Chapter 7. 18
Jesus’ Gospel
His Words in Red
Two Kingdoms – Kingdom Qualifications – The Holy
Spirit – The Jews – The Gospel
Parables - The Messiah – John the Baptizer – Baptism
– Sin – Temptation – Forgiveness Faithfulness – Faith Healing – Prayer - Missions
- Giving - Love – Works – Taxes – Booze
Wisdom – The Jews – The First Call – His Death -
His Return – His Judgment
The Kingdom of God; Now
and Not Yet
The
Gospel according to Jesus; His WORDS IN RED
First Word
What does just the “Words in Red” of Jesus say about the Gospel? The Kingdom of the NOW and NOT YET. Man’s call to salvation
is the starting
line of the race; the “Kingdom of God”
is the finish
line. The Gospel message is totally about
entering the Kingdom
of Heaven.
I have chosen the book of Matthew and ignored what the disciples have
said, and used only the “WORDS IN RED” that Jesus
spoke. I include scripture from the OT,
only because Jesus included it when He spoke.
Man on his own is incapable of coming to God; the Holy Spirit must “enable” him.
Much of the NT speaks of man being blind, deaf, without knowledge; if
not totally ignorant.[1] It’s the Holy Spirit that
gives man wisdom and understanding which draws him to God. So for the first topic of the “Now and Not Yet,” I would like to address Wisdom and Knowledge.[2]
God on Wisdom
Very early in scripture,
God wanted us to understand that wisdom was something to seek after, something
that was priceless; the wisdom of God is a great treasure.[3] It gives us understanding [4]and
guides us into a path of peace, protection and long life.[5] Jesus said to ask, seek and knock and wisdom
will be opened to us;[6] wisdom
is imparted through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.[7]
Jesus on Wisdom’s Value
Jesus talked about the kingdom of heaven being
like a treasure; something of great value, that once you have found it you
would sell everything that you have to possess it.[8] You must have wisdom to understand “what is of value” in order to desire
it.
It’s the
Holy Spirit that enables you to
have understanding, otherwise it’s just foolishness. To gain the greater, you can’t hang on to the
lesser; you must choose to let go. [9] Life is choice driven.
Jesus on parables
Jesus’ disciples asked Him
why He taught in parables and not just speak clearly?[10] Scripture bears out that many who were “hard of heart”, sought to do harm and
even kill Jesus; and the parables
seemed only as harmless stories to them; but to those whom the Holy Spirit had enabled to have wisdom and knowledge, understood
the meaning clearly. Isaiah the prophet
said their hearts were calloused.[11]
It was the custom of the Jews to look for other secret meanings hidden in the scripture of the Torah; the parables of Jesus
carried such rich hidden meanings. Those who are wise in their own mind will
hear, but not understand; see, but not perceive. Those, by the Holy Spirit, that have sought
out wisdom
and knowledge will be given even
more wisdom and knowledge; Jesus said to seek it and we will find it. When Jesus spoke in parables, he was
fulfilling the
prophecy that said He would open
His mouth and speak in parables.[12]
Those with “calloused” hearts, without the wisdom of the
Holy Spirit; thought the parables and symbolism taught by Jesus was JUST PLAIN
CRAZY; “Eat my flesh; Drink my blood.” It would take the work of the Holy Spirit to understand this; many turned away from
following Him.[13]
Jesus on Temptation
It is with the wisdom and knowledge of God’s word that we are able to thwart Satan’s fiery darts.
By knowing
God’s word; we know who we are in Christ.
We do not have to prove anything
to Satan,[14]
when the
Holy Spirit led Jesus into the
wilderness to be tempted by Satan; Jesus would quote from “The Book of the
Law” which we call the Old Testament; His comments were preceded by
the words “It is
written.”
FOUR CONCEPTS came forth.
1)
The
Word of God is life;[15] knowledge
from God’s word guides us into paths of peace
2)
Don’t
test God;[16] believe
and trust that God will do what He has already promised.
3)
Worship
and serve God only;[17] seek the “Creator” of everything, not the creations.
4)
The
Kingdom of Heaven is near; repent
NOW of your sins.
Jesus on the Messiah
Jesus Himself said that He was
The Son of God, The Messiah, and The King of the Jews.
He said He came to fulfill the law; to
fulfill prophecy.[18] He is revealed by the Holy Spirit to man.
John the baptizer was in prison and wanted to know if Jesus was the
Messiah or is there another to come;[19] Jesus
said, report to John that the blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have
leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is
proclaimed to the poor.[20] Isaiah’s Prophecy has now been fulfilled.
In His own hometown, He was not accepted as the Messiah and therefore
could do no mighty work there because of their lack of faith.[21]
The prophets said that Elijah would come again before the Messiah would
come, well, he did, but they did not recognize him. It was John the Baptist that
had the spirit of Elijah.[22] (Check out how John dressed and lived like Elijah.
Jesus on John the Baptizer
John fulfilled prophecy: “I will send my
messenger ahead of you, who will prepare the way before you.” John fulfilled prophecy and prepared the way
for Christ. Jesus said that John was the
greatest that had ever been born of a woman.
He said that he had the Spirit of Elijah
and was the last of the prophets.[23] Modern day prophets should read this
scripture; there are no more prophets. There
are NO
new revelations; it all culminated with John; Jesus is the fulfillment of the prophecies.
A word on REINCARNATION; Christians do
not embrace the “New Age” Eastern doctrine of reincarnation. Elijah, although he did not die, but was “taken”;[24] he
did NOT come back “physically” in the body of John.
