THE GOSPEL
ACCORDING TO JESUS – “WORDS IN RED”
A First Word
What does just the “Words in Red” of Jesus say about the Gospel?
The Kingdom of the NOW and NOT YET
Man’s call to
salvation is the starting line of the race; - The “Kingdom of God
The Gospel message is totally
about entering the Kingdom of Heaven
I have chosen the book of
Matthew and ignored what the disciples have said, and used only the “WORDS IN RED” that Jesus spoke.
I include the OT, only because
Jesus included it when He spoke.
Man on his own is
incapable of coming to God; the Holy Spirit must “enable” him.
Much of the NT speaks of man
being blind, deaf, without knowledge; if not totally ignorant.
It’s the Holy Spirit that gives man wisdom
and understanding which draws him to God.
So I would like to address Wisdom and Knowledge as the first topic
of the “Now and Not Yet”.
Mark 9:25 – Deaf and dumb.
25 Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge
thee, come out of him, and enter no more into him.
KJV
Luke 6:39 – The blind fall into the pit
39 He also told them this parable: "Can a
blind man lead a blind man? Will they not both fall into a pit? NIV
Matt 13:11 - Knowledge
11 He replied, "The knowledge of the
secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to
them.
NIV
Luke 21:15 – Wisdom comes
from God
15 For I will give you words and wisdom
that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict. NIV
1 Cor 15:34 – You are ignorant of God
34 Come back to your senses as you ought, and stop
sinning; for there are some who are ignorant of God-I say this to your
shame.
NIV
John 6:65 – The Holy
Spirit enables man to have wisdom
65 He went on to say, "This is why I told you
that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled him." NIV
God’s Wisdom
- Very early in
scripture, God wanted us to understand that wisdom was something to seek
after, something that was priceless. – The wisdom of God is a great
treasure.
- Wisdom gives us
understanding and guides us into a path of peace, protection and long life.
- Jesus said to ask,
seek and knock and it will be opened to us - We will find wisdom.
- Wisdom is imparted
through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
Prov 2:6 – It is God that
gives wisdom
6 For the LORD gives wisdom, and from his
mouth come knowledge and understanding. NIV
Prov 2:12 – Wisdom will save you
12 Wisdom will save you from the ways of
wicked men, from men whose words are perverse, NIV
Prov 3:13 -18 – Wisdom is more precious than Gold
13 Blessed is the man who finds wisdom, the
man who gains understanding,
14 for she is more profitable than silver and
yields better returns than gold.
15 more precious than rubies; nothing you
desire can compare with her
16 Long life is in her right hand; in her left
hand are riches and honor
17 Her ways are pleasant ways, and all her
paths are peace.
18 She is a tree of life to those who
embrace her; hose who lay hold of her will be blessed. NIV
Prov 4:5-7 – Get Wisdom –
Get Understanding
5 Get wisdom, get understanding; do not
forget my words or swerve from them.
6 Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you;
love her, and she will watch over you.
7 Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. NIV
Matt 7:7-11
– Ask, seek, knock and find God’s Wisdom
7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek
and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.
8 For everyone who asks receives; the one who
seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
9 “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will
give him a stone?
10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a
snake?
11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to
give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give
good gifts to those who ask him!
Jesus on parables
- His disciples asked
Him why He taught in parables and not just speak clearly?
- Scripture bears out
that many who were “hard of heart”, sought to do harm and even kill Jesus;
and the parables seemed only as harmless stories to them; but to those
whom the Holy Spirit had enabled to have wisdom and knowledge,
understood the meaning clearly. - Isaiah the prophet said their
hearts were calloused.
- It was the custom
of the Jews to look for other secret meanings hidden in the
scripture of the Torah - The parables of Jesus carried such rich hidden
meanings.
- When Jesus spoke in
parables, he was fulfilling the
prophecy about speaking in parables.
- Those who are wise in
their own mind will hear, but not understand; see, but not perceive.
- Those, by the Holy
Spirit, that have sought out wisdom
and knowledge will be given even more wisdom and knowledge. – Jesus
said to seek it and we will find it.
- Those with “calloused”
hearts, without the wisdom of the Holy Spirit; thought
the parables and symbolism taught by Jesus was just plain crazy – “Eat
my flesh; Drink my blood” - It would take the work of the Holy
Spirit to understand this - Many turned away from following Him.
Matt 13:10 -17 – Why do you speak in parables
10 The disciples came to him and asked, “Why do
you speak to the people in parables?”
11 He replied, “Because the knowledge of the
secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them.
12 Whoever has will be given more, and they
will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be
taken from them.
13 This is why I speak to them in parables:
“Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or
understand.
14 In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah:
“‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but
never perceiving.
15 For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.
15 For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.
16 But blessed are your eyes because they see, and
your ears because they hear.
17 For truly I tell you, many prophets and
righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear
what you hear but did not hear it.
Matt 13:34-35 – Parables
were prophecy fulfilled
34 Jesus spoke all these things to the crowd in
parables; he did not say anything to them without using a parable.
35 So was fulfilled what was spoken through the
prophet:
Ps 78:1-2 – Parable
prophecy
1 O my people, hear my teaching; listen to the
words of my mouth.
2 I will open my mouth in parables, I will
utter hidden things, things from of old NIV
Isa 6:9-10 – Calloused
prophesied
9 He said, "Go and tell this people:" `Be
ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving.'
10 Make the heart of this people calloused;
make their ears dull
and close their eyes. Otherwise they might see
with their eyes,
hear with their ears, understand with their
hearts, and turn and be healed." NIV
John 6:53-66 – Parables
& Symbolism – Many turned away
53 Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth,
unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no
life in you.
54 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood
has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.
55 For my flesh is real food and my blood is
real drink.
56 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood
remains in me, and I in him.
57 Just as the living Father sent me and I live
because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me.
58 This is the bread that came down from heaven.
Your forefathers ate manna and died, but he who feeds on this bread will live
forever." 59 He said this while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum
60 On hearing it, many of his disciples said,
"This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?"
61 Aware that his disciples were grumbling about
this, Jesus said to them, "Does this offend you?
62 What if you see the Son of Man ascend to where
he was before! 63 The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The
words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life.
64 Yet there are some of you who do not believe."
For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who
would betray him.
65 He went on to say, "This is why I told you
that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled him."
66 From this time many of his disciples turned
back and no longer followed him. NIV
Jesus on Temptation
- It is with the wisdom and knowledge of God’s word that we are able to thwart Satan’s fiery
darts.
- By knowing God’s word; we know who we
are in Christ – We do not have to prove anything to Satan.
- When the Holy Spirit
led Jesus into the wilderness to be temped by Satan; Jesus would quote
from “The book of the Law” which we call the Old Testament - His
comments were preceded by the words “It
is written”
- FOUR
CONCEPTS
came forth.
- The
Word of God is life. - Knowledge from God’s word guides us into paths of
peace
- Don’t
test God.
- Believe and trust that God will do what He has already promised.
- Worship
and serve God only - Seek the “Creator” of everything, not the creations.
- The
Matt 4:1-10 It is written
1 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the
wilderness to be tempted by the devil.
2 After fasting forty days and forty nights, he
was hungry.
3 The tempter came to him and said, “If you
are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”
4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on
every word that comes from the mouth of God.
5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and had
him stand on the highest point of the temple.
6 “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw
yourself down. For it is written: “‘He will command his angels concerning you, and
they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot
against a stone.
7 Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.
8 Again, the devil took him to a very high
mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor.
9 “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you
will bow down and worship me.”
10 Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship
the Lord your God, and serve him only.
From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent,
for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”
Deut 8:3 – Man shall not
live by bread alone
3 man shall not live by bread alone; but
man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the LORD. NKJV
Ex 17:2 – Don’t test God
2 Therefore the people contended with Moses, and
said, "Give us water, that we may drink." And Moses said to them,
"Why do you contend with me? Why do you tempt the LORD? NKJV
Ex 23:24 -25 – Worship and serve God only
24 You shall not bow down to their gods,
nor serve them, nor do according to their works; but you shall utterly
overthrow them and completely break down their sacred pillars.
