People have said, "we've heard about or read your outlines and stepped into the Grace of God." And listen folks, for those who have been under the heavy hand of legalism, to step into the Grace of God is something that you cannot comprehend. It is total freedom from all the weight of a works religion. So this is why we constantly proclaim that God is only looking for those who are willing to believe, and to exercise their total trust in what God has done. We’ll be looking at that a little later on. So now the problem then has been from day one, that:
Hebrews 4:2b
"…the word preached was not mixed (or united with what?) faith in them that heard it."
Faith! Paul uses the word faith which is a living trust or a conviction of the truth when heard or received within one. Again, lets go back to Kadesh, because that’s what the Scripture is always doing. And here we have Israel at the gates of the Promised Land at Kadesh, and God has told them in plain language, "Go in and take it, there’ll be no opposition, you don’t have to fear the Canaanites, because they’ll be gone. You don’t have to worry about starving to death, because you’re going to take over their farms and their vineyards. You don’t have to worry about the elements, because you’re going to be able to take over their dwelling places, it’s all ready for you. I’ve let them work for four hundred years to get it all ready for you." And now because of the Canaanites’ abject wickedness, God in all fairness says "I will drive them out and let you come in."
That’s what God told them. But they didn’t mix all of that with what? Simple trusting. All they would have had to do is believe what God said, but they couldn’t. And you see it’s the same way when we proclaim this Gospel of the Grace of God. We can show from the Scriptures how it’s so simple that you just simply say, "Yes God I believe it with all my heart," and expect God to respond and He will. Today what does God expect us to do? Place our self will and self love (sin, covetousness and lawlessness) into His hands. How, you may ask? For that answer we'll have to turn to the disciples prayer that Jesus taught them found in Matthew chapter 6 verse 10 “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.” Then what did Jesus say in in Matthew 26:42? “O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done.” We're the earthen vessel through which God seeks to do His Will. When and only when we've surrendered our will into His hands. The every thing Israel could and did not understand and still doesn't, nor does the church world as we know it understand. Why? Unbelief!
II Corinthians. Let’s turn to it so that we don’t just let it go in one ear and out the other. What you see, you’ll remember a lot longer than what you hear. II Corinthians chapter 5, verse 17. All right, listen to it.
II Corinthians 5:17
"Therefore, if any man (now of course, that is a generic term, means women, boys, girls, etc.) be in Christ, he is a new creature: (or creation) old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new."
Now we're going to ask a question. How many of us profess to be a Christian? Please read the verse again.
II Corinthians 5:17
"If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; (or creation) old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new."
How many of us are in Christ and have been made a new creation? Can you see only a true believer ever becomes in Christ, because the simplest believer is in Christ. But you see the vast majority of Christendom has no concept of what it means to be in Christ and to become a new creation. We’re talking about one who is not resting on self, one who is not resting on his denomination, one who is not resting on his local church. He’s not resting on his good works, he’s not resting on how much money he gives, he’s not resting on anything that he can do in the flesh, but rather he’s resting only on that finished work of the Cross. And this is the BIG one the Last Supper and no through Christ's return to the heavenliest. Then when we believe that, we become a member of Christ. We are then in Him! By His faith we're in Him and action taken by God, that we are required to except by trust a lone.
See, our whole prerogative of teaching is to bring people out of their lethargy of thinking they’re a Christian because of something they have done or some act that they have precipitated, but they have never trusted Paul’s Gospel. There are legions of people in the church like that. That’s why it behooves us to just simply teach the truth. You see in this ministry we're not trying to get church members, we're not trying to twist people’s arms, and we're not trying to build an organization. All we're trying to do is to get people ready for eternity. And the best way to get ready for eternity is to study this Book. With an open heart ready to receive of the Lord what He alone can instill within the receptive one.
People, can argue out of their ignorance, and out of their tradition, but once the Lord truly saves them, then this Book becomes the Living Word of God, then they can see, yes, they’ve been wrong. His Life restored to us, in us makes all the difference in the world. And that’s all we try to do is just simply make it as plain as God’s Word does. All right, so all of these opportunities for salvation, whether it was back there in the Garden of Eden, whether it was Abel, whether it was Abraham, whether it was Moses, whether it was Peter, or whether it was now someone in this Age of Grace, it always had to be mixed with trust. Always.
Let us show you. Come back to Hebrews chapter 11. We think most of you, if you’ve had any church background at all, know that this is called the what? The great faith chapter. The whole chapter epitomizes the word Faith. Starting with verse 1 of Hebrews 11.
Hebrews 11:1
"Now faith (taking God at his Word, trusting Him) is the substance (what is substance? It’s the meat. It’s the very crux of the matter. It’s the core. Alright, Faith is the substance) of things hoped for, the evidence of things (what?) not seen."
In the invisible. The only way you can comprehend it is by trust and don’t ever lose sight of our definition of faith. What? Taking God at his Word! Don’t believe what I say, believe what God says. Next verse.
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
The Epistle to the Hebrews part LXXXV
Romans 3:9a
"What then? are we better than they?…"
Now we want to remember while we're reading this, when Paul says "we," who’s he referring to? The Jew. Israel. Are we Jews better than those filthy, Gentile pagan dogs. And what’s his answer? Well it’s "no" of course. See! This is why the Jews hated Paul.
Romans 3:9b
"…No in no wise; for we have before proved, (see, proved beyond a shadow of a doubt.) both Jews and Gentiles, that they are, all, (including the priesthood. Including the prostitutes, including the kings and emperors, including the princes and the religious leaders of the Gentile world. They’re all, where?) under sin." They’re all under the curse, they’re all sons of Adam. Alright. Then come on down to verse 10.
Romans 3:10
"As it is written, There is none righteous, no not one:" And then we come to that glorious remedy over here in the same chapter, verse 21 and 22. Here’s the remedy for Jew and Gentile alike.
Romans 3:21a
"But now…"
Now when Paul says but now, and he uses that so often, he uses it in Ephesians a couple of times, and in various other places. But now, what’s he talking about? On this side of the cross and the ascension. On this side of the cross is our redemption which is to bring to our salvation, and we’re going to look at that. With salvation completed and finished, there’s no more need for Temple, there’s no more need for priests who minister in the material or earthy things, and there’s no more need for legalism the Levitical Law, because we’re on this side of the cross, and the Grace of God has been given out and continues to be given. The wrath of God was poured on that cross. The skies turned black and rain fell heavily upon it and the Christ. Alright, now look what he says:
Romans 3:21a
"But now, (on this side of the cross) the righteousness of God…." Not the righteousness of the Pharisees; not the righteousness of your denominational leadership or any of the rest of it, but rather it’s the righteousness of God.
Romans 3:21
"But now, the righteousness of God, without the law is manifested, (has been put in the spot light) being witnessed by the law and the prophets;"
In other words, we think one of the things, Paul said was, "Hey, this wasn’t done in a corner." We’re not pulling something out of the woodwork that’s just to shock people. Hey, this was something that was laid out since Genesis chapter 2. That God was going to provide a salvation that would include the whole human race, a salvation so available that no one need ever miss it." Its named or called “from the foundation of the world” the place of first beginnings, why because Christ was the spirit of man formed as an invisible image of his Father, the Father of spirits as seen in Genesis chapter one. The part of man that died when Adam ate of the fruit, that seed of woman which we all carry in our soul and will remain there asleep until the Light (illumination) of this Gospel strikes it, that part that was separated from God and by that one action placed all mankind under Satan's rule, unbelief.
This is why no one that goes to that eternal Lake of Fire will offer one word of argument. And when they get there for the eons of eternity, the only thing they’re going to be able to say is, "Why did I choose to come to this place?" It wasn’t that there wasn’t an alternative. They chose it! God has done everything He could do. They could have had it free for nothing just like we got ours. Alright, now read on.
Romans 3:22a
"Even the righteousness of God which is by the faith of (or in) Jesus Christ to all them that (what?) believe:…
What’s the opposite of believing? Unbelief! And so if God hates unbelief what’s His response to believing? All the joy of Heaven. Nothing thrills God more than to see someone say,Yes, Lord I believe it! I trust it! See? Alright, but now the part we want you to see.
