Words of Jesus Podcast - Kingdom of God

Episode Date: January 21, 2022

Jesus was accused of being a sinner because religious leaders alleged he broke the Sabbath commandment. However, violation of religious expectations, traditions or dogma is not sin. Sin is a violation of the Law (the big ten). Jesus always obeyed His Father and never violated His law. The hierarchy in the Kingdom of God is continually illustrated. The Father (YHVH) is in control. The son of God, Jesus, obeys the instructions of His Father.  Listen to the red words -Jesus honors His Father all the time! ***Chapter 16. JESUS DECLARES HIS SONSHIP WITH GOD (Part 2)THE AUTHORITIES persecuted Jesus and sought to slay him because he had healed the lame man on the Sabbath and had told him to carry his bed on that day.  Jesus said to them: “My Father worketh hitherto, and I work.”These words angered the authorities further; because Jesus had not only broken the Sabbath but had also said that God was his Father, making himself equal with God.     To his persecutors Jesus replied: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise. For the Father loveth the Son, and sheweth him all things that himself doeth: and he will shew him greater works than these, that ye may marvel. For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth whom he will. For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son: That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.  Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live. For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself;And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man. Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.  If I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true.”            “There is another that beareth witness of me; and I know that the witness which he witnesseth of me is true.  Ye sent unto John, and he bare witness unto the truth.  But I receive not testimony from man: but these things I say, that ye might be saved.  He was a burning and a shining light: and ye were willing for a season to rejoice in his light.”  “But I have greater witness than that of John: for the works which the Father hath given me to finish, the same works that I do, bear witness of me, that the Father hath sent me.  And the Father himself, which hath sent me, hath borne witness of me. Ye have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his shape. And ye have not his word abiding in you: for whom he hath sent, him ye believe not.”   “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.  I receive not honour from men.  But I know you, that ye have not the love of God in you. I am come in my Father's name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will...

Think Red Ink Ministries presents The Words of Jesus Series with Don C. Harris Hello my friend and welcome once again to the Words of Jesus series. I'm Don Harris of Think Red Ink Ministries. My goal is to reinforce Christianity with the wisdom and words of Jesus, which incidentally are recorded in red ink in many Bibles. Do you know what Jesus said? Do you know what Jesus did? What Jesus said to do?

You will after this series. It's based on Jesus, His life, His ministry, His friends, and the relationship with His Father as recorded in the four Gospels. We'll delve into mysteries that have been hidden, not from us, but for us in the words of Jesus. We started chapter 16 last time and we were talking about how Jesus was explaining, tried to

explain to the Pharisees that His intention was to work as the Father worked. The Father tells me what to do, and I do it. If he's not concerned about the Sabbath day, why are you? Now, I want you to know that some people take, when Jesus does something on the Sabbath day, as a matter of fact, there's a very prominent preacher. If I called his name most everybody would know him as one of the most prominent Bible teachers of the century. A man that I enjoyed for many, many years listening to him

and I always enjoyed hearing him read and talk about the scriptures. However, from time to time they would broadcast one of his sermons that he preached at his home church. And I never will forget, after having learned about the Sabbath day, because it is obscured in Protestant Christianity. I remember hearing him preach a sermon called When Jesus Broke the Sabbath. And I thought, now how could a solid theologian, a man of such a doctrinal background,

super familiar with the scriptures? I mean, this guy's not a novice. He's been around a very, very long time. And if you got him off to himself and asked him, do you believe, and what made Jesus uniquely qualified to die for our sins? You know, I believe that he would answer that question correctly. I think he knows it without a doubt. I think he knows it back and forward. I think that it's as clear to him as if it was written on the back of his hand. Because Jesus never sinned.

Jesus was that innocent life that was given for us. Are you saying that Jesus never, ever sinned? Yeah. You're saying that Jesus never, ever sinned? Yeah. You're saying that Jesus never broke the commandments. Well, of course not. Yet, that same man was able to stand in his pulpit, preach a sermon, not just incidentally saying this, parenthetically inserting this into another thought,

but actually titling his sermon, The Day Jesus Broke the Sabbath. Now, the whole purpose of this sermon was to tell people, you don't have to pay any attention to the Sabbath. Jesus is our example, and he broke the Sabbath day. Now how far would anybody get preaching any sermon saying that Jesus violated any other of those nine commandments? Well he'd probably be stoned. He'd be drug out of town by his shirt collar and thrown on the next train out of town, wouldn't he?

