Who Is Jesus? Your Answer Holds Eternal Consequences…
Mat 16:13-16 – When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
For the SIH Bible Study on this subject:
“Jesus Is The Anointed Prophet Priest and King”
(Identifying Jesus as the Anointed One During His First Coming)
INTRODUCTION:
Many times in the New Testament Jesus is given the title of “Christ”. The title “Christ” holds the same meaning as the Old Testament title “Messiah”. Both of these titles possess a similar meaning, “one that is anointed”.
Why are these two titles for Jesus so important? It is based on the Old Testament practice of the anointing prophets (1 Kings 19:16), priests (Nums 3:3), and kings (1 Kings 19:16). The public anointing of these office holders revealed that they have been given God’s authority and enabling to hold their perspective offices.
Based upon this Old Testament practice, understanding that Jesus was “the Anointed One” reveals to us that Jesus has received God’s authority to hold the offices of “Prophet”, “Priest” and “King”.
In this study, we will be making a quick search for proofs that Christ exercised this divine authority as Our Prophet, Our Priest, and Our King, thus proving that He truly was anointed by God.
TODAY’S TEXT:
Isa 61:1-3
(1) The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; (2) To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; (3) To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.
Mat 16:13-16
(13) When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? (14) And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. (15) He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? (16) And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
Mat 16:20
(20) Then charged he his disciples that they should tell no man that he was Jesus the Christ.
Act 10:37-38
(37) That word, I say, ye know, which was published throughout all Judaea, and began from Galilee, after the baptism which John preached; (38) How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.
Heb 1:8-9
(8) But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom. 9) Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.
TODAY’S LESSON:
In the Old Testament, there are many texts which speak of the Messiah, or “the Anointed One”. These texts describe the individual who will be anointed by God to perform many different earthly, and heavenly ministries…
Isa 61:1-3 – “The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.”
Heb 1:8-9 – “But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom. Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.”
Jesus was anointed by his Heavenly Father with the Holy Spirit as the Spirit came down upon Him at His baptism…
Act 10:37-38 – “That word, I say, ye know, which was published throughout all Judaea, and began from Galilee, after the baptism which John preached; How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.”
So in Matthew 16:13-20 the Lord was not only emphasizing His position before the Father as “the Christ” (“the Anointed One”), but also he was emphasizing the ministries he was performing at His first coming as God’s Prophet, Priest and King.
Mat 16:13-20 – “When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Then charged he his disciples that they should tell no man that he was Jesus the Christ.”
While on earth, and immediately afterward, Christ fulfilled all three roles that His Father had given to Him…
- Prophet – During Christ’s ministry on earth, He delivered the Father’s message to the people…
Joh 12:49 – “For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak.”
Joh 14:10 – “Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.”
- Priest – During Christ’s ministry on earth, He acted as Priest making intercession and sacrifice for His people…
Joh 17:9 -16 – “I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine. And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them. And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are. And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are. While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled. And now come I to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves. I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world…”
Joh 10:11-15 – “I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep. The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep. I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep.”
- King – immediately following His ascension Christ was seated at His Father’s right hand and began His reign as King of King and Lord of Lords…
Mar 16:19 – “So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God.”
Act 2:32-35 – “This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses. Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear. For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, Until I make thy foes thy footstool.”
PRACTICAL APPLICATION:
Folks, every time we speak of “Jesus Christ, the Messiah” we are affirming that Jesus is the promised King, Prophet, and Priest sent from God to rule, intercede for, and sacrifice Himself for God’s people.
Do we believe, with a God-given faith, that Jesus is our Christ? Has He died for us? Does He intervene for us? Does He rule over our hearts and lives?
If we can answer “yes” to all of these questions, we have been delivered from our sins and are eternally secure in Him. If we cannot say “yes” to these questions then we have to question our standing before God.
May we all come to a saving faith in Him, placing all of our trust in Him as the Prophet, Priest and King of our lives.
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Amen…
“My flesh and my heart faileth: [but] God [is] the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever.” (Psalms 73:26)
Do We Rightly Divide The Word, Or Do We Proclaim Error?
2Ti 2:15 – “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”
For the SIH Bible Study on this subject:
“Rightly Dividing The Word of Truth”
(Treating The Bible With Honesty and Respect As God’s Revealed Word)
INTRODUCTION:
For our Bible study today, we come across a very well-known and emphasized text of Scripture. In this text, the Apostle Paul is instructing a young Pastor Timothy on the need to “rightly divide the Word of Truth”, as he ministers to the Ephesian the church and the citizens of Ephesus.
