge they had no right to worship Christ
without Caesar's approval, Caesar's license, would have been to acknowledge that Caesar
was over Christ. It would deny the sovereignty of God and acknowledge that the
Roman Emperor stood above God Himself.65 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 Let no
one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes
first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts
himself above all that is called God or that is worshipped, so that he sits as God in the
temple of God, showing himself that he is God.
Today, we see the Caesars
bidding us to accept licenses of all kinds. They offer an inexpensive little plastic card
that promises you the chance to travel throughout all the kingdoms of the world - if we'll
just bow down to them. It's such an innocent little card. What could be wrong with it?
Let's say you succumb to the temptation and get their license. Now your traveling depends
on staying in good graces with Caesar. One day you will offend Caesar. You don't pay a
fine or you don't fill out an accident report form. You receive a notice - your driving
privilege is suspended. You can't drive. You can't get groceries. You can't go to church.
You can't go out and preach the gospel. You are grounded. Here's the dilemma. Jesus says,
"Go." The State says, "Stay." Who are you going to obey?66
Acts 5:29 Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said: "We ought to obey God
rather than men."
Since the time of the
Roman Empire, the license has been used by the Caesars of the world to establish their
authority over a particular area. When we accept a license, we are accepting the
sovereignty of the one who grants the license. An important principle of licensing is that
the lesser authority never licenses the greater authority. Therefore, to ask
permission from Caesar to preach or to worship or to travel would be to openly acknowledge
that Caesar, not Jesus Christ, is lord over certain spheres of our lives. In other words,
Caesar is the greater authority, Caesar is above Jesus Christ. Would we have Caesar as our
king, not Jesus Christ?67 John 19:15 But they cried out, "Away
with Him, away with Him! Crucify Him!" Pilate said to them, "Shall I crucify
your King?" The chief priests answered, "We have no king but Caesar!"
Bow down to Son lest you be destroyed
I'm concerned about the
calling of Christ - the calling of people to His Kingship. He gives a parable in the Bible
that would frighten me. It's in Luke 19 starting at verse 11:
Now as they heard these things, He
spoke another parable because He was near Jerusalem and because they thought the kingdom
of God would appear immediately. Therefore He said: 'A certain nobleman went into a far
country to receive for himself a kingdom and to return.' |
I want to study this
parable piece by piece. This certain nobleman, I would say, is Jesus. Usually Jesus tends
to talk about Himself and our relationship to God in His parables. So Jesus went
into a far country. Let's call it the earth. This is a far country from Heaven, the
world is very far. The world has totally rejected Heaven.68 Acts
4:25-26 'Why did the nations rage, And the people plot vain things? The kings of the earth
took their stand, And the rulers were gathered together Against the LORD and against His
Christ.' "To receive for Himself a kingdom and to return."
In other words, He's to come to earth, establish His Kingdom and return to the Father.
That's what He did through the Cross.
So he called ten of his servants,
delivered to them ten minas, and said to them, 'Do business till I come.' But his citizens
hated him and sent a delegation after him, saying, 'We will not have this man to reign
over us.' |
Isn't that what the
Pharisees said? They did not recognize Jesus, they did not recognize that He came from
God, they did not want this man to reign over them. "And so it was that when he
returned, having received the kingdom" - which Jesus has accomplished through the
Cross and being raised up again, "he then commanded these servants, to whom he had
given the money, to be called to him, that he might know how much every man had gained by
trading." Now the next section deals with what these servants were doing, whether
they were being attentive to their responsibilities. I want to jump right down through to
the end, where the important meat is: "But bring here those enemies of mine, who
did not want me to reign over them, and slay them before me."69 Luke
19:11-15,27
Imagine if Jesus Christ
came to get Himself a Kingdom and He succeeds in His kingship, but you rejected Him as
King. That's the worst position to be in if you didn't support Him. Of all the deaths, of
all the gnashing of the teeth, of all the weeping that could possibly be, it appears to me
like that one would be the most wicked of deaths, because we did not believe in Him. I say
it's crucial. We must believe in Christ, we must accept His Kingship, because if we reject
it, He has no use for us70 Psalm 2:12 Kiss the Son, lest He be angry,
And you perish in the way, When His wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all those
who put their trust in Him. He's very jealous, He's already demonstrated
that, highly jealous.71 Exodus 34:14 "(for you shall worship no
other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God)."
