PASSOVER NIGHT!
It is Passover night, March 28th in the year 2010. It is the
night to be much observed by those who have Jesus Christ as their
PERSONAL Savior. It should be a night of no hurry, of Scripture
reading, of meditation on the LIFE and the DEATH of our Savior,
and the FREEDOM from sins and death that is given to us. It may
be a night of staying up later, even at the expense of less sleep
that usual, for it is a night like no other in the calendar of
God. It is written in Exodus 12 that it is a night to be much
observed. Of course during this night all in Christ, all baptized
members of the body of Christ partake of the symbols of LIFE -
the unleavened bread and the cup of the fruit of the vine.
I have determined to read through the book of the Gospel of
John in the next 24 hours or so. I would like to share with you
some of the wonderful truths that are found therein.
The Word was in the beginning, the Word was God, and the
Word was with God (Two eternal beings were in the beginning as the
Godhead). This One God being was the Word, and it was He that did
the creating, and nothing that is made, was made without
Him. And in Him was LIFE. This Word was made flesh (He was the
Immanuel to come as Isaiah told - God with us), and He came to
His own (created people in His likeness, as well as coming from
the tribe of Judah). The Old Testament law was given through
Moses but grace and truth (in its fullness) came through Jesus
Christ, the Word (John 1:1-17).
No man has EVER seen God the Father! It was the Son of God
that has declared Him in all His splendor of perfection and grace
and love. John, the baptist that is, was sent to bear witness to
that Word of light and truth. He was chosen to prepare a people
for the coming of God in the flesh. "The next day John seeing
Jesus coming unto him, says, "Behold the Lamb of God, which takes
away the sins of the world" (John 1:29). Yes, our sins can be
taken away, blotted out by the blood of Christ.
A master in Israel called Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews,
came to Him by night. Jesus taught him about His purpose: "And as
Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the
Son of man be lifted up. That whoever believes in Him should not
perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that
He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him
should not perish, but have eternal life" (verses 14-16). Yes,
LIFE you can have. It is there for the taking, but the taking
means as Jesus went on to teach: "And this is the condemnation,
that LIGHT is come into the world, and men love darkness rather
than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that
practices evil hates the light, neither comes to the light, lest
his deeds should be reproved. But he that practices truth comes
to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are
performed in God" (verses 19-21).
Do YOU, enjoy LIGHT? Do you WANT it more than darkness? Do
you love to find TRUTH? Do you want to be corrected, to grow in
grace and knowledge? Do you hunger and thirst after
righteousness? And what is righteousness? It is interpreted for
you in Psalm 119:172!
Maybe during this Passover/Unleavened Bread feast you could read
through the letters of the apostle John. They contain clear as a
cloudless day in the sun, what the LOVE of God IS!
Jesus must needs go through Samaria, and He meets the woman
at the well. He tells her about the true water that if a man
drinks he will never thirst again, but that water will spring up
into everlasting life (John 4:1-14).
Jesus tells the woman about her life, and the truth that God
wants people who will worship Him in "spirit and in truth" (God's
word is truth - see John 17:17; and we are to live by every word
of God - see Matthew 4:4) - verse 23-24. Jesus reveals God is a
Spirit, that is He is made of Spirit - His form and shape is
eternal spirit (verse 24).
Jesus' food is to do the WILL of the Father, and to finish
the work He is given (verse 34). Are YOU in tune with Jesus my
friends, if you are, YOUR desire above all else, will be as
Jesus' was. And your work .... well that is for the Father to
point you to, it varies for every person in Christ. But be
assured you do have a work to do, be it in your family or
community or larger yet. Everyone in the body of Christ has work
to do for Him. We are not all an eye, or a nose, or hand, or
foot, or head, or arm or leg, or toe-nail, but we all have a work
and working our work, means Jesus' work moves forward and outward
to the world and those who need His light and truth.
Ah, from this woman at the well comes many from her town and
they entreated Jesus to stay, and He did, for two whole days,
teaching and instructing. The result: "And many more BELIEVED
because of His own words; And said unto the woman, Now we
believe, not because of thy sayings; for we have HEARD HIM
OURSELVES, and know that this IS INDEED the Christ, the SAVIOR of
the world!" (verses 40-42).