Romans 3:22b
"…for there is no difference:"
It comes to all them that believe for there is no difference between Hebrew and Gentile. As He told Jeremiah all shall know Me from the lest to the greatest all, that leaves no one not knowing Him to some degree or fashion.
There is still no difference between Hebrew and Gentile today. We’re all on the same level playing field. A Jew has to be saved today, just like a Gentile, and a Gentile has to be saved the same as a Hebrew, and that is by FAITH + NOTHING! Not by doing the required works under a dead and wasted Law that God has put away. By so doing mans making a mockery of God's Word by putting himself above God and making the old law an idol of religion.
Hebrews 4:2a
"For to us (that is now in the Age of Grace under Paul’s Gospel) the gospel was preached, as well as to them:"
In other words, all the way up through human history, God has been offering salvation. Now of course in the early days of the human experience it wasn’t a faith + nothing like we have today. But as Abel so explicitly demonstrated, that when he recognized he had sinned, he brought the prescribed animal sacrifice and God accepted it. Now of course, today we don’t have to do that. A little later on when Israel got the Temple worship and the Levitical Law, the sacrifices became instrumental, mixed with trust of course. It’s always by trusting. And then now we come up to where we are today where we can stand here and adamantly proclaim that we are saved by His Faith + nothing. (Christ+nothing) We don’t have to bring a sacrifice, we don’t have to do this or do that. Today the only requirement for our redemption and salvation is to believe in our hearts Paul’s beautiful Gospel that he proclaimed, and that was given only to him for this Age of Grace. You can see that Gospel in I Corinthians 15:1-4.
"What then? are we better than they?…"
Now we want to remember while we're reading this, when Paul says "we," who’s he referring to? The Jew. Israel. Are we Jews better than those filthy, Gentile pagan dogs. And what’s his answer? Well it’s "no" of course. See! This is why the Jews hated Paul.
Romans 3:9b
"…No in no wise; for we have before proved, (see, proved beyond a shadow of a doubt.) both Jews and Gentiles, that they are, all, (including the priesthood. Including the prostitutes, including the kings and emperors, including the princes and the religious leaders of the Gentile world. They’re all, where?) under sin." They’re all under the curse, they’re all sons of Adam. Alright. Then come on down to verse 10.
Romans 3:10
"As it is written, There is none righteous, no not one:" And then we come to that glorious remedy over here in the same chapter, verse 21 and 22. Here’s the remedy for Jew and Gentile alike.
Romans 3:21a
"But now…"
Now when Paul says but now, and he uses that so often, he uses it in Ephesians a couple of times, and in various other places. But now, what’s he talking about? On this side of the cross and the ascension. On this side of the cross is our redemption which is to bring to our salvation, and we’re going to look at that. With salvation completed and finished, there’s no more need for Temple, there’s no more need for priests who minister in the material or earthy things, and there’s no more need for legalism the Levitical Law, because we’re on this side of the cross, and the Grace of God has been given out and continues to be given. The wrath of God was poured on that cross. The skies turned black and rain fell heavily upon it and the Christ. Alright, now look what he says:
Romans 3:21a
"But now, (on this side of the cross) the righteousness of God…." Not the righteousness of the Pharisees; not the righteousness of your denominational leadership or any of the rest of it, but rather it’s the righteousness of God.
Romans 3:21
"But now, the righteousness of God, without the law is manifested, (has been put in the spot light) being witnessed by the law and the prophets;"
In other words, we think one of the things, Paul said was, "Hey, this wasn’t done in a corner." We’re not pulling something out of the woodwork that’s just to shock people. Hey, this was something that was laid out since Genesis chapter 2. That God was going to provide a salvation that would include the whole human race, a salvation so available that no one need ever miss it." Its named or called “from the foundation of the world” the place of first beginnings, why because Christ was the spirit of man formed as an invisible image of his Father, the Father of spirits as seen in Genesis chapter one. The part of man that died when Adam ate of the fruit, that seed of woman which we all carry in our soul and will remain there asleep until the Light (illumination) of this Gospel strikes it, that part that was separated from God and by that one action placed all mankind under Satan's rule, unbelief.
This is why no one that goes to that eternal Lake of Fire will offer one word of argument. And when they get there for the eons of eternity, the only thing they’re going to be able to say is, "Why did I choose to come to this place?" It wasn’t that there wasn’t an alternative. They chose it! God has done everything He could do. They could have had it free for nothing just like we got ours. Alright, now read on.
Romans 3:22a
"Even the righteousness of God which is by the faith of (or in) Jesus Christ to all them that (what?) believe:…
What’s the opposite of believing? Unbelief! And so if God hates unbelief what’s His response to believing? All the joy of Heaven. Nothing thrills God more than to see someone say,Yes, Lord I believe it! I trust it! See? Alright, but now the part we want you to see.
Romans 3:22b
"…for there is no difference:"
It comes to all them that believe for there is no difference between Hebrew and Gentile. As He told Jeremiah all shall know Me from the lest to the greatest all, that leaves no one not knowing Him to some degree or fashion.
There is still no difference between Hebrew and Gentile today. We’re all on the same level playing field. A Jew has to be saved today, just like a Gentile, and a Gentile has to be saved the same as a Hebrew, and that is by FAITH + NOTHING! Not by doing the required works under a dead and wasted Law that God has put away. By so doing mans making a mockery of God's Word by putting himself above God and making the old law an idol of religion.
Hebrews 4:2a
"For to us (that is now in the Age of Grace under Paul’s Gospel) the gospel was preached, as well as to them:"
In other words, all the way up through human history, God has been offering salvation. Now of course in the early days of the human experience it wasn’t a faith + nothing like we have today. But as Abel so explicitly demonstrated, that when he recognized he had sinned, he brought the prescribed animal sacrifice and God accepted it. Now of course, today we don’t have to do that. A little later on when Israel got the Temple worship and the Levitical Law, the sacrifices became instrumental, mixed with trust of course. It’s always by trusting. And then now we come up to where we are today where we can stand here and adamantly proclaim that we are saved by His Faith + nothing. (Christ+nothing) We don’t have to bring a sacrifice, we don’t have to do this or do that. Today the only requirement for our redemption and salvation is to believe in our hearts Paul’s beautiful Gospel that he proclaimed, and that was given only to him for this Age of Grace. You can see that Gospel in I Corinthians 15:1-4.
Monday, June 4, 2012
The Epistle to the Hebrews part LXXXIV
Matthew 16:13-16
"When Jesus came into the coast of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? And they said, Some say that you are John the Baptist; (isn’t that amazing?) some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. (they say everything but the right thing) He said to them, But who say you that I am? (and now look at Peter’s answer.) Simon Peter answered and said, You are the Christ, (the Messiah, the Anointed One, the King, see.) the Son of the living God."
Remember what we have in Hebrews? Hebrews over and over refers to the Living God. Well, that’s what Peter knew that Jesus was. He was the Living God! That’s Peter’s confession of faith. But how did he know this? Its by way of what Jesus says next that tells us. Alright, now look at the next verse.
Matthew 16:17a
"And Jesus answered and said to him, Blessed are you, Simon Barjona; for flesh and blood has not revealed it to you…." In other words, Peter, you didn’t come to all this conclusion of who I am because of what people said. You didn’t suddenly realize that I am the Messiah because of what your Mama said, nor did you suddenly realize that I am the Messiah because of what one of the priests said. So how did Peter know? The same way a believer understands and receives salvation today.
Matthew 16:17b "…for flesh and blood has not revealed it to you, but my Father who is in heaven."
