The Work of the Lord Jesus Christ- By John D. LaVier

The Work of the Lord Jesus Christ- By John D. LaVier

Our Lord Jesus Christ isthe One referred to in Isaiah 57: 15 as "the high and lofty Onethat inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy." As a member ofthe Holy Trinity the Lord Jesus Christ was from etemity in the formof God. "But when the fulness of the time was come, God sentforth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem themthat were under the law." There was a twofold purpose inChrist's coming out of etemity into time and to the earth His handshad made. First of all, He came to be the Redeemer, the Saviour ofthe world, to put away man's sin by the sacrifice of Himself. Then,secondly, He came to set up His kingdom on earth; that kingdom whichhad been prophesied and long awaited, when Israel would be head amongthe nations and when the Lord Jesus as their Messiah would be onDavid's throne and ruling in righteousness. God had made a covenantwith David assuring him that one of his seed would sit on his throneand that his kingdom would be unending. The Lord Jesus was thatpromised seed. He was "made of the seed of David according tothe flesh" (Romans 1:3). The angel said to Mary, "And,behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb and bring forth a son, andshalt call his name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called theSon of the Highest; and the Lord God shall give unto him the throneof his father David; and he shall reign over the house of Jacob forever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end" (Luke 1:31-33). He cameto take the throne, but instead of the throne wicked men put Him todeath on the cross. But death could not hold the Prince of life andon the third day He rose triumphant from the grave. In Peter'sPentecostal message he said that David prophesied Christ'sresurrection, and that God had swom with an oath to raise up Christto sit on his throne. Thus Christ was raised up twice in the midst ofIsrael. In His incarnation He was raised up from Mary's womb to siton David's throne, and in His resurrection He was raised up fromJoseph's tomb to sit on David's throne, and the day is surely comingwhen He will sit on David's throne and rule over Israel and thenations. The first question in theNew Testament was asked by the wise men following Jesus' birth. Theycame to Jerusalem saying, "Where is he that is born King of theJews?" (Matthew 2:2). At the triumphal entry the people shoutedHis praise and cried, "Blessed is the King of Israel that comethin the name of the Lord" (John 12: 13). At His death on thecross the superscription was written over Him, "Jesus ofNazareth the King of the Jews" (John 19:19). John Baptist wasChrist's forerunner and he came preaching "the kingdom of heavenis at hand" (Matthew 3:2). When the twelve apostles were sentforth they were told to preach "the kingdom of heaven is athand" (Matthew 10:7). There can be no kingdom without a king andthe reason the kingdom was then at hand was because the King was athand. When here in the flesh the Lord Jesus was here as King of theJews and during that time His ministry was restricted to the Jewishpeople. He instructed the twelve not to go to the Gentiles but onlyto Israel (Matthew 10:5-6). He told the Syrophenician woman that Hewas sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel (Matthew15:24). In fact, He told her that it wasn't proper to take thechildren's bread (Israel) and cast it to dogs (Gentiles). ManyGentiles become upset when they hear that, but not this dear Greekwoman. She told the Lord that what He said was the truth; that as aGentile she had no claim on Israel's Messiah, that she would becontent with some crumbs. In John 1: II we read,"He came unto His own." His own were the chosen, covenantpeople, the nation Israel. He was a man approved of God among them bymiracles and wonders and signs, which God did by Him in their midst.Christ told them, "The works which the Father hath given me tofinish, the same works that I do, bear witness of me, that the Fatherhath sent me" (John 5 :36). In addition to the testimony of Hisworks there was also the testimony other Scriptures. The Lord said,"Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternallife; and they are they which testify of Me" (John 5:39). Theholy writer had them in mind when he wrote they had "tasted thegood word of God, and the powers of the age to come" (Hebrews6:5). The miraculous powers shown by Christ were a foretaste of thecoming kingdom. Surely they should have known Him, but how tragic thewords that conclude John 1: II, "His own received him not."At times the multitude did throng His way and even shouted Hispraise, but mainly for the loaves and fishes or to see a miracle. Theabove verse from Hebrews indicates they were like many in thechurches today, who are only "tasters" and not "drinkers."They have never knelt to drink deeply at the well of salvation, justa bit of a taste, a mere profession, and perhaps soon turn away. John Bunyan has writtenan article titled "Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners .. or.. the Jerusalem Sinners Saved." In it he points out that thefirst ones to whom the gospel was preached after Christ'sresurrection were the very ones who had rejected Him and demanded Hisdeath. On the day of Pentecost the Apostle Peter charged this Jewishaudience with having crucified Jesus, the Christ. When they wereconvicted and cried out "What shall we do?" he told them torepent and to be baptized for the remission of sins. This is notGod's message for today, but it was for that time. Thousands of thoseJews, both then and later, responded to the message and wereforgiven, but there was not national repentance. Israel had rejectedChrist but He had not yet rejected them. On the cross He had prayed,"Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do"(Luke 23 :34). The Father heard and answered that prayer and Israelwas forgiven and given another opportunity. In a later message to theleaders of the nation Peter stated, "The God of our fathersraised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree. Him hath Godexalted with His right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to giverepentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins" (Acts 5 :30-31).Israel was being given one more chance to receive their King butturned a deaf ear. The purpose of the book of Acts is not to show thebirth and growth of the church, but to show the decline and fall ofIsrael, and the reason they were set aside. The book of Acts is alsoreferred to as covering the transition but there is really notransition in the early chapters. The kingdom which before had beenpreached is now offered but is violently refused. Israel's rejectionof the renewed offer reaches its peak with the stoning of Stephen,for immediately thereafter we begin to see a movement away from thatnation. Israel had rejected thetestimony of John Baptist, of the Lord Himself, of Peter and thetwelve, and now there is one final appeal through Stephen. The answerto this entreaty was to stone Stephen to death and this marked theend of Israel's day. To Israel God had said, "All day long have1 stretched forth my hands unto a disobedient and gainsaying people."Israel's long day as the God-favored nation is at