THE MINISTRY OF CHRIST

[garywalker]

THE MINISTRY OF CHRIST [part 1]

Christ's Ministry To The Gentiles - Matthew 10:1-10

Over the years it has become extremely noticeable that there is a great lack of understanding as to what the ministry of Christ was all about. Much confusion exists today about why Christ performed miracles; why He confined His ministry to the nation of Israel or why He told His disciples, " GO NOT
INTO THE WAY OF THE GENTILES AND INTO ANY CITY OF THE SAMARITANS ENTER YE NOT: BUT GO RATHER TO THE LOST SHEEP OF THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL" (Matthew 10:5-6). The answer to these questions lies in our recognizing that God's prophetic program, which has to do with Israel and the Earth, is far different from His secret program, which has to do with the Gentiles and the
Heavens. When we begin to make these distinctions, keeping each portion of Scripture in its right dispensational setting, we will have a clearer understanding of THE MINISTRY OF CHRIST while He was here on earth.

In this study, I will attempt to show what Christ was doing during His earthly ministry and what He continued to do after His ascension into Heaven. Much misunderstanding has been generated within Christendom by not understanding what Christ's earthly ministry was for and why, after He had
called and commissioned twelve apostles, He calls Paul and commissioned him to be a special Apostle.

A question every Christian should ask himself, but one that only a few sincere believers ever seriously consider, is, Why Paul? The answer you give to this question will determine the direction you will take in your understanding of God's plan and program for this dispensation in which we
live today.

Let us look at the record of the Bible and see if we can find, from the Scriptures, the answer to our question, WHY PAUL?

Christ And The Law

To set the foundation for this study, let us recognize that Christ came in His incarnation to fulfill the words of the Prophets. Everything Christ did or taught was in fulfillment of prophecy. He came into this world as a man, born as a Jew. He lived during the Old Testament time and was observing the
Law of Moses during His entire life. We see this in Galatians 4:4-5 where we read, ; "BUT WHEN THE FULLNESS OF THE TIME WAS COME, GOD SENT FORTH HIS SON, MADE OF A WOMAN, MADE UNDER THE LAW, TO REDEEM THEM THAT WERE UNDER THE LAW, THAT WE (Paul was a Jew and here he is speaking of the Jewish nation) MIGHT RECEIVE THE ADOPTION OF SONS."

The Ministry Of Christ - Part One.

During the times of Christ's earthly ministry, the Gentiles had been "GIVEN UP" as we see in Romans 1:24, 26 & 28. During Christ's earthly ministry, the condition of the Gentiles was as described in Ephesians 2:11-12.";...IN TIMES PAST (ye) GENTILES ... WERE WITHOUT CHRIST, BEING ALIENS FROM THE COMMONWEALTH OF ISRAEL, AND STRANGERS FROM THE COVENANTS OF PROMISE, HAVING NO HOPE, AND WITHOUT GOD IN THE WORLD."

During Christ's earthly ministry, Israel was God's chosen people with a special place of priority. It was to Israel, ALONE, that the Law and the Promises of God had been given. It was to Israel, ALONE, that the promise of a REDEEMER was to come and it was Israel's privilege to be the channel
through whom God would bless the rest of the world, for no one could come to God during the Old Testament time, except he become a JEW RELIGIOUSLY. That is, he had to become a PROSELYTE to Judaism. God's plan called for Israel to FIRST be saved, then they were to be God's ministers to the rest of the world, inviting the Gentiles to share the blessings of the Kingdom when Christ returns to rule over Israel as the promised SEED of David (II Samuel 7:12­13, & 16).

To carry out His ministry with Israel and for the earth, Christ began by calling TWELVE MEN to be co-laborers with Him during his earthly sojourn. They were to represent Him and carry out His ministry after He had died and ascended into heaven. They were also to share the rule of the Kingdom with Him, for He promised they would sit on twelve thrones judging the twelve
tribes of Israel.

Matthew 19:28 says, "YE WHICH HAVE FOLLOWED ME, IN THE REGENERATION WHEN THE SON OF MAN SHALL SIT IN THE THRONE OF HIS GLORY, YE ALSO SHALL SIT UPON TWELVE THRONES, JUDGING THE TWELVE TRIBES OF ISRAEL."

The Call And Commission Of The Twelve Apostles

The call and commission of these twelve men is found in Matthew 10:1-8. These twelve men are named in verses two through four and the name of Paul is conspicuous by its absence. Paul was not one of the original twelve men chosen by our Lord at the beginning of His earthly ministry.

The commission and ministry of these twelve men is seen in Matthew 10:5-8, with some duties being mentioned in verse one.

a.There has been much confusion generated by the designation of these men as DISCIPLES in the early part of our Lord's ministry and later they are called APOSTLES. The answer to these two designations is simple when we understand the meaning of these two words.

A "Disciple" is a STUDENT, someone who is being taught. An "Apostle" is someone who is SENT (the word apostle means A SENT ONE). After the "Disciples" had been taught by our Lord and had received a good under- standing of God's program for Israel and the earth, they were SENT to minister to the nation of Israel and are then called "Apostles."

From the record of the commission of these Disciples, it is clear to whom they were to minister and to whom they were NOT to minister.

Matthew 10:5-6 is clear that they were NOT to go to the Gentiles, nor were they to go to any city of the Samaritans. It is just as clear that they are rather to go to none but the "LOST SHEEP OF THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL."

a. A "Gentile" is anyone who is not of the stock of Israel. A ".Samaritan" was part of the mixed race that came from the nation of Israel who inter-married with the non-Jews after the Assyrian captivity.

To expand upon the fact that Christ did not come to minister to all the world, but to confine His ministry to Israel ONLY, let us notice Christ's attitude toward a Gentile woman who came to Him seeking a blessing (the healing of her daughter). We find the record of this event in Matthew
15:21-28.

From this section of Scripture it is clear that this woman IS NOT an Israelite, but rather a woman of CANAAN (she was a Gentile), living along the coasts of Tyre and Sidon. This woman recognized that Christ was God and that He had the power to heal her daughter. She humbly comes to Jesus, asking Him to heal her daughter, but Christ ignores her. He will not even answer her a word.

Christ's disciples beseech Him to give her what she wanted just so she would go away and not bother them, but Christ makes it crystal clear to His disciples that The Father had not sent Him to any except the House of Israel. Yet, this woman was insistent that He heal her daughter. She worshipped Him, saying, "LORD, HELP ME." Here we see that she recognized Christ as GOD and
freely gave Him her worship. Still Christ would not heal her daughter, but told her that His blessings were ONLY for the children of Israel and were not to be wasted on " DOGS."

a. In Christ's day, to call anyone a "Dog" was to designate that one as un-clean, an object to be destined, for at that time dogs ran in semi-wild packs, scavenging on the refuge of the cities.

Even after this degrading reprimand by Christ, this woman was not deterred in her desire to have her daughter healed, but was willing to take her place as a "dog" in respect to the Children of Israel, accepting only the "CRUMBS" that fell from the table of God's blessings after the Children had been
filled.

Only after this woman took her place as a "dog" and acknowledged that only Israel was entitled to God's blessings (willing to only take the "crumbs" of what was left over after the privileged people had been filled), did Christ speak to her in a compassionate way, saying, "GREAT IS THY FAITH: BE IT UNTO THEE EVEN AS THOU WILT." As a result of this action by this Gentile woman (subjecting herself to Israel and exercising great faith in Christ, as GOD), her daughter was healed.

a. The ONLY way a Gentile could approach God under the Law was to recognize the privileged position of Israel and take his or her place as being lower than the "Children" of Israel. Only then could he or she receive any blessing from God.

From the record of Scripture, we find this Gentile woman was sincere and willing to humble herself to Christ, but this did not help, for Christ had a SINGLE purpose during His earthly ministry. He was to bring ISRAEL to repentance and salvation as a Nation, and prepare this nation for the Kingdom
promised to David. To accomplish this ministry with Israel, Christ presented Himself as their Messiah and their God. He also gave Israel a preview of what the kingdom would be like. In as much as there would be no sickness during the one thousand year reign of Christ, He healed many in Israel as a SIGN that He was their God and their promised King. Israel needed these SIGNS as
we see in First Corinthians 1:22 where we read, "FOR THE JEW REQUIRE A SIGN..." Israel should have recognized the signs for what they were and Christ for Who He said He was. Christ's ministry should have con-vinced Israel that truly the Kingdom was at hand and that their Messiah and King was in their midst.