Now, of course, we know that the Father in this case operates through the Spirit, and so when Jesus was walking the shore of Galilee and He says, "Come and follow me," what prompted Peter and the others to drop their nets and follow the Lord? Well, the Holy Spirit, of course, and they suddenly realized that this was the promised Messiah. And so they believed the good news of the Kingdom, because the King was in their midst. Now is that so hard to comprehend? And that was the good news. Yes and No! Israel now had the King. Yes! And the Kingdom was just over the horizon. But, what did Israel do with it? They rejected it in unbelief, and what did they cry? "Crucify Him. We’ll not have this man to rule over us." Israel as a nation had NO revelation or vision of who Jesus was, they were in darkness held in bondage by their unbelief. But and this is a big BUT had they not the Gentiles Gospel may not have been played out as it has. Here's why, Jesus as Messiah is the closing of all the promises made to Him. He's the visible part of the unseen portion of all the covenants and promises, even the Law as the “everlasting.” The Hebrew word used in the Old Testament means are you ready for this? It means: concealed, the vanishing point, a goal, a bright object or distance traveled towards. This was the mystery opened to Paul which the old Prophets saw as a thing in the distance and were not allowed to speak of it. Daniel was told to close the book and to seal it until the day it would be opened by its author. So it doesn't mean what the Israelites were lead to believe nor as many of our day believe. The Messiah was the end of the old who would bring in the promised New Covenant based on Better promises and that promise is Salvation into the Endless Life by way of sacrifice and death. This Gospels message.
You see how clearly that shows what had been presented to them? How could they scream, "We’ll not have this man to rule over us," if they didn’t understand that was the concept of His offer. But, they did. They knew that He was offering Himself as the King. They knew He was offering a Kingdom. And then they had the audacity to say what? "We have no King but Caesar." What a travesty, what a pity, what another example of abject unbelief.
But, listen don’t blame Israel. They’re no worse or any better than all the rest of us, and we’ll show you why in just a little bite in Acts chapter 20 verse 24. Now, of course, Acts is transitional and so we move from Peter and the eleven as the major players in the early chapters and then after we get past Acts chapters 10 and 11, then the Apostle Paul fills the rest of the Book of Acts. Now here we are. The Apostle Paul is on his way back to Jerusalem for the last time and he’s meeting with the Ephesian elders and they’re having a tearful goodbye. But look what he says concerning his own ministry in Acts 20:24.
Acts 20:24
"But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear to myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, (like I said this is a final goodbye to the Ephesian elders.) and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel (of the Kingdom? I want all your heads shaking! No way, is that what it says!! But rather testify what?) the Gospel of the Grace of God." Do you see it and do you get it? Now Paul's Gospel is not that of the material or earthy things as Moses's and the priesthood of Aaron's was but of the workings of God in His Grace through those who have heard His voice and have responded with a Yes Lord.
And listen! The twain can never meet! We can never bring this Gospel of the Grace of God into the Gospel of the Kingdom or vice versa, as they are two totally different concepts. Same God! The same Christ! But on the one hand it’s the Ministery of the circumcision fulfilling the promises made to the fathers. In a material or earthy realm. The Gospel of the Grace of God is going not just to the Hebrew but to the whole world. Offering what? Salvation to any and everyone that will just simply believe, as we see in I Corinthians 15:1-4, and Romans 10:9-10. When we believe we are instantly empowered to be receptive and through this new receptive nature we become heirs of God and joint-heirs or co-heirs with Christ Jesus. We're now in Christ and all from here on out is a working of the Spirit of our new Father as we've changed headship from that of Satan to that of God as it was in the beginning. We are now under the rule of a New Covenant as promised through the prophet Jeremiah which he tells us is now an Everlasting Covenant and though not called such is a Covenant of Grace which we'll see shortly. Jeremiah even tells us that we'll all know Him (31:34) so there'll be NO excuse for not accepting Him.
Alright, now turn with us to Romans chapter 3, and verse 9, and we’ll continue with this that Israel is now no worse nor no better than the rest of us. When we lay the blame of some of these things on Israel in their Old Testament economy, that’s not to put the Hebrew down. It’s just simply to teach us that what they experienced is a tremendous lesson for the rest of us. And here’s the reason in Romans chapter 3. Here Paul has been building God’s case against the whole human race. Against the gross immoral people, in chapter 1. In the grossly moral people in chapter 2 and in the grossly religious people in the first part of chapter 3. And the conclusion is what? Verse 9.
"When Jesus came into the coast of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? And they said, Some say that you are John the Baptist; (isn’t that amazing?) some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. (they say everything but the right thing) He said to them, But who say you that I am? (and now look at Peter’s answer.) Simon Peter answered and said, You are the Christ, (the Messiah, the Anointed One, the King, see.) the Son of the living God."
Remember what we have in Hebrews? Hebrews over and over refers to the Living God. Well, that’s what Peter knew that Jesus was. He was the Living God! That’s Peter’s confession of faith. But how did he know this? Its by way of what Jesus says next that tells us. Alright, now look at the next verse.
Matthew 16:17a
"And Jesus answered and said to him, Blessed are you, Simon Barjona; for flesh and blood has not revealed it to you…." In other words, Peter, you didn’t come to all this conclusion of who I am because of what people said. You didn’t suddenly realize that I am the Messiah because of what your Mama said, nor did you suddenly realize that I am the Messiah because of what one of the priests said. So how did Peter know? The same way a believer understands and receives salvation today.
Matthew 16:17b "…for flesh and blood has not revealed it to you, but my Father who is in heaven."
Now, of course, we know that the Father in this case operates through the Spirit, and so when Jesus was walking the shore of Galilee and He says, "Come and follow me," what prompted Peter and the others to drop their nets and follow the Lord? Well, the Holy Spirit, of course, and they suddenly realized that this was the promised Messiah. And so they believed the good news of the Kingdom, because the King was in their midst. Now is that so hard to comprehend? And that was the good news. Yes and No! Israel now had the King. Yes! And the Kingdom was just over the horizon. But, what did Israel do with it? They rejected it in unbelief, and what did they cry? "Crucify Him. We’ll not have this man to rule over us." Israel as a nation had NO revelation or vision of who Jesus was, they were in darkness held in bondage by their unbelief. But and this is a big BUT had they not the Gentiles Gospel may not have been played out as it has. Here's why, Jesus as Messiah is the closing of all the promises made to Him. He's the visible part of the unseen portion of all the covenants and promises, even the Law as the “everlasting.” The Hebrew word used in the Old Testament means are you ready for this? It means: concealed, the vanishing point, a goal, a bright object or distance traveled towards. This was the mystery opened to Paul which the old Prophets saw as a thing in the distance and were not allowed to speak of it. Daniel was told to close the book and to seal it until the day it would be opened by its author. So it doesn't mean what the Israelites were lead to believe nor as many of our day believe. The Messiah was the end of the old who would bring in the promised New Covenant based on Better promises and that promise is Salvation into the Endless Life by way of sacrifice and death. This Gospels message.
You see how clearly that shows what had been presented to them? How could they scream, "We’ll not have this man to rule over us," if they didn’t understand that was the concept of His offer. But, they did. They knew that He was offering Himself as the King. They knew He was offering a Kingdom. And then they had the audacity to say what? "We have no King but Caesar." What a travesty, what a pity, what another example of abject unbelief.
But, listen don’t blame Israel. They’re no worse or any better than all the rest of us, and we’ll show you why in just a little bite in Acts chapter 20 verse 24. Now, of course, Acts is transitional and so we move from Peter and the eleven as the major players in the early chapters and then after we get past Acts chapters 10 and 11, then the Apostle Paul fills the rest of the Book of Acts. Now here we are. The Apostle Paul is on his way back to Jerusalem for the last time and he’s meeting with the Ephesian elders and they’re having a tearful goodbye. But look what he says concerning his own ministry in Acts 20:24.
Acts 20:24
"But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear to myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, (like I said this is a final goodbye to the Ephesian elders.) and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel (of the Kingdom? I want all your heads shaking! No way, is that what it says!! But rather testify what?) the Gospel of the Grace of God." Do you see it and do you get it? Now Paul's Gospel is not that of the material or earthy things as Moses's and the priesthood of Aaron's was but of the workings of God in His Grace through those who have heard His voice and have responded with a Yes Lord.