Well of course he would. But when this preacher says the day Jesus broke the Sabbath, people sit and intently listen. And he gave scriptures very much like the one we're reading here where Jesus worked on the Sabbath day, thus breaking the Sabbath day as an example to us that we should work on the Sabbath day, thus breaking the Sabbath day. As an example to us that we should work on the Sabbath day. I don't know how ingenuous this was.

I don't know how sincere. I don't know. I can't judge the man's heart, but I can certainly judge what he said, and that is that if Jesus violated any of the commandments, he was a sinner. The Bible is clear on this matter. You break one law one time, and it is as if and as bad as you've broken every commandment that God ever gave us. It's just that clear. Jesus never violated the Sabbath. Ever violated the Sabbath. Now you're going to find him really ticking off the religious leaders because he broke

their Sabbath all the time. Remember we talked about how the Pharisees, the scribes, the whole Jewish culture was in fear of violating the Sabbath because they knew that was the reason they found themselves in Babylonian captivity. God was very clear that you're paying for those years of not keeping my Sabbath. You owe me 70 years and I'm going to get them. And he did. And so the Jews knowing this

would build fences, as I was telling you, around these particular commandments to make sure nobody violated the Sabbath. We don't want to go through this again. So they, I mean the Scriptures don't tell us, but the evidence is pretty clear that the Pharisees, the Sanhedrin, the Sadducees, all the religious leaders of that day, it's almost like they had Sabbath squads out there that are watching to make sure people didn't violate the Sabbath or was called down if they did. I know

the Scriptures don't say that, but it sure looks that way. It was certainly on their mind. And Jesus was constantly at war with the Jews' Sabbath. Not the Sabbath that his father had instituted. He'd never violated that Sabbath. But he was constantly violating the church Sabbath. I find myself in constant violation of church tradition, but I don't find myself in violation of God's commandments, which I think are more important. And as we said last episode, we obey God or should we obey men?

Jesus went to explain this and he does this several times. He takes a lot of time with the Pharisees and with the Sadducees and with the scribes and the church leadership that is condemning him constantly. One time there was a poor woman that was bowed over in the midst. She was bowed from her waist down. I assume she walked with her back horizontal and level with the earth and her face down

and that's the way she got around. The Bible says she could in no wise lift up herself. Jesus healed her and oops, it was on the Sabbath day. And so here comes the Sabbath squad and they're going to come out there and tell him what he's doing wrong. He asked him a question. He said, should we do good on the Sabbath day or evil? And then I think in this particular situation he says,

he says, is there any of you that if your ox falls into the ditch and you get him out on the Sabbath day or you lead him away to watering or to feeding or whatever you do with your animals, He says, now ought not this woman, being a child of Abraham, be loosed from her infirmity on the Sabbath day? You do that on the Sabbath day and you condemn this? He tried constantly to show them you've invented these fences, you've invented these rules

and you find, and you know them. You've invented these fences. You've invented these rules. And you find, and you know you should know that there are many people who live under the, not a penalty, but certainly under a cloud and under a guilt of sin they never committed because they believe that it's sin. Now it has its problems and it has its power over us and it's to be avoided like the Bible says if a man knows to do good and does it not. Well if a man knows

not to do something and does it, well to him it's sin as well. It's missing the mark, isn't it? We're going to talk about sin and exactly what that is and quit calling things that just because your mom and your grandma and all the other people in your church, that little dandies and lace-drawered preachers don't like that kind of behavior, they have no trouble calling whatever behavior you think is

normal for you. They think that it's sin. Well it's not sin. It's just in a lot of cases manly. And in a lot of cases just masculine. And so it's anathema. Which fits very well in the society we live in today don't you think um but nevertheless there's a lot of people that live under the weight of sin that's never that is not committing a sin at all then there are the others who are committing sin every day that they feel no conviction for do you think you're above either one of those stations in life?

Do you think that there is no way in the world that you could be violating one of God's commandments and not know it? Oh, friend, you're mistaken. It can happen. It can happen to an aware Christian. It can happen to a man who is taking time every day to hear the voice of God, who's not offending his conscience. It's not going to happen to a man who is taking time every day to hear the voice of God, who's not offending his conscience. It's not going to happen to that fellow. But it could happen to most anyone. I see it all the time. I see people that are committing sins that I wouldn't touch with one of my fingers,

yet they feel no conviction about it whatsoever. And I also meet people who are avoiding certain behaviors that I don't, you know, the Bible doesn't mention it, it doesn't talk about it, but it's societally, it's the wrong thing to do. And so they've been told that anything less than perfection is sin. Where did you get that from? You know, you didn't get it from the Scriptures.

