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Christian Doctrine, 'S2-Z' SERMON ON THE MOUNT-..
Written by: Unknown Posted on: 05/05/2003
Category: Bible Studies
Source: CCN
SERMON ON THE MOUNT...
The complete Sermon on the Mount covers all of chapters 5, 6, and 7 of the book of Matthew. It will be quoted in its entirety at the end of this commentary.
It is not the way of salvation for the sinner, nor the rule of life for the Christian. When the Lord Jesus preached it, He had not yet established His Church. The Sermon on the Mount is Law, and the Christian is not under Law but under grace.
If the Sermon on the Mount then be neither the way of life for the sinner nor the rule of life for the believer, but is Law, then it becomes evident that it is the code of laws for the Kingdom of heaven, which Kingdom, though for the time being rejected, will one day be set up on this earth.
Its capital will be Jerusalem, and the Law shall go forth from Zion. In that day "The Lord will be king over the whole earth. On that day there will be one Lord, and his name the only name". (Zechariah 14:9; see also Psalm 2:6; Jeremiah 23:5).
ZEC 14:9 The LORD will be king over the whole earth. On that day there will be one LORD, and his name the only name.
PSA 2:6 "I have installed my King on Zion, my holy hill."
JER 23:5 "The days are coming," declares the LORD, "when I will raise up to David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land.
In the Sermon on the Mount there is this King, Jehovah-Jesus (or Lord-Jesus), formally offering the Kingdom to Israel, in His own person. The offer is made in Galilee, for it had already been offered by John the Baptist in Judea and rejected. The King, in this great discourse, plainly sets forth the nature of the proposed Kingdom, and the laws by which He will govern the earth when He re-establishes and occupies the throne of David upon His return to this earth.
However, there is value in the Sermon on the Mount to the Church, for it is part of Scripture, and all Scripture is valuable (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
2TI 3:16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 2TI 3:17 so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
Believers, who are members of His Church, are destined to reign over the Kingdom, and therefore should be deeply interested in the laws of the Kingdom. In addition, many eternal principles are expressed in the sermon which are always operative; it is true even now that the poor in spirit are "blessed"; that those who mourn, in the fellowship of His sufferings, shall be comforted; and it is true that the merciful shall obtain mercy, and that the pure in heart do see God.
While Luke gives a sermon somewhat similar, it is not the same, and the Sermon on the Mount appears only in Matthew, where it is fitting that the laws of the Kingdom should be recorded in the Gospel of the Kingdom.
The following is the entire "Sermon on the Mount" as recorded in the Gospel of Matthew Chapters 5, 6, and 7.
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THE BEATITUDES
-------------
MAT 5:1 Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside
and sat down. His disciples came to him,
MAT 5:2 and he began to teach them, saying:
MAT 5:3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom
of heaven.
MAT 5:4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
MAT 5:5 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
MAT 5:6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
MAT 5:7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
MAT 5:8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
MAT 5:9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons
of God.
MAT 5:10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteous-
ness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
MAT 5:11 "Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and
falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.
MAT 5:12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in
heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were
before you.
SALT AND LIGHT
---- --- -----
MAT 5:13 "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 by men.
MAT 5:14 "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot
be hidden.
MAT 5:15 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.
MAT 5:16 In the same way, let your light shine before men, that
they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.
THE FULFILLMENT OF THE LAW
--- ----------- -- --- ---
MAT 5:17 "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.
MAT 5:18 I tell you the truth, 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.
MAT 5:19 Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments
and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the king-
dom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will
be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
MAT 5:20 For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses
that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certain-
ly not enter the kingdom of heaven.
MURDER
------
MAT 5:21 "You have heard that it was said to the people long ago,
'Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.'
MAT 5:22 But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother
will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother,
'Raca,' is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, 'You
fool!' will be in danger of the fire of hell.
MAT 5:23 "Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and
there remember that your brother has something against you,
MAT 5:24 leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and
be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.
MAT 5:25 "Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking
you to court. Do it while you are still with him on the way, or he
may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to
the officer, and you may be thrown into prison.
MAT 5:26 I tell you the truth, you will not get out until you have
paid the last penny.
ADULTERY
--------
MAT 5:27 "You have heard that it was said, 'Do not commit
adultery.'
MAT 5:28 But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully
has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
MAT 5:29 If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and
throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body
than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.
MAT 5:30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and
throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body
than for your whole body to go into hell.
DIVORCE
-------
MAT 5:31 "It has been said, 'Anyone who divorces his wife must give
her a certificate of divorce.'
MAT 5:32 But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except
for marital unfaithfulness, causes her to become an adulteress, and
anyone who marries the divorced woman commits adultery.
OATHS
-----
MAT 5:33 "Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long
ago, 'Do not break your oath, but keep the oaths you have made to
the Lord.'
MAT 5:34 But I tell you, Do not swear at all: either by heaven, for
it is God's throne;
MAT 5:35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem,
for it is the city of the Great King.
MAT 5:36 And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even
one hair white or black.
MAT 5:37 Simply let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No';
anything beyond this comes from the evil one.
AN EYE FOR AN EYE
-- --- --- -- ---
MAT 5:38 "You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth
for tooth.'
MAT 5:39 But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone
strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.
MAT 5:40 And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let
him have your cloak as well.
MAT 5:41 If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two
miles.
MAT 5:42 Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from
the one who wants to borrow from you.
LOVE FOR ENEMIES
---- --- -------
MAT 5:43 "You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and
hate your enemy.'
MAT 5:44 But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who
persecute you,
MAT 5:45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes
his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the
righteous and the unrighteous.
MAT 5:46 If you love those who love you, what reward will you get?
Are not even the tax collectors doing that?
MAT 5:47 And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing
more than others? Do not even pagans do that?
MAT 5:48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
GIVING TO THE NEEDY
------ -- --- -----
MAT 6:1 "Be careful not to do your 'acts of righteousness' before
men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from
your Father in heaven.
MAT 6:2 "So 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 men. I tell you the truth, they have received their
reward in full.
MAT 6:3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand
know what your right hand is doing,
MAT 6:4 so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who
sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
PRAYER
------
MAT 6:5 "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 men. I tell you the truth, they have received their
reward in full.