If YOU want Jesus, if you want the light of man in your
life, then LISTEN to Him speak! READ His words in the four
Gospels! Let them touch your heart and mind, drink them in, let
them become part of you. Love them, meditate on them. Then you
will have a PERSONAL relationship with Jesus. Yesterday I
received an email from a man who had read my "short biography" on
this Website but asked me if I had accepted Jesus as my personal
Savior. Obviously the man had not read very much of my Website,
or my writings. I was sent to a "church school" at age 6. I "fell
in love" with the Bible. I fell in love with the Gospels. I fell
in love with the words of Jesus. By the time I was 9 years old I
had accepted Jesus as my Savior, I was having a personal
relationship with Him and the Father. Well that was me, that was
God's doing in my early life. Oh, I was yet to learn the deep
things of God (my that is really a life time as we are always to
grow in grace and knowledge), but YOU, whatever your age, you can
have right now a personal relationship with Jesus and the Father.
Just like those Samaritans, they had only two days, but because
they were willing to HEAR Him, with a right heart, they BELIEVED,
and they walked with him. It does not take years friends to "get
a relationship" with Jesus or the Father. It just takes a right
heart reading and listening to Their words.
Jesus healed a man in chapter 5 verses 1-14. A little later
that day (a Sabbath day) Jesus finds the man, and says: "Behold
thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto
thee" (verse 14).
As we ponder on "sin" during this feast of Unleavened Bread,
we need to acknowledge that SOME sins carry a physical penalty.
That should not be hard to understand when we think about what
"smoking" has done to people physically. So if Jesus did heal
your lungs and body from the effects of smoking, then you can see
why Jesus said what He said to this man, obviously Christ knew
the nitty-gritty of the situation (we are not told), and so
advised the man to not physically sin any more. I mean throwing
God's grace back in His face, is not being wise at all. We need
to honor our physical body, it is the temple of God, as the
apostle Paul put it. So during this feast maybe take time to
look, or examine, your physical life. Is it in harmony with the
physical laws that God wants us to observe so a "worse thing come
not upon you." Yes, a Christian pays attention to the physical as
well as the spiritual things that are the makeup of the God we
say we want to follow and serve.
The Son does the Father's will, the Father loves the Son; as
the Father has power over death so does the Son. All judgement
the Father is committing to the Son, so men should honor the Son
as they do the Father. You cannot have one without the other. You
must have the Son and the Father (verses 19-23). Those who HEAR
the words of Christ and BELIEVE on Him that sent Him to this
world, they have everlasting life, and shall not come into
condemnation, but are passed from death to life (verse 24).
The Bible, and especially the New Testament makes it very
clear what "hearing my word" means. The apostle James likened it
to looking into a mirror, which is God's word and law, and seeing
yourself in the light of that truth and light, you go away DOING
something about it. Hearing the word of the Lord means it does
not go in one ear and out the other ear, and you continuing in
practicing sin! The first chapters of 1 John tell you about being
a Christian - it is pretty plain, to those who have their hearts
right with God. No PhD needed, no 4 years at some "theology
school" - just a few simple passages and verses tell you what the
Passover and Unleavened Bread feast means to true Christians. If
your heart is right you can be wiser in understanding salvation
and the Kingdom of God than all the PhDs in the world.
Here in this 5th chapter of John (verses 25-29), Jesus tells
us plainly about the truth of the RESURRECTION! ALL who have ever
lived will one day be raised from the dead. Some to eternal life,
and others to a resurrection that will end in judgement (not
"damnation" as the KJV gives). The truth of the RESURRECTION/S -
yes more than one, is expounded fully on this Website.
Jesus was sent by the Father. His witness to light and truth
is in full harmony with the Father. And the Father bears witness
of the Son. Jesus tells us that the voice and shape of the Father
has never been seen, as was given in chapter 1:18 (verses 30-37).
The truth of all that is given and explained in many studies
about God on this Website.
There are many professing Christians out there today, who
"think they have eternal life" but who do not, and many of them
have never, "SEARCHED THE SCRIPTURES" (verse 39). They have
either lulled themselves to spiritual sleep, or they have been
lulled by their preachers and teachers to spiritual sleep. Too
MANY are ignorant of the Scriptures, they have no clue as to what
the Bible teaches, not even to what Jesus taught in the Gospels.