25 So you shall serve the LORD your God,
and He will bless your bread and your water. And I will take sickness away from
the midst of you. NKJV
Eph 6:16 – Satan has fiery darts
16 Above all, taking the shield of faith,
wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
KJV
Jesus on Value
- Jesus talked about
the kingdom of heaven being like a treasure – Something of great value,
that once you have found it you would sell everything that you have to
possess it.
- You must have wisdom to understand “what
is of value” in order to desire it.
- It’s the Holy Spirit
that enables you to have understanding,
otherwise it’s just foolishness.
- To gain the greater, you
can’t hang on to the lesser – You must choose to let go.
- Life is
choice driven.
Matt 13:44-46 – Pearl of
great value.
44 “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure
hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy
went and sold all he had and bought that field.
45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a
merchant looking for fine pearls.
46 When he found one of great value, he
went away and sold everything he had and bought it.
Matt 6:19 -21 – Where your heart is so your treasure.
19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on
earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.
20 But store up for yourselves treasures in
heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break
in and steal.
21 For where your treasure is, there your heart
will be also.
Matt 6:22-24 – You cannot
serve two masters.
22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes
are healthy, your whole body will be full of light.
23 But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body
will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great
is that darkness!
24 “No one can serve two masters.
Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the
one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money
Jesus on the Messiah
- Jesus Himself said
that He was The Son of God, The Messiah, and The King of
the Jews.
- He said He came to
fulfill the law – To fulfill prophecy - He is revealed by the Holy Spirit
to man.
- John the baptizer was
in prison and wanted to know if Jesus was the Messiah or is there another
to come. - Jesus said report to
John that the blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are
cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is
proclaimed to the poor – Isaiah’s Prophecy has now been fulfilled.
- In His own hometown,
He was not accepted as the Messiah and therefore could do no mighty work
there because of their lack of faith.
- The prophets said
that Elijah would come again before the Messiah would come – Well, he
did, but they did not recognize him.
It was John the Baptist that had the spirit of Elijah. (Check out the way John dressed and lived)
Matt 17:11-13 – Elijah
must come first before the Messiah.
11 Jesus replied, “To be sure, Elijah comes
and will restore all things. 12 But I tell you, Elijah has already come, and
they did not recognize him, but have done to him everything they wished. In
the same way the Son of Man is going to suffer at their hands.”
13 Then the disciples understood that he was
talking to them about John the Baptist.
Matt 11:3-5 Are you the
Messiah
3 “Are you the one who is to come, or
should we expect someone else?”
4 Jesus replied, “Go back and report to John what
you hear and see: 5 The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have
leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news
is proclaimed to the poor.
Isa 61:1 – The good news is
preached to the poor
1 The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because
the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me
to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release
from darkness for the prisoners, NIV
Matt 5:17 - The Fulfillment of the Law
17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the
Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them
Matt 16:13 -19 – The Holy Spirit revealed to Peter the Messiah
13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea
Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”
14 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist;
others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
15 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you
say I am?”
16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah,
the Son of the living God.”
17 Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of
Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father
in heaven. 18 And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will
build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.
19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of
heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and
whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”
Matt 26:63-64 Tell us if
you are the Messiah, the Son of God.”
63 The high priest said to him, "I charge you
under oath by the living God: Tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God."
64 “You have said so,” Jesus replied. “But
I say to all of you: From now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the
right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.”
Matt 27:11 – Are you the
King of the Jews?
11
Are
you the king of the Jews?” “You have said so,” Jesus replied.
Matt 13:55-58 – His Home Town
55 “Isn’t this the carpenter’s son? Isn’t
his mother’s name Mary, and aren’t his brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Judas?
56 Aren’t all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these
things?” 57 And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is
not without honor except in his own town and in his own home.”
58 he did not do many miracles there because of
their lack of faith.
Jesus on John the Baptizer
- John
fulfilled prophecy - “‘I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will
prepare the way before you.’ – John fulfilled prophecy and prepared the
way for Christ.
- Jesus said that John
was the greatest that had ever been born of a woman.
- He said that he had the Spirit of Elijah and was the
last of the prophets – Modern day prophets should read this scripture. –
There are no more prophets. – It culminated with John. – Jesus is the
fulfillment of the prophecies. – There are NO new revelations.
- Reincarnation
–
Christians do not embrace the “New Age” Eastern doctrine of reincarnation. Elijah, although he did not die, but was
“taken”; did not come back “physically” in the body of John. - It is
written;” it is appointed unto man once to die and then the
judgment”.
Matt 11:7-14 – John was a
prophet with the spirit of Elijah
7 As John’s disciples were leaving, Jesus began to
speak to the crowd about John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see?
A reed swayed by the wind?
8 If not, what did you go out to see? A man
dressed in fine clothes? No, those who wear fine clothes are in kings’ palaces.
9 Then what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes,
I tell you, and more than a prophet.
10 This is the one about whom it is written: “‘I
will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.’
11 Truly I tell you, among those born of women
there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet whoever is least
in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.
12 From the days of John the Baptist until now,
the kingdom of heaven has been subjected to violence, and violent people have
been raiding it.
13 For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until
John.
14 And if you are willing to accept it, he is
the Elijah who was to come. Whoever has ears, let them hear.
Heb 9:27 – Once to die – No reincarnation
27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die,
but after this the judgment: KJV
2 Kings 2:11 – Elijah did not die
11 As they were walking along and talking
together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated
the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind. NIV
Jesus on the first Call
- Jesus had compassion
on the people; they were like sheep without a Shepard – The harvest was
plentiful, but the workers were few.
- Jesus told his
followers to come expecting nothing, that He didn’t even have a
place to lay His head – to come NOW without excuses of delay; but to
first “Count the Cost” - "No one who puts his hand to the plow
and looks back is fit for service in the
- Once we can grasp
that that the
- Simon
Peter and Andrew
were already disciples of John the Baptizer who had pointed them to
Jesus - When Jesus said “Follow me”, they dropped everything they had to
obtain the treasure that lay ahead; the Kingdom of Heaven.
- You have got to
understand this – These guys had a prosperous business and still took time
off to seek God’s wisdom. – They found it in the desert with
John the baptizer; and set under his teachings of repentance.
- Jesus said they would
now fish for people – They understood what that meant. – Game on.
- Matthew a tax collector, who everybody hated
and was not even allowed to worship in the temple, knew all about Jesus. –
He so wanted what Jesus had, that he left his lucrative business that he had
to pay a franchise fee for, and immediately followed Him. – The Holy
Spirit gave him the wisdom, “the ability” to recognize the value
of the Gospel.
Matt 4:18-20 – Peter and
Andrew dropped everything to follow
18 As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee , he saw two brothers,
Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a
net into the lake, for they were fishermen.
19 “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I
will send you out to fish for people.”
20 At once they left their nets and followed
him.
Matt 9:9 – Matthew was
ready even before the call
9 As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named
Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” he told him,
and Matthew got up and followed him.
Matt 8:19-22 – No excuses
– follow now – expect nothing
19 Then a teacher of the law came to him and said,
“Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.”
20 Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have
nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”
21 A disciple said to him, “Lord, first let me go
and bury my father.”
22 Jesus told him, “Follow me, and let the dead
bury their own dead.”
Matt 9:36-38 – The harvest
is plentiful, the workers are few
36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion
on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a
shepherd.
37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest
is plentiful but the workers are few.
38 Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send
out workers into his harvest field.”
Luke 14:28-30 – Count the
cost to follow Jesus
28 "Suppose one of you wants to build a
tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has
enough money to complete it?
29 For if he lays the foundation and is not able
to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him,
30 saying, `This fellow began to build and was not
able to finish.'
Jesus on Baptism
- At the beginning of
the ministry of Jesus, He went to John to be baptized into repentance. While Jesus did not need repentance; He
chose to set an example for us, that we need to be baptized into a new
life of righteousness - This pleased God the Father.
Matt 3:13-17 – Jesus said
it was proper to be baptized
13 Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan
14 But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to
be baptized by you, and do you come to me?”
15 Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is
proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John
consented.
16 As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out
of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God
descending like a dove and alighting on him.
17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son,
whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”
Jesus on Missions
- The twelve disciples were
sent out first to the lost sheep of
- Note: Later on, Paul would take the message to
the Gentiles also.