It is written;” it is appointed unto man ONCE to
die and then the judgment”,[25] there is no reincarnation, but you will
live forever SOMEWHERE. Selah
Jesus on the Calling
Jesus had compassion on the
people; they were like sheep without a Shepard; He saw that the harvest
was plentiful, but the workers were few.[26] He told his followers to come NOW without
excuses of delay;[27] that
No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God."
[28] But to first “Count the Cost;”[29] to
come expecting nothing, that He didn’t even have a place to lay His head. Once we can grasp that that the Kingdom of God is of GREAT VALUE; a treasure; then it
follows that you will understand how someone would just drop everything to
obtain it.
Simon Peter and Andrew were already disciples of John the
Baptizer who had pointed them to
Jesus. When Jesus said “Follow me”,[30]
they dropped everything they had to obtain the treasure that
lay ahead; the Kingdom
of Heaven.
Did you
see it? These guys had a prosperous business and still
took time off to seek God’s wisdom and they found it in the desert with John the
baptizer; and set under his teachings of repentance. Jesus taught them that they would now fish
for people; they understood what that meant; GAME
ON.
Matthew the Publican, had already heard all the
stories about the teacher Jesus. He was
a tax collector that everybody hated and was not even allowed to worship in the
temple. Matthew counted the cost and so wanted what Jesus had, that he left his
lucrative business which he had to pay a franchise fee to get, and immediately ANSWERED THE CALL and followed Jesus.[31] The Holy Spirit gave him the wisdom,
“the ability”
to recognize the
GREAT VALUE of the Gospel.
Jesus on Baptism
At the beginning of the
ministry of Jesus, He went to John to be baptized into repentance. While Jesus did not need repentance; He chose
to set an example for us, that we need to be baptized into a new life of
righteousness;[32]
this so pleased God the Father. As Jesus
was baptized the
Spirit of
God descending like a dove and alighting on him and a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son,
whom I love; with him I am well pleased.
Did you see it; the Father, Son and Holy Spirit were all present at the same time; the TRINITY.
Jesus on Missions
The twelve disciples
were sent out first to the lost sheep of Israel,
the Jews, with the priceless message of the Gospel that the Kingdom of
Heaven has come NEAR.[33] Note: Later
on, Paul would take this same message to the Gentiles also.
The Disciples were told to take nothing with them; this was a FAITH mission trip, that they would receive
what they needed by the body of believers that received them. They were told to make disciples of all
nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.[34] (The Trinity)
He sent out 70 missionaries “in pairs” to the surrounding towns. By sending them two by two, they could help and encourage
each another,[35]
plus the LAW required that in the
mouth of two
or three
witnesses was a thing established as TRUTH.[36]
Jesus on the Gospel
Christ did NOT come to
do away with the Law, but to fulfill the prophecy of the Law.[37] The Gospel is hidden from those who are wise
in their own eyes, but it is revealed to those who come simply believing, as a
child does to his father.[38]
Jesus said that, “All things have been given unto Him.” Jesus could
see a man’s heart and would single him out to receive the wisdom of the Gospel;
calling out to come to Him, everyone who is burdened down with the yoke of life
and He will give them rest. [39]
The “gate” to the kingdom of
Heaven is narrow and few find it;
without the
Holy Spirit, the “Garden of your
Heart” is very hard, rocky and full of thorns.[40] As soon as the Word of the Gospel truth is
sown; before its roots can start to grow, Satan comes to kill, steal and destroy it.[41]
If you acknowledge God, He will acknowledge you,[42] He
is not willing that any should wander off and be lost, if you are His and wander off, He will seek you out.[43]
A wonderful thing about the
Gospel is that the man who accepts Christ late in life; perhaps even on his
death bed, [44]gets in on the same reward of salvation as that of the man who served God from
his youth, that’s the mercy and grace of God.
It’s His good pleasure, but, find the gate early; there are blessings
now for the faithful
as well as abundant blessings in the future.[45]
Build
your faith on the wisdom of the words of God for a firm foundation that cannot
be shaken by the hurricanes of life.[46] It’s not enough to hear the words, but you
must put them into action; do the Word. Even demons can quote scripture, they just
don’t accept it.[47] If you are NEUTRAL on the Gospel of Jesus
Christ; then you
have rejected it therefore you are rejected.
Jesus on Faithfulness
God entrusts to the believer
certain gifts and talents to function within the Kingdom of Heaven. There
is an expectation that the “faithful” believer will grow his gifts and
talents; to whom much is given, much is expected.[48]
While scripture clearly teaches that man does not inherit the “kingdom of
Heaven” through works, Jesus also made it quite clear, that if you
were one of the Faithful,
you would be known by your works,[49]
because you are His. A tree WITHOUT FRUIT is a dead tree and will be cut down.
If you do not faithfully grow the gifts and talents that you have been
entrusted with, then you are not worthy of the kingdom of God. (I would like to
point out that I did not say this, Jesus did.)[50]
Jesus on Faith
Every time we see Jesus
healing people; it required FAITH to be in action
on someone’s part; not necessarily the person that needed to be healed; but nonetheless
Faith
was present.[51] The centurion’s faith was so great that he
believed that Jesus could just say “the
word” and his servant back home would be healed.
If you believe and not doubt, you will do miracles. You will receive what you ask for in prayer
that is in accordance with the will of God.
