The Ministry of Christ!
Pastor Marvin Duncan
Bible Treasures, 120
Drollinger Street
Wichita, Kansas 67218
Christ's
Ministry To The Gentiles - Matthew 10:1-10
Over
the years it has become extremely noticeable that there is a great lack of
understanding as to what the ministry of Christ was all about. Much confusion
exists today about why Christ performed miracles; why He confined His ministry
to the nation of Israel or why He told His disciples, " GO NOT INTO THE
WAY OF THE GENTILES AND INTO ANY CITY OF THE SAMARITANS ENTER YE NOT: BUT GO
RATHER TO THE LOST SHEEP OF THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL" (Matthew 10:5-6). The
answer to these questions lies in our recognizing that God's prophetic program,
which has to do with Israel and the Earth, is far different from His secret
program, which has to do with the Gentiles and the Heavens. When we begin to
make these distinctions, keeping each portion of Scripture in its right
dispensational setting, we will have a clearer understanding of THE MINISTRY OF
CHRIST while He was here on earth.
In
this study, I will attempt to show what Christ was doing during His earthly
ministry and what He continued to do after His ascension into Heaven. Much
misunderstanding has been generated within Christendom by not understanding
what Christ's earthly ministry was for and why, after He had called and
commissioned twelve apostles, He calls Paul and commissioned him to be a
special Apostle.
A
question every Christian should ask himself, but one that only a few sincere
believers ever seriously consider, is, Why Paul? The answer you give to this
question will determine the direction you will take in your understanding of
God's plan and program for this dispensation in which we live today.
Let
us look at the record of the Bible and see if we can find, from the Scriptures,
the answer to our question, WHY PAUL?
Christ
And The Law
To
set the foundation for this study, let us recognize that Christ came in His
incarnation to fulfill the words of the Prophets. Everything Christ did or
taught was in fulfillment of prophecy. He came into this world as a man, born
as a Jew. He lived during the Old Testament time and was observing the Law of
Moses during His entire life. We see this in Galatians 4:4-5 where we read, ;
"BUT WHEN THE FULLNESS OF THE TIME WAS COME, GOD SENT FORTH HIS SON, MADE
OF A WOMAN, MADE UNDER THE LAW, TO REDEEM THEM THAT WERE UNDER THE LAW, THAT WE
(Paul was a Jew and here he is speaking of the Jewish nation) MIGHT RECEIVE THE
ADOPTION OF SONS."
During
the times of Christ's earthly ministry, the Gentiles had been "GIVEN
UP" as we see in Romans 1:24, 26 & 28. During Christ's earthly
ministry, the condition of the Gentiles was as described in Ephesians
2:11-12.";...IN TIMES PAST (ye) GENTILES ... WERE WITHOUT CHRIST, BEING
ALIENS FROM THE COMMONWEALTH OF ISRAEL, AND STRANGERS FROM THE COVENANTS OF
PROMISE, HAVING NO HOPE, AND WITHOUT GOD IN THE WORLD."
During
Christ's earthly ministry, Israel was God's chosen people with a special place
of priority. It was to Israel, ALONE, that the Law and the Promises of God had
been given. It was to Israel, ALONE, that the promise of a REDEEMER was to come
and it was Israel's privilege to be the channel through whom God would bless
the rest of the world, for no one could come to God during the Old Testament
time, except he become a JEW RELIGIOUSLY. That is, he had to become a PROSELYTE
to Judaism. God's plan called for Israel to FIRST be saved, then they were to
be God's ministers to the rest of the world, inviting the Gentiles to share the
blessings of the Kingdom when Christ returns to rule over Israel as the
promised SEED of David (II Samuel 7:1213, & 16).
To
carry out His ministry with Israel and for the earth, Christ began by calling
TWELVE MEN to be co-laborers with Him during his earthly sojourn. They were to
represent Him and carry out His ministry after He had died and ascended into
heaven. They were also to share the rule of the Kingdom with Him, for He
promised they would sit on twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
Matthew
19:28 says, "YE WHICH HAVE FOLLOWED ME, IN THE REGENERATION WHEN THE SON
OF MAN SHALL SIT IN THE THRONE OF HIS GLORY, YE ALSO SHALL SIT UPON TWELVE
THRONES, JUDGING THE TWELVE TRIBES OF ISRAEL."
The
Call And Commission Of The Twelve Apostles
The
call and commission of these twelve men is found in Matthew 10:1-8. These
twelve men are named in verses two through four and the name of Paul is
conspicuous by its absence. Paul was not one of the original twelve men chosen
by our Lord at the beginning of His earthly ministry.
The
commission and ministry of these twelve men is seen in Matthew 10:5-8, with
some duties being mentioned in verse one.
a.There
has been much confusion generated by the designation of these men as DISCIPLES
in the early part of our Lord's ministry and later they are called APOSTLES.
The answer to these two designations is simple when we understand the meaning
of these two words.
A
"Disciple" is a STUDENT, someone who is being taught. An
"Apostle" is someone who is SENT (the word apostle means A SENT ONE).
After the "Disciples" had been taught by our Lord and had received a
good under- standing of God's program for Israel and the earth, they were SENT
to minister to the nation of Israel and are then called "Apostles."
From
the record of the commission of these Disciples, it is clear to whom they were
to minister and to whom they were NOT to minister.
Matthew
10:5-6 is clear that they were NOT to go to the Gentiles, nor were they to go
to any city of the Samaritans. It is just as clear that they are rather to go
to none but the "LOST SHEEP OF THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL."
a.
A "Gentile" is anyone who is not of the stock of Israel. A
".Samaritan" was part of the mixed race that came from the nation of
Israel who inter-married with the non-Jews after the Assyrian captivity.
To
expand upon the fact that Christ did not come to minister to all the world, but
to confine His ministry to Israel ONLY, let us notice Christ's attitude toward
a Gentile woman who came to Him seeking a blessing (the healing of her
daughter). We find the record of this event in Matthew 15:21-28.
From
this section of Scripture it is clear that this woman IS NOT an Israelite, but
rather a woman of CANAAN (she was a Gentile), living along the coasts of Tyre
and Sidon. This woman recognized that Christ was God and that He had the power
to heal her daughter. She humbly comes to Jesus, asking Him to heal her
daughter, but Christ ignores her. He will not even answer her a word.
Christ's
disciples beseech Him to give her what she wanted just so she would go away and
not bother them, but Christ makes it crystal clear to His disciples that The
Father had not sent Him to any except the House of Israel. Yet, this woman was
insistent that He heal her daughter. She worshipped Him, saying, "LORD,
HELP ME." Here we see that she recognized Christ as GOD and freely gave
Him her worship. Still Christ would not heal her daughter, but told her that
His blessings were ONLY for the children of Israel and were not to be wasted on
" DOGS."
a.
In Christ's day, to call anyone a "Dog" was to designate that one as
un-clean, an object to be destined, for at that time dogs ran in semi-wild
packs, scavenging on the refuge of the cities.
Even
after this degrading reprimand by Christ, this woman was not deterred in her
desire to have her daughter healed, but was willing to take her place as a
"dog" in respect to the Children of Israel, accepting only the
"CRUMBS" that fell from the table of God's blessings after the
Children had been filled.
Only
after this woman took her place as a "dog" and acknowledged that only
Israel was entitled to God's blessings (willing to only take the
"crumbs" of what was left over after the privileged people had been
filled), did Christ speak to her in a compassionate way, saying, "GREAT IS
THY FAITH: BE IT UNTO THEE EVEN AS THOU WILT." As a result of this action
by this Gentile woman (subjecting herself to Israel and exercising great faith
in Christ, as GOD), her daughter was healed.
a.
The ONLY way a Gentile could approach God under the Law was to recognize the
privileged position of Israel and take his or her place as being lower than the
"Children" of Israel. Only then could he or she receive any blessing
from God.
From
the record of Scripture, we find this Gentile woman was sincere and willing to
humble herself to Christ, but this did not help, for Christ had a SINGLE
purpose during His earthly ministry. He was to bring ISRAEL to repentance and
salvation as a Nation, and prepare this nation for the Kingdom promised to
David. To accomplish this ministry with Israel, Christ presented Himself as
their Messiah and their God. He also gave Israel a preview of what the kingdom
would be like. In as much as there would be no sickness during the one thousand
year reign of Christ, He healed many in Israel as a SIGN that He was their God
and their promised King. Israel needed these SIGNS as we see in First
Corinthians 1:22 where we read, "FOR THE JEW REQUIRE A SIGN..."
