Comments and Peace Church Events

Comments:

All comments to this blog are welcome. To publish a comment to any article, go to the end of that article and click on the "Comments" link. All articles can be found in the archive section to the right.

If you would like to listen to an article on the internet, go to:

http://www.peacechurch-ok.org/

If you would like to receive an article as an mp3 audio file, just send me an e-mail to that effect.

To send me an e-mail, click on the envelope with an arrow which is to the right of the "Comments" link.

Peace Church Events:

Men's Prayer Breakfast – December 1, 2007

Preparation – James and Jim Roberts

Devotional – Wayne Schoonover and Kerry Malakosky
Summer Camp 2008 -- July 18-21, 2008

Matthew (Part 11)(BST 12-2-07)

Matthew (Part 11)
Bible Study Time 12-2-07

For the past few weeks we’ve been studying the book of Matthew. We have seen that Matthew presents Jesus as Israel’s Messiah, or as the Christ, which simply means the Anointed One. Matthew says that Jesus came as the Son of David and the Son of Abraham. We also see in Matthew that Jesus came as the Seed of the Woman who came to save His people from their sins.

Jesus went out preaching that people should repent of their sins and submit to God because the kingdom of heaven was at hand. Jesus healed the sick, cast our demons and raised the dead. He did these things to prove that He was the promised Messiah.

As time went on and more and more of the common people came to realize that Jesus was the Christ, the Jewish rulers realized that they would have to deal with Jesus to prevent any appearance of political unrest. In John, Chapter 11, we read that the High Priest said:

John 11:50 NKJV
50 . . . it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people, and not that the whole nation should perish."

These Jewish leaders were much more afraid of Rome than they were of God.

Shortly before Jesus was crucified, He entered Jerusalem to observe the Passover. He entered the city riding upon a donkey as the people shouted:

Matthew 21:9 NKJV
9 . . . "Hosanna to the Son of David! 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!'* Hosanna in the highest!"

Just before this triumphal entry into Jerusalem, Jesus had been visiting His friends in Bethany and Matthew says that:

Matthew 26:6-7 NKJV
6 . . . when Jesus was in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper,
7 a woman came to Him having an alabaster flask of very costly fragrant oil, and she poured it on His head as He sat at the table.

But then Matthew says that when the disciples saw what this woman did:

Matthew 26:8-13 NKJV
8 . . . they were indignant, saying, "Why this waste?
9 For this fragrant oil might have been sold for much and given to the poor."
10 But when Jesus was aware of it, He said to them, "Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a good work for Me.
11 For you have the poor with you always, but Me you do not have always.
12 For in pouring this fragrant oil on My body, she did it for My burial.
13 Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her."

In the Gospel of John, Chapter 12, we read that this was Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus, who performed this act of worship. John says that:

John 12:1-8 NKJV
1 . . . six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was . . . whom (Jesus) had raised from the dead.
2 There they made (Jesus) a supper; and Martha served, but Lazarus was one of those who sat at the table with Him.
3 Then Mary took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil.
4 But one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, who would betray Him, said,
5 "Why was this fragrant oil not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?"
6 This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the money box; and he used to take what was put in it.
7 But Jesus said, "Let her alone; she has kept this for the day of My burial.
8 For the poor you have with you always, but Me you do not have always."

From Mary’s actions, we see that she had a deep love for Jesus. The Bible Exposition Commentary says that at that time it would have required a year’s wages for a common laborer to purchase this ointment, and it says that:

In a sense, Mary was showing her devotion to Jesus before it was too late. She was “giving the roses” while He was yet alive, and not bringing them to the funeral! Her act of love and worship was public, spontaneous, sacrificial, lavish, personal and unembarrassed. Jesus called it “a good work” and both commended her and defended her.

As we read the gospels, we see Mary’s love and devotion to Jesus on several other occasions. In the Gospel of Luke, we read that at one point, rather early in Jesus’ ministry, Jesus went to Martha’s house. Luke says that Martha welcomed Jesus into her house but while Martha was serving her guests, Mary “sat at Jesus’ feet and heard His word.” Then Luke says that:

Luke 10:40-42 NKJV
40 . . . Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached (Jesus) and said, "Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me."
41 And Jesus answered and said to her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things.
42 But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her."

No doubt we all have to be reminded from time to time that life involves much more than just what we do or what we achieve. In fact, the real essence of life is found in what we feel. In fact, it is what we feel that determines what we do and what we are able to achieve.

We are born with a sin nature which is dominated by feelings of lust, jealousy and hatred. Jesus said that He came into the world to change all of that. He said, I have come that you might have life, and that you might have it more abundantly.

Jesus came to fill our hearts with feelings of love, peace and joy through the Holy Spirit of God. Galatians 5 says that:

Galatians 5:22-25 NKJV
22 . . . the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.
24 And those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

Jesus died to save our souls, to free us from the passions of the flesh, but also to fill us with a passion for the things of the Spirit of God.

Mary was passionate about the Lord Jesus. As she worshiped the Lord, she had no thought as to what it might cost her. She loved the Lord with all of her heart. Jesus said that Mary chose the good part. She chose to sit at Jesus’ feet and listen to His words. Amos the Prophet once said:

Amos 8:11-12 NKJV
11 "Behold, the days are coming," says the Lord GOD, "That I will send a famine on the land, Not a famine of bread, Nor a thirst for water, But of hearing the words of the LORD.
12 They shall wander from sea to sea, And from north to east; They shall run to and fro, seeking the word of the LORD, But shall not find it.

How precious is the word of the Lord, but how often do we take it for granted. We get so busy doing things and accomplishing tasks, and we just assume that the word of God will always be preached as it is today. We just assume that the church down the road will always be there and that believers will always be able to meet together without fear of persecution. But beloved this is a false assumption.

We need to realize how precious the word of the Lord is, and we need to realize that it pleases the Lord when we love and cherish His word enough to come to Jesus and hear the word of the Lord proclaimed. Jesus said that where two are more are gathered together there I will be in your midst. When we gather to study the word of God, we are in a sense coming to sit at the feet of Jesus to hear Him speak.

It’s interesting that Martha was working very hard. In fact, she was working very hard to please the Lord, but she failed to see the value of the word of the Lord. Mary, on the other hand, chose to sit as Jesus’ feet and hear His word.

She knew that man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. She was much like Job who said:

Job 23:12 NKJV
12 . . . I have treasured the words of His mouth More than my necessary food.

As you will recall, when Lazarus died, Martha went out to meet the Lord and said:

John 11:21-22 NKJV
21 . . . "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.
22 But even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You."