- They were told to
take nothing with them – This was a FAITH
mission trip. - They would receive what they needed by the body that
received them.
·
They
were told to make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the
Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, (The Trinity)
·
He
sent out 70 missionaries “in pairs” to the surrounding towns. - By sending them
two by two, they could help and encourage each another.
Matt 10:5-20
– Go first to the nation of Israel
5 These twelve Jesus sent out with the following
instructions: “Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the
Samaritans.
6 Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel
7 proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven
has come near.’
8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who
have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give.
9 “Do not get any gold or silver or copper
to take with you
10 no bag for the journey or extra shirt or
sandals or a staff, for the worker is worth his keep.
11 Whatever town or village you enter, search
there for some worthy person and stay at their house until you leave.
12 As you enter the home, give it your greeting.
13 If the home is deserving, let your peace rest
on it; if it is not, let your peace return to you.
14 If anyone will not welcome you or listen to
your words, leave that home or town and shake the dust off your feet.
15 Truly I tell you, it will be more bearable for Sodom Gomorrah
16 “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves.
Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.
17 Be on your guard; you will be handed over to
the local councils and be flogged in the synagogues.
18 On my account you will be brought before
governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles.
19 But when they arrest you, do not worry about
what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say,
20 for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit
of your Father speaking through you.
Matt 28:18-20 - Great
Commission – Go preach to everybody
18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All
authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
19 Therefore go and make disciples of all
nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son
and of the Holy Spirit,
20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded
you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Luke 10:1-4 – Seventy
missionaries – sent out two by two
1 After these things the Lord appointed other
seventy also, and sent them two and two before his face into every
city and place, whither he himself would come.
2 Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly
is great, but the laborers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest,
that he would send forth laborers into his harvest.
4 Carry neither purse, nor scrip, nor shoes: and
salute no man KJV
Eccl 4:9-10 – Two
missionaries are better than one.
9 Two are better than one, because they
have a good return for their work:
10 If one falls down, his friend can help him
up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up! NIV
Jesus on the Gospel
- Christ did NOT come to
do away with the Law, but to fulfill the prophecy of the Law.
- The Gospel is hidden
from those who are wise in their own eyes, but it is revealed to those who
come simply believing, as a child does to his father.
- Jesus said, “All
things have been given unto Him” – To come to Him, everyone who is
burdened down with the yoke of life and He will give you rest.
- Jesus could see a
man’s heart and would single him out to receive the wisdom of the Gospel.
- The “gate” to the
- Without the Holy
Spirit, the “Garden of your Heart” is very hard, rocky and full of
thorns. As soon as the Word of the Gospel truth is sown; before its roots
can start to grow, Satan comes to kill, steal and destroy it.
- If you acknowledge
God, He will acknowledge you and vice versa. – He is not willing that any
should wander off and be lost. – If you are His; He will seek you out.
- A
wonderful thing
about the Gospel is that the man who accepts Christ late in life; perhaps even
on his death bed, gets in on the same reward of salvation as that of
the man who served God from his youth - That’s the mercy and grace of God.
– It’s His good pleasure. – But, find the gate early. - There are blessings
now for the faithful as
will as abundant blessings in the future.
- Build your faith on
the wisdom of the words of God for a firm foundation that cannot be shaken
by the hurricanes of life. – It’s not enough to hear the words, but you
must put them into action. – Do the Word. – Demons can quote scripture, they just
don’t accept it.
- If you are neutral on
the Gospel of Jesus Christ – You have rejected it. – You are rejected.
Matt 5:17-20 – Jesus is
the fulfillment of the Law
17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the
Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.
18 For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth
disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any
means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.
19 Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the
least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in
the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will
be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
20 For I tell you that unless your righteousness
surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly
not enter the kingdom of heaven.
Matt 9:11-13 – Christ came
to minister to the sick, not the well
11 “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors
and sinners?”
12 On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the
healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.
13 But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire
mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
Matt 11:27 – Christ chooses us
27 “All things have been committed to me by my
Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father
except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.
Matt 11:28 -30 - Come to me all who are
heavy laden
28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and
burdened, and I will give you rest.
29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,
for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
Matt 11:25-26 – The Gospel
is foolishness to the wise
25 At that time Jesus said, “I praise you, Father,
Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise
and learned, and revealed them to little children.
26 Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased
to do.
Matt 7:24-27 - The Wise
and Foolish Builders
24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of
mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house
on the rock. 25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and
beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation
on the rock.
26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and
does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on
sand. 27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat
against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”
Matt 7:13 -14 - The Narrow and Wide Gates
13 “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the
gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through
it.
14 But small is the gate and narrow the
road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
Matt 12:30 . – No decision – is a decision
30 “Whoever is not with me is against me,
and whoever does not gather with me scatters.
Matt 10:32-33 –
Acknowledge God, He will acknowledge you.
32 “Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will
also acknowledge before my Father in heaven.
33 But whoever disowns me before others, I will
disown before my Father in heaven.
Matt 20:1-16 – It’s never too
late to accept Christ.
1 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a
landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard.
2 He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and
sent them into his vineyard.
3 “About nine in the morning he went out and saw
others standing in the marketplace doing nothing.
4 He told them, ‘You also go and work in my
vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’
5 So they went. “He went out again about noon and about three in the
afternoon and did the same thing.
6 About five in the afternoon he went out and
found still others standing around. He asked them, ‘Why have you been standing
here all day long doing nothing?’
7 “‘Because no one has hired us,’ they answered.
“He said to them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard.’
8 “When evening came, the owner of the vineyard
said to his foreman, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning
with the last ones hired and going on to the first.’
9 “The workers who were hired about five in the
afternoon came and each received a denarius.
10 So when those came who were hired first, they
expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius.
11 When they received it, they began to grumble
against the landowner.
12 ‘These who were hired last worked only one
hour,’ they said, ‘and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden
of the work and the heat of the day.’
13 “But he answered one of them, ‘I am not
being unfair to you, friend. Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius?
14 Take your pay and go. I want to give the one
who was hired last the same as I gave you.
15 Don’t I have the right to do what I want
with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?’
16 “So the last will be first, and the first will
be last.”
Luke 23:42-43 – Criminal
on the cross repented – not too late
42 he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come
into your kingdom."
43 Jesus answered him, "I tell you the truth,
today you will be with me in paradise." NIV
Matt 18:12 -14 - It’s Jesus that comes to find you.
12 “What do you think? If a man owns a hundred
sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the
hills and go to look for the one that wandered off?
13 And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he is happier
about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off.
14 In the same way your Father in heaven is not
willing that any of these little ones should perish.
Matt 13:33 – The yeast of
the Gospel will work in God’s Loaf
33 He told them still another parable: “The kingdom
of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into
about sixty pounds of flour until it worked all through the dough.”
Matt 13:31-32 - The Gospel
grows in man from a small seed
31 He told them another parable: “The kingdom of
heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his
field.
32 Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet
when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so
that the birds come and perch in its branches.”
Matt 13:3-9 - Satan steals
the seed as soon as it is planted
3 Then he told them many things in parables,
saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed.
4 As he was scattering the seed, some fell along
the path, and the birds came and ate it up.
5 Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have
much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow.
6 But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched,
and they withered because they had no root.
7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew
up and choked the plants.
8 Still other seed fell on good soil, where it
produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.
9 Whoever has ears, let them hear.”
Matt 13:18-23 – Jesus
explains the parable of the sower
18 “Listen then to what the parable of the sower
means:
19 When anyone hears the message about the kingdom
and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what
was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along the path.
20 The seed falling on rocky ground refers
to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy.
21 since they have no root, they last only
a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they
quickly fall away.
22 The seed falling among the thorns refers
to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the
deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful.
23 But the seed falling on good soil refers
to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces
a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”
John 10:10 – Satan comes
to kill, steal and destroy.
10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to
kill, and to destroy:
Jesus on Faithfulness
- God entrusts to the
believer certain gifts and talents to function within the
- While scripture clearly
teaches that man does not inherit the “
- A tree without fruit
is a dead tree and will be cut down.
- If you do not faithfully
grow the gifts and talents that you have been entrusted with, then you are
not worthy of the
Mark 25:14-30 – Well done,
Good and FAITHFUL servant
14 “Again, it will be like a man going on a
journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them.
