Genesis (Part 5)(BST 6-29-08)

Genesis (Part 5)
Bible Study Time 6-29-08
(From James Roberts 9-1-96)

This morning we’re going to continue in our Journey Through the Scripture. We trust that you have gotten on board with us as we take this Journey Through the Scripture each Sunday morning at 8:30. We are now at Genesis, Chapter 4, where we see Cain and Abel, the children of Adam and Eve. Let’s begin by reading Genesis, Chapter 4 and verse 1:

Genesis 4:1-12 NKJV
1 Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, and said, "I have acquired a man from the Lord."
2 Then she bore again, this time his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.
3 And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the Lord.
4 Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And the Lord respected Abel and his offering,
5 but He did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell.
6 So the Lord said to Cain, "Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen?
7 If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it."
8 Now Cain talked with Abel his brother; and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him.
9 Then the Lord said to Cain, "Where is Abel your brother?" He said,"I do not know. Am I my brother's keeper?"
10 And He said, "What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood cries out to Me from the ground.
11 So now you are cursed from the earth, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand.
12 When you till the ground, it shall no longer yield its strength to you. A fugitive and a vagabond you shall be on the earth."

When God created Adam and Eve, He placed them in the garden where He dealt with them in innocence. Every day He came into the garden, and He walked and He talked with Adam and Eve in the cool of the day. This speaks of the great time of fellowship that they had one with another.

But Satan came into that garden and tempted Eve. She disobeyed God and then gave to her husband the forbidden fruit, and he ate. Then, suddenly they became conscious of their sin, and they knew that they were naked.

Later, when God came into the garden, He called out for Adam, saying, Adam, where are you? God sought for Adam and asked Adam what he had done. When their sin was confessed, God placed a curse upon Adam and Eve and upon the ground and upon the serpent.

A part of the curse which was placed upon the serpent was that the Seed of the Woman would bruise the head of Satan, even though Satan would bruise the heel of the Seed of the Woman. This was actually the first promise of the Redeemer who would come as the Seed of the Woman.

Now we know that the prophecy concerning the Seed of the woman was fulfilled when the Lord Jesus was born. He came as the Seed of the Woman who was born of the virgin Mary. When Jesus Christ came into the world, He suffered on the cross and this bruised the head of the serpent who was Satan. In the book of Hebrews, we read that Jesus Christ took upon Himself flesh and blood that He might destroy or set at naught the work of Satan. In His death, burial and resurrection, Christ bruised the head of Satan.

As Christ suffered on the cross, Satan was also able to bruise the heel of Jesus Christ. Satan did this by causing the people to reject the Lord Jesus and nail Him to the cross. This was a nonfatal wound, however, because Christ was raised from the dead. Satan did not realize it before the cross, but it was the death, burial and resurrection of the Lord Jesus that was going to seal Satan’s fate in the lake of fire along with all those who follow after him.

Eve knew very well this prophecy that the Seed of the Woman would bruise the head of Satan. So when she had her first son, Cain, it seems that she thought that Cain was the promised Seed. At the time of Cain’s birth, she said:

Genesis 4:1 NKJV
1 . . . "I have acquired a man from the Lord."

Eve may have thought at first that Cain was the promised Seed, but she would soon learn that that was not the case. We now know that the fulfillment of that prophecy was not to come for many centuries. In fact that prophecy was not fulfilled until the Lord Jesus was born. However, it’s wonderful to see that Eve did believe God when God said that one of her descendants would bruise the head of the serpent.

Later, when Eve conceived another son, she called his name Abel. It seems in verse 3 that Cain and Abel are adults because we see that Abel was a keeper of sheep while Cain was a tiller of the ground, and we read in verse 3 that:

Genesis 4:3-4 NKJV
3 . . . in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the Lord.
4 Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And the Lord respected Abel and his offering,

When this says that Abel brought of the fat of the flock, this probably means that Abel brought the fattest of all the sheep of his flock. As it turned out, God accepted Abel’s offering, but God did not accept Cain’s offering.

For the rest of the time that we have this morning, I’d like for us to think about the three things that God required of those who brought an offering to the Lord. First of all, God had a prescribed a time. Verse 3 says that in the process of time Cain brought his offering. God also had a prescribed place where they were to offer their offerings, and then God also prescribed the kind of offering that they were to bring.

The book of Hebrews, Chapter 11, tells us that it was by faith that Abel offered up a more excellent sacrifice than Cain. How is it that Abel offered up his offering by faith? Undoubtedly, God had told Adam what was required of those who would approach God and be accepted by God in fellowship.

Before the fall of man, Adam and Eve had walked in fellowship with God without any kind of prescribed offering, but now that they had been driven out of the garden because of their disobedience, they had to offer up a sacrifice which would bring them back to the place of fellowship with God.

Undoubtedly, as Cain and Abel grew up, they saw Adam and Eve offering sacrifices to God, and so they knew what God had prescribed. It is likely that as Adam offered his sacrifices, he would explain to Cain and Abel what God had instructed him to do.

In the process of time indicates two things. First of all, Cain and Abel had become adults who were responsible to God for their own sacrifices. Before they became adults they were covered by the sacrifices that Adam offered for his family. But in the process of time indicates that Cain and Abel had grown to adulthood so that they were responsible to God for their own sacrifices.

May I just say this to you? From the fall of Adam, man has been individually responsible to God for his own relationship to God. Nobody can be accepted by God because of the faith of their parents. Each person is individually responsible to God for exercising faith in what God has revealed.

God had revealed to Cain and Abel the prescribed sacrifice through Adam and Eve. They were to bring the firstborn of the flock of the herds. This indicated the shedding of the blood of an innocent animal. At the prescribed time and at the prescribed place, God had them to bring the prescribed offering. Abel believed God, and he brought the sacrifice that God had ordained for him to bring.

It is important for us to realize that today there are not many, many ways to be accepted by God. There is only one prescribed way whereby man can be accepted by God, and that is the way of the cross. There is a prescribed time. There is a prescribed place. And there is a prescribed offering today.

We can now see as we look back at the writings of the New Testament scriptures that there was a prescribed time for the coming of the Lord Jesus. In the process of time, at the very moment that God ordained, the Lord Jesus came to be born of a woman. He came to go to the cross which was God’s prescribed place for Christ to die. The cross was a place of shame where criminals were crucified, but the Lord Jesus came and was obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. The death of the Lord Jesus upon the cross was God’s prescribed offering for your sins and for mine.

This was all ordained by God in eternity past. The book of I Peter speaks of the Lord Jesus as the Lamb that was slain since before the foundation of the world. It was in God’s eternal plan that the Lord Jesus would come at a particular time to go to the cross and there die for your sins and for my sins.

However, there are many people today who are going in the way of Cain. They want to bring their own offerings to God. They want to bring whatever seems right to them.

Because Cain was a tiller of the ground, it seemed perfectly logical to him that he should bring the first fruits of his harvest to the Lord. So Cain brought to God what was probably the very best of what he had raised. But God could not accept Cain’s offering because Cain had walked in his own way rather than walking in the way that God had prescribed.

As we leave the air today, I want to ask you this question. Are you walking in the way of Cain? Do you have something in your hands that you are trying to bring to God, expecting God to accept you because you have done this and this and this? Or have you come the way of Abel, coming to God, accepting His offering of the Lord Jesus Christ who died for your sins and was buried and rose again? If you have accepted God’s offering of the Lord Jesus as your sacrifice for sin, God has saved you and has made you one of His children.

Well, I see our time is gone. The Lord willing the next week, we will continue in our Journey Through the Scripture.

Church links:

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

http://www.eleventhavenuechurch.com/

http://gracebiblechurch-fw.com/

Genesis (Part 4)(BST 6-22-08)

Genesis (Part 4)
Bible Study Time 6-22-08
(From James Roberts 8-25-96)

In our previous lessons in our Journey Through the Scripture, we saw how God presents Himself as the creator of all things. Make no mistake about it, the heavens and the earth and man and all of the things that are in God’s creation did not just happen to be. The creation did not just come about through some accidental joining of certain elements. In the book of Genesis, God presents Himself as the creator who by a divine purpose and a divine will created the heavens and the earth.

After the rebellion of Lucifer, who was the highest of all of God’s angelic creation, there was chaos that came into the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep.

Then God began to recreate the heavens and the earth. He created the animal and the plant life, and then He created the highest aspect of the creation, even man himself.

God placed the man and his wife in the Garden of Eden, and He gave them only one prohibition and that was that they were not to eat of the tree which was in the midst of the garden, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God said:

Genesis 2:17 NKJV
17 . . . in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die."

In Genesis, Chapter 3, we saw that Satan came into the garden and tempted Eve, so that Eve disobeyed God. Then Eve gave the forbidden fruit to her husband, and he also disobeyed God. As a result of this disobedience, all of Adam’s descendants became sinners.