And listen! The twain can never meet! We can never bring this Gospel of the Grace of God into the Gospel of the Kingdom or vice versa, as they are two totally different concepts. Same God! The same Christ! But on the one hand it’s the Ministery of the circumcision fulfilling the promises made to the fathers. In a material or earthy realm. The Gospel of the Grace of God is going not just to the Hebrew but to the whole world. Offering what? Salvation to any and everyone that will just simply believe, as we see in I Corinthians 15:1-4, and Romans 10:9-10. When we believe we are instantly empowered to be receptive and through this new receptive nature we become heirs of God and joint-heirs or co-heirs with Christ Jesus. We're now in Christ and all from here on out is a working of the Spirit of our new Father as we've changed headship from that of Satan to that of God as it was in the beginning. We are now under the rule of a New Covenant as promised through the prophet Jeremiah which he tells us is now an Everlasting Covenant and though not called such is a Covenant of Grace which we'll see shortly. Jeremiah even tells us that we'll all know Him (31:34) so there'll be NO excuse for not accepting Him.
Alright, now turn with us to Romans chapter 3, and verse 9, and we’ll continue with this that Israel is now no worse nor no better than the rest of us. When we lay the blame of some of these things on Israel in their Old Testament economy, that’s not to put the Hebrew down. It’s just simply to teach us that what they experienced is a tremendous lesson for the rest of us. And here’s the reason in Romans chapter 3. Here Paul has been building God’s case against the whole human race. Against the gross immoral people, in chapter 1. In the grossly moral people in chapter 2 and in the grossly religious people in the first part of chapter 3. And the conclusion is what? Verse 9.
Sunday, June 3, 2012
The Epistle to the Hebrews part LXXXIII
Romans 15:8a
"Now I say (Paul writes) that Jesus Christ was (past tense, in His earthly ministry) a minister of the circumcision. (who’s the circumcision? Israel, the Jew! And He was definitively the minister of Israel, not the whole world, during His earthly ministry.) for the truth of God,…" He’s the one that was responsible for everything that’s been taking place, and so, Jesus Christ was the Minister of the Nation of Israel based on the Truth of a Sovereign, Holy, Omnipotent God, now read on.
Romans 15:8b
"…to confirm the promises made to the fathers:" For goodness sakes, who were the fathers? Gentiles? No! Of Israel! Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. And what were those promises? That one day they would become a nation of people set a part as priests and kings. God would put them in a homeland, and God would be their King in the person of the Messiah. All of the promises were provisional and there end was predetermined by God but this end was obscured from their understanding until the day of there end or the last days.
Now, isn’t that plain? And so, Paul reminds us that this was the purpose of Christ’s appearing to the Nation of Israel. Now the big picture, of course, is He’s going to go to the Cross and become the means of redemption and then salvation for every human being. But, He came to Israel to fulfill the promises made to the fathers, and they should have known Who He was.
They should have recognized Him as that promised Messiah. But, here again, and we’re going to see this in another later verse almost a repeat performance by the Nation of Israel of when they rejected the Promised Land. A repeat performance of abject disobedience, brought about by what? Unbelief! Are you with use?
Alright, now come back to Matthew, and here we’ve got this Jesus to confirm the promises made to the fathers. Who now goes into the synagogue on every Sabbath day and what did He do? He preached the good news of the Kingdom. Well, where was the whole idea of a Kingdom originated? Well, back in the Covenants. That was the whole idea of bringing about the Nation of Israel to give them this glorious Kingdom, on earth. Heaven on earth, if you please. And so that’s why it’s called the Gospel of the Kingdom, or the Kingdom of Heaven on earth. As a nation they've rejected the spiritual kingdom but as an individual each has a right to it by accepting His terms and conditions for entry on the same playing-field as the Gentiles.
Now then, in response to the ministry, of Jesus of Nazareth among the Jews, we have an example of one who hit the nail on the head with Peter in Matthew 16, and we’ll start at verse 13. Now again, so that we don’t lose anyone. We’re showing how that all the way up through human history good news was proclaimed to the human race in one way or another, and not always the whole race. Back in Genesis, of course it still was. But by the time we get to Genesis chapter 12, now God is dealing with only the Nation of Israel. And here as well in Christ’s earthly ministry. This good news was proclaimed only to the Nation of Israel. For the sole purpose of being the ones through whom He would come.
The Gentiles couldn’t partake of this. They didn’t have any Covenant promises to be fulfilled, because that was Israel’s sole role. Alright now, Peter then becomes the epitome of what the ordinary Jew on the street should have believed. This is Peter’s confession of faith. Alright, let’s start at verse 13, toward the end of His, Jesus', three years of earthly ministry. They are up in northern Israel and when Jesus came to the borders of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His Disciples saying:
Matthew 16:13b
"…Whom do men say that I the Son of man, am?"
What was He driving at? What does He mean when He said, "whom do people say that I am." Well, according to all the promises since Abraham, what was Israel looking for? Their Messiah! Their King! And now He’s there in fulfillment of those promises. He has been showing them who He was by the signs, wonders and yes miracles all were the manifestation of the first Adams authority as given him in Genesis chapter one verse 28: “And God blessed them, and God said to them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.” This was the proof of who Jesus was as He did and said as God instructed Him daily if not hourly by the Holy Spirit in Him. This He did as their and our example.
If they’d had an ounce of faith, as Peter and the ten did, what should they have known? Who He was! He is that promised King. He’s ready to give us the Kingdom, and they should have been just a elated as their forefathers should have been at the gates of Canaan at Kadesh-barnea, when they were ready to go in and take the land. So you see it’s almost a repeat performance. In fact, I’ve used this over and over to prove that God was not playing games with Israel when I say that Jesus offered the King and the Kingdom to Israel. A lot of people don’t buy into that, and they’ll say, "Well He couldn’t have, because He had to go to the Cross." That’s moot. The important part is that when He appeared to the Nation of Israel, He appeared to fulfill or close out the hidden period of time, the everlasting portion of those Old Testament promises and it was a valid offer. Oh they'd still have the lands of promise but and Here comes the problem. Israel was looking for two different people because the priest's misunderstood the scriptures and therefore taught a wrong message.
Just as valid as when He told Moses and Aaron and the children of Israel to go into the Promised Land. We don’t think anybody argues that that was not a valid offer. We’ve never had anyone argue with us and say, "Now Bill, God never intended Israel to go in and take Canaan." We’ve never had anybody say that, because they can’t buy that and so we’ll turn around and ask them, "Alright then, when God told Israel that they could have it, that He would drive the Canaanites out with hornets was He playing games or was He making a valid offer?" A valid offer. They could have had the land right then. It was theirs!
It’s the same way here. But see, we’re always blocked by the things that stand in our way, but nothing is impossible with God. He could have brought about that sacrificial death, one way or another. Now, all we can look at is, it had to go the way it went, which so far as we’re concerned is true. But, on the other hand, God being God, He could make a valid offer. "Alright, Israel, I’m here as your King, I’m going to give you the Kingdom, if you’ll just believe it." But, they didn’t believe Him and so that valid offer, just like Kadesh-barnea, fell through the cracks. Do you see that? Alright, now here’s what every Jew on the street should have been able to say as Peter did when the Lord asked him that question concerning the Son of Man. Dropping in at verse 13.
"Now I say (Paul writes) that Jesus Christ was (past tense, in His earthly ministry) a minister of the circumcision. (who’s the circumcision? Israel, the Jew! And He was definitively the minister of Israel, not the whole world, during His earthly ministry.) for the truth of God,…" He’s the one that was responsible for everything that’s been taking place, and so, Jesus Christ was the Minister of the Nation of Israel based on the Truth of a Sovereign, Holy, Omnipotent God, now read on.
Romans 15:8b
"…to confirm the promises made to the fathers:" For goodness sakes, who were the fathers? Gentiles? No! Of Israel! Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. And what were those promises? That one day they would become a nation of people set a part as priests and kings. God would put them in a homeland, and God would be their King in the person of the Messiah. All of the promises were provisional and there end was predetermined by God but this end was obscured from their understanding until the day of there end or the last days.
Now, isn’t that plain? And so, Paul reminds us that this was the purpose of Christ’s appearing to the Nation of Israel. Now the big picture, of course, is He’s going to go to the Cross and become the means of redemption and then salvation for every human being. But, He came to Israel to fulfill the promises made to the fathers, and they should have known Who He was.
They should have recognized Him as that promised Messiah. But, here again, and we’re going to see this in another later verse almost a repeat performance by the Nation of Israel of when they rejected the Promised Land. A repeat performance of abject disobedience, brought about by what? Unbelief! Are you with use?