Therefore, He does not want us to have intercourse with the world, to go register. Registering
is an act of allegiance, it's an act of recognition of someone over you.
We have all authority needed
How many can you serve?72
1 Corinthians 10:21-22 You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you
cannot partake of the Lord's table and of the table of demons. Or do we provoke the Lord
to jealousy? Are we stronger than He? I can only serve one. Today, I was
doing some juggling. I was in the other room running the printer trying to get out some
pamphlets. I was in here trying to conduct a service and I was doing a lot of juggling. It
takes talent to do that, and many times you don't do a very good job. What if the printer
made more demands on me than the service did? Or what if the service demanded more? Well
one of them is not going to get served? Those are the problems you're going to deal with
if you're trying to serve both kingdoms - the kingdoms of the world and the Kingdom of
Heaven. And that is where the real problems are. Today, people are half-way in the world
and half-way with Christ.73 Revelation 3:15-16 "I know your works,
that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you
are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth."
They're juggling! Suddenly Jesus is going to say, "Hey! We have someone down the road
who needs some help, go." "But - But - But my wife! I've got a quarrel with her,
I have to take care of it." No, He comes first.74 Luke 14:18-21
"But they all with one accord began to make excuses. The first said to him, 'I have
bought a piece of ground, and I must go and see it. I ask you to have me excused.' And
another said, 'I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to test them. I ask you to
have me excused.' Still another said, 'I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot
come.' So that servant came and reported these things to his master. Then the master of
the house, being angry, said to his servant, 'Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of
the city, and bring in here the poor and the maimed and the lame and the blind.'"
"Oh, but they want me
to come down and register with them." "No, no, I don't want you to register,
I've already commanded you. What do you mean you went down and registered with somebody
else so that they can get involved with what I've commanded you to do? You have all the
authority you need. How in the world are you going to do My work if you get somebody else
in our way! That's a burden, that's weighing us down. We have a mission, a very important
mission. It's white with harvest out there, we don't have enough workers as it is! 75
Luke 10:2 Then He said to them, "The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are
few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest."
And you're going to tell me you've got something else to do?"
No, I don't think Jesus
would register. I don't think we should either. I think He kept Himself unspotted, He went
all the way to the Cross. They tried to trick Him, they tried all kinds of conversation,
they tried numerous ways to get Him to drop His Kingship. But even at the final hour, when
He went before the Caesars, He declared, "My Kingdom is not of this world." He
would not bow down to them. He would not save His life. He would not bring His legion of
angels down.76 Matthew 26:53 "Or do you think that I cannot now
pray to My Father, and He will provide Me with more than twelve legions of angels?
He would not throw a stone at Baal. He did not come to judge the ways of the world.77
John 12:47 "And if anyone hears My words and does not believe, I do not judge him;
for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world."
How do we enter? Return as
little children, learn the ways of the Kingdom.78 Matthew 18:3
"Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you
will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven." I think the biggest help
that I can give you is, "Seek ye first the Kingdom of Heaven."79
Matthew 6:33 "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, . . ."
Always look toward the Kingdom. Look for what it is, where it's at, it is within you.80
Luke 17:20-21 Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come,
He answered them and said, "The kingdom of God does not come with observation; nor
will they say, 'See here!' or 'See there!' For indeed, the kingdom of God is within
you." The Kingdom is a Government, it is us, we are His body, we are
His representatives on earth.81 1 John 4:17 ...because as He is, so are
we in this world. We must remain with Him,82 John 15:4
"Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it
abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me." and the
world is very jealous of this Kingdom,83 Galatians 2:4 But this
occurred because of false brethren secretly brought in (who came in by stealth to spy out
our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage).
because this Kingdom cannot be defeated.84 Daniel 2:44 "And in the
days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be
destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and
consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever." The reason it
cannot be defeated is because they killed Him! They killed Him according to the law!85
Galatians 3:13 Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for
us (for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree.")
And that's all they can take. Once they've killed you, you're dead. There's nothing left
to take.86 Romans 6:7-9 For he who has died has been freed from sin.
Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that
Christ having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over
Him. Nothing left. And what's the importance of His death? He is the only
king who ever rose from the dead.87 Revelation 1:18 "I am He who
lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of
Hades and of Death." Now that they have killed Him, they cannot kill
Him a second time. Therefore, we have a King who is eternal. They still hate Him - you bet
Satan hates Him, but they can't take Him again. It's a one-time shot. They had one chance
and they lost it. The victory is in Christ.88 1 John 5:4 For
whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the
world - our faith.
With that kind of
confidence, who can be against us?89 Romans 8:31 What then shall we say
to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? We have everything
going for us. Everything in the whole universe, all His power, all His miracles, we have
been set free. But what's the requirement? Give your entire allegiance. Obey Him. Give
your entire allegiance. He said, "Depart from iniquity."90 2
Timothy 2:19 Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: "The
Lord knows those who are His," and, "Let everyone who names the name of Christ
depart from iniquity." He commanded you, do it! He gave us the Sermon
on the Mount. Implement it!91 Matthew 7:24 "Therefore whoever
hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his
house on the rock": He said, "Baptize one another." Baptize!92
Acts 2:38 Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in
the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the
Holy Spirit." Wash the sins away! Remember Him whenever you eat and
drink. Remember Him!93 Luke 22:19-20 And He took bread, gave thanks and
broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is My body which is given for you; do
this in remembrance of Me." Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying,
"This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you."
Remember what He went through. If He can do it, we can do it.94 John
14:12 "Most assuredly, I say to you, He who believes in Me, the works that I do he
will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father."
If they hated him, they'll hate us.95 John 15:20 "Remember the
word that I said to you, 'A servant is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted
Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also."
However they respected Him, they'll respect us. And the ultimate victory is the conquering
over death, and He has done it. That means we can do it, too. He is the first born. He is
the Second Adam. He is the one who's showing us the way and the light and the truth, out
of the world and out of bondage and into the liberty of God.96 Romans
8:21 because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption
into the glorious liberty of the children of God. The true liberty of the
Kingdom. Again, don't get perverted minds. Not the liberty to go against God, but the
liberty to work for God. You do not have to ask anyone, anywhere, any Caesar for
permission to do God's work. Act on it. Strictly act on it.97 James
1:22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.
And when they ask you what you're doing, your justification is Christ. "I was
instructed to do this, the Lord has need of it and that's all the authority I need."98
Mark 11:3 "And if anyone says to you, 'Why are you doing this?' say, 'The Lord has
need of it.'" You don't need any further authority.
Closing Prayer
Our Father in Heaven, we
thank You that You've held out a remnant.99 Romans 11:4-5 "I have
reserved for Myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal." Even so
then, at this present time there is a remnant according to the election of grace.
That You have brought forth Your Bible, even though it has been carried by those who know
not what is in it. We thank You for Your Son, that He was born under the law, and that He
came and announced the Kingdom is at hand. He showed us the way out, to find our way back
to You, and cry out, "Abba, Father."100 Romans 8:15 For you
did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of
adoption by whom we cry out, "Abba, Father." To know where our
real home is, to know where our real citizenship is, to know that we are brothers and
sisters of the Most High. And that we received instruction to treat others the way we
would want to be treated as the answer to the living in Your Kingdom.101
Luke 6:35-38 "But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return;
and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to
the unthankful and evil. Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.
Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned.
Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you: good measure,
pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the
same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you." So that we
are not under the authorities of the world, but remain in the authority of You and Your
most magnificent Son, Jesus Christ. We know and understand that there is wheat which You
have planted, and there are tares which the enemy has planted. We know that we are both to
grow up and in the final hour, the wheat will be put in the barn and the tares shall be
burned in the fire.102 Matthew 13:24-30 Another parable He put forth to
them, saying: "The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field;
but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way. But
when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared. So the
servants of the owner came and said to him, 'Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field?
How then does it have tares?' He said to them, 'An enemy has done this.' The servants said
to him, 'Do you want us then to go and gather them up?' But he said, 'No, lest while you
gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the
harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, "First gather together
the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn."
' " We thank You for Your prophets and Your Son to show us the Way, so
that when Your hour has come, what will we be doing?103 Luke 18:8
"Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the
earth?" We will be completely in allegiance to You and You alone.104
Isaiah 2:11 The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, The haughtiness of men shall be bowed
down, And the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day. In Jesus Christ's
name we pray. Amen.105 Philippians 2:9-13 Therefore God also has highly
exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus
every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the
earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God
the Father. Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only,
but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for
it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.
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