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1. SON OF THE LIVING GOD
The Bible says, concerning Jesus, "Thou shalt call his
name Emanuel, which being interpreted means, God with us."
(Matthew 1:23) Jesus lived a short life as man. And as man "he
was tempted in all points like as we are, yet without sin."
(Hebrews 4:15) As such, he was referred to as "the Son of
man." But even as man, he was "God with us." Therefore
he is often referred to as "the Son of God." That is,
he retained his Godhood or his deity.
One of the things in becoming a Christian a person must do
is that he must come to the realization that Jesus is the Christ,
the son of the living God. The apostle said in John 20:30-31,
"Many other signs truly did Jesus in the midst of his Disciples
that are not written in this book, but these are written that
ye may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the son of the living
God, and believing, have life in his name." Among the signs
in which he demonstrated that he was God's son; he was in control
of the elements. To the raging sea he said, "Peace be still."
(Mark 4:39) He was in control of the material things of this
world and he demonstrated that by multiplying the loaves and
fishes. (Matthew 14:19-20) He was in control of spiritual matters
so he said, "son, thy sins be forgiven thee." (Matthew
9:5-6) All the people testified that only God (deity) can forgive
sins. You can become a child of God by hearing the gospel, believing
the gospel and obeying the gospel.
2. THE VIRGIN BIRTH
The Bible says, "Now all this was done, that it might
be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying,
Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a
son." (Matthew 1:22-23).
Many people, even theological scholars, who claim to believe
the Bible, deny that statement. If a person, will not accept
the virgin birth then they simply do not believe the Bible regardless
of what they may claim. Others will not accept the statement
because they say the virgin birth of Jesus is a Catholic doctrine.
It is not. It's a Bible doctrine; it's the doctrine of Christ.
The Catholics got it from the Bible.
If we accept the Bible as being God's word, then we accept
it all. If we deny that certain parts are not true, we are saying
that none of it is true. We believe it or else we don't. The
Bible says in 2 John verse 9 "Whosoever goeth onward and
abideth not in the teaching of Christ, hath not God:" The
one who goes onward is the one who is not willing to accept the
teaching of the Bible. If he will not accept it, he has not God.
There are many in the religious world today who know very
well what the Bible says but will not accept it. The Bible says,
"Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things
that he suffered; and being made perfect, He became the author
of eternal salvation to all those who obey him." What about
you? Do you believe the Bible? If you believe it, obey it.
3. IS IT A CONTRADICTION?
The Bible says "And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
art not the least among the princes of Judah: for out of thee
shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel."
(Matthew 2:6). But in Matthew 2:15 the Bible says, "...Out
of Egypt have I called my son."
On the surface these two verses sound contradictory, but when
we hear the divine explanation, from the Bible, they become clear.
The first, the Bible says, is a fulfillment of scripture concerning
the birth of Jesus, while the second prophecy, the Bible says,
is a fulfillment of scripture pertaining to the flight of Joseph
and Mary to escape the decree of Herod to destroy all Jewish
children under the age of two. After the death of Herod, God
sent Joseph a revelation concerning a safe return, thus, as the
Bible says, the scripture was fulfilled which says "out
of Egypt have I called my Son."
The lesson! Be careful when someone begins telling what some
prophecy means for which they have no Bible interpretation. We
would do well to do that for which Paul commended the people
of Berea: ".... they searched the scriptures daily, whether
those things were so" (Acts 17:11). If I fail to give a
Bible reference for what I teach, then you are under no obligation
to hear what I have to say. There are many false teachers in
the religious world today. That's the reason we have so many
religions. "He that hath ears to hear, let him hear what
the Spirit says..." And the Spirit speaks to us today through
the written word, the Bible.
4. THE NAME OF GOD'S PEOPLE
The Bible says: "And he came and dwelt in a city called
Nazareth: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the
prophets, He shall be called a Nazarene" (Matthew 2:23).
Jesus was called a Nazarene simply because he lived in Nazareth.
We are called Texans because we live in Texas. Sometimes we are
called by a particular name because we follow a particular teaching.
For instance one is called a Buddhist because he follows the
teaching of Buddha. One is called a Mohammedan because he follows
Mohammed. So it is if a person is a follower of Christ, he should
be called a Christian.
This word is very often abused and misused. It is never used
as an adjective in the Bible, that is, to describe something
or somebody; it is always used as a noun; that is, to name a
peculiar people. They were not referred to as some kind of Christian;
they were simply Christians or not Christians. We read in Acts
11:26, "... the disciples were called Christians first in
Antioch." The Jew and Gentile had been brought together
in one body, the body of Christ. Peace had been declared between
them and in making peace with one another, they made peace with
God. (Please read the second chapter of Ephesians.) Now this
one body of people were united under one name, the banner of
Prince Emmanuel, the Christ, and that name was "Christian."
We should wear with honor and dignity the name Christian.
5. PREPARATION FOR THE KINGDOM
The Bible says, "In those days came John the Baptist,
preaching in the wilderness of Judaea" (Matthew 3:1). There
seems to be some misunderstanding concerning the mission of John.
First, he was called the Baptist simply because he baptized people.
He could just as well been called "the baptizer."
His was a ministry of preparation for the kingdom which was
soon to come. He cried out for the people to "Repent ye
:for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matthew 3:2). The
phrase, "is at hand" means that it was near. Thus Jesus
taught his disciples to pray "thy kingdom come." John
was preparing a people for that coming. This preparation was
based on repentance. Repentance had to do with a changing of
the mind that caused one to turn back to God. He warned them
to "Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance"
(Matthew 3:8). Or, show by their works that they were repenting.
In preparing themselves by turning back to God through repentance
and baptism they would have the remission of their sins when
the Lord made the sacrificial offering of the cross. The Bible
says, "John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the
baptism of repentance for the remission of sins" (Mark 1:4).
Jesus said in Matthew 26:28, "For this is my blood of the
new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins."
In just 50 days after that he would ascend to his throne and
be crowned "King of kings, and Lord of lords."
6. SOME THOUGHTS ON HOLY SPIRIT BAPTISM
The Bible quotes John: "I indeed baptize you with water
unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than
I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you
with the Holy Spirit, and with fire" (Matthew 3:11). There
is a misunderstanding concerning Holy Spirit baptism today. John
was not extending a promise of Holy Spirit baptism to his listeners
nor to anyone today. He was contrasting his power with the power
of the one who would come after him. Anyone can baptize with
water, but only one had the might, the power to baptize in the
Holy Spirit and that one would be Jesus.
Those who later became apostles were likely in this multitude
and the only ones of this number who ever received Holy Spirit
baptism. In Acts 1:5, the Lord reminded them of John's mission
and makes this statement: "For John truly baptized with
water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many
days hence." They received this baptism 10 days later and
through this power of the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, they were
enabled to reveal heaven's plan for the salvation of mankind.
No one has this power today, and, actually, no one needs this
power today. God's perfect will has been revealed and a curse
is placed on anyone who adds to it or takes away from it. One
of the statements made to these men, these apostles, not to you
and me, was: "But the Comforter, which is the Holy Spirit,
whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all
things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever
I have said unto you" (John 14:26).
Then, by the power of the Holy Spirit, these apostles wrote
"all things" down for our benefit and we have them
in what is called the New Testament.
7. THE BAPTISM OF JESUS
The Bible says, "Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan
unto John, to be baptized of him. But John forbad him, saying,
I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me? And
Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus
it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered
him. And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out
of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and
he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting
upon him: And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved
Son, in whom I am well pleased" (Matthew 3:13-17).
Did Jesus, the perfect man, have anything to repent of and
receive the promise of remission of sins? John recognized the
fact that Jesus did not need John's baptism and so states. But
the Jew, in making preparation for the coming kingdom was commanded
to submit to John's baptism. Had Jesus refused that baptism,
then he would have sinned like the lawyers and Pharisees who,
it is said, "... Rejected the counsel of God against themselves,
being not baptized of him" (Luke 7:30). So, he makes the
statement already quoted, "Suffer it to be so now: for thus
it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness."
People today who will not do what God commands, also reject
the counsel of God against themselves. Those who teach that baptism
is not essential to salvation (and that is the doctrine of denominationalism
and, now, some of my preaching brethren) falls into that category
even though they may have been baptized. They reject the purpose
of baptism, remission of sins, and in so doing, reject the counsel
of God against themselves.
8. JOHN INTRODUCES JESUS
"And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway
out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him,
and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting
upon him: And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved
Son, in whom I am well pleased" (Matthew 3:16- 17).
Jesus was baptized in Jordan. Not near Jordan, but IN Jordan.
All denominational scholars agree that "the ancient mode
of baptism was immersion." Immersion is pictured as a burial
in Romans 6:4: "We are buried therefore by baptism into
death." Man, not God, has changed it. But Jesus was immersed
in Jordan.
The Godhead or deity is made up of three persons; the Father,
the Son and the Holy Spirit. In these verses we hear the Father
acknowledging Jesus as being His Son; we see the Holy Spirit
descending "in a bodily form" and joining with the
Son. This is indicative of the three persons of the Godhead all
working together for the salvation of mankind.
This voice from heaven and the descent of the Holy Spirit
was witnessed by John so he could later say with all assurance,
"I saw and bare record that this is the Son of God"
(John 1:34). He could declare with all boldness, "Behold
the lamb of God who taketh away the sin of the world" (John
1:29). This taking away of sin is not automatic. God's grace
makes it possible for one to have salvation but one must hear
what he says, believe what he says and do what he says.
9. "THY HEART IS MY THRONE"
The Bible says, "Now when Jesus had heard that John was
cast into prison, he departed into Galilee; From that time Jesus
began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven
is at hand" (Matthew 4, vs 12 & vs 17). John the Baptist
was gone but Jesus preached the same message of repentance, preparing
people for the coming of the kingdom wherein there would be eternal
salvation.
There are many ideas being advanced concerning the kingdom.
The outstanding teaching is that the kingdom is still in the
future, but that is a false concept. Let's continue to study
our Bibles and believe what we find there and we won't go wrong.
We hear John; we hear Jesus; they both testify that the kingdom
is near at hand. The question is, how near?