That first rebellion by Lucifer brought sin into the universe, but the sin of Adam brought sin into the human race. The book of Romans tells us that:

Romans 3:23 KJV
23 . . . all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

Romans 5:12 KJV
12 . . . (for) by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:

This disobedience of Adam brought also a curse upon all of God’s creation. The book of Romans, Chapter 8, tells us that the creation itself groans and travails together under this curse but that God placed the curse in hope. The creation will continue its groaning and travail until the Lord Jesus Christ, Himself, comes back.

In the regeneration, when the Son of Man comes back in His glory, He will set things right, and the curse will be lifted. Instead of briars and thorns, the desert will blossom like a rose, and the myrtle and the fig tree will blossom; paradise will be restored once again.

With the pronouncement of the curse in Genesis, Chapter 3, we also find the promise of the Redeemer. In verse 15, God speaks to the serpent and says, you will bruise the heel of the Seed of the Woman, but the Seed of the Woman will bruise your head.

Throughout the Old Testament scriptures, we find hints and types and shadows of the fact that the Lord Jesus Christ was going to come into the world as the Redeemer of the human race. It was part of God’s plan for the Lord Jesus to bring man out from under the curse of sin and bring him back into a place of fellowship and righteousness with God through His death.

God knew even before the time of the creation about this plan of redemption, but this great truth was hidden in the scriptures. In the book of I Peter, we read that the Lord Jesus came as the Lamb that was slain since the foundation of the world. We read that the prophets could not understand God’s plan for man’s salvation, and in fact, even the angels desired to look into this great truth because they could not understand it.

This truth was in the scripture, but it was covered in such a way that Satan, who is an astute student of the scripture, could not see the fact that it would be the death of the Lord Jesus Christ that would crush the serpent. Satan knew only that the Seed of the Woman was going to destroy him. In other words, He knew that the Seed of the Woman was going to bruise his head and set his work at naught.

All through the Old Testament scriptures, we see Satan trying to do away with the Seed of the Woman so that he can prevent His work of redemption. When Jesus Christ appeared on the scene, Satan thought that the crucifixion of Christ would be the perfect opportunity to put the Seed of the Woman to death. Satan thought that if he could put the Seed of the Woman to death, the Seed of the Woman would not be able to bruise the head of the serpent.

However, Satan did not know the details of God’s perfect plan concerning the work of Christ on the cross. The fact that Christ would come to die on the cross for the sins of man had been carefully hidden in the Old Testament scriptures because this was the very work that was going to bruise the head of Satan.

Jesus Christ came to be made a curse for us by taking our sins upon Himself. The work of Christ on the cross makes it possible for man to be set free from the curse and to be set free from the dominion of Satan. This great promise concerning the coming of the Redeemer was first given in Genesis, Chapter 3 and verse 15.

In all of this I trust that you can see the changes that God makes in His dealings with the creation in different circumstances. God remains the same but His dealings with the creation change as the circumstances change.

This is a pattern that we are going to see many times in our Journey Through the Scripture. God is the same yesterday, today and forever, but He deals with man in different ways in different time periods. In the book of II Timothy, Chapter 2 and verse 15, we are told to:

2 Timothy 2:15
15 Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

On aspect of this right division is to see the different ways in which God deals with the human race in accordance with His eternal plan and purpose. So let’s review a few of the changes that we have already seen in our Journey Through the Scripture.

God created the heavens and the earth as a perfect creation which was meant to be inhabited. God also created the angelic beings with Lucifer as the head or the highest of the creation. However, when Lucifer rebelled against God, he was cast out of heaven, and he became Satan, which means adversary.

Instead of guarding the throne of God as Lucifer, the highest of the creation, he became Satan, the adversary of God. God began to deal with Lucifer in a completely different way after Lucifer’s rebellion. God remained the same but His dealings with Lucifer changed.

God created the heavens and the earth to be inhabited, but the earth became chaotic as a result of Satan’s sin. Therefore, God began to recreate the heavens and the earth. God made man in the image of God, and man lived in an innocent state. Man was undoubtedly covered with a garment of light which reflected his innocence. At this point, man did not know good and evil; he lived in perfect harmony with the creation and with God.

However, when man disobeyed God, man became conscious of his sin. At that point, man lost the garment of glory which had covered him, and he knew that he was naked. He sewed fig leaves together to make for himself an apron. He ran to hide from God, but God sought him out and placed the curse. What a difference this made in God’s dealings with man.

As we continue on in Genesis, Chapter 3, we read that:

Genesis 3:20-21 KJV
20 . . . Adam called his wife's name Eve; because she was the mother of all living.
21 Unto Adam also and to his wife did the Lord God make coats of skins, and clothed them.

Notice here again a difference in God’s dealings with man. Man is no longer an innocent being who displays the perfect likeness of God. Man has lost the spiritual glory of the image of God so God makes garments made of animal skin for them to wear.

Genesis 3:22-24
22 And the Lord God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever:
23 Therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the Garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.
24 So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the Garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.

Once again, notice the change in God’s dealings with mankind. When man became conscious of good and evil, God drove him out of the Garden of Eden. Even though God, Himself, remains the same yesterday, today and forever, God’s method of dealing with man changes according to man’s circumstances.

However, any time God changes His method of dealing with man, these changes are always in accordance with His eternal plan and purpose. God is omniscient. Nothing takes God by surprise. God knows the end from the beginning, and God formulated His plan for the ages even before the foundation of the world.

In Genesis 3:24, we read that God drove man out of the Garden of Eden, and He placed a guard there so that man could not get back into the Garden of Eden. At one time, God placed man in the garden, but now God has to place man outside the garden. At one point, God had fellowship with man in the garden, but now God places a guard at the gate of the garden with a flaming sword which turned every way to keep man from going into the garden.

Personally, I believe that this gate became the appointed place that God gave to Adam and Eve so that they could continue in their fellowship with Him, and by the animal sacrifice God provided the way whereby they could come to that place to have fellowship with God. Next week we are going to see how that two of Adam and Eve’s children represent the two main categories of people that exist outside the Garden of Eden.

I trust that you have been able to see today that even though God is the same yesterday, today and forever, He has changed His method of dealing with man from time to time. At one point, God dealt with man on the basis of man’s innocence, but now God deals with man on the basis of man’s knowledge of good and evil.

I trust today that you know the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior, as the promised Redeemer who has now come to provide the way for us to have fellowship with God. Well, I see our time is gone. The Lord willing, we’ll be back with you again next week so until that time we bid you goodbye.

Church links:

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

http://www.eleventhavenuechurch.com/

http://gracebiblechurch-fw.com/

Genesis (Part 3)(BST 6-15-08)

Genesis (Part 3)
Bible Study Time 6-15-08
(From James Roberts 8-18-96)

Now we’re going to continue our Journey Through the Scripture. If you missed the first two Sundays, you have missed a couple of miles on this journey, and we would like to encourage you to get your Bibles and study along with us today and then to be with us each Sunday morning as we continue this Journey Through the Scripture.

On the first Sunday of this journey, we saw God set forth as the creator of the universe. God is not the creation. Rather God is over and above the creation; God transcends the creation. From the very beginning, Satan has tried to get man to worship the creation rather than the creator. Pantheism tells us that God is the creation, but the Bible declares that the creation is the handiwork of God. The creation did not just evolve from nothing, but God created the heavens and the earth.

Last week, we saw something of the creation of man when God formed man out of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul. In this we see first of all a refutation of the devilish doctrine of evolution.

Secular science tells us that man just evolved from a speck of protoplasm that was there in a primordial slime. It says that over billions of years this speck of protoplasm evolved through the dinosaur stage and all of the other stages until man evolved into what he is today. I want to tell you that this doctrine is of the devil. The devil wants man to deify man in order to displace God from His throne. According to the Bible, man was created by God, Himself.

Another reason that the doctrine of evolution is so devilish is that it does away with the necessity of the Lord Jesus Christ as the Redeemer. You see, if there was no first man, Adam, who was created by the very hand of God, then there is no need for the second Adam, the Lord from heaven. If there was no literal, historic Adam, then there was no historic fall by which man became a sinner; and if man is not a sinner, then he has no need for a savior. However, the Bible declares that God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

In the first week of our Journey Through the Scripture, we saw how Lucifer became Satan, the enemy of God, or the adversary of God. This occurred when Lucifer introduced sin into the universe. We also saw that God created man in His own image. By a direct, creative act He formed man out of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life so that man became a living soul. This happened instantaneously, not by means of evolution through ions of time, but as an instantaneous, creative act of God. As God breathed into his nostrils, man became a living soul.

In our studies we have seen that the first man, Adam, disobeyed God and through that act of disobedience all of Adam’s descendants became sinners. Well, that’s where we left off in our journey last week, and I want us to take up with that thought this morning as we move on into the next truly significant event in the scriptures.