What did Paul mean when he gave these instructions to Timothy?
Was he telling Timothy of the need to divide the Word between true teachings and errors that the Bible contains? There are many that wrongfully believe this is so.
Or perhaps, Paul was telling Timothy of the need to divide the Scriptures into several different time periods characterized by different methods of Godly interaction with men? Our dispensational brothers would tell us this is the case.
In our study this morning we will be looking at the Scriptural meaning of the phrase “rightly dividing the Word of Truth” and its application for all who seek to serve the Lord and share His Word with others.
TODAY’S TEXT:
2Ti 2:15 – “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”
TODAY’S LESSON:
Obviously, this study will center on the meaning of the phrase “rightly dividing”. The only possible way to come to a proper understanding of this phrase is to come to an understanding of the MEANING of these words and their USAGE in the context of our passage…
The meaning of the words “rightly dividing”.
This two word phrase is translated from one word in the Greek. This word is “orthotomeo”. The meaning of orthotomeo is very interesting indeed. This word comes from a fusion of two Greek words… “orthos” and “tomoteros”.
“orthos” carries with the ideas of straight, upright, level, honest, not twisted, not distorted.
“tomoteros” carries with it the idea of cutting, sharpness, dissection.
From this vocabulary we can see the basic idea Paul was getting across to Timothy was the need to “cut into” God’s Word, closely examine it, and then share his findings with others. It would be much like a biologist that is using a very sharp knife to carefully dissect an animal to come to a better factual understanding of its internal organs and contents.
Also, Timothy was never to approach God’s Word with a bias or a predisposition about its contents. He was to simply accept the teachings of the Word, accept them as truth, and then fairly reflect his discoveries to his listeners without twisting his findings in any way. Timothy’s teachings were to simply reveal the contents of the Word, not twist the Word to align it with his personal desires and beliefs.
In summary this terminology teaches us that Timothy was to take great care in coming to an understanding of the Scriptures and in revealing its contents in an unbiased, truthful fashion.
The usage of the phrase “rightly dividing” in the context of our passage.
Please keep in mind, the thought found in this passage actually begins in verse 14 and carries through to verse 19. In this passage we see two basic themes being covered over and over again…
#1. The need to teach the truth and ONLY the truth.
This subject is found in verses 15 & 19:
15) Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
In this verse, we see the need to study diligently, come to an understanding of the truth and teach the truth we have learned, so as not to stand ashamed before Christ.
(19) Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.
Here, we see that one of the outstanding characteristics of God’s people is the need to depart from iniquity in our personal life. This includes departing from false teaching that only harms men.
#2. The harm that is done through the false teachings of men.
This theme is found in the following verses:
(14) Of these things put them in remembrance, charging them before the Lord that they strive not about words to no profit, but to the subverting of the hearers.
False teaching is of no profit to the minister or those who sit under his ministry. On the contrary, false teaching only disrupts and sabotages those who are striving to come to an understanding God’s Word in truth.
(16) But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness.
(17) And their word will eat as doth a canker: of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus;
(18) Who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already; and overthrow the faith of some.
Here, Timothy is told to brush off wicked and fruitless discussions that only lead to an increase in opposition to God.
False teaching devours the listener like gangrene, resulting in uselessness and a poisoning of the hearer. Teaching error propagates untrue beliefs and can even overwhelm the set of Godly truths that were previously learned. In other words, error not only deceives those who have learned no truth, but also can confuse those who have assented to the truth.
These were all destructive results of teaching error which emphasized to Timothy the need to come to a proper understand of the truths of God’s Word and then, faithfully, reveal them to his hearers.
PRACTICAL APPLICATION:
Folks, all of us have some type of ministry that God has given to us. In every case, our ministry should involve revealing God’s Word to others through our lives, whether by our words or our actions or a combination of both.
For us to faithfully proclaim the Word of God, we should concentrate on these instructions given by the Apostle Paul to Timothy…. carefully study the Word and then, with equal care, share what we have learned with others.
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In Everything We Do… Do All For The Lord’s Glory
1Co 10:31 – “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.”
For the SIH Bible Study on this subject:
Serving Christ For His Glory… What Does “His Glory” Mean?