Jesus says to his disciples in Mark 9:1, "... Verily
I say unto you, That there be some of them that stand here, which
shall not taste of death, till they have seen the kingdom of
God come with power." The apostles were among that number
and the kingdom would come in the lifetime of most of them. Like
many today, they were looking for an earthly kingdom. But Jesus
said in John 18:36, "... My kingdom is not of this world:
if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight
..." It would not be like Caesar's kingdom which was established
and maintained with carnal weapons; it would instead, be a spiritual
kingdom. In fact, the record of Luke 17:20-21 says, "And
when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God
should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh
not with observation: Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo
there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you." The
King of kings rules in the hearts of all his people. As the spiritual
song says, "Thy heart is my throne."
10. CATEGORIES OF TEMPTATION
The Bible says: "Love not the world, neither the things
that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of
the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust
of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life,
is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth
away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God
abideth for ever" (1 John 2:15- 17). These are the three
broad categories into which temptations fall.
In Hebrews 4:15 we read: "For we have not an high priest
which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities;
but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin."
This high priest, of course, is Jesus. In Matthew 4:1 we read:
"Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness
to be tempted of the devil." The three broad categories
mentioned by John are seen in these temptations.
First, an appeal to the fleshly appetite. "If thou be
the son of God, turn these stones into bread." But Jesus
answered, "It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone,
but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God."
Second, the pride of life. Satan said, in the way we would put
it, "I dare you." But Jesus answered, "It is written
again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God." And the third
category, the lust of the eyes: The Bible says, "He showed
him." The answer: Matthew 4:10: "It is written, Thou
shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve."
He "was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without
sin."
We are tempted in all these points. But, "No temptation
has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is
faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you
are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape,
that you may be able to bear it" (NKJ 1 Corinthians 10:13).
These three categories will cover the things in which we will
be tempted; nothing new will be added. The way of escape from
all temptation -- "It is written." Remember, "he
that doeth the will of God abideth for ever"
11. THE POOR IN SPIRIT
The Bible says: "Blessed are the poor in spirit: for
theirs is the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 5:3). This is
the first of what are commonly called The Beatitudes. These,
put together, constitute a condition of supreme happiness.
Here he speaks of one who is "poor in spirit." One
of the definitions of spirit is: "the disposition or influence
which fills and governs the soul of any one." The disposition
of the person in this verse seems to be a spirit of arrogance.
It could also be a spirit of pride. But the happy individual
is one who is poor, poverty stricken, destitute of this spirit
of arrogance or pride.
We sometimes forget who is responsible for the good gifts
we possess and begin to brag on ourselves. In our moment of self
exaltation, we forget God. So, we need to dispossess ourselves
of all pride, arrogance or haughtiness and then we can expect,
not only supreme happiness, but citizenship in the kingdom of
heaven. (NKJ Philippians 3:20) "For our citizenship is in
heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord
Jesus Christ." The Lord Jesus, is coming from heaven. (1
Thessalonians 1:7) "... when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed
from heaven with his mighty angels" He will receive unto
himself the citizens of his kingdom.
But, remember, this is only one of the attributes a person
must have to enjoy supreme happiness both here and hereafter.
Read all of The Sermon on The Mount in Matthew chapters 5, 6
and 7. Jesus concluded by saying, "He that heareth these
sayings of mine and doeth them shall be like a wise man."
12. COMFORT FOR THE BROKEN-HEARTED
The Bible says in Matthew 5:4: "Blessed are they that
mourn: for they shall be comforted." It has been said that
this verse pertains to mourning for lost souls even as the weeping
prophet, Jeremiah, wept for Israel. The comfort Jeremiah received
was God's promise of a redeemer for both Israel and Judah. Their
turning back to God and their acceptance of that redeemer, Jesus
of Nazareth, through gospel obedience, would give to them, and
to all mankind, deliverance from their sins and the promise of
a better land than they had had before, a heavenly dwelling place.
We, too, should not only weep for a land filled with darkness
but do something to alleviate it. It has been said, "It
is better to light only one candle, than to curse the darkness."
It would not violate scriptural principles to accept the above
explanation of the verse but I believe that this verse is more
individual in application. It's not interceding or weeping for
someone else. It's you who becomes aware of your own sins and
mourn because of these sins, you can have the comfort of having
your sins forgiven.
If you're not a child of God, you can have this promise through
faith, repentance and baptism for the remission of your sins.
If you are a child of God, you can be forgiven for the sins over
which you mourn by repentance and prayer.
I think the verse will also include our own personal sorrow.
We weep over the death of a loved one. But Paul said, "Wherefore
comfort one another with these words." Don't let sorrow
eat at your heart until it destroys your life and those round
about you.
13. THE WORLD IS MINE
The Bible says in Matthew 5:5, "Blessed are the meek:
for they shall inherit the earth." Meekness has been variously
defined as shy, backward, retiring or weak. It is none of these.
Other words used as synonyms for meek or meekness are kind, gentle,
humble and considerate. These better define the word. We can
be gentle but aggressive, humble but strong, considerate but
honest.
Moses was described like this in Numbers 12:3: "(Now
the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon
the face of the earth.)" But we see, in Moses, a man who
was not shy, backward nor weak. We see humility as he tries to
tell God he is not capable of the great task God has chosen for
him. We see a man who is considerate when he listens to the advise
of Jethro, his father-in-law. We see a gentle man as he makes
provision from God for the needs of his people. We see a strong
man as he stands courageously before and against a rebellious
group. But, the Bible says, Moses was the very epitome of meekness.
The meek shall have the world as their inheritance, something
to be used now, something we must develop as we live. I think
the idea suggested in that statement is summed up nicely in a
poem by an unknown author, which is called The World is Mine!
There's a lot more to it but I quote the last verse to make my
point:
With feet to take me where I'd go,
With eyes to see the sunset's glow,
With ears to hear what I ought to know,
Oh God, forgive me when I whine,
I'm blessed indeed -- the world is mine!
14. SEEKING FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS
The Bible says in Matthew 5:6 "Blessed are they which
do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled."
A person who is really hungry will go to great lengths, even
robbery, to satisfy that craving. I am told that one who is really
thirsty will kill, if necessary, to fulfil that desire. I wouldn't
advocate such dire efforts as those mentioned to obtain righteousness
but the Bible does say that we can obtain if the desire is great
enough.
Righteousness had been defined as "being right with God,"
and that will do for our discussion. Do you really want to be
right in God's sight? You can be but only if you have the appetite
for it. It will come only by an honest, diligent and thoughtful
search. Your search must begin and end with the Bible. Peter
said in 1 Peter 2:2: "As newborn babes, desire the sincere
milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby." Jesus said
in John 5:39: "Search the scriptures...these are they which
testify of me." The apostle Paul said in Acts 17:11, "...They
received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the
scriptures daily, whether those things were so." Don't allow
other people to do your searching.
Hear Paul once again. (1 Corinthians 4:6) "And these
things, brethren, I have in a figure transferred to myself and
to Apollos for your sakes; that ye might learn in us not to think
of men above that which is written ..." I believe that I
teach the truth. But don't take my word for it. Search the scriptures
to see if what I say harmonizes with Bible teaching. If it does,
obey it. If it doesn't, reject it.
15. ARE YOU MERCIFUL?
The Bible says in Matthew 5:7, "Blessed are the merciful:
for they shall obtain mercy." The words "merciful"
and "mercy" comes from the same root word from which
we get eleemosynary. That word defined means "of, relating
to, or dependent on charity, or benevolence." So, one who
is merciful or full of mercy, is one who does charitable works
or is benevolent.
He is concerned about the welfare of others. He is the blessed
one we read about in Matthew 25: "I was hungry, you fed
me; I was thirsty, you gave me drink; naked, you clothed me;
sick, you visited me." He is the one who Paul exhorts to
be concerned about the needy in Ephesians 4:28: "... Let
him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that
he may have to give to him that needeth."
This is what is being discussed in James 1:27: "Pure
religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To
visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep
himself unspotted from the world." Bear in mind that all
these verses pertain to individual action. Personal responsibility
such as we find stated in 1 Timothy 5:16: "If any man or
woman that believeth have widows, let them relieve them, and
let not the church be charged; that it may relieve them that
are widows indeed."
These verses are not talking about making a donation; they
are talking about personal contact with misery. However, there
are times when we hear of a situation about which we can do nothing
more than make a donation such as the recent flood and hurricanes
disasters. In such cases, be merciful. You may need mercy someday.
16. PURITY OF HEART
The Bible says, in Matthew 5:8, "Blessed are the pure
in heart: for they shall see God." Purity is an attribute
culminated when God, working with ME, purifies my heart.
Two passages need to be considered. One deals with God cleansing
our life of all past sin and the other has to do with how this
cleansing continues.
No. 1 Listen to the apostle in 1 Peter 1:22-23: "Seeing
ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the
Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love
one another with a pure heart fervently: Being born again, not
of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God,
which liveth and abideth forever." You are now a member
of God's family. Your past sins have been forgiven. You are a
new creation. How did it happen? By your hearing of what God
said and doing it. That's all in the verse.
I hope to see God. But I must remain pure if I am to see Him.
How can we possibly do this? (1 John 3:3) "And every man
that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure."
This is a continual process of purification. You, now as one
of his children, with His help, can keep yourself pure.
No. 2 How? We have the answer in 1 John 2:1: "My little
children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And
if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ
the righteous." Now look at 1 John 1:9: "If we confess
our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and
to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
Remember, first part, non-Christian; second part, Christian.
(NRS, 1 Timothy 5:22) "... do not participate in the sins
of others; keep yourself pure."
"Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God."
17. BLESSED PEACEMAKERS
The Bible says in Matthew 5:9: "Blessed are the peacemakers:
for they shall be called the children of God." It's good
to have peacemakers in world affairs; much happiness can prevail
when one makes peace between warring factions in court room battles;
great can be the happiness of one who makes peace between husband
and wife, parents and children. But I believe this is a secondary
application. Making that kind of peace is good, but hardly a
prerequisite for one becoming a child of God. Check that out
in Galatians 3:26-27: "For ye are all the children of God
by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized
into Christ have put on Christ."
But, back to our verse. I believe that Jesus is talking about
the peace that comes between God and man. The greatest happiness
or blessing that can come to a person is when he causes another
to make peace with God. "Peace on earth, good will toward
man" was the message of the angels. Jesus came not for the
above reasons except as a by-product of his teaching. But putting
people in touch with God through gospel obedience, thus making
peace between that person and God would sometimes disrupt households
and make enemies of those who had been friends.
