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