the words are spirit

Kingdom of God

2008-10-03T12:25:00.000-07:00

The Kingdom of God is a concept that seems to cause some confusion in Christian circles. Some say that it is "the rule of God in your heart" while some say that it is "righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit". How should that phrase be understood in the light of the teaching that Jesus gave on this subject? Click on the link below to hear a short teaching on the Kingdom of God.

Kingdom of God.MP3

The Kingdom of Heaven

2008-05-09T22:46:00.000-07:00

Hi,

I'd really like you to listen to this short teaching on The Kingdom of Heaven. This essential information could begin to revolutionize the way you understand the Bible, which, of course, could be the beginning of a whole new way of life. This is just one topic that has been amazing to me because I went so many years as a Christian without understanding it. Click on the link below and get your Bible out so you can look up the Scriptures I'm talking about and see for yourself this simple concept.

The Kingdom of Heaven mp3

I'm Dependin' on You Lord Jesus

2008-04-07T22:31:00.000-07:00

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I'm Dependin' on You Lord Jesus

I don't have an article written for this song yet but I wanted to post it because I'm sure some people will enjoy it.

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God's Good News

2006-10-19T21:13:00.000-07:00

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God’s Good News

In the Gospel of Mark, chapter 1 vs. 14, we read that Jesus came to Galilee preaching the gospel of God, or as some bible versions put it “God’s Good News”. While many people today do not see Jesus as a preacher of the gospel, but rather that the gospel is about Jesus, Mark informs us that at the onset of Jesus’ public ministry he was preaching or heralding the gospel. Perhaps the reason that most people do not see Jesus as a preacher of the gospel is because they understand the gospel to only be about the death and resurrection of Jesus and the consequent forgiveness of sins. And yet, Jesus said right at the start of his public ministry “The Spirit of the LORD is upon me because He has anointed me to preach the gospel… (Luke 4:18).”

Mark does not leave us in vs. 14 wondering about the meaning of the gospel, i.e. the good news. He informs us in vs. 15 of the content of Jesus’ gospel preaching by quoting him as saying, “… the kingdom of God is at hand, repent and believe the gospel”. That is a good outline of Jesus’ preaching. Jesus was proclaiming that the kingdom of God is approaching or drawing near, and that’s good news. It was also a call to repent, (to change your mind, your thinking, attitude and behavior) by believing what he was preaching about the coming of God’s kingdom and receiving it as Good News.

We read in Hebrews 1:1 that “God, who spoke in times past… in the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us in His son…” The message that God has spoken to us in His son, in these last days, is the gospel that Jesus preached, that of the approaching kingdom of God. Contained in the gospel message of the coming kingdom is the promise of life in that coming age. Jesus, as quoted in Luke 18:30, put it in these terms. “There is no one who has left house or parents or brothers or wife or children for the sake of the kingdom of God (cp. Mark 10:29, for my sake and the gospel’s), who shall not receive many times more in this present time, and in the age to come eternal life.” The life of the age to come that is promised for believing and obedience to the Gospel is a life without the prospect of death. Now that really is good news. That should be enough to bring anyone conscious of the aging process at work in them, that is taking them to the inevitable end of death, to take Jesus seriously when he says we ought to pray, “Thy Kingdom come”.
In the Hebrew Scriptures, which Jesus and his contemporaries were familiar with, and had access to, (commonly called the Old Testament) God is referred to by many titles. El Elyon is Hebrew for “Most High God”. El Shaddai is “Almighty God”. Both of these titles or names refer to “YHWH“ (often pronounced Yahweh), which is the proper name of God and is translated as LORD in many versions of the bible. When Jesus spoke of his coming in power and glory, which is a reference to his coming to sit on the throne of David as King in the kingdom of God, he said that he was coming “in the name of the LORD” (Matt.23: 39, quoting Ps. 118:26). Indeed, the Jewish people were expecting their Messiah to come in the name of YHWH (see Luke 19:38). The Apostle Paul writes concerning Jesus, “God has given (favorably granted, bestowed upon, conferred upon) him a name above all names.” When he returns, Jesus shall reign as king in Jerusalem, “the city of the Great King”, in the coming kingdom of God, in the name, authority and power of the LORD (YHWH). This is definitely good news, as we are promised by God, through the Hebrew prophets, a good and righteous government when the Messiah (the Christ, see John 1:41) takes up the reigns of power and establishes peace on earth.