Alright, now come back to Matthew, and here we’ve got this Jesus to confirm the promises made to the fathers. Who now goes into the synagogue on every Sabbath day and what did He do? He preached the good news of the Kingdom. Well, where was the whole idea of a Kingdom originated? Well, back in the Covenants. That was the whole idea of bringing about the Nation of Israel to give them this glorious Kingdom, on earth. Heaven on earth, if you please. And so that’s why it’s called the Gospel of the Kingdom, or the Kingdom of Heaven on earth. As a nation they've rejected the spiritual kingdom but as an individual each has a right to it by accepting His terms and conditions for entry on the same playing-field as the Gentiles.
Now then, in response to the ministry, of Jesus of Nazareth among the Jews, we have an example of one who hit the nail on the head with Peter in Matthew 16, and we’ll start at verse 13. Now again, so that we don’t lose anyone. We’re showing how that all the way up through human history good news was proclaimed to the human race in one way or another, and not always the whole race. Back in Genesis, of course it still was. But by the time we get to Genesis chapter 12, now God is dealing with only the Nation of Israel. And here as well in Christ’s earthly ministry. This good news was proclaimed only to the Nation of Israel. For the sole purpose of being the ones through whom He would come.
The Gentiles couldn’t partake of this. They didn’t have any Covenant promises to be fulfilled, because that was Israel’s sole role. Alright now, Peter then becomes the epitome of what the ordinary Jew on the street should have believed. This is Peter’s confession of faith. Alright, let’s start at verse 13, toward the end of His, Jesus', three years of earthly ministry. They are up in northern Israel and when Jesus came to the borders of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His Disciples saying:
Matthew 16:13b
"…Whom do men say that I the Son of man, am?"
What was He driving at? What does He mean when He said, "whom do people say that I am." Well, according to all the promises since Abraham, what was Israel looking for? Their Messiah! Their King! And now He’s there in fulfillment of those promises. He has been showing them who He was by the signs, wonders and yes miracles all were the manifestation of the first Adams authority as given him in Genesis chapter one verse 28: “And God blessed them, and God said to them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.” This was the proof of who Jesus was as He did and said as God instructed Him daily if not hourly by the Holy Spirit in Him. This He did as their and our example.
If they’d had an ounce of faith, as Peter and the ten did, what should they have known? Who He was! He is that promised King. He’s ready to give us the Kingdom, and they should have been just a elated as their forefathers should have been at the gates of Canaan at Kadesh-barnea, when they were ready to go in and take the land. So you see it’s almost a repeat performance. In fact, I’ve used this over and over to prove that God was not playing games with Israel when I say that Jesus offered the King and the Kingdom to Israel. A lot of people don’t buy into that, and they’ll say, "Well He couldn’t have, because He had to go to the Cross." That’s moot. The important part is that when He appeared to the Nation of Israel, He appeared to fulfill or close out the hidden period of time, the everlasting portion of those Old Testament promises and it was a valid offer. Oh they'd still have the lands of promise but and Here comes the problem. Israel was looking for two different people because the priest's misunderstood the scriptures and therefore taught a wrong message.
Just as valid as when He told Moses and Aaron and the children of Israel to go into the Promised Land. We don’t think anybody argues that that was not a valid offer. We’ve never had anyone argue with us and say, "Now Bill, God never intended Israel to go in and take Canaan." We’ve never had anybody say that, because they can’t buy that and so we’ll turn around and ask them, "Alright then, when God told Israel that they could have it, that He would drive the Canaanites out with hornets was He playing games or was He making a valid offer?" A valid offer. They could have had the land right then. It was theirs!
It’s the same way here. But see, we’re always blocked by the things that stand in our way, but nothing is impossible with God. He could have brought about that sacrificial death, one way or another. Now, all we can look at is, it had to go the way it went, which so far as we’re concerned is true. But, on the other hand, God being God, He could make a valid offer. "Alright, Israel, I’m here as your King, I’m going to give you the Kingdom, if you’ll just believe it." But, they didn’t believe Him and so that valid offer, just like Kadesh-barnea, fell through the cracks. Do you see that? Alright, now here’s what every Jew on the street should have been able to say as Peter did when the Lord asked him that question concerning the Son of Man. Dropping in at verse 13.
Saturday, June 2, 2012
The Epistle to the Hebrews part LXXXII
Romans 4:3b
"… Abraham believed God, (it was his believing, his trusting and then having to go through twenty-five years waiting on God to do as He said, that it is now called faith) and it was counted unto him for righteousness."
Now that didn’t make Abraham sprout wings. Abraham didn’t suddenly become a sinless individual. Abraham failed miserably time after time through all of this, but did he lose his salvation? Heavens no! He merely showed how human he really was. But, in spite of all his failures, God reckoned him, what? Righteous. And why was he righteous? Because he BELIEVED God!
The following is taken from a well known and respected Bible teacher of our day and he expresses how we feel about the word and Bible study that is why we're posting this in here, now. “There’s a big difference between studying the Word of God and reading it. A lot of people read a few verses and they think, well I’ve done my daily duty. Well, that’s not studying. Studying is when we really sit down and put some work into it and compare Scripture with Scripture. Because, hopefully, as we teach we can tie it all together from Genesis through Revelation without just picking out a few verses on which we can build a doctrine. But rather it has to be on the complete Word of God.” The revelation of Christ that is the foundation upon which all is held steadfast an immovable. As we seek His righteousness and not our own.
Now, of course, that means we also have to be careful, because not all the Scripture is directed to us today for our doctrine in this Age of Grace! But as Paul says in Romans 15, all scripture is for our learning and so it is.
Paul writes to us in this Age of Grace. If you want an example of what we're talking about you can turn to Leviticus chapter 5.
Leviticus chapter 5 says that if someone touches an unclean thing such as a dead animal, a carcass, then that man will bring a lamb of the flock and bring it to the priest. Now are you going to do that? Well, you can’t do that. So be careful how you talk, and how you use the Word of God. We have to realize that all Scripture is inspired, and all Scripture is the Word of God, but not all Scripture is written to us in this Age of Grace. That’s where we have to come to the Apostle Paul, because Paul over and over, emphasized that he’s the Apostle of the Gentiles as we see in Romans 11:13.
Romans 11:13
"For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles; I magnify mine office:" Another good one is in Ephesians chapter 3, and verse 1, where he says:
Ephesians 3:1
"For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles." And this is what we have to be aware of. Alright, now on that same line then, we’re going to keep continuing where we left off, and that was Hebrews chapter 4 verse 2, and we’ll just continue with that thought.
Hebrews 4:2a
"For to us (in other words, you and I in this Age of Grace, under Paul’s Gospel) was the gospel preached…."
Well what Gospel does Paul preach? The Gospel of the Grace of God and the New Covenant as promised through Jeremiah chapter 31 (and in 32:40 where it is called an everlasting covenant) as we’re going to see in just a moment. Now continuing with the verse.
Hebrews 4:2b "…as well as to them:…"
Now, as we’ve pointed out, as we began that chase up through the Old Testament, we found that the Gospel was the "good news." And there were a lot of good news opportunities that God used first to the whole human race. Not just to Israel. And then beginning with Abraham, of course, it was all dealing with Israel and so they had all kinds of good news preached, but, unless it was mixed with trust and belief, it was of no profit. This maybe a good time to remind ourselves that God sees our trusting through trials which then becomes faith as our trials test our trust but He does not see sin.
Well, the last thing we talked about was the faith of Abraham. And because of his faith, it was accounted to him for righteousness. Now we’re going to continue that same concept of what Gospel was preached when. And I’ll take you now from Abraham’s experience, in Genesis 12 and in Romans 4, to Matthew for just a moment, in Christ’s earthly ministry, and we’ll drop in at chapter 9, and verse 35. And again we’re going to see the word Gospel. The good news!