MAT 6:6 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.
MAT 6:7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for
they think they will be heard because of their many words.
MAT 6:8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need
before you ask him.
MAT 6:9 "This, then, is how you should pray: "'Our Father in heav-
en, hallowed be your name,
MAT 6:10 your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in
heaven.
MAT 6:11 Give us today our daily bread.
MAT 6:12 Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
MAT 6:13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the
evil one.'
MAT 6:14 For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your
heavenly Father will also forgive you.
MAT 6:15 But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will
not forgive your sins.
FASTING
-------
MAT 6:16 "When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do,
for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell
you the truth, they have received their reward in full.
MAT 6:17 But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your
face,
MAT 6:18 so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fast-
ing, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who
sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
TREASURES IN HEAVEN
--------- -- ------
MAT 6:19 "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where
moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.
MAT 6:20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where
moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and
steal.
MAT 6:21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
MAT 6:22 "The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good,
your whole body will be full of light.
MAT 6:23 But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of
darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is
that darkness!
MAT 6:24 "No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one
and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the
other. You cannot serve both God and Money.
DO NOT WORRY
-- --- -----
MAT 6:25 "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what
you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is
not life more important than food, and the body more important than
clothes?
MAT 6:26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or
store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are
you not much more valuable than they?
MAT 6:27 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?
MAT 6:28 "And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of
the field grow. They do not labor or spin.
MAT 6:29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor
was dressed like one of these.
MAT 6:30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which
is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much
more clothe you, O you of little faith?
MAT 6:31 So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What
shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?'
MAT 6:32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heav-
enly Father knows that you need them.
MAT 6:33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all
these things will be given to you as well.
MAT 6:34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will
worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
JUDGING OTHERS
------- ------
MAT 7:1 "Do not judge, or you too will be judged.
MAT 7:2 For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged,
and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
MAT 7:3 "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's
eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?
MAT 7:4 How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out
of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye?
MAT 7:5 You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye,
and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your broth-
er's eye.
MAT 7:6 "Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls
to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then
turn and tear you to pieces.
ASK, SEEK, KNOCK
--- ---- -----
MAT 7:7 "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find;
knock and the door will be opened to you.
MAT 7:8 For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to
him who knocks, the door will be opened.
MAT 7:9 "Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a
stone?
MAT 7:10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake?
MAT 7:11 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!
MAT 7:12 So in everything, do to others what you would have them do
to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.
THE NARROW AND WIDE GATES
--- ------ --- ---- -----
MAT 7:13 "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and
broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through
it.
MAT 7:14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to
life, and only a few find it.
A TREE AND ITS FRUIT
- ---- --- --- -----
MAT 7:15 "Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's
clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.
MAT 7:16 By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick
grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?
MAT 7:17 Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree
bears bad fruit.
MAT 7:18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot
bear good fruit.
MAT 7:19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and
thrown into the fire.
MAT 7:20 Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.
MAT 7:21 "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the
kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is
in heaven.
MAT 7:22 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 perform
many miracles?'
MAT 7:23 Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away
from me, you evildoers!'
THE WISE AND FOOLISH BUILDERS
--- ---- --- ------- --------
MAT 7:24 "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.
MAT 7:25 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.
MAT 7:26 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.
MAT 7:27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew
and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash."
MAT 7:28 When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds
were amazed at his teaching,
MAT 7:29 because he taught as one who had authority, and not as
their teachers of the law.
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THE SEVEN SPIRITS OF GOD...
There is, of course, but one Holy Spirit. Seven, however, is the
number of spiritual or mystical completeness, and the figure, there-
fore, implies the fullness of the Holy Spirit, that is, the one
Spirit in the sevenfold plenitude of His power. This is clearly
indicated in Isaiah 11:1-2, where we read of the Branch of the Lord,
that is, the Messiah, upon whom shall rest...
1.> The spirit of the Lord
2.> The spirit of wisdom
3.> The spirit of understanding
4.> The spirit of counsel
5.> The spirit of might
6.> The spirit of knowledge
7.> The spirit of the fear of the Lord.
ISA 11:1 A shoot will come up ISA 11:1 And there shall come
from the stump of Jesse; from forth a rod out of the stem of
his roots a Branch will bear Jesse, and a Branch shall grow
fruit. out of his roots: (KJV)
ISA 11:2 The Spirit of the ISA 11:2 And the spirit of
LORD will rest on him--the the LORD shall rest upon him,
Spirit of wisdom and of under- the spirit of wisdom and
standing, the Spirit of coun- understanding, the spirit of
sel and of power, the Spirit counsel and might, the spirit
of knowledge and of the fear of knowledge and of the fear
of the LORD-- of the LORD; (KJV)
SIN...
Sin has many manifestations, and may be said to be any and all
falling short of the glory of God, whether in thought, word, or
deed. Among the translations in the New Testament from the Greek
word meaning "sin" are the following...
1.> Transgression
A violation of the Law (Luke 15:29; Galatians 3:19).
LUK 15:29 But he answered his LUK 15:29 And he answering
father, 'Look! All these years said to his father, Lo, these
I've been slaving for you and many years do I serve thee,
never disobeyed your orders. neither transgressed I at any
Yet you never gave me even a time thy commandment: and yet
young goat so I could cele- thou never gavest me a kid,
brate with my friends. that I might make merry with
my friends: (KJV)
GAL 3:19 What, then, was the purpose of the law? It was added
because of transgressions until the Seed to whom the promise
referred had come. The law was put into effect through angels by a
mediator.
2.> Iniquity
An evil or wicked act (Acts 8:22-23).
ACT 8:22 Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord. Perhaps he
will forgive you for having such a thought in your heart.
ACT 8:23 For I see that you ACT 8:23 For I perceive that
are full of bitterness and thou art in the gall of bit-
captive to sin." terness, and in the bond of
iniquity. (KJV)
3.> Disobedience
Neglect or refusal to obey (Hebrews 2:2).
HEB 2:2 For if the message spoken by angels was binding, and every
violation and disobedience received its just punishment,
4.> Trespass
An encroachment upon God's authority (Ephesians 2:1).