15 To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two
bags, and to another one bag, each according to his ability. Then he left.
16 The man who had received five bags of gold went
at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more.
17 So also, the one with two bags of gold gained
two more.
18 But the man who had received one bag went off, dug
a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.
19 “After a long time the master of those servants
returned and settled accounts with them.
20 The man who had received five bags of gold
brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five bags of
gold. See, I have gained five more.’
21 “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and
faithful servant! You
have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things.
Come and share your master’s happiness!’
22 “The man with two bags of gold also came.
‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two bags of gold; see, I have gained
two more.’
23 “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been
faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come
and share your master’s happiness!’
24 “Then the man who had received one bag of gold
came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you
have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed.
25 So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold
in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’
26 “His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I
harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed?
27 Well then, you should have put my money on
deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back
with interest.
28 “‘So take the bag of gold from him and give it
to the one who has ten bags.
29 For whoever has will be given more, and
they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be
taken from them.
30 And throw that worthless servant outside,
into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
Matt 7:16 – You are identified by your WORKS.
16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do
men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? KJV
Luke 12:48 – To whom much
is given, much is expected
48 And to whomsoever much is given, of him shall
much be required.
Jesus on Faith
- Every time we see
Jesus healing people; it required Faith to be in action on someone’s
part; not necessarily the person that needed to be healed. – But Faith nonetheless
was present.
- The centurion’s faith
was so great that he believed that Jesus could just say “the word” and his servant back
home would be healed.
- If you believe and
not doubt, you will do miracles. – You will receive what you ask for in
prayer, that’s in accordance with the will of God. – To know God’s
will is to read His Word – The Holy Spirit will give you the wisdom you need. – We pray
amiss, because we do not know God’s will.
- Whatever we bind on
earth is bound in Heaven; whatever we loose on earth is loosed in Heaven.
– So, cut loose faith and let it abound. – Bind doubt and
let it die.
- Where two are three
are gathered in His name, He is present with them – When they pray in
accordance with His will, it will be done for them.
Matt 9:27 -30 – “According to your faith” it will be done.
27 As Jesus went on from there, two blind men
followed him, calling out, “Have mercy on us, Son of David!”
28 When he had gone indoors, the blind men came to
him, and he asked them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?”
“Yes, Lord,” they replied.
29 Then he touched their eyes and said, “According
to your faith let it be done to you”;
30 and their sight was restored.
Matt 8:6-13 – “As you
believe”, it will be done
6 “Lord,” he said, “my servant lies at home paralyzed,
suffering terribly.”
7 Jesus said to him, "I will go and heal
him."
8 The centurion replied, "Lord, I do not
deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my
servant will be healed. 9 For I myself am a man under authority, with
soldiers under me. I tell this one, `Go,' and he goes; and that one, `Come,'
and he comes. I say to my servant, `Do this,' and he does it."
10 When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said
to those following him, “Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel
11 I say to you that many will come from the east
and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and
Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.
12 But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown
outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
13 Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go! Let
it be done just as you believed it would.” And his servant was healed at
that moment.
Matt 21:19 -22 – Have faith and not doubt
19 Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it
but found nothing on it except leaves. Then he said to it, “May you never bear
fruit again!” Immediately the tree withered.
20 When the disciples saw this, they were amazed.
“How did the fig tree wither so quickly?” they asked.
21 Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, if you have
faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree,
but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and
it will be done.
22 If you believe, you will receive whatever
you ask for in prayer.”
Matt 18:18 – Loose faith on earth and it’s loosed in heaven
18 “Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth
will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in
heaven.
Matt 18:19 – Two in agreement – It will be done for them
19 “Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on
earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my
Father in heaven.
Matt 18:20 -
He is present where two are gathered in
His name
20 For where two or three gather in my name,
there am I with them.”
Jesus on Healing
- Miracles - Although the
miracle healings all pointed back to Jesus and the Gospel of the
- Compassion
- The
first picture we see of Jesus is with a man with leprosy, he told Him that
He could heal him “if He wanted to”. – Jesus said; “I want to”.
- Unbelief – NOTE: In another
place, Jesus put all the unbelievers outside before He prayed and
raised a little girl from the dead. – Our lesson is; if we want to be healed,
get with those that “believe in healing”. – IT IS GOD’S WILL THAT YOU BE HEALED. – I want to say it again – It
is the “Will of God” that you
are healed. – Sickness is from “the destroyer”
Matt 8:2-4 - Jesus is
willing
2 A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and
said, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.”
3 Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man.
“I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” Immediately he was cleansed of his
leprosy.
4 Then Jesus said to him, “See that you don’t tell
anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift Moses commanded,
as a testimony to them.”
Matt 9:21-22 – If I can
just touch Him, I will be healed.
21 She said to herself, “If I only touch his
cloak, I will be healed.”
22 Jesus turned and saw her. “Take heart,
daughter,” he said, “your faith has healed you.” And the woman was
healed at that moment.
Matt 9:23-26 – Jesus put
the unbeliever out of the house
23 When Jesus entered the synagogue leader’s house
and saw the noisy crowd and people playing pipes,
24 he said, “Go away. The girl is not dead
but asleep.” But they laughed at him.
25 After the crowd had been put outside, he
went in and took the girl by the hand, and she got up.
26 News of this spread through all of that region.
Jesus on Prayer
- Jesus encourages us
to pray privately to “God the Father” about our needs. – We do not
need a lot of words; God already knows what we need before we even ask
Him.
- Acknowledge God for
who is and where He is; and then praise His Holy name.
- Pray for His will to
be done on earth – because it’s surely not being done.
- Ask that, just for
today, that you will receive your needs for the nourishment of food.
- Ask for your sins and
wrong doings to be forgiven, as you forgive others.
- Pray that He will
keep you from temptation and evil.
- Acknowledge that His
kingdom is the power and the glory forever.
Matt 5:5-15 – How to Pray
5 “And when you pray, do not be like the
hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street
corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward
in full.
6 But when you pray, go into your room, close
the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees
what is done in secret, will reward you.
7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling
like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.
8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows
what you need before you ask him.
9 “This, then, is how you should pray: “‘Our
Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
10 your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us today our daily bread. And
12 forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
hallowed be your name,
10 your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us today our daily bread. And
12 forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver
us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the
glory, for ever. Amen.
14 For if you forgive other people when they sin
against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
15 But if you do not forgive others their sins,
your Father will not forgive your sins.
Jesus on Love
- Jesus said that if we
desire to seek “God the Father”, then we are to love Him with all our
HEART, SOUL and MIND and to love those around us too. – That’s
pretty hard because some people are just not very lovable.
- Jesus raised the bar
on love; He says for us to do extra; to do things that are not required;
to do it even for our enemy.
- Do unto others as you
would have them do unto you, even when it’s an inconvenience.
- He said to love our
enemies, to pray for those who give us grief.
- The person that shows
mercy; shows love; even if the
person is considered an “undesirable”
Matt 22:36-40 – Love God –
Love your neighbor
36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in
theLaw?”
37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with
all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.
38 This is the first and greatest commandment.
39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your
neighbor as yourself.
40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
Matt 5:43-47 - Love for Enemies
43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your
neighbor and hate your enemy.’
44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray
for those who persecute you,
46 If you love those who love you, what reward will
you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that?
47 And if you greet only your own people, what are
you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that?
Matt 7:12 The golden rule
12 So in everything, do to others what you
would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.
Matt 5:38-42 - Jesus raised
the bar
38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye,
and tooth for tooth.’
39 But I tell you, do not resist an evil person.
If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also.
40 And if anyone wants to sue you and take your
shirt, hand over your coat as well.
41 If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with
them two miles.
42 Give to
the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow
from you.
Luke 10:30-37 – The
neighbor who shows mercy shows love
30 In reply Jesus said: "A man was going down
from Jerusalem Jericho
31 A priest happened to be going down the
same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side.
32 So too, a Levite, when he came to the
place and saw him, passed by on the other side.
33 But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came
where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him.
34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring
on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and
took care of him.
35 The next day he took out two silver coins and
gave them to the innkeeper. `Look after him,' he said, `and when I return, I
will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.'