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The Gate is Narrow

2006-07-26T14:08:00.000-07:00

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The Gate is Narrow

Jesus used a narrow gate as a metaphor to describe the entry to a path that he called “the way that leads to life.” He quickly pointed out “there are few who find it.” Conversely, says Jesus, there is a wide gate that opens to a broad way “that leads to destruction.” “Many” will go through that gate and walk that road (Matt. 7:13-14).

The importance of the two opposing gates with the two different paths to which they open is that they lead to different destinations. Jesus used the terms “life” and “destruction” to indicate the end results of going down these two paths. According to Jesus, life or destruction awaits us at the conclusion of the course we take. How can we be sure that we are one of the few who have found the narrow gate? How do we know whether we are on the path of life? Identifying the narrow gate comes through hearing and understanding the teachings of Jesus.

In another place (Luke 13:24), Jesus tells a questioner “strive to enter through the narrow gate.” The word “strive” means to struggle, to endeavor fervently, to go all out. Jesus is advocating that we make every effort to find and enter the narrow gate and walk down the right path. The reward of life will be worth every effort made.

In Luke 13:22-29, we find Jesus busy teaching, as he goes through cities and villages, on his way to Jerusalem. Along the way, a man questioned Jesus “will only a few be saved?” Jesus’ reply, “strive to enter through the narrow gate”, shows that there is action needed on our part. Jesus is not telling us that if we end up on one path or the other it was because we were predestined for that path, it was beyond our control or that it was “meant to be”. His warning in verse 24 is followed by a look at the two possible destinations available for mankind. Jesus answers the man’s question (“will only a few be saved?”) by equating salvation with gaining entrance into the coming kingdom of God. To those who do not enter through the narrow gate, Jesus says, “There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and yourselves thrust out (vs. 28).”

The entire focus of all Jesus’ teaching was the coming kingdom of God. Here in the twenty-first century there is a dire need for us to make every effort to understand what Jesus meant as he spoke to those of his own culture. It is vital that we grasp what his intention was when he spoke to his listeners and how they understood the things he said, based on their shared culture and understanding of the law and the prophets. Matthew, for example, in reporting the teachings of Jesus, uses the phrase “kingdom of heaven” as a synonym for “kingdom of God” over 30 times in his gospel. Matthew is the only Bible writer that uses the phrase “kingdom of heaven”. It is evident from the parallel verses in the other gospels, and even in Matthew’s own writing, that his purpose is to convey the same meaning when he uses the phrase “kingdom of heaven” as the other Bible writers mean when they use the phrase “kingdom of God” (compare Matt. 4:12-17/Mark 1:14-15; Matt. 13:11/Mark 4:11; Matt. 19:23/Matt. 19:24, etc.).

Many of Jesus’ parables begin with “The kingdom of heaven is like…” or “To what shall I liken the kingdom of God?” In Matthew 13:47-49 Jesus says, “…the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and caught fish of every kind; when it was full, they drew it ashore, sat down, and put the good into baskets but threw out the bad. So it will be at the end of the age.” The point of this parable is the same as Jesus’ answer to the man in Luke 13 cited earlier. There are two possible destinations for mankind. The “good” that are put into baskets and preserved are those who gain entrance into the kingdom of Heaven/God. What Jesus calls destruction in the story of the two paths in Matthew 7 he elaborates on here in Matthew13:49-50. “The angels will come forth, separate the wicked from among the just and throw them into the furnace of fire, there will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.” The wailing and gnashing of teeth happens, according to Luke 13, “when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God and yourselves thrust out.” In other words, the wailing and gnashing of teeth is due to the verdict one receives, the exclusion from the kingdom of God and the sentence of being cast into the fire to be destroyed. This should not be confused with the popular teaching of an eternal torment that leaves the recipient of judgment forever wailing and gnashing their teeth.

To tie this all together, Jesus taught that in order to avoid the grief and horror of being thrust out of the kingdom of God, at the end of the age, and being thrown into the furnace of fire for the purpose of destruction, one must walk down the path that leads to life. And, in order to walk down the life path, one must enter by the correct door or gate.