EPH 2:1 As for you, you were EPH 2:1 And you hath he
dead in your transgressions quickened, who were dead in
and sins, trespasses and sins; (KJV)
5.> Lawlessness
The complete denial of any rule in life (1 Timothy 1:9).
1TI 1:9 We also know that law 1TI 1:9 Knowing this, that
is made not for the righteous the law is not made for a
but for lawbreakers and reb- righteous man, but for the
els, the ungodly and sinful, lawless and disobedient, for
the unholy and irreligious; the ungodly and for sinners,
for those who kill their for unholy and profane, for
fathers or mothers, for mur- murderers of fathers and
derers, murderers of mothers, for
manslayers, (KJV)
6.> Unbelief
A denial and insult to the truth of God's Word
(Hebrews 3:12; John 16:8-9).
HEB 3:12 See to it, brothers, HEB 3:12 Take heed, brethren,
that none of you has a sinful, lest there be in any of you an
unbelieving heart that turns evil heart of unbelief, in
away from the living God. departing from the living God.
(KJV)
JOH 16:8 When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in
regard to sin and righteousness and judgment:
JOH 16:9 in regard to sin, because men do not believe in me;
Sin "in the world" began with the Fall of Adam, instigated by Satan
(Romans 5:12; Genesis 3:1-5).
ROM 5:12 Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man,
and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, be-
cause all sinned--
GEN 3:1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals
the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God really say,
'You must not eat from any tree in the garden'?"
GEN 3:2 The woman said to the serpent, "We may eat fruit from the
trees in the garden,
GEN 3:3 but God did say, 'You must not eat fruit from the tree that
is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you
will die.'"
GEN 3:4 "You will not surely die," the serpent said to the woman.
GEN 3:5 "For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be
opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."
Death, physical and spiritual, entered the world through sin and
passed upon all men (Romans 5:12), in that all men are sinners
(Romans 3:23). The only cure is belief on the Lord Jesus Christ
(Acts 16:30-31).
ROM 5:12 Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man,
and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, be-
cause all sinned--
ROM 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
ACT 16:30 He then brought them out and asked, "Sirs, what must I do
to be saved?"
ACT 16:31 They replied, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be
saved--you and your household."
Three classifications of sin may be enumerated...
1.> The Sin Nature
Disobedience and enmity to God (Jeremiah 17:9; Romans 5:19).
JER 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure.
Who can understand it?
ROM 5:19 For just as through the disobedience of the one man the
many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man
the many will be made righteous.
2.> The Sin State
Complete lack of merit or righteousness
(Romans 11:32; Galatians 3:22).
ROM 11:32 For God has bound all men over to disobedience so that he
may have mercy on them all.
GAL 3:22 But the Scripture declares that the whole world is a
prisoner of sin, so that what was promised, being given through
faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe.
3.> The Sin Act
Everything in the daily life
coming short of the character of God (Romans 3:23).
ROM 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
SIN UNTO DEATH...
The "sin unto death" and the "sin not unto death" of 1 John 5:16-17
are to be understood in the light of the doctrine taught in 1 Corin-
thians 11:31-32.
1JO 5:16 If anyone sees his 1JO 5:16 If any man see his
brother commit a sin that does brother sin a sin which is not
not lead to death, he should unto death, he shall ask, and
pray and God will give him he shall give him life for
life. I refer to those whose them that sin not unto death.
sin does not lead to death. There is a sin unto death: I
There is a sin that leads to do not say that he shall pray
death. I am not saying that he for it. (KJV)
should pray about that.
1JO 5:17 All wrongdoing is 1JO 5:17 All unrighteousness
sin, and there is sin that is sin: and there is a sin not
does not lead to death. unto death. (KJV)
1CO 11:31 But if we judged ourselves, we would not come under
judgment.
1CO 11:32 When we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined
so that we will not be condemned with the world.
Physical death is sometimes a judicial penalty from God visited upon
His saved people for unconfessed, unjudged sin. When a Christian
falls into sin, his salvation is not jeopardized, but his fellowship
with God is interrupted. The way back into fellowship is through
confession (1 John 1:9).
1JO 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will
forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
If God's child, in such circumstances, refuses to confess, the
Father is forced to chasten him. The Corinthian Christians were in
just such a case. They had been disorderly in the observance of the
Lord's Supper, eating the bread and drinking the cup unworthily,
that is, in an unworthy manner, and were thus guilty of the body and
the blood of the Lord (1 Corinthians 11:27).
1CO 11:27 Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of
the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the
body and blood of the Lord.
They refused to examine themselves in order that they might so eat
of the bread and drink of the cup as to please God (verse 28).
1CO 11:28 A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the
bread and drinks of the cup.
They continued to eat and drink unworthily, eating and drinking
judgment unto themselves, not discerning the Lord's body (verse 29).
1CO 11:29 For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the
body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself.
For this cause many were weak and sickly among them, and many had
fallen asleep; that is to say, they had died under the chastening
hand of God. They were still saved, but physical death had been
visited upon them in chastening (verse 30).
1CO 11:30 That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number
of you have fallen asleep.
Had they judged themselves, they would not have been judged by Him
(verse 31); but since they had compelled Him to judge them, they had
been chastened of the Lord that they should not be condemned with
the world (verse 32).
1CO 11:31 But if we judged ourselves, we would not come under
judgment.
1CO 11:32 When we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined
so that we will not be condemned with the world.
Condemnation is impossible for those who are in Jesus Christ (Romans
8:1); they have already been condemned in the person of their
Substitute and put to death on the cross of Calvary.
ROM 8:1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are
in Christ Jesus,
And now, since they have become God's children by the new birth,
they can never again be brought under condemnation. But they can be
chastened, even to the point of physical illness or physical death.
Three examples of sin unto "physical" death are...
1.> Moses sinned unto death (Deuteronomy 32:48-52);
DEU 32:48 On that same day the LORD told Moses,
DEU 32:49 "Go up into the Abarim Range to Mount Nebo in Moab,
across from Jericho, and view Canaan, the land I am giving the
Israelites as their own possession.
DEU 32:50 There on the mountain that you have climbed you will die
and be gathered to your people, just as your brother Aaron died on
Mount Hor and was gathered to his people.
