The King of the Kingdom of God

A senior citizen was driving down on 71 coming into Louisville, and his car phoned. I mean, he was in the car and his phone rang, and so he picked up the phone and heard his wife talking, and his wife said, please be careful, John. I just heard the news that there is a car going the wrong way on 71. Please be careful. So he says, darling, it's not just one car, it's hundreds of them. Well, so, he was the one going the wrong direction, so. Well, it's so easy to go the wrong way and think you're right. It really is easy. But you know, look at it another way. We live in a world that is upside down. The world is really upside down. So this world is Satan's world, and it's going the wrong way. And you know, you and I, when we live in this world, we actually are going upstream, and it feels like everything is coming at us, and we're going, in a sense, the wrong way. But no, we're going the right way because the world is upside down. Now, two weeks ago, I gave a sermon discussing some of the fruits or signs of going the right way and what we should have, those signs, seeking the kingdom of God first and His righteousness in our lives. And today, I want to look at it in a slightly different angle, and that is by asking first the question, do we really understand what the kingdom of God is? Do we really understand what the kingdom of God is? Many people don't really understand what the kingdom of God is. First and foremost, in the world, people don't know what the kingdom of God is. They ask questions, why all these problems? And if God exists, why does He allow suffering? And it clearly shows that they don't understand God's plan and that God's got a timing, and God is doing certain things and preparing certain things for the kingdom of God. And the kingdom of God will rule on earth, but He's not ruling on earth today. The other side of talking about the gospel and the gospel of the kingdom of God, many people think it's a gospel about Jesus. And they say, well, all you need to do is to believe in Jesus and ensure Jesus Christ is the way, is the truth, and is the life. But do we really grasp what that means? He's our Savior. He opens the way for us to be in the kingdom of God. He is the truth. He's the truth creator that brought us back to life with His blood and is the truth. Everything is about Him, He's the truth. And He is the one that will give us eternal life. So do we really grasp that truth of how great Jesus Christ is? Do we really grasp that how great Jesus Christ is? Because that is part of the gospel of the kingdom of God. Because the kingdom of God also includes the King, the King, which is Christ of the kingdom of God.

He's the creator that had to die for you and for me to buy us back, in other words, to redeem us, so that we are able to have eternal life at a later time. That is the truth. And that is so important that if we don't understand it fully, we don't really fully understand the Passover.

If we don't understand that Christ is the creator and that He had to die for us, then the whole meaning of the Passover is a farce. And that is quite significant. And after all, the Passover is the key that opens the way to the plan of salvation. Because think about it, God's holy days, which represent the plan of salvation, only start immediately after the Passover. The first holy days, the first day of 11 bread, is the day immediately after Christ died.

So the Passover is key and opens the way to the plan of salvation. So Christ is away. But the truth of who Christ is, is such an important part of the Gospel of the Kingdom of God, who is Jesus Christ? Who is the King of Kings in the Kingdom of God? That if we don't fully understand, we're really not going to get a full grasp of the Kingdom of God. Now, why is this important for us to understand who Christ really is?

Well, when we understand who really is, then we fully understand what He's done for us.

And if He has done so much for us already by giving His own life, His eternal life, and His physical life. Why would He give up on us now after He's done what He's done?

Why would He ever give up on us? I mean, the hard part has been done from His side.

So He did it because He loves us. It's like we, for our children, as parents or as grandparents, we have such a life for the children that we want to do everything for them, for the well-being. Obviously, we understand that we can't do everything, but Christ and the Father have done everything for us. The real difficult part is being done. So, You'll never give up with us. And that should encourage us to say, well, now it's up to me to not give up. It's up to me to remain loyal. It's up to me to stay on the path, because He won't leave us. He's done all this for us. So it's up to us to remain loyal to the end. So that should encourage us on this journey. It should encourage us on difficult days, on difficulties that you and I have in our life. Sometimes we go through great difficulties in our life. In whatever element could be financial, could be family-related, could be children giving us gray hairs, could be whatever, could be financial, terrible financial, could be health, terrible health situations. And you and I know that we're going to go through really difficult times in the years ahead, because the day of great trial on the nation is still coming, and things are really going to be tough. And brethren, don't let anybody tell you, oh, you know, we'll probably won't be alive, whatever it is, you know, because, you know, the Lord is not delaying His coming. Things are short, really timely short. We don't know when, nobody knows, no man knows when, but we know the season, and the season is young. So we know things are going to be difficult, and therefore we don't want to quit and give up. It's up to us to persevere till the end. Why? Because we see what He did for us.