Martha makes no attempt to worship the Lord. She simply wants to remind Him that if He had been there, He could have prevented her brother’s death. When Martha confesses her faith that God will still do whatever Jesus asks, Jesus says:

John 11:23-26 NKJV
23 . . . "Your brother will rise again."
24 (But) Martha said to Him,"I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day."
25 (Then) Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.
26 And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?"

This is an interesting challenge that Jesus presents to Martha. He says, Martha, I want to know, do you really believe this? And Martha says:

John 11:27 NKJV
27 . . . "Yes, Lord, I (do) believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world."

Martha says, Lord, all I really know is that You are the Christ, the Son of God, and with that Martha goes back to get Mary and she tells Mary that Jesus is asking for her.

If, in fact, Jesus did ask for Mary it would certainly point out the special relationship that He had with Mary, and it may be that Martha went out to greet Jesus without Mary because she wanted to speak to Jesus first without Mary being present.

Regardless, when Mary did come to Jesus, she made the very same statement as that of her sister, Martha, but what a difference there was in her attitude. John says that:

John 11:32 NKJV
32 . . . when Mary came where Jesus was, and saw Him, she fell down at His feet, saying to Him,"Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died."

Mary speaks the exact same words that Martha spoke but with a totally different attitude. Mary doesn’t challenge the Lord or question the Lord in any way. She simply falls down before Him and pours out her heart saying, Lord, if you had been here my brother would not have died.

Once again Mary came to worship the Lord and to bare her feelings before Him, knowing that He would protect her and sustain her.

And how did Jesus respond to Mary? Did He attempt to teach her about the doctrine of the resurrection? Did He question her faith? No, He simply shared her grief and felt what she felt. John says that:

John 11:33-34 NKJV
33 . . . when Jesus saw her weeping . . . He groaned in the spirit and was troubled.
34 And He said, "Where have you laid him?" They said to Him, "Lord, come and see."

Then John says that Jesus wept, and John tells us that the Jews who were standing all around assumed that Jesus wept because of His great love for Lazarus. But John makes it clear that Jesus was not weeping for Lazarus. It was His compassion for Mary, when He saw her grieving with such intensity, that caused Him to weep. As Jesus had stated earlier in His Sermon on the Mount:

Matthew 5:3-4 NKJV
3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are those who mourn, For they shall be comforted.

Jesus loved Mary, and He was touched by the depth of her emotion. He felt her pain; He sensed her grief. And He wept.

When Jesus commanded them to remove the stone from Lazarus’ tomb, it was Martha who felt the need to warn Jesus, saying:

John 11:39 NKJV
39 . . . "Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days."

As you read this, can’t you just see Jesus turning to Martha and saying:

John 11:40 NKJV
40 . . . "Did I not say to you, (Martha), that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?"

What a difference between Mary and Martha. In these two sisters, we see two totally different personalities altogether and yet both are saved. Both are true believers, but the fellowship between Mary and Jesus seems to be much sweeter because Mary’s heart was touched by Jesus and there was such a strong emotional bond between the two of them.

Now when we go forward to the time when Mary anointed Jesus’ head and feet with this very expensive ointment, we see that Martha did not say a word. This time is was the disciples who failed to understand the depth and the significance of the bond that existed between Mary and Jesus.

It seemed to them that Mary was simply wasting valuable resources when she anointed Jesus with oil. Matthew says that when the disciples saw what Mary had done:

Matthew 26:8-10,13 NKJV
8 . . . they were indignant, saying, "Why this waste?
9 For this fragrant oil might have been sold for much and given to the poor."
10 But when Jesus was aware of (what they were saying), He said to them, "Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a good work for Me.
13 Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her."

Well, I see our time is gone for this morning. It certainly has been a pleasure studying with you, and I’ll look forward to our time together next week at this same time.

Church links:
http://www.peacechurch-ok.org/
http://www.eleventhavenuechurch.com/
http://gracebiblechurch-fw.com/

Comments and Peace Church Events

Comments:

All comments to this blog are welcome. To publish a comment to any article, go to the end of that article and click on the "Comments" link. All articles can be found in the archive section to the right.

If you would like to listen to an article on the internet, go to:

http://www.peacechurch-ok.org/

If you would like to receive an article as an mp3 audio file, just send me an e-mail to that effect.

To send me an e-mail, click on the envelope with an arrow which is to the right of the "Comments" link.

Peace Church Events:

Men's Prayer Breakfast – December 1, 2007

Preparation – James and Jim Roberts

Devotional – Wayne Schoonover and Kerry Malakosky
Summer Camp 2008 -- July 18-21, 2008

Matthew (Part 10)(BST 11-25-07)

Matthew (Part 10)
Bible Study Time 11-25-07

In Matthew, Chapter 24, the Lord Jesus spoke to His disciples about the destruction that would be coming upon Jerusalem. He spoke of the beautiful temple that Herod had built and said:

Matthew 24:2 NKJV
2 . . . "Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down."

This prompted the disciples to ask:

Matthew 24:3 NKJV
3 . . . when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?"

Now up to this point Jesus and the disciples had spent a good portion of their time telling people that the kingdom of heaven was at hand, but from these questions it is apparent that the disciples knew that something big was going to happen before the kingdom could be established. They knew that it was not going to be a simple matter of Jesus just taking over the reins of government.

Jesus had told them that He was going to be killed and raised from the dead, but Luke tells us that the disciples understood none of these things. However, just because they did not understand it does not mean that they did not hear it. In fact, Matthew says that after Jesus told the disciples about His future death, burial and resurrection, Peter took the Lord aside and said, this shall not happen to you.

Obviously, Peter heard the statement and understood what Jesus said even if he did not understand how such a thing could happen.

Matthew indicates that almost immediately after this, Jesus also told the disciples that:

Matthew 16:27 NKJV
27 . . . 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.

At this point the disciples knew that some truly awesome things were going to take place before the kingdom could be set up. They knew that Jesus was going to die and be raised from the dead, and they knew that somehow He was going to come to the earth again with power and great glory.

It’s no wonder then that they came to Jesus and asked, “What will be the sign of Your coming and of the end of the age?”

We need to bear in mind that as Peter spoke to the Jews on the Day of Pentecost, he was aware of all the things that Jesus taught them in Matthew 24. He knew that before the kingdom could come the Lord Jesus would have to return to the earth in a marvelous display of glory and power. He knew that before the coming of the Lord there would be many imposters claiming to be the Christ, there would be wars and rumors of wars, there would be famine, pestilence and earthquakes. Peter may have also been thinking about the abomination of desolation which Jesus said would surely come before the coming of the Son of Man.