The Scriptures have been trying to tell you for millennia that a sin is a transgression against the law. Not men's law, not the church's law, not your mom's law, not your granny's law, but God's law. Jesus came, lived, died, and resurrected to make us new creatures. He came to show us the Father by His actions. We struggle with this. We write creeds, we make symbols, and construct images or buildings

meant to capture the shape of our invisible God. God preserved a record for us of the historical ministry of Jesus in print. We should know the red words and all the scriptures like nothing else as a foundation, not a stopping place. As we obey the instructions given to others, perhaps we also will hear His Word. Don't miss this timely and exciting revelation in The Word of God CD.

Order your copy at questionsofjesus.com. We don't need a relationship with a book. We need a relationship with the author. Jesus came to make us more like him. Not fatter, not more prosperous, not just better versions of ourselves. Jesus came, lived, died, and resurrected to make us new creatures.

Write to info at questionsofjesus.com and request your copy of The Word of God CD. Many people have no trouble following the so-called church law that they were raised in, but God's law is foreign to them. Absolutely foreign to them. And you know what's really odd about all these people that have all these wild and crazy understandings?

Every one of them calls themselves Christian. Odd, isn't it? Jesus is declaring His sonship with God and now they're hung up on something else. They're saying, you just said you're the son of God and that makes you equal with God. Well, I did say that I'm the son of God, but I don't know where you got the idea that that makes me equal with him. I'm not equal with my father. I mean, I'm speaking for myself now. I'm not equal with my father. I mean, Don, I'm speaking for myself now. I'm not equal with my father.

You're not equal with yours. You're separate entities. Now, if you're in your father's business and you're doing what your father would do and you're living under his laws and his code and his character and his conduct and that's all a part of your life, you're a good representative of your father. And that is good, and I guess that could be bad. But that doesn't make you him. In their idea in the world that they lived in, it did. Jesus says I'm sorry you feel that way. What can I do about what you believe?

I can't do anything about that. But I can explain to you the way these things work. He goes on to say, Verily, verily, I say unto you, the Son can do nothing of himself. This does not sound like an autonomous, sovereign, God-speaking. Does it to you? I have trouble when the Trinitarians try to make him out to be God. Here he's saying I am subject to someone. So co-equal? I don't see

co-equal there. I see someone who has submitted themselves to the Father. He said the Son can do nothing of himself but what he seeth the Father do. For what things soever He doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise. The Son follows the Father. He's not equal to Him. He follows Him. For the Father loveth the Son, and showeth him all things that himself doeth.

And he will show him greater works than these, that ye may marvel. For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them, even so the Son quickeneth whom he will. For the Father judges no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son, that all men should honor the Son. You might be a little confused that I'm saying that Jesus doesn't have a will of His own, yet He says I'll raise who I want to raise from the dead.

Here you see Him making a decision or making a judgment. Well he explains that, doesn't he? He says that the Father has committed all judgment unto the Son. So here you have the Son receiving the power, if you will, the privilege of judgment and resurrection. It's been given to him by his father. And so

to continue this he said that all men should honor the son even as they honor the father. Even as they honor the father. He that honoreth not the Son, honoreth not the Father which sent him. Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation, but is passed from death unto life. Verily, I say unto you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice

of who? The Son of God. For as the Father hath life in himself, so hath he given to the Son, to have life in I don't know how anybody can read this and their mind just not reel with the inconsistencies that we have been taught and have been preached to us over the years, here you have Jesus saying exactly the way this works. The Father is in control of everything. Jesus does not make these decisions on his own. He makes them as the Father gives him information and essentially tells him what to do. Now, in the area of judging men, God said, you know, I'm going to have to recuse myself here. I don't know that I can do this properly. I don't know

that I can do this fairly because I'm not a man. Jesus is saying, I am. And he says, okay, you be the judge of these people. You determine who has life. I am giving what life I have in me. I am giving it to you to impart to whomsoever you will. Here you have judgment and the power of life and death

that is being transferred to the Son for His and at His discretion. This is huge! This is a huge thing that He is talking about here. May I read it again? I'd love to read this to you again. I want you to hear this in the light of this great corporation in the sky God and sons. How he is actually and essentially stepping down

from his particular chair and allowing his son to sit in it. That's exactly what's going on here. The hour is coming. And now is when the dead shall hear the voice of the son of God. And that they that hear shall live. For as the father hath life in himself. This is the life that is imparted to dead bodies, essentially, and raises them to life.