DEU 32:51 This is because both of you broke faith with me in the
presence of the Israelites at the waters of Meribah Kadesh in the
Desert of Zin and because you did not uphold my holiness among the
Israelites.
DEU 32:52 Therefore, you will see the land only from a distance;
you will not enter the land I am giving to the people of Israel."
2.> Achan committed a sin unto death (Joshua 7:16-26);
JOS 7:16 Early the next morning Joshua had Israel come forward by
tribes, and Judah was taken.
JOS 7:17 The clans of Judah came forward, and he took the Zera-
hites. He had the clan of the Zerahites come forward by families,
and Zimri was taken.
JOS 7:18 Joshua had his family come forward man by man, and Achan
son of Carmi, the son of Zimri, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of
Judah, was taken.
JOS 7:19 Then Joshua said to Achan, "My son, give glory to the
LORD, the God of Israel, and give him the praise. Tell me what you
have done; do not hide it from me."
JOS 7:20 Achan replied, "It is true! I have sinned against the
LORD, the God of Israel. This is what I have done:
JOS 7:21 When I saw in the plunder a beautiful robe from Babylonia,
two hundred shekels of silver and a wedge of gold weighing fifty
shekels, I coveted them and took them. They are hidden in the ground
inside my tent, with the silver underneath."
JOS 7:22 So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran to the tent, and
there it was, hidden in his tent, with the silver underneath.
JOS 7:23 They took the things from the tent, brought them to Joshua
and all the Israelites and spread them out before the LORD.
JOS 7:24 Then Joshua, together with all Israel, took Achan son of
Zerah, the silver, the robe, the gold wedge, his sons and daughters,
his cattle, donkeys and sheep, his tent and all that he had, to the
Valley of Achor.
JOS 7:25 Joshua said, "Why have you brought this trouble on us? The
LORD will bring trouble on you today." Then all Israel stoned him,
and after they had stoned the rest, they burned them.
JOS 7:26 Over Achan they heaped up a large pile of rocks, which
remains to this day. Then the LORD turned from his fierce anger.
Therefore that place has been called the Valley of Achor ever since.
3.> Ananias and Sapphira committed a sin unto death (Acts 5:1-11).
ACT 5:1 Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira,
also sold a piece of property.
ACT 5:2 With his wife's full knowledge he kept back part of the
money for himself, but brought the rest and put it at the apostles'
feet.
ACT 5:3 Then Peter said, "Ananias, how is it that Satan has so
filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have
kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land?
ACT 5:4 Didn't it belong to you before it was sold? And after it
was sold, wasn't the money at your disposal? What made you think of
doing such a thing? You have not lied to men but to God."
ACT 5:5 When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. And great
fear seized all who heard what had happened.
ACT 5:6 Then the young men came forward, wrapped up his body, and
carried him out and buried him.
ACT 5:7 About three hours later his wife came in, not knowing what
had happened.
ACT 5:8 Peter asked her, "Tell me, is this the price you and Ana-
nias got for the land?" "Yes," she said, "that is the price."
ACT 5:9 Peter said to her, "How could you agree to test the Spirit
of the Lord? Look! The feet of the men who buried your husband are
at the door, and they will carry you out also."
ACT 5:10 At that moment she fell down at his feet and died. Then
the young men came in and, finding her dead, carried her out and
buried her beside her husband.
ACT 5:11 Great fear seized the whole church and all who heard about
these events.
THE SON OF MAN...
This title was adopted by our Lord, and He applied it to Himself in
the four gospels seventy-eight times. It was His earthly title as
Representative of the human race in the same sense that Son of David
is His Jewish title, and Son of God His divine or heavenly title.
Son of Man, Son of David, Son of God---all combined in the same
Person. But the title of Son of Man took Him on beyond the Jews,
and, in fact, should show to the world that His purpose in His
death, resurrection, and return to the earth is for the redemption
of the human race (Luke 19:10), to all who believe (Luke 12:8).
LUK 19:10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was
lost."
LUK 12:8 "I tell you, whoever acknowledges me before men, the Son
of Man will also acknowledge him before the angels of God.
When He uses that title "Son of Man" He has in mind the day when He
shall return to the whole human race (Matthew 24:30).
MAT 24:30 "At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in
the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see
the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great
glory.
It was not a title to show that He had a fellow feeling for man and
was brother to all, nor to denote that He was not divine, for He
repeatedly asserted His deity (Luke 5:24).
LUK 5:24 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on
earth to forgive sins...." He said to the paralyzed man, "I tell
you, get up, take your mat and go home."
But it was a title that could not be used against Him by His ene-
mies. It fulfilled in Him the Old Testament prediction of a coming
Deliverer (Genesis 3:15; 12:3).
GEN 3:15 And I will put GEN 3:15 And I will put
enmity between you and the enmity between thee and the
woman, and between your off- woman, and between thy seed
spring and hers; he will crush and her seed; it shall bruise
your head, and you will strike thy head, and thou shalt
his heel." bruise his heel. (KJV)
GEN 12:3 I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I
will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you."
STANDING AND STATE OF THE BELIEVER...
The believer's "standing" (1 Corinthians 1:2-9) is his position in
Christ in the family of God.
1CO 1:2 To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in
Christ Jesus and called to be holy, together with all those every-
where who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ--their Lord and
ours:
1CO 1:3 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord
Jesus Christ.
1CO 1:4 I always thank God for you because of his grace given you
in Christ Jesus.
1CO 1:5 For in him you have been enriched in every way--in all your
speaking and in all your knowledge--
1CO 1:6 because our testimony about Christ was confirmed in you.
1CO 1:7 Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly
wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed.
1CO 1:8 He will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be
blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.
1CO 1:9 God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus
Christ our Lord, is faithful.
The believer's "state" (1 Corinthians 1:10-13) is his condition in
that family, and it is dependent on, and varying with, his daily
walk. The moment a sinner is born-again he enters into a position in
grace in the family of God, unchangeable for eternity; it is a
standing that is the same for the weakest believer as for the great-
est saint. He is a child of God and accepted in the Beloved. (John
1:12-13; romans 8:1, 15-17; 1 Corinthians 12:12-13; Galatians 3:26;
Ephesians 1:3-14; 1 Peter 2:9).
