Jesus' Proof

A while back I was having a conversation with a dear brother in the Lord discussing having “Kingdom Vision” and seeing the big picture. When to my surprise, a scripture that I had not been meditating on, or even heard a sermon or teaching on that I could recall, rose up out of my spirit and came out of my mouth. Since that day however, I think about and meditate on it quite frequently. I am reminded of a statement that a man of God from my past used to make: “The main thing is to keep the main thing, the main thing!” Sometimes I think we lose sight of what the main thing is. This Blog is meant to stir up your remembrance to the main thing.

“And it came about that when Jesus finished giving instructions to His twelve disciples, He departed from there to TEACH and PREACH in their cities. Now when John (the Baptist) in prison HEARD OF THE WORKS OF CHRIST, he sent word by his disciples, and said to Him, ‘Are You the Expected One, or shall we look for someone else?’ And Jesus answered and said to them, ‘Go and report to John what you hear and see: the BLIND RECEIVE SIGHT and the LAME WALK, the LEPERS ARE CLEANSED and the DEAF HEAR, and the DEAD ARE RAISED UP, and the POOR HAVE THE GOSPEL PREACHED TO THEM.’”  Matthew 11:1-5 NASB (emphasis mine)

Several things in this text strike me. First it was John who boldly declared:

“Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” John 1:29 NASB

John seemed to be the only person alive at the time of the beginning of the earthly ministry of Jesus who had a revelation of who He was. He was also the one who declared:

“After me One is coming who is mightier than I, and I am not fit to stoop down and untie the thong of His sandals. I baptized you with water; but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” Mark 1: 7 & 8 NASB

You would think that John because of being the greatest prophet under the Old Covenant (see Luke 7: 24-28), next to Jesus, and the revelation that he walked in, surely understood who Jesus was and what He was all about. Yet from our text we see that even he had doubts if Jesus was indeed The Messiah, The Christ, and The Anointed One!

I believe that when John declared: ‘behold the Lamb of God’ he was speaking from the anointing of his office as Prophet; and when he asked are you the one he was speaking from his depression and flesh while incarcerated. It could also perhaps be that John became unsure of who Jesus was because like the other Jews of his day he was looking for The Messiah to come and deliver them physically from the oppression of the Roman Empire. They were a people who were more concerned about physical oppression while Jesus was more concerned about spiritual oppression. Remember the Apostle John wrote in his Epistle:

“The Son of God appeared for this purpose, that He might destroy the works of the devil.” 1 John 3:8 NASB

Jesus did not come to establish a physical kingdom in His first coming that will be established in His second coming. They knew that Messiah would establish a physical kingdom, but did not understand that the enemy had to be dealt with first, before that physical kingdom could be set up. They did not have the benefit that we do of Apostolic writings of the New Covenant like:

“For we not fighting against people made of flesh and blood, but against the evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against those mighty powers of darkness who rule this world, and against wicked spirits in the heavenly realms.” Ephesians 6:12 NLT

So it could be that because of this John was asking are you really the one? In essence he was saying Jesus, what is your proof?

The next thing that strikes me is what Jesus said His proof was. We see the answer to this in the words that He spoke to John’s disciples. In actuality we could sum up what Jesus said His proof was in two words: POWER and PREACHING. Notice that the first things that Jesus talks about are the miracles of healing and deliverance that are taking place in His ministry. He speaks of healing of the blind, lame, lepers, and deaf while even the physically dead are being raised. This is always the first proof of Jesus, the demonstration of the power of God! The second proof was that He was preaching the Gospel.

I cannot help but wonder if we as the body of Christ in the earth today are supposed to be carrying out the same ministry that He began 2000 years ago, what would be our proof that we really are His ambassadors. If Jesus could say His proof was the power of God that He demonstrated and His preaching of the Gospel, we should be able to say the same thing, however in most cases I really don’t believe that in reality we could without being guilty of lying. This should not be! Either the Word of God is true or it isn’t. I believe we need to go back to the basics of New Testament Christianity and keep the main thing, the main thing. Jesus said:

“But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.” Acts 1: 8 NASB

Jesus also said:

“Truly, truly I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go to the Father.” John 14:12 NASB

Either what Jesus said is true or it isn’t! Where is our proof?

Unfortunately, I think we have been drawn away from the basics of things that we used to hold dear and be excited about. We have allowed culture and intellect to play a greater role in our thinking and expectancy than the power of God, which should never be! We need to be reminded of the words of the Apostle Paul:

“My teaching and preaching were not with words of human wisdom that persuade people but with proof of the power that the Spirit gives. This was so that your faith would be in God’s power and not in human wisdom.” 1 Corinthians 2:4 & 5 NCV

Jesus said:

“Believe Me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me. Or believe because of the miracles I have done.” John 14:11 NCV

The point is simply this, if we don’t preach the Gospel in the power of the Spirit with signs and wonders accompanying us we have no proof. Jesus had proof! Most of us don’t! The sad indictment of the body of Christ that I see in the earth today is that we have in general become the church that Paul warned his spiritual son Timothy to stay away from:

“Holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; avoid such men as these.” 2 Timothy 3:5 NASB

Let us purpose in this hour to not be that church anymore. Let us be like Jesus who boldly declared:

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He anointed Me to preach the Gospel to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those who are downtrodden, to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord.” Luke 4:18 & 19 NASB

God give us a generation who will in holy boldness preach the Gospel and demonstrate the Gospel. That is what this world is looking for. When Jesus commissioned His disciples in Mark chapter 16, He told them to go preaching everywhere to every creature and to demonstrate God’s power by the signs that would follow them.