In another illustration (John 10:9), Jesus said, “I am the door, if anyone enters through me he will be saved.” Jesus only taught about one kind of salvation. So, even though this is a different illustration, we can be assured that Jesus is the entryway to the path that leads to life, meaning entrance into the coming kingdom of God. If we understand Jesus to be the door to salvation, what is it that we need to know about Jesus or from Jesus in order to get through the door onto the right path, leading us to our desired destination?

Jesus put great emphasis on believing his words. In Mark 8:38 Jesus says, “For whoever is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.” When Jesus comes with the holy angels is the same time that the angels will cast those into the fire that are not allowed entry into the kingdom of God (see Matt. 25:31,41).

Matthew, Mark and Luke all record Jesus speaking of the cost of being his disciple. He said, “Whoever wants to follow me, he must deny himself and take up his cross.” This must certainly relate to walking down the right path. What must we suppose is the self-denial that is being referenced here? Jesus is our supreme example in this. He is not demanding something from us that he was unwilling to do. The Apostle Peter tells us “…Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you should follow in his steps… When he was abused, he did not return abuse; when he suffered, he did not threaten; but he entrusted himself to the one who judges justly (1 Peter 2:21,23)”. Trusting God, rather than retaliating, in an abusive situation is an aspect of denying oneself that is undoubtedly more difficult and more to the point of “taking up your cross” than denying yourself that second bowl of ice cream.

The concept of self-denial that Jesus taught also includes the laying down of our desires and aspirations by making them subordinate to the will of God. In this regard Jesus said, “what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his life?” There is nothing to be gained in this world that compares to receiving immortality, the gift of life, in the coming kingdom of God. “What can a man give in exchange for his life?” is a question that exposes the fallacy of seeking after the things obtainable in this age.

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The Hour is Coming

2006-05-11T23:38:00.000-07:00

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The Hour is Coming

Jesus was a preacher of the resurrection. Probably most people reading this statement will immediately think of Jesus’ resurrection. But that is not at all what Jesus went about preaching. Jesus preached the gospel publicly from town to town and from village to village. When Jesus preached he was like a town crier, a public Herald. He would raise his voice so all could hear, and he would conclude by urging his listeners “he who has ears to hear, let him hear.” His disciples went with him on his evangelistic crusades and repeatedly heard him preach the gospel (Luke 8:1). He gave his disciples additional teaching and training, away from the crowds, and made sure they understood the truths he was preaching about the Kingdom of God (Luke 8:10, Matt. 13:16,17,51). He sent them out to preach, and they went out and preached the gospel (Luke 9:2,6). Jesus and his disciples were out preaching the gospel over a period of three years. Jesus proclaimed the coming resurrection in the presence of his disciples time after time. Then he took them aside and told them privately that he was going to die and be resurrected (Matt 16:21-22, 20:17-19). The disciples didn’t believe him; they had no mental framework in which to put this information. It was not because the disciples were extremely dull. The resurrection Jesus had been talking about for over three years was not his own. In his gospel message of the coming Kingdom of God, Jesus had been preaching the corporate resurrection of that “great day” yet to come.

Jesus spoke these words, cited in John 5:28-29, “… the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear (the Son of Man’s) voice and come forth—those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation.”

There are several things to notice in these verses. First, Jesus puts this event in the future by saying “the hour is coming.” The fulfillment of this hour is still approaching. Second, this calling forth will be to people that are dead and in their graves. It is essential to realize that he is not calling people down from heaven or up from hell in order to resurrect them. Third, this coming forth of the dead from their graves will be for judgment, either good or bad. The writer to the Hebrews tells us that it is given unto men once to die and after that, the judgment. Jesus places the time of judgment at his return (see Matt. 25:31-46). Jesus also teaches a corporate resurrection and judgment. “The men of Nineveh shall rise up in the judgment with this generation and shall condemn it” (Luke 11:32). The tradition typically taught in most Christian denominations, that people go to heaven or hell after death, is incompatible with the resurrection as Jesus taught it. If people go to heaven or hell after death it would be apparent that they had already been judged worthy of heaven or hell.