Not only did Christ show Israel a preview of the Kingdom by His miracles but He also gave them the Constitution of the Kingdom in His sermon on the Mount. Christ wanted Israel to recognize that in their own strength they could not bring in the Kingdom, nor could they, in their own strength, live up to the expectations of the Kingdom. All this was to be the work of God as He promised in the New Covenant which is outlined in Ezekiel 36:26-27.

Ezekiel 36:26-27 tells us, "A NEW HEART ALSO WILL I GIVE YOU, AND A NEW SPIRIT WILL I PUT WITHIN YOU ... AND I WILL PUT MY SPIRIT IN YOU AND CAUSE YOU TO WALK IN MY STATUTES, AND YE SHALL KEEP MY JUDG-MENTS, AND DO THEM."

Once Israel was converted and in the proper place that God intended for them, THEN the Great Commission of Matthew 28:16-20 would be carried out. The Apostles would have gone to all the world preaching the "GOSPEL OF THE KINGDOM," inviting the Gentiles to join Israel in the blessings of the thousand year reign of Christ. It would be at this time that the Gentile woman would have freely received her request, for then, the Children would have been filled and the blessings of God could over-flow to the rest of the world.

That program was never carried out for Israel rejected the offer of the King and His Kingdom. Because of this, God set that program for Israel and the earth aside, TEMPORARILY, and ushered in a NEW program which had been - KEPT SECRET since the world began (Romans 16:25). It had been "HID IN GOD" (Ephesians 3:9) and never revealed to any man until AFTER Israel rejected the offer of the Kingdom. With a NEW PROGRAM, God also needed a NEW APOSTLE to carry this message to those to whom it was intended. This is where the APOSTLE PAUL comes into God's program.

When Israel refused to be the channel of blessings to the world, Christ revealed to Paul that His Kingdom program was being stopped, temporarily, while God completed His SECRET PROGRAM which has the HEAVENS in view instead of the Earth. After this heavenly program has been completed and the redeemed of this age have been caught up to receive their promised blessings in the
Heavenlies (First Thessalonians 4:13-18), God will return to His program for Israel and the Earth and start His clock of prophecy again. Then He will fulfill all the promises He has made to Israel and for the Earth.

In this NEW PROGRAM, anyone, regardless of his nationality, can receive forgiveness of sins and become a member of God's universal Church, simply by receiving, by FAITH, Jesus Christ as his personal Lord and Savior. Today, there are NO RELIGIOUS WORKS to be observed. Today, God only wants men to understand what His SECRET (His Mystery) program is and then to live according to His instructions for this dispensation. These instructions will be found ONLY in Paul's writings, for he ALONE is the APOSTLE TO THE GENTILES, as we see in Romans 11:13 where he says, "FOR I (Paul) SPEAK TO YOU GENTILES, IN AS MUCH AS I AM THE APOSTLE TO THE GENTILES, I MAGNIFY MINE
OFFICE."

Let us notice a few points that we, as Gentiles, have in this Dispensation of God's Grace, which neither the Gentiles nor Israel had under the Prophetic program. (Ephesians chapter three is a good place to start. Read Ephesians 3:1-9).

In this section of Ephesians, we find that the Gentiles and the Jews are equally made JOINT HEIRS; have been made members of a JOINT BODY and have become JOINT PARTAKERS of Christ's promises by the gospel. This "NEW MAN" is the "JOINT BODY" of Ephesians 3:6.

[garywalker]

THE MINISTRY OF CHRIST [part 2]

Proclaiming The Kingdom - Matthew 12:9-21

In our previous study, we saw that Christ was an OLD TESTAMENT personality. He was "MADE UNDER THE LAW" (Galatians4:4), and He lived under and kept the Law all His earthly life. We also saw that Christ came into this world as a man, born a Jew, to fulfill Prophesy. Everything Jesus Christ said or did during His earthly ministry was according to the words of the Prophets.

We find that Christ DID NOT come to SAVE THE WORLD, but rather to "REDEEM THEM THAT WERE UNDER THE LAW" (Galatians4:5). Because Christ's ministry was ONLY to those "UNDER THE LAW," He commanded His Disciples to "GO NOT IN THE WAY OF THE GENTILES, AND INTO ANY CITY OF THE SAMARITANS ENTER YE NOT: BUT GO RATHER TO THE LOST SHEEP OF THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL" (Matthew 10:5-6).

Christ's message to those "UNDER THE LAW" was not even a message of salvation, but rather a message that the "THE KINGDOM OF (or from) HEAVEN IS AT HAND" (Matthew 10:7). Nowhere do we find either Christ or His Disciples offering forgiveness of sins to anyone on the basis of their faith in the finished work of Christ on the Cross of Calvary. This offer could not have been made at that time because Christ had not as yet died to pay the sin debt that every man owes to God.

During Christ's earthly ministry, He was presenting Himself as Israel's King and instructing this nation concerning the specifics of the Kingdom He would establish for Israel. Christ's whole earthly ministry was one of presenting a preview of the Kingdom. He did this by demonstrating the blessings of the
Kingdom. Because there will be NO SICKNESS in the Kingdom, Christ healed many in Israel. Because there will be NO DEATH during the one thousand year reign of Christ, He raised the dead. Because there will be NO LACK OF MATERIAL NEEDS in the Kingdom, Christ fed the multitudes.Yet, NEVER ONCE did Christ offer this Kingdom to this nation during His earthly ministry. It was ONLY presented as being "AT HAND" (This phrase means that the Kingdom was right at their finger-tips; almost within their grasp).

There are TWO REASONS the Kingdom COULD NOT have been offered before the Crucifixion of Christ. Reason number one is that Christ could not offer the Kingdom to Israel because the Kingdoms of the earth were not His, they belonged to Satan because he is the "GOD OF THIS WORLD" (Second Corinthians 4:4) and the Kingdoms of this world were Satan's to do with as he pleases.

One of the goals Christ came to obtain was to get the Kingdoms of this world under His authority. Satan knew this and tempted Christ with these Kingdoms. In Matthew 4:8-9, we have the record of Satan's temptation of Christ. Satan offered to GIVE Christ the Kingdoms of this world if He would only bow down and worship him. Christ did not deny that Satan had these Kingdoms and that he had the authority to give them to whom-so-ever he pleased.

Christ knew that were He to take this easy way of getting the Kingdoms of the world for Himself, there would be no redemption for creation. Another purpose in Christ's coming to earth was to"SEEK AND SAVE THAT WHICH WAS LOST" (Luke 19:10). Not only was man lost when Adam sinned, but the whole creation fell with Adam and Christ came to redeem His creation. (Note Romans 8:21-23
concern-ing the travail of all creation until the resurrection). Christ rejected Satan's offer of the Kingdoms and chose to follow the path His Father had outlined for Him, which led to Calvary, for only in the Cross could there be redemption for His creation.

Reason number two is that Christ could not offer the Kingdom to Israel until He had first received it from His Father. We see the truth of this in the parable of the Ten Pounds, in Luke 19:11-27. Christ is the "NOBLEMAN" of this parable and we see from the twelfth verse that He had to go "INTO A FAR
COUNTRY TO RECEIVE FOR HIMSELF A KINGDOM, AND TO RETURN." To get to this "FAR COUNTRY," Christ had to travel through Satan's domain for this "FAR COUNTRY" is Heaven and as the "PRINCE OF THE POWER OF THE AIR" (Ephesians 2:2) Satan rules the Heavenlies, as we see in Ephesians 6:12. Just dying and being raised from the tomb was not sufficient to provide Redemption for the
creation. There was another part to the ministry of Christ. After His death, He had to ASCEND into Heaven to present Himself to the Father and as the High Priest after the order of Melchisedec, enter the Heavenly Temple to offer His Blood on the Altar for the redemption of creation. Had Satan been able to keep Christ from this ministry in the Heavenly Temple, there would have been no salvation for man and the Kingdoms of this world would remain in Satan's control. We learn of this Heavenly ministry of Christ in Hebrews 6:19­20; 9:11-12; and 9:24.