And certainly when it comes to putting some EFFORT into Bible
reading and studying, they ain't "searching the scriptures."
Jesus taught people TO SEARCH the Scriptures. Are you doing so?
Do your beliefs and practices in Christianity come from the Bible
or from the teachings and traditions of men, or organizations of
men?
Jesus had to say to many people in His day "But I know you,
that you have NOT the love of God in you!" (verse 42).
Now, you should be asking, "What is the love of God?" Do you
know? How about asking the minister you may look to? How about
asking yourself and him/her (now that we have ordained women in
popular Christianity), "Please give me some clear Bible
definitions as to what is 'the love of God'." Well you or they
should be turning to the letters of John, and some verses also
later in the Gospel of John. Again, you don't need some PhD to
find the answer to this question. Why a child can understand!
Oh look at verses 43-47! How many today are looking to "men"
(or women) for Bible understanding; men who often scratch each
other's back - this one gives an endorsement of that one's book,
and visa-versa. They honor one another, and none of them SEEK the
honor that comes from God only. I try always to honor God. I have
studies on this Website that are going to kick many people, and
"church leaders" right where it hurts (and I think you know where
that is). Such do not need my accusing. The very Word of God, the
Bible, will accuse them. The religious leaders of Jesus' day were
accused by the very writings of Moses, whom they claimed to read.
Moses wrote about the truth of the coming Messiah, and they would
not believe it. Hence they would not believe the words of that
Messiah when He came.
So it is today, people will not search or believe the
Scriptures; they give honor to men but will not honor God, by
searching, reading, and believing the Word of God!
It was the Passover and Jesus went up into a mountain, and
He sat with His disciples. He lifted up His eyes and saw this
huge company coming to Him. He performed a mighty miracle of
feeding about 5,000 from just five barley loaves (they would have
been unleavened) and two small fish. Many seeing such a miracle
believed that this was indeed the "prophet that should come into
the world" (Chapter 6:1-14).
Will it take YOU seeing such a miracle to believe in Jesus
Christ as the Messiah, the Savior of the world, the One who can
wash away your sins, give you a heart of flesh (which may have
been previously stone)? I pray it will not take such a physical
miracle for you to accept Jesus as YOUR PERSONAL Savior! If
anyone reading this has still not done so, then this is now a
wonderful time of the year to do so. It just takes a little
reading, hearing the words of Jesus. Many of the Samaritans
accepted Him in just two days of hearing Him. I pray you will
walk with Him also.
.......................
To be continued
Lessons for the Passover Feast #2Truths from the Gospel of John
by
Keith Hunt
Jesus went over to the sea to Capernaum. The next day many
of those who had been fed by that miracle the day before, came
searching for Him. Jesus knew their heart; they had not really
come wanting to hear the words of life, but hoping to fill their
bellies once more with physical food. Jesus said it was needful
to labor, put some effort into seeking the food that would endure
to everlasting life. He pointed out to them the Father had sent
Himself to give the true bread from heaven. He told them that
they had seen and heard but really did not believe on Him
(chapter 6:16-36).
The lesson of all this is brought out in the following
verses starting with: "All that the Father gives me shall come to
me; and him that comes to me I will in no wise cast out" (verse
37). It is the Father's will that all that He gives to Jesus, He
will loose none, but raise them up in the last day (the first
resurrection as Revelation 20 tells us). It is the Father's will
that those who believe of Christ (and we have already seen what
"believe" means - the rest of the Gospels also make it very
clear) shall have eternal life and be in that first resurrection
(verses 38-40).
The Jews could not understand at all, what Jesus was meaning
by saying He was the bread from heaven. They looked at Him as a
man born of a woman, whose mother and father they had known; to
them it was impossible that He could have come from heaven. They
were in complete spiritual blindness (verses 41-42).
Jesus knew the truth, He knew they could not understand, for
as He went on to tell them: "No man can come to me, except the
Father which has sent me, DRAW him, and then I will raise him up
at the last day. For it is written in the prophets, And they
shall all be taught of God. Every man therefore that has heard,
and has learned of the Father, comes to me .... truly then, I say
unto you, he that believes on Me has everlasting life; for I am
the bread of life" (verses 44-48).