Israel should have recognized the signs for what they were and Christ for Who
He said He was. Christ's ministry should have con-vinced Israel that truly the
Kingdom was at hand and that their Messiah and King was in their midst.
Not
only did Christ show Israel a preview of the Kingdom by His miracles but He
also gave them the Constitution of the Kingdom in His sermon on the Mount.
Christ wanted Israel to recognize that in their own strength they could not
bring in the Kingdom, nor could they, in their own strength, live up to the
expectations of the Kingdom. All this was to be the work of God as He promised
in the New Covenant which is outlined in Ezekiel 36:26-27.
Ezekiel
36:26-27 tells us, "A NEW HEART ALSO WILL I GIVE YOU, AND A NEW SPIRIT
WILL I PUT WITHIN YOU ... AND I WILL PUT MY SPIRIT IN YOU AND CAUSE YOU TO WALK
IN MY STATUTES, AND YE SHALL KEEP MY JUDG-MENTS, AND DO THEM."
Once
Israel was converted and in the proper place that God intended for them, THEN
the Great Commission of Matthew 28:16-20 would be carried out. The Apostles
would have gone to all the world preaching the "GOSPEL OF THE
KINGDOM," inviting the Gentiles to join Israel in the blessings of the
thousand year reign of Christ. It would be at this time that the Gentile woman
would have freely received her request, for then, the Children would have been
filled and the blessings of God could over-flow to the rest of the world.
That
program was never carried out for Israel rejected the offer of the King and His
Kingdom. Because of this, God set that program for Israel and the earth aside,
TEMPORARILY, and ushered in a NEW program which had been - KEPT SECRET since
the world began (Romans 16:25). It had been "HID IN GOD" (Ephesians
3:9) and never revealed to any man until AFTER Israel rejected the offer of the
Kingdom. With a NEW PROGRAM, God also needed a NEW APOSTLE to carry this
message to those to whom it was intended. This is where the APOSTLE PAUL comes
into God's program.
When
Israel refused to be the channel of blessings to the world, Christ revealed to
Paul that His Kingdom program was being stopped, temporarily, while God
completed His SECRET PROGRAM which has the HEAVENS in view instead of the
Earth. After this heavenly program has been completed and the redeemed of this
age have been caught up to receive their promised blessings in the Heavenlies
(First Thessalonians 4:13-18), God will return to His program for Israel and
the Earth and start His clock of prophecy again. Then He will fulfill all the
promises He has made to Israel and for the Earth.
In
this NEW PROGRAM, anyone, regardless of his nationality, can receive
forgiveness of sins and become a member of God's universal Church, simply by
receiving, by FAITH, Jesus Christ as his personal Lord and Savior. Today, there
are NO RELIGIOUS WORKS to be observed. Today, God only wants men to understand
what His SECRET (His Mystery) program is and then to live according to His
instructions for this dispensation. These instructions will be found ONLY in
Paul's writings, for he ALONE is the APOSTLE TO THE GENTILES, as we see in
Romans 11:13 where he says, "FOR I (Paul) SPEAK TO YOU GENTILES, IN AS
MUCH AS I AM THE APOSTLE TO THE GENTILES, I MAGNIFY MINE
OFFICE."
Let
us notice a few points that we, as Gentiles, have in this Dispensation of God's
Grace, which neither the Gentiles nor Israel had under the Prophetic program.
(Ephesians chapter three is a good place to start. Read Ephesians 3:1-9).
In
this section of Ephesians, we find that the Gentiles and the Jews are equally
made JOINT HEIRS; have been made members of a JOINT BODY and have become JOINT
PARTAKERS of Christ's promises by the gospel. This "NEW MAN" is the
"JOINT BODY" of Ephesians 3:6.
How
we as Gentiles should praise God for this change in programs, and we should do
our best to understand His instructions for this Dispensation of Grace. We
should also be able to answer our question, "WHY PAUL?"
Proclaiming
The Kingdom - Matthew 12:9-21
In
our previous study, we saw that Christ was an OLD TESTAMENT personality. He was
"MADE UNDER THE LAW" (Galatians4:4), and He lived under and kept the
Law all His earthly life. We also saw that Christ came into this world as a
man, born a Jew, to fulfill Prophesy. Everything Jesus Christ said or did
during His earthly ministry was according to the words of the Prophets.
We
find that Christ DID NOT come to SAVE THE WORLD, but rather to "REDEEM
THEM THAT WERE UNDER THE LAW" (Galatians4:5). Because Christ's ministry
was ONLY to those "UNDER THE LAW," He commanded His Disciples to
"GO NOT IN THE WAY OF THE GENTILES, AND INTO ANY CITY OF THE SAMARITANS
ENTER YE NOT: BUT GO RATHER TO THE LOST SHEEP OF THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL"
(Matthew 10:5-6).
Christ's
message to those "UNDER THE LAW" was not even a message of salvation,
but rather a message that the "THE KINGDOM OF (or from) HEAVEN IS AT
HAND" (Matthew 10:7). Nowhere do we find either Christ or His Disciples
offering forgiveness of sins to anyone on the basis of their faith in the
finished work of Christ on the Cross of Calvary. This offer could not have been
made at that time because Christ had not as yet died to pay the sin debt that
every man owes to God.
During
Christ's earthly ministry, He was presenting Himself as Israel's King and
instructing this nation concerning the specifics of the Kingdom He would
establish for Israel. Christ's whole earthly ministry was one of presenting a
preview of the Kingdom. He did this by demonstrating the blessings of the
Kingdom. Because there will be NO SICKNESS in the Kingdom, Christ healed many
in Israel. Because there will be NO DEATH during the one thousand year reign of
Christ, He raised the dead. Because there will be NO LACK OF MATERIAL NEEDS in
the Kingdom, Christ fed the multitudes.Yet, NEVER ONCE did Christ offer this
Kingdom to this nation during His earthly ministry. It was ONLY presented as
being "AT HAND" (This phrase means that the Kingdom was right at
their finger-tips; almost within their grasp).
There
are TWO REASONS the Kingdom COULD NOT have been offered before the Crucifixion
of Christ. Reason number one is that Christ could not offer the Kingdom to
Israel because the Kingdoms of the earth were not His, they belonged to Satan
because he is the "GOD OF THIS WORLD" (Second Corinthians 4:4) and
the Kingdoms of this world were Satan's to do with as he pleases.
One
of the goals Christ came to obtain was to get the Kingdoms of this world under
His authority. Satan knew this and tempted Christ with these Kingdoms. In
Matthew 4:8-9, we have the record of Satan's temptation of Christ. Satan
offered to GIVE Christ the Kingdoms of this world if He would only bow down and
worship him. Christ did not deny that Satan had these Kingdoms and that he had
the authority to give them to whom-so-ever he pleased.
Christ
knew that were He to take this easy way of getting the Kingdoms of the world
for Himself, there would be no redemption for creation. Another purpose in
Christ's coming to earth was to"SEEK AND SAVE THAT WHICH WAS LOST"
(Luke 19:10). Not only was man lost when Adam sinned, but the whole creation
fell with Adam and Christ came to redeem His creation. (Note Romans 8:21-23
concern-ing the travail of all creation until the resurrection). Christ
rejected Satan's offer of the Kingdoms and chose to follow the path His Father
had outlined for Him, which led to Calvary, for only in the Cross could there
be redemption for His creation.
Reason
number two is that Christ could not offer the Kingdom to Israel until He had
first received it from His Father. We see the truth of this in the parable of
the Ten Pounds, in Luke 19:11-27. Christ is the "NOBLEMAN" of this
parable and we see from the twelfth verse that He had to go "INTO A FAR
COUNTRY TO RECEIVE FOR HIMSELF A KINGDOM, AND TO RETURN." To get to this
"FAR COUNTRY," Christ had to travel through Satan's domain for this
"FAR COUNTRY" is Heaven and as the "PRINCE OF THE POWER OF THE
AIR" (Ephesians 2:2) Satan rules the Heavenlies, as we see in Ephesians
6:12. Just dying and being raised from the tomb was not sufficient to provide
Redemption for the creation. There was another part to the ministry of Christ.
After His death, He had to ASCEND into Heaven to presentHimself to the Father
and as the High Priest after the order of Melchisedec, enter the Heavenly
Temple to offer His Blood on the Altar for the redemption of creation. Had
Satan been able to keep Christ from this ministry in the Heavenly Temple, there
would have been no salvation for man and the Kingdoms of this world would
remain in Satan's control. We learn of this Heavenly ministry of Christ in
Hebrews 6:1920; 9:11-12; and 9:24.