JOH 1:12 Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his
name, he gave the right to become children of God--
JOH 1:13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human deci-
sion or a husband's will, but born of God.
ROM 8:1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are
in Christ Jesus,
ROM 8:15 For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave
again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we
cry, "Abba, Father."
ROM 8:16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are
God's children.
ROM 8:17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs--heirs of God
and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in
order that we may also share in his glory.
1CO 12:12 The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts;
and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with
Christ.
1CO 12:13 For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one
body--whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free--and we were all given
the one Spirit to drink.
GAL 3:26 You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus,
EPH 1:3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual
blessing in Christ.
EPH 1:4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to
be holy and blameless in his sight. In love
EPH 1:5 he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus
Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will--
EPH 1:6 to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely
given us in the One he loves.
EPH 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgive-
ness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace
EPH 1:8 that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.
EPH 1:9 And he made known to us the mystery of his will according
to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ,
EPH 1:10 to be put into effect when the times will have reached
their fulfillment--to bring all things in heaven and on earth to-
gether under one head, even Christ.
EPH 1:11 In him we were also chosen, having been predestined ac-
cording to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity
with the purpose of his will,
EPH 1:12 in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ,
might be for the praise of his glory.
EPH 1:13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the
word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you
were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit,
EPH 1:14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the
redemption of those who are God's possession--to the praise of his
glory.
1PE 2:9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy
nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises
of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
His state, on the other hand, may be far below his standing, his
daily walk not fully in the Spirit. He is already a saint, and is
called upon to walk as one that becomes a saint. The purpose of the
indwelling Spirit is to bring his state up to his exalted standing,
which He does through the application of the Word (John 17:17;
Ephesians 5:26); by chastening (1 Corinthians 11:32; Hebrews 12:10);
and His own ministry (Ephesians 4:11-12).
JOH 17:17 Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.
EPH 5:26 to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water
through the word,
1CO 11:32 When we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined
so that we will not be condemned with the world.
HEB 12:10 Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they
thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share
in his holiness.
EPH 4:11 It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be proph-
ets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers,
EPH 4:12 to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the
body of Christ may be built up
The ultimate consummation and complete change will be at the second
coming of the Lord Jesus Christ (1 John 3:2).
1JO 3:2 Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will
be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we
shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.
TIMES OF THE GENTILES...
The times of the Gentiles (Luke 21:24) began with the Jewish captiv-
ity in Babylon under Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 1:1-2), and will contin-
ue until the Lord Jesus comes again in power and glory to set up His
own throne from which He will rule the world during the Millennium
(Revelation 19:11-21). The period of time has already extended for
over twenty-five hundred years.
LUK 21:24 They will fall by the sword and will be taken as prison-
ers to all the nations. Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gen-
tiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.
DAN 1:1 In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah,
Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it.
DAN 1:2 And the Lord delivered Jehoiakim king of Judah into his
hand, along with some of the articles from the temple of God. These
he carried off to the temple of his god in Babylonia and put in the
treasure house of his god.
REV 19:11 I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a
white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice
he judges and makes war.
REV 19:12 His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many
crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he him-
self.
REV 19:13 He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is
the Word of God.
REV 19:14 The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white
horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean.
REV 19:15 Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike
down the nations. "He will rule them with an iron scepter." He
treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty.
REV 19:16 On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written:
KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.
REV 19:17 And I saw an angel standing in the sun, who cried in a
loud voice to all the birds flying in midair, "Come, gather together
for the great supper of God,
REV 19:18 so that you may eat the flesh of kings, generals, and
mighty men, of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all people,
free and slave, small and great."
REV 19:19 Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their
armies gathered together to make war against the rider on the horse
and his army.
REV 19:20 But the beast was captured, and with him the false proph-
et who had performed the miraculous signs on his behalf. With these
signs he had deluded those who had received the mark of the beast
and worshiped his image. The two of them were thrown alive into the
fiery lake of burning sulfur.
REV 19:21 The rest of them were killed with the sword that came out
of the mouth of the rider on the horse, and all the birds gorged
themselves on their flesh.
THE TRANSFIGURATION SCENE...
The transfiguration scene (Matthew 17:1-9) is a representation in
type of the coming Kingdom in all its fullness, and will fulfill our
Lord's words as recorded in Matthew 16:28.
MAT 17:1 After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John
the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves.
MAT 17:2 There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like
the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light.
MAT 17:3 Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah,
talking with Jesus.
MAT 17:4 Peter said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to be here.
If you wish, I will put up three shelters--one for you, one for
Moses and one for Elijah."
MAT 17:5 While he was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped
them, and a voice from the cloud said, "This is my Son, whom I love;
with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!"
MAT 17:6 When the disciples heard this, they fell facedown to the
ground, terrified.
MAT 17:7 But Jesus came and touched them. "Get up," he said. "Don't
be afraid."
MAT 17:8 When they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus.
MAT 17:9 As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus instructed
them, "Don't tell anyone what you have seen, until the Son of Man
has been raised from the dead."
MAT 16:28 I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not
taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom."
On the mount were...
1.> The Lord Jesus Himself
in His glorified body (Matthew 17:2).
MAT 17:2 There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like
the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light.
2.> Moses,
in his glorified body and depicting all the saved
who enter the Kingdom through death.
3.> Elijah,
also in his glorified body, depicting all the saved
who enter the Kingdom by translation.
(See 1 Corinthians 15:50-53 and 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).
1CO 15:50 I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot
inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the
imperishable.
1CO 15:51 Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but
we will all be changed--
1CO 15:52 in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trum-
pet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperisha-
ble, and we will be changed.
1CO 15:53 For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperisha-
ble, and the mortal with immortality.
1TH 4:13 Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those
who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no
hope.
1TH 4:14 We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we be-
lieve that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in
him.
1TH 4:15 According to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we who
are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will
certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep.
1TH 4:16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a
loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet
call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.
1TH 4:17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be
caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the
air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.
1TH 4:18 Therefore encourage each other with these words.
4.> Peter, James, and John
in their natural bodies of the flesh,
depicting Israel in the coming Kingdom.