36 "Which of these three do you think was
a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?"
37 The expert in the law replied, "The one
who had mercy on him."
Jesus told him, "Go and do likewise."
NIV
Jesus on forgiveness
- Jesus said; anger is
a sin; don’t be angry with someone, but go to them and seek reconciliation
quickly. – Seek forgiveness – Give forgiveness, give mercy, give compassion.
Matt 5:21-25 – Settle
matters quickly.
21 “You have heard that it was said to the people
long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to
judgment.’
22 But I tell you that anyone who is angry with
a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to
a brother or sister, ‘Raca, is answerable to the court. And anyone who says,
‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.
23 “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the
altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you,
24 leave your gift there in front of the altar.
First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift.
25 “Settle matters quickly with your adversary
who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still together on the way.
Jesus on Works
- Did
Jesus teach salvation by works? - Lets take a look at His teaching on the
parable of “The Sheep and the Goats”; where His sheep are
separated from the world’s goats. – He says His sheep will be found
helping others. – You will know
them by their WORKS.
- We do not do good
works to enter the
- In the parable of the
two sons we see very quickly that it’s not what we say, but what we
do.
- In the parable on salt
and light – Jesus teaches that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the salt
that seasons the world and lights up the souls of man – We should be about
the business of sharing the good news; the light of the Gospel. –
If you’ve been given the light – Show it. – If you’ve got the
“seasoning” of the word – Share it.
- He said we will be
known by the fruit of our works – Some will do good works like
giving to the Shriner children’s hospital, but having no part of the Holy
Spirit – Jesus will say He doesn’t even know them.
- DO the
will of the father and you will enter the
Matt 21:28-31
- The Parable of the Two Sons
28 “What do you think?
There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and
work today in the vineyard.’
29 “‘I will not,’ he
answered, but later he changed his mind and went.
30 “Then the father went
to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, ‘I will, sir,’ but he
did not go.
31 “Which of the two
did what his father wanted?” “The first,” they answered.
Matt 25:31-46
– Whatever you do, do it unto the Lord
31 “When the Son of Man
comes in his glory,
32 All the nations will be
gathered before him, and he will separate the people as a shepherd separates
the sheep from the goats.
33 He will put the sheep
on his right and the goats on his left.
34 “Then the King will say
to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take
your inheritance,
35 I was hungry and you
gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I
was a stranger, you invited me in,
36 I needed clothes and
you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you
came to visit me.’
37 “Then the righteous will
answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give
you something to drink?
38 When did we see you a
stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you?
39 When did we see you
sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
40 “The King will reply,
‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers
and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
41 “Then he will say to
those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal
fire prepared for the devil
42 For I was hungry and
you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink,
43 I was a stranger and
you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was
sick and you did not look after me.’
44 “They also will answer,
‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes
and did not help you?’
45 “He will reply, ‘Truly
I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did
not do for me.’
46 “Then they will go away
to eternal punishment
Matt 5:13 -16 –You are the Salt and Light
13 “You are the salt of
the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty
again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled
underfoot.
14 “You are the light of the world. A town
on a hill cannot be hidden.
15 Neither do people light
a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives
light to everyone in the house.
16 In the same way, let
your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds
and glorify your Father in Heaven.
Matt 7:15 -19 – By their works you will know them
15 “Watch out for false
prophets..
16 By their fruit you
will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from
thistles?
18 A good tree cannot bear
bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit.
19 Every tree that does
not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. - Thus, by their
fruit you will recognize them
Matt 7:21-23
– Works without “Faith” is dead.
21 “Not everyone who says
to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who
does the will of my Father.
22 Many will say to me on
that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not
prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name
perform many miracles?’
23 Then I will tell them
plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away
from me, you evildoers!’
Luke 13:6-9
–No good works – No fruit – Cut the tree down
6 Then he told this
parable: "A man had a fig tree, planted in his vineyard, and he went to
look for fruit on it, but did not find any.
7 So he said to the man
who took care of the vineyard, `For three years now I've been coming to look
for fruit on this fig tree and haven't found any. Cut it down! Why should it
use up the soil?'
8 "`Sir,' the man
replied, `leave it alone for one more year, and I'll dig around it and
fertilize it.
9 If it bears fruit next
year, fine! If not, then cut it down.'" NIV
I know I’m breaking my “Words in Red”
rule, but I must show scripture that points out that we are saved by faith, not
by works. Salvation is a gift from God –
We are saved to do GOOD WORKS.
Eph 2:8-10 Saved by Faith
to do good works
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith,
and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,
9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.
10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ
Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk
in them
Jesus on Giving
- Jesus wants to reward
us for giving and helping the needy; but cannot do so if we toot our own
horn. - He says to give of our time
and money secretly and privately; we don’t even need to mention it to our
spouse.
- Give to the Lord out
of love, out of what you have. – not what you don’t have –
- Give also according
to the matters of God’s law; Give justice,
give mercy, give faithfulness.
- As you give – it will
be given back to you – shaken together, pressed down and running over.
Matt 6:1-4 - Giving to the
Needy
1 “Be careful not to practice your righteousness
in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from
your Father in heaven.
2 “when you give to the needy, do not announce
it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the
streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their
reward in full.
3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your
left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in
secret
4. Then your Father, who sees what is done in
secret, will reward you.
Mark 12:41 -44 – Give what you have, not what you don’t have
41 Jesus sat down opposite the place where the
offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple
treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts.
42 But a poor widow came and put in two very small
copper coins, worth only a fraction of a penny.
43 Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said,
"I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury
than all the others.
44 They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out
of her poverty, put in everything-all she had to live on." NIV
Matt 23:23 – Give, but
don’t forget mercy and faithfulness.
23 "Woe to you, teachers of the law and
Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices-mint, dill
and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law-justice,
mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced both. NIV
Luke 6:38 – Give and it will be given back to you
38 Give, and it will be given to you. A good
measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured
into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."
NIV
Jesus on Taxes
- The Israelites hated
paying taxes to the heathen Roman Government - Paying taxes was not
something Jesus took on as a cause.
He simply said to give the government what was due them and give God
what was due Him. - Whether we are
“tax exempt” or not; just pay it. Don’t get on a “soapbox” about anything
that sidetracks you from the purpose of the Gospel.
- Rabbit
Trail
- I feel I must digress here and speak on an issue that I took up with my
pastor; about how could a Christian also be of the Masonic order? He said He agreed with me about the
deception, but he was not called to address such issues; that it was a
sidetrack to the real message of the
Matt 22:17 -22 – Should the believer pay taxes
17 Tell us then, what is your opinion? Is it right
to pay the imperial tax to Caesar or not?”
18 But Jesus, knowing their evil intent, said,
“You hypocrites, why are you trying to trap me?
19 Show me the coin used for paying the tax.” They
brought him a denarius,
20 and he asked them, “Whose image is this? And
whose inscription?”
21 “Caesar’s,” they replied. Then he said to them,
“So give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.”
22 When they heard this, they were amazed. So they
left him and went away.
NIV
Matt 17:24 -27 – Pay the Temple Tax
24 After Jesus and his disciples arrived in Capernaum
25 “Yes, he does,” he replied, When Peter came
into the house, Jesus was the first to speak. “What do you think, Simon?” he
asked. “From whom do the kings of the earth collect duty and taxes—from their
own children or from others?”
26 “From others,” Peter answered. “Then the
children are exempt,” Jesus said to him.
27 “But so that we may not cause offense,
go to the lake and throw out your line. Take the first fish you catch; open its
mouth and you will find a four-drachma coin. Take it and give it to them for
my tax and yours.” NIV
Acts 6:1-4 – Choose some
folks to help wait on tables
1 In those days when the number of disciples was
increasing, the Grecian Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews
because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food.
2 So the Twelve gathered all the disciples
together and said, "It would not be right for us to neglect the
ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables.
3 Brothers, choose seven men from among you who
are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility
over to them
4 and will give our attention to prayer and the
ministry of the word."
Sidebar
- Let’s pause here and
reflect on the forgoing scripture about waiting on tables – On first
reading it seems the disciples were a little bit arrogant in their speech;
like serving food to the poor was beneath them. - Someone with the gift of
“Organization” got them some help.