Before Adam sinned, God was accustomed to walking in the garden in the cool of day, communicating and having fellowship with Adam. But when Adam disobeyed God, Adam felt the need to run and hide. When God came looking for Adam, God called out, saying:

Genesis 3:9-11 NKJV
9 . . . "Where are you?"
10 So (Adam) said, "I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself."
11 And (God) said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat?"

Now, did God ask this question because He didn’t know what Adam had done, or was He simply trying to bring Adam to the place of acknowledging his guilt? I believe that it was the latter. God knew that Adam had been disobedient, but He came into the garden, seeking Adam, so that He could draw Adam back into a place of fellowship with God. So what was Adam’s response the Lord?

Genesis 3:12 NKJV
12 Then the man said,"The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate."

In so many words, Adam said, God, this is all Your fault because You gave me this woman. I ate the fruit only because she gave it to me.

Well, then the Lord turned to the woman and asked:

Genesis 3:13 NKJV
13 . . . "What is this you have done?" (And) The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate."

Clearly, Eve was trying to put the blame on the serpent, saying that she had eaten the fruit because the serpent deceived her.

Here we see that even at this time, Adam and Eve were doing what man is doing so effectively today. They tried to portray themselves as victims rather than confessing their guilt.

Today we often see people who are brought up on some kind of charge, whether it’s murder or lying or some other charge, and they will try to place the blame for their actions on someone else. They may claim to be the victim of society or the victim of child abuse or some such thing. They will go to any length to keep from admitting that they are the guilty party.

Here in Genesis 3, the man said, the woman that You gave me, she gave me the fruit and I did eat. Then the woman said, the serpent deceived me and I did eat.

Admittedly, there was a little bit of truth in both of these statements, but neither statement expressed the whole truth. It was true that the woman did give the fruit to Adam, but in fact, Adam was a free moral agent. He had the ability to choose, but he chose to disobey God. Therefore, he was the guilty party. Not God. Not the woman.

According to Genesis 2:18, we read that in His goodness and mercy God created the woman for Adam because God saw that it was not good for man to live alone. God made the woman as the perfect companion for Adam, but Adam cast a reflection upon the goodness of God by stating that the woman that God had given him had caused him to eat the forbidden fruit.

The woman said, the serpent deceived me, and that was true, but the woman had the word of God that forbad her from eating of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Therefore, she was guilty of sin even though she was deceived.

If you have sinned, don’t allow yourself to play the victim. When you sin, don’t blame someone else. That is just following in the footsteps of Adam. God wants us to acknowledge our sin before Him, and He tells us that:

1 John 1:9 NKJV
9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

In verses 14 and 15 of Genesis, Chapter 3, we see God’s goodness and grace to mankind in His promise of a Redeemer. Because the serpent did deceive the woman, God placed a curse upon the serpent, saying:

Genesis 3:14-15 NKJV
14 . . . "Because you have done this, You are cursed more than all cattle, And more than every beast of the field; On your belly you shall go, And you shall eat dust All the days of your life.
15 And I will put enmity between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel."

In this first promise of a Redeemer, we find that the Redeemer was to come into this world as the Seed of the woman in order to bruise the head of the serpent. This prophesy was fulfilled in the Lord Jesus Christ. Galatians 4 says that:

Galatians 4:4-5 NKJV
4 . . . when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law,
5 to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.

You see the Lord Jesus Christ had no earthly father; He was the Seed of the Woman. The serpent did bruise the heel of the Lord Jesus by orchestrating the crucifixion of Christ. However, the crucifixion of Christ was all a part of God’s overall plan and purpose which we find hidden in the scriptures such as Genesis 3:15. According to Genesis 3:15, it was part of God’s eternal plan that one day the Seed of the woman would come into this world to bruise the head of the serpent with a deadly wound.

We read in the book of Hebrews, Chapter 2, that by the grace of God the Lord Jesus Christ became a partaker of flesh and blood so He could taste death for every man. This chapter goes on to say that by doing this, Christ became the destroyer of the one who has the power over death, even the devil.

This passage in Hebrews carries the idea that God will set the work of the devil at naught. The serpent bruised the heel of the Lord Jesus by orchestrating the crucifixion of Christ, but it was the death, burial and resurrection of the Lord Jesus that inflicted a mortal wound upon the devil, destroying the devil’s master plan to overthrow the plan and purpose of God.

Because of the death, burial and resurrection of the Lord Jesus, the doom of Satan is sealed. One day the devil will be cast into the Lake of Fire where he and all of those who follow after him will remain day and night, forever and ever. However, those who put their trust in the Redeemer and believe that Christ died on the cross for their sins will have eternal life and will live with God for all eternity.

In Genesis 3:16, God places a curse upon the woman and institutes the headship of the man over the woman. He says:

Genesis 3:16 NKJV
16 . . . "I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; In pain you shall bring forth children; Your desire shall be for your husband, And he shall rule over you."

Then, to the man the Lord says:

Genesis 3:17-19 NKJV
17 . . . "Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, 'You shall not eat of it': "Cursed is the ground for your sake; In toil you shall eat of it All the days of your life.

18 Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, And you shall eat the herb of the field.
19 In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread Till you return to the ground, For out of it you were taken; For dust you are, And to dust you shall return."

We see that a curse was placed upon the earth, but someday that curse will be lifted; and when that curse is lifted, the earth will be blessed forever and ever. This time of blessing will be made possible by the death, burial and resurrection of the Lord Jesus and this is pictured for us in Genesis, Chapter 3, when God offered up a lamb to provide coats of skin for Adam and Eve. After being clothed with the clothing that God provided, Adam and Eve were once again able to fellowship with God.

As the Lamb of God, Christ shed His blood to provide the clothing of righteousness for those who believe in the Lord Jesus. The blessing of fellowship with God is now available to those who wear this clothing of God’s righteousness, but someday even the curse that is upon the earth today will be lifted and all of creation will be redeemed by the blood of Christ. Today, God is simply waiting for the perfect time to bring His glorious plan of redemption to its ultimate conclusion.

Next week, we’re going to continue our Journey Through the Scripture. I see our time is already gone for this morning. We’ll look forward to being back with you again next week. Until that time we bid you goodbye.

Church links:

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

http://www.eleventhavenuechurch.com/

http://gracebiblechurch-fw.com/

Genesis (Part 2)(BST 6-1-08)

Genesis (Part 2)
Bible Study Time 6-1-08
(From James Roberts 8-11-96)

Last week we began a journey through the scripture. In this journey, we are going to be going through the Bible looking at key events so that we might get to know God better, so that we might get to know God’s word better, and so that we might be able to better understand God’s thoughts toward us, His actions toward us, and His plan and purpose for us.

In the first chapter of Genesis, we saw that in the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. We saw in the first chapter of Colossians that Jesus Christ stands at the head of the creation because His is the Creator. This is confirmed by John, who said:

John 1:1-3 NKJV
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 He was in the beginning with God.
3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.

Jesus Christ created all things by fiat. By the power of His declaration, all things came into being. In days of old, God asked Job:

Job 38:4 NKJV
4 "Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? . . .

God created the heavens and the earth in His own way, by His own power, and He stands over and above His creation.

A part of the so called new age movement today is what is called pantheism, which teaches that all of the creation itself is God. It says that when you look at a flower, you see God; when you look at a beautiful sunset, you see God.

Well, the Bible tells us that the creation is not God, but it is simply that which God has created. God transcends His creation. He stands over and above and apart from His creation, but Romans, Chapter 1, tells us that throughout the ages man has worshiped the creation rather than the creator.

We need to recognize that there is a separation between the Creator and His creation. God is the Creator. We see His handy work when we see a beautiful sunset or a beautiful flower, but these things are not God; they are simply the work of God’s creative hand.

We saw last week that most of the first chapter of Genesis is an account of God’s work when He re-created the heavens and the earth. The scriptures indicate that God originally created the heavens and the earth in the beginning as a perfect creation. God created angels and set them over the creation, but He chose one particular angel as the archangel. This archangel was the anointed cherub of God, and his name was Lucifer.

According to Ezekiel, Lucifer was perfect in all of his ways until iniquity was found in him. From the time that Lucifer was created by God, he was perfect. But according to Isaiah, Lucifer sinned because he wanted to be like God. He was not satisfied with the position that God had given him.

So Lucifer rebelled against God, and it would appear that a third of all the angels followed after Satan in this rebellion. As a result, Lucifer and his fellow rebels were cast out from the presence of God. At this point, all of the creation came under the judgment of God so that it became without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep.

When Lucifer sinned, this was the first appearance of sin in the universe. Therefore, the entire universe became with form and void, and in Genesis, Chapter 1, we find the re-creation of all things after this great judgment. The capstone of this re-creation is found in verse 26 where God says:

Genesis 1:26-27 NKJV
26 . . . "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth."
27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.