Paul shows himself in agreement with Jesus’ testimony that the dead are in their graves. In 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 Paul comforts his readers, not wanting them to sorrow over those who have fallen asleep. Paul uses the common biblical metaphor of sleep to indicate death. He tells us that, at the sound of the trumpet of God, the dead in Christ will arise, i.e. be resurrected. This will result in the dead meeting the Lord, in the air, along with those in Christ who are alive and remaining at that time. This will occur as Jesus returns, descending from heaven with a shout and the voice of the archangel. Paul’s teaching here in 1 Thessalonians coincides with the first resurrection spoken of in Revelation 20:5. Dead and alive will be “gathered together to him” at the coming “day of the Lord” (2 Thessalonians 2:1-2)

In the middle of John chapter six, Jesus spoke four times of raising up those who believed in him. In each instance, this is to be “at the last day.” According to Jesus, it is the Father’s will that he should lose none of those that the Father has given him. Jesus will not lose them to death because he will raise them up “at the last day.” The “last day” is the end of this era or age. Jesus will return and bring both a close to this “present evil age” (Gal. 1:4) and the onset of “the age to come” (Mark 10:30).

“Hell” is commonly understood as a place of eternal torment and the abode of devils or demons, increasingly populated by those who have died without reciting or adhering to a specific formula required by one’s particular denomination or group. This misconception leads to some wild and crazy understandings of Matthew 16:18. Jesus points out that Peter’s confession of him, as the Christ, is a revelation from the Father. Jesus then declares that upon this revelation he will build his church and the “gates of Hades” will not prevail against it. “Hades” from the Greek and “Sheol” from the Hebrew mean the same thing. Hades and Sheol are synonymous with the grave or abode of the dead. When Hezekiah laments that he “shall go to the gates of Sheol” (Is 38:10) he is sorrowful that he is about to die in the prime of his life due to illness. Jesus is proclaiming in Matthew 16:18 that the grave will not prevail over his people, because he has full intention of raising them up from death to life “at the last day.” This amazingly powerful promise has been obscured by the erroneous Platonic idea of individual disembodied spirits departing to heaven or hell at death. “He that has ears to hear, let him hear” the words of Jesus.

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Jesus Learned Obedience

2006-04-28T11:50:00.000-07:00

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Jesus Learned Obedience

Hebrews 5:8 is an amazing verse. It is startling when contrasted with much of what is believed today in Christian circles about the nature of Jesus. The author of the letter to the Hebrews writes, “though he was a son, yet he learned obedience by the things which he suffered”. How is this verse to be harmonized with a belief system that maintains that Jesus is God? Did God have to learn obedience? Who would God have to obey? Was suffering necessary for God to learn obedience?

In an attempt to exalt Jesus, much of what goes on in the name of Christianity buys into the Greek philosophy that was mixed with New Testament Christianity in the second, third and fourth centuries. The notion that Jesus is a co-equal, co-eternal, second member of a triune Godhead is an accommodation to Greek philosophy and is incompatible with the plain teaching, of both Old and New Testaments, that God is one. The concept of the Trinity is conspicuously at odds with the portrayal of Jesus in Hebrews chapter five.

The immediate context of this depiction of Jesus includes the statement “…when he had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save him from death, (he) was heard because of his godly fear (Heb. 5:7).” Few fail to recognize that Jesus prayed to the one he called Father. How many, though, have questioned how it is, or why it is, that a person whom they believe to be God would be heard by God because he had the fear of God? Several modern translations render this phrase “reverent submission” instead of godly fear. It doesn’t make much difference as reverence involves awe and fear, especially, as in this case, towards God.

The broader context of these verses is a teaching on the calling of Jesus, by God, to the office of high priest. In chapter five we are told, “No one takes this honor upon himself; he must be called by God, just as Aaron was. So Christ did not take upon himself the glory of becoming a high priest. But God said to him, … ‘You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.’” Please don’t miss this point. Nobody can take it upon himself to become high priest, not even Jesus. He had to be called by God.

The God who appointed Jesus high priest is none other than He who said, “You are My Son, Today I have begotten you (Heb. 5:5).” Psalm 2:7 identifies the one who spoke these words as Yahweh (YHWH), translated “LORD” in many versions of the Bible. This is the God of Israel, who says of Himself, ”There is no God besides Me (Isaiah 45:5).” This is the same God that the nation of Israel calls “Father” (Isaiah 63:16, John 8: 41, 54) and the same God that Jesus calls his God and Father (John 20:17).

