Kingdom 102: The New Order and Its Citizens
Let me reiterate, those of us who are filled with the Holy Spirit are the citizens of the new order. The Holy Spirit dwells in your mortal body. After the Lord Jesus was baptized by His cousin, John the Baptist, in the Jordan River and was "full of the Holy Spirit"; the Constitution states that the Spirit led Him into the wilderness. While He was there, He fasted forty days and nights and was tempted by Satan. Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry. Through it all, He emerged victorious from His temptation. It was through being filled with the Holy Spirit that He was able to come through the process victorious.
Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, being tempted for forty days by the devil. And in those days He ate nothing, and afterward, when they had ended, He was hungry. And the devil said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.”
But Jesus answered him, saying, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.’” Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said to Him, “All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours.”
And Jesus answered and said to him, “Get behind Me, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’ ”
Then he brought Him to Jerusalem, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here. For it is written: ‘He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you,’ and, ‘In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’” And Jesus answered and said to him, “It has been said, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’ ”
Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time. Note the last line again: Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time. That means we must always be on guard against Lucifer and his demons. And, we always overcome Satan's temptation with God's Word--"it is written..."!
After His tests and challenges, the Lord Jesus began with His mission message: From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”... Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside. Notice that Dr. Luke stated that He returned with power. That is what the Holy Spirit is...power. His message of the Kingdom was with power. Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit without limitations and without measure.
Please note: Throughout the four gospels there is no evidence or record that while the Lord Jesus was here on earth the Holy Spirit was present or active anywhere else except in Him. The Lord Jesus was the vanguard of a new order, He was the first of a new generation of people who would be filled with the Holy Spirit.
Remember, the Lord Jesus came to reconnect us to His Father and His glorious Kingdom. The connecting link is the Holy Spirit. That is why the Lord Jesus instructed His disciples to wait in Jerusalem for the "Helper". It was the promise of His Father. And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, “which,” He said, “you have heard from Me; for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” He is our Father as well. Please keep this information in mind. The Lord Jesus' primary purpose was not to heal the sick, raise the dead, cast out demons or perform other signs that we call miracles. These were operating procedures of the Kingdom of God, here on earth, but they weren't His main focus. The Lord Jesus' ultimate assignment was to make way for the coming Kingdom by introducing mankind to the power of the Holy Spirit. Then and only then, with the Holy Spirit residing in our mortal bodies, are we citizens of the new order--the Kingdom of God.
Matthew 4:1-2 Luke 4:1-13 Matthew 4:17 Luke 4:14 Acts 1:4-5
~~W.R. Luchie
Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, being tempted for forty days by the devil. And in those days He ate nothing, and afterward, when they had ended, He was hungry. And the devil said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.”
But Jesus answered him, saying, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.’” Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said to Him, “All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours.”
And Jesus answered and said to him, “Get behind Me, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’ ”
Then he brought Him to Jerusalem, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here. For it is written: ‘He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you,’ and, ‘In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’” And Jesus answered and said to him, “It has been said, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’ ”
Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time. Note the last line again: Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time. That means we must always be on guard against Lucifer and his demons. And, we always overcome Satan's temptation with God's Word--"it is written..."!
After His tests and challenges, the Lord Jesus began with His mission message: From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”... Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside. Notice that Dr. Luke stated that He returned with power. That is what the Holy Spirit is...power. His message of the Kingdom was with power. Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit without limitations and without measure.
Please note: Throughout the four gospels there is no evidence or record that while the Lord Jesus was here on earth the Holy Spirit was present or active anywhere else except in Him. The Lord Jesus was the vanguard of a new order, He was the first of a new generation of people who would be filled with the Holy Spirit.
Remember, the Lord Jesus came to reconnect us to His Father and His glorious Kingdom. The connecting link is the Holy Spirit. That is why the Lord Jesus instructed His disciples to wait in Jerusalem for the "Helper". It was the promise of His Father. And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, “which,” He said, “you have heard from Me; for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” He is our Father as well. Please keep this information in mind. The Lord Jesus' primary purpose was not to heal the sick, raise the dead, cast out demons or perform other signs that we call miracles. These were operating procedures of the Kingdom of God, here on earth, but they weren't His main focus. The Lord Jesus' ultimate assignment was to make way for the coming Kingdom by introducing mankind to the power of the Holy Spirit. Then and only then, with the Holy Spirit residing in our mortal bodies, are we citizens of the new order--the Kingdom of God.
Matthew 4:1-2 Luke 4:1-13 Matthew 4:17 Luke 4:14 Acts 1:4-5
~~W.R. Luchie