We
also have another proof of Christ's need to go "INTO A FAR COUNTRY TO
RECEIVE FOR HIMSELF A KINGDOM, AND TO RETURN" by the event recorded in
John 20:17. Here we have Christ, after His Resurrection, speaking to Mary. He
tells her, "TOUCH ME NOT; FOR I AM NOT YET ASCENDED TO MY FATHER."
His ministry was not yet completed and He could not be defiled by sin in any
form. Mary was still a sinner and could not touch Christ at that time. Yet,
just a few days later we find Christ talking to Thomas (also a sinner) who had
said he would not believe Christ was alive unless he touched the nail prints in
His hands and thrust his hand into the wound in His side. Now that Christ
had ascended unto the Father and presented His blood on the altar in the Temple
in Heaven; has received His Kingdom and has returned to earth, He says to
Thomas, "REACH HITHER THY FINGER, AND BEHOLD MY HANDS: AND REACH
HITHER THY HAND, AND THRUST IT INTO MYSIDE" (John 20:27).
We
know that Christ DID receive His Kingdom from His Father, for after his
resurrection, He spent forty days teaching His Apostles and instructing them to
OFFER the Kingdom to the nation of Israel. This they did in their Pentecostal
ministry. The first real OFFER of the Kingdom is found in Acts 3:19-21, where
we read: "REPENT (change your mind about Christ) ... AND BE CONVERTED,
THAT YOUR SINS MAY BE BLOTTED OUT, WHEN THE TIMES OF REFRESHING SHALL COME FROM
THE PRESENCE OF THE LORD; AND HE (the Father) WILL SEND JESUS CHRIST, WHICH
BEFORE WAS PREACHED UNTO YOU: WHOM THE HEAVENS MUST RECEIVE UNTIL THE TIMES OF
RESTITUTION ... WHICH GOD HAS SPOKEN BY THE MOUTH OF ALL HIS HOLY PROPHETS,
SINCE THE WORLD BEGAN."
Because
of these TWO REASONS, Christ COULD NOT offer the Kingdom to Israel during His
earthly ministry but could only present it as being "AT HAND."
The
Turning Point In Christ's Ministry
We
have been taught, or at least we have assumed, that Christ spent the entire
three years of His earthly ministry going about the nation of Israel presenting
Himself as King and offering acceptance into His Kingdom to anyone who would
believe He was truly their King and their Messiah. THIS IS NOT TRUE. Christ had
a very short PUBLIC ministry. The record is clear that shortly after He began
His ministry to Israel, during His first year of this ministry, the leaders of
this nation rejected Him and His message, even wanting to kill Him. We see this
in Matthew 12:14.
This
attitude and action of the Pharisees marks the TURNING POINT in Christ's
earthly ministry. From this time on, Christ with draws Himself from a PUBLIC
ministry and even forbids anyone to tell that He is the Christ (Matthew 12:6).
Even
His Disciples are commanded that they are to "TELL NO MAN THAT HE WAS
JESUS THE CHRIST" (Matthew 16:20).
a.
You will find that, historically, between Matthew 12:14 and Acts chapter two,
no pronouncement of the Kingdom is made; no offer of repentance nor of baptism
was made, and no one was identified into the Kingdom program.
The
ONLY ministry Christ had during His last TWO YEARS on earth was to instruct His
Disciples, preparing them to be His witnesses after His Death, Resurrection,
and Ascension into Heaven to await Israel's repentance and acceptance of Him
and His Kingdom. We see this fact in Matthew 16:21.
You
would think that with an Instructor like Christ teachings these men about God's
Program for the Kingdom and about Himself as their Messiah, they would have a
ready answer for any question or situation that would arise, but the record
shows that after THREE YEARS of being with Christ and having Him tell them of
what was in store concerning Himself, the Apostles did not understand any of
these things. Luke 18:31-34 shows that Christ made it clear that He was to
suffer and die, but on the third day He would be raised. Yet, notice verse
34,"THEY UNDERSTOOD NONE OF THESE THINGS."
You
would think that even if they didn't understand what Christ was saying at that
time, surely, AFTER these events had taken place they would have remembered
what He had told them and would have then believed, but even after the women
had seen the empty tomb and reported it to the Apostles, their attitude was
still one of unbelief. "AND THESE WORDS SEEMED TO THEM AS IDLE TALES, AND
THEY BELIEVED THEM (the women) NOT" (Luke 24:11).
Conclusion
As
we have seen once again, the PROPHETIC PROGRAM had the EARTH in view and the
nation of Israel was the central object of God's dealings. As Gentiles, we
would be excluded from God's blessings were that same program in effect today.
Because Israel rejected the offer of the King and His Kingdom when it was
offered to them in the early part of the Book of Acts, God stopped His clock of
PROPHECY and inserted a parenthetical age which had been "KEPT SECRET
SINCE THE WORD BEGAN" (Romans 16:25). After Israel had refused their
promised Kingdom, God made known to the Apostle Paul His SECRET PROGRAM which
had to do with the HEAVENLIES and the calling out of an assembly made up of
both, JEWS and GENTILES on an equal basis.
The
ONLY requirement for salvation today is to acknowledge that you are the sinner
for whom Christ died and receive Him as your Lord and Savior. When we, by
FAITH, accept Christ's death as payment for our sins, God will forgive us of
our sins and make us JOINT-HEIRS with Christ (Romans 8:17). Our HOPE is in the
HEAVEN-LIES, not on earth. The Christian today will spend eternity seatedwith
Christ as a TROPHY of God's Grace (Ephesians 2:6-7). As Gentiles, we should be
exceeding grateful that God DID change His program for the earth and made known
the dispensation of HIS GRACE.]
Christ
And Baptism----John 1:19-34
Whenever
we read the Gospel record of our Lord's earthly ministry we are confronted with
a number of activities involving Christ that are hard to understand and these
have caused much confusion within the Christian community. One of these
activities concerns the Baptism of Christ and the
place
Baptism holds in God's prophetic program.
The
subject of Baptism is introduced with the ministry of the last of the Old
Testament Prophets - a man by the name of JOHN. John was sent by God to be a
forerunner of Christ, calling the nation of Israel to "PREPARE YE THE WAY
OF THE LORD, MAKE HIS PATHS STRAIGHT" (Mark 1:3). To prepare the way for
the Lord, John called this nation to "REPENT" Repent means to change
directions or to change the mind and Israel needed to change directions because
she was going away from God do to their indifference and sin. Along with the
call to "REPENT," John also offered them "BAPTISM." We read
in Mark 1:4, "JOHN DID BAPTIZE IN THE WILDERNESS, AND PREACH THE BAPTISM
OF REPENTANCE FOR THE REMISSION OF SINS."
Because
of Israel's indifference and sin, they needed "REPENTANCE" and
"THE REMISSION OF SINS," but WHY did our Lord come to John and submit
to this "BAPTISM OF REPENTANCE FOR THE REMISSION OF SINS" (Mark 1:4)?
To any thinking person, I'm sure this question has cone to their mind a number
of times. Even John himself quest-ioned the need of Christ's being baptized
with water, yet, we find the record of Christ's Baptism found in THREE of the
four Gospels. One of these records is found in Matthew 3:13-15 where we read:
"THEN COMETH JESUS ... UNTO JOHN, TO BE BAPTIZED OF HIM, BUT JOHN FORBADE
HIM SAYING, I HAVE NEED TO BE BAPTIZED OF THEE ... AND JESUS ANSWERING SAID
UNTO HIM, SUFFER (permit) IT TO BE SO NOW: FOR THUS IT BECOMETH US TO FULFILL
ALL RIGHTEOUSNESS."
The
Word "Baptism"
Before
we attempt to deal with the SUBJECT of Baptism, let us first deal with the WORD
"Baptism," for the use of this Greek word has been responsible for
much of the confusion about this subject. Many Bible students and teachers have
insisted that the water ceremony practiced by John is a "New
Testament" ordinance which started with John and is for all believers
today. They argue that you will not find the word "Baptize" mentioned
in all of the "Old Testament" Scriptures and it is not until the
ministry of John that this word is ever used. It is true, you will search in
vain to find this word in any of the "Old Testament" Scriptures. It
is also true that you will find this word first used in the ministry of John.
Yet, this is not a valid argument that "Baptism"; is a "New
Testament"; ordinance and is to be practiced by believers today.