In Genesis, Chapter 2, we find the details of the creation of man. There we read that God created man out of the dust of the ground and breathed into His nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul. Therefore, with His own hands, God fashioned man out of the dust of the ground. At this point, man was a lifeless statue, but God breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man immediately became a living soul.

This Biblical account runs contrary to all teachings regarding evolution. Evolution teaches that there was at some point in antiquity, a little bit of protoplasm that was in a bunch of slime. This protoplasm developed into a one-celled ameba which after millions of years ventured out onto the land and became a flying fish or a lizard. Then at some point these things turned into dinosaurs and then finally these things turned into man after many more millions and billions of years.

Evolution is simply a theory of man, and it goes against the revelation that God has given in His word. The theory of evolution is Satan’s clever way of turning man away from God. Remember that Satan wants to do away with God, and so he makes every attempt to make man believe that man came into existence without God.

However, in the word of God we read that God created man in His own image. God formed man out of the dust of the ground, breathed into man’s nostrils the breath of life, and right there in that moment, man became a living soul. It would appear that this first man came to life as a full-grown adult male. He never had to grow up as you and I have to do after we are born. No, this man became a living, breathing, full-grown adult right from the creative hand of God.

Then God brought all of the animals before Adam, and not one was found that was fit to serve as Adam’s helpmate. So God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and He took a rib from Adam’s side. From that rib, God formed woman, and He gave the woman to Adam to be his wife. Male and female He created them in the image of God. They were not a product of evolution, but they were a product of the creative hand of God.

In this account of man’s creation, we also see something very interesting about God. Notice that God said, “Let Us make man in Our image.” This indicates a plurality of persons. God did not say, “I will make man in My image.”

When God said, “Let Us make man in Our image,” He was foreshadowing the New Testament teaching concerning the triune nature of God, that God is actually three persons in one being. The New Testament declares God to be God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. Even in Genesis, Chapter 1, all three persons of the Godhead are seen as they work together to create man. God said, “Let Us make man in Our image.”

At the time of man’s creation, God had already made provision for man. God placed the first man in a beautiful garden which was full of beautiful fruit trees, and He told the man that he could eat of the fruit of every tree in the garden except one. God said:

Genesis 2:17 NKJV
17 . . . of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die."

Man had wonderful fellowship and communion with God there in the garden. After all, man was made in the image of God. But remember, the enemy of God was already at work in the universe. Satan was the enemy of God, and because God loved man, Satan was also the enemy of man.

Satan had at one point been given authority over the entire universe, but now God had a new creation, and He had given man dominion over all the earth. Satan’s goal was to disrupt God’s plan and purpose for man and for the new creation. So Satan came to the woman and asked, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?” But the woman said:

Genesis 3:2-3 NKJV
2 . . . "We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden;
3 but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, 'You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.'"

If we read this carefully, we see the changes that the woman made in the commandment of God. The changes were subtle, but Satan surely noticed her misuse of the word of God. God had said:

Genesis 2:16-17 NKJV
16 . . . "Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat;
17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die."

God did not say anything about touching the forbidden fruit, and He did not say, “Lest you die.” The woman added to the word of God and then softened the word of God. This presented an open door for Satan, so Satan said to the woman:

Genesis 3:4-5 NKJV
4 . . . "You will not surely die.
5 For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."

In this statement, Satan cast a doubt upon the goodness of God, but also, please notice that Satan used the very same temptation with which he had been tempted. He had wanted to be like God, and this sin had brought him under the judgment of God. So Satan was hoping to seduce the woman with that same temptation that had caused his own downfall.

As we know, the woman ate of the fruit and then her husband ate, and at that moment, they both became sinners. The book of Romans tells us that because of this sin, all people since that time have come into the world as sinners. It says:

Romans 5:12 NKJV
12 Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin . . .

It was Satan who brought sin into the universe, but it was Adam who brought sin into the human family. All of us, as human beings, are born with a nature that has a proclivity for sin, but God made provision for us to save us from the judgment of sin. He did so by sending His Son to die on the cross for our sins. I trust that you know the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior.

Well, I see our time is gone for this morning. The Lord willing, we will take up in our journey through the scripture next week. Thank you for studying with me in this another broadcast of Bible Study Time.

Church links:

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

http://www.eleventhavenuechurch.com/

http://gracebiblechurch-fw.com/

Genesis (Part 1)(BST 5-25-08)

Genesis (Part 1)
Bible Study Time 5-25-08
(From James Roberts 8-4-96)

This morning we’re going to begin a series of lessons that we are going to call A Journey Through the Scripture. We will begin in the book of Genesis and go through the Bible. We’re not going to take a verse by verse study of the Bible, but we trust that each Sunday morning, you will have your Bible ready to study along with us as we look at key events that are revealed in the scripture.

It’s very important for us to understand that the Bible is not just a book that was written by men. It is a book that is God’s own revelation to man. It was given so that man might get to know God, to know God’s thoughts, His deeds, and His plan and purpose for mankind.

II Timothy, Chapter 3, tells us that:

2 Timothy 3:16-17 NKJV
16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,
17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

The book of II Peter tells us how God wrote this book. It says that the Holy Spirit of God came upon holy men of old so that they were moved to write down the very words of God. This is the means by which God has revealed Himself to man.

In the very first verse of the book of Genesis we read, “In the beginning God . . . ,” and this is very important because God is the subject of this book. In the gospel of John we read that the Lord Jesus spoke to the Jews who were persecuting Him and said:

John 5:39 NKJV
39 You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me.

There is no place in scripture where this is more evident that in Genesis, Chapter 1. When Genesis 1:1 says that God created the heavens and the earth, it was giving testimony regarding the Lord Jesus. In Colossians, Chapter 1, we read that:

Colossians 1:15-16 NKJV
15 (Christ) is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.
16 For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him.

There are some who read in this passage that Jesus was the first born over all creation, and they take it to mean that Jesus was the first created being. But this is not what this verse is saying. In the scripture, the word firstborn does not refer to the first one to be born. In reality, it speaks of the one who has the priority; the one who has the preeminence.

Over and over in the scriptures we find situations where the son who was born first was not given the position of preeminence as the firstborn. Take Jacob and Esau for example. Jacob was given the place of the firstborn even though Esau was the first one born. Also, Joseph was not the first of Jacob’s sons to be born and yet he had the preeminence over all the sons of Jacob. As you may recall, only Joseph was given the coat of many colors.

Therefore, Colossians 1:15 does not mean that Jesus was created before anything else was created. Oh no, Jesus Himself is the creator of all things. He is not the one who was created first, but He is the one who stands at the head of the creation. He is the one who has the preeminence over all of the creation.

And why is this so? Colossians 1:16 tells us that:

Colossians 1:16-17 NKJV
16 . . . by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him.
17 And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.

All things came into existence through the Lord Jesus Christ, and He is the one who holds all things together. If the Lord Jesus Christ were to let go of His hold over the creation, all things within the creation would disintegrate into disorder and chaos. By Him all things consist. The book of Hebrews confirms the power of Christ over the creation, saying that Jesus Christ is the one who created the ages and that He upholds all things by the word of His power.

Today, man is spending billions of dollars trying to find out how the earth and the universe came into existence. We have everything from space telescopes to underground supercolliders. Man in his wisdom is trying to use these things to find out how the earth and the universe came into being, but all we have to do is look into God’s revelation in the Bible. The very first verse says: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”

In Genesis, Chapter 1 and verse 2, we read that the earth was without form, and it goes on to say that the earth was void and darkness was upon the face of the deep. This is interesting because if the heavens and the earth were created in perfection, how did they become without form and void?

The book of Isaiah tells us that God did not create the earth to be void but that He created it to be inhabited. So what happened? Well, there are two different thoughts on this subject. Some believe that the earth is very young, only several thousand years old. This would indicate that in the very beginning of the creation process, the substance that would become the earth was without form and void. Then, the Spirit of God moved and the creation as we know it began to take shape.

However, there are others who believe in what is known as the Gap Theory which says that there was a gap of time between verses one and two of Genesis, Chapter 1. According to this theory, God’s original creation was beautiful in its perfection, and God positioned the created angels to rule it. God also named one particular angel as the archangel over all of the other angels. This archangel was the anointed cherub who guarded the very throne of God, and his name was Lucifer.

We find in the book of Ezekiel that Lucifer was perfect in all of his ways until iniquity was found in him. According to Isaiah, Lucifer was not content to be the archangel over all of the hosts of heaven. No, Lucifer wanted to be God. He said, I will be like the most high God; I will sit in God’s place. He said, I will usurp the throne of God and will be the God of creation. Isaiah says that because of this sin, Lucifer was cast out of heaven along with the other angels who followed Lucifer in this rebellion.

It would appear that this is where sin entered into the universe and that because of this sin, God judged the creation. As a result, the earth became utterly chaotic and was filled with disorder. It became without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep.