an end. A newapostle, Paul, comes to the fore and through him a new program isinaugurated, with Israel set aside and God's message of grace andreconciliation proclaimed to the Gentiles. And yet, God seems loathto turn away from His covenant people and during the remainder of thebook of Acts, the transition period, the message still goes to theJew first. It is not until the Lord's message through Paul has beenproclaimed from Jerusalem to Rome that Israel is finally off thescene. There we have the solemn pronouncement of Acts 28:28, "Beit known therefore unto you, that the salvation of God is sent untothe Gentiles, and that they will hear it." Stephen had concludedhis message by saying, "Behold, I see the heavens opened, andthe Son of man standing on the right hand of God" (Acts 7:56).The Lord Jesus is later seen as seated, but up to this point theresurrected Christ is seen standing, waiting patiently and longinglyto discern what Israel's response will be to the renewed offer. Ifthere had been national repentance He would have returned to earth tobring in "the times of restitution of all things" (Acts3:20-21). When the offer was refused the heavenly Father said to HisSon, "Sit thou at my right hand, until 1 make thine enemies thyfootstool" (Psalm 110:1). When God turned away fromIsrael He reached down and laid hold of the most bigoted Jew of all,Saul of Tarsus, who was the leader in the persecution of thebelievers. This was the Apostle Paul and he became Christ's emissaryto bear the message of salvation to the Gentile world. Thedispensation of grace was ushered in with Paul and now there is nolonger any difference between Jew and Gentile. The Scripture says:"For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek; forthe same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon Him. Forwhosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved"(Romans 10:12-13). What a grand word is that word "whosoever."None are excluded, all are included. Any sinner, regardless of raceor place, who calls upon the name of the Lord, will be saved. Andevery such sinner, at the moment of their salvation, is baptized bythe Holy Spirit of God into the Body of Christ. This is the one trueChurch, composed of all the redeemed. In relation to this Church theLord Jesus holds a new office. In Ephesians we read that God "hathput all things under His feet, and gave Him to be the head over allthings to the church, which is His body, the fulness of him thatfilleth all in all" (I :22-23). Also in Colossians 1: 18, "AndHe is the head of the body, the church." Christ is not the Kingof the church and is never given that title. He is the Head of thechurch. No pope, priest, prelate, preacher or potentate is the head.Man may be at the head of some human religious organization, but theHead of the true church is the crucified, risen, ascended Christ atGod's right hand. Dr. Bultema said that Godput the key to the Scriptures right on the threshold. The very firstverse in the Bible states: "In the beginning God created theheaven and the earth." Then as we study we learn that God has apurpose for the heavens and also a purpose for the earth. He also hasa people for the heavens, and a people for the earth, through whomHis purposes will be consummated. Israel is His people for the earth,while the church is His people for the heavens. Members of the churchdo have a blessed hope, a bright anticipation, and it is not anearthly hope, but heavenly. The hope of the church has to do withthat realm "far above all." Dave Breese recently wrote inhis paper: "Jews and Gentile proselyte believers (those savedunder the kingdom program) will inherit a redeemed earth. Bycontrast, the Body of Christ will rule the universe in eternity."The apostle wrote: "Looking for that blessed hope, and theglorious appearing of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ"(Titus 2: 13). God's day of grace will close when Christ comes in theRapture to call every member of His blood-washed church into Hispresence. In that great passage in Thessalonians we read of the Lorddescending from heaven with a great assembling shout and every childof God being caught up to meet Him in the air and to be forever withthe Lord. Our blessed hope is fully realized 111 those three words"with the Lord." 0, Blessed! 0 thriceblessed word! To be forever with theLord,In heavenly beauty fair! Up! .. Up! .. We long tohear the cry!Up! .. Up! .. Our absentLord draws nigh! Yes, in the twinkling ofan eye,Caught up in the radiantair. Following the Rapture ofthe church there will be a time of trouble on earth unparalleled inhuman history. This is the time of Jacob's trouble, the GreatTribulation. We have been noting the changing roles played by Christand here again we see a change. No longer will He be stretching forthHis hands and beseeching men to come and be reconciled. Then it willbe quite different. "Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath,and vex them in his sore displeasure" (Psalm 2:5). In that daymen will pray to the mountains and rocks, "Fall on us, and hideus from the face of Him that sitteth on the throne, and from thewrath of the Lamb. For the great day of his wrath is come; and whoshall be able to stand?" (Revelation 6: 16-17). How much betterto come in time; to flee to Christ, the Eternal Rock of Ages, andfind in Him a hiding place and shelter from the coming storm. AndChristians should be redeeming the time, because the days are evil;and reaching out to the lost, snatching them out of the fire. The Great Tribulationwill conclude with the personal return of the Lord Jesus Christ.Writing to the suffering saints at Thessalonica the apostle assuredthem that the day of their vindication was coming, when their enemieswould receive the due reward of their deeds. He wrote: "And toyou who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall berevealed from heaven with his mighty angels, in flaming fire takingvengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel ofour Lord Jesus Christ" (II Thessalonians 1:7-8). The Lord willbe coming on this occasion not to suffer at the hands of His enemies,but to trample them beneath His feet; not to die in weakness on atree of shame, but to sit on the throne of His glory. Great voices inheaven are heard to proclaim, "The kingdoms of this world arebecome the kingdoms of our Lord, and of His Christ; and He shallreign for ever and ever" (Revelation 11: 15). He comes as theAll Conquering Sovereign, accompanied by the armies of heaven. InRevelation 19 is pictured His majestic return, and in verse 16 weread: "And he hath on His vesture and on His thigh a namewritten, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS." When Britain's QueenVictoria was crowned, she said, in expressing the desire to bepresent on that future occasion, "I should so love to lay mycrown at His feet." She knew that when the Lord Jesus came itwould be as a King - the King of David's Royal House and Dynasty. Sheknew the government would be on His shoulders and that she wouldacknowledge His authority. One of these days all the kings and rulersof earth shall cast their crowns before Him. It will be theCoronation Day of Christ. The whole earth will tremble at theshouting and the tumult. It will be the grandest day in human historyand may God hasten it. Amen! THE END