Let
us remember that the Gospel record IS NOT "New Testament" ground. We
saw in our earlier studies that Christ was "MADE UNDER THE LAW"
(Galatians 4:4) and that His ministry was "TO REDEEM THEM THAT WERE UNDER
THE LAW" (Galatians 4:5). All of the history of the Gospels (up to the
Cross of Christ) is OLD TESTAMENT ground. Both John and Christ were "Old
Testament" personalities. We have already established that Christ came to
fulfill prophesy. Everything Christ
DID or SAID was in fulfillment of prophecy. Since this be true, then John's
activities and ministry must, of necessity, also be in fulfillment of prophesy,
for John's ministry involved Christ.
Another
point is that just because we don't find the WORD "Baptize" in the
Old Testament Scriptures does not mean the SUBJECT is not there. Remember, for
the most part, the Old Testament Scriptures were written in HEBREW while the
New Testament Scriptures were written in GREEK. "Baptism" is a GREEK
WORD and you would not expect to find a Greek word in the Hebrew text.
Concerning
"Baptism" being a "New Testament" ordinance and that it is
to be practiced by all believers today, it doesn't take much study to see that
the "New Testament" was made NOT with the Gentiles, but with the
"HOUSE OF ISRAEL AND THE HOUSE OF JUDAH" (Jeremiah 31:31) and that
the "New Covenant" has not, to this day, been established. It will
not be established until Christ returns to set up His Kingdom over the nation
of Israel.
One
of the problems connected with the word BAPTISM is that our translators did not
know what this Greek word meant, so they did not TRANSLATE it (use an English
word in its place), but rather they TRANSLITERATED it - they placed this Greek
word into the English text, using English letters for the Greek letters, rather
than giving it an English meaning. By not giving this Greek word an English
meaning, the translators have left the meaning to the discretion of the reader.
For most readers, they give this word the meaning of "Immersion in
Water." A far better meaning for Baptism would be the English word,
IDENTIFICATION. (Read Romans 6:3-4 using "Identified" in place of
"Baptized" and see what a difference this makes.)
We
made the statement that just because the WORD "Baptize" is not found
in the Old Testament Scriptures does not meant he SUBJECT of Baptism is not
found there. In the Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures, called the
SEPTAGINT, the Hebrew word translated "WASH" in our English text is
translated "BAPTIZE" in the G reek text. This translation (the
Septuagint) was used by our Lord and thus He gives His approval to it's
accuracy. From this we see that the many "WASHINGS" of the Old Testament
were "BAPTISMS"; We see further proof that the SUBJECT of John's
Baptism WAS found in the Old Testament for the Priests and Levites who came to
John DID NOT ask WHAT he was doing. Rather, they asked him, WHO ARE YOU to be
offering this water ceremony to the nation of Israel? Note John 1:25,
"THEY ASKED HIM ... WHY BAPTIZETH THOU ... IF THOU BE NOT THAT CHRIST, NOR
ELIAS, NEITHER THAT PROPHET?"; These Priests and Levites KNEW EXACTLY what
John was doing, for Israel had practiced this water ceremony since the days of
Moses.
In
Exodus 29:1-4, we have the ceremony Moses used to induct (identify) Aaron and
his sons into their Priesthood. Part of that ceremony was a water washing. God
told Moses, "AARON AND HIS SONS THOU SHALT BRING UNTO THE DOOR OF THE
TABERNACLE OF THE CONGREGATION, AND SHALT WASH (This word "Wash" is
translated "Baptize" in the Septuagint) THEM WITH WATER"
(Exodus19:4).
In
studying the different cleansing required by the Law of Moses, you will find
that ONLY this induction into the priesthood was to be a public washing. All
other washings were to be private and were for the cleansing of some personal
sin.
In
Exodus 19:5-6, God promised to make Israel a "PECULIAR TREASURE" and
a "KINGDOM OF PRIESTS." Just as the tribe of Levi was to be a TRIBE
OF PRIESTS, ministering to the rest of the tribes of Israel, so will the NATION
OF ISRAEL be a nation of Priests ministering to the other nations of the earth
during the millennium. Just as Levi's sons needed a water washing to induct
them into their priesthood, so the average Israelite needed a water washing to
induct him into his national priesthood.
This
promise of national priesthood for Israel would come when they entered into
their promised Kingdom, under the rule and reign of their Messiah - the
promised seed who would sit on David's throne, ruling till the end of time.
Why
Did John Offer A Public Baptism?
All
during the history of Israel, from Moses till Christ, no one except a Levite
who was entering the priesthood ever received this public washing with water
and only by a Priest. But when Christ was ready to enter His earthly ministry,
He began to proclaim the Kingdom was "AT HAND." With the Kingdom
would come Israel's priesthood. This was what John was offering to this nation.
The Priests and Levites who came to John's Baptism KNEW full well that John was
offering PRIEST-HOOD to the nation of Israel. They only questioned him by what
authority he was doing this (since he was not a priest) if he was not the
Christ, nor Elias nor "THAT PROPHET."
As
we saw in our last study, Christ only (publicly) proclaimed the Kingdom as
being "AT HAND" for a short time before the Pharisees took council
against him, how they might destroy him (Matthew 12:14). It was at this time
that Christ withdrew from a "public"
ministry
and confined His teaching to the Twelve Disciples (Matthew 16:20).
Historically, from Matthew 12:14 to Acts chapter two, there is NO OFFER of the
approaching Kingdom and NO offer of Baptism. Baptism was ONLY OFFERED in
connection with the millennial Kingdom being in view.
Why
Did John Offer A Public Baptism?
When
we ask the question, "Why was Christ Baptized?," we must first
consider the question, "What was Christ's purpose in becoming a man?"
We know Christ came to be IDENTIFIED with His creation and to redeem them that
were under the Law. We know that Christ was God in the flesh and that He had no
sin of His own, nor had He ever left the program of God, for which He needed to
"REPENT." When Christ came to John and submitted to his Baptism, He
was being IDENTIFIED with the people of Israel. He was taking His place as one
of them in as much as He was taking THEIR SIN upon Himself. We saw in Matthew
3:15 that Christ was Baptized "TO FULFILL ALL RIGHTEOUSNESS." Every
Israelite who had any sin in his life was required by God to "REPENT"
and be Baptized for the remission of his sins. Thus, Christ was fulfilling all
righteousness, AS AN ISRAELITE, by being Baptized by John ... not for His own
sin, but for the sins of Israel that He had taken upon Himself. His Baptism was
for induction into the Priesthood for Israel just as His death on the Cross was
to pay the sin debt for Israel. Any Israelite who would believe on Christ, His
Baptism, as well as His death, became theirs.
We
hear much today about FOLLOWING CHRIST IN BAPTISM. No where will you find any
such command in the Scriptures and furthermore, no one could be Baptized for
the same reason Christ was baptized. We could never be baptized for another, as
Christ was, for every man is a sinner and needs righteousness imputed unto him.
If
the above requirement was true (that we should follow Christ in baptism), WHICH
baptism should we choose to follow, for Christ was baptized TWICE? At the very
beginning of Christ's earthly ministry, He was baptized with water by John.
Some three years later, at the very end of His earthly ministry, Christ was
baptized again, but this time it was not with water. Notice Luke 12:50,
"BUT I HAVE A BAPTISM TO BE BAPTIZED WITH; AND HOW AM I STRAITENED TILL IT
BE ACCOMPLISHED?"
This
baptism was Christ's DEATH BAPTISM which He received at Calvary. (Notice again
that if we used the English word, IDENTIFICATION, for the Greek word
"Baptism,"; we will get a clearer picture of what the Scriptures are
speaking about.) Just as no one could follow Christ in His WATER baptism, so it
is true that no one could follow Christ in His DEATH baptism.
What
About Baptism Today?
With
water baptism being Israel's induction in to their national priesthood; with
this offer of water baptism being made ONLY in connection with an offer of the
Kingdom; and seeing that Israel's Kingdom and their Priesthood have been
postponed until this Dispensation of God's Grace has been completed, what
place, if any, does water baptism have today for members of the Body of Christ
who have a HEAVENLY HOPE and a HEAVENLY CALLING?
The
answer to this question is found in First Corinthians 1:17 where Paul, the
Apostle to the Gentiles (Romans 11:13), addresses this subject. In this
seventeenth verse, Paul says, "FOR CHRIST SENT ME NOT TO BAPTIZE (with
water), BUT TO PREACH THE GOSPEL (of the Grace of God)."; We will not find
any Scripture instructing us (who live in this present dispensation of God's
Grace) to follow Christ as our example, but we will find a number of Scriptures
(inspired by the Holy Spirit) that instructs us to "FOLLOW PAUL";
(First Corinthians 11:1; First Corinthians 4:16 & First Timothy 1:16). If
water Baptism was part of God's program for today, Paul would have been less
than faithful when he thanks God that he DID NOT BAPTIZE but a few believers in
Corinth (First Corinthians 1:14).