One of the reasons that the Gap Theory is so attractive is that it does account for the teachings of Ezekiel and Isaiah regarding the sin of Lucifer. When Lucifer rebelled against God, he became the adversary of God. The word Satan means “the adversary, ” and from the very moment that Lucifer sinned, he became Satan, the enemy of God.

Since that time, Satan has dedicated himself to destroying the plan and purpose of God for the creation. Even today, Satan is still the enemy of God, and he is the enemy of all those who would follow God.

Satan is very powerful and cunning, and he plays on and manipulates the intelligence and wisdom of men to turn them against God. Remember that Satan was able to convince a third of all the angels to follow him in his rebellion against God. Satan’s lies are very subtle, and he uses every tool at his disposal to seduce men today. His goal is to keep people in the dark so that they will never know the joy and the love of God.

However, as a person reads the word of God, the Holy Spirit of God breaks through the satanic darkness to reveal the light of Jesus Christ. The very moment that a person puts his faith in Jesus Christ, he is made a citizen of the kingdom of light, and he is given eternal life.

This leads us to another very appealing aspect of the Gap Theory, and that is that it illustrates so beautifully man’s situation before God. It is clear from the scriptures that man was created in perfection. In the beginning, man was without sin, created in the image of God. However, when man sinned, he fell under the judgment of God and his existence became chaotic and full of darkness.

However, God allows His Holy Spirit to move upon the darkness of man’s soul. As the Holy Spirit draws back the curtain of darkness in a person’s heart, God says, let there be light. At this point, a person can see the glory of Jesus Christ and through faith he can be saved out of the darkness of sin.

May I say this to you today? If the Holy Spirit is opening your eyes to the fact that the Lord Jesus Christ is the one who loved you and died for you on the cross, I trust you will not let Satan pull that curtain of darkness back over your eyes. I trust that you will believe in the Lord Jesus Christ so that your life can be filled with the light of Jesus Christ. If you believe, the light of Jesus Christ will lead you into life that is eternal.

Well, I see our time is gone for this morning. The Lord willing, we will take up in our journey through the scripture next week. Thank you for studying with me in this another broadcast of Bible Study Time.

Church links:

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

http://www.eleventhavenuechurch.com/

http://gracebiblechurch-fw.com/

Numbers (Part 18)(BST 5-11-08)

Numbers (Part 18)
Bible Study Time 5-11-08
(From James Roberts 5-30-99)

Thank you for joining us for another session of Bible Study Time. Last week we saw that as the Israelites approached the land of the Moabites, Balak, the King of the Moabites, became afraid so He tried to hire a prophet by the name of Balaam to put a curse on the children of Israel. Balaam was a false prophet who loved the riches of this world and so he was more than willing to accommodate Balak.

However, when Balaam started to speak this curse, God intervened and spoke through Balaam a blessing rather than a curse. In doing so, God showed that He was able to speak through Balaam even as He had earlier spoken through Balaam’s donkey. Balaam voice was merely being used as an instrument in the hand of God.

As God spoke this blessing through Balaam, He gave a very important prophesy concerning the first and second coming of Israel’s Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ. When Jesus Christ came the first time, His birth was accompanied by a star. As we all know, the wise men were guided by a star. But when Christ comes the second time, He will come with a scepter in His hand, and this speaks to the fact that Christ will rule and reign over the earth as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. The star and the scepter were both noted in Balaam’s prophesy when he said:

Numbers 24:17 NKJV
17 "I see Him, but not now; I behold Him, but not near; A Star shall come out of Jacob; A Scepter shall rise out of Israel, And batter the brow of Moab, And destroy all the sons of tumult.

In Numbers, Chapter 25, we see that the Moabites and the Midianites conspired to seduce the men of Israel with the Midianite women. They felt confident that if the Midianite women could seduce the men of Israel to commit sexual sin, this would set the stage for these women to lure Israel into worshipping Baal of Peor, the god of the Moabites and the Midianites. They knew that according to God’s covenant with Israel, God would bless Israel only if Israel was willing to keep the Law of Moses.

How did they know this? It would appear that Balaam taught them all about these things and that this whole conspiracy was a result of Balaam’s doctrine. This is implied by the fact that the New Testament speaks not only of the error of Balaam but also of the doctrine of Balaam.

Numbers, Chapter 25, tells us that the Moabites and the Midianites successfully implemented this plan of seduction. Verse 1 says:

Numbers 25:1-2 NKJV
1 Now Israel remained in Acacia Grove, and the people began to commit harlotry with the women of Moab.
2 They invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods.

Here we find Israel doing two things that were strictly forbidden by the Law. The word harlotry refers to their sexual immorality and this, of course, was strictly forbidden. Under the Law, anyone who was found guilty of adultery was to be put to death. Secondly, the Law forbade the worship of any god other than the Lord God of Israel. Here again, under the Law the punishment for idolatry was death. Therefore, God told Moses to enforce the Law. Verse 3 says:

Numbers 25:3-5 NKJV
3 So Israel was joined to Baal of Peor, and the anger of the Lord was aroused against Israel.
4 Then the Lord said to Moses,"Take all the leaders of the people and hang the offenders before the Lord, out in the sun, that the fierce anger of the Lord may turn away from Israel."
5 So Moses said to the judges of Israel,"Every one of you kill his men who were joined to Baal of Peor."

It’s interesting that these men were not stoned to death as would have been done under normal circumstances. Instead, these men were hung out in the sun to serve as a warning for all to see. Obviously, God wanted everyone to know the seriousness of breaking the Law. Then verse 6 says:

Numbers 25:6 NKJV
6 And indeed, one of the children of Israel came and presented to his brethren a Midianite woman in the sight of Moses and in the sight of all the congregation of the children of Israel, who were weeping at the door of the tabernacle of meeting.

Undoubtedly, while this capital punishment was being carried out, some of the women were crying at the door of the tabernacle. They were very upset that these men were being put to death. But, in the midst of all this activity, there was a man who defiantly brought into the public assembly one of the Midianite women, and he took her into his tent.

Phinehas, Aaron’s grandson, was outraged at this blatant disregard for the laws of God, so he decided to take action. Verse 7 says:

Numbers 25:7-9 NKJV
7 Now when Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he rose from among the congregation and took a javelin in his hand;
8 and he went after the man of Israel into the tent and thrust both of them through, the man of Israel, and the woman through her body. So the plague was stopped among the children of Israel.
9 And those who died in the plague were twenty-four thousand.

This was summary judgment on the part of Phinehas. There was no trial; there was no opportunity for lawyers to present evidence. This was simply instantaneous summary judgment, and the Bible says that God was very pleased with Phinehas .

This is a perfect picture of the way that the Lord Jesus will rule in His kingdom when He returns to the earth as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. In this kingdom, the Spirit of God will write the Law of God on the hearts of the believers. The believers will all know the Lord from the least of them to the greatest of them, and they will obey the spirit of the Law by the power of the Holy Spirit.

However, in the kingdom, there will also be unbelievers who are born into the kingdom. These unbelievers will have to be taught to know the Lord, but many of them will rebel. When these unbelievers sin against the Lord, they will be executed with summary judgment. Some Bible scholars have noted that the kingdom will not only be based on the Golden Rule but it will be a rule of iron for the Lord will rule in true righteousness and will establish true justice for all.

A good example of summary judgment is seen in the case of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts, Chapter 5. When Ananias and Sapphira lied to the Holy Spirit about the proceeds from the sale of their land, the Lord instantly struck them dead. This is the kind of summary judgment that will be administered in the kingdom.

In Numbers, Chapter 25, God decides to bless Phinehas with a covenant of peace because of his zeal for the righteousness of God. But then, in the last few verses of Numbers, Chapter 25, we read God’s instructions to Moses concerning the Moabites and the Midianites. Verse 14 says:

Numbers 25:14-18 NKJV
14 Now the name of the Israelite who was killed, who was killed with the Midianite woman, was Zimri the son of Salu, a leader of a father's house among the Simeonites.
15 And the name of the Midianite woman who was killed was Cozbi the daughter of Zur; he was head of the people of a father's house in Midian.
16 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:
17 "Harass the Midianites, and attack them;
18 for they harassed you with their schemes by which they seduced you in the matter of Peor and in the matter of Cozbi, the daughter of a leader of Midian, their sister, who was killed in the day of the plague because of Peor."

In Numbers, Chapter 31, we read that Moses and the children of Israel did carry out this command by the Lord to attack the Midianites. This attack was carried out specifically because the Midianites implemented this scheme to seduce the men of Israel into sexual immorality.

As the Apostle Paul wrote to the believers at Corinth, he was having to deal with the sexual sins of some the people. In Chapter 10 of I Corinthians, Paul referred back to this incident in Numbers, Chapter 25. He reminded them that God’s judgment for their sexual sins had resulted in the deaths of thousands of people. He instructed them that God still hates sexual sin and will most certainly judge those who commit such things.