So, he says, in Matthew 10:34, "Think not that I am come
to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword."
He didn't come for the purpose of making domestic or civil peace;
he came to make peace between man and God. (Ephesians 2:14) "For
he is our peace ..." (vs 17) He "... came and preached
peace to you which were afar off, [Gentiles-bc] and to them that
were nigh [Jews-bc]." The children of God, those who help
man make peace with God, will be happy, blessed people and will
be richly rewarded.
18. SERVE ONE MASTER
The Bible says, in Matthew 6:24, "No man can serve two
masters ..... You cannot serve God and mammon." Mammon is,
literally, material things or desire for material things. Service,
in this verse, has to do with what controls your life. The decisions
you make are motivated by something or somebody. If one is determined
to serve God, then each decision will be made by considering
how that action will affect one's service to God. The clothes
you wear, the company you keep, the job you are seeking, the
pleasures you indulge in, the language you use, the school you
attend. Ever aspect of your life will revolve around who or what
it is you serve.
So, it's not just mammon you must avoid serving; mammon may
be your master or it could be something else. The main lesson
is, "You cannot serve two masters!" You must determine
where your allegiance is. It isn't necessarily money nor the
desire for money that is wrong; it's allowing that concern to
control your decision making. There is nothing wrong with moral
pleasure; what's wrong is for it to interfere with my life.
Do we choose a lifestyle that will include God as a partner,
or does our lifestyle just make provision for God to share an
alcove of my life? God just be the senior partner, the primary
stockholder in our life or else something else will be. "You
cannot serve two masters." Do as Joshua did a way back yonder.
"Choose ye this day whom you will serve. As for me and my
house, we will serve God."
19. CONSIDER THE LILIES
In Matthew 6:28-29, Jesus said, "... Consider the lilies
of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:
And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was
not arrayed like one of these." In some of our present day
language Jesus might have been saying, "Slow down; stop,
and smell the roses." Yes, consider the lilies!
This statement was made in the midst of a lesson concerning
being overly anxious concerning things of which we sometimes
feel are of great moment. The clothes we wear, the kind of food
we eat and, above all things, what about tomorrow? The Lord wasn't
saying we should not be concerned about these things; he was
making a contrast between what we consider to be important and
what is actually important.
When he said, "take no thought," he wasn't forbidding
people from making plans or being concerned but what he was saying
was, "don't let these things possess you." Stop awhile.
Consider the lilies. Where did they come from? Who clothed them?
Who cares for them? In fact, I don't think Jesus was forbidding
us to not worry at all, as some teachers would want us to believe.
He was telling us that there are more important things to be
concerned about, than the trivial things of life.
Actually, it's all summed up in one of these "not, but"
situations when the important thing is contrasted with the less
important: not-- "take no thought," but, "Seek
ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and these
things (food, clothing and shelter) will be added unto you"
(Matthew 6:33).
Don't let worry about tomorrow consume you. If it contains
a matter we can do something about, make your plans to do it.
If it is outside my power to control, worry will not help. Go
to sleep considering the lilies of the field.
20. MAY WE JUDGE?
The Bible says in Matthew 7:1, "Judge not, that ye be
not judged." This verse of scripture has been quoted and
then misused more than any other of which I am aware. If you
will read the context you will see immediately that the Lord
is speaking of hypocritical judgment. The idea is, not that you
can have no judgment concerning another, but before you judge
another, look at yourself. Get rid of your sins before you condemn
sin in another.
Read the 5th chapter of 1 Corinthians. There they were to
judge the fornicator among them and withdraw themselves from
him. Jesus said, "Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know
them" (Matthew 7:20). If a person steals, he is a thief.
If he murders, he is a murderer. If he commits fornication or
adultery, he is a fornicator. Their own works condemn or judge
them. Of course, final judgment belongs to the Lord. He will
take care of that we can be sure. Notice Acts 17:31: "Because
he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world
in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained."
But some immediate judgment has been given to man. Look at
1 Corinthians 6:2: "Do ye not know that the saints shall
judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are
ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters?" Certainly we
need to be careful with our judgments. Judgment must not be based
on prejudice, bias or even consensus. Be sure you are judging
by facts, not allegement and, above all things, be sure your
life is above reproach before you judge another.
(Romans 2:21) "Thou therefore which teachest another,
teachest thou not thyself?"
21. "LOVE THY NEIGHBOR"
THE BIBLE SAYS in Matthew 7:12, "Therefore all things
whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so
to them." This is commonly called the Golden Rule and is
probably one of the better known verses of the Bible even though
we usually quote it like this: "Do unto others as you would
have them do unto you."
It is also one of the least applied in our lives. I suggest
two other rules the world in general use. The first, I call the
Iron Rule. "Do others before they do you." We feel
like other people are out to get to us so let's just get to them
first. This is the general rule of the world; dog eat dog. This
is the evolutionary rule of "the survival of the fittest."
The second one I call the Silver Rule. It sounds better. "Do
unto others as they do unto you." In other words, if people
treat me kindly, I will treat them kindly, but if they treat
me badly, I'll treat them badly. Actually, we're saying, I'll
get on their level. He treats me badly. I hate that but I'll
return kind for kind. He's mean to me so I'll be mean to him.
But the application of the Golden Rule applied, would make
this a better world in which to live. How do you want to be treated?
Well, why don't you start treating people like you'd like to
be treated. The girl at the check-out counter; the waitress at
the restaurant; the fellow who is trying to get off an entrance
ramp onto the freeway; the people who work for you and the people
you work for. It's all summed up like this in the Old Testament
as well as the New: "Love thy neighbor as thyself."
22. "HE THAT DOETH"
THE BIBLE SAYS in Matthew 7:21, "Not every one that saith
unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven;
but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven."
Many people in the world today are paying lip service to the
Lord. They cry out, as these did, "Lord, Lord," or
shout loudly, "praise the Lord." On TV we hear them
moan and groan out songs like, "Oh, Jesus." These people
may be sincere in their cries, however loudly, will not take
the place of "doing the will of the Father."
The New Revised Version is even more emphatic than the reliable
old King James Version. It says, "... but ONLY the one who
does the will of my Father in heaven." Notice the emphasis,
"ONLY the one." It sounds a whole lot like the apostle
in 1 John 3:18: "My little children, let us not love in
word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth." John
wasn't forbidding us to say with the tongue, "I love you."
He was critical of the one who said it but never followed up
with action to prove this love. So it is with serving the Lord.
It's all right to say you are his servant so long as we show
our discipleship by action. We'll notice later that that action
must be "the will of the Father which is in heaven"
or, as stated in another devotional lesson, "by his authority."
The so-called Lord's Prayer says, "Thy will be done on earth."
His will is made known only the pages of the Bible and, in particular,
the New Testament division.
23. "DEPART FROM ME ..."
The Bible says in Matthew 7:22, "Many will say to me
in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name?
and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many
wonderful works? 23 And then will I profess unto them, I never
knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity."
Many, many, today fall into the category mentioned. They are
making all kinds of claims of doing "worthy works"
and always, "in the name of the Lord." Just to make
a declaration that a thing is "in the name of the Lord"
or by his authority, doesn't make it so. Some of these have been
exposed as religious frauds. The word "iniquity" as
is used in the quoted verse is translated by the word "lawlessness"
in several other translations. That is, these people the Lord
was talking about were spiritual "outlaws." They were
doing their "wonderful" works outside the realm of
Bible authority.
But hear what the Lord says their end will be: "And then
will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye
that work iniquity [or lawlessness]." They will appeal to
you on street corners; they will come knocking on your door;
they will overcome you with ranting and raving verbiage on TV
and radio. What shall I do? Do as directed by the apostle in
1 John 4:1: "Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try
the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets
are gone out into the world."
24. BROTHERLY LOVE - By James DeVoll
"But as touching brotherly love ye need not that I write
unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another."
(1 Thessalonians 4:9) The term love is vastly misunderstood by
society today. To many, love means that you accept the actions
of a person without question. You dare not criticize anyone for
what they do, particularly in regard to moral conduct.
Jesus teaches us that we are to love for our fellow man. As
John, the apostle wrote: "...God is love; and he that dwelleth
in love dwelleth in God, and God in him." (1 John 4:16)
This divine love, which we learn from God, always seeks the highest
good of the other. Thus, we are to put God above self and our
fellow man before self. This love cannot be selfish.
When a person learns this love which is from God, a noticeable
change will occur in the life of that person. They will speak
and act with greater kindness to their wife or husband. They
will speak more gently to their children. Speech directed to
neighbors and friends will be "seasoned with salt."
Learning this divine love will necessitate a change in your conduct
toward other folks.
Also, this love will change your view regarding your friends
and associates. Because you love them, and have their "highest
good" in mind, you will be concerned about sin in their
life. Through Paul, Jesus teaches us that the wages of sin is
death. (Rom 6:23) Understanding the penalty of sin, you will
be concerned about the moral conduct of others and will do what
you can to help them overcome sin that will put their souls in
jeopardy. Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 5:11 "Knowing therefore
the terror of the Lord, we persuade men...."
Have you truly learned this divine love?
25. THE WISE MAN
Listen to a passage with which nearly everyone is familiar.
Parents teach it to their youngsters; the kids sing a song about
it and I've even heard TV weathermen make fun with it on occasions.
(Matthew 7:24-27) "Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings
of mine and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which
built his house upon a rock: 25 And the rain descended, and the
floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and
it fell not for it was founded upon a rock. 26 And every one
that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall
be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the
sand: 27 and the rain descended and the floods came, and the
winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell; and great
was the fall of it." Well, it's not a fun thing. It's a
graphic illustration of the power, the authority behind all these
things he has been talking about in what we call the Sermon on
the Mount. It's what I talk about in nearly every lesson--authority
and obedience.
Jesus is contrasting a wise man and a foolish man. A wise
man will find out what Jesus says in the New Testament just as
a wise man will build his house on a good foundation. He will
hear, which means he will understand the teaching and then he
will DO what Jesus authorizes. He will obey the Master teacher
and not what some man says. He who hears and does not obey, is
a fool and none of us want to be in that class. The 7th chapter
ends like this: "... the people were astonished at his doctrine;
for he taught them as one having authority; and not as the scribes."