Peter obviously did not know how all of these things were going to transpire before the Lord’s return but he knew that somehow they would take place. Peter was much like we are today in that we don’t know all of the details about the events of the last days of the Church but we do know that God wants us to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ. So we, like Peter, simply follow the leading of the Holy Spirit as we leave the details of the future in the hands of the Lord.

As Peter taught on the Day of Pentecost, he may have had in mind one particular statement by the Lord. In Matthew 24:9, Jesus had said:

Matthew 24:9 NKJV
9 . . . they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name's sake.

With this in mind, Peter and the other Apostles had to know that before the establishment of the kingdom at least some of them would be raised from the dead even as Jesus was raised from the dead. As a result, when the Apostle James was killed by Herod in Acts, Chapter 12, the other Apostles were not surprised or deterred in their zeal to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ.

This hope of eternal life by means of the resurrection was something that had been emphasized from the time of John the Baptist. In John, Chapter 3, we see that John the Baptist said:

John 3:28,30,35,36 (NKJ)
28 "You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, 'I am not the Christ,' but, 'I have been sent before Him.'
30 "He must increase, but I must decrease.
35 "The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into His hand.
36 "He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him."

When the people asked Jesus for the bread that gives eternal life, Jesus said:

John 6:35 NKJV
35 . . . "I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.

John 6:39-40 NKJV
39 This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day.
40 And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day."

The Jews knew that the last day was the Day of Judgment when the Messiah comes to the earth to destroy all that is evil. Here Jesus declares that at the last day He will raise up those who believe in Him that they may have everlasting life.

When Lazarus died, Jesus went to raise Him from the dead. As He drew near to Bethany, Martha came to greet Him and said:

John 11:21-24 NKJV
21 . . . "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.
22 But even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You."
23 Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again."
24 Martha said to Him,"I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day."

Martha knew and believed what Jesus had taught concerning the resurrection of believers at the last day, and she was confident that her brother would be one of those resurrected saints. When Martha spoke of the resurrection at the last day, Jesus said:

John 11:25-27 NKJV
25 . . . "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.
26 And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?"
27 (Martha) said to Him, "Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world."

Martha’s hope in the resurrection to eternal life was based in her faith in Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God. She did not believe that Jesus died for her sins or that He would die for her sins. That had not yet been revealed. But she did believe all that God had revealed up to that point.

In I Corinthians, Chapter 15, Paul reveals the full gospel for us today, and interestingly enough He too associated it with the doctrine of the resurrection. He starts off the chapter saying:

1 Corinthians 15:1-4 NKJV
1 Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand,
2 by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you — unless you believed in vain.
3 For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,
4 and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures,

Then immediately, Paul says that after His resurrection, Jesus:

1 Corinthians 15:5,6 NKJV
5 . . . was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve.
6 (And) After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once . . .

Paul says, folks, the resurrection is real. Jesus was raised from the dead and was seen by all these people. Then Paul says, if Jesus was raised from the dead then we too will be raised from the dead if we believe that Jesus died for our sins, was buried and that He rose again the third day. Then Paul says:

1 Corinthians 15:12-13,17-19 NKJV
12 Now if Christ is preached that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?
13 . . . if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen.
17 And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins!
18 Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. (Oh, brothers and sisters!)
19 If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.

He says, when we take the name of Jesus, we must consider the cost because we know that we will be hated, persecuted and maybe even killed for Christ’s sake. If there is no resurrection from the dead for those who believe, then we are the biggest fools of all time. Our faith is all for nothing if there is no resurrection from the dead.

1 Corinthians 15:20-22 NKJV
20 But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
21 For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead.
22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive.

Indeed, all shall be made alive someday. Whether saved or unsaved, all will be brought back from the dead. As Jesus said:

John 5:28-29 NKJV
28 Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear (My) voice
29 and come forth — those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation.

Jesus said that the saved and the unsaved will be resurrected from the grave, but He gave no indication at this point that these two resurrections would be separated by 1000 years. That particular bit of information is not revealed until John writes Revelation, Chapter 20. But here in I Corinthians, Chapter 15, Paul does reveal for the first time that the saved and the unsaved will be resurrected in two different resurrections. Paul says that in Christ all shall be made alive:

1 Corinthians 15:23-24 NKJV
23 But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ's at His coming.
24 Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power.

So Paul confirms what Jesus said, that at the time of the coming of the Son of Man there will be a resurrection of believers, but then Paul reveals that there will be another resurrection for unbelievers at a later time.

In Matthew 24, the Lord Jesus gave a very simple outline of the events that would take place at the end of the age with the great tribulation period being followed by the coming of the Son of Man and His gathering of the saved Elect unto Himself. He said that the Son of Man will gather the Elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

So, the disciples knew that there would be a resurrection of believers at the coming of the Son of Man, but they may have thought that those believers who are alive at the coming of the Lord might go into the kingdom as mortals. However, Paul said in I Corinthians, Chapter 15:

1 Corinthians 15:50-51 NKJV
50 . . . that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption.
51 Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed —

Paul says that no saved person will go into the kingdom without first receiving from the Lord a new, glorified body. He said that this will happen:

1 Corinthians 15:52-54 NKJV
52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
54 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."*

Well, these passages all refer to the time of the coming of the Son of Man which will occur at the end of the tribulation period. However, the Apostle Paul tells those of us who are members of the Church which is the Body of Christ that we will be taken up to be with the Lord before the tribulation period begins. To us Paul says:

Ephesians 2:4-6 NKJV
4 . . . God, who is rich in mercy . . .
5 . . . made us alive together with Christ . . .
6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,

Colossians 3:1,2 NKJV
1 If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God.
2 Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.

Philippians 3:20-21 NKJV
20 For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,
21 who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body . . .

Colossians 3:4 NKJV
4 (For) When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.

As Paul writes to us in Ephesians, Philippians, and Colossians, we see no mention of anything that is associated with the tribulation period. In fact, we see no mention of the coming of the Lord. In these letters, it’s all about the appearing of the Lord in the heavens and the glorious rapture of the church at the time of His appearing.

Well, it certainly has been a pleasure studying with you this morning, and I’ll look forward to studying with you again next week at this same time.

Church links:
http://www.peacechurch-ok.org/
http://www.eleventhavenuechurch.com/
http://gracebiblechurch-fw.com/

Comments and Peace Church Events

Comments:

All comments to this blog are welcome. To publish a comment to any article, go to the end of that article and click on the "Comments" link. All articles can be found in the archive section to the right.