He wants you and I to be in the Kingdom. He's given off everything, and He's put it on the line already, and He's done it. The difficult part is done. Why would He live up on you now? And on me? And regrettably, we see people that decide, oh well, I'm not good enough, I'm not keeping the boss over. And brethren, don't allow that to happen to you. Obviously, none of us is good enough. None of us is good enough. None of us is worthy. But the point is, it doesn't say that you be worthy. It says that you're doing a worthy man, and that's a different thing. So none of us is worthy. But He's done such sacrifice and suffering for us that we must not give up now.

We must not give up now. So it is important for us to understand who Christ is, to see the magnitude of what is done. And I want to go through that today with the intent for us to be encouraged to see, see that He has done so much for us.

Let you and I, let us, as His children, not give up. Just be motivated. So what is the Kingdom of God? You see, quite often we think of the Kingdom of God as the ruling family of God, and the emphasis is on the word ruling. But I want to put the emphasis today on the word family.

Yes, it's the ruling family of God. I want to put the emphasis on the word family. And it's the family of God which you and I enter when we will be resurrected or changed if we're still alive, and we'll then be even eternal life. So, do we understand the meaning of what that family is? Well, the world does not understand it because trinity and other things just completely hide it from the world.

And so, it is important for us to understand what are we going to be. And turn with me, please, to 1 John chapter 3. 1 John chapter 3.

1 John chapter 3.

And we start in verse 1 of 1 John chapter 3. It says, Behold what manner of love? Now, Yah is the key word in this family, the clue that binds this family.

Love. Genuine, godly, outgoing love. Behold, what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, then we should be called children of God.

Now, it's loving to have children. To have children called children of George or children of Kathy or whatever it is, our family names, it's loving. It's loving to be children of God.

Therefore, the wall does not know us because it did not know Him. The wall does not know God.

And we are in the wall. It's so easy, the wall around us, to camera us with their own ideas and beliefs, etc. And then we don't know the true God.

Beloved, now we are children of God. And it has not yet been revealed what we shall be. It has not yet been revealed what you and I will be.

Now, that's why I want to spend a bit of time today looking at who Christ is. Because understanding who Christ is, we're going to be like Him. And then it will help us to understand a little bit better what God is giving us in that family.

And again, verse 1 starts, What manner of life the Father has stolen us? The groove, the whole motivation, is God's great life for you and I.

So it says, continue in verse 2, it says, It has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, and that is obviously talking about Christ, will be revealed, we shall be like Him.

Christ will come at His coming and we'll be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.

We're going to be like Christ.

So it is important for us to understand what Christ is like.

So that we can see what our goal is.

Sure, it's a ruling family, but there is something else in Christ's whole attitude, which is such and of others, because they both gave up a lot.

And that is based on the motivation of life.

And then it says, For everyone who has this hope in Him purifies itself just as He's pure. In other words, if you and I have this hope, if you and I can see this clearly, if this is clear as daylight, that will just give us that extra energy, that extra strength, that extra willpower to purify ourselves into the power of God's only Spirit, with the help of God's only Spirit, so that you and I can become perfect like Christ and God are perfect.

That will give us the motivation, the encouragement to stride in this road and not let down, because He won't let us down. He will be with us.

So this hope, brethren, goes well beyond the millennium. It's not just a well-known rule for a thousand years, and it goes well beyond the millennium, because this hope goes beyond the millennium. Look at it in Revelation 21, how this hope is described.

Revelation 21.

Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth. For the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. So this is after the millennium, after the 100-year period, as we call it, as we think it is, 100 years after that period, after Saturn has been put away completely. And he says also there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for a husband. The New Jerusalem will come down from heaven to earth from God. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with man. God the Father will come and live. That's going to be His home on earth. But you and I, as the first fruits, will be that home. It'll be our home! Wow! Think about it. We'll be living in God's home.

And He will dwell with them. You see, we'll live with Him. And they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. You see, this goes well beyond the millennium of something just mind-boggling for you and I. Imagine, I mean, if you go and live in a castle, or, say, for instance, of the King of England, you know, and you record there in the castle and say, Wow! What an honor to be in the King's castle! Well, this is God's castle that He's prepared the city with foundations, and you and I are going to be privileged to be in that castle, quote-unquote.

That's a deep new Jerusalem.