26. LOVE IN ACTION - By James DeVoll
Our thoughts are centering around the subject of "love,"
that is, the love that we learn from God. Remember that this
love always seeks the highest good of another; it is not turned
toward self. The importance of possessing this love is seen in
the writings of the apostle Paul. I would like to read for you
from 1 Cor 13:1-3. Listen closely to what he says about the necessity
of this love.
"Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels,
but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging
cymbal. 2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand
all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith,
so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.
3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though
I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me
nothing."
We should be impressed with the importance of learning this
divine love. Please understand that it goes contrary to what
we would naturally do in life. The world basically tells us to
love ourselves and do as we please. Don't worry about the other
person. Do that which makes you feel good. This will make you
happy and content in life.
We learn a different kind of love in scriptures. It is this
love that should underlie all that we do. This love does not
revolve around self but is directed toward God and others. This
is not a "feeling good about yourself" concept, but
is rather, an attitude of a caring that become the motivation
for all our actions. In 1 John 3:18 it is written: "My little
children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in
deed and in truth."
Our love for others, as well as for God, is shown by what
we do. Jesus said, "If ye keep my commandments, ye shall
abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments,
and abide in his love." We'll have more about this tomorrow.
Do your actions demonstrate a real love for God and for others?
27. LOVE DEMANDS OBEDIENCE - By James DeVoll
Our thoughts are centering around the subject of "love,"
the love that God teaches us in His word. Remember that this
love always seeks the highest good of another; it is not turned
inward to self. This is the love spoken of when we are told to
love God with all our heart, soul, and mind. Jesus said, "This
is the first and great commandment." [Matt 22:37-38]
Love is active, not passive. Paul states in Romans 5:8 that
"God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were
yet sinners, Christ died for us." The word commendeth signifies:
"to show, prove, establish, exhibit." 1 John 3:18 John
wrote: "My little children, let us not love in word, neither
in tongue; but in deed and in truth."
Since love is seen only in the actions it prompts, how do
we manifest our love for God. 1 John 2:5 "But whoso keepeth
his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby
know we that we are in him." 1 John 5:2 "By this we
know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and
keep his commandments. 3 For this is the love of God, that we
keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous."
John 14:15 "If ye love me, keep my commandments...21 He
that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth
me...23 Jesus continues by saying: If a man love me, he will
keep my words....."
Understanding that our love is manifested or proved by our
actions, do you think that obedience to God is necessary? You
love God only when you keep his commandments.
28. THE LIMITED COMMISSION
In Matthew the 10th chapter, we read of that which is called
the limited commission. Jesus had chosen the men who would later
be called apostles. They are named in verses 2, 3, and 4. At
this time they were limited in their ministry. We read in Matthew
10:5-6: "These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them,
saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city
of the Samaritans enter ye not: 6 But go rather to the lost sheep
of the house of Israel." We have the negative, "go
not," which excludes and limits and the positive "go
rather," which authorizes and also limits.
The personal ministry of Christ on earth was an extension
of John's mission, i.e., preparing the people for the coming
of the kingdom. John preached. "Repent ye ,for the kingdom
of heaven is at hand." Jesus and his disciples preached
the same thing. The phrase, "for the kingdom of heaven is
at hand" meant that it was nearby. Soon. So a people needed
to be prepared to receive it when it came and the logical ones
were some among those who had been chosen of God to bring forth
the Messiah -- the Israelites. Now they would be the first citizens
of his kingdom. All things were in readiness for that coming
event.
John, the forerunner; "the voice of one crying in the
wilderness." Jesus, the Messiah was about to make known
his kingship. It was an apt situation. Jesus told these twelve
he had, in a particular manner, chosen,"Say not ye, There
are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto
you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are
white already to harvest." (John 4:35) All things were ready.
"Repent ye, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."
29. A HEART SOVEREIGNTY
In another article I wrote about the coming kingdom. It wasn't
the kind of kingdom the Jews had hoped for. They wanted a restoration
of the kingdom likened to that of David and Solomon, so most
of them rejected the teaching of the Christ and finally crucified
him.
He had tried to tell them what it would be like. Look at Luke
17:20-21: "And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when
the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The
kingdom of God cometh not with observation: 21 Neither shall
they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of
God is within you." The kingdom of God would be a heart
situation. When people enthroned him as the sovereign of their
hearts and exalted him in their lives, then he would rule as
King of kings and Lord of lords. We transfer our allegiance from
Satan to Jesus.
Yes, the kingdom did come and people became citizens of it.
We read in Colossians 1:13, "Who hath delivered us from
the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom
of his dear Son:" Not a political kingdom like most people
wanted then and many still do; not a kingdom advanced and maintained
either by bullets or ballots, but by the mightiest weapon of
them all. "The sword of the Spirit, which is the word of
God." Jesus answered," in John 18:36, "My kingdom
is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then
would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the
Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence."
30. THE KINGDOM IN REALITY
As you read the parables of Jesus, you will find most of them
beginning with a phrase something like this: "the kingdom
of God [or kingdom of heaven] is likened unto," and then
a lesson on how to conduct ourselves in that kingdom. Remember,
the kingdom of God is a spiritual rulership in the heart of man.
Jesus said, "the kingdom of God is within you."
Many people today believe that the kingdom of God is out yonder
in the future. No, it is here now. People are in it. They have
been translated or carried over from the rulership of Satan to
the rulership of Christ. In Colossians 1:13 it is stated that
"you have been translated out of the kingdom of darkness
into the kingdom of his dear Son." The apostle John was
in that kingdom. We read in Revelation 1:9, "I John, who
also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the
kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ." The apostle stated
in Hebrews 12:28, "Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which
cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God
acceptably with reverence and godly fear:"
We can see, that is, if we are to be guided by the scriptures
we can see, that the kingdom of God is in existence now. John
the Immerser and his disciples, Jesus and his disciples, announced
that it was at hand, that is, nearby. How near? "There be
some of you standing here which shall not taste of death till
they have seen the kingdom come with power." (Mark 9:1).
Jesus taught them to pray "thy kingdom come." He taught
them in parables, lessons of conduct for citizens of the kingdom.
He died on the cross but arose on the third day; ascended to
the right hand of the Father and was crowned King of all kings,
and Lord of all lords!
31. YOU MUST BE BORN AGAIN
Jesus made a simple statement in John 3:3: "Ye must be
born again." No explanation of how that was to be accomplished
and that's about as far as most read in conjunction with the
new birth. So various speculative theories come forth.
In John 3:5, he gives us a little more information: "Jesus
answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born
of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom
of God." Still, we have no specific information about how
this is accomplished, but this we know; a person must be born
again to enter he kingdom of God.
Jesus had told Peter, "I will give you the keys of the
kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth shall have
been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have
been loosed in heaven" (NAB Matthew 16:19). Peter used those
keys on the Pentecost of Acts 2. Speaking by the inspiration
of the Holy Spirit he loosed and bound in his speech. People
heard and learned the gospel of Christ. Believing what they had
heard, they asked the question, "... Men and brethren, what
shall we do?" (Acts 2:37). Peter answered, "... Repent,
and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ
for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the
Holy Spirit" (Acts 2:38). 3000 did what Peter bound upon
them. They were added to the church, the kingdom. The Spirit
works through the word as we read in Ephesians 6:17: "...
take ... the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God."
They were born of the Spirit. They were baptized in water. They
were born of the water and of the Spirit.
The new birth is that simple.
32. A NEW CREATURE
Just what does it mean to be born again? Now forget all the
answers that you get from the opinions of men. What does the
Bible say? To start with, one must undergo a change. But this
change is dependent on a decision I make about whether I am going
to start serving the Lord. It means a change of faith. I change
from putting my trust in material things to putting my trust
in the Lord. (Mark 16:16) "He that believeth .. shall be
saved."
It means a change of will or a change of mind that results
in a change of conduct. That's called repentance. (Acts 17:30)
"... but now commandeth all men every where to repent:"
It means a change of your position in life. It means where
once you were "... without Christ ... having no hope, and
without God in the world" (Ephesians 2:12), you can now
be in Christ. "For as many of you as have been baptized
into Christ have put on Christ" (Galatians 3:27).
It means you are a new person, a new creation. "Therefore
if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: (a new creation)
old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new"
(2 Corinthians 5:17).
It means that all past sins have been forgiven. You are as
innocent as when you were first born into the world. Ir means
that you are in his kingdom. As a new creature in Christ Jesus,
I submit my will to His. He guides me with the Holy Spirit, but
this has nothing to do with miraculous works. Remember, the Spirit
works in the lives of men through the medium of the word. "Taking
up the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God" (Ephesians
6:17).
Peter summed it up like this in 1 Peter 1:23: "Being
born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by
the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever."
33. PATIENCE DEMONSTRATES LOVE - By James Devoll
We are instructed in the scriptures that we are to learn the
type of love that is from God. This love always seeks the highest
good of the other person. And in 1 Cor 13 we find Paul picturing
the character or conduct of this divine love. Let's focus on
the first trait that Paul gives: love suffers long.
The term suffereth long is defined in this manner: 1) to be
of a long spirit, not to lose heart 1a) to persevere patiently
and bravely in enduring misfortunes and troubles.
Let's notice a couple of passages which illustrate the meaning
of our term.
In Matthew 18:26, the story is given of a master that called
his servants into account. One did not have the necessary money
to settle his debt to his king. Notice how the king reacts. It
says: "The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him,
saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.
27 Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and
loosed him, and forgave him the debt." The master had great
patience that, coupled with compassion, cause him to dismiss
what the servant owed him.
In James 5:7 we find another illustration. "Be patient
therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the
husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath
long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain.
8 Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts...." There are
many things that are beyond our ability to control and it does
no good to fuss and fret about the situation. We must learn not
to lose heart, but to endure whatever is necessary.
In 1 Thessalonians 5:14 there is a commanded of the Lord for
us to "be patient toward all men." As we incorporate
this characteristic into our daily living, we are developing
one expression that divine love.
Are we not negligent some times in this regard, especially
to family members. Don't we easily loose patience with our spouses,
our children, mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, etc.
Let us be impressed with Paul's command: we are to be patient
toward all. And until we have learned to suffer long with others
we do not practice the divine love.