As we close our lesson today, may we all be challenged to keep ourselves pure in our walk with the Lord. As we endeavor to serve the Lord, we need to be reminded that only a clean vessel can be used by the Lord to bring glory and honor to His name.

Well, I see our time is gone for this morning. The Lord willing, we will take up in our journey through the scripture next week. Thank you for studying with me in this another broadcast of Bible Study Time.

Church links:

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

http://www.eleventhavenuechurch.com/

http://gracebiblechurch-fw.com/

Numbers (Part 17)(BST 5-4-08)

Numbers (Part 17)
Bible Study Time 5-4-08
(From James Roberts 5-23-99)

This morning we are going to be looking at three passages of scripture. We are going to begin with Numbers, Chapter 24, and then we will look back at Genesis, Chapter 49, before going on to Isaiah, Chapter 11.

In our study last week we saw that there was a King of Moab by the name of Balak who was afraid of the people of Israel. He tried to hire a false prophet by the name of Balaam to put a curse on the people of Israel, and Balaam was more than willing to do so because he wanted the money that Balak was offering. However, God did an unusual thing. In spite of Balaam’s desire to pronounce this curse, Balaam actually pronounced a blessing upon Israel because God spoke through Balaam. As we look at Numbers, Chapter 24, we see some of the details of Balaam’s prophecy. Verse 15 says:

Numbers 24:15-16 NKJV
15 So (Balaam) took up his oracle and said: "The utterance of Balaam the son of Beor, And the utterance of the man whose eyes are opened;
16 The utterance of him who hears the words of God, And has the knowledge of the Most High, Who sees the vision of the Almighty, Who falls down, with eyes wide open:

In order to understand this first part of Balaam’s prophesy, we need to go back to last week’s lesson in which we saw Balaam’s journey to meet with Balak. He was riding on his donkey and all of a sudden the donkey turned aside out of the path and into the field. The donkey did this because she had seen the Angel of the Lord standing in the path with His sword drawn. Balaam did not see the Angel of the Lord so he struck and cursed the donkey.

Later, as Balaam and his donkey were passing through a narrow passageway which had a wall on either side, the donkey once again saw the Angel of the Lord standing in the pathway. When the donkey tried to move around the Angel of the Lord, the donkey crushed Balaam’s foot against the wall. Again, Balaam did not see the Angel of the Lord and so he struck the donkey again.

Finally, as Balaam and the donkey headed down the pathway again, they came to a place that was even narrower than before, and when the donkey saw the Angel of the Lord in the pathway, she simply lay down under Balaam. When Balaam began to beat the donkey, the donkey spoke to Balaam and Balaam started arguing with the donkey. But this time Balaam’s eyes were opened and he saw the Angel of the Lord with His sword drawn.

The Angel of the Lord then spoke to Balaam and said that if the donkey had not swerved, Balaam would have been killed, so Balaam fell down before the Lord. Later, as Balaam stood with Balak ready to pronounce a curse upon Israel, he said that he spoke as one whose eyes had been opened. Truly, he did speak as one who had seen the Lord and had heard the voice of God. As he spoke, he gave this prophesy in Numbers 22 and verse 17:

Numbers 24:17-19 NKJV
17 "I see Him, but not now; I behold Him, but not near; A Star shall come out of Jacob; A Scepter shall rise out of Israel, And batter the brow of Moab, And destroy all the sons of tumult.
18 "And Edom shall be a possession; Seir also, his enemies, shall be a possession, While Israel does valiantly.
19 Out of Jacob One shall have dominion, And destroy the remains of the city."

This is a prophesy concerning the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. Balaam said, I see Him, but not now. He said that the Star that shall come out of Jacob is not yet here, but when that Star does appear, He will bear a mighty Scepter and will destroy all of His enemies. Balaam also said that when this ruler comes, Israel will do valiantly, meaning that Israel will be a mighty force upon the earth.

This reminds us of what we read in Genesis, Chapter 49, where we see Jacob on his deathbed. Jacob gathers his sons around him and gives prophecies concerning the tribes that were to arise from his sons. When Jacob spoke to Judah, he said:

Genesis 49:8-12 NKJV
8 "Judah, you are he whom your brothers shall praise; Your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; Your father's children shall bow down before you.
9 Judah is a lion's whelp; From the prey, my son, you have gone up. He bows down, he lies down as a lion; And as a lion, who shall rouse him?
10 The scepter shall not depart from Judah, Nor a lawgiver from between his feet, Until Shiloh comes; And to Him shall be the obedience of the people.
11 Binding his donkey to the vine, And his donkey's colt to the choice vine, He washed his garments in wine, And his clothes in the blood of grapes.
12 His eyes are darker than wine, And his teeth whiter than milk.

This too is a beautiful description of the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. Jacob refers to the Lord Jesus as the Lion of the tribe of Judah, and we see both His first and second coming. Jacob said that this coming ruler would first come riding upon a donkey, and this refers to the humiliation of the Lord Jesus at His first coming.

As we know, the Lord Jesus did come into Jerusalem riding on a donkey knowing that His crucifixion was at hand. Jacob said that His clothes would be washed in the blood of grapes, and this speaks of the shed blood of the Lord Jesus. At His first coming, the Lord Jesus went to the cross to shed His own blood so that you and I might have eternal life.

But Jacob said that this promised one would also come with a scepter in His hand, and this scepter stands for the authority and power with which the Lord Jesus will come at His second coming. At His second coming He will establish His dominion over the nations of the earth. At this second coming the Lord Jesus will truly be revealed as the great Lion of the tribe of Judah.

Jacob and Balaam both gave prophesies concerning the coming of the Lord Jesus. Balaam lived many years after Jacob but said that the coming of the promised ruler was still not at hand. He said, I see Him, but not now; the Star will come, His scepter will rise and He will cause His enemies to bow down before Him.

There are many prophecies in the Old Testament concerning the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, but this morning we are going to look at Isaiah, Chapter 11, verses 1 and 2, where we read:

Isaiah 11:1 NKJV
1 There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, And a Branch shall grow out of his roots.

It’s obvious from this verse that the tree of Jesse has been cut down, but the root stock has survived in the ground. This is a subtle but accurate description of the fact that Israel was going to be temporarily set aside and that the throne of David would be left vacant for a certain period of time. During this time David’s throne would not be destroyed, however. The root stock of David would remain viable contrary to all appearances.

This prophecy was first fulfilled when the armies of Babylon carried away the people of Israel into Babylon and left the throne of David vacant. But this prophesy also speaks of the time when Israel and her kingdom program were temporarily set aside at the end of the Acts period, or the time period covered by the book of Acts.

Today, no descendant of David is sitting upon the throne of David in Jerusalem. The tree of Jesse has been cut off because the nation of Israel rejected the Lord Jesus Christ as her promised Messiah. Jesus Christ came to fulfill the prophesies that were given through Jacob and Balaam but was not able to fulfill those prophesies because the nation of Israel rejected the Lord Jesus.

Israel’s kingdom program was set aside, but make no mistake about it, one day there will be a branch that will grow up out of the root stock of Jesse. Someday the Lord Jesus Christ will return to the earth as the Son of David. He will sit upon the throne of David and establish His dominion of righteousness over all the earth. Isaiah 11 goes on to describe the beautiful character of this Kingdom and its King. Isaiah 11, verse 2, says:

Isaiah 11:2-5 NKJV
2 The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him, The Spirit of wisdom and understanding, The Spirit of counsel and might, The Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord.
3 His delight is in the fear of the Lord, And He shall not judge by the sight of His eyes, Nor decide by the hearing of His ears;
4 But with righteousness He shall judge the poor, And decide with equity for the meek of the earth; He shall strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, And with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked.
5 Righteousness shall be the belt of His loins, And faithfulness the belt of His waist.

Beloved, do not expect righteousness to come from the governments of this world. There will be no equity for people on this earth as long as men have charge over the earth. In fact, someday all of the governments of the world will end up in anarchy, and the man of sin will seize this opportunity to establish his authority and power over the earth.

The kingdom of the man of sin will be a reign of terror that will last until the Lord Jesus Christ returns to the earth from heaven. When the Lord returns, He will slay the wicked with the rod that comes out of His mouth, even the word of God. He will speak the word and the wicked will die. Then He, Himself, will establish His kingdom of righteousness.

Now today, God offers righteousness to all those who are willing to come to the Lord Jesus Christ and trust Him as the One who died, was buried and then rose again so that we might have eternal life. Do you know Him today as the One who is your peace, the One who died for you that you might have eternal life?

Well, I see our time is gone for this morning. The Lord willing, we will take up in our journey through the scripture next week. Thank you for studying with me in this another broadcast of Bible Study Time.