If you would like to listen to an article on the internet, go to:

http://www.peacechurch-ok.org/

If you would like to receive an article as an mp3 audio file, just send me an e-mail to that effect.

To send me an e-mail, click on the envelope with an arrow which is to the right of the "Comments" link.

Peace Church Events:

Men's Prayer Breakfast – December 1, 2007

Preparation – James and Jim Roberts

Devotional – Wayne Schoonover and Kerry Malakosky
Summer Camp 2008 -- July 18-21, 2008

Matthew (Part 9)(BST 11-18-07)

Matthew (Part 9)
Bible Study Time 11-18-07

Shortly before the Lord was crucified, He entered Jerusalem riding upon the colt of a donkey with the crowd chanting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!” According to the book of John, Jesus had just raised Lazarus from the dead not too many days before, and it seems the crowd was ready to crown Jesus as the King of Israel.

When Jesus arrived at the temple, He was greatly disturbed to find the money changers working within the confines of the temple. Matthew says that:

Matthew 21:12-14 NKJV
12 . . . Jesus went into the temple of God and drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves.
13 And He said to them, "It is written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer,' but you have made it a 'den of thieves.'"*
14 Then the blind and the lame came to (Jesus) in the temple, and He healed them.

Jesus gave sight to the blind and made the lame to walk, but He also spent much of His time teaching. As Jesus taught, the Chief Priests and teachers of the Law were constantly looking for some way to justify arresting Him for they had already determined that they would put Him to death.

The Gospel of John tells us that after Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead:

John 11:47-48 NKJV
47 . . . the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered a council and said,"What shall we do? For this Man works many signs.
48 If we let Him alone like this, everyone will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and nation."

You see, the Jewish leaders knew that if the people did crown Jesus as the King of Israel, the Romans would most certainly intervene. The Romans were content to give the religious leaders a great deal of autonomy as long as they were able to keep the people under control. The Romans didn’t care what the people believed or practiced as long as they paid their taxes and gave every outward sign of being loyal to Rome. So when Caiaphas, the High Priest, saw that Jesus was about to be crowned as the King of Israel, he said to the council:

John 11:49-50 NKJV
49 . . . "You know nothing at all,
50 nor do you consider that it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people, and not that the whole nation should perish."

At this point, John interpreted the words of the High Priest, saying:

John 11:51,53 NKJV
51 Now this he did not say on his own authority; but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation,
53 Then, from that day on, they plotted to put (Jesus) to death.

So as Jesus taught in the temple, the Jewish leaders were closely watching His every move and paying close attention to His every word. They often presented Him with trick questions hoping that He would incriminate Himself and give them an excuse to arrest Him.

Now, this whole exercise of arresting Jesus and putting Him through a trial was obviously something that the Jewish leaders had cooked up to appease the people. When they did finally arrest Jesus, they took Him to Pilate and Pilate said:

John 18:31 NKJV
31 . . . "You take Him and judge Him according to your law." Therefore the Jews said to him, "It is not lawful for us to put anyone to death,"

Well, this is interesting because they had already attempted to kill Jesus on previous occasions. In John, Chapter 10, when Jesus said, “I and My Father are one,” John says:

John 10:31-33,39 NKJV
31 . . . the Jews took up stones again to stone Him.
32 Jesus answered them, "Many good works I have shown you from My Father. For which of those works do you stone Me?"
33 The Jews answered Him, saying, "For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, make Yourself God."
39 Therefore they sought again to seize Him, but He escaped out of their hand.

Obviously, if there really was a law which prohibited the Jews from putting criminals to death, it was a law which was very loosely enforced by the Romans.

Six years after the crucifixion, Stephen was killed by the official order of the Sanhedrin. Then shortly thereafter, Saul of Tarsus was sent to Damascus by order of the High Priest to arrest the followers of Jesus. When Paul was arrested in Jerusalem after his third missionary journey, he stood before the Jews and said:

Acts 22:4-5 NKJV
4 I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women,
5 as also the high priest bears me witness, and all the council of the elders, from whom I also received letters to the brethren, and went to Damascus to bring in chains even those who were there to Jerusalem to be punished.

When Paul recounted these events before King Agrippa, he said:

Acts 26:10 NKJV
10 . . . many of the saints I shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief priests; and when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them.

Clearly, the Jewish leaders could have put Jesus to death, but they decided to arrest Jesus in the middle of the night and take Him to Pilate so that they could blame Pilate for Jesus’ death. If there was a law against their using the death penalty, it was a law which they obeyed only when it suited their political agenda.

When the Chief Priest stated that it would be better for one man to die for the nation than for the whole nation to perish, he revealed his personal respect for the Roman army, but he also revealed his lack of respect for Jesus and the fact that he did not fear the Lord.

Jesus had done great miracles to show His power over those in authority as well as His power over the creation. As I mentioned earlier, Jesus simply disappeared when they tried to stone Him. Jesus said:

John 10:17-18 NKJV
17 " . . . My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again.
18 No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father."

Jesus was the Son of God. Because He was Jehovah God in the flesh, He had all the power of the Almighty God. The Romans on the other hand were mere human beings with only human force and human armies, and yet the Chief Priest respected and feared the Roman army more than he feared the Lord.

If the Chief Priest and the scribes had put their faith in Jesus as the very Son of God, they would have seen the Lord Jesus in all of His glory as the One who could defeat the Romans and establish the Kingdom of God on the earth. When they refused to believe, they actually condemned their nation to destruction for in 70 A.D. the Romans came into Jerusalem and burned the temple and the city to the ground.

Before Jesus was arrested, He looked out over Jerusalem. His heart was heavy because He knew the death and the destruction that lay ahead. He said:

Matthew 23:37-39 NKJV
37 "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!
38 See! Your house is left to you desolate;
39 for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!'"*

Then Matthew says that:

Matthew 24:1-2 NKJV
1 . . . Jesus went out and departed from the temple, and His disciples came up to show Him the buildings of the temple.
2 (But) Jesus said to them, "Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down."

By rejecting Jesus, the Jewish leaders were condemning their nation to what would become centuries of exile, persecution and suffering. It’s no wonder that the Lord Jesus likened them to the blind leading the blind.

While Jesus taught in the temple area, the religious leaders approached Jesus with their trick questions. They asked Jesus if it was appropriate to pay taxes to Caesar. Jesus said, “Render unto Caesar those things that are Caesar’s and render unto God the things that belong to God.” When the Sadducees asked Jesus about marriage in the resurrection, Jesus confirmed that there will indeed be a resurrection of the dead, but He plainly declared that in the resurrection there will be neither marrying nor giving in marriage.