And that should motivate us to say, well, whatever trials we have for the time being, yes, they are difficult while we go through them, but how much bigger is what God's giving to us in the future? How much bigger? And do you understand that Abraham understood this? Did you know that Abraham understood this? Wow! The verse had been shown to Abraham many years ago. Look in Hebrews chapter 11. Hebrews chapter 11, which is the faith chapter. And starting in verse 8, Hebrews 11 verse 8 says, But faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going, but faith he dwelt in the land of promise, as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, that he was with him of the same promise, for he waited for the city which has foundations which bode and maketh his God. He looked for words for that new Jerusalem, which means, brethren, that the world tomorrow is only a temporary stage. The real ultimate gulf is beyond that. And that's what you and I need to be encouraged and be motivated.

Do we grasp what it means to be part of his family? You see, if we believe that one God is only a close entity of one being, then we don't understand the concept of that one family, because you can have more than one being in that one God family.

You see, if we only believe that only one being can be in that God family, then you and I cannot be part of that family.

And then we don't fully understand the picture of the kingdom of God, like a kingdom of God, like a ruling family of God. And the emphasis is not on ruling, the emphasis is on family. You see, Satan has confused mankind with so much misunderstandings about who God is, and confuses mankind about what is our destiny. And we've got very good study aids in the church about what is our destiny. We've got this booklet. But really, I recommend if you haven't studied carefully, study it, and study the Bible using the study aid, to understand fully what is our destiny. What is our goal? You and I are to be sons and daughters of God.

And the world confuses, therefore, what the kingdom of God is. So you and I need to understand what we will be in the kingdom of God. And to fully understand what we'll be in the kingdom of God, we need to understand that we will be like Christ, because we saw in 1 John 3, says we're going to be like Him when He's revealed. And so what is Christ like? And we need to study carefully what is Christ like. And the church has a number of booklets of study aids going into that area. Jesus Christ, the True Story, which I understand was written by Mr. Beau Bradford. Very, very in-depth study on that, but he uses that as a Bible study. Also about is God a Trinity? And who is God? Very excellent study material to actually go into the subject matter. So today, I want to spend a little bit of time going into a few scriptures about who is Jesus Christ to help us understand our goal. And then with that, bring it back to us and what it means to us. And so I want to start first with John chapter 1. It's a simple, basic scripture that many of us have seen before. John chapter 1. And starting in verse 1, in the beginning was the word or the word. And that is an interesting point. It's the word, which is a definite article, which means it's the word. Some people say, oh well, it was just, you know, when I go to visit some new visit requests and new people, and they say, oh well, it was just words coming out. And those words became a person. When those words went into Mary and that became a person. So Christ didn't exist before. It was just words that came out of God. I mean, they get so strange in the way they explain this thing away. But it says, was the word. It's a definite article. The word. And the word was with the God, as it is in the Greek, the God. In other words, there is, the word is an existence. It's a self-existence being. And he was with another being, also self-existing, which is greater than him, which the Bible calls us the highest. He's the highest. And obviously, the highest means, is higher than Christ. He's the highest. He's the God. And also, the word with was with the God, basically means a relationship. There was a relationship between the two.

The word with the God, the supreme God. And the word was God. And the word was, that's an identification. He was of that God family, of the Father and that family. Obviously, at that time, he was not the son, because he had not been born yet, he had not been forgotten. But he was a being within, within a close, intimate relationship, a relationship in deep love, of deep love.

Now, some people may say, oh well, isn't that a little bit audacious to say that Jesus Christ was with the Father and the two were God? No, because look in Philippians chapter 2. Philippians chapter 2, in verse 6, says, talking about Jesus Christ, Philippians chapter 2 verse 6, talking about Christ Jesus, who being in the form of God. He was in the form of God. So, it is that family, that family unit, that unity of the family, that he was in that unity of family. And he says, he did not consider robbery to be equal to God. Now, there's a lot of things on TV today that people worry about, called identity theft. And people really worry about identity theft. You know, be careful if you create a car, be careful of the person, that. So, somebody does not steal your identity. And that's a crime, isn't it? Identity theft is a crime.

Jesus Christ was not committing any crime in calling himself, as it says here in verse 6, equal with God. In other words, there was no identity theft. There was no robbery of identity. He was not stealing God's, the Father's identity, because he was God.

You see, there's only one God. One God family. But there's more than one being in that family. But there's only one God family, the ruling God family. So, we can read in various scriptures, and let's look at one example. For instance, it's in Colossians chapter 1, that shows exactly what Christ was. Colossians chapter 1. Colossians chapter 1.

