Jesus: Part 2
Why Jesus Came: Part 2
To Begin the Establishment of God's Everlasting Kingdom
When you put all of the reasons why Jesus came together, it is evident that God sent His Son Jesus to begin the establishment of His Kingdom. Even more important than our own personal salvation is the establishment of God's Kingdom. From the beginning through Adam and Eve, then through Israel, God's plan has been to establish His Kingdom - a holy nation - with His special people as its royal priesthood.
The reason Jesus called all people (both Jews and Gentiles) to turn to God, was because those who do, and accept that Jesus is the Son of God who was sent as the Way to be reconciled with God are the royal priesthood of His Kingdom, His chosen generation, His holy nation, and His own special people. Essentially, the church is the Kingdom of God. Not the institutional church, but the church as defined in the Bible as the members of the body of Christ and as described in 1 Peter 2:7-10:
Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who are disobedient, “The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone,” and “A stone of stumbling And a rock of offense.” They stumble, being disobedient to the word, to which they also were appointed. 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. - I Peter 2:7-10
I have observed four phases to the work Jesus did while on earth to begin the establishment of God's Kingdom:
Phase 1: The Torch-Bearers
Since Jesus was eventually going to go back to heaven with the Father, one of the things that He had to do was appoint men who would be faithful to continue the work of establishing God's Kingdom after He left. Jesus spent an entire night in solitude and prayer with God regarding who these men would be. In the morning He called all of His followers to come to Him. From this large group of followers, He chose twelve men whom He would disciple to continue the work He had started.
Each man whom He chose to disciple possessed certain qualities and characteristics that were required by God. Probably the primary characteristic was that each man would be of the remnant of Israel. This one characteristic would assure complete and utter loyalty and faithfulness to Jesus. Being of the remnant would produce other attributes that would be required to continue their work as well, such as courage and boldness. I will discuss each of these men in more detail later.
When God had determined that the men Jesus was discipling were ready to continue the establishment of God's Kingdom, this part of the work that Jesus was given to do was finished, and it was time to move onto Phase 2 of His mission.
I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do. - John 17:4
Phase 2: The Suffering and Death of Jesus
With Jesus's successors prepared and in position to establish God's Kingdom, the next part of His assignment would include tremendous suffering before eventually dying as the sacrificial Lamb, who would atone for the sins of mankind. The sacrifice that Jesus would make would allow God to forgive men of their sins, which is required for men to be reconciled with God the Father.
Jesus's death would also bring about the installment of God's everlasting Kingdom on earth, where He would reign as King. At the start of His ministry He preached, "Repent, for the Kingdom of God is near". To say that the Kingdom of God is near, is to say that it is in the not too distant future. He was saying, "Turn to God, because if you do, you can enter His Kingdom which is coming very soon". "Very soon" was just a few years after He first preached the message.
The Kingdom of God was one of the primary subjects that Jesus spoke about. He described it as a mustard seed that would grow into a huge tree that the birds would nest in. He described it as leaven that grows and takes over the dough. He also spoke of it as being very precious, costly and difficult to enter.
He spoke about the Kingdom of God in parables so that only those who had ears to hear would understand, because He was not interested in persuading just anyone to follow Him and enter His Kingdom. The Kingdom of God is only for those who are completely devoted to God. By speaking in parables, He could discern who these people were, and separate the wheat from the tares.
When He taught His disciples how to pray, He instructed them to pray, "Thy Kingdom come, on earth as it is in heaven". He knew God's Kingdom was coming soon, so it was important for them to continue to pray about it.
To pray, "Thy Kingdom come, on earth as it is in heaven", is to ask God to cover the earth with His glory, His goodness and His righteousness. It is to ask God to expand His Kingdom throughout the earth like leaven expands throughout the dough. It is to ask God to take back the territory from the devil that belongs to Him. Whenever someone enters the Kingdom of Heaven, God's territory expands, thereby growing the Kingdom of God. It is to ask God to grow His church - not the institutional church, but members of the body of Christ. Whenever someone becomes a follower of Jesus, they become a member of Christ's body, and the church grows thereby increasing God's territory/Kingdom, and decreasing the devil's territory.
This is essentially what Jesus had instructed His disciples to pray.
Jesus's willingness to sacrifice Himself so that God's Kingdom could be established on the earth, and man's sin could be forgiven so that they can enter His Kingdom and God can be with them, finished Phase 2 of Jesus's assignment.
So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit. - John 19:30
Phase 3: The Resurrection
The resurrection of Jesus from the dead would be the next phase that would destroy death and the works of the devil, give hope to man that they no longer need to fear death, and provide evidence of God's power so that those who saw it would tell others about it.
When some of the women who were following Jesus went to His tomb to anoint His body after He was crucified, an angel of the Lord met them and instructed them to tell His disciples that He had risen from the dead and to meet Him in Galilee.
There, Jesus informed them that He had been given all authority in heaven and on earth, and He gave them their assignment to go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that He commanded them.
He also informed them that He would always be with them, and to wait in Jerusalem until the Holy Spirit comes upon them. After that, they would go to be His witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. Jesus's promise to them that He would always be with them was fulfilled by the Holy Spirit who came upon them and filled them, hence He was always with them because they are One. He is also their King in God's everlasting Kingdom, therefore He is always with them.
Prior to meeting with His eleven disciples in Galilee, Jesus revealed Himself to about 500 others as well so that they could also be witnesses to His resurrection from the dead. The resurrection of Jesus displayed God's miraculous power over death, and those whom He appeared to would be witnesses of His resurrection so that they could also tell others about what they had seen. The resurrection of Jesus would be a powerful testimony to God that would cause many who were told of it to turn to Him.
The resurrection completed Jesus's assignment. His work on earth was now finished, but God had another phase of Jesus's earthly ministry that He would use to draw many people to Himself before Jesus takes His throne next to Him in heaven.
Phase 4: The Ascension
With Jesus's work on earth now complete, He ascended to heaven to be seated on His throne at the right hand of God the Father. He allowed His eleven remaining disciples to see so they could be witnesses of His life on earth, His resurrection from death and His ascension to heaven. Therefore they were able to give accurate, eye witness accounts of what they had seen.
Where Jesus's death at the cross began God's Kingdom on earth, His ascension to heaven began His Kingship over it. Having been obedient to His Father in His mission, God gave Him all authority over all heaven and earth. Jesus now sits enthroned at God's right hand where He reigns as King over God's Kingdom and over all of creation.
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