“And they went out and PREACHED everywhere, while the LORD WORKED WITH THEM, AND CONFIRMED THE WORD BY THE SIGNS THAT FOLLOWED.” Mark 16:20 NASB (emphasis mine)

Let it be said of us that we have Jesus’ proof, they Preach the Gospel, and demonstrate God’s Power, for that is New Testament Christianity at its finest.

Such As I Have

I have been thinking about this very familiar passage of Scripture from the Book of Acts:

“Now Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour. ² And a certain man lame from his mother’s womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms of them that entered into the temple; ³ who seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple asked an alms. ⁴ And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him with John, said, Look on us. ⁵ And he gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something of them. ⁶ Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk. ⁷ And he took him by the right hand, and lifted him up: and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. ⁸ And he leaping up stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God. ⁹ And all the people saw him walking and praising God: ¹⁰ and they knew that it was he which sat for alms at the Beautiful gate of the temple: and they were filled with wonder and amazement at that which had happened unto him.” Acts 3:1-10 KJV

The phrase that stands out to me is: “Such as I have give I thee.” You can only give what you have. If you don’t have it you can’t give it. I think many times today unfortunately we have too many folks who don’t have anything to give. I remember when I was in Rhema Bible Training Center back in the 80’s, sometimes Dad Hagin, (Rev. Kenneth E Hagin) used to say that it would be like laying empty hands on empty heads.

How sad for any of us to have empty hands. We have been given the Authority of the Name of Jesus to use…the Name that is above every other name…that everything that can be named has to bow to. We have been given the written Word of God that is forever settled in heaven. And lastly we have been given the Power of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus Himself said that we would receive power after the Holy Spirit came upon us (Acts 1:8). If we have been baptized in or filled with the Holy Spirit we have been given power. I think sometimes we fail to realize the Power of the Spirit that we received.

The Apostle Paul in his letter to the church at Rome tells us:

“But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.” Romans 8:11 KJV

It was the Power of the Holy Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead. That is the same Holy Spirit that you have been baptized in or filled with. What that means when you got filled with the Holy Spirit you got anointed with the same power that raised Jesus from the dead!

Remember what Peter preached at Cornelius’ house in Acts 10:

“Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: ³⁵ but in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him. ³⁶ The word which God sent unto the children of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ: (he is Lord of all:) ³⁷ that word, I say, ye know, which was published throughout all Judea, and began from Galilee, after the baptism which John preached; ³⁸ how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him. ³⁹ And we are witnesses of all things which he did both in the land of the Jews, and in Jerusalem; whom they slew and hanged on a tree: ⁴⁰ him God raised up the third day, and shewed him openly.” Acts 10:34-40 KJV

Notice Peter said that God anointed Jesus with the Holy Spirit and with Power. Which Holy Spirit was He anointed with? Jesus was anointed with the same Holy Spirit that we get anointed with when we are baptized in or filled with the Holy Spirit. If Jesus went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed of the devil because God was with him, so should we, we have access to the same power of the same Holy Spirit.

Some folks think oh we couldn’t do that Jesus was the Son of God. Well so are you according to John 1:12. But as many as received Him to them He gave the right or authority to be called Sons of God. The truth is Jesus did not do what He did because He was the Son of God; he did what He did because He was anointed by the Power of the Spirit. Remember Philippians tells us (Chapter 2 verse 7) that he emptied Himself of all of His divine attributes and came as a man tempted in all points like we are yet without sin (Hebrews 4:15).

So you may ask when was Jesus anointed with the Holy Spirit and why did He need to be. He needed to be because He Emptied Himself. Ask yourself was Jesus still omnipresent when he was here in His earthly ministry or was He limited to time and space like we are. Obviously you know the answer to that question that is why He needed to be anointed with the Holy Spirit and with Power. As far as when, you most likely know the answer but just haven’t paid attention to it. At the Baptism of John when the Spirit descended on Him in the form of a dove and the Father spoke from the excellent glory and said: “This is my Beloved Son.”

In fact if you study the four Gospel accounts of the events leading up to John’s Baptism and just after you will find no mention of the fact that Jesus was full of the Holy Spirit anywhere in His life until you come to the beginning of Luke Chapter 4, where it records that Jesus being full of the Holy Spirit was lead of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted. But nowhere in any of the Gospel accounts does it record that Jesus was full of the Holy Spirit before this time. And Luke Chapter 4 is right after the Baptism of John which occurs toward the end of Chapter 3. And then at the end of His temptation Luke also records for us that returned to Galilee in the Power of the Spirit, which is when He went into the temple, picked up the scroll and read from Isaiah 61: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me because He has anointed Me.”

The amazing thing is that if you compare Acts 1:8 which Jesus spoke about us and Acts 10:38 which Peter spoke about Jesus; you will find that they are the same. “But you shall receive Power (Greek word Dunamis – self energizing explosive miracle working power) after the Holy Spirit has come on you.” “How God anointed Jesus with the Holy Spirit and Power (Greek word Dunamis – self energizing explosive miracle working power) who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed of the devil for God was with Him.” Notice it is the same Greek word talking about what we receive and what Jesus received.

This is why Jesus said: “The works that I do you shall do also…” Why? Because we have the same Power of the same Holy Spirit that Jesus was anointed with. Thank God we don’t have to be laying empty hands on empty heads…we have something in our hands…what Jesus had in His…if we will just believe it! Such as I have…I give to you. What do you have? You have what Jesus Had!