5.> The multitude of people left at the mountain's base,
also in their natural bodies, depicting the Gentile nations
who are finally taken into the Kingdom for the Millennium
(Isaiah 11:10-12).
ISA 11:10 In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for
the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his place of rest
will be glorious.
ISA 11:11 In that day the Lord will reach out his hand a second
time to reclaim the remnant that is left of his people from Assyria,
from Lower Egypt, from Upper Egypt, from Cush, from Elam, from
Babylonia, from Hamath and from the islands of the sea.
ISA 11:12 He will raise a banner for the nations and gather the
exiles of Israel; he will assemble the scattered people of Judah
from the four quarters of the earth.
That the apostle Peter realized these things he makes very clear in
the first chapter of his second epistle (2 Peter 1:16-18).
2PE 1:16 We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told
you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were
eyewitnesses of his majesty.
2PE 1:17 For he received honor and glory from God the Father when
the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, "This is my
Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased."
2PE 1:18 We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when
we were with him on the sacred mountain.
THE TWENTY-FOUR ELDERS...
It is conceded that the twenty-four "elders" of Revelation 4 stand
for the Church. It must always be remembered in interpreting the
Revelation that it is a book in which truth is revealed by signs or
symbols. The "elders" are redeemed (verse 9), are royal and priestly
(verse 10), and are twenty-four in number, which is significant of
priesthood, as David divided the priests into four and twenty
courses.
REV 4:9 Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks
to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever,
REV 4:10 the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on
the throne, and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay
their crowns before the throne and say:
In Revelation 1:6 the quality of kingship and function of priesthood
are spoken of in connection with the Church.
REV 1:6 and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his
God and Father--to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen.
Again, all through the book, it is noticeable that the elders have
the secret of things, as for example, Revelation 5:5; 7:13-14; which
accords with John 15:15. The Scriptures give no hint of any other
body of saints of whom all these things are true.
REV 5:5 Then one of the elders said to me, "Do not weep! See, the
Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is
able to open the scroll and its seven seals."
REV 7:13 Then one of the elders asked me, "These in white
robes--who are they, and where did they come from?"
REV 7:14 I answered, "Sir, you know." And he said, "These are they
who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their
robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
JOH 15:15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not
know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for
everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.
VEIL OF THE TEMPLE RENT...
The veil of the Temple (Matthew 27:51) separated the place where the
priests entered from the Holy of Holies, and signified that no man
could pass into the presence of God except the high priest once a
year, on the Day of Atonement, and that "not without blood" (Hebrews
9:1-10).
MAT 27:51 At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two
from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split.
HEB 9:1 Now the first covenant had regulations for worship and also
an earthly sanctuary.
HEB 9:2 A tabernacle was set up. In its first room were the lamp-
stand, the table and the consecrated bread; this was called the Holy
Place.
HEB 9:3 Behind the second curtain was a room called the Most Holy
Place,
HEB 9:4 which had the golden altar of incense and the gold-covered
ark of the covenant. This ark contained the gold jar of manna,
Aaron's staff that had budded, and the stone tablets of the cove-
nant.
HEB 9:5 Above the ark were the cherubim of the Glory, overshadowing
the atonement cover. But we cannot discuss these things in detail
now.
HEB 9:6 When everything had been arranged like this, the priests
entered regularly into the outer room to carry on their ministry.
HEB 9:7 But only the high priest entered the inner room, and that
only once a year, and never without blood, which he offered for
himself and for the sins the people had committed in ignorance.
HEB 9:8 The Holy Spirit was showing by this that the way into the
Most Holy Place had not yet been disclosed as long as the first
tabernacle was still standing.
HEB 9:9 This is an illustration for the present time, indicating
that the gifts and sacrifices being offered were not able to clear
the conscience of the worshiper.
HEB 9:10 They are only a matter of food and drink and various
ceremonial washings--external regulations applying until the time of
the new order.
But when Christ died as the propitiation for sin, that way into the
Holy of Holies was opened up. Now God can come out in unhindered
love for man, and man can go into God's presence, accepted in
Christ.
The veil was a symbol, a type of the body, the flesh of Christ
(Hebrews 10:20), and when that veil was rent (torn on the cross) it
opened the "new and living way" into God's presence for believers.
HEB 10:20 by a new and living way opened for us through the cur-
tain, that is, his body,
THE VIRGIN BIRTH...
The virgin birth of the Lord Jesus Christ was demanded by the Old
Testament Scriptures (Isaiah 7:14), and declared by the New Testa-
ment (Matthew 1:18-25).
ISA 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The
virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will
call him Immanuel.
MAT 1:18 This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His
mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they
came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy
Spirit.
MAT 1:19 Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not
want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her
quietly.
MAT 1:20 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord
appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be
afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in
her is from the Holy Spirit.
MAT 1:21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the
name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins."
MAT 1:22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said
through the prophet:
MAT 1:23 "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a
son, and they will call him Immanuel"--which means, "God with us."
MAT 1:24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had
commanded him and took Mary home as his wife.
MAT 1:25 But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a
son. And he gave him the name Jesus.
He could not be the natural son of Joseph, as He then would be cut
off from all right to the throne of David, for Joseph was of the
seed of Jehoiachin; God declared in Jeremiah 22:24-30 that no de-
scendant of Jehoiachin could ever sit upon that throne.
JER 22:24 "As surely as I live," declares the LORD, "even if you,
Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, were a signet ring on my
right hand, I would still pull you off.
JER 22:25 I will hand you over to those who seek your life, those
you fear--to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and to the Babylonians.
JER 22:26 I will hurl you and the mother who gave you birth into
another country, where neither of you was born, and there you both
will die.
JER 22:27 You will never come back to the land you long to return
to."
JER 22:28 Is this man Jehoiachin a despised, broken pot, an object
no one wants? Why will he and his children be hurled out, cast into
a land they do not know?
JER 22:29 O land, land, land, hear the word of the LORD!
JER 22:30 This is what the LORD says: "Record this man as if child-
less, a man who will not prosper in his lifetime, for none of his
offspring will prosper, none will sit on the throne of David or rule
anymore in Judah."
