Understand His Message and True Purpose
Understanding King Jesus' message is an essential key to understanding His true purpose for coming to earth. I have heard it said many times over the years, "Where purpose is not known, abuse is inevitable". That is so true in relation to our Lord Jesus and His Kingdom government!
Those to whom Jesus came first, the Jews, misunderstood Him and saw Him as a rebel, misfit and a fanatic. He was the son of Joseph, a carpenter. In their minds He was, at best, a misguided rabbinical teacher spreading heresies that contaminated the teachings and laws of Moses and Judaism. In truth, they had reduced the message of Moses to a sophisticated religion where strict observance of the laws became more important than the original purpose for those laws and they expected Jesus to do the same. The original intent of God's mandate to Moses was not to establish a religion but a nation of people who would love, serve and honor God. ("A royal priesthood and a holy nation")
But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy. 1 Peter 2:9-10
The Muslim misunderstands Him as simply another in a line of prophets who was a great teacher, a good man and a great prophet; but who fell short and failed to deliver the finished work of redemption to mankind.
The Hindu misunderstands Him as a good teacher, a good man and just another deity to add to their list of gods to provide a service in their need for spiritual security.
The atheist, agnostic and humanist see Him as a mere man, an historical figure, whom a group of misguided men transformed into a god and an object of worship. They acknowledge that Jesus existed but deny any of His miracles as well as His claim to divinity. They do not believe in God so they do not believe in His Son.
The media, scientists and secularists see Him as fair game for investigation and criticism. They acknowledge Him as an interesting subject for arguments, theories, discussions and debates while ignoring His divine claim and questioning His validity, integrity and sometimes His very existence. While they may generically acknowledge God, they rarely even speak the name of Jesus! But their aversion to speaking His name--outside of cursing--shows that there is power in the name of Jesus! 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. Philippians 2:9-11
Christians have misunderstood Him as the founder of a religion and have transformed His teaching and His methods into customs and traditions and His activities into rituals. Many even have reduced His message to nothing more than an escapist plan for getting to heaven and His promises as a mere fire insurance policy for escaping the pains of a tormenting hell. From the very beginning, Jesus made it quite clear that the principle need of the human race, and the only solution of mankind's dilemma was the Kingdom of Heaven. So, how did we miss it? His first public statement reveals this Kingdom priority:
From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Matthew 4:17
If asked, I believe that most Christians and church leadership will say that the Lord Jesus' purpose for being on earth was to die on the cross for our sins. That is what He did, but if that was His main purpose, why wasn't that His main message and focus during His ministry time? Praise the Lord that He did die for our sins and that He was resurrected and sits at the right hand of the Father interceding on our behalf! Who is the one who condemns us? Christ Jesus is the One who died [to pay our penalty], and more than that, who was raised [from the dead], and who is at the right hand of God interceding [with the Father] for us. Romans 8:34 AMP
But, His message was always the Kingdom of God. He talked about the Kingdom and taught about the Kingdom. It was His only focus. People would focus on what He did, on the miracles, rather than grasping what King Jesus was telling them about the Kingdom of God. I will end with some examples of Jesus' words about the Kingdom:
Now when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, He said to him, “You are not far from the Kingdom of God.” But after that no one dared question Him. Mark 12:34
Now it came to pass, afterward, that He went through every city and village, preaching and bringing the glad tidings of the Kingdom of God. . . And He said, “To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of God, but to the rest it is given in parables, that ‘Seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.’ Luke 8:1, 10
Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God.”. . . Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the Kingdom of God." John 3:3, 5
Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the Kingdom of Heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven. For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Matthew 5:19-20
Jesus replied, “My Kingdom is not of this world [nor does it have its origin in this world]. If My Kingdom were of this world, My servants would be fighting [hard] to keep Me from being handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My Kingdom is not of this world.” So Pilate said to Him, “Then You are a King?” Jesus answered, “You say [correctly] that I am a King. This is why I was born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth [who is a friend of the truth and belongs to the truth] hears and listens carefully to My voice.” John 18:36-37 AMP
Your Kingdom come. Your Will be done. On earth as it is in heaven. Matthew 6:10
Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the Kingdom of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the Kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.” Mark 1:14-15
One day the Pharisees asked Jesus, “When will the Kingdom of God come?”
Jesus replied, “The Kingdom of God can’t be detected by visible signs. You won’t be able to say, ‘Here it is!’ or ‘It’s over there!’ For the Kingdom of God is already among you.” Luke 17:20-21 NLT
I could continue on and on with these scriptures! It is hard to stop. But also be sure to read His parables with "Kingdom eyes". When you see the Lord Jesus' messages through Kingdom eyes, you will understand His true purpose.
His disciples came and asked Him, “Why do you use parables when you talk to the people?”
He replied, “You are permitted to understand the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven, but others are not. To those who listen to My teaching, more understanding will be given, and they will have an abundance of knowledge. But for those who are not listening, even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them. That is why I use these parables, for they look, but they don’t really see. They hear, but they don’t really listen or understand. This fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah that says, ‘When you hear what I say, you will not understand. When you see what I do, you will not comprehend. For the hearts of these people are hardened, and their ears cannot hear, and they have closed their eyes—so their eyes cannot see, and their ears cannot hear, and their hearts cannot understand, and they cannot turn to Me and let me heal them.’
