Let's go back to Jesus. Jesus was sent by God. He made an announcement, "Repent! For the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.37 Matthew 4:17 From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." Come. Follow me."38 Matthew 4:19 And He said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men." Through many parables, examples and miracles Jesus tried to demonstrate what the Kingdom is and how to enter it - what loyalty, what kinds of allegiances are required. At one point in the scripture, He declares that you have to give up everything to be His disciple.39 Luke 14:26 "If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple."
Thus, Jesus was saying, "You have to forsake all allegiances to the world, to mom and dad, to your wife, to your children, to your property." And then Jesus becomes vicious with you and says, "You must even forsake your own life." You can't even have an allegiance to wanting to stay alive! "The one who shall try to save his life will lose it. But the one who will lose his life for Me, shall save it."40 Mark 8:35 "For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel's will save it." With that kind of strong attitude, I don't think it can be refuted - Jesus Christ wants our undivided allegiance. He is the Light.41 John 8:12 Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, "I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life." He is the Way,42 John 14:6 Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." and few there be that will find it.43 Matthew 7:13-14 "Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it."
In other words, Jesus knows there are many gods out there.44 1 Corinthians 8:5-6 For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as there are many gods and many lords), yet for us there is only one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live. I assume Caesar would fit in that category. Caesar in those days was considered a 'god.' He ruled. I have not been able to find anywhere in the scripture where Jesus approached any of the Caesars of that time and registered. If I were a king, would I go register under another king? If I were a king, would I want any of my disciples to register with other kings?45 Isaiah 30:1-2 "Woe to the rebellious children," says the LORD, "Who take counsel, but not of Me, And who devise plans, but not of My Spirit, That they may add sin to sin; Who walk to go down to Egypt, And have not asked My advice, To strengthen themselves in the strength of Pharaoh, And to trust in the shadow of Egypt!" Or would I be a jealous king? Would I want your entire loyalty? Would I want your entire life? Would I want you to half-time it with Caesar?46 Matthew 6:24 "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon."
Would Jesus say: "Caesar keeps track of the highways and the byways, he regulates them. Better go register with Caesar. Those are his roads." Or is Jesus going to say, "Go, and make disciples of all nations. I want you to do it on My authority.47 Matthew 28:18-20 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen. I don't want you to go to anyone and ask for permission, because if you do, you are going to put My words to no effect. I command you. Go! Go to all nations making disciples of everyone of them. Bring them into My Kingdom." Kingdom? Maybe that means government.
Christ's Kingdom is different from Caesar's. To be a citizen of Heaven, a resident of the nation known as the Kingdom of Heaven, the number one requirement is allegiance. Allegiance is a form of love. To love God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind48 Matthew 22:37 Jesus said to him, 'You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.' - that's allegiance.49 1 John 3:23 This is his command: to give our allegiance to his Son Jesus Christ and love one another as he commanded. NEB He doesn't want you to serve other gods, other Caesars.50 Matthew 4:10 Then Jesus said to him, "Away with you, Satan! For it is written, 'You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.' " Not that He's a Caesar, but that Caesars are taking God's place - they're imitating God! But they bind heavy burdens.51 Matthew 23:4 "For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers." Do we not know this today?
As we travel around, trying to go from place to place, are we not loaded with heavy burdens by the Caesars of today? Do I need to prove it? Try throwing your plastic card away, and see what they do with you.52 Revelation 13:16-17 He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. A few years ago the Word of God came upon Abraham and he wrote on a piece of paper, " Son, your citizenship is in Heaven."53 Philippians 3:20 For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. They have no jurisdiction over you."54 Colossians 1:13 He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love. He has no idea about us, he has never met anyone from the Embassy of Heaven Church. But the message from Heaven came.55 Galatians 1:11-12 But I make known to you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came through the revelation of Jesus Christ. He stares at the piece of paper: "What is this? Your citizenship is in Heaven, they have no jurisdiction over you. What is that?" He's too young to know what's going on. He sticks it in his pocket, and that evening gets stopped going home from work. The police officer demands to see his driver's license. He's part of Caesar. He goes for his pocket and realizes his driver's license is not there. "Oh, I remember, it is on my bedroom stand." He explains the situation to the officer, "We're only two blocks from home. If we just quickly go over there, I can show it to you." The lady officer gives him a ride - straight to jail.56 Luke 20:25 And He said to them, "Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." That was the best thing the police could have done, because Abraham realized the note in his pocket was definitely from God. But he was young then. Now he is growing up.
Jesus requires many things of us. I believe he requires complete, one hundred per cent dedication and allegiance to Him. We must renounce all allegiance to every other god - anything that can prevent us from plowing that field. If you have to look back, you're not worthy of the Kingdom.57 Luke 9:62 But Jesus said to him, "No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God." It's going to be a long, hard road, a very strait one and very few people are going to make it.58 Matthew 7:14 "Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it." It's all in the scripture.