This silenced the Sadducees, but then one of the Pharisees questioned Jesus, asking which of the commandants is the greatest? Jesus answered by saying that the greatest commandment of all is, thou shalt love the Lord thy God will all thine heart, and the second is, thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.

What a beautiful God we serve! Here Jesus was under a barrage of trick questions from people who were determined to kill Him, and He takes the opportunity to talk about love. Human beings so often get wrapped up in making and keeping the rules, but Jesus knew that love is the reason for the rules. He knew that the only reason God gave the rules was because of His great love for man. Jesus said that all of the Law and the prophets hang on these two commandments that we should love God and love our neighbors.

When God said, love the Lord with all your heart, He knew that those who do love the Lord are the ones who experience the love of God. They experience the fullness of His love, His joy and His peace. If we love ourselves or if we love the world more than we love God, we will rob ourselves of the blessings of God.

Notice that God never commanded us to love Him more than we love anything else. He didn’t say, I want to be your number one. No, He said, there is no room for number two. It’s kind of like most wives feel when it comes to the affection of their husbands. They don’t want to be the one who comes in ahead of everyone else; they want to be the only one.

Well, that’s the way God is. He wants to be my all in all. He doesn’t want just part of my heart. He doesn’t even want the biggest part of my heart. He wants all of my heart. He said, love me, completely and totally, with all of your heart.

This week, as we approach the Thanksgiving holiday, we need to think about the fact that God is so very deserving of all of our love and all of our thanksgiving. People who love the Lord will be thankful people. When we experience the fullness of His love, His joy and His peace, we cannot help but be thankful.

If we refuse to love the Lord with all of our hearts, we will always be unthankful. Regardless of how much we get or how much we achieve, the things of this world will never satisfy.

The people who lived in the days of Nimrod were great achievers. They were actually planning to build a tower that would reach into the heavens. God even said, if they are left alone, there is nothing that they propose that will be withheld from them. But were they thankful to God? Not at all. All of the pagan idolatry in the world can be traced right back to them. Romans, Chapter 1, says:

Romans 1:18,21,22 NKJV
18 . . . the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,
21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were (they) thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.
22 Professing to be wise, they became fools,

Indeed, it is a foolish thing to refuse to love God with all of our hearts. If we do refuse to love Him, we rob ourselves of His love, His joy and His peace. When we love the Lord with all of our hearts, we find ourselves being thankful for all of the blessings of God. Even in trial and tribulation, we sense the presence of the Lord, and we see the hand of the Lord working all things together for good. Paul wrote to the Philippians and said:

Philippians 4:6-7 NKJV
6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;
7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

To the Colossians, Paul said:

Colossians 2:6-7 NKJV
6 As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him,
7 rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.

Colossians 3:15 NKJV
15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful.

Colossians 4:2 NKJV
2 Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving;

God has called us to be thankful for all that He has done. It is a blessing to us and to God when we give thanks to God. Those of us who know the Lord can sing with the Psalmist:

Psalms 100 KJV
1 Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands.
2 Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing.
3 Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.
5 For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endures to all generations.

Thank you so much for joining me for Bible Study Time this morning. I hope you have a joyful time of thanksgiving this week, and I’ll look forward to studying with you again next week at this same time.

Church links:
http://www.peacechurch-ok.org/
http://www.eleventhavenuechurch.com/
http://gracebiblechurch-fw.com/

Comments and Peace Church Events

Comments:

All comments to this blog are welcome. To publish a comment to any article, go to the end of that article and click on the "Comments" link. All articles can be found in the archive section to the right.

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To send me an e-mail, click on the envelope with an arrow which is to the right of the "Comments" link.

Peace Church Events:

Men's Prayer Breakfast – December 1, 2007

Preparation – James and Jim Roberts

Devotional – Wayne Schoonover and Kerry Malakosky
Summer Camp 2008 -- July 18-21, 2008

Matthew (Part 8)(BST 11-11-07)

Matthew (Part 8)
Bible Study Time 11-11-07

Today, we’re continuing our study of the book of Matthew which is, of course, one of the four gospels. We call Matthew, Mark, Luke and John the Gospels, and that’s kind of interesting because they don’t specifically contain the gospel message. For the gospel as we know it today, we turn to I Corinthians 15 where Paul says:

1 Corinthians 15:1-4 NKJV
1 Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand,
2 by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you — unless you believed in vain.
3 For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,
4 and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures,

Though the gospels are brief, they are oh so powerful. One cannot help but be overwhelmed by Jesus’ compassion for the people He touched and healed, by the grace with which He dealt with the arrogant and hard-hearted religious leaders of His day, by His special relationship with the Father in heaven. From the gospels we see that Jesus knew the hearts of men, and He was willing to submit to the plan and purpose of God.

The gospels present the good news that the Promised Savior-Messiah came into the world. The bad news is that He was rejected by mankind and crucified upon a cross. However, the good news picks up again with the resurrection and ascension of Christ.

Six thousand years before the birth of Christ, God had promised in the Garden of Eden that a Redeemer would come as the Seed of the Woman. This Redeemer was to wound the head of Satan and deliver mankind from the guilt and penalty of sin.

This promise of a Redeemer was further defined 2000 years later when Abraham was promised a Seed through whom all the families and nations of the earth would be blessed. Five hundred years after Abraham, Moses was told that God was going to send a Prophet into the world who would speak the words of God and do great miracles. God said that the people would be held accountable for every word spoken by this Prophet. Then after another 500 years, King David was told that from his Seed the Messiah would come to rule from the throne of David as the King over an everlasting kingdom of righteousness.

So when Jesus was born as the Promised Seed, it was good news. The Promised Redeemer, the Promised Prophet, the Promised King had come into the world. The night that Jesus was born, an angel appeared to the shepherds and said:

Luke 2:10-14 (NKJ)
10 . . . I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people.
11 "For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
12 "And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger."
13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying:
14 "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!"

The angels sang and the hearts of men rejoiced to think that the Savior-Messiah had come. The gospels record the virgin birth of Jesus and Jesus’ declaration that He was the Messiah. They tell of His death, burial, resurrection and ascension, but they do not reveal the significance of these events in terms of the gospel message that we preach today.

Even in the ministry of the twelve Apostles during the early part of the Acts period, we do not see the gospel as we know it today. The message of the twelve was simply the good news that Jesus was the Messiah and that He had come back from the dead. In Acts, Chapter 2, Peter said:

Acts 2:23-24 NKJV
23 (This Jesus, who was) delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death;
24 whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it.