The genealogy of Joseph in Matthew 1:11 shows him to be descended
from Jeconiah (another form of Jehoiachin's name), while Luke 3:31
shows that through His mother, Mary, the Lord Jesus descended from
David, not through Solomon and Jehoiachin, but through another son
of David named Nathan. No one is a Christian who denies our Lord's
virgin birth.
MAT 1:11 and Josiah the father of Jeconiah and his brothers at the
time of the exile to Babylon. --------
LUK 3:31 the son of Melea, the son of Menna, the son of Mattatha,
the son of Nathan, the son of David,
------
WALKING IN THE LIGHT...
To "walk in the light" (1 John 1:7).
1JO 1:7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have
fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, puri-
fies us from all sin.
God is "in the light", perfectly revealed in Christ. He wants man to
walk "in the light"---not "according" to the light, but "in" the
light. It is in the presence of God, which the natural man does not
want. But when convicted of sin and born again by the Holy Spirit, a
person cannot stay away from that light, but makes his way into the
very presence of the One he once dreaded. How to continue to walk in
the light is explained in 1 John 1:8-10...
1JO 1:8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the
truth is not in us.
1JO 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will
forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
1JO 1:10 If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a
liar and his word has no place in our lives.
The realization of sin within us is recognized by the believer; upon
confession of sins committed, he is at once forgiven and cleansed of
all unrighteousness (verse 9). So, "as a sinner" the believer comes
to Christ on the ground of this verse, and is cleansed; but "as a
believer" confessing the failures of his life, he comes confessing
his sin and He is "faithful and just and will forgive us our sins";
judicial cleansing by the blood of Christ, confession of sins for
practical cleansing. Fellowship is disrupted by sin, but confession
restores the fellowship.
THE WISE MEN OF THE EAST: WHEN DID THEY SEE JESUS?...
Only Matthew 2:1-23 tells of the visit of the Magi, the wise men
from the East; Herod's rage, and the massacre of the innocent chil-
dren at Bethlehem; the flight into Egypt, and the return from there
after Herod's death.
/==================================================================\
THE VISIT OF THE MAGI
--- ----- -- --- ----
MAT 2:1 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time
of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem
MAT 2:2 and asked, "Where is the one who has been born king of the
Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him."
MAT 2:3 When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jeru-
salem with him.
MAT 2:4 When he had called together all the people's chief priests
and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ was to be
born.
MAT 2:5 "In Bethlehem in Judea," they replied, "for this is what
the prophet has written:
MAT 2:6 "'But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means
least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler
who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.'"
MAT 2:7 Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them
the exact time the star had appeared.
MAT 2:8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and make a careful
search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that
I too may go and worship him."
MAT 2:9 After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and
the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it
stopped over the place where the child was.
MAT 2:10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed.
MAT 2:11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother
Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their
treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of
myrrh.
MAT 2:12 And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod,
they returned to their country by another route.
THE ESCAPE TO EGYPT
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MAT 2:13 When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to
Joseph in a dream. "Get up," he said, "take the child and his mother
and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going
to search for the child to kill him."
MAT 2:14 So he got up, took the child and his mother during the
night and left for Egypt,
MAT 2:15 where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was
fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: "Out of Egypt
I called my son."
MAT 2:16 When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the
Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in
Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in
accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi.
MAT 2:17 Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was ful-
filled:
MAT 2:18 "A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning,
Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, be-
cause they are no more."
THE RETURN TO NAZARETH
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MAT 2:19 After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream
to Joseph in Egypt
MAT 2:20 and said, "Get up, take the child and his mother and go to
the land of Israel, for those who were trying to take the child's
life are dead."
MAT 2:21 So he got up, took the child and his mother and went to
the land of Israel.
MAT 2:22 But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning in Judea in
place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. Having been
warned in a dream, he withdrew to the district of Galilee,
MAT 2:23 and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth. So was
fulfilled what was said through the prophets: "He will be called a
Nazarene."
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These events obviously did not occur at the very time of Jesus'
birth, but some time afterward. Luke 2:21-40 states that, following
Jesus' birth and circumcision, Joseph and Mary took Him up to Jeru-
salem from Bethlehem to present Him to the Lord, and that when they
had performed everything according to the Law of the Lord, "they
returned to Nazareth", their own city in Galilee, where the child
grew and became strong.
/==================================================================\
JESUS PRESENTED IN THE TEMPLE
----- --------- -- --- ------
LUK 2:21 On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise him, he
was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he had been
conceived.
LUK 2:22 When the time of their purification according to the Law
of Moses had been completed, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem
to present him to the Lord
LUK 2:23 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, "Every firstborn
male is to be consecrated to the Lord"),
LUK 2:24 and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in
the Law of the Lord: "a pair of doves or two young pigeons."
LUK 2:25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was
righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel,
and the Holy Spirit was upon him.
LUK 2:26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he
would not die before he had seen the Lord's Christ.
LUK 2:27 Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When
the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom
of the Law required,
LUK 2:28 Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:
LUK 2:29 "Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss
your servant in peace.
LUK 2:30 For my eyes have seen your salvation,
LUK 2:31 which you have prepared in the sight of all people,
LUK 2:32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to
your people Israel."
LUK 2:33 The child's father and mother marveled at what was said
about him.
LUK 2:34 Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother:
"This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in
Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against,
LUK 2:35 so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And
a sword will pierce your own soul too."
LUK 2:36 There was also a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phan-
uel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her
husband seven years after her marriage,
LUK 2:37 and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never
left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying.
LUK 2:38 Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to
God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the
redemption of Jerusalem.
LUK 2:39 When Joseph and Mary had done everything required by the
Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee to their own town of
Nazareth.
LUK 2:40 And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with
wisdom, and the grace of God was upon him.
\==================================================================/
LUK 2:41 Every year his parents went to Jerusalem for the Feast of
the Passover.
Evidently, as Luke points out in verse 41 above, they remained at
Nazareth some twelve months, or until the time for the next feast of
the Passover at Jerusalem, when they took the young child to Jerusa-
lem, about eighty-eight miles south of Nazareth. During the Passover
time they probably remained, quite naturally, in Bethlehem, as it
was their ancestral city and only five miles from Jerusalem.