Water
Baptism IS NOT to be practiced today in this dispensation of God's Grace. Water
Baptism is the induction ceremony for the Priesthood and the believer today
does not have a "Priesthood ". The believer today is a member of the
Body of Christ, the High Priest after the order of Melchisedec.
Paul
is very clear in Ephesians 4:4-6 that there is ONLY ONE BAPTISM required for
the members of the Body of Christ, God's Church of this dispensation. That One
Baptism is found in First Corinthians 12:13 which tells us, "FOR BY ONE
SPIRIT ARE WE ALL BAPTIZED INTO ONE BODY..."; Today, it is the HOLY SPIRIT
who IDENTIFIES the believer into the Body of Christ and it is this IDENTIFICATION
that saves us and makes us members of God's family.
Christ
And The Parables - Matthew 13:1-17
As
we continue to look at the ministry of Christ, we find many actions and sayings
that are hard to understand at first glance. We have generally been taught that
Christ came to bring PEACE and SALVATION to the world. This is based on the
announcement of the angels who spoke to the shepherds on the night Christ was
born (Luke 2:14).
As
we have seen in our earlier studies of this series, Christ DID NOT come to
proclaim Salvation to the world. He limited His ministry to the nation of
Israel and His message was that the Kingdom (from heaven) was "AT HAND.
As
we look at the conditions here on earth, we find anything but peace. Did the
angels mean that because Christ was born there would be peace on the earth? Did
they mean that when Christ began His earthly ministry He would pronounce the
end of strife and war? If they did, we have a problem with the statement of our
Lord in Matthew 10:34-35, for near the beginning of Christ's earthly ministry
He said: "THINK NOT THAT I AM COME TO SEND PEACE ON EARTH; I CAME NOT TO
SEND PEACE, BUT A SWORD. FOR I AM COME TO SET A MAN AT VARIANCE AGAINST HIS
FATHER, AND THE DAUGHTER AGAINST HER MOTHER, AND THE DAUGHTER-IN-LAW AGAINST
HER MOTHER-IN-LAW.";
What
was Christ talking about in this passage and HOW was He going to accomplish
this division between members of families? Also, WHY would He want to DIVIDE
the nation of Israel?
To
answer these questions we will have to reconsider what we have been taught or
what we have conceived in our own minds about Christ's earthly ministry.
Christ, according to His statement in Matthew 10:34-35, DID NOT come to fulfill
the promise of the angels who spoke of peace on earth. (The "PEACE" the
angels spoke of will not come until the PRINCE OF PEACE sets up His Kingdom and
rules this earth with a hand of iron).
The
way Christ was going to bring about this division within the nation of Israel
was to present Himself as Israel's MESSIAH and as Israel's KING. Israel was
going to. be given a test. Every man and every woman would have to make a
choice. They would either RECEIVE Jesus for who He said He was or they would
have to REJECT Him as their MESSIAH and their KING. There would be no middle ground
and which ever choice an individual made, it would surely divide him from those
who took the other view.
When
our Lord called His twelve Disciples, they responded by following Him
whole-heartedly. When He called the leaders of Israel to repent (to change the
direction they were going and the direction they were leading the nation) their
response was to hold a council against Him, how they might destroy Him (Matthew
12:14). Thus, the battle lines are drawn and the nation is DIVIDED between
those who believed Christ was their promised King and those who believed Christ
was an impostor.
In
Matthew 13:3, after the Pharisees had taken council as to how they might
destroy Him, and after Christ had commanded the multitudes NOT to tell anyone
that He was the Christ, we find that Christ speaks to the multitudes "IN
PARABLES."
When
His Disciples came to Him and asked WHY He spoke to them in parables (Matthew
13:10), Christ gives them a very strange answer. He said, "BECAUSE IT IS
GIVEN UNTO YOU (the Disciples) TO KNOW THE MYSTERIES (Secrets) OF THE KINGDOM
OF HEAVEN, BUT UNTO THEM (the multitudes) IT IS NOT GIVEN" (Matthew
13:11). This statement makes one wonder about Christ's ministry to this nation.
Why would Christ not want the unbelieving masses to know the secrets of the
Kingdom? Let us remember that the events of chapter thirteen of the book of
Matthew took place after the Pharisees took council to kill Christ and now
Christ was beginning to turn away from the public and to confine His teaching
to His Disciples. It was about this same time that Christ commanded His
Disciples, "TELL NO MAN THAT HE WAS JESUS THE CHRIST" (Matthew
16:20). It was during this turning from the public that Christ begins to teach
in parables in order that the masses may not understand the things being taught
but His Disciples would be taught the truths of the coming Kingdom.
Before
we get into the reason for Christ teaching in parables and how they were to be
used to bring this division within the nation, let us first consider what a
PARABLE is and what Christ was doing when He spoke in Parables. The word "
PARABLE" comes from two Greek words. One, PARA, means ALONG SIDE OF, while
the other word, BALLO, means TO THROW or TO LAY. Thus, the word PARABLE means
the placing of one thing beside another with the view of comparison. A PARABLE
is usually an utterance or narrative drawn from nature or human circum-stances,
the object of which is to set forth a Spiritual truth.
Why
Did Christ Use Parables?
There
are two reasons for Christ using Parables at this time. One was to hide the
truth concerning the secrets of the Kingdom from the unbelieving masses, as we
saw in Matthew 13:11. The second reason for Christ using Parables is to put
this nation to a test (especially the leaders of this nation). This test was to
prove the failure of Israel's leaders to receive Christ as their Messiah and
their King, even though their Prophets had foretold His coming and He Himself
had proven that He was their Messiah by His words and His miracles. Also, there
are two Scriptures that are being fulfilled by Christ using Parables to test
the nation. In Luke 1:34, Simeon said, "THIS CHILD IS SET FOR THE FALL AND
RISING AGAIN OF MANY IN ISRAEL; AND FOR A SIGN WHICH SHALL BE SPOKEN
AGAINST" While Matthew 10:34 tells us, "THINK NOT THAT I AM COME TO
SEND PEACE ON EARTH, I CAME NOT TO SEND PEACE, BUT A SWORD."
You
will notice that in every parable, Christ is teaching some aspect of the coming
Kingdom. He is either speaking of the Messiah being rejected as King, Messiah
being absent from the Kingdom or Messiah returning to reign in the Kingdom.
All
the parables follow the pattern established by the first parable our Lord
spoke. This parable is recorded in Matthew 7:24-29 and speaks of TWO KINDS OF
MEN. These men are pictures of the people within the nation of Israel. Those
who will re-ceive Christ as their promised Messiah are identified with the
"WISE MAN" while those who reject Christ's claim are identified with
the "FOOLISH MAN." Here is the DIVISION that Christ spoke of and the
TEST for the nation is to make a choice concerning Christ. Those who are
"WISE"; will build their lives on the foundation of Christ's claim,
for He is THE ROCK (First Corinthians 10:4). Only a few individuals in this
nation were "WISE."
The
masses in Israel were identified with the "FOOLISH MAN" for they
chose to reject THE ROCK and build their lives upon the "SAND" of
their own understanding and their own works. When the "STORM" of
God's wrath comes, those who have built their lives upon the foundation of
"SAND" will suffer great loss, while those who have built upon THE
ROCK will stand and find their blessings in the Kingdom.
Most
of the parables present TWO PERSONS or TWO THINGS in contrast with each other.
In every parable, these TWO PERSONS or TWO OBJECTS will represent the TWO
DIVISIONS within Israel - THE WISE and THE FOOLISH.
What
Did The Parables Teach?
In
His use of parables, Christ was teaching some aspects of the coming Kingdom. He
started His ministry proclaiming the Kingdom as being "AT HAND." Now,
in the parables, Christ is teaching His Disciples some of the specifics of that
coming Kingdom. How the King would be REJECTED; how the King must be ABSENT
from the Kingdom for a while; and finally, how the King would RETURN and set up
His kingdom. Also, Christ used the parables to teach the VALUE of the Kingdom,
the SCOPE of the Kingdom, and the RESPONSIBILITY of the Leaders of Israel
toward the Kingdom.