So Peter and the eleven were obliged to preach what was later recorded in the gospel accounts, namely that Jesus was the Christ, and that He had been raised from the dead and had been seen by the Apostles before He was taken up into heaven.

We need to bear in mind that the gospels were written probably twenty years after the crucifixion, whereas the events of Acts, Chapter 2, occurred only fifty days after the crucifixion. In fact, the word Pentecost means fiftieth and the feast of Pentecost commemorated the giving of the Law at Mt. Sinai which occurred fifty days after the first Passover was observed just before the Jews left Egypt.

However, this gospel which was taught by the twelve was destined to undergo some major refinement with some additional revelation from God. The first step in this direction occurred on the road to Damascus when Saul of Tarsus met the Lord Jesus Christ and became the thirteenth apostle.

Immediately after his conversion, Paul started spreading the good news that Jesus had been raised from the dead and that Jesus was in fact the promised Messiah. Acts, Chapter 9, says that:

Acts 9:20-22 NKJV
20 Immediately he preached the Christ in the synagogues, that He is the Son of God.
21 Then all who heard were amazed, and said,"Is this not he who destroyed those who called on this name in Jerusalem, and has come here for that purpose, so that he might bring them bound to the chief priests?"
22 But (Paul) increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who dwelt in Damascus, proving that this Jesus is the Christ.

So we see that here at the first of Paul’s ministry, he was preaching the same thing that the other Apostles were preaching. But by the time Paul went on his first missionary journey up into the region of Galatia, we see indications of God’s special revelation to Paul. In Acts, Chapter 13, we read that in Antioch of Pisidia Paul went to the synagogue of the Jews and said:

Acts 13:23
23 From (David’s) seed, according to the promise, God raised up for Israel a Savior (whose name is Jesus)

So far this is exactly what the other Apostles were preaching. Paul goes on:

Acts 13:26
26 "Men and brethren, sons of the family of Abraham, and those among you who fear God, to you the word of this salvation has been sent.

Again, Paul emphasizes the importance of the Jews in God’s kingdom program. Paul says, God is sending this message to you because the kingdom was promised to you. Paul reminds them that Jesus came as the Son of David and the Seed of Abraham. Then he says:

Acts 13:27-33
27 For those who dwell in Jerusalem, and their rulers, because they did not know (who Jesus was, and because they did not understand the voice of the prophets, even though the prophets are read every Sabbath, they have fulfilled the voice of the prophets by condemning Jesus.)
28 And though they found no cause for death in Him, they asked Pilate that He should be put to death.
29 Now when they had fulfilled all that was written concerning Him, they took Him down from the tree and laid Him in a tomb.
30 But God raised Him from the dead.
31 He was seen for many days by those who came up with Him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are His witnesses to the people.
32 And we declare to you glad tidings — that promise which was made to the fathers.
33 God has fulfilled this for us their children, in that He has raised up Jesus . . .

Paul says, the prophets all spoke of the death, resurrection and ascension of the Messiah, and then Paul declares the good news that Jesus fulfilled all of these prophesies and was therefore to be accepted as the Messiah. But at this point Paul goes on to reveal some of the additional revelation that had been given to him by the Lord. He says:

Acts 13:38-39
38 Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that through this Man is preached to you the forgiveness of sins;
39 and by Him everyone who believes is justified from all things from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses.

Here Paul says, you cannot be justified by doing good works because justification comes to those who believe. If you believe in Jesus and accept by faith that He was raised from the dead, your sins will be forgiven and you will be justified in the sight of God.

Please note that Paul never told these Jews to stop practicing the Law. He simply said that they could not be justified by keeping the Law. Paul knew that it was perfectly acceptable and appropriate at this point in history for the Jews to continue practicing the Law. After all, the Law of Moses was to be the Law of the Kingdom.

It was quite a different story, however, when Paul stepped outside of the synagogue in Antioch and started speaking to the Gentiles. Acts 13 does not record what Paul told the Gentiles, but we can surmise from his previous message in the synagogue that he also told them that justification comes to those who put their faith in the death, burial and resurrection of Christ. But from Paul’s later letter to the Galatians, we can speculate that he might have warned them about the dangers of getting caught up in the rituals and ceremonies of the Law of Moses.

Whether he warned them about this about this at that time, we can’t say for sure, but we do know that he most certainly did warn them about the rituals in his letter to the Galatians. That letter was written some ten years after his first visit to Galatia and in that letter Paul said that if they did submit to circumcision, Christ would actually profit them nothing.

That is pretty strong language, but Paul didn’t actually start off his letter with that tone. He started his letter to the Galatians by simply emphasizing the basic truth of the gospel, saying:

Galatians 1:3-4 NKJV
3 Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ,
4 who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father,

Paul says, Christ was not just falsely accused and killed by ungodly people, but He willingly offered Himself as the sacrifice for sin. He gave Himself for our sins so that He could deliver us from this present evil age.

Paul still had the age of the New Covenant Kingdom in mind and he wanted everyone to know that the believer’s hope of deliverance from this present age was directly related to their willingness to believe in the work of Christ upon the cross. Then Paul says:

Galatians 1:6-8 NKJV
6 I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel,
7 which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ.
8 But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed.

Paul knew that the believing Jews were continuing to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ in connection with the practice of the Law of Moses. Consequently, Paul had to show why he was preaching a different gospel. So Paul said:

Galatians 1:11-12 NKJV
11 . . . I make known to you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man.
12 For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came through the revelation of Jesus Christ.

Galatians 1:15-19 NKJV
15 But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb and called me through His grace,
16 to reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately confer with flesh and blood,
17 nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me; but I went to Arabia, and returned again to Damascus.
18 Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and remained with him fifteen days.
19 But I saw none of the other apostles except James, the Lord's brother.

Paul says, I don’t preach the same gospel as the other apostles because the Lord Jesus told me to preach the gospel that I’m preaching. I did not receive my gospel from men, but I received it directly from Jesus Christ. After I was saved, I went to Arabia, and I never even saw Peter for three years.

What was Paul’s gospel? That Jesus gave Himself for our sins. Paul further defines his gospel in Chapter 2, saying:

Galatians 2:16 NKJV
16 . . . a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.

Galatians 2:19-20 NKJV
19 For I, through the law, died to the law that I might live to God.
20 I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.