- We need vessels of
service in all areas of the kingdom – All are not all called to preach or
teach – We need people who are willing to park cars, cut grass, paint
walls and serve soup.
1 Cor 12:29 – We all have different gifts and callings.
29 Are all
apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? NIV
Jesus on Booze
- Very early on, Jesus
was accused of being a boozer – He told them that it’s not what goes into
a man’s mouth that defiles him; it’s what comes out – Evil thoughts,
murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony and slander.
- Whatever the heart
is full of will eventually overflow the mouth – We are known by what
we speak - The fruit of our mouth.
- Drinking
booze is not a sin – Drunkenness is the sin – (You will not inherit the kingdom.)
- We are free to
have a glass of wine. – For some that are not “free”; drinking is still a
sin and could cause them to stumble in their faith; so for their sake;
drink privately at home.
Matt 11:18-19 – Jesus
accused of being a drunkard
18 John came neither eating nor drinking, and they
say, ‘He has a demon
19 The Son of Man came eating and drinking,
and they say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax
collectors and sinners.’ But wisdom is proved right by her deeds.”
Matt 15:16 -20 – It’s not what you drink that defiles you
16 “Are you still so dull?” Jesus asked them.
17 “Don’t you see that whatever enters the mouth
goes into the stomach and then out of the body?
18 But the things that come out of a person’s
mouth come from the heart, and these defile them.
19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder,
adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander.
20 These are what defile a person; but eating with
unwashed hands does not defile them.” NIV
Matt 15:11 – What comes out of your mouth defiles you
11 What goes into someone’s mouth does not defile
them, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them.” NIV
Matt 12:33-37 – The mouth
speaks what’s in the heart.
33 “Make a tree good and its fruit will be good,
or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by
its fruit.
34 For the mouth speaks what the heart is full
of.
35 A good man brings good things out of the good
stored up in him, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up
in him.
36 But I tell you that everyone will have to give
account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken.
37 For by your words you will be acquitted, and by
your words you will be condemned.” NIV
1 Cor 6:9-10 – Drunkards
will not inherit the Kingdom of God
9 Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral
nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders
10 nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards
nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God
Rom 14:19 -21–Don’t cause your brother to stumble
20 Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of
food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a man to eat anything
that causes someone else to stumble.
21 It is better not to eat meat or drink wine
or to do anything else that will cause your brother to fall. NIV
Jesus on the Jews/Gentiles
- Replacement
theology
- God sent His prophets
into the “vineyard” of His chosen people; the nation of
- God offered to the
Gentiles His “vineyard”; the plan of Salvation and they accepted.
- There is now a
concept that Jewish Israel failed to recognize the Messiah Jesus Christ,
and after centuries has now been replaced by the Christian Church
as God’s chosen people.
- Jesus Christ is the
life giving Vine. God broke off the branches of
unbelieving
- BUT, if the broken
branches of
- LISTEN: The Vine is Jesus
Christ and the branches are Jewish Israel - When you as a Gentile are
grafted into the vine, you become part of Jewish Israel. Your roots are Jewish.
- All
Israel
is therefore; the believing Jews who are the natural branches of the vine;
- Plus the Gentiles who are the un-natural wild branches that were grafted in. - Plus the broken off branches;
the returning believing Jews, that will be grafted back into the vine.
Matt 21:33-44 - The
Parable of the Tenants
33 “Listen to another parable: There was a
landowner who planted a vineyard. Then he rented the vineyard to some
farmers and moved to another place.
34 When the harvest time approached, he sent his
servants to the tenants to collect his fruit.
35 “The tenants seized his servants; they beat
one, killed another, and stoned a third.
36 Then he sent other servants to them, more than
the first time, and the tenants treated them the same way.
37 Last of all, he sent his son to them. ‘They
will respect my son,’
38 “But when the tenants saw the son, they said to
each other, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him and take his
inheritance.’
39 They took him and threw him out of the vineyard
and killed him.
40 “Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard
comes, what will he do to those tenants?”
41 “He will bring those wretches to a wretched
end,” they replied, “and he will rent the vineyard to other tenants, who
will give him his share of the crop at harvest time.”
42 Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the
Scriptures: “‘The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone;
the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes’?
43 “Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God
44 Anyone who falls on this stone will be broken
to pieces; anyone on whom it falls will be crushed.”
Rom 11:25 – A remnant of Jews will accept Christ
25 Israel
Jesus on His death
- Jesus predicted His
death three times – He told them that He MUST be killed, but would
be raised to life again on the third day.
- He would be handed
over to the chief priest and teachers of the law and they would condemn
Him to death.
- He would be mocked,
flogged and crucified. – The disciples were filled with grief.
- Jesus had been asked
for a “sign” that He was the
Messiah; He told them that just as Jonah was in the belly of a huge fish
for three days, so He would be in the belly of the earth three
days. – Other scripture says, He actually went and preached the Gospel
message to those in a compartment of Hell known as “Abrahams Bosom” and
then took them to heaven. – (Jesus
even in His death was busy with the Gospel of the
Matt 16:21-28 – First time
- Jesus Predicts His Death
21 From that time on Jesus began to explain to his
disciples that he must go to Jerusalem
22 Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.
“Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!”
23 Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind
me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the
concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”
24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever
wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow
me. 25 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses
their life for me will find it.
26 What good will it be for someone to gain the
whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for
their soul?
27 For the Son of Man is going to come in his
Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according
to what they have done.
28 “Truly I tell you, some who are standing here
will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”
NIV
Matt 17:22-23 - Second
Time - Jesus Predicts His Death
22 When they came together in Galilee , he said to them, “The
Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men.
23 They will kill him, and on the third
day he will be raised to life.” And the disciples were filled with grief.
NIV
Matt 20:17-19 - Third Time
- Jesus Predicts His Death
17 Now Jesus was going up to Jerusalem
18 “We are going up to Jerusalem
19 and will hand him over to the Gentiles to be mocked
and flogged and crucified. On the third day he will be raised to life!”
Matt 12:38-40 - The Sign
of Jonah – Three days
38 Then some of the Pharisees and teachers of the
law said to him, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from you.”
39 He answered, “A wicked and adulterous
generation asks for a sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the
prophet Jonah.
40 For as Jonah was three days and three nights
in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three
nights in the heart of the earth. (I
believe Jonah died and was resurrected)
Jesus on the Holy Spirit
- Jesus told His
Disciples that He must leave them so that the Counselor (The Comforter - The
Paraclete)
would come along side of them to help. – He will bear witness of the Son.
- He told them to wait
in
- He will convict the
world of guilt in regard to sin, righteousness and judgment.
- There is certainly
more concerning the baptism of the Holy Spirit which occurred after the
resurrection of Christ. The
gifts and actions are recorded in “the Book of Acts”.
John 14:25-26 – The Holy
Spirit will teach you all things
25 "All this I have spoken while still with
you.
26 But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom
the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you
of everything I have said to you. NIV
John 16:5-11 – The Counselor
– The Holy Spirit
5 "Now I am going to him who sent me, yet
none of you asks me, `Where are you going?'
6 Because I have said these things, you are filled
with grief.
7 But I tell you the truth: It is for your good
that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to
you; but if I go, I will send him to you.
8 When he comes, he will convict the world of
guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment:
9 in regard to sin, because men do not believe in
me;
10 in regard to righteousness, because I am going
to the Father, where you can see me no longer; NIV
Acts 1:4-5 – You will be
baptized with the Holy Spirit
4 On one occasion, while he was eating with them,
he gave them this command: "Do not leave Jerusalem
5 For John baptized with water, but in a few days
you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit." NIV
Acts 1:8 – The Holy Spirit
will give your power to witness
8 But you will receive power when the Holy
Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem Judea and Samaria
John 15:26 – The comforter will bear witness
26 But when the Comforter is come, whom I
will send unto you from the Father, (even) the Spirit of truth, which proceeds
from the Father, he shall bear witness of me: ASV
Jesus on His Return
- The
beginning signs
will be wars and rumors of wars, earthquakes and famine – While this has
been true of many times in history; in the end time there will be more
of it; worse than before; coming all at once.