1 John 4:8 "He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God
is love."
34. KINDNESS DEMONSTRATES LOVE
In 1 Cor 13 Paul shows the various elements that make up the
divine love that God teaches us. Again, I would remind you that
this love always seeks the highest good of the other person.
It is not selfish.
In 1 Corinthians 13, the second characteristic of love that
Paul addresses is kindness. The word kindness is defined in this
way: 1) to show one's self mild, to be kind, use kindness. Let's
look briefly at two other passages where a form of this word
is used.
Luke 6:35: But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend,
hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and
ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto
the unthankful and to the evil. {As God is kind, so you and I
must learn to be kind, even to our enemies.)
Romans 2:4 Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and
forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness
of God leadeth thee to repentance? (Please note that it is God's
kindness that leads men repent.)
The antithesis or the opposite of kind would be unkind: indicating
that one is "lacking kindness; they are inconsiderate or
unsympathetic....they are harsh or severe.
Thus, when one practices this divine love their actions toward
others will always be considerate, filled good. In the Word of
God, when addressing the subject of man's character, we are instructed
how to behave ourselves, regardless of what others might do.
Such excuses as: "Well, they didn't treat me right and therefore
I was justified"; or "Everybody does it," fall
by the way when we have truly learned to love the divine way.
Just prior to kind, Paul said that love suffers long. When others
do not act properly toward you, being longsuffering will help
you to be kind, regardless. Their actions will not cause you
to loose control and act badly toward them. Love is always kind.
Do you practice this divine love? Learn to always be kind.
35. THE UNLIMITED COMMISSION
"And Jesus came to them and spake unto them, saying,
All authority hath been given unto me in heaven and on earth.
Go ye therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing
them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy
Spirit" (Matthew 28:18-19). This statement is a complete
contrast with the statement I used in my lesson on "limited
commission" where Jesus said, "... Go not into the
way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter
ye not: 6 But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel"
(Matthew 10:5-6). That statement I called the "limited"
commission because it specifically forbade the disciples to preach
to the nations.
But the new statement, from Matt. 28, I will call the "Unlimited"
commission. No boundary, no border, Jew or Gentile, black or
white, brown or yellow; all are included. The limited commission
was a call for the Jews, who had departed from God, to repent
and turn back to God. Prepare themselves for the soon to come
kingdom.
The king had appeared. This was the fulfillment of Old Testament
prophecy. We hear the prophet in Zechariah 9:9 saying, "Rejoice
greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem:
behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation;
lowly, and riding upon a donkey, and upon a colt the foal of
a donkey." Jesus would soon be crowned as King. Read the
second chapter of Acts which reaches a climax at the 37th verse
when Peter declares, "Therefore let all the house of Israel
know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have
crucified, both Lord and Christ" (Acts 2:36 ). Christ the
anointed King of kings and Lord of lords.
36. MAN -- A CREATURE OF CHOICE
God made man to be a creature of choice. He allowed Adam to
make his own decision in the garden of Eden, and he made the
wrong one. Cain was later faced with a decision and he, too,
made the wrong one. And man has been making unwise decisions
ever since. But God still allows him to make them. He wants people
who will make their own decision to serve him. Sometimes we blame
God for our mistakes, but the blame must be placed where it belongs,
with man himself. If He should make a decision for us in any
way, by a direct operation of the Holy Spirit, or by some better-felt-than-told
experience, he would have deserted this principle.
So his Son begs, pleads and gently invites us to make the
decision to serve God and shows us the way. "Come unto me,
all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly
in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke
is easy, and my burden is light" (Matthew 11:28-30). "Behold,
I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and
open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him,
and he with me" (Revelation 3:20). "And the Spirit
and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come.
And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him
take the water of life freely" (Revelation 22:17). And the
whole situation is summed up in a statement made by the apostle
in 2 Peter 3:9: "The Lord is not slack concerning his promise,
as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward,
not willing that any should perish, but that all should come
to repentance."
37. CONFESSING CHRIST
We here Jesus saying in Matthew 10:32-33 "Whosoever therefore
shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my
Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before
men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven."
Jesus was speaking to his immediate disciples, but the lesson
taught them becomes a lesson for us as well. He was sending them
forth among the enemy. They would be taunted, ridiculed and abused.
Their faith, like ours, would be challenged. How would they or
we, react?
We can say the words, "I love you," but until that
love is made known by our actions, it is an unconfirmed love.
The same thing could be said about a confession or denial. We
could say words, confessing Christ as our king, but until those
words have met the challenge of an hostile world and stood firmly
entrenched, it is an unconfirmed confession. The same thing would
be true in regard to a denial. We could, with the mouth, deny
that we knew him, like Peter did, or we could turn and run, like
the other disciples did. Either way, our actions will likely
speak as loudly or perhaps more loudly than our mouth. How do
we react when Christ or Christianity is maligned in our presence?
Do we come to his defense or do we remain the silent majority?
Do we let people know where we stand by the good conduct of our
lives or do we just go along with the crowd. Our young people
often go along with the crowd. Why? Perhaps because that's what
they see their parents do.
38. PEACE, PEACE, WHEN THERE IS NO PEACE
We hear the prophet saying, "... his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father,
The Prince of Peace." (Isaiah 9:6). We hear the angels singing
of "Peace on earth, good will among men." But we hear
Jesus saying in Matthew 10:34, "Think not that I am come
to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword."
There comes a time in the life of most people when they must
make a choice of which road they will take. "For this cause
shall a man leave father and mother and cleave unto his wife,
and the two shall be one flesh." Time to cut apron strings
and build your own life. Also there comes the time when we must
declare allegiance to either God or mammon, Christ or Belial?
Family and friends or King Jesus? The decision MUST be made;
it cannot be both. So, we cut some strong ties and cleave unto
the Lord. And when we do, often warfare is the result.
But Jesus said that that's the way it would have to be. In
Matthew 10:37 we hear him saying, "He that loveth father
or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth
son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me." Truth
and righteousness and the Cause of Christ have always been, and
shall always be, a battleground. When one takes a forthright
stand for Christ, he will make enemies and sometimes, they will
be his own household. Peace between man and God is what's important
of which Christ is the Prince, the author of that kind of peace.
You can have that kind of peace through gospel obedience.
39. HEART RELIGION
The religion of Christ makes its appeal through the intellect
of man. By intellect I don't mean that a person has to have a
college education. Not even a high school education. I mean that
he must have a responsible intellect. "Intellect" is
defined like this: "The ability to learn and reason; the
capacity for knowledge and understanding."
That would mean that only the person who has mature brainpower
is subject to the call of God. That would eliminate the little
child or the grown person who has never reached maturity because
of some mental disability. They are not responsible for sin therefore
have no need of salvation. They are not lost. They are safe in
the arms of Jesus, but those who have matured intellectually,
that's you and me, we are responsible for our sins and responsible
for hearing the gospel, heeding the call of Christ's invitation
and obeying the gospel's commands.
The religion of Christ revolves around the mind of man, the
intellect of man. Many times the mind of man is referred to as
the heart. The word "heart" is used 830 times in the
Bible. Three times and, possibly, four times, the word is used
in reference to the physical blood pump. The other 826 times
it has reference to some action of the mind or intellect. That
figurative concept begins like this in Genesis 6:5: "And
GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and
that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only
evil continually," and ends like this in Revelation 18:7:
"... for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no
widow, and shall see no sorrow."
40. "COME UNTO ME ...."
In Matthew 11:28 Jesus invited all mankind to "Come unto
me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden and I will give you
rest." Jesus was not promising rest from one's daily chores
but rest from carrying the burden of sin. But no matter how inviting
that plea was, he didn't elaborate on just how it was to be done.
He told his disciples to "go ye therefore and teach all
nations." So now let's tie that "great" or "unlimited"
commission to the "great" or "unlimited"
invitation.
"Go teach" was the charge; "come unto me"
was the plea. So in John 6:44-45 he ties the two together when
he says, "No man can come to me, except the Father which
hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.
It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of
God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of
the Father, cometh unto me." So, we get it altogether; "come,"
Jesus said. But one cannot come unless the Father draws him.
How does he draw people? Now the teaching comes in. "You
(disciples) go teach." The Father will draw people. They
will be drawn by that teaching; they that will hear and learn
are the ones who will come to Jesus; The thing heard and learned
is, of course, the gospel. That gospel has power. In fact, it
is the only moving power that God uses in bringing men to Christ.
Paul put it this way in Romans 1:16: "...the gospel of
Christ ...is the power of God unto salvation to every one that
believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek." Obedience
to the gospel is essential in coming to Christ and thus being
relieved of your burden of sin.
41. USE OF THE WORD "HEART"
I mentioned before that the religion of Christ appealed to
the intellect of man. In regard to that statement I suggested
that the word "heart" was used primarily in the Bible
in association with the intellect. I also said that the word
"heart" was used 830 times in the Bible. Twice the
word is used in a figurative sense to indicate the "depths"
of a thing or in the "midst" of a thing such as in
Exodus 15:8: "And with the blast of thy nostrils the waters
were gathered together, the floods stood upright as an heap,
and the depths were congealed in the heart of the sea,"
or as in Matthew 12:40: "For as Jonas was three days and
three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be
three days and three nights in the heart of the earth."
Perhaps five times it is used to indicate the physical blood
pump. I question two of these. One is Exodus 28:29: "And
Aaron shall bear the names of the children of Israel in the breastplate
of judgment upon his heart, when he goeth in unto the holy place,
for a memorial before the LORD continually." He may be talking
about these things being in his mind, his intellect, or he may
be discussing the actual placing of a plaque upon the chest area.
Another questionable verse is 1 Samuel 25:37-38: "But it
came to pass in the morning, when the wine was gone out of Nabal,
and his wife had told him these things, that his heart died within
him, and he became as a stone. And it came to pass about ten
days after, that the LORD smote Nabal, that he died."
Three times when the word "heart" is used, it definitely
means the physical heart of man and the other 823 times it has
to do with the things of the mind, the intellect. Just some interesting
thoughts you might keep in mind as you study your Bible.
42. THE ABUNDANT HEART
In Matthew 12:34, Jesus speaks concerning a principle that
had been true, was then true, and shall be true in the future.
That principle is: "... out of the abundance of the heart
the mouth speaketh."