Part of Paul’s revelation came when he saw the change that occurred within himself after he put his faith in Christ. At that point God explained to Paul the power of the shed blood of Jesus Christ, that faith in the shed is what God requires for individual salvation and for establishment of the New Covenant Kingdom. This gospel message is not found in the Gospel of Matthew, nor is it found in any of the other gospel accounts. It was revealed to and through the Apostle Paul.

At the end of the Acts period, God set aside His offer to the Jews of the New Covenant Kingdom. At that point Paul began to reveal the program for the Church of our present age. We have not yet been delivered from this present evil age. We have not yet entered into the New Covenant Kingdom. Today God is simply offering individual salvation to all those who place their faith in the power of the shed blood of Jesus Christ.

Well, thank you for listening to Bible Study Time this morning. It’s been a pleasure studying with you, and I’ll look forward to studying with you again next week at this same time.

Church links:
http://www.peacechurch-ok.org/
http://www.eleventhavenuechurch.com/
http://gracebiblechurch-fw.com/

Comments and Peace Church Events

Comments:

All comments to this blog are welcome. To publish a comment to any article, go to the end of that article and click on the "Comments" link. All articles can be found in the archive section to the right.

If you would like to listen to an article on the internet, go to:

http://www.peacechurch-ok.org/

If you would like to receive an article as an mp3 audio file, just send me an e-mail to that effect.

To send me an e-mail, click on the envelope with an arrow which is to the right of the "Comments" link.

Peace Church Events:

Men's Prayer Breakfast – November 3, 2007

Preparation – Kerry M. and Wayne S.

Devotional – Joe Fischer
Summer Camp 2008 -- July 18-21, 2008

Matthew (Part 7)(BST 11-4-07)

Matthew (Part 7)
Bible Study Time 11-4-07

The past few weeks we have been looking at Matthew’s gospel. We have seen that the Lord Jesus was the Promised Seed. He was the Promised Seed of the Woman, and He was the Promised Seed of Abraham and David. He did miracles, wonders and signs as a confirmation to the nation of Israel that He truly was the Promised One. He was the Promised Seed. He was the Promised Prophet. He was the Promised Messiah.

This was good news for the nation of Israel. Israel had long awaited the day when the Promised Seed would come. However, there was one big problem. Jesus came unto His own but His own received Him not. The nation of Israel refused to recognize Jesus as the Promised Messiah.

The life of Joseph in the Old Testament had served as a prophetic picture of what the life of the Messiah would be. Joseph went to his brothers, speaking the truth, but his brothers simply refused to listen. Instead, they hated Joseph and plotted to kill him. Likewise, Jesus did great miracles and spoke the truth of God, but rather than rejoice, the Jewish leaders hated Jesus and plotted to kill Him.

The rejection of the Messiah was also pictured in the rejection of Moses when he first presented himself to the nation of Israel. When he tried to intervene in a quarrel between two Jewish men, the Jewish men said, “Who made you ruler and judge over us?”

So, when Jesus came the first time, He too was rejected by His own people, and more specifically He was rejected by the Jewish religious leaders. When Jesus came riding into Jerusalem on a donkey, the common people of Jerusalem gathered palm leaves and placed them in His path. They shouted praises to God, saying:

Matthew 21:9 NKJV
9 . . . "Hosanna to the Son of David! 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!'* Hosanna in the highest!"

When the children in the temple area shouted, “Hosanna to the Son of David,” the religious leaders came to Jesus and asked, “Do you hear what these children are saying?” In reply, Jesus said, “

Matthew 21:16 NKJV
16 . . . "Yes. Have you never read, 'Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have perfected praise'?"*

Obviously, the Lord Jesus was not intimidated by these religious leaders. He was always ready and willing to offer proof that He was the Messiah.

All that God required of the Jews was faith. God wasn’t asking them to keep the Law more perfectly. (They had already proven themselves to be incapable of keeping the Law.) God wasn’t asking them to raise an army to attack the Romans. God wasn’t even asking them to make Jesus their King.

No, God was simply asking them to believe. If they could have just found it within themselves to believe that Jesus was the Christ, God would have taken care of everything else. God would have delivered them from their sin. God would have delivered them from the Romans. God would have done it all, if they had just believed that Jesus was the Christ. But that was not to be.

Matthew says that shortly after Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, Jesus was once again entering the city. Because He was hungry, He drew near a fig tree, but when He found no fruit on the tree, He said, “Let no fruit grow on you ever again.” Immediately, the fig tree withered.

This fig tree is a picture of the nation of Israel. The Jews had all of the outward signs of a living, vital faith in God. They went to the temple to pay and pray. (The tithes and the public prayers were a top priority for them.) They kept the Sabbath and all of the feast days. They did all of these things, but they had no fruit.

They had an outward show of faith, but genuine faith is much more than that. Genuine faith is a matter of the heart. If the Jews had truly believed in God, they would have believed in Jesus also. Jesus told His disciples, “You believe in God, believe also in me.” But Jesus asked the unbelieving Jews this question: “How can you believe? You receive honor from one another, but you do not seek the honor that comes from God.”

This is what keeps many people from coming to Jesus with genuine faith. They love the praise of men more that they love the praise of God. God’s thoughts are far above man’s thoughts, and God’s ways are far above man’s ways. The honor that comes from man is based on outward deeds which are more definable and more achievable for human beings. God, on the other hand, is looking for the abstract, spiritual qualities that flow from the Holy Spirit into the heart of those who believe.

Jesus could see through all of the shallow religiosity of the Jewish leaders. He said:

John 5:45-47 NKJV
45 Do not think that I shall accuse you to the Father; there is one who accuses you — Moses, in whom you trust.
46 For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me.
47 But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?"

The Jews put Moses on a pedestal, but they refused to believe what Moses said. Moses gave the Law, but the Jews twisted and distorted the Law to fit their own political agenda. Moses said that God would send the Prophet who would do great miracles like those of Moses, but the Jews refused to believe in Jesus in spite of His miracles. Through Moses, God had promised that the nation of Israel would become a nation of priests, serving and blessing the Gentile nations, but because of Israel’s unbelief, the nation of Israel was destined to remain a tree without fruit.

When Jesus spoke to and pronounced judgment upon the fig tree, it immediately withered, and Matthew says that the disciples marveled and asked, “How did the fig tree wither away so soon?”

Matthew 21:21-22 NKJV
21 So Jesus answered and said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' it will be done.
22 And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive."

I love this passage. Isn’t that beautiful? This passage encourages me to take full advantage of the power of prayer. I sometimes need to be reminded that God wants me to cast all of my cares upon Him. He is never too busy to hear my petitions or to comfort me when my heart aches. Even more often, I need to be reminded that God is never too angry with me to hear my confession and forgive my sin. Indeed, this passage does help me to remember that God always answers the prayer that is offered in faith.