ThePerson of the Lord Jesus Christ! JohnD. LaVier

ThePerson of the Lord Jesus Christ! JohnD. LaVier In reading any book it is good to know the author and the Bible is no exception. The Author of the Book is God and in it He has revealed Himself so that we may know Him. This knowledge is imperative and essential. In His great high-priestly prayer Jesus said, "And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent" (John 17:3). Dr. Bullinger has written an article on "The Christian's Greatest Need." In it he states that our greatest need is to know God, and God can only be known through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Christ Himself said, "Neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him" (Matthew 11:27). Coming to Christ and putting our trust in Him and in the work He accomplished for us at Calvary we are saved by the grace of God and born into God's family. As newborn babes we are then to desire the sincere milk of the Word so that we may grow thereby. The child of God should be growing in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. This is accomplished by feeding on the Word, going from the milk to the meat, and becoming strong, mature and stalwart in the Christian life. Sadly, many never get off the milk diet, never develop, and remain spiritual babies. This must surely be a heartbreak to their heavenly Father. It is fitting that our first lessons should deal with the Person of God's Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. It is God's desire tllatHe should have the pre-eminence in all things and it is certainly our desire that He should be preeminent in these lessons; that every eye should see Him and hearts set aflame with love for Him. He is the great and grand subject of Scripture and it is important that we have proper thoughts of Him. Newell writes: "There are two great truths you must hold fast; the truth about our Lord's Person and the truth about His Work." Jesus asked the question, "What think ye of Christ?" and we ought to be certain we have the right answer. John Newton has well written: "What think ye of Christ? " is the test To try both your state and your scheme' You cannot be right in the rest, Unless you think rightly of Him. The Bible clearly teaches that the Babe born at Bethlehem, who lived among men as Jesus of Nazareth, was indeed Almighty God in human form.The prophet Micah, foretelling His birth, said, "Whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting" (5:2). The gospel of John, which presents the Divinity and Deity of Jesus, opens with this tremendous statement: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." The One referred to in this verse as "the Word" is none other than the Lord Jesus. This will also be His name at His second coming, for we read, "And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood; and his name is called The Word of God" (Revelation 19: 13). There are three things to be noted in John 1: 1: He was in the beginning. In I John 1:1 we also read of a beginning and there it refers to the beginning of Christ's earthly ministry. In Genesis 1:1 the reference is to the beginning of the creation. Here in John 1:1 we are taken back to ages past. This is really a beginning without a beginning. The Word (Gr. Logos) is the eternally existing Christ. He was with God. He was with God the Father and with God the Holy Ghost, for as God the Son He was a member of the Holy Trinity. Genesis 1:26 reads: "And God said, let us make man in our image, after our likeness. "The plural pronouns in this verse indicate the three Persons of the Godhead. 3) He was God. Words could not be plainer in expressing the Deity of the Lord Jesus Christ. "And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness; God was manifest in the flesh" (l Tim. 3:16). The Lord Jesus, who was the Eternal Word, was truly God and the Creator as well. In the third verse of this first chapter of John's gospel is written: "All things were made by Him; and without Him was not anything made that was made." It was the Trinity which said, "Let us ... make," but God the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, was the active agent in creation. There are many Scriptures which state this, such as Colossians 1:16, "For by Him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers; all things were created by Him, and for Him." Also, Hebrews 1:2 affirms that "God ... hath in these last days spoken unto us (Hebrews) by His Son, whom He hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also He made the worlds." Christ is the Great God and Mighty Maker of all things. He is the Eternal One. He is "the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy" (Isaiah 57: 15). On the isle of Patmos He introduced Himself to John with the words "1 am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty" (Revelation 1:8). There is a precious statement made in Hebrews 13:8, where we read: "Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and for ever." It is good to know that midst all the changing scenes around there is One who is unchanging. He proved to His people of old that, regardless of their changing attitudes, He was ever the same faithful and dependable God. He proves today also that amid the vicissitudes of life He is the same steadfast, loving, forgiving Saviour who merits our full trust, love and confidence. He will be forever the same. He can say, "For I am the Lord, I change not" (Malachi 3:6). But now we would ask the question: Does the fact that Christ is ever the same as to His person, pathos, and power mean that His dealings with mankind are always the same? The answer is no. We should give heed to the different ways in which Christ is viewed and to the dissimilar programs for His people. It is interesting that Hebrews 13: 8 is followed by these words: "Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines." There are those with divers and strange doctrines who quote the 8th verse to support their fancied healing programs. They say that when Jesus was here on earth He healed all who were brought to Him, and since He is always the same He heals today in the same way. Jesus Christ is indeed ever the same, but they fail to see that in His dealings with mankind He does not always act in the same way. He was not acting in the same capacity when here in the flesh in the form of a servant as He was in eternity past when in the form of God. He