An
example of the VALUE of the Kingdom is seen in the Parable of the Pearl, in Matthew
13:45. The "PEARL"; is Israel. The "MERCHANT" is Christ.
Christ wanted Israel so He sold all that He had (He gave His life) and bought
Israel. What is the VALUE of the Kingdom in which Israel will be exalted to be
head over the nations of the earth? It cost Christ His life.
An
example of the SCOPE of the Kingdom is seen in the Parable of the Mustard Seed,
in Matthew 13:31-32. Here the Mustard seed speaks of Israel, the smallest of
the nations, yet in the Kingdom Israel will be expanded to be a great nation
and all the inhabitants of the earth will be blessed in the strength of Israel.
The
RESPONSIBILITIES of the Kingdom is seen in the Parable of the Ten Pounds
(Luke19:11-27). Christ is the "NOBLEMAN" who "WENT INTO A FAR
COUNTRY TO RECEIVE FOR HIMSELF A KINGDOM, AND TO RETURN" (verse 12). He
left His servants to "OCCUPY" till He returned (verse 13). The
"CITIZENS" are the Leaders of Israel and they send a
"MESSENGER" after Him to tell Him He was not welcome to return. This
"MESSENGER" was Stephen, who was killed in Acts 7:54-60. When Christ
returns, He will call these "SERVANTS" to give an account of how they
used that which was placed into their hands. Notice the judgment upon the ones
who hated Him (verse 27).
In
the parable of Matthew 21:33-40, when Christ was talking to the Chief Priest
and Pharisees, He speaks of some wicked servants who were left in charge of a
vineyard while its owner went into a far country. When the owner sent other
servants to re-ceive the fruit of the vineyard, the husbandmen in charge killed
them. Finally the Son of the owner is sent, but He, too, is killed by these
wicked servants. Then Christ asks these Priests and Pharisees, "WHEN THE
LORD THEREFORE OF THE VINEYARD COMETH, WHAT WILL HE DO UNTO THOSE HUSBANDMEN?"
(Matthew 21:40). The Chief Priest and Pharisees knew Christ was charging them
with the crimes of this parable, for notice their reaction in Verses 45 and 46.
Conclusion
Today,
we are NOT living under that Prophetic program, but we ARE living during the
time the King is absent from His Kingdom. The King has not as yet returned to
Israel to set up His Kingdom, but someday He will return. In the meantime,
Christ is offering FORGIVENESS and SALVATION to anyone who will believe that He
is God and the One Who died as a substitute offering for their sin. Will we
accept the record of God's Word concerning Christ or will we reject that record
and suffer loss as did the "Foolish Man"; of the Parable? What will
you do with Christ?
Christ
And Miracles - John 5:1-18
In
every area of Christ's ministry here on earth, we will find Him teaching
something of Himself or of the Kingdom that was promised to the nation of
Israel. Everything Christ said or did was in fulfillment of the words of the
Prophets. Because Israel required a "SIGN" (First Corinthians 1:22),
Christ chose to teach about Himself and the coming Kingdom by using object
lessons in the form of miracles which this nation should have understood.
There
has been much speculation about why our Lord used miracles during His earth
ministry. Some Christian leaders believe that miracles and healings are God's
way of blessing His redeemed for their faithfulness. Other Christian leaders
believe God will reward the Spiritually mature Saints today with the gift of
super-human power so as to heal and these "gifts" should be sought
after as the goal for the Christian life. You will never find these miracles
and healings presented as the purpose for Christ's coming and never are these
offered as rewards for Spiritual growth. Rather, you will always find that
healings and miracles were to be for SIGNS to Israel and they were used by
Christ to teach Spiritual lessons. These miracles were used by Christ as a
preview of what life would be like during the one thousand years of the Kingdom
here on earth.
You
will notice as you study the Gospel record, that Christ did not come to heal
every sick person in Israel. If He had, His ministry was incomplete for there
were many in Israel who were not healed. You will also note that it was only when
Christ wanted to teach a particular lesson that He worked a miracle or healed
someone. Let us consider some of the miracles in Christ's ministry and see if
we can find the lesson to be learned by that miracle. We will not be able, in
this one study, to look at all of the miracles Christ did, but in the Gospel of
John we have SEVEN MIRACLES recorded which give an over-all view o of Christ's
teaching by the use of miracles.
The
Miracles In John's Gospel
As
we look at the miracles performed by Christ, you will find that everyone who
was healed was a JEW. You will also note that every miracle took place in a
JEWISH SETTING. You will also find that in every miracle Christ was wanting the
Jews to understand that He was GOD IN THE FLESH and that He had come to provide
for them the Spiritual requirements they needed to be acceptable before God,
but could not acquire by their own efforts.
You
will find that the miracles in John's Gospel begin at a WEDDING and end at a
GRAVE. This speaks of Israel being married to Jehovah which should have
produced joy and blessings for Israel, but because of Israel's failure to be
the faithful wife, she ended up being dead in trespasses and sins. Christ came
to restore Israel to her place as the WIFE of Jehovah so she could be blessed
and exalted in the Kingdom.
With
the use of miracles, Christ was first of all proving that He was God, for only
God could do the things He was doing. Even when the Jews recognized that only
God could heal the sick, cleanse the leper and raise the dead, they would not
give Christ the glory He demanded, but looked upon Him as a Prophet, JUST A
MAN, unto whom God had given this power. Notice their attitude in Matthew 9:8,
after Christ had just healed a man sick with the palsy: "BUT WHEN THE
MULTITUDES SAW IT, THEY MARVELED, AND GLORIFIED GOD, WHICH HAD -GIVEN SUCH
POWER UNTO MEN."
It
was this attitude that Christ was addressing when He used the miracles to meet
the needs of individual Jews. Christ wanted these Jews to acknowledge that He
was more than just a man. He wanted them to know that He was truly God manifest
in flesh. Christ also wanted the Jews to recognize their true Spiritual
condition and realize that they were helpless in their own strength to correct
that condition. He wanted them to realize that He had come to do for them what
they could not do for themselves.
The
Lessons Of The Miracles
The
miracles of Christ are very much like the parables in that they seem only to
have a surface meaning, but in reality there is a Spiritual truth being presented
both by the subject involved and the action of the miracle. Let us look at one
of the miracles recorded in the Gospel of John, examining it indepth to see if
we can learn the lesson being taught by Christ.
THE
MIRACLE:
In
John 5:1-9, we have the record of Christ healing the impotent man at the pool
of Bethesda. From time to time, an angel would come to the pool of Bethesda to
stir the waters. At that time, the first person to step into the pool would be
healed of whatever ailment was afflicting him. Many sick and infirmed in Israel
would come to be healed at these special times. On one occasion, Christ came to
the pool of Bethesda when the angel was expected. Upon seeing a man who had
been lame 38 years, Christ asked him if he wanted to be healed. This impotent
man answered that he wanted very much to be healed, but because of his
infirmity, and because he had no one to help him, someone else always entered
the pool before him. Christ then heals this man and immediately he takes up his
bed and walks. This miracle was performed on the Sabbath day.
THE
LESSON:
From
the record, this miracle took place on "A FEAST OF THE JEWS" (John
5:1). This was one of the feasts ordained by the Law of Moses, but because
Israel had misused these feasts, they were, at Christ's time, known as
"FEASTS OF THE JEWS." Not only was this miracle performed on a Jewish
feast day, it was performed at the POOL OF BET- HESDA (the House of Mercy)
which was at Jerusalem. The individual who was healed was a JEW. Thus, in all
of this we see the miracle has a JEWISH SETTING.
The
healing and strength was to come to the sick individual through the activity of
an Angel stirring the water, but that healing could only be had by the strength
of the individual getting into the pool first. The subject of this miracle had
no strength in himself to receive the healing and blessing offered by the Angel
and he had no man to help him. His conditioned continued this way 38 years.
This
was a true picture of Israel as a nation and of each individual Jew. God had
given Israel the Law of Moses, which was ordained in the hand of Angels
(Galatians 3:19) and would have given strength and blessing to this nation had
they had the strength in the flesh to keep the Law. Israel failed to receive
the blessings of the Law because of the weakness of the flesh. Notice this in
Romans 8:3, "WHAT THE LAW COULD NOT DO, IN THAT 1T WAS WEAK THROUGH THE
FLESH, GOD SENDING HIS OWN SON IN THE LIKENESS OF SINFUL FLESH, AND FOR SIN,
CONDEMNED SIN IN THE FLESH.