And we're going to read in verse ... ... run about verse, start from verse 15. But let me give you the context. First, he's talking about Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, and he gives thanks for the brethren. And then he says, he prays for them. You can read that in verse 9, that they be filled with all the knowledge of his will, and be bearing fruit. So, he's praying for them, and then he gives God thanks, who has qualified us in verse 12, the Father. And then he gives God the Father thanks, and he has delivered us from this wall, and brought us into the kingdom of the Son in verse 13, through whom we have redemption through his blood. And in verse 15, he is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of our all-creation. Christ is the first one that, from physical being, you became a spirit being. He's the first-born from physical to spirit of all-creation. For by him all things were created, by Christ everything was created. It was showing how great Christ is, that by him, by Christ, everything was created, that is in heaven, or on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrands, or dominions, or principalities, or powers. That means all the things that are physical were made by Christ, but also the things that are invisible are made by Christ, which means the angels were made by Christ. All things were created through him, and for him. All things. Some people say, oh well, now it's only the things in the church. Now that's not what it says. It says all things. He's before all things, and in him all things consist. He keeps them in place. He sustains them. He keeps the earth in balance all the time. He consists of them, and he sustains them.

And he is the head of the body, the church. He's the head of the church. Who is the beginning? The firstborn from the dead. Yes, he's the first one that became spirit being from the dead. That in all things he may have the pre-eminence.

You see, he's the first of all, and it says in verse 19, for it please the father that in him all the fullness should dwell. All the fullness, even the vanity. All the fullness dwells in him. You see, Christ is so great. He created everything. In Ephesians chapter 3 verse 9, Ephesians chapter 3 verse 9, it says the same thing.

It says, it says, And to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been given in God, who created all things through Jesus Christ. God created all things through Jesus Christ. That God's family created all things through the being that is Jesus Christ. Now, that shows clearly that Jesus Christ created all things. What about... but that is looking at the New Testament. What about the Old Testament? Can we see the same thing in Old Testament? Let me show you just a few scriptures in Old Testament, how it corroborates with that. And first, in Genesis chapter 1 verse 26, again, they're basic scriptures that we know.

But we're just trying to show you how great Christ is, so that then we can see the sacrifice that he did by being so great, the sacrifice he did. Genesis 1 verse 26, then God said, let us make man in our image according to our likeness. And then in verse 27, so God created man in his own image, in the image of God, he created him male and female, he created them. You see, it says us.

So there's one God, but there's more than one being in that one God family. Some people say, oh no, that's just majestic pluralism. It's just a way of saying, oh well, we did it, which is just... but they are twisting God's Word.

Let me give you another example. Where the Bible clearly say there are two Lords, two, as some people like to emphasize, YHWHs. There are two YHWHs, two Lords. Let me show you two scriptures that clearly show that. The first one is going to be in Genesis 18. We're going to start from Genesis 18. I'm just going to show a few points to show you the context. Genesis 18. In Genesis 18, we see, starting in verse 2, so this is about Abraham, and he lifted up his eyes and looked, and your three men were standing before him.

So, Abraham was there, and three men appeared before Abraham. One we see later, as we read, one is the Lord, and the other one were two angels. So, the three beings that appear like men, and one was the Lord, and the other two were angels. And it says, we're standing before him, and he said, my Lord, if I have now found favor in your spirit, do not pass on by your servant. And we can see in verse 13, for instance, in verse 13, and he said, and the Lord said to Abraham, one of those men was the Lord. And you can see it's in capitals, the word Lord, L-O-R-D, it's in capitals, and that means that in Hebrew, that is Y-H-W-H, that is the word, the Lord.

Said to Abraham, why did Sarah laugh, saying, shall I surely bear a child since I'm old? Is anything too hard for the Lord? Is anything too hard for, as some people call, YHWH, or whatever is a proper pronunciation, but is anything too hard for the Eternal? And you can see that one of the three beings, one of the three men, was the Lord. And we know it was Christ, because Christ Himself said, no man has seen the Father. No man has seen the Father, but He that came down.

So so it's Christ, yeah. And look at in verse 17, it says, and the Lord said. And so it goes on through this whole story, and you know about the story of Sodom and Abraham interceding for saving Sodom and Gomorrah, so that they would not fire come from heaven to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. And the being that Abraham is talking to is Christ, is the Lord. And that's why, remember elsewhere, it says in the New Testament, Christ says, Abraham was happy when he saw my day.

It probably was referring about the specific instance. But anyway, the point I want to emphasize you is that then the two men go to Sodom, and then they see great depravity. And look at verse 24. Look at verse 24. Genesis 19 verse 24. Then the Lord, that's the Lord that was talking to Abraham. That was the Lord that was talking to Abraham. The one that was with the other two men that was talking to Abraham, rained brimstone and fired on Sodom and Gomorrah from the Lord out of the heavens. So there's two Lords. The Lord that was on earth rained, made the rain, the fire and brimstone to rain on Sodom and Gomorrah, from the Lord that was in heaven. From the other Lord. You can see there's two Lords here. So that's a very clear there that they are two Lords. So that's, we've seen in Genesis, two examples. But let's look at another example in Psalms as well. And it's Psalms 110. Now Psalms 110.