will not be acting in the same capacity in the future when speaking to the nations in His wrath as He is today when speaking to them in mercy and grace. And His instructions or marching orders for His people do change with the changing times. In Philippians 2: 5-7 is the great passage on the self-humbling of Christ. We read: "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus; who being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God; but made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men. " Here is found the Doctrine of the Kenosis. This title comes from the Greek in the expression "made Himself of no reputation" which really means "emptied Himself." This does not mean He divested Himself of His Deity. Not in the least. He was just as much God when walking the dusty trails of Galilee as when seated on His eternal throne and creating all things. Scofield says: "Nothing in this passage teaches that the Eterna! Word (John 1:I) emptied Himself of either His divine nature, or His attributes, but only of the outward and visible manifestation of the Godhead." In the time prior to His birth at Bethlehem He was in the form of God, and on an equality with God as a member of the Godhead Three. John 4:24 states that "God is a Spirit" so before His incarnation Christ had no physical body, but coming into the world He came in the body prepared for Him in the womb of the virgin. He lived among men in that body, was put to death in that body, and rose from the dead in bodily form, but it was now a glorified body no longer subject to natural laws. He ascended in that body and now there is something new in heaven. There is a Man in the Glory. "For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus" (1 Timothy 2:5). Notice the one mediator is not the woman of the assumption but the Man of the Ascension, the Man Christ Jesus. And when He comes again to earth He will come in a body with the marks of Calvary on that body. We contemplate with awe this mystery of godliness, God manifest in the flesh, and we bow in wonder. This is holy ground and we put off the shoes from our feet. The great Creator humbling Himself, taking upon Him creature fonn, in order that He might die and atone for the creature's sins. After one of his sennons a woman came to Dr. McKay and said, "1 can't accept that." He replied, "You can't accept what?" "Well," she said, "this idea of God punishing an innocent man for the misdeeds of the guilty; that isn't right." Dr. McKay said, "Madam, it is not the case of God punishing an innocent man for guilty men. On the cross we see the offended God Himself, the One who had been sinned against, taking our humanity and dying in order that the guilt of His creatures might be taken away." "But is that right?" "Madam," replied he, "It is love." Yes, it was infinite love that brought the Saviour down from the ivory palaces above and into this world of sin and woe. It was love that caused Him to live here among men, despised and rejected and hated without a cause. It was love that led Him to Calvary to suffer and die, shedding His precious blood for our sins. We can say, "He loved me, and gave Himself for me." What should be our response to this love? We ought to love Him in return and to prove our love by living in a way that pleases Him. One never tires of reading in the gospels of the wonderful life lived by the Saviour while here on earth. The Apostle John had this wonderful life in view when he wrote: "And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth" (John 1: 14). We read of the mighty works He performed, listen to the words of grace that fell from His lips, see Him ministering to the needs of those around, and we bow in worship and exclaim, "Truly this was the Son of God." And yet, the life lived by Jesus, sinless and God-pleasing though it was, could not save us. "Without the shedding of blood is no remission" (Hebrews 9:22), and "Except a com of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone; but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit" (John 12:24). Sinners are saved, not by Christ's life, but by His death. The gospel is that Christ died for our sins and that Christ died for the ungodly. Further, in considering Jesus' wonderful life, and as much as we may profit from the record of it, we must recognize that when here in the flesh He was not sent to us Gentiles. He said: "1 am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel" (Matthew 15:24). When here as King of the Jews, their Messiall, He confined His ministry to that people. Paul wrote: "Now 1 say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers" (Romans 15:8). The Lord Jesus Christ had come as Israel's long-awaited Messiah, the one who was to save them from their enemies, and while here He confined His ministry to that nation. We are not to think, however, that His life did not concern us Gentiles, for we do have a deep interest in it. By His sinlessness, as the Lamb without spot or blemish, He proved that He was competent to deal with our sins and to put them away by the sacrifice of Himself. Then, too, the fact that He was once here in this wilderness scene, tested and tried as we, is that which qualifies Him as our great High Priest, now to appear in the presence of God for us. And because of His experience, having walked where we walk, He knows and understands, and in our time of trouble can come alongside and give the help needed. The late Dr. Hallman has written: "Christ was tempted in all points like as we - sin excepted. His round of temptations gives Him experiential knowledge of our conflicts; so his sympathy is not just the pity of an onlooker, but the compassion of a fellow sufferer." The Scripture says: "For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin" (Hebrews 4: 15). The double negative "not" and "cannot" express a strong affirmative: "We have a high priest who can be touched with the feeling of our infirmities." Because of His experience, akin to ours, He knows and understands. Stuart Hutchinson tells of a boy who lost his right hand, and was so humiliated he wanted no one to see him. His father suggested that a certain minister come and see him, but the boy rebelled against it. Finally, the father sent for this minister, and when he came the boy saw that he too had lost his right hand. Then there was an immediate bond of sympathy. The minister could say: "I know how it feels." THE END