The heart of man, as used in this verse, is the mind, the
intellect, of man. When a person speaks something evil, he gets
it out of an evil mind. Or if he says something good, it comes
forth from a clean mind or heart. He says further in verse 35,
"A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth
forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth
forth evil things." The mind of man is a storehouse. He
uses this storehouse to keep his treasures. He may treasure good
things or he may treasure evil things. But you can be sure, whatever
kind of language he uses, he gets it out of his storehouse. He
put it there some time or another. So the wise man, Solomon,
admonishes people to "Keep thy heart with all diligence;
for out of it are the issues of life" ( Proverbs 4:23).
We are responsible for what is put into our hearts, our minds,
our storehouses. We are sometimes told, when something bad is
said or done, "The devil made me do it." No, you did
it because it was put in your storehouse sometime or another.
We can't blame our shortcomings on someone else. "Keep your
heart." That is, guard it. You are the only one who can
control your thinking or your speaking or your actions. It takes
effort and energy to keep your heart pure and clean but whatever
effort we put forth in keeping our heart will be most beneficial
for, remember, "out of it are the issues of life."
43. NOT THIS -- BUT THIS
"Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where
moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and
steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither
moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through
nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart
be also (Matthew 6:19-21). In these two verses we have comparative
statements. Jesus says, "Not this," but, on the other
hand, "this."
In the first verse, verse 19, he wasn't forbidding the people
to lay up any treasures at all. He was making a comparison between
the more important things and the less important things. In comparison
to "treasures on earth" with "treasures in heaven,"
there should be little doubt in our minds concerning which is
more important, but sometimes we forget. We get mixed up on priorities
and allow ourselves to expend all of our time and effort on "earthly
things," and forget the importance of the other.
So Jesus was reminding the people of his day, along with we
of the present, that treasures on earth are necessary, but treasures
in heaven are much more necessary. Your heart will be where your
treasure is and we are told to "keep your heart with all
diligence," for out of it are "the issues of life."
There's nothing wrong with trying to make a little money so
long as that pursuit doesn't become the ruling factor in our
lives. Don't let material things take priority in your life.
44. THE SOWER PARABLE
Jesus said in Matthew 13:18, "Hear ye therefore the parable
of the sower." He had used the sower of the seed a little
earlier in parabolic form and now he explains what it means.
He has had a lot to say about the heart of man and now he likens
the sower and the seed to the word of God being planted in various
kinds of hearts.
The first was like seed sown by the way side or the hard packed
earth through the field used as a pathway. The seed can find
no penetration of such soil or that kind of hard heart so it
has no depth and the devil has no problem snatching away that
which was sown.
Some found lodging on stony ground which is likened to a heart
that seemingly is overjoyed at the first hearing of the word,
but his interest seems to be all emotional so the seed has no
root and when some little something that he might call persecution
arises, he falls away.
The next heart is like thorny ground. This heart receives
the word but allows the material things of life to choke out
heavenly treasures so he becometh unfruitful.
The fourth heart is as good soil; a good and honest heart.
The word is received, understood and is fruit bearing. It produces
a good harvest because it is good ground; a good heart. It produces
more fruit in one place than in others; some a hundred fold,
some sixty and some thirty; each person doing what he has the
ability to do. This doesn't indicate that some were less diligent
than others. But it means that some have more ability than others.
All are working hard but some are just not able to produce as
abundantly as others. The lesson: give diligent effort, do the
best that you can with what talent you have and your reward will
be the same as the others. No one can do more than that.
45. SAFE PREACHING?
It's not always safe to be a preacher. That is, a preacher
who preaches what people really need. Herod the tetrarch was
living in a state of adultery. Some say he was guilty of incest.
Maybe a little of both. But he was living with his brother's
wife, Herodias, and John said to him, "It is not lawful
for thee to have her" (Matthew 14:4).
Some of our present day preachers say, "John shouldn't
have judged him." In fact, just down the street from me,
a church advertises on their reader board, "Come. We neither
judge nor condemn." Well, Herod had judged himself. He's
the one who was the adulterer. Jesus said, "By their fruits
ye shall know them." John taught, "Bring forth fruits
worthy of repentance." The fruits he saw here was rebellion
to God's law of marriage.
There are so many today that are living in rebellion to God's
law of marriage that it is not wise for preachers to say anything
about it, so they remain silent and accept anything into their
fellowship that comes along.
John had a mission. That was to call people back to God. Preachers
today have the same mission; call people back to God. Herod laid
hold of John and put him in prison. He would have put him to
death but he feared the people. Salome, the daughter of Herodias,
danced before Herod and pleased him immensely. So much so, that
he promised her anything. At the instruction of Herodias, Salome
requested the head of John. Her request was granted and John
lost his head all because he had enough courage to preach what
he knew would please God. He could say with the apostle
Paul, "Woe unto me if I preach not the gospel."
I believe he could also say with Paul, "I have fought a
good fight .... henceforth, there is laid up for me a crown of
righteousness."
It's not always safe to preach the truth and, sad to say,
most present-day preachers have learned that lesson.
46. DEITY OF JESUS
Jesus delegated power to his disciples that enabled them to
"Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast
out devils" (Matthew 10:8). They received power to do almost
anything Jesus could do. But there are at least three things
the disciples never performed that Jesus did. These three things
were reserved for deity.
We read of two of them in Matthew 14. There has been some
controversy concerning whether Jesus retained his deity when
he was on earth. But the Bible says, "Thou shalt call his
name Emmanuel, which, begin interpreted means, God with us,"
do that ought to settle that.
Jesus demonstrated that he was deity in these three ways.
He demonstrated that he had control of material things when he
multiplied the five loaves and two fishes to feed 5000 people.
The apostles never did this. He demonstrated that he was in charge
of the elements when he commanded the wind and the waves to "be
still." And in Luke 5:21-23 we read: "And the scribes
and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, Who is this which
speaketh blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone? But
when Jesus perceived their thoughts, he answering said unto them,
What reason ye in your hearts? Whether is easier, to say, Thy
sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Rise up and walk? But that
ye may know that the Son of man hath power upon earth to forgive
sins, (he said unto the sick of the palsy,) I say unto thee,
Arise, and take up thy couch, and go into thine house."
No man then, nor any man today, has the power to forgive sins.
That is reserved for deity alone.
47. TRADITION IS NOT AUTHORITY
Nearly all religious groups agree, at least to some extent,
that we must have authority for what we do. But they are not
agreed on how to establish that authority. I agree that we must
have authority for all that we preach and practice in religion.
And I further affirm that this authority must be the word of
God.
We can establish that authority in three ways: we must have
a direct command or statement of fact; or we must have a divinely
approved example; or we must have a necessary implication. Some
want to add another --- tradition. The Jews of Jesus' day tried
to establish authority by their traditions but Jesus rebuked
them for it. After they had tried to bind their traditions on
the disciples of Christ, he asked them, "Why do you also
transgress the commandments by your tradition?" (Matthew
15:3). He continued the rebuke in verse 9 by saying, "But
in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrine the commandments
of men." These commandments he speaks of were the traditions
he mentions in the 3rd verse.
The conclusion from these statements of the Lord is that anyone
establishing authority by binding traditions, may be worshiping
but their worship is in vain. The word "vain" means
empty or hollow. Tradition, within itself, is not wrong. It's
a good tradition that we celebrate a day we call "Thanksgiving."
Nothing wrong with that tradition but should we try to bind it
as law we would be wrong. There are other traditions that may
be right in their proper place, but to use them to establish
authority for service to God puts us in the category of the scribes
and Pharisees.
48. PRECIOUS PROMISES
The importance of experiencing the new birth or being born
again is revealed by the Lord in John 3:5: "Jesus answered,
Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water
and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God."
Without the new birth, one cannot be a citizen of the kingdom.
And if one is not in the kingdom he has no access to the great
and precious promises the Lord has in store for us. Those promises
might be summed up as having the forgiveness of our past sins
and the hope of an eternity of bliss in the after a while.
Jesus stressed the importance of the kingdom in two parables
we find in the 13th chapter of Matthew. The first: Matthew 13:44:
"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid
in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for
joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that
field." Here we are told of a man, likely one interested
in real estate, who upon investigation has found a piece of property
with this buried or hidden treasure. He recognizes it value to
such an extent that he gathers together all that he has and invests
it in this one portion of land. He now has the kingdom of God,
the valuable treasure.
Then he likens the kingdom to a merchant who dabbles in jewelry.
He is always looking for the ultimate in gems and now he has
found one pearl of great price. (Matthew 13:45) "Again,
the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly
pearls: 46 Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went
and sold all that he had, and bought it." He must have it.
Its value exceeds any jewel he has ever seen before. So, like
the real estate man, he invests everything he has in this one
pearl because, having it, he has everything that can make this
life better and give him the hope of joy beyond measure in the
hereafter.
49. SAYING AND DOING NOT
Jesus criticized the scribes and Pharisees and branded them
as hypocrites. He reminded them of a principle that was good,
not only for people of their day, but had been used by the prophet
in days gone by, and is an abiding principle for people of this
present day. (Matthew 15:8) "This people draw nigh unto
me with their mouth, and honor me with their lips; but their
heart is far from me." This is the mark of a hypocrite.
Many people today make sounds with their mouths telling people
how much they love Jesus and cry out with raised hands, "Praise
the Lord," but their lives indicate that they are of those
who say and do not. TV and movie stars call on people to join
them in prayer while living in adultery or practicing pre-marital
sex with a live-in partner, paying no attention to the conditions
of prayer. We hear Peter in 1 Peter 3:12: "For the eyes
of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto
their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that
do evil." The Lord will only hear the prayers of the righteous.
James says, "... The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous
man availeth much" (James 5:16).
It sounds good to talk about prayer (It is also politically
correct.) and how much one loves the Lord, but it means something
only when we put the love of the Lord into doing what he says.
Hear the apostle John in 1 John 5:3: "For this is the love
of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are
not grievous."
50. PURIFY YOUR HEART
Solomon said, "Keep thy heart with all diligence; for
out of it are the issues of life" (Proverbs 4:23). Jesus
elaborates on the reason why we should "Keep our hearts,"
in Matthew 15:18-20: "But those things which proceed out
of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man.
19 For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries,
fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: 20 These are
the things which defile a man."