To know God’s will you must read His Word; the Holy Spirit will give you
the wisdom you need. We pray amiss, because we just do not know God’s will.[52]
We
can bind on earth what has been bound in Heaven; and we can loose on earth what
has already been loosed in Heaven.[53]
So, cut loose your faith and let it
abound; bind
doubt and let it die.[54] Where two are three are gathered in His name,
He is present with them and when they pray in accordance with His will,
it will be done for them.[55]
Jesus on Healing
Miracles: Although the miracle healings all pointed back
to Jesus and the Gospel of the Kingdom of Heaven, they all took place because
Jesus had compassion.[56]
Compassion:
The first picture we see of Jesus is with a
man with leprosy; the man told Jesus that He could heal him “if He wanted to”;
Jesus said; “I
want to”.
NOTE: In another place, Jesus put all the
unbelievers outside of the room before He prayed to raise a little girl from
the dead.[57]
Our lesson is; if we want to be healed,
get with those that “believe in healing”. IT IS GOD’S WILL THAT YOU BE HEALED.[58] I want to say it again; it is the “Will of God”
that you are healed and you must believe it; sickness comes from “the destroyer.”
Jesus on Prayer
Jesus encourages us to pray
privately to “God the Father” about our needs. We do not need a lot of words; God already
knows what we need before we even ask Him.[59]
1)
Acknowledge God for who is and where He is; and
then praise His Holy name.
2)
Pray for His will to be done on earth, because
it’s surely not being done.
3)
Ask that, just for today, that you will receive
your needs for the nourishment of food.
4)
Ask for your sins and wrong doings to be
forgiven, as you forgive others.
5)
Pray that He will keep you from temptation and
evil.
6)
Acknowledge that His kingdom is the power and the
glory forever.
Jesus on Love
Jesus said that if we desire
to seek “God the Father”, then we are to
love Him with all our HEART, SOUL and MIND
and to love those around us too[60]. That’s pretty hard because some people are
just not very lovable. Jesus raised the
bar on love; He says for us to do extra; to do things that are not required;[61]
to do it even for our enemy.[62] Do unto others as you would have them do unto
you,[63]
even when it’s an inconvenience. [64] He
said to love our enemies, to pray for those who give us grief.
The person that shows mercy; shows love; even if the person is considered an “undesirable”
Jesus on Forgiveness
Jesus said; anger is a sin;
don’t be angry with someone, but go to them and seek reconciliation quickly. Seek forgiveness; Give forgiveness, Give
mercy,
Give compassion.[65]
Jesus on Works
Did Jesus teach salvation by works? Let’s take a
look at His teaching on the parable
of “THE SHEEP AND THE GOATS”; where His sheep are separated from the world’s goats. He says His sheep will be found helping
others; you will know His sheep by their WORKS. We do not do good works to enter the kingdom of
God, we do good works because the kingdom of God is within us.
In the parable of THE TWO SONS we see very
quickly that it’s
not what we say, but what we do.[66] In the parable on SALT
AND LIGHT;[67] Jesus teaches
that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the salt that seasons the world and lights
up the souls of man. We should be about
the business of sharing the good news; the light of the Gospel. If you’ve got the “seasoning” of the word, then
Share it.
If you’ve been given the light you will Show it.
Jesus said we will be known by the fruit of our works. This is sad, but
some folks will do good works like giving to the Shriner children’s hospital,
but live their life having no part of the Holy Spirit.[68] Jesus
will say He doesn’t even know them.
DO the will of the father and you will enter the Kingdom of Heaven; DO THE WORD.[69]
I know I’m about to break my “Words in Red”
rule, but I must show other scripture outside of the words in red
that points out that
we
are saved by
faith, not by works.
Salvation
is a free gift from God
and
it’s because we
are saved,
that
we DO GOOD WORKS.
Ephesians 2:8-10 - Saved by Faith to do good
works
8 FOR BY GRACE YOU HAVE BEEN SAVED THROUGH FAITH, and that not
of yourselves; it is the gift of God,
9 NOT OF WORKS, LEST ANYONE SHOULD BOAST.
10 For we are
His workmanship,
CREATED IN CHRIST JESUS FOR GOOD WORKS, which God
prepared beforehand that we should walk in them
NKJV
Jesus on Giving
Jesus wants to reward us
for giving and helping the needy; but He cannot do so if we TOOT OUR OWN HORN. He says to give of our time and money secretly and privately;
we don’t even need to mention it to our spouse.[70] Give to the Lord out of love, out of what you
have, not what you don’t have.[71] Give
also according to the matters of God’s law; Give justice, give mercy, give
faithfulness.[72]
As you give, it will be given back to you,
shaken together, pressed down and running over.[73]
Jesus on Taxes
The
Israelites hated paying taxes to the heathen Roman Government. Paying taxes was not something Jesus took on
as a cause, He simply said to give the government what was due them and give
God what was due Him.[74] Whether we are “tax exempt” or not; just pay it.[75]
Don’t get on a “soapbox” about anything
that
Sidetracks you from the purpose of the
Gospel.
Reflection; I feel I must
digress here and speak on an issue that I took up with my pastor; about how
could a Christian also be of the Masonic order?
He said He agreed with me about the deception, but he was not called to
address such issues; that it was a SIDETRACK to the real
message of the Kingdom
of God that had been given to him.
It wasn’t that other issues were not
important; he just had his hands full with what he had. The twelve disciples had
a similar situation when the Gentile Widows were not being fed; they had to get
some help so that it would NOT DETRACT from their
preaching of the Gospel.
Acts 6:1-4 – Stop Distraction; get some folks to
help wait on tables
1 In those days
when the number of disciples was increasing, the Grecian Jews among them
complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked
in the daily distribution of food.