This is a basic truth of the plan of salvation that the
Father has determined. These verses and also verses 63-65, are
simple to understand; they tell you that ALL people are
spiritually BLINDED, and CANNOT come to the Father and Christ,
UNTIL that spiritual blindness is removed. So people can hear and
hear and hear the words of God, the words of the Bible being
read, spoken, preached, even from the house tops, and STILL not
understand, still be in complete blindness. They just do not have
their mind opened to understanding and digesting the truth of
God. It takes a MIRACLE from God to open a person's mind to
spiritual light. God is just NOT trying to save the whole world
at this time, nor in the time when Jesus walked and taught on
this earth. Think about it, when Jesus was teaching that He was
the only true light, that He alone was the way to eternal life,
that He was the only Shepherd that could lead into the sheep
fold, the people in North America and South America, over in
China and India, in Korea, or down in Australia, had no idea he
was even on earth. They could NOT have eternal life in them at
that time. Even most of the ones hearing Jesus speak, were NOT
called, they could not understand spiritual truth, just as Jesus
is here telling them. But Christ has quoted from the prophets
that ALL will be taught of God. But it is in God's time PLAN of
salvation that ALL will be taught and have their opportunity for
salvation. This is all full expounded on this Website with
studies like "The Great White Throne Judgement."
So if YOU have been called to understand the spiritual
truths of God, and when you try to explain it to friends or
relatives, and you just get a blank look on their face, or you
realize you may just as well talk to the wall or the trees, then
it is more certain than not that they just have not been called
to have the spiritual blindness removed. Now you continue to be a
light, notice I said light, not a car horn that is stuck in the
mode of sounding off none stop; it is possible that sometime down
the road God will call your friend, neighbor, or family member,
BUT the bottom line is, it is God that must remove the blindness.
This is one of the reasons I ain't a missionary in the flesh
in some hostile place on earth, where you can be killed, and
maybe even eaten, by the natives. The false teaching and idea
that God is trying to save the entire population of the earth at
this time, is so false, and if you do not get to those people,
they are going to fry in hell for eternity, is so crazy and so
silly a teaching, for if it was true, then the facts of history
are that God is pretty weak and ineffective, does not have as
much power as Satan the Devil, who is out to keep people under
deception and sin. But this idea that salvation is only for the
NOW, and God and Satan are in some tug of war battle .... well
such theology is incredibly stupid, but it is still being taught
by many ... and as we have just seen the MANY are in spiritual
blindness, that's the reason they teach such illogical ideas in
the first place. Well if all I've said kinda shocks you, then you
need to slowly read through Romans chapters 9 through 11.
Jesus goes on to tell them that He was the LIVING bread, not
the bread their fathers ate during the wilderness time before
entering the Promised Land. He then goes into some strange talk
(well we see many thought it very strange) about eating His body
and drinking His blood. Even MANY of Jesus' disciples could not
understand this talk of His. He tells them the easy to understand
truth of it all in verse 63, "It is the spirit that gives life;
the flesh profits nothing: the WORDS that I speak unto you, they
are spirit, and THEY are LIFE!"
Jesus was not teaching cannibalism! He was not saying they
were to literally eat His flesh and literally drink His blood!
There would not be enough of His physical body to go around, if
He was talking about anything physical. Well, as I said many
times, the Bible interprets the Bible. Jesus interprets for us
what He is really meaning. To eat the flesh of Christ, to drink
His blood, is to imbibe into your mind and heart ALL that Christ
was - the WORD of God in the flesh. It did not matter what He
looked like, how tall He was, how many pounds He weighed. Jesus
was God's WORD personified! And you drinking in that word and
acting upon it, changing your life to conform to the Father's
word, that was then eating and drinking Christ. That's where the
rubber meets the road friends. That's where James was inspired to
write that we should be DOERS of the WORD, and not hearers only!
But, even AFTER Jesus explained the truth in simple
language, as to what He was meaning, STILL, notice it, STILL some
of His VERY DISCIPLES went back, and walked NO MORE with Him
(verse 66)! Ah, again Jesus reiterated, "Therefore said I unto
you, that no man can come unto me, EXCEPT it were GIVEN unto him
of my Father" (verse 65).