Now this is a very interesting scripture, but Psalm 110 in verse 1. The Lord, that's capitalized YHWH, the Lord said to my Lord. So the eternal or the Yahweh, or whatever is the correct pronunciation, please forgive me, said to my Lord, which is Adonai, or my Adon, my Lord, said that my right hand tell I make your enemies your footstool. So that is God the Father telling Jesus Christ to sit at His right hand. That's clearly so. But look in verse 5. The Lord, verse 5, the Lord is at your right hand. Now you look at it and it says, He shall execute kings in the day of Israel. Now this is very interesting. The Lord is at your right hand. So we know it's Christ that is at the right hand. The point is that the word Lordia in your Bible is not in capitals, because that's the Masoretic text, the Hebrew Masoretic text. If you look in the Masorah, which is the book where the Masoreites made all their amendments, they changed the word YHWH to Adonai, because they could not see how the YHWH could be on the right of the YHWH. And they said therefore it's a mistake, and they changed it to Adonai. But if you do a search, you will see in the Masorah that is one of the 134 places where they changed, they made a change. And because they were so precise, they made a note whenever they made a change. So there is an evidence that they made a change. There is an evidence. It's in the Masorah. And they changed, because there it should say the Lord, which is Jesus Christ, which is YHWH, is at your right hand of the Lord YHWH as well. There's two YHWHs. Now why did they do that change? Because they did not want to mistakenly identify the mai Adon, my Lord, on the right hand side with YHWH, with the white HWH.

So they made a change. They could not believe that, and before they changed the inspired text.

That is a very interesting fact. And again, look at it, it says, He shall execute kings in the day of His wrath. It's talking about Christ. Christ's going to come. It's going to be the day of the Lord's wrath. And He is going to come in a horse, and you know He's the one that is going to establish the kingdom of God on earth and bring peace on earth. So the question is, how can two be one? This is what confuses people. How can two beings be one God?

Look at how Christ answered that question. We'll start first in John 16. John 16.

John 16, starting verse 25. This is after the Passover ceremony. This is the night that He was betrayed, and He's giving His last, let's say, sermon. And then He is going to give a prayer in chapter 17, which we'll read portions of in a moment. In verse 25, He says, In that day, you will ask in my name, and I do not say to you that I shall pray the Father for you, for the Father Himself loves you because you have loved me and have believed that I came from the Father. I came forth from the Father, and I have come into the world. Again, I leave the world and go to the Father.

Christ came from the Father, came to earth, lives His life, He died, was resurrected, and went back to the Father. And you and I can see that He's sitting at the right hand. He's a different being. He's sitting at the right hand. He's not one being, it's two beings, but it's one God.

Look at it in chapter 17, where Christ is praying. Start reading in verse 3. And He says, Now, this is Christ praying to God the Father.

The highest is the Father. He's the true head of the family. He's the true God.

And Jesus Christ, whom you have sent, I have glorified you on the earth. I have finished the work which you have given me to do.

And look a little bit further.

Oh, now in verse 5. And now, Father, glorify me together with yourself, with the glory which I had with you before the world was.

I had with you before the world was. Before I created everything, I had this glory with you, with the Father. With. It wasn't part of one person. It was with the Father. It was a separate being.

I had with you before the world was. So, restore to me the glory that I had with you before. Bring me back to that same glory. Glory of being God.

Now, why are we doing this? Because I want you to understand that we're going to be like Jesus Christ. We're going to be of that family.

Wow! We are going to be of that family. Obviously, much smaller in glory, but we're going to be of that glorious family. Wow! That is encouraging for us to, with this hope, not to give up.

Look again in verse 20. In verse 26, I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may be one. Who's he praying for? He's praying for us.

That we do believe that we may be one.

Well, isn't God one? Well, it's something that has to be one. How can it be one if we're so many people? But he's asking us to be one.

Just like God is one. Look at it. As you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they may be one in us, that the world may believe that you said me, so that we may be one, like Jesus Christ and the Father are one. He's asking us, I'm praying that we may be one.

Does it mean that you and I are going to cease to exist and just kind of become one big blob? No, we're still individuals, but we ought to be one in that family.