2 So the Twelve
gathered all the disciples together and said,
"IT WOULD NOT BE RIGHT FOR US TO NEGLECT
THE MINISTRY OF THE WORD OF GOD IN ORDER
TO WAIT ON TABLES.
3 Brothers,
choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and
wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them
4 and will give
our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word."
NIV
Sidebar
Let’s
pause here and reflect on the forgoing scripture about waiting on
tables. On first reading it seems that the disciples were a little bit arrogant in their speech; like serving food to the poor
was beneath them. They needed to get someone
with the gift of “Organization” to get up a team that will give
them some help.
We need vessels of service in all areas of
the kingdom because all are not all called to preach or teach. We need people who are willing to wait on tables and
serve soup or park cars, cut grass or paint walls; this is so others are not
distracted from their calling and can teach and preach.[76]
Jesus on Booze
Very early on, Jesus
was accused of being a boozer;[77]
He told them that it’s not what goes into a man’s mouth that defiles him; it’s
what comes out like Evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft,
false testimony and slander.[78] Whatever the heart is full of will eventually
overflow the mouth. We are known by what we speak; the fruit of
our mouth.
Drinking booze is NOT
a sin;
Drunkenness is the sin. (You will not inherit the kingdom.) [79] We
are free to have a glass of wine, but for some that are not “FREE”;
drinking is still a sin and could cause them to stumble in their faith; so for
their sake; drink
privately at home.[80]
Matthew 15:16-20
– It’s not what you DRINK that defiles you
16 “Are you still so dull?” Jesus asked them.
17 “Don’t you see that whatever enters the mouth
goes into the stomach and then out of the body?
18 But THE THINGS THAT COME OUT OF A PERSON’S MOUTH COME
FROM THE HEART, AND THESE DEFILE THEM.
19 For out of the heart come
EVIL THOUGHTS, MURDER, ADULTERY, SEXUAL IMMORALITY,
THEFT, FALSE TESTIMONY, SLANDER.
20 These are what defile a person; but eating
with unwashed hands does not defile them.”
NIV
Jesus on Gentiles replacing Jews
Replacement theology: God sent His prophets into the “vineyard”
of His chosen people; the nation of Israel, but they didn’t listen. Then He sent His Son to them and they killed Him.[81] Then
God offered to the Gentiles His “vineyard”; the plan of Salvation and they accepted.
There is now a concept that Jewish Israel failed to recognize the
Messiah Jesus Christ, and after centuries they have now been replaced by the
Christian Church as God’s chosen people.
Israel now has no role in God’s future work. This is a
FALSE doctrine.
Jesus Christ is the life giving Vine, God broke off the branches of unbelieving Israel
and grafted in, the believing Gentiles, BUT,
if the broken
branches of Israel will believe,
He has promised to graft them back in.
LISTEN: The Vine is Jesus Christ and
the branches
are Jewish
Israel; when you as a Gentile are grafted into the vine, you become part of Jewish Israel; your roots are
Jewish. All Israel is therefore; the believing Jews
who are the natural branches of the vine; plus the Gentiles who are the
un-natural wild
branches that were grafted in,
plus the broken
off branches; the returning believing Jews, that will be grafted back into
the vine.
Israel’s blindness to the
Messiah
will be removed when the fullness of the Gentiles
has been completed. This will occur
during the tribulation
period; a Jewish
remnant will be saved.[82]
Jesus on His death
Jesus predicted His death
three times:[83] He told them that He MUST be killed, but would be raised to life
again on the third day. He would be
handed over to the chief priest and teachers of the law and they would condemn
Him to death. He would be mocked,
flogged and crucified. The disciples
were filled with grief.
Jesus had been asked for a “SIGN” that He was
the Messiah;
He told them that just as Jonah was in the belly of a huge fish for three days, so He would be in
the belly of the
earth three days.[84]
In my BS, my Belief System, I
believe Jonah actually died and
was resurrected to go to Nineveh to preach the
Gospel Message; read it for yourself; Jesus said He would be as Jonah.
SIDE NOTE: Hell was divided into two compartments; TORMENT and PARADISE. The scriptures goes
on to say that Jesus went to a compartment of Hell known as “Abrahams Bosom” or Paradise
and preached the Gospel message for three days to those “FROM ALL TIME” that were in
the “Friendship
of God;” they accepted the Gospel
message and then He took them and Paradise to heaven where it is now. Jesus even in His death was busy with the Gospel of the Kingdom of
Heaven.
Jesus on the Holy Spirit
Jesus told His Disciples
that He must leave them so that the Counselor (The Comforter - The Paraclete) would come; Jesus
told them to wait in Jerusalem to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit [85] that
would come along beside them and bear witness of the Son,[86] help
and teach them, and remind them of all things that Jesus has said and then they
will receive power to witness.[87]
The
Comforter, the Holy Spirit will
convict the world of guilt in regard to sin, righteousness and judgment.[88] There is certainly more concerning the baptism of the Holy Spirit which occurred after the resurrection of Christ;
these gifts and actions are recorded in “the Book of Acts”.
Jesus on His Return
The beginning signs will be wars
and rumors of wars, earthquakes and famine.[89] While this has been true of many times in
history; in the end time there will be more of it; worse than before; coming all at once. The sun will be darkened and the moon will
not give any light, the heavens will be shaken and stars will fall from there
place.[90]
Many FALSE
PROPHETS will
come first, claiming that they are the Messiah.[91] Jesus says; do not be fooled, that when He
comes, every eye
will see Him at the same time around
the whole world.[92] The
day and the hour of His return is unknown,[93]
but it will be like in the times of Noah; things will be going along just like normal,
and then BAM; He will appear unexpected
like a thief.