It is not necessary to go through the machinations of trying to figure out how Jesus can learn obedience and fear God, and at the same time be God. Despite traditions that say you must believe that Jesus is God or believe in the Trinity to be saved, the Bible makes no such demands. The Apostle John tells us in 1 John 4:12 that “no one has seen God at any time.” He says this even though he walked and talked with Jesus for over three years. He tells us a few verses later in chapter five that “Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God.” Believing that Jesus is the Christ is quite different than believing that Jesus is God. Believing that Jesus is the Christ does require some understanding of what Christ means. Christ is not a synonym for God. Christ, from the Greek “Christos”, is the equivalent of the Hebrew word translated “Messiah” (see John 1:41). The Messiah is the one anointed of God who is to rule the world (Psalm 2:2, 6-9). According to John, believing that Jesus is the Messiah is to be born of God. To believe that Jesus is the Christ (Messiah) includes believing his message. Jesus always put great emphasis on believing his words (John 8:31, 12:48, 14:23-24).

Although Jesus was a son, he learned obedience from the things he suffered. Jesus suffered because he determined to put Gods’ will above his own will. Rather than attempt to avoid the persecution and suffering that resulted from his witness for the truth of God’s word (see John 18:37), Jesus believed the Father’s words to him that he would not be left in the grave but would be resurrected (Ps. 16:10, Acts 2:31). “Jesus… for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame…(Heb. 12:2).” When faced with persecution and death, Jesus overcame the temptation to discard, disbelieve or disobey the words of God given to him. In the same way that Jesus overcame “for the joy that was set before him”, we have set before us a reward for obedience to the words of God that Jesus gave us. That reward is to be resurrected from death to life “at the last day” (John 6:39,40). And that’s not all. “To him that overcomes I will grant to sit with me in my throne, as I also overcame and sat down with my Father on His throne (Rev. 3:21).” “He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God…(Rev. 3:12).” In each of the addresses to the seven churches in Revelation chapters two and three, the rewards promised are predicated on overcoming.

In Revelation chapter 12 we’re told that the Devil deceives the whole world. His purpose is to get us off course just as he endeavored to do with Jesus at his time of temptation. His method is to steal the word of God, the gospel of the kingdom, from us, to prevent us from understanding it and receiving salvation through it (Matt. 13:19,23). Jesus overcame all the testing the Devil could bring his way. In the same way, we are to overcome all that the Devil sends our way, be it discouragement or persecution. We dare not be sidetracked or overcome by unbelief. “He that endures till the end shall be saved” (Matt. 10:22), is spoken specifically in relation to persecution.

In Revelation 12:11 we are given a picture of those who are successful overcomers. “And they overcame him (the deceiver) by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.” The blood of the Lamb has been provided for us; forgiveness of sins is ours in Christ. Let the word of our testimony be for the truth of God’s word. Let us deny ourselves and take up our cross and follow Jesus. “For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it (Mark 8:35).” Jesus is our example. “Who, when he was reviled, did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but committed himself to Him who judges righteously… (1 Peter 2:23).”

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Firstborn From the Dead

2006-04-15T22:28:00.000-07:00

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Firstborn From the Dead

The record of the death and resurrection of Jesus is a compelling story. Even more fascinating is the significance the New Testament ascribes to these events. The books of the New Testament have probably been scrutinized for their authenticity more than any other historical documents, and rightly so, because the authors of these accounts have made claims that who Jesus was, what he did and especially what he said are of unparalleled importance to every person on the planet.

The New Testament writers endeavor to make sure that we know that they are writing history. They are relating eyewitness accounts of the life and times of Jesus as he walked through Galilee, Judea and the surrounding areas. Of particular note in this regard are the following two passages, one from Luke and the other from John.