We also have another proof of Christ's need to go "INTO A FAR COUNTRY TO RECEIVE FOR HIMSELF A KINGDOM, AND TO RETURN" by the event recorded in John 20:17. Here we have Christ, after His Resurrection, speaking to Mary. He tells her, "TOUCH ME NOT; FOR I AM NOT YET ASCENDED TO MY FATHER." His ministry was not yet completed and He could not be defiled by sin in any form. Mary was still a sinner and could not touch Christ at that time. Yet, just a few days later we find Christ talking to Thomas (also a sinner) who had said he would not believe Christ was alive unless he touched the nail prints in His hands and thrust his hand into the wound in His side. Now that
Christ had ascended unto the Father and presented His blood on the altar in the Temple in Heaven; has received His Kingdom and has returned to earth, He says to Thomas, "REACH HITHER THY FINGER, AND BEHOLD MY HANDS: AND REACH HITHER THY HAND, AND THRUST IT INTO MYSIDE" (John 20:27).

We know that Christ DID receive His Kingdom from His Father, for after his resurrection, He spent forty days teaching His Apostles and instructing them to OFFER the Kingdom to the nation of Israel. This they did in their Pentecostal ministry. The first real OFFER of the Kingdom is found in Acts
3:19-21, where we read: "REPENT (change your mind about Christ) ... AND BE CONVERTED, THAT YOUR SINS MAY BE BLOTTED OUT, WHEN THE TIMES OF REFRESHING SHALL COME FROM THE PRESENCE OF THE LORD; AND HE (the Father) WILL SEND JESUS CHRIST, WHICH BEFORE WAS PREACHED UNTO YOU: WHOM THE HEAVENS MUST RECEIVE UNTIL THE TIMES OF RESTITUTION ... WHICH GOD HAS SPOKEN BY THE MOUTH OF ALL HIS HOLY PROPHETS, SINCE THE WORLD BEGAN."

Because of these TWO REASONS, Christ COULD NOT offer the Kingdom to Israel during His earthly ministry but could only present it as being "AT HAND."

The Turning Point In Christ's Ministry

We have been taught, or at least we have assumed, that Christ spent the entire three years of His earthly ministry going about the nation of Israel presenting Himself as King and offering acceptance into His Kingdom to anyone who would believe He was truly their King and their Messiah. THIS IS NOT TRUE. Christ had a very short PUBLIC ministry. The record is clear that shortly after He began His ministry to Israel, during His first year of this ministry, the leaders of this nation rejected Him and His message, even wanting to kill Him. We see this in Matthew 12:14.

This attitude and action of the Pharisees marks the TURNING POINT in Christ's earthly ministry. From this time on, Christ with draws Himself from a PUBLIC ministry and even forbids anyone to tell that He is the Christ (Matthew 12:6).

Even His Disciples are commanded that they are to "TELL NO MAN THAT HE WAS JESUS THE CHRIST" (Matthew 16:20).

a. You will find that, historically, between Matthew 12:14 and Acts chapter two, no pronouncement of the Kingdom is made; no offer of repentance nor of baptism was made, and no one was identified into the Kingdom program.

The ONLY ministry Christ had during His last TWO YEARS on earth was to instruct His Disciples, preparing them to be His witnesses after His Death, Resurrection, and Ascension into Heaven to await Israel's repentance and acceptance of Him and His Kingdom. We see this fact in Matthew 16:21.

You would think that with an Instructor like Christ teachings these men about God's Program for the Kingdom and about Himself as their Messiah, they would have a ready answer for any question or situation that would arise, but the record shows that after THREE YEARS of being with Christ and having Him tell them of what was in store concerning Himself, the Apostles did not understand any of these things. Luke 18:31-34 shows that Christ made it clear that He was to suffer and die, but on the third day He would be raised. Yet, notice verse 34,"THEY UNDERSTOOD NONE OF THESE THINGS."

You would think that even if they didn't understand what Christ was saying at that time, surely, AFTER these events had taken place they would have remembered what He had told them and would have then believed, but even after the women had seen the empty tomb and reported it to the Apostles, their attitude was still one of unbelief. "AND THESE WORDS SEEMED TO THEM AS IDLE
TALES, AND THEY BELIEVED THEM (the women) NOT" (Luke 24:11).

Conclusion

As we have seen once again, the PROPHETIC PROGRAM had the EARTH in view and the nation of Israel was the central object of God's dealings. As Gentiles, we would be excluded from God's blessings were that same program in effect today. Because Israel rejected the offer of the King and His Kingdom when it was offered to them in the early part of the Book of Acts, God stopped His clock of PROPHECY and inserted a parenthetical age which had been "KEPT SECRET SINCE THE WORD BEGAN" (Romans 16:25). After Israel had refused their promised Kingdom, God made known to the Apostle Paul His SECRET PROGRAM which had to do with the HEAVENLIES and the calling out of an assembly made up of both, JEWS and GENTILES on an equal basis.

The ONLY requirement for salvation today is to acknowledge that you are the sinner for whom Christ died and receive Him as your Lord and Savior. When we, by FAITH, accept Christ's death as payment for our sins, God will forgive us of our sins and make us JOINT-HEIRS with Christ (Romans 8:17). Our HOPE is in the HEAVEN-LIES, not on earth. The Christian today will spend eternity seated
with Christ as a TROPHY of God's Grace (Ephesians 2:6-7). As Gentiles, we should be exceeding grateful that God DID change His program for the earth and made known the dispensation of HIS GRACE.

[garywalker]

THE MINISTRY OF CHRIST [part 3]

Christ And Baptism----John 1:19-34

Whenever we read the Gospel record of our Lord's earthly ministry we are confronted with a number of activities involving Christ that are hard to understand and these have caused much confusion within the Christian community. One of these activities concerns the Baptism of Christ and the
place Baptism holds in God's prophetic program.

The subject of Baptism is introduced with the ministry of the last of the Old Testament Prophets - a man by the name of JOHN. John was sent by God to be a forerunner of Christ, calling the nation of Israel to "PREPARE YE THE WAY OF THE LORD, MAKE HIS PATHS STRAIGHT" (Mark 1:3). To prepare the way for the Lord, John called this nation to "REPENT" Repent means to change directions or to change the mind and Israel needed to change directions because she was going away from God do to their indifference and sin. Along with the call to "REPENT," John also offered them "BAPTISM." We read in Mark 1:4, "JOHN DID BAPTIZE IN THE WILDERNESS, AND PREACH THE BAPTISM OF REPENTANCE FOR THE REMISSION OF SINS."

Because of Israel's indifference and sin, they needed "REPENTANCE" and "THE REMISSION OF SINS," but WHY did our Lord come to John and submit to this "BAPTISM OF REPENTANCE FOR THE REMISSION OF SINS" (Mark 1:4)? To any thinking person, I'm sure this question has cone to their mind a number of times. Even John himself quest-ioned the need of Christ's being baptized with water, yet, we find the record of Christ's Baptism found in THREE of the four Gospels. One of these records is found in Matthew 3:13-15 where we read: "THEN COMETH JESUS ... UNTO JOHN, TO BE BAPTIZED OF HIM, BUT JOHN FORBADE HIM SAYING, I HAVE NEED TO BE BAPTIZED OF THEE ... AND JESUS ANSWERING SAID UNTO HIM, SUFFER (permit) IT TO BE SO NOW: FOR THUS IT BECOMETH US TO FULFILL ALL RIGHTEOUSNESS."


The Word "Baptism"

Before we attempt to deal with the SUBJECT of Baptism, let us first deal with the WORD "Baptism," for the use of this Greek word has been responsible for much of the confusion about this subject. Many Bible students and teachers have insisted that the water ceremony practiced by John is a "New Testament" ordinance which started with John and is for all believers today. They argue
that you will not find the word "Baptize" mentioned in all of the "Old Testament" Scriptures and it is not until the ministry of John that this word is ever

used. It is true, you will search in vain to find this word in any of the "Old Testament" Scriptures. It is also true that you will find this word first used in the ministry of John. Yet, this is not a valid argument that "Baptism"; is a "New Testament"; ordinance and is to be practiced by believers today.