Matthew relates that immediately after the visit of the Magi from
the East, "when they had gone" (Matthew 2:13) Joseph was warned to
flee into Egypt.
MAT 2:13 When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to
Joseph in a dream. "Get up," he said, "take the child and his mother
and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going
to search for the child to kill him."
Matthew then states in verses 14-15...
MAT 2:14 So he got up, took the child and his mother during the
night and left for Egypt,
MAT 2:15 where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was
fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: "Out of Egypt
I called my son."
Therefore, the visit of the Magi to Bethlehem and the flight into
Egypt from Bethlehem must have occurred when the child Jesus was at
least a year old. The shepherds in Luke 2:12 found Jesus as "a babe
wrapped in swaddling clothes", the wise men in Matthew 2:11 saw Him
as a "young child with Mary his mother".
LUK 2:12 This will be a sign LUK 2:12 And this shall be a
to you: You will find a baby sign unto you; Ye shall find
wrapped in cloths and lying in the babe wrapped in swaddling
a manger." clothes, lying in a manger.KJV
MAT 2:11 On coming to the MAT 2:11 And when they were
house, they saw the child with come into the house, they saw
his mother Mary, and they the young child with Mary his
bowed down and worshiped him. mother, and fell down, and
Then they opened their treas- worshipped him: and when they
ures and presented him with had opened their treasures,
gifts of gold and of incense they presented unto him gifts;
and of myrrh. gold, and frankincense and
myrrh. (KJV)
The shepherds found Him in the stable of the inn, lying in a manger
(Luke 2:16); the wise men found Him in a "house" (Matthew 2:11).
LUK 2:16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the
baby, who was lying in the manger.
This view also explains why Herod destroyed all children in Bethle-
hem "up to two years old", in seeking the life of the newborn King.
Confusion has been caused by the translation of Matthew 2:1 in the
King James Version which states...
MAT 2:1 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days
of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to
Jerusalem,
The New International Version, which has been used throughout this
commentary so far, says it this way...
MAT 2:1 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time
of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem
And the American Standard Version is of no help; but the best
rendering for clarity is perhaps Weymouth's Version which says, "Now
after the birth of Jesus, which took place in Bethlehem of Judaea in
the reign of King Herod there came to Jerusalem certain Magi from
the east".
Had the star, seen in the East by the wise men, first appeared at
the time of Jesus' birth, they could not possibly have reached Judea
a few days later, in view of the primitive methods of travel and the
great distance involved. It seems certain from all the available
information that their arrival in Jerusalem was at the time of the
Passover, one year after our Lord's birth. The star did not lead
them all the way from their eastern home, Matthew 2:9 seeming to
imply that upon leaving Herod and starting for Bethlehem, the star
"they had seen in the east" reappeared to them.
MAT 2:9 After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and
the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it
stopped over the place where the child was.
The number of only three wise men was most certainly incorrect, and
was probably suggested by the three kinds of gifts---gold, frankin-
cense, and myrrh. It seems reasonable to believe that there was a
far larger number, a number which was large enough to startle Jeru-
salem and trouble the heart of its wicked king, Herod. Picture them
in a great procession going through the streets of Jerusalem, asking
in vain the question, "Where is he that is born King of the Jews?"
(Matthew 2:2). There was no answer; the great city had no knowledge
of that King.
MAT 2:2 and asked, "Where is MAT 2:2 Saying, Where is he
the one who has been born king that is born King of the Jews?
of the Jews? We saw his star for we have seen his star in
in the east and have come to the east, and are come to
worship him." worship him. (KJV)
WORKING OUT OUR OWN SALVATION...
PHI 2:12 Therefore, my dear PHI 2:12 Wherefore, my be-
friends, as you have always loved, as ye have always
obeyed--not only in my obeyed, not as in my presence
presence, but now much more in only, but now much more in my
my absence--continue to work absence, work out your own
out your salvation with fear salvation with fear and trem-
and trembling, bling. (KJV)
The expression "work our your own salvation", as used by the apostle
Paul (Philippians 2:12), does not refer to salvation as to the
believer's eternal welfare. This is evident when it is recalled that
the epistle is addressed to those "who are already saved", to the
"saints in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 1:1).
PHI 1:1 Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all the
saints in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the overseers and
deacons:
The word "salvation" in Philippians 1:19 evidently relates to Paul's
hope of being delivered from prison and permitted to visit his
Philippian friends.
PHI 1:19 for I know that PHI 1:19 For I know that this
through your prayers and the shall turn to my salvation
help given by the Spirit of through your prayer, and the
Jesus Christ, what has supply of the Spirit of Jesus
happened to me will turn out Christ, (KJV)
for my deliverance.
In fact, the word is translated "deliverance" in the New American
Standard Bible and the New International Version, which is a per-
fectly good translation of this Greek word for "salvation". In
Philippians 2:12 it undoubtedly signifies "deliverance", in the
sense that the Philippian believers should work out their "own
deliverance" with fear and trembling, in solving their own problems;
though Paul was not with them to help, "God" was there, even dwell-
ing in and with them, and working among them.
WORLD SYSTEM...
Greek "kosmos", anglicized "cosmos", means a system characterized by
order.
Satan claimed to be ruler of the world (Matthew 4:8-9), and this was
conceded by the Lord Jesus when on earth (John 12:31; 14:30; 18:36).
MAT 4:8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and
showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor.
MAT 4:9 "All this I will give you," he said, "if you will bow down
and worship me."
JOH 12:31 Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the
prince of this world will be driven out.
JOH 14:30 I will not speak with you much longer, for the prince of
this world is coming. He has no hold on me,
JOH 18:36 Jesus said, "My kingdom is not of this world. If it were,
my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my
kingdom is from another place."
Satan could not conquer Him, his temptations being futile; but he
goes on with the same temptations, and has succeeded astonishingly
with the monstrosity which calls itself Christendom. Blind,
unbelieving Christendom attempts to rule the world, to be on the
throne, basing her principles upon a foundation subtly furnished by
Satan---greed, power, world conquest, selfishness, pleasure. The
world system as set up by Christendom is impressive---intellectual,
externally religious, learned, cultured---but agitated with national
and business competitions, enforced by armies and navies, and
dominated over all by its real ruler, Satan.
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