Man
is without strength (Romans 5:6), so what the Law could not do for man because
of his weakness, Christ came to accomplish in his stead. For this weak and
helpless man at the pool of Bethesda, Christ gave strength and healing which
was demonstrated by this man taking up his bed and walking.
To
see that Christ only healed as a teaching ministry, consider the fact that
there were many sick and infirmed people at the pool of Bethesda on the day
Christ healed this impotent man, but he was THE ONLY ONE HEALED by Christ. It
is significant to note that the man chosen by Christ to be healed had been in
his infirmed condition for 38 years. This is the same number of years Israel
was shut up in the wilderness because of her sin. Even though Israel had the
Law of Moses, she was unable in her own strength to change her helpless
condition of bondage. It was only by God's intervention that Israel was
delivered out of that wilderness bondage and taken into her promised land. It
will only be God's intervention, as with the impotent man at Bethesda, that
Israel as a nation, or any individual, will be delivered from their bondage and
helplessness due to sin.
The
fact that this miracle took place on the Sabbath day is significant in that the
Sabbath was a day of REST for Israel. This nation will truly experience her
complete rest in the Kingdom. What this impotent man experienced on this
Sabbath day is what Israel will experience when she enters her true Sabbath in
the Kingdom. Like this man, Israel will be healed and strengthened so she can
enjoy the fullness of Life during the Kingdom when Israel will be the head of
all nations.
Israel
should have recognized this miracle as an object lesson, for Israel was lame
and helpless just as this man at Bethesda was. Israel should have recognized,
as did this impotent man, that she needed someone to help her in her weakness,
for she could not gain for herself the blessings offered in the Law. Israel
should have recognized from this miracle that Christ was God in the flesh and
that He had come to do for them what they could not do for themselves.
A
Look At Other Miracles In John's Gospel
In
John 9:1-7, Christ heals a BLIND Jew. In this miracle, Christ sends this blind
man to the pool of Siloam to wash the clay from his eyes. John 9:7 says,
"HE WENT HIS WAY THEREFORE, AND WASHED, AND CAME SEEING." This
miracle was also performed on the Sabbath day (Verse 14).
In
this miracle we have a picture of Israel being BLIND. In John 3:3, Christ told
Nicodemus, "EXCEPT A MAN BE BORN AGAIN, HE CANNOT SEE THE KINGDOM OF
GOD." In John 9:39, Jesus said, "I AM COME INTO THIS WORLD, THAT THEY
WHICH SEE NOT MIGHT SEE."
In
this miracle of the blind man being healed, there was only one way this blind
man could receive his sight. He had to go to the pool of SILOAM and wash.
Christ could have healed this man on the spot, but there is a lesson Christ
wanted Israel to learn by this man washing in the pool of Siloam. Siloam means
SENT. The picture is that this blind nation was to go to THE SENT ONE, who is
Christ, and wash in His Blood. Only then would they be able to SEE,
Spiritually. Thus healing was done on the Sabbath day, which again speaks of
Israel's Day of Rest, when, in the Kingdom, Israel will have her Spiritual
blindness taken away and she will receive Spiritual SIGHT to enable her to walk
in God's righteousness.
In
John 11:38-44 we have Christ raising Lazarus from the dead. In John 5:25,
Christ said, "THE HOUR IS COMING, AND NOW IS, WHEN THE DEAD SHALL HEAR THE
VOICE OF THE SON OF GOD: AND THEY THAT HEAR SHALL LIVE." Christ was
telling Israel that the sinner in this nation was a DEAD MAN and He needed to
be made alive. Christ also gives Israel the answer to that need, for in John
11:25 He says, "I AM THE RESURRECTION AND THE LIFE; HE THAT BELIEVETH IN ME,
THOUGH HE WERE DEAD, YET SHALL HE LIVE." Christ then illustrates this
truth by raising Lazarus, A DEAD MAN, from the tomb.
Israel
should have seen the pictures being portrayed in these miracles, but their
hardened heart prevented them from seeing these Spiritual truths. Israel would
not respond to these object lessons and continued in her blindness, being
without strength, and dead in her trespasses and sins. Israel would not receive
the help Christ had come to give to her. Instead, Israel found fault with Christ
for Healing on the Sabbath day (John 5:16 & John 9:16), showing that they
were more interested in keeping the Law than in being submissive to the Word of
God. They were trusting in their RELIGIOUS WORKS and did not re- cognize that
they were sinners who needed to be BORN AGAIN .
Conclusion
From
this look at Christ's Ministry of Miracles, I trust we can see that these
miracles were used by Christ to teach Israel Spiritual lessons about themselves
and the blessings awaiting this nation in the Kingdom. Recognizing that
miracles were for Israel, we should not be looking for miracles or healings in
this age of God's grace when Israel's program has been set aside. Just as the
masses in Israel were not healed during Christ's earthly ministry, so we today
should not be looking for physical healings just because we are believers.
Nowhere in Scripture will you find that Salvation promised perfect physical
health to the believer.
Just
because these miracles were teaching lessons for Israel, this does not mean
that we can not learn Spiritual truths from them. It is true in every age that
men are WITHOUT STRENGTH to save themselves. It is true that all men are
Spiritually BLIND and are DEAD in trespasses and sins and need to be BORN AGAIN
and given NEW LIFE. It is also true today that ONLY CHRIST can meet the
Spiritual needs of men. Let us learn a lesson from Israel and not be trying to
earn. God's approval through our religious works and efforts in the flesh.
Christ has paid the full price for our sin, let us just TRUST HIM and receive
the Salvation He has provided for mankind.
The
Sermon on the Mount --Matthew 5:1-16
This
morning, in our series on the Ministry of Christ, we want, to consider a well
known event in our Lord's ministry, THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. As we look at this
sermon on the mount, let us note TO WHOM our Lord was speaking; WHAT our Lord
was teaching and HOW we today should relate to this sermon.
We
will find this Sermon on the Mount recorded in Matthew chapters Five through
Seven. You will also note that Luke 6:12-49 covers much of the same teaching,
but these are TWO DIFFERENT SERMONS, spoken to TWO DIFFERENT GROUPS at TWO
DIFFERENT TIMES. In our Matthew passage, we find our Lord "IN THE
MOUNT" speaking to His DISCIPLES (Matthew 5:1). In the Luke passage, you
will find our Lord speaking to "THE MULTITUDES," AFTER He comes down
from the Mount, for He is now "IN THE PLAIN" (Luke 6:17). It is quite
reasonable that our Lord repeated this teaching to the multitudes after He had
given these truths to His Disciples.
In
the Matthew account, Christ speaks of the MORAL CHARACTERISTICS of the Kingdom
and emphasis is laid on the necessity of a NEW BIRTH, hence the points about
sin in the heart. In Luke, outward actions are reviewed and the distinction
between STANDING and STATE is made clear to the multitudes who had come for
physical healing.
What
we find in this Sermon on the Mount is in reality the CONSTITUTION of the
Kingdom. In this sermon, we see the qualifications and the activities required
of those who will enter the Kingdom. Christ shows the SPIRITUAL INTERPRETATION
of the Law in contrast to man's view, which is the LETTER of the Law. Many of
these requirements are beyond the abilities of the fallen children of Adam.
Only those who have been empowered by the Holy Spirit can fulfill these
requirements for these actions are only possible through the NEW NATURE (note
Ezekiel 36:27).
The
Beatitudes
The
Beatitudes are NOT steps a fallen man can take to gain acceptance into the
Kingdom. Rather, these Beatitudes are the MORAL CHARACTERISTICS God demands in
the lives of those entering the Kingdom.
Let
us look at a few of these Beatitudes to see what Christ was telling His
Disciples.
In
Matthew 5:3, Christ is saying, "HAPPY ARE THEY WHO ARE CONSCIOUS OF THEIR
MORAL POVERTY, FOR THEIRS IS THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN." It is ONLY those who
realize that they have NO RIGHTEOUSNESS in themselves who are allowed in the
Kingdom. Those who are conscious of their moral poverty will REPENT and Christ
will give them HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS.
Christ,
says, in Matthew 5:4, "HAPPY ARE THEY THAT MOURN, FOR THEY SHALL BE
COMFORTED." Here Christ is NOT speaking of mourning for the loss of
personal property or loved ones, but of those who are GRIEVED because of
personal sinfulness. It is these who are grieved who will REPENT. Then Christ
will SAVE them and they will be comforted.
Matthew
5:8 speaks of those who are "PURE IN HEART." This is a condition that
NO natural man can achieve by his own efforts. This "PURE IN HEART"
means those who are purified in heart, that is, those who have received a new
moral nature in regeneration. Only these will see God in the Kingdom.