Church links:

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

http://www.eleventhavenuechurch.com/

http://gracebiblechurch-fw.com/

Numbers (Part 16)(BST 4-27-08)

Numbers (Part 16)
Bible Study Time 4-27-08
(From James Roberts 5-16-99)

Last week we saw that God gave a great victory over one of the kings of Canaan, but afterward the children of Israel began to complain against God and Moses. As a result, God sent fiery serpents into their midst, and many of the people died when they were bit by the serpents.

Some of the people came to Moses and asked Moses to pray for them. They recognized that the serpents were a judgment from God and so they asked Moses to pray that God would take them away. While Moses prayed, God told Moses to fashion a serpent of brass and lift it up between heaven and earth. God said that when the people looked at that brazen serpent after having been bit by a poisonous snake, they would live.

The Lord Jesus spoke of this brazen serpent in His conversation with Nicodemus. He said:

John 3:14-17 NKJV
14 . . . as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up,
15 that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.
16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

In John, Chapter 12, the Lord Jesus made reference to this brazen serpent when He said:

John 12:32 NKJV
32 And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself."

After quoting this statement by the Lord Jesus, John said:

John 12:33 NKJV
33 This He said, signifying by what death He would die.

So that brazen serpent which was lifted up in the wilderness was a picture of the sacrificial death on the cross by our Savior, the Lord Jesus.

After this incident with the fiery serpents, God gave Israel two great military victories. He gave them the victory over King Sihon of the Amorites in Heshbon, and then He gave them victory over King Og of Bashan. These victories greatly disturbed King Balak of the Moabites. He became fearful of the Israelites and so he decided to take action. Let’s read Numbers, Chapter 22, beginning in verse 1:

Numbers 22:1-6 NKJV
1 Then the children of Israel moved, and camped in the plains of Moab on the side of the Jordan across from Jericho.
2 Now Balak the son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites.
3 And Moab was exceedingly afraid of the people because they were many, and Moab was sick with dread because of the children of Israel.
4 So Moab said to the elders of Midian, "Now this company will lick up everything around us, as an ox licks up the grass of the field." And Balak the son of Zippor was king of the Moabites at that time.
5 Then he sent messengers to Balaam the son of Beor at Pethor, which is near the River in the land of the sons of his people, to call him, saying: "Look, a people has come from Egypt. See, they cover the face of the earth, and are settling next to me!
6 Therefore please come at once, curse this people for me, for they are too mighty for me. Perhaps I shall be able to defeat them and drive them out of the land, for I know that he whom you bless is blessed, and he whom you curse is cursed."

Well, while these messengers where staying with Balaam, Balaam got a visit from the Lord. In verse 9, we read:

Numbers 22:9-12 NKJV
9 Then God came to Balaam and said, "Who are these men with you?"
10 So Balaam said to God, "Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, has sent to me, saying,
11 'Look, a people has come out of Egypt, and they cover the face of the earth. Come now, curse them for me; perhaps I shall be able to overpower them and drive them out.'"
12 And God said to Balaam, "You shall not go with them; you shall not curse the people, for they are blessed."

This goes back to the promise that God made to Abraham in Genesis, Chapter 12. In that passage God promised Abraham that his descendants would be blessed. God also promised blessing to those who bless Israel, and He promised a curse to those who curse Israel. So in Numbers 22, God told Balaam in very specific terms that he should not go with Balak’s messengers because they wanted to curse the children of Israel.

Accordingly, Balaam told the messengers to go back to their land without him because God had refused to give him permission to go with them. But when these men returned to Moab without Balaam, Balak refused to take no for an answer. Verse 15 says:

Numbers 22:15-17 NKJV
15 Then Balak again sent princes, more numerous and more honorable than (the first).
16 And they came to Balaam and said to him, "Thus says Balak the son of Zippor: 'Please let nothing hinder you from coming to me;
17 for I will certainly honor you greatly, and I will do whatever you say to me. Therefore please come, curse this people for me.'"

Unfortunately for Balaam, this promise of great reward got Balaam’s attention. Deep down inside Balaam really wanted to take advantage of Balak’s offer, so he went back to the Lord for further instructions. This time, God told Balaam to go with Balak’s messengers. Verse 21 says that:

Numbers 22:21 NKJV
21 . . . Balaam rose in the morning, saddled his donkey, and went with the princes of Moab.

On the road to Moab, a very unusual thing happened. Verse 22 says:

Numbers 22:22-28 NKJV
22 Then God's anger was aroused because he went, and the Angel of the Lord took His stand in the way as an adversary against him. And he was riding on his donkey, and his two servants were with him.
23 Now the donkey saw the Angel of the Lord standing in the way with His drawn sword in His hand, and the donkey turned aside out of the way and went into the field. So Balaam struck the donkey to turn her back onto the road.
24 Then the Angel of the Lord stood in a narrow path between the vineyards, with a wall on this side and a wall on that side.
25 And when the donkey saw the Angel of the Lord, she pushed herself against the wall and crushed Balaam's foot against the wall; so he struck her again.
26 Then the Angel of the Lord went further, and stood in a narrow place where there was no way to turn either to the right hand or to the left.
27 And when the donkey saw the Angel of the Lord, she lay down under Balaam; so Balaam's anger was aroused, and he struck the donkey with his staff.
28 Then the Lord opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam, "What have I done to you, that you have struck me these three times?"

Notice that in this instance God used a dumb donkey to speak to Balaam. It would appear that the donkey had more sense than Balaam. But notice also that Balaam was not even astonished at the fact that his donkey started talking to him. He simply answered his donkey’s question, saying:

Numbers 22:29-30 NKJV
29 . . . " (I struck you) Because you have abused me. I wish there were a sword in my hand, for now I would kill you!"
30 So the donkey said to Balaam, "Am I not your donkey on which you have ridden, ever since I became yours, to this day? Was I ever disposed to do this to you?" And he said, "No."

One would think that at this point Balaam would surely suspect that something very unusual was going on, but Balaam’s eyes were blind to the things of God until:

Numbers 22:31-33 NKJV
31 . . . the Lord opened Balaam's eyes, and he saw the Angel of the Lord standing in the way with His drawn sword in His hand; and he bowed his head and fell flat on his face.
32 And the Angel of the Lord said to him, "Why have you struck your donkey these three times? Behold, I have come out to stand against you, because your way is perverse before Me.
33 The donkey saw Me and turned aside from Me these three times. If she had not turned aside from Me, surely I would also have killed you by now, and let her live."

With this said, Balaam acknowledged his sin against the Lord, but he still wanted to curse the people of Israel, so God told Balaam to go to Balak. However, God told Balaam to speak only the words that He would put into Balaam’s mouth.

When the time came, God did put words in Balaam’s mouth just as He had put words in the mouth of Balaam’s donkey, and to Balak’s great displeasure, they were words of blessing rather than a curse. II Peter, Chapter 2, sheds some light upon this event. Peter warned the people about false teachers and said:

2 Peter 2:15 NKJV
15 They have forsaken the right way and gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness;

This lets us know that Balaam wanted to curse the people of Israel because he wanted Balak’s money. Balaam was not interested in the people of Israel. He was not interested in their welfare. He was merely interested in the money. So Peter warned his readers to beware of those come and are only interested in the wages of unrighteousness, who want to please people for profit. Verse 16 says that:

2 Peter 2:16 NKJV
16 . . . (Balaam) was rebuked for his iniquity: a dumb donkey speaking with a man's voice restrained the madness of the prophet.

Then Peter says that prophets such as these:

2 Peter 2:17 NKJV
17 . . . are wells without water, clouds carried by a tempest, for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever.

Jude also speaks about false teachers and says:

Jude 10-11 NKJV
10 But these speak evil of whatever they do not know; and whatever they know naturally, like brute beasts, in these things they corrupt themselves.
11 Woe to them! For they have gone in the way of Cain, have run greedily in the error of Balaam for profit . . .

The Scofield Reference Bible distinguishes between the error of Balaam which we see here in Jude with the doctrine of Balaam which is mentioned in Revelation, Chapter 2. In Revelation, Chapter 2, the Apostle John says to the Church at Pergamos:

Revelation 2:14 NKJV
14 But I have a few things against you, because you have there those who hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit sexual immorality.

Here we see that the doctrine of Balaam had to do with the fact that he advised Balak to put a stumbling block before the children of Israel by tempting them with sexual immorality and things sacrificed to idols. However, the error of Balaam in the book of Jude had to do with the fact that Balaam loved the wages of unrighteousness and was willing to go against the plan and purpose of God in exchange for money.

False teachers who come in with the error of Balaam will often bring with them the doctrine of Balaam. Because they love the wages of unrighteousness, they preach doctrine that will lead the people away from the righteousness of God.

Today, we need to remember that Satan is our adversary. II Corinthians, Chapter 11, says that:

2 Corinthians 11:13-15 NKJV
13 . . . false apostles, deceitful workers, (transform) themselves into apostles of Christ.
14 And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light.
15 Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works.