"Inasmuch as many have taken in hand to set in order a narrative of those things which have been fulfilled among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word delivered them to us, it seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write to you an orderly account… that you may know the certainty of those things in which you were instructed." (Luke 1:1-4)

"And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name." (John 20:30-31)

So, when it comes to the resurrection of Jesus, the New Testament writers want to leave no room to doubt that Jesus was actually raised from death to life. John is especially concerned that we believe his testimony concerning the death of Jesus (see John 19:33-35). Luke lets us know that there were many witnesses to this event. He tells us,

“When all the people who had gathered to witness this sight saw what took place, they beat their breasts and went away. But all those who knew him, including the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things.” (Luke 23:48-49 NIV)

Even the man who took the body of Jesus down from the cross and wrapped it in linen and placed it in a tomb is notated with great detail. There is no reason to doubt that Luke wanted to convey real historical facts. So, let’s consider what the eyewitnesses had to say about the resurrection of Jesus. All four of the gospel writers, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John report the event. The Apostles, Peter and Paul, also reference the event in their writings.

It was early Sunday morning, the first day of the week. There were at least four women, if not more, that went to the tomb to care for the body of Jesus with spices and fragrant oils they had prepared. On the way, they wondered who would roll away the stone they had seen placed over the entrance to the tomb. When they got there, the stone had already been rolled away. Two men in glistening white robes were there (angels are often described in the scriptures as men).

The angels asked the women a question. “Why do you seek the living among the dead?” There are at least a couple of things we can infer from this question. First, the women believed that Jesus was dead. These women had been at the crucifixion scene and followed Joseph of Arimathea after he took Jesus down from the cross and observed where he laid him in the tomb. I know there are those who don’t believe that Jesus actually died from being crucified. The women who were there certainly did. Secondly, the dead are to be found in their graves. This latter point may sound silly but there are many who believe that the dead are actually alive in another sphere of existence. We can surmise from this question that the angels, on the scene, believed those who are dead are in their graves.

That is not all that the angels had to say to the women. The angels informed them “he is risen, just as he said.” Jesus had said prior to the crucifixion “The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.” (Luke 24:7) Jesus had predicted his own death and resurrection.

After Jesus rose again from the dead he appeared to many people. In addition to the accounts given to us in the gospels, that tell of him appearing to the apostles and other disciples, Luke tells us in Acts 1:2-3 that Jesus “presented himself alive after his suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them (the apostles) during forty days”… During this forty days Jesus taught them many things concerning the Kingdom of God and gave them some very specific commands. He also “opened their understanding that they might comprehend the Scriptures (Luke 24:45).” The importance of this should not be underestimated. The apostles began their teaching ministries primarily to the Jews. It was of absolute importance that they be able to show, from the Hebrew Scriptures, how the Messiah had to suffer and die and then be raised to life and given immortality. Comprehending the Scriptures today is no small matter for us either.

Jesus showed himself alive to many others besides the apostles he had chosen. On the day of his resurrection he appeared to Mary Magdalene and to two disciples on the road to Emmaus. The Apostle Paul wrote “he was seen by over five hundred brothers at one time.” (1 Corinthians 15:6 NIV). Certainly, this was an event that supercharged those who had heard his message.

The recorded words of Jesus after he rose from the dead are absolutely astounding. Has anyone ever, before or after, made a claim like this, “All authority has been given unto me in heaven and on earth” (Matthew 28:18)? Peter tells us in his epistle that Jesus has now “gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities and powers made subject unto him” (1 Peter 3:22). The Greek word translated "authority" in Matthew 28:18 is "exousia". Sometimes it is translated “power” sometimes “authority”. One of the definitions given in Thayer’s Greek Lexicon is “the power of authority.” Another is the “power of rule or government.” Jesus claimed that this power, the power and authority to rule, was given unto him. It was not inherently his—God gave it to him (Matt. 11:27, 1 Co. 15:27, Eph. 1:17-22, Heb. 2:8). Hebrews 2:8 goes on to say, “But now we do not yet see all things put under him.” Because we don’t yet see all things put under him many choose not to believe. However, the day is coming when every eye shall behold him and every tongue shall confess his lordship.