You need to read (if you have never done so) my study called
"The Great White Throne Judgement" on this Website.
And it came to be the time of the Feast of Tabernacles.
Chapter 7. What did Jesus think generally of the world of His
time? The answer is found in verse 7, "The world cannot hate you;
but me it hateth, because I testify of it, that the WORKS thereof
are EVIL!"
What do you think Jesus would say about the world today? Do
you think He'd say it was pretty good, enlightened, more
civilized, than two thousand year ago? I know He would not, for
He told us that before He came again, the LOVE of MANY would wax
COLD, and EVIL would ABOUND! That's found in Matthew 24.
Actually this is one of the main reasons that a Christian
cannot have anything to do with the politics of this world, nor
any political party. Jesus later in this Gospel said though His
servants would be in the world, He prayed the Father they would
be kept FROM the world. You can read all that in chapter 17, if
you want to skip ahead to that chapter. THIS WORLD IS EVIL! And
you as a Christian are not to be part of the EVIL that is in
EVERY country and EVERY political party, and EVERY Government of
men on this earth. Many of the laws of nations are SIN and EVIL.
Yes, even some of the founding laws in the "constitution" of
nations (and yes the USA included) WERE laws of EVIL! Do you
really think God inspired the constitutional law of the USA that
everyone should be allowed to take up fire-arms against an
oppressive Government? Do you really think God wants His people
taking part in KILLING others for what YOU consider is their
evil? Do you think God wants His children hating and killing
others by a so-called freedom to have guns, bows and arrows,
knives, or Tomahawks, and to use them on other humans you
disagree with over some matter? If you do then you need to read
the words of Christ in the Gospels again! If you think such men
as the founding fathers of the USA were "godly" men, then you
need to read the Bible more and study closer the history of those
times. They were men not called by God, men blinded to the truths
of the Bible, men in the deceptions of false religion, even if
called "Christian" - just as the leaders of today's nations are
deceived by their own heart or a religion that calls itself
"Christian."
A Christian is to come OUT of the world. To come out of its
politics, its ways of thinking, its carnal interests, its blood
filled wars, its mixed up ideas, its calling evil good and good
evil.
Jesus said of His day that He testified of it as the WORKS
of it being EVIL! He would, with Matthew 24:12 in mind, hardly
say any LESS of today's world!
This is a time of the year to meditate on SIN and
RIGHTEOUSNESS. To see the truth of it from the Bible. To see
where sin lies in the world, and where it still may lie in US,
AS INDIVIDUALS.
Then knowing we can do little to change the sin in the world,
only vote on an issue if your country allows you to vote on an
issue (here in Canada we're not allowed to vote on any issue that
would effect laws coming on the books of State or Federal
Governments - some of the States do, like voting on "gay
marriages" - I'd be the first in line if I could vote on such
issues here in Canada), we then live in the world, but not a part
of the world. And so we must look to ourselves to see what
changes we need to make in our lives, to move further way from
evil and closer to the righteousness of God.
............................
To be continued
Passover Lessons from the Gospel of John #3Sin and Mercy and Seeing! by
Keith Hunt
Jesus was in the Temple teaching, about half way through the
Feast of Tabernacles (John 7:10-15). He said: "My doctrine is not
mine, but His that sent me. If any man will DO His WILL, he shall
know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of
myself. He that speaks of himself, seeks his own glory: but he
that seeks His glory that sent him, the same is true, and no
unrighteousness is in him" (verses 16-18).
There is one sure way to KNOW the doctrines of God, and to
know who speaks the truth of God, and that is for that individual
to be DOING the WILL of God. Now you may not fully know all the
will of God, but if your heart is right, and you continually want
to do God's will, then you will be led into MORE truth (see John
16:13) and you will be led to know, among all those who go out
preaching and teaching the word of God, who it is that teaches
the correct doctrines of the Father. If your attitude is to not
DO the will of God, then you will continue in your deception.