- The
Heavens
- The sun will be darkened and the moon will not give any light, the heavens
will be shaken and stars will fall from there place
- False
Prophets
- Many false prophets will come first, claiming that they are the
Messiah. Jesus says; do not be
fooled, that when He comes, every eye will see Him at the same time around
the whole world.
- The
day and the hour of His return is unknown, but it will be like in the
times of Noah; things will be going along just normal, and then He will
appear unexpected like a thief.
- The
Temple -
Christ will not return till the Gospel is preached to the whole world – The temple rebuilt
and Satan stands in the Holy of Holies of the newly built temple.
- The
Rapture
- Jesus speaks of the signs
of His return at the end of the age – This is not concerning what is
known as His 1st coming; the “Rapture”, which happens at the beginning of the 7 years
of tribulation; but He is speaking of the 2nd coming after
the tribulation period. – Jesus does NOT speak of the “Rapture” of
the saints at all. (The “rapture doctrine” is only about 200 years old and
is gleamed from the “revelation” of John)
- Trumpet - At the Rapture; at
the 1st coming, He comes secretly “in the air” without a
sound. At this 2nd
coming, everybody will know it. We
will hear a trumpet blast by the angels and He will be seen by the
whole world all at once. (Belief or unbelief in the rapture doctrine does
not change your salvation in any way; Believe for the 1st;
prepare for the worst.)
- He will appear in the
clouds with power and glory - It will happen all at once; done and over
– faster than the buzzards can light on road kill. (He said it; not me)
- The Tribulation - Christ alludes to
His return after the 7 year “tribulation period”, that would be a dreadful
time, which He shortens because of the believers; - the Saints.
- The
Kingdom gathered
- The Angels will gather the believers from the four corner of the earth
that have already entered into the “Present”
- Get
Ready
- We are urged to be prepared,
waiting and watching with expectation for
His return - Once the door to the
Matt 24:3-5 – Many will
come claiming they are the Messiah.
3 As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives , the disciples came to
him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will
be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”
4 Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives
you.
5 For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I
am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many.
Matt 24:6-13 – The
beginning will be wars –famines –earthquakes
6 You will hear of wars and rumors of wars,
but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is
still to come.
7 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom
against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various
places.
8 All these are the beginning of birth
pains.
9 “Then you will be handed over to be persecuted
and put to death.
10 At that time many will turn away from the
faith and will betray and hate each other,
11 and many false prophets will appear and
deceive many people.
12 Because of the increase of wickedness, the love
of most will grow cold, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.
Matt 24:14 – The Gospel
will be preached to the whole world
14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be
preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the
end will come.
Matt 24:15 – Satan will
stand in the rebuilt temple
15 “So when you see standing in the holy place
‘the abomination that causes desolation, ’spoken of through the prophet
Daniel—let the reader understand—
Matt 24:16-22 – The
tribulations – dreadful – great distress
16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.
17 Let no one on the housetop go down to take
anything out of the house. Let no one in the field go back to get their cloak.
19 How dreadful it will be in those days
for pregnant women
21 For then there will be great distress,
unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled
again.
22 “If those days had not been cut short, no one
would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will
be shortened.
Matt 24:23-26 – He will NOT
come in secret – Don’t be fooled
23 At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here
is the Messiah!’ or, ‘There he is!’ do not believe it.
24 For false messiahs and false prophets will
appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the
elect.
25 See, I have told you ahead of time.
26 “So if anyone tells you, ‘There he is, out in
the wilderness,’ do not go out; or, ‘Here he is, in the inner rooms,’ do not
believe it.
Matt 24:27 – He will be
seen everywhere at once – no doubt
27 For as lightning that comes from the east is
visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.
Matt 24:28 – It will
happen faster than the vultures can gather.
28 Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures
will gather.
Matt 24:29 – Sun darkened
– stars fall – heavens shaken
29 “Immediately after the distress of those days
“‘the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light;
the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.
Matt 24:30 – He will
appear in the clouds with power and glory
30 “Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man
in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth will mourn when they see the
Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory.
Matt 24:31 – There will be
a loud trumpet blast
31 And he will send his angels with a loud
trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds,
from one end of the heavens to the other.
Matt 24:32-35 – The signs show
the time is near – at the door
32 “Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As
soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is
near.
33 Even so, when you see all these things, you
know that it is near, right at the door.
34 Truly I tell you, this generation will
certainly not pass away until all these things have happened.
35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words
will never pass away.
Matt 24:36-44 - The Day
and Hour Unknown
36 “But about that day or hour no one knows, not
even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.
37 As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at
the coming of the Son of Man.
38 For in the days before the flood, people were
eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah
entered the ark; 39 and they knew nothing about what would happen until the
flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of
the Son of Man.
40 Two men will be in the field; one will be taken
and the other left. 41 Two women will be grinding; one will be taken and the
other left.
42 “Therefore keep watch, because you do
not know on what day your Lord will come.
43 But understand this: If the owner of the house
had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept
watch and would not have let his house be broken into.
44 So you also must be ready, because the
Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.
Matt 25:1-13 - Be wise -Be
prepared to enter the Kingdom
1 “At that time the kingdom of heaven will
be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.
2 Five of them were foolish and five were wise.
3 The foolish ones took their lamps but did not
take any oil with them.
4 The wise ones, however, took oil in jars
along with their lamps.
5 The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and
they all became drowsy and fell asleep.
6 “At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s
the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’
7 “Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their
lamps.
8 The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us
some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’
9 “‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be
enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for
yourselves.’
10 “But while they were on their way to buy the
oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the
wedding banquet. And the door was shut.
11 “Later the others also came. ‘Lord, Lord,’ they
said, ‘open the door for us!’
12 “But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I don’t
know you.’
13 “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know
the day or the hour.
Jesus on Sin
- Every sin will be
forgiven except blasphemy in word or deed against the Holy
Spirit which is the unpardonable Sin.
Matt 12:31-32 – The Unpardonable
Sin
31 And so I tell you, every kind of sin and
slander can be forgiven, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be
forgiven.
32 Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man
will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be
forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.
Jesus on the Judgment
- Jesus said that He
had sown good seed in the field of the world, and then Satan came along
and sowed bad seed among the good seed. – God will let them grow together
and at the harvest, the weeds will be pulled up and thrown into the fire.
- The net
of salvation
catches ALL fish, both the good and the bad – The bad will thrown
away and the good saved.
- Jesus says He is the cornerstone on which some will be
saved and others will stumble and fall.
Matt 13:24-30 – Believer
and Un-believer will grow side by side
24 Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom
of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field.
25 But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came
and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away.
26 When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then
the weeds also appeared.
27 “The owner’s servants came to him and said,
‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come
from?’
28 “‘An enemy did this,’ he replied. “The
servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’
29 “‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are
pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them.
30 Let both grow together until the
harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds
and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it
into my barn.’”
Matt 13:37-42 Jesus
explains the weed; they will be burned up
37 He answered, “The one who sowed the good seed
is the Son of Man.
38 The field is the world, and the good seed
stands for the people of the kingdom. The weeds are the people of the
evil one,
39 and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The
harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels.
40 “As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the
fire, so it will be at the end of the age.
41 The Son of Man will send out his angels, and
they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do
evil.
42 They will throw them into the blazing
furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Matt 13:47-51 – The net of
salvation catches good and bad fish
47 “Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a
net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish.
48 When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on
the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw
the bad away.
49 This is how it will be at the end of the age.
The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous
50 and throw them into the blazing furnace, where
there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
51 “Have you understood all these things?” Jesus
asked. “Yes,” they replied.
1 Peter 2:6-8 – Those that
reject the cornerstone will stumble
6 Scripture it says: "See, I lay a stone in Zion
7 Now to you who believe, this stone is precious.
But to those who do not believe, "The stone the builders rejected has
become the capstone,"
8 and, "A stone that causes men to stumble
and a rock that makes them fall." NIV
Two Kingdoms
- The
Kingdom of Heaven is mentioned only in the NT book of Matthew and
is spoken of 32 times by Jesus Christ Himself.
- The
Kingdom of God is mentioned 66 times in the NT– Presenting the question
– Is there two different kingdoms.