When Jesus made his announcement, recorded in Matt. 28, that all authority had been given unto him, he also gave some commandments to his disciples. He said, “Go and make disciples of all nations… teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you.” The apostles did that very thing. We read throughout the book of “The Acts of the Apostles” how they went about preaching, teaching, baptizing and laying their hands on people and healing them. God chose to use Peter first to bring the gospel to the gentiles (Acts 10, and 15:7). We find Peter telling Cornelius and his household that Jesus “commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that it is he who was ordained by God to be Judge of the living and the dead” (Acts 10:42). Testifying that God has appointed Jesus to be the Judge of the living and the dead is a command that extends to all who are in Christ. (see Matthew 28:20).

Jesus has risen from death. He now lives, never to die again. Colossians 1:18 states that he is “the firstborn from the dead”. There are numerous people that we read about in the Old and New Testaments that were brought back to life after having died. However, they all died again. Jesus is the first to be raised from death to life who will never die again. He proclaims in Revelation 1:18 “I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore.” No one else can make that claim—yet.

We can rejoice and celebrate today that Jesus overcame the grave! Why? Because God has demonstrated that His gospel is trustworthy. He will raise to life those who trust in Him, those who believe His words given to us through Jesus. Because, even though the wages of sin is death, we can be saved from that penalty through the gospel. “The gospel is the power of God unto salvation, to everyone who believes... The Just shall live by faith (Rom. 1:16-17). “But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep (1 Co. 15:20).” “So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: ‘Death is swallowed up in victory’ (1 Co. 15:54).”

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Ephesians 4:4-6

2006-04-08T23:51:00.000-07:00

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Ephesians 4:4-6 mp3

Ephesians 4:4-6

In the New Testament book of Ephesians, at the beginning of chapter 4, the Apostle Paul makes a plea to believers (those in Christ) to walk worthy of the calling they have received by walking with humility and gentleness and by bearing with one another in love. Paul goes on to reinforce and strengthen his plea for unity among them with some statements designed to draw their attention to the apostolic truths around which they should be united. Here is the text.

“I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in you all.” NKJV

In today’s world of sectarianism and denominationalism it is hard to recognize those who name the name of Christ as one body. From Jehovah’s Witnesses to Mormons to Roman Catholics to mainline “Orthodox Christian” denominations like the Baptists or Methodists, all lay claim to the name of Christ for their unique and disparate doctrines. One is hard pressed to recognize a spirit of unity that would characterize them as one body. Internet sites document hundreds of denominations, and in many of these there are conflicting factions. Unity around Paul’s instructions seems a lost dream. Paul, the Apostle to the Gentiles, has given us some basic truth in regard to what is genuine Christian ethics and doctrine.

Paul makes the point that there is only “one body”, meaning the individual members that are in Christ collectively (compare chapter 1:22-23), just as there is only “one hope” of the calling to which he is admonishing them to walk worthy of. There are not different hopes laid up in the gospel for differing groups of people. Paul spends some time in chapter 2 explaining that the division between Jew and Gentile has been broken. Whereas the Gentiles were without hope being strangers to the covenants of promise given to Israel, now in Christ we Gentiles can partake of the promise of God through the gospel (see chapter 3:6) and therefore have hope. The Gentiles can now enter into the promise of God to Israel, the promise that Jesus repeated from Psalm 37, namely that the meek shall inherit the earth. No wonder Paul admonishes the Ephesians to be humble, gentle and patient. The inheritance of the earth that is to be gained by the meek will happen when Jesus says to them “Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you…” (Matt. 25:34). This is the same time of which Jesus spoke when he said, “For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works” (Matt. 16:27).

There is only “one Lord”. This is a reference to Jesus being The Christ. Paul has already used the term Lord while referring to Jesus as The Christ numerous times prior to chapter 4 in this letter to the Ephesians (1:2,3,27, 3:11,14). The title “Christ” is equivalent to “Messiah ” (John 1:41). Messiah is the term or title used by the prophets in the Hebrew Scriptures to refer to the deliverer that God promised to Israel. The Messiah is God’s Agent to bring world peace. He will rule from Jerusalem, sitting on the throne of his ancestor, King David. The reign of the Messiah will be without end. There will never be a successor to his throne.