Christ will not return till the Gospel is
preached to the whole world;[94] the temple rebuilt and Satan stands in the Holy of Holies of the newly built temple.[95] Jesus speaks of the signs of His return at the end of the age.[96]
This is NOT concerning what
is known as His FIRST coming; the “Rapture”,
which happens at the beginning of the SEVEN years of tribulation; but He is speaking
of the SECOND coming after the
tribulation period. Jesus does NOT speak of the “Rapture” of the saints at all.
NOTE: The “Rapture Doctrine”
is only about 200 years old and is gleamed from the “Revelation” of John the
revelator and many students of the Word have varying opinion on the Rapture
including there isn’t one. I believe during the Tribulation period God WILL remove the restraining forces of
Evil which is the Church and the Holy Spirit so Satan can RAISE
HELL for
a period of time.
At
the Rapture; at the FIRST coming, He
comes secretly “in
the air” without a sound. At
this SECOND coming,
everybody will know it. We will hear a TRUMPET
BLAST by
the angels and He will be seen by the whole world all at once.[97] (Belief or unbelief in the rapture
doctrine does not change your
salvation in any way; believe for the FIRST, but prepare
for the worst.)
He will appear in the clouds with power and glory;[98] it
will happen all at once; done and over;
faster than the buzzards can light on road kill.[99] (He said it; not me) Christ
alludes to His return after the SEVEN year “Tribulation
Period”, saying it would be a dreadful time, which He will shorten for
the sake of the believers; the Saints.[100]
In my BS,
my Belief
System, I read in scripture that after Noah
and his family had entered the Ark, the door of Noah’s Ark remained OPEN for one more week for any who would come. Then GOD SHUT THE DOOR; it would not be opened again
till it stopped raining. When Jesus
returns, the Angels will gather the believers from the four corner of the earth
that have already entered into the “Present” Kingdom of God and then GOD WILL SHUT THE DOOR; Done, Done and Done.
Get
Ready:
We are urged to be prepared, waiting and watching with expectation of His
return.[101]
Once the door to the Kingdom of Heaven is
closed, no excuses will be accepted; Jesus will say “I don’t even know you”; the door of
opportunity is now closed, believers are gone and un-believers and make-believers
will suffer through the Tribulation period; however many will come to know the
Lord after witnessing the Rapture of the Saints, being left behind and personally experiencing the Tribulations.
Jesus on Unpardonable Sin
Every sin will be forgiven EXCEPT blasphemy in word or deed against the Holy Spirit which is the unpardonable
Sin. You must get this; it is
the Holy
Spirit that ENABLES men to be drawn unto God through Jesus
Christ. If you reject the Holy Spirit, then
there is nothing that can help you.
Matthew 12:31-32 – Unpardonable Sin; blasphemy against the
Spirit
31 And so I tell
you, every
kind of sin and slander can be forgiven, but blasphemy against the Spirit will NOT be
forgiven.
32 Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man
will be forgiven, but ANYONE WHO
SPEAKS AGAINST THE HOLY
SPIRIT
WILL NOT BE FORGIVEN, either in this
age or in the age to come.
NIV
Jesus on the Judgment
Jesus said that He had sown
good seed in the field of the world, and then Satan came along and sowed bad seed
among the good seed. God will let them
grow together and at the harvest,[102]
the weeds will be pulled up and thrown into the fire. The net of salvation
catches ALL fish, both the
good and the bad;[103] the
bad will be thrown away and the good saved.
Jesus is the cornerstone on which some will be saved
and others will stumble and fall.[104]
Two Kingdoms
The Kingdom of Heaven is mentioned only in the NT book of Matthew and is spoken of 32
times by Jesus Christ Himself.
The Kingdom of
God is
mentioned 66 times in the NT
presenting the question; is there two different kingdoms?
Two Kingdoms: The
Kingdom of God and The Kingdom of Heaven are both the same kingdom; however scripture speaks of a present kingdom;
where evil
is defeated and sinners are
redeemed, as well as a future kingdom where
Satan and
death are both defeated and
thrown in the lake of fire and the believer lives and reigns forever in the presence of God.
NOTE: Jesus was addressing the Jews. The name of God, YHWH (Yahweh), was so sacred
that they wouldn’t even pronounce it, but would allude to His name in another
way such as “Heaven”.
Paul was addressing
the Gentiles who had no problem with the “God” concept.
There are
actually TWO
KINGDOMS: the NOW and the NOT YET.
The realm: Where God’s reign is experienced.
The people: The “redeemed” are the people of the kingdom.[105]
The reign: The
reign of Christ “with believers” sharing in the reign.
Present: The
kingdom is present for believers to enter NOW and enjoy His
blessings.
Future: The kingdom is future, when we enter into
eternal life and reign with Christ.
Did you see it? We must enter into the “NOW” Present kingdom which makes it
possible for us to enter into the “NOT YET” Future kingdom of “Eternal Life”. The believer accepts God’s reign in their Present
lives; and reigns with Him in the Future;
blessings in the Present and Even
greater blessing in the Future.
Jesus on Kingdom Qualifications
Jesus said we must come to Him
believing and trusting;
without reservation; just as a child would run to his daddy and jump into his
arms.[106] The Sermon on the Mount;
“The
Beatitudes” do not show a man how to be saved; they show the characteristics
of one who is saved. They are not promises
of blessings for the saved, but are a description of the saved.[107]
1)
Poor in spirit: Realization
that we are spiritually bankrupt and can offer God nothing.