But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear. I tell you the truth, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, but they didn’t see it. And they longed to hear what you hear, but they didn’t hear it." Matthew 13:10-17 NLT
And this gospel of the Kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come. Matthew 24:14
And I love what ambassador Paul said to the church at Corinth: "For the Kingdom of God is not just a lot of talk; it is living by God’s power." 1 Corinthians 4:20 NLT
W.R. Luchie
www.kingdomcitizens.org
This article may only be reproduced, in print or on the internet, if the author's name and website address are sited at the end of the article as originally placed. Thank you
Those to whom Jesus came first, the Jews, misunderstood Him and saw Him as a rebel, misfit and a fanatic. He was the son of Joseph, a carpenter. In their minds He was, at best, a misguided rabbinical teacher spreading heresies that contaminated the teachings and laws of Moses and Judaism. In truth, they had reduced the message of Moses to a sophisticated religion where strict observance of the laws became more important than the original purpose for those laws and they expected Jesus to do the same. The original intent of God's mandate to Moses was not to establish a religion but a nation of people who would love, serve and honor God. ("A royal priesthood and a holy nation")
But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy. 1 Peter 2:9-10
The Muslim misunderstands Him as simply another in a line of prophets who was a great teacher, a good man and a great prophet; but who fell short and failed to deliver the finished work of redemption to mankind.
The Hindu misunderstands Him as a good teacher, a good man and just another deity to add to their list of gods to provide a service in their need for spiritual security.
The atheist, agnostic and humanist see Him as a mere man, an historical figure, whom a group of misguided men transformed into a god and an object of worship. They acknowledge that Jesus existed but deny any of His miracles as well as His claim to divinity. They do not believe in God so they do not believe in His Son.
The media, scientists and secularists see Him as fair game for investigation and criticism. They acknowledge Him as an interesting subject for arguments, theories, discussions and debates while ignoring His divine claim and questioning His validity, integrity and sometimes His very existence. While they may generically acknowledge God, they rarely even speak the name of Jesus! But their aversion to speaking His name--outside of cursing--shows that there is power in the name of Jesus! 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. Philippians 2:9-11
Christians have misunderstood Him as the founder of a religion and have transformed His teaching and His methods into customs and traditions and His activities into rituals. Many even have reduced His message to nothing more than an escapist plan for getting to heaven and His promises as a mere fire insurance policy for escaping the pains of a tormenting hell. From the very beginning, Jesus made it quite clear that the principle need of the human race, and the only solution of mankind's dilemma was the Kingdom of Heaven. So, how did we miss it? His first public statement reveals this Kingdom priority:
From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Matthew 4:17
If asked, I believe that most Christians and church leadership will say that the Lord Jesus' purpose for being on earth was to die on the cross for our sins. That is what He did, but if that was His main purpose, why wasn't that His main message and focus during His ministry time? Praise the Lord that He did die for our sins and that He was resurrected and sits at the right hand of the Father interceding on our behalf! Who is the one who condemns us? Christ Jesus is the One who died [to pay our penalty], and more than that, who was raised [from the dead], and who is at the right hand of God interceding [with the Father] for us. Romans 8:34 AMP
But, His message was always the Kingdom of God. He talked about the Kingdom and taught about the Kingdom. It was His only focus. People would focus on what He did, on the miracles, rather than grasping what King Jesus was telling them about the Kingdom of God. I will end with some examples of Jesus' words about the Kingdom:
Now when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, He said to him, “You are not far from the Kingdom of God.” But after that no one dared question Him. Mark 12:34
Now it came to pass, afterward, that He went through every city and village, preaching and bringing the glad tidings of the Kingdom of God. . . And He said, “To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of God, but to the rest it is given in parables, that ‘Seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.’ Luke 8:1, 10
Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God.”. . . Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the Kingdom of God." John 3:3, 5
Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the Kingdom of Heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven. For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Matthew 5:19-20
Jesus replied, “My Kingdom is not of this world [nor does it have its origin in this world]. If My Kingdom were of this world, My servants would be fighting [hard] to keep Me from being handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My Kingdom is not of this world.” So Pilate said to Him, “Then You are a King?” Jesus answered, “You say [correctly] that I am a King. This is why I was born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth [who is a friend of the truth and belongs to the truth] hears and listens carefully to My voice.” John 18:36-37 AMP
Your Kingdom come. Your Will be done. On earth as it is in heaven. Matthew 6:10
Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the Kingdom of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the Kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.” Mark 1:14-15
One day the Pharisees asked Jesus, “When will the Kingdom of God come?”
Jesus replied, “The Kingdom of God can’t be detected by visible signs. You won’t be able to say, ‘Here it is!’ or ‘It’s over there!’ For the Kingdom of God is already among you.” Luke 17:20-21 NLT
I could continue on and on with these scriptures! It is hard to stop. But also be sure to read His parables with "Kingdom eyes". When you see the Lord Jesus' messages through Kingdom eyes, you will understand His true purpose.
His disciples came and asked Him, “Why do you use parables when you talk to the people?”
He replied, “You are permitted to understand the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven, but others are not. To those who listen to My teaching, more understanding will be given, and they will have an abundance of knowledge. But for those who are not listening, even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them. That is why I use these parables, for they look, but they don’t really see. They hear, but they don’t really listen or understand. This fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah that says, ‘When you hear what I say, you will not understand. When you see what I do, you will not comprehend. For the hearts of these people are hardened, and their ears cannot hear, and they have closed their eyes—so their eyes cannot see, and their ears cannot hear, and their hearts cannot understand, and they cannot turn to Me and let me heal them.’
But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear. I tell you the truth, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, but they didn’t see it. And they longed to hear what you hear, but they didn’t hear it." Matthew 13:10-17 NLT
And this gospel of the Kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come. Matthew 24:14
And I love what ambassador Paul said to the church at Corinth: "For the Kingdom of God is not just a lot of talk; it is living by God’s power." 1 Corinthians 4:20 NLT
W.R. Luchie
www.kingdomcitizens.org
This article may only be reproduced, in print or on the internet, if the author's name and website address are sited at the end of the article as originally placed. Thank you