Let us remember that the Gospel record IS NOT "New Testament" ground. We saw in our earlier studies that Christ was "MADE UNDER THE LAW" (Galatians 4:4) and that His ministry was "TO REDEEM THEM THAT WERE UNDER THE LAW" (Galatians 4:5). All of the history of the Gospels (up to the Cross of Christ) is OLD TESTAMENT ground. Both John and Christ were "Old Testament" personalities. We have already established that Christ came to fulfill prophesy. Everything
Christ DID or SAID was in fulfillment of prophecy. Since this be true, then John's activities and ministry must, of necessity, also be in fulfillment of prophesy, for John's ministry involved Christ.

Another point is that just because we don't find the WORD "Baptize" in the Old Testament Scriptures does not mean the SUBJECT is not there. Remember, for the most part, the Old Testament Scriptures were written in HEBREW while the New Testament Scriptures were written in GREEK. "Baptism" is a GREEK WORD and you would not expect to find a Greek word in the Hebrew text.

Concerning "Baptism" being a "New Testament" ordinance and that it is to be practiced by all believers today, it doesn't take much study to see that the "New Testament" was made NOT with the Gentiles, but with the "HOUSE OF ISRAEL AND THE HOUSE OF JUDAH" (Jeremiah 31:31) and that the "New Covenant" has not, to this day, been established. It will not be established until Christ
returns to set up His Kingdom over the nation of Israel.

One of the problems connected with the word BAPTISM is that our translators did not know what this Greek word meant, so they did not TRANSLATE it (use an English word in its place), but rather they TRANSLITERATED it - they placed this Greek word into the English text, using English letters for the Greek letters, rather than giving it an English meaning. By not giving this Greek word an English meaning, the translators have left the meaning to the discretion of the reader. For most readers, they give this word the meaning of "Immersion in Water." A far better meaning for Baptism would be the English word, IDENTIFICATION. (Read Romans 6:3-4 using "Identified" in place
of "Baptized" and see what a difference this makes.)

We made the statement that just because the WORD "Baptize" is not found in the Old Testament Scriptures does not meant he SUBJECT of Baptism is not found there. In the Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures, called the SEPTAGINT, the Hebrew word translated "WASH" in our English text is translated "BAPTIZE" in the G reek text. This translation (the Septuagint) was used by our Lord and thus He gives His approval to it's accuracy. From this we see that the many "WASHINGS" of the Old Testament were

"BAPTISMS"; We see further proof that the SUBJECT of John's Baptism WAS found in the Old Testament for the Priests and Levites who came to John DID NOT ask WHAT he was doing. Rather, they asked him, WHO ARE YOU to be offering this water ceremony to the nation of Israel? Note John 1:25, "THEY ASKED HIM ... WHY BAPTIZETH THOU ... IF THOU BE NOT THAT CHRIST, NOR ELIAS, NEITHER THAT PROPHET?"; These Priests and Levites KNEW EXACTLY what John was doing, for Israel had practiced this water ceremony since the days of Moses.

In Exodus 29:1-4, we have the ceremony Moses used to induct (identify) Aaron and his sons into their Priesthood. Part of that ceremony was a water washing. God told Moses, "AARON AND HIS SONS THOU SHALT BRING UNTO THE DOOR OF THE TABERNACLE OF THE CONGREGATION, AND SHALT WASH (This word "Wash" is translated "Baptize" in the Septuagint) THEM WITH WATER" (Exodus19:4).

In studying the different cleansing required by the Law of Moses, you will find that ONLY this induction into the priesthood was to be a public washing. All other washings were to be private and were for the cleansing of some personal sin.

In Exodus 19:5-6, God promised to make Israel a "PECULIAR TREASURE" and a "KINGDOM OF PRIESTS." Just as the tribe of Levi was to be a TRIBE OF PRIESTS, ministering to the rest of the tribes of Israel, so will the NATION OF ISRAEL be a nation of Priests ministering to the other nations of the earth during the millennium. Just as Levi's sons needed a water washing to induct them into their priesthood, so the average Israelite needed a water washing to induct him into his national priesthood.

This promise of national priesthood for Israel would come when they entered into their promised Kingdom, under the rule and reign of their Messiah - the promised seed who would sit on David's throne, ruling till the end of time.

Why Did John Offer A Public Baptism?

All during the history of Israel, from Moses till Christ, no one except a Levite who was entering the priesthood ever received this public washing with water and only by a Priest. But when Christ was ready to enter His earthly ministry, He began to proclaim the Kingdom was "AT HAND." With the Kingdom would come Israel's priesthood. This was what John was offering to this nation. The Priests and Levites who came to John's Baptism KNEW full well that John was offering PRIEST-HOOD to the nation of Israel. They only questioned him by what authority he was doing this (since he was not a
priest) if he was not the Christ, nor Elias nor "THAT PROPHET."

As we saw in our last study, Christ only (publicly) proclaimed the Kingdom as being "AT HAND" for a short time before the Pharisees took council against him, how they might destroy him (Matthew 12:14). It was at this time that Christ withdrew from a "public"

ministry and confined His teaching to the Twelve Disciples (Matthew 16:20). Historically, from Matthew 12:14 to Acts chapter two, there is NO OFFER of the approaching Kingdom and NO offer of Baptism. Baptism was ONLY OFFERED in connection with the millennial Kingdom being in view.

Why Did John Offer A Public Baptism?

When we ask the question, "Why was Christ Baptized?," we must first consider the question, "What was Christ's purpose in becoming a man?" We know Christ came to be IDENTIFIED with His creation and to redeem them that were under the Law. We know that Christ was God in the flesh and that He had no sin of His own, nor had He ever left the program of God, for which He needed to
"REPENT." When Christ came to John and submitted to his Baptism, He was being IDENTIFIED with the people of Israel. He was taking His place as one of them in as much as He was taking THEIR SIN upon Himself. We saw in Matthew 3:15 that Christ was Baptized "TO FULFILL ALL RIGHTEOUSNESS." Every Israelite who had any sin in his life was required by God to "REPENT" and be Baptized for the remission of his sins. Thus, Christ was fulfilling all righteousness, AS AN ISRAELITE, by being Baptized by John ... not for His own sin, but for the sins of Israel that He had taken upon Himself. His Baptism was for induction into the Priesthood for Israel just as His death on the Cross was to pay the sin debt for Israel. Any Israelite who would believe on Christ, His Baptism, as well as His death, became theirs.

We hear much today about FOLLOWING CHRIST IN BAPTISM. No where will you find any such command in the Scriptures and furthermore, no one could be Baptized for the same reason Christ was baptized. We could never be baptized for another, as Christ was, for every man is a sinner and needs righteousness imputed unto him.

If the above requirement was true (that we should follow Christ in baptism), WHICH baptism should we choose to follow, for Christ was baptized TWICE? At the very beginning of Christ's earthly ministry, He was baptized with water by John. Some three years later, at the very end of His earthly ministry, Christ was baptized again, but this time it was not with water. Notice Luke 12:50, "BUT I HAVE A BAPTISM TO BE BAPTIZED WITH; AND HOW AM I STRAITENED TILL IT BE ACCOMPLISHED?"

This baptism was Christ's DEATH BAPTISM which He received at Calvary. (Notice again that if we used the English word, IDENTIFICATION, for the Greek word "Baptism,"; we will get a clearer picture of what the Scriptures are speaking about.) Just as no one could follow Christ in His WATER baptism, so it is true that no one could follow Christ in His DEATH baptism.

What About Baptism Today?

With water baptism being Israel's induction in to their national priesthood; with this offer of water baptism being made ONLY in connection with an offer of the Kingdom; and seeing that Israel's Kingdom and their Priesthood have been postponed until this Dispensation of God's Grace has been completed, what place, if any, does water baptism have today for members of the Body of Christ who have a HEAVENLY HOPE and a HEAVENLY CALLING?