2)
Those who mourn: Anguishing over sin; over perishing souls;
wanting right to prevail.
3)
Meek: Accepting opposition, insults and provocation,
bearing patiently; mild and calm.
4)
Hunger for
righteousness: All sin and
wrongdoing to anyone grieves them.
5)
Merciful: Being kind, showing pity, mercy and
compassion, even when it’s not convenient.
6)
Pure in Heart: No hidden motives or self-interest, a pure
heart with singleness of purpose.
7)
Peacemaker: Bringing men
into harmony with each other, calming the waters.
8)
Love: You must love Christ more than your own family
or you are not worthy of Him.[108]
9)
Give of what you
have to those who can’t pay you back; Give
justice, mercy, compassion and faithfulness.
Someone who is rich puts his trust in what he has; someone who
is poor
puts his trust in what he hasn’t. It’s very hard for someone rich to seek the Kingdom of
Heaven;[109]
they do not see themselves as having any needs; they are self-sufficient, they
don’t need God. (Jesus said this, not me.)
The Bar is set very high, so who then can
qualify to enter the Kingdom of God? By
man’s efforts, no
one can qualify to enter; only by the grace of God is
it made possible. [110]
Will
of Man
When God created the world,
there was only “One
Will” in the whole universe. When Satan rebelled there became “Two Wills”; his and God’s. Satan sought to detach man from God;
to attach man to himself, thus receive “Satan’s will”.
Satan
was successful in detaching man from God, but man had his “own will” and would not attach
himself to Satan.
Now there are “Billions of Wills” in the world; that’s why God
sent His Son to re-attach us. The war began against God and His greatest creation; “MAN”, who was created in God’s own image. There is an Invisible War going on and it’s over us. Choose Life.
The
Take Away
Two Kingdoms: the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Heaven are
the same. The Jews would not verbalize
the name of God (YHWH), but would allude to it with the word “Heaven”. We have the present kingdom now that will extend
into the future
kingdom. We must enter into the present
Kingdom to be able to inherit the future Kingdom where we will be in the presence of
Christ and reign with Him forever; so, I guess you could say there really is two
kingdoms; the NOW
and the NOT YET.
Qualifications
to get into the Kingdom of Heaven: 1) Repentance, 2) Faith, 3) Believe and Trust, 4) Know that you
have nothing to offer God; 5) have a deep concern over sin and perishing souls, 6) Desire for right
to prevail. 7) Accept opposition, insults and
provocation; bearing patiently, displaying a mild and calm attitude. 8) Grieve over
wrong doing. 9) No
self-interest, but singleness of Heart toward the Gospel. 10) Show kindness,
pity, mercy and compassion whether it’s convenient or not. 11) Bring men into
harmony with each other, calming the waters. 12) Love even your
enemies; have fruit from your works, grow the gifts you have been given.
Works: We do good works NOT to get saved, but
because we are saved. The believer has the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and “good works”
will always follow the believer: Jesus said; we will be known by the fruit of our works.
We will DO the will of the Father, works
without Faith
produces dead
works; Faith without works is a dead faith.
WORDS
IN RED: If our salvation theology were based
exclusively on what Christ “actually said”, (the Words in Red) what kind of theology would we end up
with? The book of Matthew contains the perspective of the teachings of
Jesus before His crucifixion. Paul’s
letters 30 years later reflect; as “Paul
Harvey” would say, “and now, the rest of the news”. Through the Apostle Paul’s letters we are able
to see the
rest of the news; the work of the Holy Spirit.
The Christian believes foremost that the “entire” Bible; from cover to cover;
from the words “Holy
Bible” to “genuine leather”, is the divinely inspired
Word of God,[111]
thus all scripture should carry the same weight whether spoken by Christ or by
others inspired of God. All scripture is
God-breathed and is useful for
teaching, rebuking, correction and training in righteousness.
The people of Israel had the Ten Commandments and
the “613
other laws”
found in the Old Testament; Christ’s teachings “raised the bar” on what everyone
understood at the time. The bar was
raised to the point that NO ONE could live up to its standard. The Salvation theology
that Christ taught was sufficient to condemn EVERYONE to eternal separation from God.”
Calvinism teaches that
man is totally fallen and is not capable of coming to God on his own; Jesus
pretty much pointed that out too. The
purpose of the Law was not to save, but to show our need to be saved (among other things). Jesus’ teachings AMPLIFIED the Law, and
made it even clearer that we need a Savior.
Who then can be saved? Jesus said; with man this is impossible, but with God all things are
possible." We need a
savior,
we need the
Holy Spirit to enable us to come
to God otherwise what we see and what we hear is just foolishness. It was only after Jesus made the ultimate
sacrifice on the cross for us and rose from the dead, did His followers finally
“get it”.
[1] Mark 9:25 – Deaf and
dumb. -- Luke 6:39 – The blind fall into the pit -- 1 Corenthians 15:34 – You are ignorant of God
[2] Matthew 13:11 - Knowledge
-- Luke 21:15 – Wisdom comes from God
-- John 6:65 – The
Holy Spirit enables man to have Wisdom
[3] Proverbs 3:13-18 – Wisdom is more precious than Silver or Gold
[4] Proverbs 4:5-7 – When you
get Wisdom, you get Understanding
[5] Proverbs 2:12 – Wisdom will save you
[6] Matthew 7:7-11 – Ask, seek, knock and you will find God’s Wisdom
[7] Proverbs 2:6 – It is God
that gives wisdom
[8] Matthew 13:44-46 – The
kingdom of heaven is like a Pearl of great value.