There are far too many preachers and teachers out there that
SEEK their own glory. They love to write, and write more and more
books about God, they love to preach to huge audiences, have the
acclaim of people, even be respected by the world as some great
teacher of Christianity. But they have forgotten what Jesus said,
"Woe unto you when all men speak well of you, for so did their
fathers to the false prophets" (Luke 6:26). Those who speak the
truths of God, who seek only the glory that belongs to the
Father, they will not be popular, they will not have people
flocking to be taught by them, they will have no popularity with
the masses of those who call themselves "Christian."
This Website of mine is not to gather a huge following and
be praised among the Christian world. It is here to teach the
truths of God, and to warn the nations of what will come upon
this earth before Jesus returns. It will be a small few I know,
whom the Father will call to see His truths and to DO His WILL,
as proclaimed here. I seek no glory, only the glory of the Father
that has granted me the open door of the Worldwide Internet to
teach His word to those near and those far away.
The Jews got angry with Christ for making a man whole on the
Sabbath day (verse 23) but He told them to "Judge not according
to appearance, but judge righteous judgment" (verse 24). There
are times, many times in fact, where we need to judge what is
right and correct and what is incorrect and sin. I have given you
a full in-depth study on this Website called "Righteous Judgment"
- you need to study it and find another truth of God.
Jesus told them that in a little while He would be gone,
they would seek Him, but would not find Him - they could not
understand that either. To them this Jesus guy was a pretty mixed
up fellow (verses 32-36).
It was now the LAST DAY of the Feast of Tabernacles, the day
called "the great day" - not the 8th or Octave day, as some have
mistakenly thought, but the 7th day of the Feast of Tabernacles.
The truth of that question is on this Website also, called, "The
Truth of John 7:37."
Jesus stands up and cries, saying, "If any man thirst, let
him come unto Me, and drink. He that believes on Me, as the
Scripture has said, 'Out of his belly shall flow rivers of
water'" (verses 37-38).
He was as the next verses tell you, speaking of the Holy
Spirit which they who would believe on Him would receive, after
His glorification.
That Spirit friends is not only the seed of eternal life but
it is the Spirit that will guide you into all truth - John 16:13
- maybe not all at once, in fact usually not, but over time, as
much time as God allows in your life, that Spirit will guide you,
if you do not prevent it by a hard heart; for you do have your
part to play, the Father has made you with free choice, to choose
right or to choice wrong. Jesus said, "Blessed are they which
hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled"
(Mat.5:6). Did you notice YOUR part?
Early the next morning, which was the 8th day or Octave, the
last annual Sabbath of the year, which was a separate Feast all
of its own, Jesus again comes to the Temple (chapter 8:1-2). The
scribes and Pharisees, they had been busy trying to catch someone
in the act of adultery; they finally found someone; they bring
the woman; why the woman only is not explained to us, maybe the
man was big and strong and so they could not drag him to Jesus. Oh
boy, they thought, do we have Him in this one, we'll see what He
thinks about the laws of Moses. They wanted Jesus to condemn the
woman to death by stoning, as the law on the books, did say could
be done. Did you notice I said "could" be done. A lot of people
do not realize or they forget, that in Israel there were judges,
to judge matters; not always was the penalty given out in its
full force. People forget there was "mercy" under the laws of
Israel. They forget that David committed adultery, but because of
his true and deep repentance, God did not kill him, or have him
stoned to death. The Father does not play favorites, He just
shows MERCY when mercy is deserved.
Jesus knew their twisted mind-set. He stooped down and wrote
on the ground. "He that is without sin among you, let him cast
the first stone at her." He stooped down again and wrote on the
ground. One by one they slunk out!
We do not know what Jesus wrote, it is not revealed to us.
But you can be sure He knew their sins, and probably they all had
some pretty BIG ones.
"Woman," said Jesus, "where are those thine accusers? Hath
no man condemned you?"
She said, "No man Lord."
Jesus said unto her, "Then neither do I condemn you; go and
sin no more" (verses 7-11).
Isn't that what God showed to David? Yes, it was MERCY!
But with "go and sin no more."
You need to be careful how you judge. Sin is sin, yes, but
you need to be careful how you handle the sins of others, for
with how you treat others you will be treated also - it is
written - Jesus said that in the Gospels. Every single one of us
has sins we would not want to be broadcasted on prime-time TV
news. We need to be thankful those and all our sins can be
covered with the blood of Christ. We all at times must hang our
head low as the publican did, and say, "Lord forgive me a sinner"
- do you remember that parable Jesus gave? Let's remember at this
Passover season the passage John wrote in his first letter or
epistle, chapter one into chapter two. You haven't read it for a
while? Then now is a good time to read it again friends.