I say, how's it possible? Well, let me give you an example. The day you and I, my wife and I marry, and you marry with your wife, or you married your husband, aren't we supposed to be one as husband and wife? Isn't that what in Genesis says? He says, therefore a man shall leave his father and mother, and the two shall become one flesh. We have to become one. Husband and wife are to become one.

Sure, we're not perfect yet. We're still sometimes not one, but we should aim for that unity of mind, of purpose, that oneness. Continue in verse 22. And the glory which you gave me, I have given them, that they may be one just as we are one. Christ's giving us the same glory. Well, not yet. You and I have not yet been glorified, but to God it is a fact as if it's already happened, because he has paid for it. And it's just up to us now to remain faithful to the end, but it is as if it has already happened, and we're going to have the same glory. That's what he says. The glory which you gave me, I've given to them, to us. We're going to have the same glory, that they may be one.

That one family, that we may be one of that one family, just as we are one. You see, God is one. They are one, and we are to be one. There's only going to be one God family.

I am them, you and me, that I may be perfect in one. Perfect in one. Perfect in unity. And that the world may know that you have sent me, and I love them, and you have loved me. So brethren, this is an absolute uniqueness. How is it possible to be one?

Only through genuine, outgoing love. Only through genuine, Godly love.

And what does love mean? That means that when one suffers, the other one suffers for the other one. And the other one helps. Why is it that we are one, so we're together? That is very special. That is very special. It's only possible with genuine, Godly love.

Brethren, when you and I begin to grasp how great Christ is, there is our Creator, there is God. Remember how the angel came to Mary when she was conceived with a baby and said, his name is going to be called Immanuel, which means God with us. That's what it means, God with us.

Some say, oh well, the New Testament never calls Jesus Christ as God. I have had that as well, he told me. The New Testament never calls Jesus Christ as God. Well, not true.

Look in Hebrews chapter 1. Look in Hebrews chapter 1.

Hebrews chapter 1. Start reading it in verse 1. Hebrews chapter 1 verse 1. God, who was sundered at various times, and in various places spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by his son, whom he has appointed, here of all things, through whom also he made the walls. God, the God family, and God the Father, sent his son, and through him he was the king, through whom he made the walls, who being the express, who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person. Jesus Christ is the express image of the other person, which is the Father. In other words, in character, in the way he is, is the same character, the same outgoing, concerned love. And Jesus Christ upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high. So Christ upholds all things by the word of his power, and now sits at the right hand of on high. But look a little bit further. Look at verse 8. Look at verse 8, because the question is, the New Testament never calls Jesus Christ as God. Well, look at it. Look at verse 8. To the son, he says, that's the Father. To the son says, you're thrown, O God. The Father is calling to Christ. To the son, and he says, you're thrown, O God. He's calling the son, God. Not just the son of God, but he's calling the son God. You're thrown, O God, is forever and ever a scepter of righteousness, is a scepter of your kingdom. That's the kingdom that of God is going to reign on earth. And you have loved righteousness and thank the Lordness. Therefore God, that's Jesus Christ, your God, that's the Father, has anointed you with the oil of gladness more than your companion. Therefore God, therefore Jesus Christ, your God, which is the Father, has anointed you. Now, when people say, well, the New Testament never calls Jesus Christ God, well, there he is. And look at verse 10, and you, and you, Lord, in the beginning lay the foundation. Interesting, that's capitalized because it's talking about Jesus Christ. In the beginning lay the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They all perish, but you remain, and they will all grow old like a government, like a drug. And it's talking about who created and it's Christ. Look also in John chapter 20.

John chapter 20. In this section, we've got a section about the doubting Thomas. You remember, Christ had died, and he now resurrected, and doubting Thomas said, no, no, I don't believe until I touch him with my own hands. And in John chapter 20 verse 27, then Christ said to Thomas, reach your finger, Yah, and look at my hands, and reach your hand, Yah, and put it into my side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing. So Christ told Thomas, look at my hands, come, put your hands, Yah, and look at my side. And there he had this big hole, getting big hole. Now imagine you're standing next to a man with all these holes, and he's got this hole, and he's right there. All your doubts will be gone. All your doubts will be gone. And he says, and Thomas answered and said to him, my Lord and my God. He called Christ, he's God.

And what did Christ say? Oh, don't call me God, because I'm not God.

Christ said, Thomas, because you've seen me, and you have believed, but blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.

So we see, we saw Hebrews there in the right, and we saw Yah, John, with the very words of Christ. Look in Peter, another apostle, in 2 Peter chapter 1. 2 Peter chapter 1. 2 Peter chapter 1. Simon Peter, a bond servant and apostle of Jesus Christ.

To those who have obtained like precious faith with us by the righteousness of our God and Savior. Who is our God and Savior? Jesus Christ.