- Two
Kingdoms –The
Kingdom of God
and The Kingdom of Heaven are both the same kingdom; however scripture speaks of a present
kingdom; where evil is defeated and sinners are redeemed, as well as a
future kingdom where Satan and death are both defeated and thrown
in the lake of fire and the believer lives and reigns forever in the
presence of God.
- NOTE: Jesus was
addressing the Jews. The
name of God, YHWH (Yahweh), was so sacred that they wouldn’t even pronounce it, but
would allude to His name another way such as “Heaven”. Paul was addressing the Gentiles
who had no problem with the “God” concept.
TWO KINGDOMS – The NOW and
the NOT YET
- The
realm – Where God’s reign is
experienced.
- The
People – The “redeemed” are
the people of the kingdom.
- The
reign – The reign of Christ
“with believers” sharing in the reign.
- Present – The kingdom is present for believers
to enter NOW and enjoy His blessings.
- Future – The kingdom is future,
when we enter into eternal life and reign with Christ.
- We must enter into
the NOW present kingdom
in order to enter into the NOT YET
future kingdom of “eternal life”.
- The believer accepts
God’s reign in their present
lives; and reigns with Him in the future.
- Blessings in the
Present – Even greater blessing
in the future.
1 Peter 2:9 – We are a
holy nation
9 But ye are a elect race, a royal
priesthood, a holy nation, a people for (God's) own
possession, that ye may show forth the excellencies of him who called
you out of darkness into his marvelous light ASV
Jesus on Kingdom Qualifications
- Jesus said we must
come to Him believing and trusting;
without reservation; just as a child would run to his daddy and
jump into his arms.
- The Sermon on the
Mount; “The Beatitudes” do not show a man how to be saved; they show the
characteristics of one who is saved. – They are not promises of
blessings for the saved, but are a description of the saved.
- Poor in
spirit
– Realization that we are spiritually bankrupt and can offer God nothing.
- Those
who mourn
– Anguishing over sin; over perishing souls; wanting right to prevail.
- Meek – Accepting
opposition, insults and provocation – Bearing patiently – mild and calm.
- Hunger
for righteousness – All sin and wrongdoing to anyone grieves them.
- Merciful
–
Being kind, showing pity, mercy and compassion, even when it’s not
convenient.
- Pure in
Heart –
No hidden motives or self interest, a pure heart with singleness of
purpose.
- Peacemaker
–
Bringing men into harmony with each other – calming the waters.
- Love – You must love
Christ more than your own family or you are not worthy of Him.
- Give – of what you have
to those who can’t pay you back; - Give
justice, mercy, compassion and faithfulness.
- Someone who is rich
puts his trust in what he has – Someone who is poor puts his trust in what
he hasn’t – It’s very hard for someone rich to seek the Kingdom of Heaven;
they do not see themselves as having any needs. – They are self
sufficient. – They don’t need God. (Jesus said this, not me.)
- The Bar is set very high - Who then can qualify
to enter the
Matt 18 2-5 – Believe and
trust as a child with his daddy.
2 He called a little child to him, and placed the
child among them.
3 And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change
and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
4 Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of
this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
5 And whoever welcomes one such child in my name
welcomes me.
NIV
Matt 5:3-12 – It’s your
attitude toward God
3 Blessed are the poor in spirit, for
theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 “Blessed are you when people insult you,
persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.
12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your
reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were
before you.
NIV
Matt 19:16-26 - The Rich entering
the Kingdom of Heaven
16 Just then a man came up to Jesus and asked,
“Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?”
17 “Why do you ask me about what is good?” Jesus
replied. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, keep the
commandments.”
18 “Which ones?” he inquired. Jesus replied, “‘You
shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall
not give false testimony,
19 honor your father and mother,’ and ‘love your
neighbor as yourself.’
20 “All these I have kept,” the young man said.
“What do I still lack?”
21 Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go,
sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in
heaven. Then come, follow me.”
22 When the young man heard this, he went away
sad, because he had great wealth.
23 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I tell
you, it is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven.
24 Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel
to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God
25 When the disciples heard this, they were
greatly astonished and asked, “Who then can be saved?”
26 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this
is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” NIV
Matt 10:37-39 – Love
Christ more than your own family.
37 “Anyone who loves their father or mother more
than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than
me is not worthy of me.
38 Whoever does not take up their cross and follow
me is not worthy of me.
39 Whoever finds their life will lose it, and
whoever loses their life for my sake will find it. NIV
Matt 19:25-26 – Who then
can be saved?
25 When the disciples heard this, they were
greatly astonished and asked, "Who then can be saved?"
26 Jesus looked at them and said, "With
man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." NIV
Will of Man – Rabbit Trail
- When God created the
world, there was only “One Will”
in the whole universe.
- When Satan rebelled
there became “Two Wills”; his
and God’s.
- Satan sought to
detach man from God; to attach man to himself, thus receive “Satan’s
will”.
- Satan was successful
in detaching man from God, but man had his “own will” and would not attach himself to Satan.
- Now there are “Billions of Wills” in the world;
that’s why God sent His Son to re-attach us.
- The war began against
God and His greatest creation; “MAN”, who was created in God’s own image. -
There is an Invisible War going on - and it’s over us. – Choose Life.
NOW
and NOT YET SUMMARY
- Two
Kingdoms
–The
- Qualifications to get into the Kingdom of Heaven : Repentance – Faith,
Believe and Trust – Know that you have nothing to offer God – Have a deep
concern over sin and perishing souls – Desire for right to prevail – Accept
opposition, insults and provocation – Bearing patiently – Display a mild
and calm attitude – Grieve over wrong doing – No self interest, but
singleness of Heart toward the Gospel – Show kindness, pity, mercy and
compassion whether its convenient or not – Bring men into harmony with
each other, calming the waters – Love even your enemies – Have fruit from
your works – Grow the gifts you have been given.
- Works: We do good works
NOT to get saved, but because we are saved. - The believer has the
indwelling of the Holy Spirit and “good works” will always follow the
believer: - In fact Jesus said; we will be known by the fruit of our
works – We will DO the will of the Father – Works without Faith
produces dead works – Faith
without works is a dead faith.
- WORDS
IN RED
- If our salvation theology were based exclusively on what Christ
“actually said”, (the Words in Red) what kind of theology would we end up
with?
- The
book of Matthew
contains the perspective of the teachings of Jesus before His
crucifixion. Paul’s letters 30
years later reflect; as “Paul Harvey” would say, “and now, the rest of the
news”. – Through Paul’s letters we are able to see the work of the Holy
Spirit.
- The
Christian believes foremost that the “entire” Bible; from cover to cover;
from “Holy Bible” to “genuine leather”, is the divinely inspired Word of
God – Thus all scripture should carry the same weight whether spoken by
Christ or by others inspired of God.
- All
scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking,
correction and training in righteousness 2 Tim
- The people of
·
The
bar was raised to the point that NO ONE could live up to it’s standard – The
Salvation theology that Christ taught was sufficient to condemn EVERYONE
to eternal separation from God.”
- Calvinism teaches that man is totally
fallen and is not capable of coming to God on his own – Jesus
pretty well pointed that out too.
- The
purpose of the Law was not to save, but to show our need to
be saved (among
other things). Jesus’ teachings AMPLIFIED the Law, and
made it even clearer that we need a Savior.
- Who
then can be saved? Jesus said; with
man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." –
We need a savior - We need the Holy Spirit to enable us to come to
God otherwise what we see and what we hear is just foolishness.
- It was only after Jesus
made the ultimate sacrifice on the cross for us and rose from the dead,
did His followers really “get it”.
- Satan detached man from
God, but man has “free will”
and did not attach himself to Satan; there is a battle over man – Man has
free will – Life is Choice Driven – Choose Life.
"I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief” Mark 9:24 NIV
In the multitude of counselors,
there is wisdom.
Prov 11:14
I
am grateful for those that went before me providing concepts, ideas, historical
information, and scripture verses.
Because of them I can stand on their shoulders and see further than I
otherwise ever could have.
New International Version Bible – NIV
Commentary on Matthew - David Gorman
Commentary on Matthew – Michael Gorman
Commentary on Matthew – John Harvey
Expositor’s Bible Commentary; The – Gaebelein
Invisible War; The – Donald Grey Barnhouse
NIV Harmony of the Gospels; The – Thomas; Gundry
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