The answer to this question is found in First Corinthians 1:17 where Paul, the Apostle to the Gentiles (Romans 11:13), addresses this subject. In this seventeenth verse, Paul says, "FOR CHRIST SENT ME NOT TO BAPTIZE (with water), BUT TO PREACH THE GOSPEL (of the Grace of God)."; We will not find any Scripture instructing us (who live in this present dispensation of God's Grace) to follow Christ as our example, but we will find a number of Scriptures (inspired by the Holy Spirit) that instructs us to "FOLLOW PAUL"; (First Corinthians 11:1; First Corinthians 4:16 & First Timothy 1:16). If water Baptism was part of God's program for today, Paul would have been less than faithful when he thanks God that he DID NOT BAPTIZE but a few believers in Corinth (First Corinthians 1:14).

Water Baptism IS NOT to be practiced today in this dispensation of God's Grace. Water Baptism is the induction ceremony for the Priesthood and the believer today does not have a "Priesthood ". The believer today is a member of the Body of Christ, the High Priest after the order of Melchisedec.

Paul is very clear in Ephesians 4:4-6 that there is ONLY ONE BAPTISM required for the members of the Body of Christ, God's Church of this dispensation. That One Baptism is found in First Corinthians 12:13 which tells us, "FOR BY ONE SPIRIT ARE WE ALL BAPTIZED INTO ONE BODY..."; Today, it is the HOLY SPIRIT who IDENTIFIES the believer into the Body of Christ and it is this IDENTIFICATION that saves us and makes us members of God's family.

[garywalker]

THE MINISTRY OF CHRIST [part 4]

Christ And The Parables - Matthew 13:1-17

As we continue to look at the ministry of Christ, we find many actions and sayings that are hard to understand at first glance. We have generally been taught that Christ came to bring PEACE and SALVATION to the world. This is based on the announcement of the angels who spoke to the shepherds on the night Christ was born (Luke 2:14).

As we have seen in our earlier studies of this series, Christ DID NOT come to proclaim Salvation to the world. He limited His ministry to the nation of Israel and His message was that the Kingdom (from heaven) was "AT HAND.

As we look at the conditions here on earth, we find anything but peace. Did the angels mean that because Christ was born there would be peace on the earth? Did they mean that when Christ began His earthly ministry He would pronounce the end of strife and war? If they did, we have a problem with the statement of our Lord in Matthew 10:34-35, for near the beginning of Christ's earthly ministry He said: "THINK NOT THAT I AM COME TO SEND PEACE ON EARTH; I CAME NOT TO SEND PEACE, BUT A SWORD. FOR I AM COME TO SET A MAN AT VARIANCE AGAINST HIS FATHER, AND THE DAUGHTER AGAINST HER MOTHER, AND THE DAUGHTER-IN-LAW AGAINST HER MOTHER-IN-LAW.";

What was Christ talking about in this passage and HOW was He going to accomplish this division between members of families? Also, WHY would He want to DIVIDE the nation of Israel?

To answer these questions we will have to reconsider what we have been taught or what we have conceived in our own minds about Christ's earthly ministry. Christ, according to His statement in Matthew 10:34-35, DID NOT come to fulfill the promise of the angels who spoke of peace on earth. (The "PEACE" the angels spoke of will not come until the PRINCE OF PEACE sets up His Kingdom and rules this earth with a hand of iron).

The way Christ was going to bring about this division within the nation of Israel was to present Himself as Israel's MESSIAH and as Israel's KING. Israel was going to. be given a test. Every man and every woman would have to make a choice. They would either RECEIVE Jesus for who He said He was or they would have to REJECT Him as their MESSIAH and their KING. There would be no
middle ground and which ever choice an individual made, it would surely divide him from those who took the other view.

When our Lord called His twelve Disciples, they responded by following Him whole-heartedly. When He called the leaders of Israel to repent (to change the direction they were going and the direction they were leading the nation) their response was to hold a council against Him, how they might destroy Him (Matthew 12:14). Thus, the battle lines are drawn and the nation is DIVIDED between those who believed Christ was their promised King and those who believed Christ was an impostor.

In Matthew 13:3, after the Pharisees had taken council as to how they might destroy Him, and after Christ had commanded the multitudes NOT to tell anyone that He was the Christ, we find that Christ speaks to the multitudes "IN PARABLES."

When His Disciples came to Him and asked WHY He spoke to them in parables (Matthew 13:10), Christ gives them a very strange answer. He said, "BECAUSE IT IS GIVEN UNTO YOU (the Disciples) TO KNOW THE MYSTERIES (Secrets) OF THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN, BUT UNTO THEM (the multitudes) IT IS NOT GIVEN" (Matthew 13:11). This statement makes one wonder about Christ's ministry to this nation. Why would Christ not want the unbelieving masses to know the secrets of the Kingdom? Let us remember that the events of chapter thirteen of the book of Matthew took place after the Pharisees took council to kill Christ and now Christ was beginning to turn away from the public and to confine His teaching to His Disciples. It was about this same time that Christ commanded His Disciples, "TELL NO MAN THAT HE WAS JESUS THE CHRIST" (Matthew 16:20). It
was during this turning from the public that Christ begins to teach in parables in order that the masses may not understand the things being taught but His Disciples would be taught the truths of the coming Kingdom.

Before we get into the reason for Christ teaching in parables and how they were to be used to bring this division within the nation, let us first consider what a PARABLE is and what Christ was doing when He spoke in Parables. The word " PARABLE" comes from two Greek words. One, PARA, means
ALONG SIDE OF, while the other word, BALLO, means TO THROW or TO LAY. Thus, the word PARABLE means the placing of one thing beside another with the view of comparison. A PARABLE is usually an utterance or narrative drawn from nature or human circum-stances, the object of which is to set forth a Spiritual truth.

Why Did Christ Use Parables?

There are two reasons for Christ using Parables at this time. One was to hide the truth concerning the secrets of the Kingdom from the unbelieving masses, as we saw in Matthew 13:11. The second reason for Christ using Parables is to put this nation to a test (especially the leaders of this nation). This test was to prove the failure of Israel's leaders to receive Christ as their Messiah and their King, even though their Prophets had foretold His coming and He Himself had proven that He was their Messiah by His words and His miracles. Also, there are two Scriptures that are being fulfilled by Christ using Parables to test the nation. In Luke 1:34, Simeon said, "THIS CHILD IS SET FOR THE FALL AND RISING AGAIN OF MANY IN ISRAEL; AND FOR A SIGN WHICH SHALL BE SPOKEN AGAINST" While Matthew 10:34 tells us, "THINK NOT THAT I AM COME TO SEND PEACE ON EARTH, I CAME NOT TO SEND PEACE, BUT A SWORD."

You will notice that in every parable, Christ is teaching some aspect of the coming Kingdom. He is either speaking of the Messiah being rejected as King, Messiah being absent from the Kingdom or Messiah returning to reign in the Kingdom.

All the parables follow the pattern established by the first parable our Lord spoke. This parable is recorded in Matthew 7:24-29 and speaks of TWO KINDS OF MEN. These men are pictures of the people within the nation of Israel. Those who will re-ceive Christ as their promised Messiah are identified with the "WISE MAN" while those who reject Christ's claim are identified with the
"FOOLISH MAN." Here is the DIVISION that Christ spoke of and the TEST for the nation is to make a choice concerning Christ. Those who are "WISE"; will build their lives on the foundation of Christ's claim, for He is THE ROCK (First Corinthians 10:4). Only a few individuals in this nation were "WISE."
The masses in Israel were identified with the "FOOLISH MAN" for they chose to reject THE ROCK and build their lives upon the "SAND" of their own understanding and their own works. When the "STORM" of God's wrath comes, those who have built their lives upon the foundation of "SAND" will suffer great loss, while those who have built upon THE ROCK will stand and find their blessings in the Kingdom.

Most of the parables present TWO PERSONS or TWO THINGS in contrast with each other. In every parable, these TWO PERSONS or TWO OBJECTS will represent the TWO DIVISIONS within Israel - THE WISE and THE FOOLISH.

What Did The Parables Teach?

In His use of parables, Christ was teaching some aspects of the coming Kingdom. He started His ministry proclaiming the Kingdom as being "AT HAND." Now, in the parables, Christ is teaching His Disciples some of the specifics of that coming Kingdom. How the King would be REJECTED; how the King must be ABSENT from the Kingdom for a while; and finally, how the King would RETURN and set up His kingdom. Also, Christ used the parables to teach the VALUE of the Kingdom, the SCOPE of the Kingdom, and the RESPONSIBILITY of the Leaders of Israel toward the Kingdom.