Our God and Savior, Jesus Christ.

I mean, look at Titus as well. Titus. Titus, a number of places refers to our Savior.

In Titus chapter 1 verse 3 and 4 says to Titus, the true son of our common faith, grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Savior. Who is our Savior? The Lord Jesus Christ. Look in chapter 2 verse 10. He says, not though for him not but showing all good fidelity that I may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior. Who did he say what God was? He said, I mean, what our Savior was, he said, was Lord Jesus Christ. Now, thank God our Savior. Sure, God is our Savior. Lord Jesus Christ is our Savior. But he's clearly identifying, looking verse 13 a little bit further, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearance of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.

So, it's very clear that God is referred to Christ in the New Testament. So, I understand, say, oh, but it's not possible. It's not possible having eternal life, then coming to earth and die, and then come back to have eternal life again. That is impossible. That's nowhere in the Bible with his life, and then you stop living eternally, and then have physical life, then die, and then have eternal life again. That's impossible. There's nowhere in the Bible. Oh, well, it isn't about that. In Revelation chapter 1, Revelation chapter 1, Revelation chapter 1 verse 17.

And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as did, but he laid to his right hand, but he laid his right hand on me, saying unto me, Do not be afraid. I am the first and the lost. Who is the first and the lost? Who is talking now? It's Christ. I'm the first and the lost. Look, continue. I am the one who lives, who has eternal life, and was dead. So has eternal life, then he was dead, and be all of my life forever again. I've got eternal life again. So there he lives, eternal life, then he was dead, but he's got life again. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades, that is, the grave and of death. So I can resurrect. It's Christ who's got the keys that can resurrect us.

So Christ has that power. Look in chapter 2 verse 8. Chapter 2 verse 8. And to the angel of the church, Jesus Merna, write, These things says the first and the lost. Who was dead and came to life? Who is the first and the lost?

Who is it that was dead and has come to life? That's Christ.

All right. With that in mind, turn to Revelation chapter 22 verse 12 and 13. Revelation 22. Chapter 12 and 13.

And be all, I'm coming quickly, and my reward is with me to give to everyone according to his work. That's Christ. He's coming quickly and is giving the reward with us. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the lost. That's Christ. He is the first and the last. Now, where is this quoted from? The first and the last. Do you know it's quoted from the Old Testament? Isaiah 44 verse 6. Turn to me to Isaiah 44 verse 6. Isaiah 44 verse 6.

Thus says the Lord, who's talking about you, he's talking about Christ, the King of Israel. He's a king and his Redeemer. He's Redeemer. He's the one that brought us back. The Lord of hosts. I am the first and I am the lost. That's Christ. I am the first and I am the lost.

Besides me, there's no God.

Besides him, in that family, besides this ruling family, and he's a creator, there's no other beings out there that are creatives. It's this ruling family and he is under God the Father and he did it all by the instructions of God the Father. But besides this family, there's no other God. There's no other gods out there. And now with that in mind, you should read Isaiah 45 at home. Very encouraging, very inspiring, Isaiah 45 with that in mind. But to fill in the gaps, look at Isaiah 48 verse 12. This is fascinating. Isaiah 48 verse 12. Listen to me O Jacob, and Israel, my court. I am him. I am the first. I am also the lost.

Behold, my hand has laid the foundation of the earth.

And we saw in Revelation 22, 12 and 13 that Christ is the first and the lost. And he says, I am the first and I'm the lost. And my hand has laid the foundation of the earth. And my right hand has stretched after heaven. When I call them, they stand together. All you assemble yourselves and then jump to verse 15. I, even I, have spoken. That's talking about Christ. Yes, I have called him and I've brought him and his way will prosper. Come near to me and then jump in and jump to verse 17. That says the Lord, your Redeemer. That's Christ, the Holy One of Israel. I am the Lord, your God, who teaches you to profit, who leads you by the way. You should go. Oh, that you had heeded my commandments. It's amazing. Look at also in verse 16. At the end of verse 16, and now the Lord God, that's the Father, and his Spirit, his Spirit, have sent me. That's the person that's speaking as I, which is Jesus Christ. He says, and the Lord God, the Father, and he's through the power of his Spirit, have sent me. Jesus Christ. It's really fascinating now. When we understand how great Christ is, what he is, the glory that he has, and that he did it voluntarily. That's why he said, I am to the Jews in John chapter 8, and I wanted to stone him. Then you understand he died for you and I. He died. And that's the meaning of the Passover to why he died for us. He's done that for us. He didn't have to. He only did it because he loves us. It's like we love our children, we don't want the best for our children. But not only did he die, he suffered for us.