The “one faith” Paul talks about is the faith that Jesus is “the author and finisher” of, “the founder and completer” of (Heb. 12:2). Jesus endured the cross, despising the shame, and for what? For the joy that was set before Him. Kingship over the coming Kingdom of God was set before him. Jesus believed and trusted that the Father’s words to him were true and trustworthy. In the same way, there is a joy set before us. If we walk in the faith of Jesus despite hardships and persecutions, if we endure until the end, we will hear these words, “Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord” (Matt. 25:21). The receiving of this reward is slated to occur at the resurrection, when Jesus calls forth those who are in their graves (John 5:28-29). Jesus showed us the way of faith. He trusted the Father all the way, to the giving of his life unto death. We are called to walk in the steps of Jesus. We are called to trust the words from the Father that Jesus gave us. Jesus said he only spoke the words the Father had taught him. Jesus said the words of the Father are truth. The truth of the gospel that Jesus preached is the “one faith” that was once for all delivered to the saints, and we are to contend earnestly for it (Jude 3).

The “one baptism” is a reference to Christian baptism. Paul speaks in Galatians 3:27 of being “baptized into Christ”. To be baptized into Christ is to have “put on Christ”, to be “clothed with Christ”. In the second chapter of Acts, at the end of Peter’s gospel message he said, “God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ” by raising him from the dead and seating him at His right hand. The people were convinced of the error of their way and asked the Apostles what they should do. Peter instructed them to “be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ…” The attitude of repentance, obedience and submission that is to lead one to be baptized is incorporated here in Paul’s plea for unity by his reference to baptism.

There is “one God and Father of all.” Paul makes a very plain statement here. There is one God. The identity of this singular God is the Father. This is not an isolated statement that must somehow be understood in the light of pervasive Trinitarian teaching throughout the New Testament. There is no clear and concise Trinitarian teaching anywhere in the New Testament. Paul has already said in his letter to the Ephesians that this God is “the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Eph. 1:3). This can seem difficult to comprehend for those of us that have been schooled in Trinitarian traditions, so let us also consider his prayer for the Saints that “the God of our Lord Jesus, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of revelation in the knowledge of Him”(Eph. 1:17). Paul’s definition of God being one and only one is in complete harmony with the massive amount of teaching in the Hebrew Scriptures where the nation of Israel is constantly instructed to adhere to strict Monotheism. Paul is not going out on a limb when he says that the Father is the God of Jesus. Jesus himself said the very same thing. After his resurrection from the dead Jesus told Mary to go and tell his disciples “I am ascending to My Father and your Father, to My God and your God”(John 20:17). Jesus is identifying the very same God that we call Father as his Father and God. And indeed, when Jesus prays to the Father in John 17 he says, “you (Father) are the only true God” (vs. 3).

God the Father is “above all”. There is no one that is His equal. The early councils of the church in the fourth and fifth centuries that gave us the doctrine of the Trinity did not agree with Paul here. They made decrees that were out of sync with the statements of Paul and Jesus. They made the pronouncement that Jesus and the Father were coequal. Jesus clearly says in John 14:28 “the Father is greater than I”. In John 6:19 Jesus tells us that he can do nothing of himself. He is dependent upon the Father for all the things that he does. According to the doctrine of the Trinity, Jesus was at all times God--coequal with the Father and the Holy Spirit. Jesus said, “I can do nothing of myself” (John 6:19). Some will make the case that Jesus voluntarily laid down his abilities and attributes. And they will say this because of their understanding of Philippians 2:7-8. But is a god that is not omnipresent, omniscient and all powerful really the only true God? John, in his gospel (1:18), tells us that no one has seen God at any time. He himself had seen Jesus and had walked with him for over 3 years, as had many others. Could he have believed that Jesus was God and coequal with the Father and also have written that text? In John 6:57 Jesus says, “I live because of the Father”. The Father is self-existent. That is not coequality.

God is “through all and in all”. In the book of Acts, Paul incorporates the words of one of the Greek poets into his gospel presentation (Acts 17:28). “For in Him we live and move and have our being.” This is not an agreement with a monistic religious worldview that looks for God in rocks and trees. The very next verse would easily dispel that notion. Rather, it is the acknowledgement of the omnipresence of God. God is everywhere all at one time. Proverbs 15:3 tells us, “The eyes of the LORD are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good.” If we are aware of the omnipresence of God, of Him being through all and in all, that awareness should serve us in maintaining a humble, gentle and patient disposition towards others.

Ephesians 4:4-6 mp3

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