The
Spirituality Of The Law
The
Scribes and the Pharisees of Christ's day were proud of their Law-keeping and
felt their perfection in the Law made them righteous before God. Yet, in
speaking to His Disciples, Christ makes it clear that unless their
righteousness exceeded that of these religious leaders (Matthew 5:20) they
could not enter the Kingdom. Christ's point was that this self-righteousness of
these Law-keepers WAS NOT the qualification for entrance into the Kingdom, but
the very righteousness of God was what was needed. They could only come into
the Kingdom as they recognized their own Spiritual Poverty and REPENTED so that
God could give then HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS.
To
the Law-keeper, the commandment about Murder was clear - don't plot to take
another man's life. Christ shows the deeper inter intent of the Law, for He
says, `WHO SO EVER IS ANGRY WITH HIS BROTHER WITHOUT A CAUSE IS GUILTY OF
MURDER IN HIS HEART" (Matthew 5:22).
The
same Spiritual Truth is brought out concerning ADULTERY. The Law keeper only
saw the physical act as being condemned, but Christ goes to the HEART of
man-looking at the DESIRES. Remember, man looks upon the outward activities of
other men, but God looks upon the HEART. Here, again, we see that the need of
man is a NEW NATURE and this only comes with REGENERATION.
When
Christ speaks of plucking out and casting away any physical member of the body
that offends, He is only speaking in FIGURATIVE TERMS. Never did Christ mean
that a person was to mutilate his body. Here we have the SPIRITUAL
INTERPRETATION of the responsibility of being single minded toward gaining the
Kingdom. The point Christ was making was that they were not to allow anything,
regardless of how valuable, to cause them to loose out on entering the Kingdom.
What ever it was that would cause them to offend and not enter the Kingdom, it
would be far better to get rid of it so that end result would be the
blessedness of the Kingdom.
Alms----giving
In
Matthew chapter six, Christ speaks of Alms-giving and Prayer. The giving of
gifts to God's work was to be done for GOD'S GLORY, not to gain respect or
praise from men. What is given was to be done without fan-fare or
attention-getting, if there was to be any reward from God. The man who made a
show of his alms-giving to receive praise from men, that would be all the
reward he would get. The man who made no show of his giving, but who gave it for
God's Glory, he would be rewarded openly by the Father in the Kingdom.
The
Disciples Prayer
On
the subject of prayer, Christ points out how the Scribes and the Pharisees like
to make a show of their praying to call attention to their piety. The heathen,
on the other hand, would recite players over and over, thinking God would be
pleased by hearing the same prayers hundreds of times. To His Disciples, Christ
tells them not to "USE VAIN REPETITIONS" (Matthew 6:7) but to be
intelligent when they bring their petitions to the Father. Then Christ gave the
Disciples a model prayer which is not only an outline of the perfect way to
approach the Father, but it is the very substance of what the Disciples will be
praying just before the Kingdom is set up.
This
prayer is perfect in that it carne from Christ Himself . It addresses a
petition to the Father and shows the respect which should be given to the
Father. The request of the prayer is for the KINGDOM to come (Matthew 6:10).
There is an urgency in this prayer because Israel will be (in that future day)
in a time of great trouble when Satan will have full sway here on the earth and
will be doing everything in his power to destroy the Jews and the testimony of
God. .This prayer has its Dispensational setting in the TRIBULATION PERIOD
which will come just prior to the return of Christ to set up His Kingdom.
During
the time Christ is absent from the nation of Israel, awaiting Israel's
invitation for Him to return and establish His Kingdom, Satan will have his
political leader (the Anti-Christ) and his religious leader (the False Prophet)
controlling the earth. Israel will be experiencing the 70th week of
Daniel's prophecy - the time of JACOB'S TROUBLE (Jeremiah 30:7). All the world
will be submissive to Satan except Israel. Satan directs his efforts to crush
and destroy the Jews. One way Satan will try to kill the Jews is to demand
everyone to identify themselves with his program by taking his mark upon their
foreheads or their hands. Only those with this mark will be able to purchase
goods or sell anything (even their labor). Those people who are opposed to
Satan would starve were it not for God's intervention and provision. Those of
God's people who are able will flee to the mountains where God has prepared a
place for them to hide (Revelation 12:13-14). There God will feed His people
the same as He did when Israel was in the wilderness between the time they left
Egypt and their arrival in the promised land.
It
is this time of trouble that Christ is telling the Disciples about and thus
instructs them to pray to the Father, "GIVE US THIS DAY OUR DAILY
BREAD."
No
one can pray this prayer today in this age of God's Grace for there are no
restrictions keeping anyone from working and providing his own food. Paul makes
it clear that if a man will not work today, he is not to be fed by the
community (Second Thessalonians 3:10). In the Tribulation, the believers will
NOT be able to work and purchase their food, but will have to rely upon God for
MANNA from heaven, just like Israel did in the wilderness.
Because
the Kingdom program required outward works of faith in the lives of the
believers to show they had repented and were identified with the Kingdom,
Christ points out, in this prayer, that the forgiveness of their daily sins
against others will be forgiven in direct proportion to the way they forgive
others. THIS IS NOT SPEAKING OF WORKS FOR SALVATION. These who will be praying
this prayer are already believers. This is part of that MORAL ATTITUDE that
will be expected during this time and this prayer will come from those who are
"MEEK" as we saw in Matthew 5:5.
The
"TEMPTATION" spoken of in Matthew 6:13 is the temptation these
believers will feel during the Tribulation, urging them to take the MARK OF THE
BEAST so they will be able to provide for their families. It will take GREAT
FAITH in that day to just TRUST GOD for one's every need, even for his food.
The delivering from "EVIL" is a request to the Father to protect them
from the EVIL ONE - Satan, who will be waiting just outside this mountain
sanctuary to kill anyone who would venture
outside
God's protection in the mountains (First Peter 5:8).
This
"Disciples Prayer" will be Israel's invitation and cry for Christ to
come as their King and set up His Kingdom. Israel will BEG God (at that time)
to send Christ to reign over them.
Trusting
God Completely
In
Matthew 6:25-34, Christ encourages His Disciples by the example of God's
faithfulness to provide for His creation, to place their trust completely in
God's ability to provide their every need. The birds do not work for their
food, but God is faithful to feed them. The flowers of the field are
beautifully dressed, but their glory is only passing and they end up being
burned. If God is this faithful to the birds and flowers, will He not do as
much and more for these Disciples? Surely He will and so Christ encourages them
in verses 33-34 that their main goal should be the KINGDOM ,then the Father
will give them everything they need. They are not to worry about tomorrow, for
tomorrow will take care of itself.
a.
The phrase, "SUFFICIENT UNTO THE DAY IS THE EVIL THEREOF" (Matthew
6:34) has caused much anxiety, but all Christ is saying is that there is no
need for the Disciples to worry about tomorrow, for in so doing, they would
only be compounding whatever problems tomorrow heId. Let tomorrow's problems
cone as they will and trust the Father to handle them as they arise. You can't
change things by WORRYING ahead of time, you only spoil the opportunities of
today.
Conclusion
This
portion of Scripture. we have looked at this morning is KINGDOM in every
respect and was directed to the; Disciples for their learning and encouragement
as they entered their ministry of being co-laborers with Christ. Also, it
instructed them as to how they were to face the TRIBULATION PERIOD.
Let
us remember that we Gentiles, living in this Dispensation of. God's Grace, ARE
NOT to go to the four Gospels and apply them to our lives today. `We ARE NOT
promised any of these blessings nor any of these provisions. We ARE NOT to pray
the "Disciples Prayer" as recorded in Matthew 6:10-13 for this has
it's Dispensational setting in the Tribulation Period - the time of Jacob's
trouble.
Matthew
6:34 IS NOT for us today. We DO have to take thought for tomorrow. We DO have
to provide food and clothing for our families. BUT we are not to WORRY about
tomorrow (Philippines 4:19). We must TRUST CHRIST to direct and take us through
the trials of this life, as we see in First Corinthians 10:13.
The End
(A 10 Minute Video)
How
God Saves Men
Believing
Christ DIED, that’s HISTORY.
Believing
Christ DIED for YOU SINS and Rose again that’s SALVATION.
Read
Romans 1:16, Romans 10:9-10 and 1. Corinthians 15:1-4
(A 10 Minute Video)
E-mail
this BIBLE STUDY to all your friends
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