An example of the VALUE of the Kingdom is seen in the Parable of the Pearl, in Matthew 13:45. The "PEARL"; is Israel. The "MERCHANT" is Christ. Christ wanted Israel so He sold all that He had (He gave His life) and bought Israel. What is the VALUE of the Kingdom in which Israel will be exalted to
be head over the nations of the earth? It cost Christ His life.

An example of the SCOPE of the Kingdom is seen in the Parable of the Mustard Seed, in Matthew 13:31-32. Here the Mustard seed speaks of Israel, the smallest of the nations, yet in the Kingdom Israel will be expanded to be a great nation and all the inhabitants of the earth will be blessed in the strength of Israel.

The RESPONSIBILITIES of the Kingdom is seen in the Parable of the Ten Pounds (Luke19:11-27). Christ is the "NOBLEMAN" who "WENT INTO A FAR COUNTRY TO RECEIVE FOR HIMSELF A KINGDOM, AND TO RETURN" (verse 12). He left His servants to "OCCUPY" till He returned (verse 13). The "CITIZENS" are the Leaders of Israel and they send a "MESSENGER" after Him to tell Him He was
not welcome to return. This "MESSENGER" was Stephen, who was killed in Acts 7:54-60. When Christ returns, He will call these "SERVANTS" to give an account of how they used that which was placed into their hands. Notice the judgment upon the ones who hated Him (verse 27).

In the parable of Matthew 21:33-40, when Christ was talking to the Chief Priest and Pharisees, He speaks of some wicked servants who were left in charge of a vineyard while its owner went into a far country. When the owner sent other servants to re-ceive the fruit of the vineyard, the husbandmen in charge killed them. Finally the Son of the owner is sent, but He, too, is killed by these wicked servants. Then Christ asks these Priests and Pharisees, "WHEN THE LORD THEREFORE OF THE VINEYARD COMETH, WHAT WILL HE DO UNTO THOSE HUSBANDMEN?" (Matthew 21:40). The Chief Priest and Pharisees knew Christ was charging them with the crimes of this parable, for notice their reaction in Verses 45 and 46.

Conclusion
Today, we are NOT living under that Prophetic program, but we ARE living during the time the King is absent from His Kingdom. The King has not as yet returned to Israel to set up His Kingdom, but someday He will return. In the meantime, Christ is offering FORGIVENESS and SALVATION to anyone who will believe that He is God and the One Who died as a substitute offering for their sin. Will we accept the record of God's Word concerning Christ or will we reject that record and suffer loss as did the "Foolish Man"; of the Parable? What will you do with Christ?

[garywalker]

THE MINISTRY OF CHRIST [part 5]

Christ And Miracles - John 5:1-18

In every area of Christ's ministry here on earth, we will find Him teaching something of Himself or of the Kingdom that was promised to the nation of Israel. Everything Christ said or did was in fulfillment of the words of the Prophets. Because Israel required a "SIGN" (First Corinthians 1:22), Christ chose to teach about Himself and the coming Kingdom by using object lessons in the form of miracles which this nation should have understood.

There has been much speculation about why our Lord used miracles during His earth ministry. Some Christian leaders believe that miracles and healings are God's way of blessing His redeemed for their faithfulness. Other Christian leaders believe God will reward the Spiritually mature Saints today with the gift of super-human power so as to heal and these "gifts" should be sought after as the goal for the Christian life. You will never find these miracles and healings presented as the purpose for Christ's coming and never are these offered as rewards for Spiritual growth. Rather, you will always
find that healings and miracles were to be for SIGNS to Israel and they were used by Christ to teach Spiritual lessons. These miracles were used by Christ as a preview of what life would be like during the one thousand years of the Kingdom here on earth.

You will notice as you study the Gospel record, that Christ did not come to heal every sick person in Israel. If He had, His ministry was incomplete for there were many in Israel who were not healed. You will also note that it was only when Christ wanted to teach a particular lesson that He worked a miracle or healed someone. Let us consider some of the miracles in Christ's ministry and see if we can find the lesson to be learned by that miracle. We will not be able, in this one study, to look at all of the miracles Christ did, but in the Gospel of John we have SEVEN MIRACLES recorded which give an over-all view o of Christ's teaching by the use of miracles.

The Miracles In John's Gospel

As we look at the miracles performed by Christ, you will find that everyone who was healed was a JEW. You will also note that every miracle took place in a JEWISH SETTING. You will also find that in every miracle Christ was wanting the Jews to understand that He was GOD IN THE FLESH and that He had come to provide for them the Spiritual requirements they needed to be acceptable before God, but could not acquire by their own efforts.

You will find that the miracles in John's Gospel begin at a WEDDING and end at a GRAVE. This speaks of Israel being married to Jehovah which should have produced joy and blessings for Israel, but because of Israel's failure to be the faithful wife, she ended up being dead in trespasses and sins. Christ came to restore Israel to her place as the WIFE of Jehovah so she could be blessed and exalted in the Kingdom.

With the use of miracles, Christ was first of all proving that He was God, for only God could do the things He was doing. Even when the Jews recognized that only God could heal the sick, cleanse the leper and raise the dead, they would not give Christ the glory He demanded, but looked upon Him as a Prophet, JUST A MAN, unto whom God had given this power. Notice their attitude in Matthew 9:8, after Christ had just healed a man sick with the palsy: "BUT WHEN THE MULTITUDES SAW IT, THEY
MARVELED, AND GLORIFIED GOD, WHICH HAD -GIVEN SUCH POWER UNTO MEN."

It was this attitude that Christ was addressing when He used the miracles to meet the needs of individual Jews. Christ wanted these Jews to acknowledge that He was more than just a man. He wanted them to know that He was truly God manifest in flesh. Christ also wanted the Jews to recognize their true Spiritual condition and realize that they were helpless in their own strength
to correct that condition. He wanted them to realize that He had come to do for them what they could not do for themselves.

The Lessons Of The Miracles

The miracles of Christ are very much like the parables in that they seem only to have a surface meaning, but in reality there is a Spiritual truth being presented both by the subject involved and the action of the miracle. Let us look at one of the miracles recorded in the Gospel of John, examining it indepth to see if we can learn the lesson being taught by Christ.

THE MIRACLE:

In John 5:1-9, we have the record of Christ healing the impotent man at the pool of Bethesda. From time to time, an angel would come to the pool of Bethesda to stir the waters. At that time, the first person to step into the pool would be healed of whatever ailment was afflicting him. Many sick and
infirmed in Israel would come to be healed at these special times. On one occasion, Christ came to the pool of Bethesda when the angel was expected. Upon seeing a man who had been lame 38 years, Christ asked him if he wanted to be healed. This impotent man answered that he wanted very much to be healed, but because of his infirmity, and because he had no one to help him, someone else always entered the pool before him. Christ then heals this man and immediately he takes up his bed and walks. This miracle was performed on the Sabbath day.

THE LESSON:

From the record, this miracle took place on "A FEAST OF THE JEWS" (John 5:1). This was one of the feasts ordained by the Law of Moses, but because Israel had misused these feasts, they were, at Christ's time, known as "FEASTS OF THE JEWS." Not only was this miracle performed on a Jewish feast day, it was performed at the POOL OF BET- HESDA (the House of Mercy) which was at Jerusalem. The individual who was healed was a JEW. Thus, in all of this we see the miracle has a JEWISH SETTING.

The healing and strength was to come to the sick individual through the activity of an Angel stirring the water, but that healing could only be had by the strength of the individual getting into the pool first. The subject of this miracle had no strength in himself to receive the healing and blessing
offered by the Angel and he had no man to help him. His conditioned continued this way 38 years.

This was a true picture of Israel as a nation and of each individual Jew. God had given Israel the Law of Moses, which was ordained in the hand of Angels (Galatians 3:19) and would have given strength and blessing to this nation had they had the strength in the flesh to keep the Law. Israel failed to receive the blessings of the Law because of the weakness of the flesh. Notice this in Romans 8:3, "WHAT THE LAW COULD NOT DO, IN THAT 1T WAS WEAK THROUGH THE FLESH, GOD SENDING HIS OWN SON IN THE LIKENESS OF SINFUL FLESH, AND FOR SIN, CONDEMNED SIN IN THE FLESH.