We need to be careful about the things that we hear from religious teachers. We need to follow the example of the Bereans, who in Acts, Chapter 17, were said to have received the word of God with readiness of mind but then searched the scriptures daily to verify those things which they had been taught.

Well, I see our time is gone for this morning. Thank you for studying with me in this another broadcast of Bible Study Time.

Church links:

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

http://www.eleventhavenuechurch.com/

http://gracebiblechurch-fw.com/

Numbers (Part 15)(BST 4-20-08)

Numbers (Part 15)
Bible Study Time 4-20-08
(From James Roberts 5-9-99)

This morning, we are going to be looking at I Corinthians, Chapter 10, and then we will return to the book of Numbers where we will see in Chapter 21 one of the most significant events that occurred as the children of Israel wondered in the wilderness.

All of the wilderness events are significant because God uses them in the writings of the New Testament to illustrate spiritual truths. Notice what the Apostle Paul says in I Corinthians, Chapter 10.

1 Corinthians 10:1-4 NKJV
1 Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea,
2 all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea,
3 all ate the same spiritual food,
4 and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ.

The children of Israel were baptized into Moses as they passed through the Red Sea and as they followed the cloud. They followed Moses as Moses followed the Lord. In this baptism, it is significant that not a drop of water touched any of the people. The ones who were exposed to the water were the Egyptians who were drowned.

The children of Israel were spiritually identified with Moses as they passed through the Red Sea and as they followed the cloud. In this process, the children of Israel became Moses’ people, and Moses became their intercessor. This means that he was the one who stood as the mediator between them and God.

In past lessons, we have seen God feeding the people of Israel with manna which came down from heaven. This manna was physical food, but because it had great spiritual significance Paul called it spiritual food. In John, Chapter 6, we see that the manna was actually a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ who came as the bread of life.

The Jews in the wilderness not only ate of that spiritual food, but they drank of that spiritual drink which came from the rock. When they were thirsty and started complaining against God, God brought them to the rock. When Moses struck the rock, water came forth and God refreshed them. He refreshed them with that life-giving water, and they were fully satisfied.

The second time they ran out of water, God brought them once again to the rock. This time God told Moses to speak to the rock, but Moses disobeyed by smiting the rock as he had done before. God punished Moses for his disobedience by telling him that he would not be allowed to lead the children of Israel into the land of Canaan.

It was important for the rock to be smitten once because it was a picture of the Lord Jesus who had to die on the cross to save us. It was not enough for Christ to live a perfect life because it was His death that would bring salvation to those who believe.

He had to live a perfect life in order to die the perfect death. But it’s not His life that supplies us with living water; that comes to us as a result of His death.

So, Jesus Christ was smitten once for sin, but there is no need to strike the Rock again and again. Once we believe in Christ, we come to the Rock and speak to the Rock, confessing our sins and seeking guidance. In this fellowship we find the water that satisfies the longing soul. Now, notice in I Corinthians 10:5.

1 Corinthians 10:5 NKJV
5 But with most of them God was not well pleased . . .

All of the children of Israel ate the spiritual food but with most of them God was not pleased.

1 Corinthians 10:5 NKJV
5 . . . for their bodies were scattered in the wilderness.

As they wondered in the wilderness, they died one by one and their bodies were buried in the wilderness. Different people died at different places and wherever they would die, that’s where they buried the body. So their bodies were scattered throughout the wilderness. Now, notice verse 6:

1 Corinthians 10:6-8 NKJV
6 Now these things became our examples, to the intent that we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted.
7 And do not become idolaters as were some of them. As it is written, "The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play."
8 Nor let us commit sexual immorality, as some of them did, and in one day twenty-three thousand fell;

Later in our study we will see this incident in the book of Numbers where 23,000 people died because of their sin, but Paul wanted to remind the Corinthians that God does judge sin very harshly. He said this that incident was recorded so that people would be reminded not follow the example of those who sinned in the wilderness. Now, verse 9:

1 Corinthians 10:9 NKJV
9 nor let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed by serpents;

We’re going to be looking at this incident this morning, when we look back at Numbers 21.

1 Corinthians 10:10-11 NKJV
10 nor complain, as some of them also complained, and were destroyed by the destroyer.
11 Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.

So Paul says that these Old Testament events happened and were written down as examples for us so that we might learn from them.

Now let’s look back at Numbers, Chapter 21. In the first few verses we see God giving the people a great victory over one of the kings of the Canaanites. But then, as they continued their journey, they became discouraged and began to complain against God and against Moses. They said:

Numbers 21:5 NKJV
5 . . . "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and our soul loathes this worthless bread."

Even today we often see people blaming God for the terrible things that are happening in our world. They blame God for the tragic events in Kosovo and also at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado. It was refreshing to hear Billy Graham in his interview with Larry King. Billy Graham said that God is not the one who is doing these terrible things; there is an enemy of God called Satan and the book of Hebrews tells us that Satan has the power of death.

Sin originally entered into the world because Satan deceived Eve and caused Adam to disobey God. Because of Adam’s disobedience, sin entered into the world and death by sin and so death passed upon all men. There is confusion and death throughout the whole universe because of the entrance of sin and Satan uses this situation to bring about the terrible things that we see in our world.

But, the children of Israel blamed God for their meager existence in the wilderness, and they asked:

Numbers 21:5 NKJV
5 . . . "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and our soul loathes this worthless bread."

This is a reference back to the manna that God was providing for them. This manna was precious in the sight of God because it was a picture of Jesus Christ, but the people said, our soul does loathe this worthless bread.

To them, this bread was worthless. It was such a light thing for them and they got tired of eating it. This is so significant because this is the attitude that many people have today about Jesus Christ. Even though He is the bread of life, they think of Him as worthless, of no value whatsoever. They count Him as nothing.

When Jesus came to the earth, He came to be the cornerstone of the building of God. He came to fulfill all of God’s plan and purpose. However, He was rejected by the Jews. They considered that Rock to be worthless, and they said, away with Him, crucify Him, we have no king but Caesar. Sadly, people today still count the Rock of Ages as worthless, and they refuse to come to Him that they might have eternal life. But God says that the stone that the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. He is the one who will someday bring to completion the sum total of God plan and purpose.

The people counted the manna as worthless, so the Lord sent fiery serpents among them. Many people died when they were bit by the serpents. Numbers 21:7 says:

Numbers 21:7 NKJV
7 Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, "We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord and against you; pray to the Lord that He take away the serpents from us." So Moses prayed for the people.

Here again we see the identification of the people of Israel with Moses. They had become identified with Moses as they passed through the Red Sea, and now Moses was in a position to make intercession for them.

What a wonderful thing it is to know that we have one who intercedes for us who is greater than Moses. The Bible says that Moses was a great servant in the house of God, but we have one who is greater than Moses. Our intercessor is the Son of God who sits at the right hand of the Father and He alone makes intercession for us.

Today, there is one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus. Those of us who trust Him as Savior are baptized by the Holy Spirit into Christ and are identified with Him. Accordingly, He is in a position to pray for us and make intercession for us.

Now Notice what the Lord said:

Numbers 21:8-9 NKJV
8 Then the Lord said to Moses,"Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and it shall be that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, shall live."
9 So Moses made a bronze serpent, and put it on a pole; and so it was, if a serpent had bitten anyone, when he looked at the bronze serpent, he lived.

The Lord Jesus told Nicodemus that he had to be born again. Then the Lord mentioned this incident with the bronze serpent. He said:

John 3:14-15 NKJV
14 . . . as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up,
15 that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.

Jesus was telling Nicodemus that He, like the bronze serpent, was going to be lifted up between heaven and earth that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. Then Jesus said:

John 3:16 NKJV
16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

In the Gospel of John, Chapter 12, the Lord Jesus said that He would be lifted up so that He might draw all men unto Himself. This too showed that Jesus was going to be lifted up between heaven and earth and John said that this signified the kind of death that Jesus would die. Jesus Christ was lifted up as the mediator between God and man. No man can come to the Father except through faith in Jesus Christ.

As we close the program, I wonder if there is one listening who has never looked to the one who was lifted up between heaven and earth, never looked to the Rock who was smitten at Calvary, never looked to the one who bore our sins in His own body on the tree and was raised from the dead to give us eternal life.

If you have never looked to the Lord Jesus Christ for your personal salvation then you are still dying in your sins. Won’t you turn your eyes toward Him today and trust Him as the one who died for you and was buried and rose again that you might have eternal life? These events that we’ve been studying all happened and were recorded in the word of God so that we might learn from them and be drawn to Jesus Christ.

Well, I see our time is gone for this morning. Thank you for studying with me in this another broadcast of Bible Study Time.

Church links:

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

http://www.eleventhavenuechurch.com/

http://gracebiblechurch-fw.com/