You know, he did not have to suffer for us. But why did he suffer? Because sin brings suffering. That's why this world is suffering, because there's sin.

And sin means suffering. And that's the meaning of the bread. He had to suffer.

And you and I have to suffer for others. Because when we suffer, when people do things wrong to us, and we suffer without retaliating, without hitting back, we allow the healing process.

If people do things wrong at us, and we hit them back, how can we heal? We can't. But when we suffer and we don't hit back, it allows the healing process. Is that easy? No. But that's how we reconcile. Not by hitting back. And that's the meaning of the bread. And that's the bread that you and I have to eat at a passover. That's why it's called the bread of affliction. Because it's the suffering. It's the bread of that suffering. The blood is his death. The bread is the suffering. And look in conclusion, look at Romans chapter 8. Romans chapter 8.

Romans chapter 8 verse 12. Romans chapter 8 verse 12. Therefore brethren, we are debtors not to the flesh to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh, you will die. Brethren, we are not debtors to the flesh. We are debtors to God. What the cross has done for us, to us. But if by the Spirit, with the help of God's Holy Spirit, you and I put to death the deeds of the body, we will live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God. We're going to be part of that family. We're going to have that same loving, caring attitude that we are suffering for others. Christ suffered for us because of our sins. He suffered for our healing. And that's how there is healing. That's how there is reconciliation which is suffering. For you, verse 15, you do not receive the Spirit of bondage again to fear, but you receive the Spirit of sonship by whom we cry, have that Father. The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are the children of God. We are of that loving family. And if children then hairs, hairs of God. We are hairs of that family. We're going to inherit that same glory as God and join hairs of Christ. If, now that's the biggest English word, if, if we suffer within, then we may also be glorified together with Him. If we take off that same bread. That's why so important that we tackle that wine and bread every year at the Passover because that brings us that analogy and bread brings us being part of that vine. And when we break ourselves from that vine, wow, the branches are dead. You cut the branch from a vine, a grape vine, and you'll notice that you cut branches from every tree sooner later they all die. But if you cut branches from a vine, they die very quickly. And that's frightening. That is frightening. We need to be linked to that vine. We need to never neglect the meaning and and the value of the Passover. We must never neglect that. So if we indeed suffer with Him, we'll also be glorified together. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. Brethren, can we see what Christ He is as the Creator, as our God, as of God, that's the God, as of that family, God family. He's the one that created us. Without Him, nothing was created. Everything was created through Him.

And He died for us, and He suffered for us, and He wants to give us the same glory that He has for us. So our suffering said nothing. And why does He do it? Because He loves us.

It's a family love of caring for us. Verse 19, for the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly awaits the revealing of the sense of God. The swole is eagerly awaiting because there's pain in the swole. There's suffering. The swole is mere disaster, and it's going to get far worse.

It earnestly awaits, eagerly waits, for the revealing of the sons of God. Why? Because we're going to be the ruling family of God, but it's not just the ruling, it's the family which will have love and compassion. Christ has love and compassion for us. He will have love and compassion as the ruling King of kings and Lord of lords. Sure, you'll rule over a lot of iron, for those are rebels. You'll fix them up very quickly, but it will be with love and compassion to those that want to follow, because that's His character, His love. For the creation was subject to futility, not willingly, but because of Him was subjecting in help, because the creation itself also be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. The rest of the world, mankind, hopefully all of mankind, will come to this liberty as well. For we know that the whole creation roams and lathers with birth banks together until now. But not only that, but we also, we have the first fruits of the Spirit. Even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the sonship, the redemption of our body. Brinford, when we have this picture clear in our mind, we can start understanding better what the kingdom of God is. That it's not just a ruling family, it is a ruling family. And that, what binds that family is love, and is genuine care and concern for one another. And that is what we need to have. And what is genuine love? We suffer love. Love is kind. Love bears all things. Love never fails. Those are wonderful characteristics of God in love. And there's many others, as you can read in Corinthians 13. But that's what we are to aim, to become. There is our goal, to put on that divine nature, that nature of God. And that's the glory that you and I need to look at. So next time, you hear about that thumb ringing, and you think that you're going against the traffic. Yes, we are going against this whole world. But don't be discouraged. Don't give up. Look to the big job that is waiting, you and I, to serve mankind. Yes, we're very little today, because we really don't have life. I mean, you and I have little life. Our energy is weak, is frail. But in the future, we will have life, and we'll be able to serve mankind in a way that will make this earth such a beautiful earth. Never give up.