[9] Matthew 6:19-21 – Where your heart is so is your treasure. -- Matthew
6:22-24 – You cannot serve two masters; God
and money
[10] Matthew 13:10-17 – The
Disciples asked; why do you speak in parables
[11] Isaiah 6:9-10 – Isaiah
the prophet prophesied that the people would have calloused ears; eyes would
not see
[12] Matthew 13:34-35 –
Parables were a fulfillment of prophecy
-- Psalms78:1-2 – Prophecy; Jesus will open His mouth in parables
[13] John 6:53-66 – Symbolism
of the Parables turned many followers away
[14] Ephesians 6:16 – Take the
shield of faith and quench Satan’s fiery darts
[15] Matthew 4:1-4 - It is written: Man shall not live on bread alone, but
on every word that comes from the mouth of God. -- Deuteronomy 8:3 – Man shall not live by bread
alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the LORD
[16] Matthew 5-7 - It is written: Do not put the Lord your God to the
test. -- Exodus 17:2 – Don’t test God’s promises; believe and trust
[17] Matthew 8-10 - It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve
him only. -- Exodus 23:24-25 – You shall
Worship God only
[18] Matthew 5:17 - I have come
to fulfil the Law
[19] Mathew 11:3-5 – John
asked; are you the Messiah or should we expect someone else?”-- Matthew
26:63-64 - Tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God. -- Matthew 27:11 – Are you the King of the
Jews? -- Matthew 16:13-19 – The Holy Spirit revealed
Jesus as the Messiah to Peter
[20] Mathew 11:4-5 –Blind see,
Lame walk, Leprosy healed, deaf hear, dead raised, good news proclaimed --
Isaiah 61:1 – The good news is preached to the poor
[21] Matthew 13:55-58 –
His Home Town didn’t believe Him and He performed few miracles because of their
lack of faith
[22] Matthew 17:11-13 – Elijah must come first before the Messiah and its
John the Baptist
[23] Matthew 11:7-14 – John
was a prophet with the spirit of Elijah
[24] 2 Kings 2:11 – Elijah did not die, but was taken up to heaven
[25] Hebrews 9:27 – It is
appointed unto men once to die; NO REINCARNATION
[26] Matthew 9:36-38 – The
harvest is plentiful, but the workers are so few
[27] Matthew 8:19-22 – No
excuses, follow now and expect nothing
[28] Luke 9:62 - Anyone
who puts a hand to the plow and then looks back is not fit for the Kingdom of
God
[29] Luke 14:28-30 – Count the
cost before you follow Jesus, if you begin, can you finish the course?
[30] Matthew 4:18-20 – Peter and Andrew
dropped everything to follow Jesus
[31] Matthew 9:9 – Matthew was ready even before the call
[32] Matthew 3:13-17 – Jesus
said it was proper to be baptized; “It should be done,
for we must carry out all that God requires.”
[33] Matthew 10:5-20 – Go
first only to the nation of Israel; the Jews,
NO
GENTILES
[34] Matthew 28:18-20 - Great Commission’ Go and preach the Good News of
the Gospel to everybody
[35] Luke 10:1-4 – Seventy
missionaries sent out two by two -- Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 – Two missionaries are
better than one, if one falls the other can help him up.
[36] 2
Corinthians 13:1 - In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall
every word be established
[37] Matthew 5:17-20 – Jesus
is the fulfillment of the Law
[38] Matthew 11:27 – Christ
chooses to reveal the father to the seeker
[39] Mathew 11:28-30 - Come to
me all who are heavy laden and I will give you rest.
[40] Matthew 13:31-32 - The
Gospel grows in man from a small seed -- Matthew 13:33 – The yeast of the
Gospel will work in God’s Loaf of Believers
[41] Matthew 13:18-23 – Jesus
explains the parable of the sower -- Matthew 13:3-9 - Satan
tries to steal the seed as soon as it is planted -- John 10:10 – Satan
comes to kill, steal and destroy.
[42] Matthew 10:32-33 –
Acknowledge God and He will acknowledge you. -- Matthew 12:30. – Making No decision is a decision of rejection of Jesus Christ
[43] Matthew 18:12-14 - It’s
Jesus that comes to find you.
[44] Matthew 20:1-16 – It’s
never too late to accept Christ. -- Luke 23:42-43 – Criminal on the cross
repented; it was not too late
[45] Matthew 9:11-13 – Christ
came to minister to the sick, not the well
[46] Matthew 7:24-27 – There
are Wise and Foolish Builders
[47]Matthew 11:25-26 – The Gospel
is foolishness to the wise -- Matthew 7:13-14 - The Wide Gate leads to destruction, the Narrow gate leads to life
[48] Mark 25:14-30 – Well done
my Good and FAITHFUL
servant
[49] Matthew 7:16 – You are
identified and known by your WORKS.
[50] Luke 12:48 – To whom much
is given, much is expected
[51] Matthew 9:27-30 – “According to your faith” it will be done.
[52] Matthew 8:6-13 – By your FAITH, “As you believe”, it will be done
[53] Matthew 18:18 – Loose
your faith on earth, because its already been loosed in heaven
[54] Matthew 21:19-22 – Have
faith and not doubt
[55] Matthew 18:19 –Two in
agreement in God’s will, It will be done -- Matthew 18:20 - He is present where
two are gathered in His name
[56] Matthew 9:21-22 – If only
I can just touch Him, I will be healed; her FAITH healed her.