INTRODUCTION:
From the pulpit, from the classroom, and from the mouths of most Christians, we hear the instruction to “serve the Lord for His glory”… unfortunately, this phrase can be very confusing for each one of us due to the variety of teachings about the Lord’s glory found in the Bible.
Many times, when the Bible describes God’s glory (as in Exo 24:17), it is speaking of a bright manifestation of the very presence of God. This meaning of the phrase reveals to us that God’s glory “appears” (Exo 16:10), “can be seen” (Num 14:22) and is “revealed” (Isa 40:5) to us. When we tell others to “serve the Lord for His glory” are we telling them to serve our Lord in the hopes of seeing His presence revealed as a bright, overwhelming light? I think we all understand this is not the case.
In at least three different occasions (Job 40:10, Psa 93:1 and 104:1-2), God’s symbolic clothing is described as his glory. If we use this Biblical definition then we are to serve Him to receive a vision of the symbolic clothing that He is said to wear. Of course this is not the meaning of “for His glory” that is to motivate us to service for Christ.
The Bible also describes His glory as being revealed in a thunderstorm (Psa 29:3). Does this mean we serve Him so that we will see lightning and hear thunder roll? We can all agree, this is not the case.
The list goes on and on. When God’s glory is described it can be revealed to man in many, many different ways.
So what is “God’s glory” and how is it shown to mankind when we serve Him and bear his fruits in our life? In other words, what is the Scriptural motivation for our service to Christ? These questions are what we will be seeking to answer in this Bible study.
TODAY’S TEXT:
Matt 5:16 – “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”
1Co 10:31 – “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.”
TODAY’S LESSON:
To come to an understanding of our motive for service (as we serve Christ “for His glory”, we need to understand the definition of the term “glory”. The word glory is translated from several different words in the Bible. In the Old Testament, it is translated from these Hebrew words and their forms:
- kabowd – weight, splendor, honor
- paar – to gleam or boast
- hadar – ornament, splendor
- halal – to shine, flash forth, boast
- shabach – laud, praise, command
- tipharah – beauty, boasting
- howd – splendor, majesty, vigor
- addereth – mantle, garment, robe
- tohar – brightness
- yeqar – wealth
In the New Testament, it is translated from these Greek words and their forms:
- doxa – dignity, honor, praise, worship
- kauchema – to cause to boast
- kleos – praise, respect
As we can see, in both the Old and New Testaments, the most basic, shared meaning behind all the words translated “glory” involves a revelation of the Lord’s excellence. Whether it be speaking of the bright light like fire that appeared over Mt Sinai, the Lord’s clothing being symbolized as a bright light or His voice thunders and “is full of glory”, we can see that the Lord’s greatness is being described.
Excellence, or the Supremacy over all others, is the central theme we can see in all the above words translated “glory” in the Word of God. To put it very simply, the phrase “the glory of the Lord” is describing a revelation of the Lord’s greatness.
When we are told to “serve the Lord for his glory” we are being told to serve the Lord motivated by the desire to reveal His Greatness to others. This should be the motive and goal in all of our ministries and in everything we do…
1Co 10:31 – “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.”
We should never seek to exalt ourselves or others around us, our one purpose of ministry is to allow the greatness of Christ to be displayed in us. This is symbolically like Christ’s glorious light that shines forth from us revealing our Savior to the world around us….
Matt 5:16 – “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”
As you can see from the above passage the way that Christ’s light shines forth from us is through the fruits of the Spirit which we possess within us. When we bear these fruits the end results are good works which exalt Christ.
This is the true meaning behind the phrase “we are to serve the Lord for His glory”.
PRACTICAL APPLICATION:
Let’s close our study this morning by asking a few very simple questions….
Why do we serve the Lord and live our daily lives for Him?
Is the end result of our ministry His glory, our glory, or a combination of both?
May we all seek to have Jesus glorified in everything we do!
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When We Change God’s Word We Are Denying Its Truthfulness and Power
Psa 119:160 – Thy word is true from the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever.
For the SIH Bible Study on this subject:
God’s Word: Believe It Or Deny It… But Don’t Twist It!
INTRODUCTION:
Over the years I have seen people believe God’s Word and see their need to come to Christ for forgiveness and salvation from their sins. Also, I have seen many people make a decision to not believe God’s word, ignore its warnings and continue to live a life that is separated from Christ and characterized by the practice of sin. We all must make the choice to either believe the Word and apply it to our lives, or ignore its message and the offer of salvation that lies in its pages.