e Person of the Lord Jesus Christ! - John D. LaVier

The Person of the Lord Jesus Christ! John D. LaVier In reading any book it is good to know the author and the Bible is no exception. The Author of the Book is God and in it He has revealed Himself so that we may know Him. This knowledge is imperative and essential. In His great high-priestly prayer Jesus said, "And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent" (John 17:3). Dr. Bullinger has written an article on "The Christian's Greatest Need." In it he states that our greatest need is to know God, and God can only be known through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Christ Himself said, "Neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him" (Matthew 11:27). Coming to Christ and putting our trust in Him and in the work He accomplished for us at Calvary we are saved by the grace of God and born into God's family. As newborn babes we are then to desire the sincere milk of the Word so that we may grow thereby. The child of God should be growing in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. This is accomplished by feeding on the Word, going from the milk to the meat, and becoming strong, mature and stalwart in the Christian life. Sadly, many never get off the milk diet, never develop, and remain spiritual babies. This must surely be a heartbreak to their heavenly Father. It is fitting that our first lessons should deal with the Person of God's Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. It is God's desire tllatHe should have the pre-eminence in all things and it is certainly our desire that He should be preeminent in these lessons; that every eye should see Him and hearts set aflame with love for Him. He is the great and grand subject of Scripture and it is important that we have proper thoughts of Him. Newell writes: "There are two great truths you must hold fast; the truth about our Lord's Person and the truth about His Work." Jesus asked the question, "What think ye of Christ?" and we ought to be certain we have the right answer. John Newton has well written: "What think ye of Christ? " is the test To try both your state and your scheme' You cannot be right in the rest, Unless you think rightly of Him. The Bible clearly teaches that the Babe born at Bethlehem, who lived among men as Jesus of Nazareth, was indeed Almighty God in human form.The prophet Micah, foretelling His birth, said, "Whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting" (5:2). The gospel of John, which presents the Divinity and Deity of Jesus, opens with this tremendous statement: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." The One referred to in this verse as "the Word" is none other than the Lord Jesus. This will also be His name at His second coming, for we read, "And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood; and his name is called The Word of God" (Revelation 19: 13). There are three things to be noted in John 1: 1: He was in the beginning. In I John 1:1 we also read of a beginning and there it refers to the beginning of Christ's earthly ministry. In Genesis 1:1 the reference is to the beginning of the creation. Here in John 1:1 we are taken back to ages past. This is really a beginning without a beginning. The Word (Gr. Logos) is the eternally existing Christ. He was with God. He was with God the Father and with God the Holy Ghost, for as God the Son He was a member of the Holy Trinity. Genesis 1:26 reads: "And God said, let us make man in our image, after our likeness. "The plural pronouns in this verse indicate the three Persons of the Godhead. 3) He was God. Words could not be plainer in expressing the Deity of the Lord Jesus Christ. "And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness; God was manifest in the flesh" (l Tim. 3:16). The Lord Jesus, who was the Eternal Word, was truly God and the Creator as well. In the third verse of this first chapter of John's gospel is written: "All things were made by Him; and without Him was not anything made that was made." It was the Trinity which said, "Let us ... make," but God the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, was the active agent in creation. There are many Scriptures which state this, such as Colossians 1:16, "For by Him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers; all things were created by Him, and for Him." Also, Hebrews 1:2 affirms that "God ... hath in these last days spoken unto us (Hebrews) by His Son, whom He hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also He made the worlds." Christ is the Great God and Mighty Maker of all things. He is the Eternal One. He is "the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy" (Isaiah 57: 15). On the isle of Patmos He introduced Himself to John with the words "1 am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty" (Revelation 1:8). There is a precious statement made in Hebrews 13:8, where we read: "Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and for ever." It is good to know that midst all the changing scenes around there is One who is unchanging. He proved to His people of old that, regardless of their changing attitudes, He was ever the same faithful and dependable God. He proves today also that amid the vicissitudes of life He is the same steadfast, loving, forgiving Saviour who merits our full trust, love and confidence. He will be forever the same. He can say, "For I am the Lord, I change not" (Malachi 3:6). But now we would ask the question: Does the fact that Christ is ever the same as to His person, pathos, and power mean that His dealings with mankind are always the same? The answer is no. We should give heed to the different ways in which Christ is viewed and to the dissimilar programs for His people. It is interesting that Hebrews 13: 8 is followed by these words: "Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines." There are those with divers and strange doctrines who quote the 8th verse to support their fancied healing programs. They say that when Jesus was here on earth He healed all who were brought to Him, and since He is always the same He heals today in the same way. Jesus Christ is indeed ever the same, but they fail to see that in His dealings with mankind He does not always act in the same way. He was not acting in the same capacity when here in the flesh in the form of a servant as He was in eternity past when in the form of