[57] Matthew 9:23-26 – Jesus
put the unbelievers out of the house before He prayed for healing
[58] Mathew 8:2-4 – IT IS THE
WILL OF GOD THAT YOU BE HEALED
[59] Matthew 5:5-15 – Jesus teaches us how to pray
[60] Matthew 22:36-40 – Love God, Love your neighbor
[61] Matthew 5:38-42 - Jesus
raised the bar; go the extra mile
[62] Matthew 5:43-47 - Love for Enemies
[63] Luke 10:30-37 – The
neighbor who shows mercy shows love
[64] Matthew 7:12 - The golden rule; do to
others what you would have them do to you
[65] Matthew 5:21-25 – Settle
matters quickly; be reconciled
[66] Matthew 21:28-31 - The
Parable of the Two Sons; which one did the Father’s
will? The one that DID the Will of
the Father.
[67] Matthew 5:13-16 –You are
the Salt and Light
of the world -- Matthew 25:31-46 –
Whatever you do, do it as if doing it unto the Lord
[68] Matthew 7:21-23 – “FAITH” without Works is a dead
faith
[69] Matthew 7:15-19 – By
their WORKS
you will recognize the Believer -- Luke
13:6-9 – No good works, No fruit; then cut the tree down
[70] Matthew 6:1-4 – When you
give to the Needy, do not let your left hand know
what your right hand is doing; do it in secret
[71] Mark 12:41-44 – Give of
what you have; you are not expected to give what you don’t have
[72] Matthew 23:23 – Give, but
don’t forget mercy and faithfulness.
[73] Luke 6:38 – Give and it will be given back to you in good measure,
pressed down, shaken together and running over
[74] Matthew 22:17-22 – Should
the believer pay taxes; so give to Caesar what is
Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.”
[75] Matthew 17:24-27 – Pay
the Temple Tax; Cause no offence it’s a distraction to
the Gospel
[76] 1 Corenthians 12:29 – We
all have different gifts and callings.
[77] Matthew 11:18-19 – Jesus
accused of being a drunkard
[78] Matthew 15:11 – It’s what
comes out of your mouth that defiles you -- Matthew 12:33-37 – The mouth speaks
what’s in the heart.
[79] 1 Corenthians 6:9-10 –
Drunkards will not inherit the Kingdom of God
[80] Romans 14:19-21– Don’t
cause your brother to stumble, drink in private
[81] Matthew 21:33-44 - The
Parable of the Tenants; Didn’t listen, killed the Son
[82] Romans 11:25 – A remnant
of Jews will accept Christ
[83] Matthew 16:21-28 – FIRST TIME - Jesus Predicts His
Death -- Matthew 17:22-23 - SECOND TIME - Jesus Predicts His Death
-- Matthew 20:17-19 - THIRD TIME -
Jesus Predicts His Death
[84] Matthew 12:38-40 - The Sign of Jonah; in the belly
of the earth Three days -- Jonah
1:17 - Jonah was in the belly of
the fish three days and three nights
-- Matthew 12:40 - Jesus
will be in the heart of the earth three days and
three nights
[85] Acts 1:4-5 – Wait for the
gift my Father promised; you will be baptized with the
Holy Spirit
[86] John 15:26 – The comforter will bear witness of Jesus Christ
[87] John 14:25-26 – The Holy Spirit will teach you all things and will
remind you of everything I have said to you. -- Acts 1:8 – The Holy Spirit will give your power to witness
[88] John 16:5-11 – The Counselor; The Holy Spirit will convict the
world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment:
[89] Matthew 24:6-13 – The
beginning birth pains of the end times will be wars,
famines, earthquakes
[90] Matthew 24:29 – Sun darkened; stars fall, heavens shaken
[91] Matthew 24:3-5 – Many
will come claiming they are the Messiah; watch out that no one deceives you.
[92] Matthew 24:27 – So as
lightning that comes from the east is visible in the west, so He will be seen everywhere at once
[93] Matthew 24:36-44 - The
Day and Hour of the Return of Jesus is Unknown
[94] Matthew 24:14 – The
Gospel will be preached to the whole world
[95] Matthew 24:15 – Satan will stand in the new temple Holy of Holies
[96] Matthew 24:32-35 – The signs
show the end of time is near; at the door
[97] Matthew 24:23-26 – Don’t
be fooled; Jesus the Messiah will NOT return in
secret --
Matthew 24:31 – There will be a loud trumpet blast;
angels will gather his elect from the four winds
[98] Matthew 24:30 – Jesus
will appear in the clouds with power and glory
[99] Matthew 24:28 – It will
happen faster than the vultures can gather on road kill.
[100] Matthew 24:16-22 – The tribulations: dreadful, great distress for the
sake of the elect those days will be shortened.
[101] Matthew 25:1-13 - Be
wise; be prepared to enter the Kingdom
[102] Matthew 13:24-30 –
Believer and Un-believer will grow side by side -- Matthew 13:37-42 - At the
end of the age the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire
[103] Matthew 13:47-51 – The
net of salvation catches good and bad fish
[104] 1 Peter 2:6-8 – Those
that reject the cornerstone will stumble
[105] 1 Peter 2:9 – We are an elect race, a royal
priesthood, a people for God's own
possession, a holy nation,
[106] Mathew 18 2-5 – Believe
and trust as a child with his daddy.
[107] Mathew 5:3-12 – It’s your
attitude toward God; The Beatitudes
[108] Matthew 10:37-39 – Love
Christ more than your own family.
[109] Matthew 19:16-26 - It is
hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven.
[110] Matthew 19:25-26 – Who
then can be saved? With man this is impossible, but with God all things are
possible.
[111] 2 Timothy 3:16 - All Scripture is inspired
by God, it corrects us and teaches us
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