But sadly, there is another group of people whom I have seen that choose to make an attempt to change the Word of the Lord and twist its meaning and its message. They do this in an attempt to make it align with their own personal morals, philosophies and carnal desires. They come to a sinful faith in their version of God’s Word, while in affect denying the true gospel message that it contains.
In this study we will be looking at the Scriptural teachings on the need to refrain from attempting to change His Word to meet our carnal desires.
TODAY’S TEXT:
Psa 119:160 – Thy word is true from the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever.
2 Tim 4:3-4 – For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.
2 Peter 3:16 – As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.
TODAY’S LESSON:
Psa 119:160 – Thy word is true from the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever.
Many years ago, King David understood that God’s Word, in its entirety was “true”. The Hebrew word translated true in this verse refers to something that is trustworthy and certain. Folks, the reliability of God’s Word is no small issue indeed. If we cannot depends on the Word in its entirety, we have no assurance of Christ’s existence, identity, or work done on our behalf. This leads us to understand that we then have absolutely no assurance of our salvation nor of an eternity that awaits us.
King David then continues by telling us that God’s Word “endureth” forever. In other words, it remains in existence, and affect, throughout all time and into eternity. What a blessing this is for all of us. We can know that not only is God’s Word reliable, but it remains reliable throughout the ages! Never will there be a time when God’s Word will no longer be dependable. It is only in this truth that we can have eternal confidence of our salvation and the home that awaits us on the New Heavens and Earth.
Sadly, those who seek to change God’s Word, and twist its meaning, are living in denial of its truthfulness and endurance.
2 Tim 4:3-4 – For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.
Paul, in his writings, prophesied of a day when men would “not endure sound doctrine”, “heap to themselves teachers having itching ears”, “turn away their ears from the truth”, and finally ‘be turned unto fables”. In other words, because their sinful natures and desires they did not desire to hear the truths of God’s Word. Instead, they sought out false teachers who substituted the truths of the Word with “fables”. The Hebrew word used for fables refers to fictional tales.
When a man is convicted due to their sinful condition, instead of turning from their sin and looking to Christ as their Lord and Savior, they simply attempt to change the truths of the Word which relieves their conscience and allows them to continue living their sinful lifestyles. When this takes place they no longer see their need to repent and come to Christ.
2 Peter 3:16 – As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.
Peter confirms the writings of Paul when he says that, even in his day, there were those “that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.” These men were “wresting”, i.e. twisting or perverting, the teachings of the Scriptures “unto their own destruction”.
Folks, as difficult as it may be to come face to face with our sinful condition and need of Christ, it is far better than to change God’s Word, twisting its content and meaning resulting in a soothed conscience in the midst of our sins which separates us from Christ, keeps us under His wrath, and condemns us eternally.
PRACTICAL APPLICATION:
Folks, the message of the Word is clear, either accept the Word as eternal truth from God, or look upon it as a collection of error filled human writings, but under no circumstances should we attempt to change it to make it more palatable to our personal whims and sinful tastes.
When we simply choose to believe the Word, or deny it, we are responding to the Scriptural responsibility that God has laid on us. This allows us to clearly see our standing before the Lord.
For those of us who believe His Word and apply it to our lives resulting in a Godly repentance and belief in Christ, we know our sins have been forgiven and we are secure in Him.
For those who choose to deny His Word and reject its teachings, they can clearly see that they have never accepted the gospel message, and therefore never come a saving faith in Christ. They are yet lost in their sins and stand guilty before the Almighty God who is the Eternal Judge over all mankind. This knowledge can then be the basis of consistent guilt and conviction which can later drive them to Christ.
However, when they try to twist the Word to meet their own personal preferences, they are, in effect, fooling themselves into thinking that they are right with God. They are telling themselves that they are living according to God’s Word and in good standing before Him. Yet, in reality, they are under the bondage of sin, possessing a carnal assurance of a nonexistent salvation. They have blinded themselves from the truth and have made themselves “two-fold more the children of hell”. They are living with a false sense of spiritual security when, in actuality, are doomed to eternal punishment in the Lake of Fire.
Lord help anyone of us who have chosen this path of self-deception and self-assurance for our lives.
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