God. He will not be acting in the same capacity in the future when speaking to the nations in His wrath as He is today when speaking to them in mercy and grace. And His instructions or marching orders for His people do change with the changing times. In Philippians 2: 5-7 is the great passage on the self-humbling of Christ. We read: "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus; who being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God; but made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men. " Here is found the Doctrine of the Kenosis. This title comes from the Greek in the expression "made Himself of no reputation" which really means "emptied Himself." This does not mean He divested Himself of His Deity. Not in the least. He was just as much God when walking the dusty trails of Galilee as when seated on His eternal throne and creating all things. Scofield says: "Nothing in this passage teaches that the Eterna! Word (John 1:I) emptied Himself of either His divine nature, or His attributes, but only of the outward and visible manifestation of the Godhead." In the time prior to His birth at Bethlehem He was in the form of God, and on an equality with God as a member of the Godhead Three. John 4:24 states that "God is a Spirit" so before His incarnation Christ had no physical body, but coming into the world He came in the body prepared for Him in the womb of the virgin. He lived among men in that body, was put to death in that body, and rose from the dead in bodily form, but it was now a glorified body no longer subject to natural laws. He ascended in that body and now there is something new in heaven. There is a Man in the Glory. "For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus" (1 Timothy 2:5). Notice the one mediator is not the woman of the assumption but the Man of the Ascension, the Man Christ Jesus. And when He comes again to earth He will come in a body with the marks of Calvary on that body. We contemplate with awe this mystery of godliness, God manifest in the flesh, and we bow in wonder. This is holy ground and we put off the shoes from our feet. The great Creator humbling Himself, taking upon Him creature fonn, in order that He might die and atone for the creature's sins. After one of his sennons a woman came to Dr. McKay and said, "1 can't accept that." He replied, "You can't accept what?" "Well," she said, "this idea of God punishing an innocent man for the misdeeds of the guilty; that isn't right." Dr. McKay said, "Madam, it is not the case of God punishing an innocent man for guilty men. On the cross we see the offended God Himself, the One who had been sinned against, taking our humanity and dying in order that the guilt of His creatures might be taken away." "But is that right?" "Madam," replied he, "It is love." Yes, it was infinite love that brought the Saviour down from the ivory palaces above and into this world of sin and woe. It was love that caused Him to live here among men, despised and rejected and hated without a cause. It was love that led Him to Calvary to suffer and die, shedding His precious blood for our sins. We can say, "He loved me, and gave Himself for me." What should be our response to this love? We ought to love Him in return and to prove our love by living in a way that pleases Him. One never tires of reading in the gospels of the wonderful life lived by the Saviour while here on earth. The Apostle John had this wonderful life in view when he wrote: "And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth" (John 1: 14). We read of the mighty works He performed, listen to the words of grace that fell from His lips, see Him ministering to the needs of those around, and we bow in worship and exclaim, "Truly this was the Son of God." And yet, the life lived by Jesus, sinless and God-pleasing though it was, could not save us. "Without the shedding of blood is no remission" (Hebrews 9:22), and "Except a com of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone; but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit" (John 12:24). Sinners are saved, not by Christ's life, but by His death. The gospel is that Christ died for our sins and that Christ died for the ungodly. Further, in considering Jesus' wonderful life, and as much as we may profit from the record of it, we must recognize that when here in the flesh He was not sent to us Gentiles. He said: "1 am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel" (Matthew 15:24). When here as King of the Jews, their Messiall, He confined His ministry to that people. Paul wrote: "Now 1 say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers" (Romans 15:8). The Lord Jesus Christ had come as Israel's long-awaited Messiah, the one who was to save them from their enemies, and while here He confined His ministry to that nation. We are not to think, however, that His life did not concern us Gentiles, for we do have a deep interest in it. By His sinlessness, as the Lamb without spot or blemish, He proved that He was competent to deal with our sins and to put them away by the sacrifice of Himself. Then, too, the fact that He was once here in this wilderness scene, tested and tried as we, is that which qualifies Him as our great High Priest, now to appear in the presence of God for us. And because of His experience, having walked where we walk, He knows and understands, and in our time of trouble can come alongside and give the help needed. The late Dr. Hallman has written: "Christ was tempted in all points like as we - sin excepted. His round of temptations gives Him experiential knowledge of our conflicts; so his sympathy is not just the pity of an onlooker, but the compassion of a fellow sufferer." The Scripture says: "For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin" (Hebrews 4: 15). The double negative "not" and "cannot" express a strong affirmative: "We have a high priest who can be touched with the feeling of our infirmities." Because of His experience, akin to ours, He knows and understands. Stuart Hutchinson tells of a boy who lost his right hand, and was so humiliated he wanted no one to see him. His father suggested that a certain minister come and see him, but the boy rebelled against it. Finally, the father sent for this minister, and when he came the boy saw that he too had lost his right hand. Then there was an immediate bond of sympathy. The minister could say: "I know how it feels."