Matthew 9:35a "And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching (what?) the gospel of the kingdom,…"
Now remember, the Abrahamic Covenant had promised that the Nation of Israel would appear through the man Abraham and later on through Isaac and Jacob. And then one day God would put them in a territory of land that He deeded to them, which we call their homeland, and then at a later date, He would yet provide the government. A King. Now Israel, of course, had to wait centuries and centuries for that last part of the Covenant to become a reality, the coming of their King. And so, this is the purpose of Christ’s earthly ministry early on. He came first and foremost to fulfill that Abrahamic Covenant and the Law which included the bringing in their King. Now, if you’re going to have a King, you’re also going to have a Kingdom.
So, consequently, when Jesus came to the Nation of Israel and began His earthly ministry, He was then proclaiming the good news of a glorious Kingdom over which He would be the King. Now is that so hard to comprehend? Because that was all of His thrust, see that’s what John the Baptist’s purpose was, to announce this coming King. Now the King is there and so His message becomes then the good news that Israel is about to have its King and the Kingdom. We know that’s hard for people to swallow, but that’s why He came.
Just to show you what we're talking about, turn with us, and keep your hand in Matthew, we're not through here yet. Come all the way back to Romans once again and see how even the Apostle Paul makes this so clear. How can people miss this? Romans chapter 15 verse 8. Now, remember, Paul is writing in the book of Romans to us Gentiles, absolutely he is. But look what he’s telling us as Gentiles. Romans 15 verse 8.
"… Abraham believed God, (it was his believing, his trusting and then having to go through twenty-five years waiting on God to do as He said, that it is now called faith) and it was counted unto him for righteousness."
Now that didn’t make Abraham sprout wings. Abraham didn’t suddenly become a sinless individual. Abraham failed miserably time after time through all of this, but did he lose his salvation? Heavens no! He merely showed how human he really was. But, in spite of all his failures, God reckoned him, what? Righteous. And why was he righteous? Because he BELIEVED God!
The following is taken from a well known and respected Bible teacher of our day and he expresses how we feel about the word and Bible study that is why we're posting this in here, now. “There’s a big difference between studying the Word of God and reading it. A lot of people read a few verses and they think, well I’ve done my daily duty. Well, that’s not studying. Studying is when we really sit down and put some work into it and compare Scripture with Scripture. Because, hopefully, as we teach we can tie it all together from Genesis through Revelation without just picking out a few verses on which we can build a doctrine. But rather it has to be on the complete Word of God.” The revelation of Christ that is the foundation upon which all is held steadfast an immovable. As we seek His righteousness and not our own.
Now, of course, that means we also have to be careful, because not all the Scripture is directed to us today for our doctrine in this Age of Grace! But as Paul says in Romans 15, all scripture is for our learning and so it is.
Paul writes to us in this Age of Grace. If you want an example of what we're talking about you can turn to Leviticus chapter 5.
Leviticus chapter 5 says that if someone touches an unclean thing such as a dead animal, a carcass, then that man will bring a lamb of the flock and bring it to the priest. Now are you going to do that? Well, you can’t do that. So be careful how you talk, and how you use the Word of God. We have to realize that all Scripture is inspired, and all Scripture is the Word of God, but not all Scripture is written to us in this Age of Grace. That’s where we have to come to the Apostle Paul, because Paul over and over, emphasized that he’s the Apostle of the Gentiles as we see in Romans 11:13.
Romans 11:13
"For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles; I magnify mine office:" Another good one is in Ephesians chapter 3, and verse 1, where he says:
Ephesians 3:1
"For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles." And this is what we have to be aware of. Alright, now on that same line then, we’re going to keep continuing where we left off, and that was Hebrews chapter 4 verse 2, and we’ll just continue with that thought.
Hebrews 4:2a
"For to us (in other words, you and I in this Age of Grace, under Paul’s Gospel) was the gospel preached…."
Well what Gospel does Paul preach? The Gospel of the Grace of God and the New Covenant as promised through Jeremiah chapter 31 (and in 32:40 where it is called an everlasting covenant) as we’re going to see in just a moment. Now continuing with the verse.
Hebrews 4:2b "…as well as to them:…"
Now, as we’ve pointed out, as we began that chase up through the Old Testament, we found that the Gospel was the "good news." And there were a lot of good news opportunities that God used first to the whole human race. Not just to Israel. And then beginning with Abraham, of course, it was all dealing with Israel and so they had all kinds of good news preached, but, unless it was mixed with trust and belief, it was of no profit. This maybe a good time to remind ourselves that God sees our trusting through trials which then becomes faith as our trials test our trust but He does not see sin.
Well, the last thing we talked about was the faith of Abraham. And because of his faith, it was accounted to him for righteousness. Now we’re going to continue that same concept of what Gospel was preached when. And I’ll take you now from Abraham’s experience, in Genesis 12 and in Romans 4, to Matthew for just a moment, in Christ’s earthly ministry, and we’ll drop in at chapter 9, and verse 35. And again we’re going to see the word Gospel. The good news!
Matthew 9:35a "And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching (what?) the gospel of the kingdom,…"
Now remember, the Abrahamic Covenant had promised that the Nation of Israel would appear through the man Abraham and later on through Isaac and Jacob. And then one day God would put them in a territory of land that He deeded to them, which we call their homeland, and then at a later date, He would yet provide the government. A King. Now Israel, of course, had to wait centuries and centuries for that last part of the Covenant to become a reality, the coming of their King. And so, this is the purpose of Christ’s earthly ministry early on. He came first and foremost to fulfill that Abrahamic Covenant and the Law which included the bringing in their King. Now, if you’re going to have a King, you’re also going to have a Kingdom.
So, consequently, when Jesus came to the Nation of Israel and began His earthly ministry, He was then proclaiming the good news of a glorious Kingdom over which He would be the King. Now is that so hard to comprehend? Because that was all of His thrust, see that’s what John the Baptist’s purpose was, to announce this coming King. Now the King is there and so His message becomes then the good news that Israel is about to have its King and the Kingdom. We know that’s hard for people to swallow, but that’s why He came.
Just to show you what we're talking about, turn with us, and keep your hand in Matthew, we're not through here yet. Come all the way back to Romans once again and see how even the Apostle Paul makes this so clear. How can people miss this? Romans chapter 15 verse 8. Now, remember, Paul is writing in the book of Romans to us Gentiles, absolutely he is. But look what he’s telling us as Gentiles. Romans 15 verse 8.
Friday, June 1, 2012
The Epistle to the Hebrews part LXXXI
Now this was all inserted because of what we learned by way of sharing this Gospel with those around us while in the operating room of a local hospital this past week, where I had my pacemaker changed out. The people who were working around me started talking about our favorite person, but without an understanding of scripture as taught by the Holy Spirit but only as man teaches. It was then that the Lord the Spirit shared through us what was revealed above and needless to say this was strange ground to those in the room. And here is why, lets turn to Isaiah chapter 30 and starting in verse 17 look at what is revealed here:
Isaiah 30:17-23
“One thousand shall flee at the rebuke of one; at the rebuke of five shall ye flee: till ye be left as a beacon upon the top of a mountain, and as an ensign on an hill. And therefore will the LORD wait, that He may be gracious unto you, and therefore will He be exalted, that He may have mercy upon you: for the LORD is a God of judgment: blessed are all they that wait for Him (sit under God listening). For the people shall dwell in Zion at Jerusalem (the heavenliest place): thou shalt weep no more: He will be very gracious unto thee at the voice of thy cry; when He shall hear it, He will answer thee. And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity, and the water of affliction (the secret of the Lord's Last Supper on through his ascension), yet shall not thy teachers be removed into a corner any more, but thine eyes shall see thy teachers: And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left (Matthew 11:28-30). Ye shall defile also the covering of thy graven images of silver, and the ornament of thy molten images of gold: thou shalt cast them away as a menstruous (bloody) cloth; thou shalt say unto it, Get thee hence (2 Corinthians 6:14-18). Then shall He give the rain of thy seed, that thou shalt sow the ground withal; and bread of the increase of the earth, and it shall be fat and plenteous (as the root of Abraham, Romans 11:13[17]-25): in that day shall thy cattle feed in large pastures.”