In Jesus’ day, God was looking for people with faith, and today, God is still looking for people with faith. In Jesus’ day, God required people to believe that Jesus was the Christ. Today, God requires people to believe that Jesus died on the cross for our sins. If we have faith, we will believe what God has said.

There are spiritual mountains that keep people from surrendering their lives to Christ. Sometimes it’s pride. Sometimes it’s doubt. Sometimes it’s past experiences that leave people with calloused hearts.

All of these things can be spiritual barriers that stand like mountains between the unbeliever and Christ. But these mountains can be torn down by simply believing what God has said in His word. If we believe that God wants all people to be saved, and if we believe that God is able to save us because of Christ’s death on the cross, if we believe those mountains will disappear forever. They will be as if they were cast into the sea.

The one thing that God requires of people today is faith, and the one great area where people fall short is in their faith. Today, there are literally millions of people around the world who have steadfastly refused to believe that when Jesus Christ died, He died for our sins. God has made it perfectly clear in His word that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God,

Romans 3:21-22 NKJV
21 But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed . . .
22 even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all* who believe . . .

After all, what does the Old Testament say:

Romans 10:8-10 NKJV
8 . . . "The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart"* (that is, the word of faith which we preach):
9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

Ephesians 2:8-10 KJV
8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

Faith in Jesus Christ and His finished work upon the cross opens the door to eternal life. Jesus said, I am the door, if anyone enters by me, he will be saved. If we have faith, all of the mountains that keep us from coming to Jesus will disappear, and we will see the glory of God’s salvation.

However, we do need to realize that when Jesus was talking to His disciples about casting mountains into the sea, He wasn’t specifically talking about the spiritual barriers that keep people from accepting Christ. He was talking about literal, physical mountains, and He didn’t just say to His disciples that there would be times when they would be able to cast mountains into the sea. He didn’t just say that they would be able to cast mountains into the sea if they prayed according to the will of God. He said, whatever you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive. That is absolute and very specific.

Well, does that mean that God will do whatever I ask Him to do if I just have enough faith? I have to admit that sounds pretty good to my fleshly mind, but this is where we have to rightly divide the word of truth.

If a man was hired to build a highway for the state of Oklahoma, and he knew that he would have to level a mountain in order to build that highway, I think most of us would agree that it would be God’s will for that man to do more than just pray. In fact, most of us would agree that it would be a sin for that person to do nothing but pray. We know that according to the way God works today, it would be very unusual for that mountain to be removed by prayer alone.

Today, when we ask God to help us accomplish a task, it’s understood that we will do everything He asks us to do in order to make sure that task is accomplished. We will pray that God will lead us and give us the knowledge and the skill and the motivation that we need to accomplish the task. Then, when the job is done, we will give the glory to God because we will know that it was God working in us that got the job done. But this is not what Jesus was talking about when He told His disciples that they would be able to cast mountains into the sea by simply praying in faith.

What Jesus was talking about was the literal supernatural power that the Apostles will have during the kingdom. Jesus was in a sense reinforcing what He had already told Peter. When Peter confessed that Jesus was the Christ, Jesus said, “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

Jesus wanted the Apostles to know that when the kingdom does come, it will be a supernatural kingdom where supernatural things happen all the time. We live in a time in which God has chosen to limit any overt display of His supernatural power. Those who have eyes to see will see the working of God, but those who are spiritually blind will explain away the things that God does.

In our present time, rather than putting His supernatural power on display, God has chosen to give great authority and power to the devil, and we know the power of the devil will increase more and more until Christ returns to establish the kingdom. But when the kingdom does come, the mighty supernatural power of God will be made manifest all over the earth, and even the unsaved will not be able to explain it away. All the world will be astonished at the mighty power of God.

We got a glimpse of that power when Moses led the children of Israel up out of Egypt to establish the kingdom in the land of Canaan. They actually walked across the Red Sea on dry land. We also got a hint of that power in the ministry of Jesus and His disciples. As they went out preaching the gospel of the kingdom, they did great miracles to demonstrate the supernatural power of God.

As you may recall there was one time when the disciples were unable to cast out a demon. When the disciples asked Jesus why they were unable to cast out that demon, Jesus said that it was because of their unbelief.

Well, situations like that will not occur during the kingdom. At that time the faith of the Apostles will have been made perfect. By that time, they will have been resurrected from the grave, to rule and reign with Christ in glorified bodies, and there will be no limitations on the miraculous deeds they will perform. If they ask God to cast a mountain into the sea, it will be done instantaneously. Just as the fig tree immediately obeyed the voice of Jesus, all of creation will obey the word of the Apostles.

That’s exactly why it will be that during the kingdom ten men from every language of the nations will grasp the sleeve of a Jewish man, saying, “Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.” During that time, saved Gentiles and unsaved Gentiles alike will want to get in on the supernatural power that will be flowing from God through the Apostles to the nations of the world.

That’s why it will be that during the kingdom many peoples and strong nations will come to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem to pray before the Lord. There will be no limit to the supernatural power that God will reveal to the world during that time.

During that time the faith of the Apostles will have been perfected. They will speak the word of faith and mountains will be cast into the sea. Whatever they bind on earth will be bound in heaven and whatever they loose on earth will be loose in heaven.

Today, Israel’s kingdom program has been set aside, and it is not part of God’s plan to give us that kind of power. When we pray, we pray first for God’s perfect will to be done. We still have bodies of flesh which carry certain spiritual limitations. We have limited faith and limited understanding. We cannot know what the perfect will of God is in every situation, but we can know that God’s will is perfect, and we can know that God is always good.

Second, because we are still under the curse, we know that God expects us to work to accomplish His will. If we are sick, we pray for healing, but we still go to the doctor, and we pray that God will give the doctor wisdom and skill. If we need money, we still go out and get a job, but then we pray that God will help us do the job well, and that He will help us to be good stewards of that which He gives us. This is the way God works today.

Today, our prayer of faith is one that recognizes that God’s will is more important than our own, and when we pray this prayer of faith, we will see God doing greater things than we could ever ask or think. So today, as we go to worship the Lord, let us rejoice in the power of prayer and in the goodness as well as the sovereignty of God.

Thank you for studying with me this morning. I’ll look forward to studying with you again next year at this same time.

Church links:
http://www.peacechurch-ok.org/
http://www.eleventhavenuechurch.com/
http://gracebiblechurch-fw.com/