Death and Resurrection - By Ike T. Sidebottom

Death and Resurrection  By Ike T. Sidebottom Genesis, the book of beginnings, introduces us to God’s revealed truth concerning this timely subject. The book opens with the divine record of the living man, Adam, in “the garden of Eden,” and it closes with a dead man, Joseph, in “a coffin in Egypt.”Adam was placed in “the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die” (Genesis 2:15-17).“He did eat” (Genesis 3:6). But death did not claim fallen Adam immediately. He “lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth: and the days of Adam after he had begotten Seth were eight hundred years: and he begat sons and daughters: and all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years: and he died” (Genesis 5:3-5).This same short clause, “and he died,” can be written after the names of all the sons of Adam who have made their departure from this life, except two. Enoch, “the seventh from Adam” (Jude 14), “walked with God: and he was not; for God took him” (Genesis 5:24). And “Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven” (2 Kings 2:11).Across the ages, death has claimed it’s toll from all peoples. Regardless of race, color, or nationality, whether they are men of high estate or of low estate; learned or unlearned, rich or poor, all are subject to the call of death at any moment. The reason for this is, that by one man, Adam, “sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned” (Romans 5:12). This explains why the book of beginnings closes with a man in a coffin. However, we must remember that Joseph, the man in the coffin did not go down into death without hope of living again in his resurrection body.When death overtook Joseph in the land of Egypt, his thoughts and his hopes were set upon another land. It was the land which God had sworn to his fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. This is why his parting words unto his brethren are so significant. He said unto them: “I die: and God will surely visit you, and bring you out of this land unto the land which He sware to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. And Joseph took an oath of the children of Israel, saying, God will surely visit you and ye shall carry up my bones from hence” (Genesis 50:24-25). He did not say ye shall carry up me, that is, the person that I am, from hence. Joseph, himself, had been gathered with his people at death, the same as Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had been gathered unto their people (Genesis 25:8; 35:29; and 49:33). Therefore his request pertained only to his “bones,” the remains of the earthly house in which he had lived, and which was to be resurrected and live again in “the land which He sware to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.” We also have positive truth that all of God’s children who have preceded us in death shall be raised to life again. I Know Whom (Click) I Have Believed youtube.comLes Feldick Daily Les Feldick Ministrieshttp://www.lesfeldick.org/30706 W. Lona Valley Rd.Kinta, OK 74552 Jesus is JEHOVAH The One True GOD (Click Here) Posted By Cecil and Connie Spiveyhttps://www.facebook.com/cecil.spivey  Share this BIBLE  STUDY to all your friends

The ABCs Of Salvation - Cecil Spivey

The ABCs Of Salvation Cecil Spivey https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlBiNUEpBzU

ABC Of Salvation

ABC Of Salvation https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlBiNUEpBzU youtube.com Les Feldick Daily Les Feldick Ministries http://www.lesfeldick.org/ 30706 W. Lona Valley Rd. Kinta, OK 74552 Jesus is JEHOVAH The One True GOD (Click Here) Posted By Cecil and Connie Spivey Share this BIBLE STUDY to all your friends

ABC Of Salvation

ABC Of Salvation https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlBiNUEpBzU youtube.com Les Feldick Daily Les Feldick Ministries http://www.lesfeldick.org/ 30706 W. Lona Valley Rd. Kinta, OK 74552 Jesus is JEHOVAH The One True GOD (Click Here) Posted By Cecil and Connie Spivey Share this BIBLE STUDY to all your friends

The ABC Of Salvation

Behold, I Come Quickly by Pastor Kevin Sadler "Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book" (Rev. 22:7). "A new preacher had just begun his sermon. He was a little nervous, and about ten minutes into the talk his mind went blank. He remembered what they had taught him in seminary to do when a situation like this would arise: repeat your last point. Often this would help you remember what was coming next. So he thought he would give it a try. "'Behold, I come quickly,' he said. Still his mind was blank. He thought he would try it again, 'Behold, I come quickly.' Still nothing. He tried it one more time with such force that he fell forward, knocking the pulpit to one side, tripping over a flowerpot, and falling into the lap of a little old lady in the front row. The young preacher apologized and tried to explain what happened. "'That's alright, young man,' said the little old lady. 'It was my fault. I should have gotten out of the way. You told me three times that you were coming.'" [Bob Phillips and Jonny Hawkins, The Hilarious Book of Heavenly Humor (Eugene, Oregon: Harvest House Publishers, 2011), p. 172.] In the final verses of the Apocalypse, three times the Lord says that He is coming to the nation Israel (vv. 7,12,20). Terminology meant for the Second Coming of Christ to Israel, such as "Behold, I come quickly" or "thief in the night" is often mistakenly used for the Rapture of the Church, the Body of Christ. This confuses many people regarding these two future comings of Christ. When Christ says, "Behold, I come quickly," He is not speaking of coming before the Tribulation to catch the Church away to heaven. He is speaking of His coming to Israel at the end of the Tribulation at the Battle of Armageddon (Rev. 19:11-21). All mentions of the coming of Christ outside the letters of the Apostle Paul refer either to the first or second coming of Christ to Israel. As a result of not rightly dividing the Word of truth, words, phrases, and verses are often misused and misapplied to the Rapture of the Church. When a preacher or teacher uses the words, "Behold, I come quickly," and without qualification applies it to the Rapture, that is error. When a preacher or teacher says that the Rapture and Second Coming are the same thing, that is unsound doctrine. When a preacher or teacher says that the Church, the Body of Christ, will go through any part of the coming Tribulation period, that is not the truth of the Word, rightly divided. When the events of the Book of Revelation begin to unfold, the Lord's words, "Behold, I come quickly," will be a comfort and source of strength to believers during the Tribulation. By faith and knowledge of the Word, they will know that they have a deliverance coming. They will long for Him to come quickly, and these words of reassurance will help them overcome and endure to the end of the worst seven years ever. As for the Body of Christ, we are taught to be "Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ" (Titus 2:13). Every day is a day that the Lord might come to catch us, His Church, away to heaven. We are taught to be "looking" for our Savior at all times. Knowing that we might stand before Him today or any day is to move the Church to "live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world" (Titus 2:12). Is Christ coming quickly? Perhaps, and perhaps today! However, to use, "Behold, I come quickly," for the hope of the Rapture is incorrect. That is confusing the two future comings of Christ and what that phrase really means to whom it was written. "Behold, I come quickly" is said by the Lord and was recorded by John for the saints who will be alive during the Tribulation. That is most definitely not us. We, the Body of Christ, will have been "delivered...from the wrath to come" (1 Thes. 1:10). Praise the Lord! After Christ catches the Body of Christ up in the Rapture, the prophetic program will resume. God will pick up right where He left off in the timeline of prophecy. The next thing on that timeline is the 70th week of Daniel, the seven-year Tribulation period. It is at this point that all the events of the Book of Revelation will unfold exactly as they have been written. The people alive in that day will be able to use Revelation as a guidebook to help them navigate those horrendous days when God's wrath is poured out on this world. The hope for believers in that day is what Christ has told them in this Book: "Behold, I come quickly!" The ABC Of Salvation https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlBiNUEpBzU youtube.com Les Feldick Daily Les Feldick Ministries http://www.lesfeldick.org/ 30706 W. Lona Valley Rd. Kinta, OK 74552 Jesus is JEHOVAH The One True GOD (Click Here) Posted By Cecil and Connie Spivey E-mail this BIBLE STUDY to all your friends