Jesus went on to say: "I am the light of the world; he that
follows me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light
of life" (verse 12).
And that is so true. When you have truth, when you are
guided by the Spirit, when you walk with the Lord, you are in
light, truly as Jesus said elsewhere, "You shall have the truth,
and the truth shall set you free!" And that is indeed GOOD
freedom, for it gives you the knowledge that by walking in the
light of truth, you shall gain the first resurrection, which the
New Testament says, is the better resurrection. I guess so, for
you will reign with Christ for one thousand years, bringing
salvation, to countless millions who will live during that age to
come. Those who are raised in the "second" resurrection (Rev.20)
will die in their sins in this lifetime, and will miss that
wonderful age that is to come, that all the prophets of old have
spoken about. Some of Jesus' day MAY have, by not believing Him,
by choosing sin, by turning away God's call, put themselves out
of the first resurrection (verses 14-27).
Oh yes, here is the verses about truth setting you free:
"Jesus said to the Jews which believed on Him, 'IF you CONTINUE
in my word, then are you my disciples indeed. And you shall know
the truth, and the truth shall make you free'" (verses 31-32).
There is a DOING - a PRACTICING - a LIVING - to be the true
disciple of Jesus, and only those will then have the truth, which
will surely make them free!
Jesus now talks about sin. We think of sin and righteousness
during this feast of Unleavened Bread. "Truly, truly, I say unto
you, whosoever practices sin is the servant of sin. And the
servant abides not in the house for ever ... if the Son therefore
shall make you free, you shall be free indeed" (verses 34-36).
I use the word "practice" - the KJV uses "committeth" - but
the Greek means "practice" as a way of life. It is the heart
again, it is the mind-set as we call it today. If your mind is
set to practice sin as a way of life, when you know better (and
the Ten Commandments are not too difficult to understand, and
they are the basic definition of sin - 1 John 3:4 - other parts
of Scripture expound more on sin), then you are living sin, you
are its slave, you serve sin. And such a mind-set, if not
repented of, will get you eventually thrown out of the house of
the Lord. But if you take Jesus and all He IS and all He said and
taught, then He can and will set you free indeed!
There were times when Christ pulled no punches, He just
opened up with both barrels a blazing as we say. He laid the
cards on the table. He called it like it is. Shocking to some
people, but Jesus actually called some people the children of the
Devil, or "You are of your father the Devil" - same thing (verses
39-44). Satan was a "bad guy" from the beginning. Some have
wondered if Jesus is here teaching that God created an evil
spirit being. No, such is not the case. The term "beginning" can
have various meanings, the beginning of what? The beginning of
creation? The beginning of this world as it came into the
creation as outlined in Genesis chapter one and two? The latter
is the correct understanding, for other Scriptures tell us about
the creation of the being whom BECAME the Devil or Satan. All of
that truth is found in studies on this Website. Satan was a
sinner from the beginning of the creation of mankind. He was
already a liar and murderer. Look how he was there to lie to man
from the very start in the garden of Eden. He was the father of
lies. That's how he got one third of the angel (stars) of heaven
to follow him in rebellion against God (Rev.12). He lied to them
that he and they could be the rulers of the universe. He was
indeed the father of lies (verse 44).
But as Jesus went on to say, he that is, has the right mind-
set, he that truly hears God's word, is of God. The true people
of God KNOW it is from God, for they are of God. They have the
heart and mind in the right condition so God gets through to them.
Those who cannot hear God, cannot because they are not of God,
they are as blind as a bat (which aren't really so blind at all),
they cannot see the light, and in part, that is perhaps because
they do not WANT to see the light. We do have our part to play in
God's calling, we must be of God to hear God's word. Jesus put is
pretty simple at times; you do not hear God because you are not
of God (verse 47).
Christ was trying again to tell them that He came from the
Father, that He was sent by the Father, gave honor to the Father,
who also honored Him. He told them that their father Abraham
rejoiced to see "my day, and he saw it, and was glad" (verses 54-
56). Now they really got on His case; they knew exactly what He
was saying, that He had seen Abraham (verse 57).