Since the heart is the source, the fountain-head of all that
we do, that heart must be kept pure. We sometimes think that
the only thing conceived in the heart is evil thoughts, but Jesus
places all kinds of evil actions as emanating from the heart.
Remember, the heart is the mind of man. We develop murders, adulteries,
fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies and all evil
works from within our hearts, our minds.
Contrariwise, we develop good things within our hearts. So,
a big question would be, "What kind of heart do you have:
a good and honest heart out of which comes good things or an
evil heart that leads us into all kinds of mischief? John echoes
the same admonition that Solomon does but he puts it this way:
"Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet
appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear,
we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every
man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he
is pure" (1 John 3:2-3). Combining the two, we can say,
"Keep your heart pure, for out of it are the issues of life."
51. HYPOCRISY
Jesus said in Matthew 16:6, "... Take heed and beware
of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees." His
disciples misunderstood. They thought he was talking about bread
as a physical food. He was talking about the influence of the
scribes and Pharisees.
The word "leaven" is often used like that. "A
little leaven leaveneth the whole lump." Seven times in
the 23rd chapter of Matthew Jesus brands the scribes and Pharisees
as hypocrites. In fact, if you will examine his teaching, Jesus
says more about hypocrisy than anything else. Evidently there
were quite a few hypocrites then just as there is now.
In the early part of his ministry Jesus warned his disciples:
"... That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness
of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into
the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 5:20). Their righteousness
consisted of saying many things that were right but never making
the correct application to their sayings. This was hypocrisy
and Jesus said, in so many words, "You must do better than
these scribes and Pharisees do or you shall under no circumstances
enter the kingdom of heaven." Paul, in his letter to the
Romans put it like this: "Thou therefore which teachest
another, teachest thou not thyself? thou that preachest a man
should not steal, dost thou steal?" (Romans 2:21). We are
forbidden to judge another when we are guilty of the same thing
or something just as bad. A wise person is one who hears and
does.
52. IS JESUS DEITY?
We read this passage from Matthew 16:13-16: "... Jesus
... asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son
of man am? And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist:
some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. He
saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered
and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God."
Peter could make his answer with all boldness because he had
seen him walk on the water and still the stormy sea; he had seen
him multiply the loaves and fishes and heard him forgive a man
of his sins. All the other eleven had seen these miracles therefore
they would qualify as competent witnesses after Jesus had been
put to death; after his resurrection from that death; after his
ascension into heaven. So, we have their testimony in what we
call the New Testament.
In spite of their being competent witnesses, we still have
people today who question the deity of Jesus. Some say he was
a great man but not deity. Others say he was a great philosopher
but his philosophy is to be considered alongside that of other
great philosophers. But the testimony of eye-witnesses was and
is "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God."
Not all of his great works are recorded but enough has been written
that we, too, should and must make the confession that Peter
made. Hear the apostle in John 20:31: "... these are written,
that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God;
and that believing ye might have life through his name."
53. LOOSING AND BINDING
We read from Matthew 16:18: "And I say also unto thee,
That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church;
and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will
give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever
thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever
thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."
Three things I want to consider briefly: He said, "I
will build my church." He did that. He built HIS church.
He paid the price of blood for it. Please read Acts 20:28. We
hear of it as a reality in Acts 2:47: "The Lord added to
the church daily such as should be saved." He told Peter,
"I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven."
Seemingly the word "church" and "kingdom of heaven"
are used interchangeably. Keys are symbolic of the power of entrance.
Peter used these keys on the Pentecost of Acts 2 when he announced
the terms of entrance into the church, the kingdom and again
at the house of Cornelius when he opened the door of salvation
to the Gentile.
"Whatsoever thou shalt bind ... and whatsoever thou shalt
loose." The binding and loosing, of course, was the message
of heaven for the salvation of mankind given into the hands,
not only of Peter, but of all the apostles. (Please read Matthew
18:18.) Whatever they bound and loosed would not be from their
own minds, their own wisdom, but the Holy Spirit would reveal
heaven's message. Whatever they bound and loosed would already
have been bound and loosed in heaven. So, then, we hear Paul
saying in Romans 10:17, "So then faith cometh by hearing,
and hearing by the word of God," the heavenly message.
54. GOD'S POWER IN ACTION
We hear the apostle Paul saying in Romans 1:16-17, "I
am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of
God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first,
and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God
revealed from faith to faith:" We can be saved from the
guilt of our sins ONLY by the power of God. No one else has that
power. No man can forgive our sins. God has devised a source
of energy or power that he uses in this salvation and that is
the gospel of Christ. Paul says, IT, that is, the gospel, is
the power of God unto salvation.
We hear him again in Romans 10: 16-17: "But they have
not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed
our report? 17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by
the word of God." In other words, the word of God is the
gospel and all had not obeyed that word. Faith is produced by
hearing the gospel. Faith is confidence, trust. So we hear what
God has to say in the gospel. We believe it with all our heart.
And that kind of trust or confidence leads us to do what he says.
People who had that kind of trust, asked Peter and the other
apostles, "What shall we do?" A simple answer was given
in Acts 2:38: "Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be
baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the
remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy
Spirit." They would then have the two greatest gifts that
God can bestow upon mankind: the forgiveness of their past sins
and the hope of eternal life after a while. For what more can
we ask?
55. THE UNLIMITED COMMISSION
In Matthew 28:18-19, we have what is sometimes called the
Great Commission. "Jesus came and spake unto them, saying,
All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore,
and teach all nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father,
and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit." It was the charge
received by the apostles to be carried out after his resurrection
and ascension into heaven.
I prefer to call it the UNLIMITED commission inasmuch as it
was to be taken to all men. These same men had been sent out
about three years before only to those referred to as "the
lost sheep of the house of Israel." But this new charge
had no boundaries. The teaching referred to would be the gospel
in its fullness. People who were obedient to it would be in a
relationship or fellowship with the Father, the Son and the Holy
Spirit. In this relationship there would be no ethnic limitations.
Read with me from Galatians 3:28: "There is neither Jew
nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male
nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus." There would
be no color barrier nor gender barrier. These Galatians had obeyed
that teaching so Paul explains how it all happened in verses
26 and 27 of this same chapter: "For ye are all the children
of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been
baptized into Christ have put on Christ." This is the way
true gospel obedience always takes place. Hear the gospel, believe
the gospel, obey the gospel. If someone preaches it some other
way, then he is not preaching the gospel of Christ. Let all the
human race hear what the Bible has to say.
56. HEAR, BELIEVE, OBEY
Yesterday I read what I called the unlimited commission from
Matthew 28:18-19. Today I want to look at the same commission
except as recorded by Mark in Mark 16:15-16: "And he said
unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to
every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved;
but he that believeth not shall be damned." These verses
harmonize with the ones read from Matthew. The language used
is a little different but the same thing is being said.
"Into all the world" and "to every creature"
in this passage is the same as "teach all nations"
in the Matthew passage. "All the world" can be summed
up rather concisely as "Jew and Gentile." He wasn't
saying that their duty was to cover the globe with the gospel,
but, rather, they were to draw no lines in their preaching. This
was a contrast to the LIMITED commission under which they had
labored the first time. (Matthew 10) It was the same as the invitation
extended by the Lord when he said, "Come unto me, ALL ye
that labor and are heavy laden." ALL were included; none
were excluded. The blessing was great; "He shall be saved."
The conditions were simple: "He that believeth and is baptized."
Salvation, being saved, was placed after obedience, not before.
They were to also remind all people that to neglect to meet
the conditions would be disastrous. "He that believeth not,
shall be damned" or condemned. Many people of this present
day do not believe what I have read. They want it some other
way -- but -- this is what the Bible says. Hear it, believe it
and obey it and receive the blessing.
57. FELLOWSHIP WITH BLOOD
We have a third record of the unlimited commission in Luke
24:46-47: "Thus it is written, and thus it behooved Christ
to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: And that
repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name
among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem." Even though
faith and baptism are not mentioned, they are understood as being
a part of the preaching.
The Hebrew writer says, "But without faith it is impossible
to please him" (Hebrews 11:6). Repentance and any other
condition is based upon faith. So when he says "repentance"
we understand that the same preaching that produces repentance
would first of all produce faith.
"Remission of sins" was to be preached. "...
without shedding of blood there is no remission" (Hebrews
9:22). He explains that he is talking about the blood of Christ.
But there is only one way to share in the benefits of Christ's
blood and Paul shows us the way in Romans 6:3-4:"Know ye
not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were
baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by
baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the
dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk
in newness of life." In his death is where he shed his blood
and the Bible says that we are baptized into his death. We have
fellowship with his blood, his death, by doing as stated in the
accounts of the unlimited commission in Matthew 29:19 and Mark
16:15-16.
Peter sums it all up in Acts 2:38: "Then Peter said unto
them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of
Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive
the gift of the Holy Spirit."
58. CALLING ON HIS NAME
We read in Joel 2:32, "And it shall come to pass, that
whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered:
for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the
LORD hath said, and in the remnant whom the LORD shall call."
Joel prophesied several hundred years before the Pentecost of
Acts 2 but we hear Peter quoting from him and saying that the
prophesies of Joel were being fulfilled on that occasion. (Read
all the chapter.) His concluding statement from that prophecy
was "that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall
be saved." (vs 21)
To "call on the name of the Lord" sounds like calling
out in prayer and that's the way that many people look at it.
In reality, "to call on his name" means to put one's
trust and confidence in all that pertains to the Lord.
Let's look at it from a backward standpoint. Who were the
ones saved on Pentecost? Why, the ones who obeyed the preaching
of Peter. He had said to the ones who believed his preaching
and were smitten in their hearts and said "what shall we
do?", "repent and be baptized, every one of you in
the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins and ye shall
receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." "They that gladly
received his word were baptized and there was added unto them
in that day about 3000 souls." In other words, 3000 were
saved on that occasion. What had they done? Prayed? What had
they been told to do? Pray? Peter didn't mention prayer in his
answer to their question.
When they completed their obedience they were saved. They
had "called on the Lord" when they put their trust
in him and did what he said. People today need to "call
on the Lord." Hear what he says and do what he says.