Now this all fit nicely as a parenthetical between verses 8 and 9 (as the Church Age) of Psalm 2, God's divine timeline. Now we know of people who pray for the “power” but what took place above is the power which we're all to walk in. This power the ability to proclaim the testimony of Christ now risen in our hearts according to Paul's Galatians 2:20 verse and Peter in his letter of 2 Peter 1:19 where he says, that we do well until the light of the day star arise in our hearts. This to is the same Light which brought life and Light to a dark world and the world comprehended it not.
Now we find in Revelation chapter 5:
Revelation 5:5-10
"And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof. And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth. And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne. And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints. And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth."
Now we can trace by doing a word study the small book which our Lord opened here back to Daniel Chapter 12. And then also in Isaiah chapter 29 verse 11 where it remains sealed, then Ezekiel is given the book to eat in chapter 2 thusly keeping the things it contains a secret. Then Hebrews says that His ministers are made flames of fire in chapter 1 which means the true minister is dependent on the Spirit as the Spirit throughout scripture is liken to fire, water, rivers of living water and revelation of prophecy. Paul received the mysteries of God because the Lord had opened the seals of this book shortly after His ascension. It should also be noted that these seals are different from those of the scroll which are opened to release the judgment on the earth because of mans rebellion and unbelief. As witnessed in Revelation as quoted above.
Now continuing on with our study and back to Genesis chapter 12:
Genesis 12:1
"Now the Lord had said (back in chapter 11. He had said) to Abram, Get out of your country, and from your kindred, and from your father’s house, to a land that I will show you:" And now, here we come. Promises! I just got through telling you, what are promises? Hey, they’re good news!! They’re Gospel. And what are these promises that God is making to Abram?
Genesis 12:2-3
"And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing: and I will bless them that bless you, and curse him that curses you; and in you (because through Abram would come the Christ) shall all families of the earth be blessed."
Now if that wasn’t good news we don’t what else it could have been. In order to put the frosting on the cake, let’s jump all the way up to Romans chapter 4 and see what believing this good news did for this man Abraham. Now remember what we’ve got you thinking. What has been the good news? Oh, God’s means of bringing salvation to various segments of the human race. They didn’t all believe that Christ would die and be resurrected from the dead. They couldn’t. Hadn’t happened yet. The Roman cross wasn’t even invented, until the Roman Empire. But, these people had the good news of God’s promises. So remember God’s promise to Abraham was to "leave Ur and I will make of you, I will do this and I will do that." Now, when Abram responded to that Word of God by his trusting, look what God did here in verse 3.
Romans 4:3a
"For what say the scriptures? (not what Moses said. Not what Abraham said. Not what anybody else said. What does the Word of God say? The Word of God says) Abraham believed God,…"
Do you see that? Abraham did not do like Israel did at Kadesh and say, "No God, I don’t think you can do this. I’m a hundred years old. Sarah is ninety. I can’t do this." But you see Abraham believed God, as impossible as it may have seemed. What did God do? Saved him! That’s all! Saved him out of paganism. Out of idolatry. How do we know? Because it says:
Isaiah 30:17-23
“One thousand shall flee at the rebuke of one; at the rebuke of five shall ye flee: till ye be left as a beacon upon the top of a mountain, and as an ensign on an hill. And therefore will the LORD wait, that He may be gracious unto you, and therefore will He be exalted, that He may have mercy upon you: for the LORD is a God of judgment: blessed are all they that wait for Him (sit under God listening). For the people shall dwell in Zion at Jerusalem (the heavenliest place): thou shalt weep no more: He will be very gracious unto thee at the voice of thy cry; when He shall hear it, He will answer thee. And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity, and the water of affliction (the secret of the Lord's Last Supper on through his ascension), yet shall not thy teachers be removed into a corner any more, but thine eyes shall see thy teachers: And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left (Matthew 11:28-30). Ye shall defile also the covering of thy graven images of silver, and the ornament of thy molten images of gold: thou shalt cast them away as a menstruous (bloody) cloth; thou shalt say unto it, Get thee hence (2 Corinthians 6:14-18). Then shall He give the rain of thy seed, that thou shalt sow the ground withal; and bread of the increase of the earth, and it shall be fat and plenteous (as the root of Abraham, Romans 11:13[17]-25): in that day shall thy cattle feed in large pastures.”
Now this all fit nicely as a parenthetical between verses 8 and 9 (as the Church Age) of Psalm 2, God's divine timeline. Now we know of people who pray for the “power” but what took place above is the power which we're all to walk in. This power the ability to proclaim the testimony of Christ now risen in our hearts according to Paul's Galatians 2:20 verse and Peter in his letter of 2 Peter 1:19 where he says, that we do well until the light of the day star arise in our hearts. This to is the same Light which brought life and Light to a dark world and the world comprehended it not.
Now we find in Revelation chapter 5:
Revelation 5:5-10
"And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof. And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth. And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne. And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints. And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth."
Now we can trace by doing a word study the small book which our Lord opened here back to Daniel Chapter 12. And then also in Isaiah chapter 29 verse 11 where it remains sealed, then Ezekiel is given the book to eat in chapter 2 thusly keeping the things it contains a secret. Then Hebrews says that His ministers are made flames of fire in chapter 1 which means the true minister is dependent on the Spirit as the Spirit throughout scripture is liken to fire, water, rivers of living water and revelation of prophecy. Paul received the mysteries of God because the Lord had opened the seals of this book shortly after His ascension. It should also be noted that these seals are different from those of the scroll which are opened to release the judgment on the earth because of mans rebellion and unbelief. As witnessed in Revelation as quoted above.
Now continuing on with our study and back to Genesis chapter 12:
Genesis 12:1
"Now the Lord had said (back in chapter 11. He had said) to Abram, Get out of your country, and from your kindred, and from your father’s house, to a land that I will show you:" And now, here we come. Promises! I just got through telling you, what are promises? Hey, they’re good news!! They’re Gospel. And what are these promises that God is making to Abram?
Genesis 12:2-3
"And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing: and I will bless them that bless you, and curse him that curses you; and in you (because through Abram would come the Christ) shall all families of the earth be blessed."
Now if that wasn’t good news we don’t what else it could have been. In order to put the frosting on the cake, let’s jump all the way up to Romans chapter 4 and see what believing this good news did for this man Abraham. Now remember what we’ve got you thinking. What has been the good news? Oh, God’s means of bringing salvation to various segments of the human race. They didn’t all believe that Christ would die and be resurrected from the dead. They couldn’t. Hadn’t happened yet. The Roman cross wasn’t even invented, until the Roman Empire. But, these people had the good news of God’s promises. So remember God’s promise to Abraham was to "leave Ur and I will make of you, I will do this and I will do that." Now, when Abram responded to that Word of God by his trusting, look what God did here in verse 3.
Romans 4:3a
"For what say the scriptures? (not what Moses said. Not what Abraham said. Not what anybody else said. What does the Word of God say? The Word of God says) Abraham believed God,…"
Do you see that? Abraham did not do like Israel did at Kadesh and say, "No God, I don’t think you can do this. I’m a hundred years old. Sarah is ninety. I can’t do this." But you see Abraham believed God, as impossible as it may have seemed. What did God do? Saved him! That’s all! Saved him out of paganism. Out of idolatry. How do we know? Because it says:
Thursday, May 31, 2012
The Epistle to the Hebrews part LXXX
Hebrews 4:2a
For to us was the Gospel preached as well as to them:…"
Now we have to be careful here. What does the word Gospel always mean? Good news! Now how far back in human history does good news go? Well all the way back to Genesis chapter 3. But how far back does Paul’s Gospel go? Back to Paul’s ministry, naturally, because it’s his Gospel, that was only given to him. Alright, so now, if we look at this word Gospel as good news, then all of the garbage just falls away and we’re left with nothing but the bare Truth. Which John tells us came through Jesus, where you ask, well in Johns gospel, the good news of Jesus in chapter 1 and verses 14 and 17 but also 4:
John 1:14
"And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth."
Now a word of caution is due here because John is writing after the Lord's ascension he declares that which Paul had been given and that had been spoken first in the Psalms and that is that Jesus is now the "only begotten of the Father". (Hebrews 1:5, 5:5 and Psalm 2:7) Don't miss this as it is very important in scripture and for our learning of the Truth.