This is what was prophesied with the valley of dry bones. This is what happened to Jesus Christ after he died. The life himself, the life that is in God. Ecclesiastes says when a man dies, what happens? His body goes into the earth and his spirit goes back to the God that gave it. That is the life that was given to that man. It's not the man's. It doesn't belong to him.

Why would it stay with his body? It was given to him by God and now it's gone back to God. And God is described here as a being who has life in himself. This doesn't mean that he's alive. as a being who has life in himself. This doesn't mean that he's alive. It means that he has the power of life within him. And now we're going to see that he has given to the Son to have life in himself. Now, here we have Jesus being imparted,

being imbued, if you will, being handed, being given the power of life within himself and hath given unto him authority to execute judgment. So not only does he have the life he has the power so when jesus says you know i'm the way the truth and the life he means that this is the the life that you want to infuse your body when it's dead in the ground that's the life that i have within myself that I will execute judgment. I'm going to choose who is resurrected and who's not. And I'm going to infuse that body with life. That life has been given to me of my Father and the power to use it, the power to execute it has been given to me of my Father

because He is the Son of Man. Here we find Jesus not using the term Son of God but He's using the term Son of Man. Jesus is uniquely qualified to justify us, to judge us, to forgive us or condemn us. Uniquely qualified because remember I told you about his memories that he has of being with the Father. These are not things that have been long since forgotten in the last 30 years

or since he was a child or came by way of birth into this earth. No, these things haven't been forgotten. They're there still in the mind and spirit of our Lord. And now he has the unique privilege, and I mean a privilege that even his father does not have by virtue of the fact that he became man. Now do you see the very, very important doctrine that should be added to our theology?

That when Jesus Christ walked on this earth, that he was a man, just like we? Do you see how important that is? It is because of that, that he was made judge, the one who can execute judgment, and the one who provides or doles out or decides who gets life. That the life of God that resurrected Jesus from the dead was given to Jesus to have power in himself to bring you back to life when that time

comes of the resurrection. Now, this to me is just exciting. And this is just huge theology here that if this doesn't fit in your thinking, friend, you need to change your thinking. That's really all there is to it. This needs to fit like a hand in a glove with what you understand about the relationship between the Father and the Son. Now come forth, come forth, who comes forth? He's not coming forth, we will come forth. They that have done good unto the resurrection of life and they that have done evil unto the resurrection of damnation. I can of my own will, I can of my own self do nothing.

As I hear, I judge and my judgment is just because I seek not my own will, but I seek the will of the Father which has sent me. If I bear witness of myself, if, I'm sorry, if I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true. But there is another that bears witness of me, and I know that the witness that he witnesses of me is true.

He sent unto John, and he bear witness unto the truth. But I received not testimony from any man. But these things I say, that you might be saved. He, talking about John was a burning and a shining light. I want to leave this for another time. We're almost out of time today. But you have heard some of the thickest red words

you've ever heard in your life. There is more in this little diatribe right here. There is more in here. If you go back and read this, you're going to find things yet that they're just stupendous. They're incredible. We actually can see the governmental powers and the assignments of those powers. We can see those things happening here. Jesus is trying to get it across to them.

You know, I look like a man. I smell like a man. I know you think I'm a man and that I'm taking some kind of privilege. It's not mine, but I want you to know it's been given to me. And my life is being witnessed to by the father himself. And I'm going to prove that to you as time goes by. And boy, I hope you're enjoying this. I certainly am. That's all for this time. Hey, I want you to do something for me. I want to hear from you. Tell me who you are and where you're from and how you're listening to this broadcast. Send your questions or your comments and I'll be glad to answer them. The email address that you would write to is simply my name,

don at thinkridding.com or you can write to Think Riddick Ministries at P.O. Box 718 Pytown 87827 but nevertheless, in any case, I'd love to hear from you.

I hope you're enjoying the series. We're going to continue next time. Be right here. Bring one of your friends. I'd love for you to enjoy this with some of your friends. Because after you get done, don't you just want to talk to somebody about this? I know I do. All right.

Time's gone for now. We'll see you next time. Bye-bye. time's gone for now we'll see you next time bye bye you've been listening to Don C. Harris of Think Red Ink Ministries email don at thinkredc.com. That's ThinkRedInc.com. Join us again for the next episode in the Words of Jesus series. you