59. THE PREACHED EVERYWHERE
We read in Acts 8:4, "Therefore they that were scattered
abroad went every where preaching the word." Christians
in the first century were persecuted because of their faith in
the crucified Christ. Instead of allowing this persecution to
stop them from worshiping in harmony with the Lord's will, they
felt an obligation to let others know of Jesus. At this time
the scattering abroad included only the regions of Judea and
Samaria. So, according to the context, they didn't go everywhere
in the known world of their day, but just to a limited area.
I think the verse would read better like this: "everywhere
they went, they preached the word."
Their zeal for Christ was unlimited even though their territory
was limited. This attitude should be the attitude of people today.
Peter and John were warned to no longer preach in the name of
Jesus. The threat of death hung over them yet they still preached
the word. Paul suffered all kinds of hardship, yet he never wavered.
In fact, ever since men began to call on the name of the Lord
they have been persecuted because of their faith in God.
We, today, have freedom of religion just as we have freedom
of speech. How do we use it? Some use that freedom to blaspheme
God; some use it to deceive people and to fleece them of their
money; others use it in some watered down version of the gospel.
We are not commanded to cover the globe with the gospel. But.
we must use it like those people of Acts 8:4 did: "Everywhere
they went, they preached the word."
60. FOUR GREAT SERMONS
There are, at least, four outstanding sermons recorded in
the book of Acts. They are the sermon of Peter on Pentecost of
Acts 2, Peter's sermon on Solomon's porch in Acts 3, Stephen's
discourse in Acts 7 and Paul's sermon on Mars Hill in Acts 17.
The climax of the sermon on Pentecost was Peter's answer to the
question, "What must we do?" (Acts 2:38) "Repent,
and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ
for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the
Holy Ghost." He told the people basically the same thing
in Acts 3:19: "Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that
your sins may be blotted out."
In Acts 7, Stephen went back over the history of "the
fathers" of these Jews and then made an application that
they didn't like. So, "When they heard these things, they
were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth."
Then, they "cast him out of the city, and stoned him."
In Acts 17, Paul, standing on Mars Hill in Athens, delivered
a masterpiece to these scholarly people. He reached a climax
in verses 30 and 31. "And the times of this ignorance God
winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:
Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the
world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof
he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised
him from the dead." All four sermons were for the benefit
of the hearers. Some heard. Some didn't.
61. THE GOOD CONFESSION
We read from Romans 10:9-10: "That if thou shalt confess
with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart
that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with
the mouth confession is made unto salvation." This is the
only confession required of the person who desires to become
a child of God. Man must make a declaration of his allegiance
to a resurrected Jesus in becoming a Christian. This allegiance
is of the complete person, both inward and outward. The heart
bears witness to the sincerity of the mouth.
Paul, in exhorting Timothy concerning the fight that lay before
him in obtaining eternal life, reminded him of his confession
in 1 Timothy 6:12: "Fight the good fight of faith; take
hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and you made
the good confession in the presence of many witnesses."
Philip preached the word to the Ethiopian eunuch. The eunuch
was convinced and asked,"... See, here is water; what doth
hinder me to be baptized? And Philip said, If thou believest
with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said,
I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God" ( Acts 8:36-37).
Upon hearing that good confession, Philip baptized him. This
is the confession that Peter made in Matthew 16:16: "...
Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God." Faith,
confession and baptism are not all a person must do. He must
also repent. But we have read that from other verses.
Remember, the good confession is not just a little cut and
dried formula that a person repeats, but a declaration of his
allegiance to the Master, the King of kings.
62. THE KINGDOM HAS COME
(Matthew 16:28) "Verily I say unto you, There be some
standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see
the Son of man coming in his kingdom." There are many groups
in the religious world who are anxiously awaiting the coming
of Christ into his kingdom. Some have made pronouncements that
it will be very soon.
Nearly all the denominational world, in some way, teach that
the kingdom has not yet come. But, actually, the Bible is very
clear and plainly teaches that the kingdom of Christ has come.
The verse you read in the beginning says very plainly that the
kingdom would come in the lifetime of some who stood there. John
the immerser had said that the kingdom was "at hand,"
or near by. Jesus gave the keys of the kingdom to Peter. Jesus
told Nicodemus that he could be a part of that kingdom by being
born again.
Jesus also told his disciples that his kingdom would not be
a physical kingdom but a spiritual kingdom. (John 18:36) "Jesus
answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were
of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not
be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence."
He explained it further in Luke 17:21: "Neither shall they
say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is
within you." God's sovereignty, his rulership, is in evidence
when God sits in the throne room of our hearts. We read in Colossians
1:13 where people had been translated into the kingdom of his
dear Son. They were in the kingdom. The kingdom was in them.
63. THE TRANSFIGURATION
In the seventeenth chapter of Matthew we have an event depicted
which is called "the transfiguration." We find it recorded
in verses 2 through 5: "He was transfigured before them:
and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white
as the light. And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and
Elias talking with him. Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus,
Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make
here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and
one for Elias. While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed
them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is
my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him."
The Bible has numerous places where the phrase "the law
and the prophets" is used. In the transfiguration scene,
we have Moses as representing the law and Elias or Elijah as
representing the prophets. Peter suggested that three worship
structures be erected honoring Jesus, Moses and Elijah. But the
law and the prophets had fulfilled their course. Jesus said Matthew
5:17, "Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the
prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil." And
again, Luke 24:44: "These are the words which I spake unto
you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled,
which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets,
and in the psalms, concerning me." Moses and Elijah had
done their work and were numbered among the glorified saints.
So, the lesson for us today is: "This is my beloved Son,
in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him." "Therefore
whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will
liken him unto a wise man."
64. TAKE UP YOUR CROSS
In Matthew 16:24, Jesus said to his disciples, "If any
man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his
cross, and follow me." Some misunderstand this verse and
think that Jesus is saying that his disciples are to take up
the cross of Jesus, but if you will notice carefully, he is saying
"take up your cross." No mortal man is able to take
the cross of Jesus. We could carry it physically, as Simon the
Cyrenian did, but spiritually, no one can bear the cross of Jesus.
The cross of Jesus is not a splinter of wood nor a medallion
one wears around his neck or exalts in some other way; the cross
of Jesus is the redemption of mankind. No person can do that.
Bear your own cross. What does it mean? First, let us deny our
own self. Such denial means to forget one's self, lose sight
of one's self and one's own interests, and then, take up our
own cross and follow him. That would mean that we put our own
interests second and wrap ourselves in the things that please
him and that would include suffering, if necessary. (2 Timothy
2:12) "If we suffer, we shall also reign with him."
And as stated in Galatians 3:27, "For as many of you as
have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ."
Some say that baptism is optional, nor essential. But notice,
the Bible says baptism is the consummation of obedience that
translates us into Christ and where we clothe ourselves in the
clothing of Christ. Looking at the above verse, what would YOU
say? Is baptism essential? Is being in Christ essential? Is wearing
the clothing of Christ essential? Deny yourself; take up your
cross and follow the Lord.
65. WHAT IS THE PRICE OF YOUR SOUL?
In Matthew 16:26, Jesus asked two questions that every person
should ponder. "For what is a man profited, if he shall
gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a
man give in exchange for his soul?" The whole world can
probably be summed up with, all the wealth in the world, all
the power in the world and all the pleasure in the world.
No man has ever had all three, but Solomon comes about as
close as a person could. He had enough wealth to buy anything
he desired; he had as much power as anyone of his time could
have; he had ever pleasurable thing that man might enjoy. But
after he tried all these in the refinery of life, he could say
in all truthfulness, they are "vanity and vexation."
Vanity is defined as "vapour, breath," i.e., nothing,
while vexation is defined as "longing, striving." Solomon
might have said that his life was made up of longing or striving
for nothing.
Howard Hughes almost reached the heights of Solomon as one
who had enough money to buy anything he wanted, especially the
pleasures of life. His demise is well documented as one of misery
and debauchery. Adolph Hitler and Mussolini sought after world
conquest and where did they end? One hanging upside down on a
utility pole aside his mistress while Hitler ended up a suicide
in a hole in the ground alongside his mistress. Now Bill Gates
has a corner on the wealth of the world. How will he end? We
don't know. Saddam Huissian would seemingly like to be a world
power. We'll see.
You and I will not have these experiences so Jesus asks us
little folk, "What will WE give in exchange for our souls?"
And some would give theirs just for a "mess of pottage."
66. THE HELPING PSALM
When you have the Monday blues, you're disgruntled or depressed,
downhearted or discouraged or you just need to meditate, or sometimes
when you can't go to sleep, it's always good to read or recite,
slowly, and from the King James translation, the 23rd Psalm.
Commit it to memory. Here it is:
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to
lie down in green pastures: He leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul: He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness
for his name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of
the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me;
Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table
before me in the presence of mine enemies: Thou anointest my
head with oil; My cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy
shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in
the house of the LORD for ever. Amen.
67. CONVERSION AS A LITTLE CHILD
We hear Jesus as we read from Matthew 18:3: "Verily I
say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children,
ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven." Jesus is
not teaching in this passage that the kingdom of heaven is made
up of little children. He is using the analogy of a little child
to teach grown people a lesson. This was a lesson on humility.
There was some discussion among the disciples concerning who
would be greatest in the kingdom. Even his disciples needed the
lesson. The word "converted" means to "turn again"
or to "turn back." For one to be a part of the kingdom
he must empty himself of all arrogance and self-esteem and put
himself completely into the hands of the Savior of mankind. The
little child epitomizes the character of the one who desires
to enter the kingdom. A child is completely innocent, guiltless
and has none of the attributes of what he will later possess.
So grown people are to divest themselves of pride, put their
trust and dependance upon the Lord. Basically, this is accomplished
in the act of repentance -- a change of mind, of attitude, of
disposition.
Some say the little child is guilty of Adam's sin and therefore
stands condemned before God. Not so. We grown people are to become
"as a little child." Not doomed and damned as some
say a little child is, but humble and obedient, trusting and
dependent. If we will not "turn back" from all the
ways of a wicked world and "become as a little child,"
heaven cannot be our eternal abiding place.
68. ADMONITION AND DISCIPLINE AMONG BRETHREN
We read from Matthew 18:15-17: "If thy brother shall
trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee
and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.
But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two
more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word
may be established. And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell
it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let
him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican." This
is a lesson for all of us to hear and use in establishing peace
between me and some brother who has wronged me. |