John 1:17
"For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ."
So we are to receive both Grace and Truth through Christ Jesus by the Holy Spirit. Now the next is one which many don't see or when they do they don't comprehend and it is in verse 4:
John 1:4
"In him was life; and the life was the light of men."
To get an understanding we have to go back to Genesis chapter 1 and verses 1 through 3 which says:
Genesis 1:1-3
"In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light."
Here's where we find the Spirit of God first introduced and who is this Spirit none other than the Lord Jesus Christ. Now what does John tell us of this Jesus well first that in Him is Life Divine Life the power to reproduce life or to bestow life. And when that is seen in verse two of Genesis as the Spirit that moved upon the waters and brought Light and Life to the earth's surface to cause it to be able to produce life when it was spoken to by the same Spirit. This is the same light and life which brought forth the plant and animal life as found in verses 20 through 25 what we call nature. Then John speaking of in verse 4 tells us that this Light and Life is the light of all men and this we pick up now in verses 26 and 27. Genesis 1:26-27 "God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them." Because He is the same Life which God breathed in Genesis 2 and verse 7 where we find God making a body in which to house His divine creation for it to walk and live in this world and it says: Genesis 2:7 "The LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul." This is where life meets with Life and man was formed or the spirit put on flesh just as it is recorded elsewhere here the Lord Jesus put on flesh in John 1:14 quoted above. Man was first a divine being housed in flesh and had communion, fellowship with his creator before woman was removed and formed from his rib. This is what John here is revealing so all mankind knows of God but not all mankind is known by God or has this relationship restored. It is restored only through Christ Jesus and this is the Good News.
And so, when the good news was presented in Genesis 3:15, what was it? Let’s go back and look. Here we have good news, but not the Gospel of the Grace of God. Now again its not in the exact phrase as the Gospel of Grace, even the new covenant as found in Jeremiah chapter 31 is not identified as of Grace or so called. It’s through Paul's Gospel that we must believe that Christ died and rose from the dead. It’s good news! My, it’s good news. Genesis chapter 3. Most of you should know what this verse says, the Lord is dealing with Satan, right after the fall of man, as they have just eaten of the forbidden fruit. And what’s the good news? That God is going to defeat Satan. And that there's a seed within woman which will one day spring upon him and defeat him. But and here's the rest of the story, this same seed of within all mankind because man was first created a spirit being as revealed above and will one day become a spirit being again. Which the Good News is all about. Now that’s good news! Alright, look at it. Where the Lord says to Satan:
Genesis 3:15a
"And I will put enmity between you and the woman, (who’s in control here? God is.) and between your seed and her seed; (well, Who’s her seed? Jesus Christ!) it (the seed of the woman, Jesus the Christ) shall bruise your head,…"
Now how do we kill a serpent? On the head. And so, what’s the implication here? That one day the Seed of the woman, Jesus the Christ, the Light, Truth and Grace of God, would defeat and put out of commission, Satan. And what is that? That’s Good News! It’s the only thing that the human race had left. Adam and Eve had now eaten, and the race has fallen, and Satan is seemingly glowing in his victory. But, God comes back and says, "No, I’ve got good news. I’m going to provide a way back into fellowship with the Creator." Man is one day going to be restored to fellowship with Me as if this hadn't been and as though this break or separation has never happened.
And so here we have the first instance of good news. Now let’s go up a little further to Genesis chapter 12. We're skipping a bunch of them in between here. But, here in Genesis chapter 12. Oh, some more good news! Now we don’t ordinarily think of it as Gospel, but it was. My, we don’t know what else it could have been so far as Abram was concerned. It was Gospel! It was good news!! And what was it? Let’s look at it:
For to us was the Gospel preached as well as to them:…"
Now we have to be careful here. What does the word Gospel always mean? Good news! Now how far back in human history does good news go? Well all the way back to Genesis chapter 3. But how far back does Paul’s Gospel go? Back to Paul’s ministry, naturally, because it’s his Gospel, that was only given to him. Alright, so now, if we look at this word Gospel as good news, then all of the garbage just falls away and we’re left with nothing but the bare Truth. Which John tells us came through Jesus, where you ask, well in Johns gospel, the good news of Jesus in chapter 1 and verses 14 and 17 but also 4:
John 1:14
"And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth."
Now a word of caution is due here because John is writing after the Lord's ascension he declares that which Paul had been given and that had been spoken first in the Psalms and that is that Jesus is now the "only begotten of the Father". (Hebrews 1:5, 5:5 and Psalm 2:7) Don't miss this as it is very important in scripture and for our learning of the Truth.
John 1:17
"For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ."
So we are to receive both Grace and Truth through Christ Jesus by the Holy Spirit. Now the next is one which many don't see or when they do they don't comprehend and it is in verse 4:
John 1:4
"In him was life; and the life was the light of men."
To get an understanding we have to go back to Genesis chapter 1 and verses 1 through 3 which says:
Genesis 1:1-3
"In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light."
Here's where we find the Spirit of God first introduced and who is this Spirit none other than the Lord Jesus Christ. Now what does John tell us of this Jesus well first that in Him is Life Divine Life the power to reproduce life or to bestow life. And when that is seen in verse two of Genesis as the Spirit that moved upon the waters and brought Light and Life to the earth's surface to cause it to be able to produce life when it was spoken to by the same Spirit. This is the same light and life which brought forth the plant and animal life as found in verses 20 through 25 what we call nature. Then John speaking of in verse 4 tells us that this Light and Life is the light of all men and this we pick up now in verses 26 and 27. Genesis 1:26-27 "God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them." Because He is the same Life which God breathed in Genesis 2 and verse 7 where we find God making a body in which to house His divine creation for it to walk and live in this world and it says: Genesis 2:7 "The LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul." This is where life meets with Life and man was formed or the spirit put on flesh just as it is recorded elsewhere here the Lord Jesus put on flesh in John 1:14 quoted above. Man was first a divine being housed in flesh and had communion, fellowship with his creator before woman was removed and formed from his rib. This is what John here is revealing so all mankind knows of God but not all mankind is known by God or has this relationship restored. It is restored only through Christ Jesus and this is the Good News.
And so, when the good news was presented in Genesis 3:15, what was it? Let’s go back and look. Here we have good news, but not the Gospel of the Grace of God. Now again its not in the exact phrase as the Gospel of Grace, even the new covenant as found in Jeremiah chapter 31 is not identified as of Grace or so called. It’s through Paul's Gospel that we must believe that Christ died and rose from the dead. It’s good news! My, it’s good news. Genesis chapter 3. Most of you should know what this verse says, the Lord is dealing with Satan, right after the fall of man, as they have just eaten of the forbidden fruit. And what’s the good news? That God is going to defeat Satan. And that there's a seed within woman which will one day spring upon him and defeat him. But and here's the rest of the story, this same seed of within all mankind because man was first created a spirit being as revealed above and will one day become a spirit being again. Which the Good News is all about. Now that’s good news! Alright, look at it. Where the Lord says to Satan:
Genesis 3:15a
"And I will put enmity between you and the woman, (who’s in control here? God is.) and between your seed and her seed; (well, Who’s her seed? Jesus Christ!) it (the seed of the woman, Jesus the Christ) shall bruise your head,…"
Now how do we kill a serpent? On the head. And so, what’s the implication here? That one day the Seed of the woman, Jesus the Christ, the Light, Truth and Grace of God, would defeat and put out of commission, Satan. And what is that? That’s Good News! It’s the only thing that the human race had left. Adam and Eve had now eaten, and the race has fallen, and Satan is seemingly glowing in his victory. But, God comes back and says, "No, I’ve got good news. I’m going to provide a way back into fellowship with the Creator." Man is one day going to be restored to fellowship with Me as if this hadn't been and as though this break or separation has never happened.
And so here we have the first instance of good news. Now let’s go up a little further to Genesis chapter 12. We're skipping a bunch of them in between here. But, here in Genesis chapter 12. Oh, some more good news! Now we don’t ordinarily think of it as Gospel, but it was. My, we don’t know what else it could have been so far as Abram was concerned. It was Gospel! It was good news!! And what was it? Let’s look at it:
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)