Man is without strength (Romans 5:6), so what the Law could not do for man because of his weakness, Christ came to accomplish in his stead. For this weak and helpless man at the pool of Bethesda, Christ gave strength and healing which was demonstrated by this man taking up his bed and walking.

To see that Christ only healed as a teaching ministry, consider the fact that there were many sick and infirmed people at the pool of Bethesda on the day Christ healed this impotent man, but he was THE ONLY ONE HEALED by Christ. It is significant to note that the man chosen by Christ to be healed had been in his infirmed condition for 38 years. This is the same number of years Israel was shut up in the wilderness because of her sin. Even though Israel had the Law of Moses, she was unable in her own strength to change her helpless condition of bondage. It was only by God's intervention that Israel was delivered out of that wilderness bondage and taken into her promised
land. It will only be God's intervention, as with the impotent man at Bethesda, that Israel as a nation, or any individual, will be delivered from their bondage and helplessness due to sin.

The fact that this miracle took place on the Sabbath day is significant in that the Sabbath was a day of REST for Israel. This nation will truly experience her complete rest in the Kingdom. What this impotent man experienced on this Sabbath day is what Israel will experience when she enters her true Sabbath in the Kingdom. Like this man, Israel will be healed and strengthened so she can enjoy the fullness of Life during the Kingdom when Israel will be the head of all nations.

Israel should have recognized this miracle as an object lesson, for Israel was lame and helpless just as this man at Bethesda was. Israel should have recognized, as did this impotent man, that she needed someone to help her in her weakness, for she could not gain for herself the blessings offered
in the Law. Israel should have recognized from this miracle that Christ was God in the flesh and that He had come to do for them what they could not do for themselves.

A Look At Other Miracles In John's Gospel

In John 9:1-7, Christ heals a BLIND Jew. In this miracle, Christ sends this blind man to the pool of Siloam to wash the clay from his eyes. John 9:7 says, "HE WENT HIS WAY THEREFORE, AND WASHED, AND CAME SEEING." This miracle was also performed on the Sabbath day (Verse 14).

In this miracle we have a picture of Israel being BLIND. In John 3:3, Christ told Nicodemus, "EXCEPT A MAN BE BORN AGAIN, HE CANNOT SEE THE KINGDOM OF GOD." In John 9:39, Jesus said, "I AM COME INTO THIS WORLD, THAT THEY WHICH SEE NOT MIGHT SEE."

In this miracle of the blind man being healed, there was only one way this blind man could receive his sight. He had to go to the pool of SILOAM and wash. Christ could have healed this man on the spot, but there is a lesson Christ wanted Israel to learn by this man washing in the pool of Siloam. Siloam means SENT. The picture is that this blind nation was to go to THE SENT ONE, who is Christ, and wash in His Blood. Only then would they be able to SEE, Spiritually. Thus healing was done on the Sabbath day, which again speaks of Israel's Day of Rest, when, in the Kingdom, Israel will have
her Spiritual blindness taken away and she will receive Spiritual SIGHT to enable her to walk in God's righteousness.

In John 11:38-44 we have Christ raising Lazarus from the dead. In John 5:25, Christ said, "THE HOUR IS COMING, AND NOW IS, WHEN THE DEAD SHALL HEAR THE VOICE OF THE SON OF GOD: AND THEY THAT HEAR SHALL LIVE." Christ was telling Israel that the sinner in this nation was a DEAD MAN and He needed to be made alive. Christ also gives Israel the answer to that need, for in John 11:25 He says, "I AM THE RESURRECTION AND THE LIFE; HE THAT BELIEVETH IN ME, THOUGH HE
WERE DEAD, YET SHALL HE LIVE." Christ then illustrates this truth by raising Lazarus, A DEAD MAN, from the tomb.

Israel should have seen the pictures being portrayed in these miracles, but their hardened heart prevented them from seeing these Spiritual truths. Israel would not respond to these object lessons and continued in her blindness, being without strength, and dead in her trespasses and sins. Israel would not receive the help Christ had come to give to her. Instead, Israel found fault with Christ for Healing on the Sabbath day (John 5:16 & John 9:16), showing that they were more interested in keeping the Law than in being submissive to the Word of God. They were trusting in their RELIGIOUS
WORKS and did not re- cognize that they were sinners who needed to be BORN AGAIN .

Conclusion

From this look at Christ's Ministry of Miracles, I trust we can see that these miracles were used by Christ to teach Israel Spiritual lessons about themselves and the blessings awaiting this nation in the Kingdom. Recognizing that miracles were for Israel, we should not be looking for miracles or
healings in this age of God's grace when Israel's program has been set aside. Just as the masses in Israel were not healed during Christ's earthly ministry, so we today should not be looking for physical healings just because we are believers. Nowhere in Scripture will you find that Salvation
promised perfect physical health to the believer.

Just because these miracles were teaching lessons for Israel, this does not mean that we can not learn Spiritual truths from them. It is true in every age that men are WITHOUT STRENGTH to save themselves. It is true that all men are Spiritually BLIND and are DEAD in trespasses and sins and need to be BORN AGAIN and given NEW LIFE. It is also true today that ONLY CHRIST can meet the Spiritual needs of men. Let us learn a lesson from Israel and not be trying to earn. God's approval through our religious works and efforts in the flesh. Christ has paid the full price for our sin, let us just TRUST HIM and receive the Salvation He has provided for mankind.

[garywalker]

THE MINISTRY OF CHRIST [part 6]

The Sermon on the Mount --Matthew 5:1-16)

This morning, in our series on the Ministry of Christ, we want, to consider a well known event in our Lord's ministry, THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. As we look at this sermon on the mount, let us note TO WHOM our Lord was speaking; WHAT our Lord was teaching and HOW we today should relate to this sermon.

We will find this Sermon on the Mount recorded in Matthew chapters Five through Seven. You will also note that Luke 6:12-49 covers much of the same teaching, but these are TWO DIFFERENT SERMONS, spoken to TWO DIFFERENT GROUPS at TWO DIFFERENT TIMES. In our Matthew passage, we find our Lord "IN THE MOUNT" speaking to His DISCIPLES (Matthew 5:1). In the Luke passage, you will find our Lord speaking to "THE MULTITUDES," AFTER He comes down from the Mount, for He is now "IN THE PLAIN" (Luke 6:17). It is quite reasonable that our Lord repeated this teaching to the multitudes after He had given these truths to His Disciples.

In the Matthew account, Christ speaks of the MORAL CHARACTERISTICS of the Kingdom and emphasis is laid on the necessity of a NEW BIRTH, hence the points about sin in the heart. In Luke, outward actions are reviewed and the distinction between STANDING and STATE is made clear to the multitudes who had come for physical healing.

What we find in this Sermon on the Mount is in reality the CONSTITUTION of the Kingdom. In this sermon, we see the qualifications and the activities required of those who will enter the Kingdom. Christ shows the SPIRITUAL INTERPRETATION of the Law in contrast to man's view, which is the LETTER of the Law. Many of these requirements are beyond the abilities of the fallen children of Adam. Only those who have been empowered by the Holy Spirit can fulfill these requirements for these actions are only possible through the NEW NATURE (note Ezekiel 36:27).

The Beatitudes

The Beatitudes are NOT steps a fallen man can take to gain acceptance into the Kingdom. Rather, these Beatitudes are the MORAL CHARACTERISTICS God demands in the lives of those entering the Kingdom.

Let us look at a few of these Beatitudes to see what Christ was telling His Disciples.

In Matthew 5:3, Christ is saying, "HAPPY ARE THEY WHO ARE CONSCIOUS OF THEIR MORAL POVERTY, FOR THEIRS IS THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN." It is ONLY those who realize that they have NO RIGHTEOUSNESS in themselves who are allowed in the Kingdom. Those who are conscious of their moral poverty will REPENT and Christ will give them HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS.

Christ, says, in Matthew 5:4, "HAPPY ARE THEY THAT MOURN, FOR THEY SHALL BE COMFORTED." Here Christ is NOT speaking of mourning for the loss of personal property or loved ones, but of those who are GRIEVED because of personal sinfulness. It is these who are grieved who will REPENT. Then Christ will SAVE them and they will be comforted.

Matthew 5:8 speaks of those who are "PURE IN HEART." This is a condition that NO natural man can achieve by his own efforts. This "PURE IN HEART" means those who are purified in heart, that is, those who have received a new moral nature in regeneration. Only these will see God in the Kingdom.

The Spirituality Of The Law

The Scribes and the Pharisees of Christ's day were proud of their Law-keeping and felt their perfection in the Law made them righteous before God. Yet, in speaking to His Disciples, Christ makes it clear that unless their righteousness exceeded that of these religious leaders (Matthew 5:20) they could not enter the Kingdom. Christ's point was that this self-righteousness of these Law-keepers WAS NOT the qualification for entrance into the Kingdom, but the very righteousness of God was what was needed. They could only come into the Kingdom as they recognized their own
Spiritual Poverty and REPENTED so that God could give then HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS.

To the Law-keeper, the commandment about Murder was clear - don't plot to take another man's life. Christ shows the deeper inter intent of the Law, for He says, `WHO SO EVER IS ANGRY WITH HIS BROTHER WITHOUT A CAUSE IS GUILTY OF MURDER IN HIS HEART" (Matthew 5:22).

The same Spiritual Truth is brought out concerning ADULTERY. The Law keeper only saw the physical act as being condemned, but Christ goes to the HEART of man-looking at the DESIRES. Remember, man looks upon the outward activities of other men, but God looks upon the HEART. Here, again, we see that the need of man is a NEW NATURE and this only comes with REGENERATION.

When Christ speaks of plucking out and casting away any physical member of the body that offends, He is only speaking in FIGURATIVE TERMS. Never did Christ mean that a person was to mutilate his body. Here we have the SPIRITUAL INTERPRETATION of the responsibility of being single minded toward gaining the Kingdom. The point Christ was making was that they were not to allow anything, regardless of how valuable, to cause them to loose out on entering the Kingdom. What ever it was that would cause them to offend and not enter the Kingdom, it would be far better to get rid of it so that end result would be the blessedness of the Kingdom.

Alms----giving

In Matthew chapter six, Christ speaks of Alms-giving and Prayer. The giving of gifts to God's work was to be done for GOD'S GLORY, not to gain respect or praise from men. What is given was to be done without fan-fare or attention-getting, if there was to be any reward from God. The man who made a show of his alms-giving to receive praise from men, that would be all the reward he would get. The man who made no show of his giving, but who gave it for God's Glory, he would be rewarded openly by the Father in the Kingdom.

The Disciples Prayer

On the subject of prayer, Christ points out how the Scribes and the Pharisees like to make a show of their praying to call attention to their piety. The heathen, on the other hand, would recite players over and over, thinking God would be pleased by hearing the same prayers hundreds of times. To His Disciples, Christ tells them not to "USE VAIN REPETITIONS" (Matthew 6:7) but to be intelligent when they bring their petitions to the Father. Then Christ gave the Disciples a model prayer which is not only an outline of the perfect way to approach the Father, but it is the very substance of what the Disciples will be praying just before the Kingdom is set up.

This prayer is perfect in that it carne from Christ Himself . It addresses a petition to the Father and shows the respect which should be given to the Father. The request of the prayer is for the KINGDOM to come (Matthew 6:10). There is an urgency in this prayer because Israel will be (in
that future day) in a time of great trouble when Satan will have full sway here on the earth and will be doing everything in his power to destroy the Jews and the testimony of God. .This prayer has its Dispensational setting in the TRIBULATION PERIOD which will come just prior to the return of Christ to set up His Kingdom.

During the time Christ is absent from the nation of Israel, awaiting Israel's invitation for Him to return and establish His Kingdom, Satan will have his political leader (the Anti-Christ) and his religious leader (the False Prophet) controlling the earth. Israel will be experiencing the 70th
week of Daniel's prophecy - the time of JACOB'S TROUBLE (Jeremiah 30:7). All the world will be submissive to Satan except Israel. Satan directs his efforts to crush and destroy the Jews. One way Satan will try to kill the Jews is to demand everyone to identify themselves with his program by taking his mark upon their foreheads or their hands. Only those with this mark will be able to purchase goods or sell anything (even their labor). Those people who are opposed to Satan would
starve were it not for God's intervention and provision. Those of God's people who are able will flee to the mountains where God has prepared a place for them to hide (Revelation 12:13-14). There God will feed His people the same as He did when Israel was in the wilderness between the time they left Egypt and their arrival in the promised land.

It is this time of trouble that Christ is telling the Disciples about and thus instructs them to pray to the Father, "GIVE US THIS DAY OUR DAILY BREAD."

No one can pray this prayer today in this age of God's Grace for there are no restrictions keeping anyone from working and providing his own food. Paul makes it clear that if a man will not work today, he is not to be fed by the community (Second Thessalonians 3:10). In the Tribulation, the believers will NOT be able to work and purchase their food, but will have to rely upon God for MANNA from heaven, just like Israel did in the wilderness.

Because the Kingdom program required outward works of faith in the lives of the believers to show they had repented and were identified with the Kingdom, Christ points out, in this prayer, that the forgiveness of their daily sins against others will be forgiven in direct proportion to the way they forgive others. THIS IS NOT SPEAKING OF WORKS FOR SALVATION. These who will be praying this prayer are already believers. This is part of that MORAL ATTITUDE that will be expected during this time and this prayer will come from those who are "MEEK" as we saw in Matthew 5:5.

The "TEMPTATION" spoken of in Matthew 6:13 is the temptation these believers will feel during the Tribulation, urging them to take the MARK OF THE BEAST so they will be able to provide for their families. It will take GREAT FAITH in that day to just TRUST GOD for one's every need, even for his food. The delivering from "EVIL" is a request to the Father to protect them from the EVIL ONE -
Satan, who will be waiting just outside this mountain sanctuary to kill anyone who would venture
outside God's protection in the mountains (First Peter 5:8).

This "Disciples Prayer" will be Israel's invitation and cry for Christ to come as their King and set up His Kingdom. Israel will BEG God (at that time) to send Christ to reign over them.

Trusting God Completely


In Matthew 6:25-34, Christ encourages His Disciples by the example of God's faithfulness to provide for His creation, to place their trust completely in God's ability to provide their every need. The birds do not work for their food, but God is faithful to feed them. The flowers of the field are beautifully dressed, but their glory is only passing and they end up being burned. If God is this faithful to the birds and flowers, will He not do as much and more for these Disciples? Surely He will and so Christ encourages them in verses 33-34 that their main goal should be the KINGDOM ,then the Father will give them everything they need. They are not to worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will take care of itself.

a. The phrase, "SUFFICIENT UNTO THE DAY IS THE EVIL THEREOF" (Matthew 6:34) has caused much anxiety, but all Christ is saying is that there is no need for the Disciples to worry about tomorrow, for in so doing, they would only be compounding whatever problems tomorrow heId. Let
tomorrow's problems cone as they will and trust the Father to handle them as they arise. You can't change things by WORRYING ahead of time, you only spoil the opportunities of today.

Conclusion

This portion of Scripture. we have looked at this morning is KINGDOM in every respect and was directed to the; Disciples for their learning and encouragement as they entered their

ministry of being co-laborers with Christ. Also, it instructed them as to how they were to face the TRIBULATION PERIOD.

Let us remember that we Gentiles, living in this Dispensation of. God's Grace, ARE NOT to go to the four Gospels and apply them to our lives today. `We ARE NOT promised any of these blessings nor any of these provisions. We ARE NOT to pray the "Disciples Prayer" as recorded in Matthew 6:10-13 for this has it's Dispensational setting in the Tribulation Period - the time of Jacob's trouble.

Matthew 6:34 IS NOT for us today. We DO have to take thought for tomorrow. We DO have to provide food and clothing for our families. BUT we are not to WORRY about tomorrow (Philippines 4:19). We must TRUST CHRIST to direct and take us through the trials of this life, as we see in First Corinthians 10:13.

END OF STUDY