Jesus now says a few words that hit them like a "4th of July
fireworks, at the White House, for effect." "Truly, truly, I say
unto you, before Abraham was (living) I AM!" (verse 58). Here
Jesus was telling them that He was the "I AM" of Moses's day! Yes,
that's exactly right. And it was so, many NT Scriptures make it
plain that Jesus before His human birth as a flesh and blood
person, was the God, I AM, of the Old Testament. The God that
spoke and dealt with Moses. The truth of the Godhead - two
eternal beings - making ONE God, is indeed all over the New
Testament. We have seen at the very beginning of this Gospel,
John was inspired to write that the Word was God, and the Word
was with God, and the Word became flesh. The Bible makes clear
the truth of the Godhead. That truth can be found in many studies
about God on this Website.
The Jews knew EXACTLY what Jesus was meaning by uttering
those words "I AM" and took up stones to cast at Him. They knew
He was telling them that He was God, and to them that was
blasphemy, which in their law could put a person to death (verse
59).
Jesus heals the BLIND man - blind from birth in chapter 9.
It was still "sabbath" day - the word "the" is not in the Greek
in verse 10. It was still the 8th, Octave Sabbath day, the 8th
day of Leviticus 23 that is right after the Feast of Tabernacles,
and which is its own individual Feast. The Pharisees got
themselves in a pretty hot stew over this - doing such a miracle
on a Sabbath day was breaking the Sabbath as far as they were
concerned. Oh there was a division all right among them all -
some saying He broke the Sabbath, others that how could He be a
sinner (sin in their eyes) and still do such a miracle (verse
16).
Then "politics" entered the scene. The Pharisees, (Jews as
John wrote it) who were in charge of the local synagogues, had
decided to agree that if any man did confess Jesus was the
Christ, they would ban them from the synagogue (verse 22). Oh,
how much "politics" has been in the church - yes even the Church
of God at times. I have seen it happen, literally, to a number of
"church" organizations in my lifetime. The SIN of politics -
power gasping - is nothing new to churches and places of
worship, nothing new because carnal power-hungry human nature has
been around a mighty long time. The stories that could be told,
some of them have been told in books like "Churches That Abuse"
by Ronald M.Enroth, a book that might still be available
(published in 1992 by Zondervan), and which I recommend to you.
It will make the hair on your head stand up, so shocking it is.
Yes the SINS of church organizations is something that can be
horrid. I say "church organizations" but most of them are "cult
organizations" based on power and guilt and mind-control. Some
are cults from the beginning and some BECOME cults over time, as
power and brain-washing takes more and more hold. A classic
example for that would be the Jim Jones church/cult; you can
probably read about it on the Internet, if you Google "Jim
Jones."
So these Jews, they called the man in whom Jesus had healed
from blindness, and said, "Come on we know this man is a sinner."
"Well, I know nothing about that," replied the man, "all I
know is that once I was blind and now I can see."
That blew their top in anger, "You are His disciple, we are
Moses' disciple. We know God spoke to Moses, we do not know from
where this fellow comes from."
"Well, well ... this is marvellous," says the man, "you
don't know where He comes from, yet He has opened my eyes. We
know God does not hear those who practice sinning; but those who
do His will and worship Him, He will hear. Since the world began
it was not told that ANY man opened the eyes of someone that was
born blind. If this man is not of God, He could do nothing like
this" (verses 24-33).
Now their red faced anger turned purple, "You were
altogether born in sins, and do you teach us? And they cast him
out" (verse 34).
It's an old working of those who can't win the logical
argument; belittle, rise up in vain-glory with pomp and
scholastic self-righteousness, and belittle your opponent, then
cast them out of your flattering social strata of your conceited
religious piety club.
Jesus heard what they had done. He seeks out the man, finds
him and says, "Do you believe on the Son of God?"
"Who is he, Lord, that I might believe on Him?"
Jesus answers, "You have seen Him, and it is He who talks
with you."
"Oh yes, Lord, I believe," and the man worshipped Him
(verses 35-38).
I would think so, indeed! Born blind and be healed, I think
you would have to be willing to believe the man who could do
this, was from God. As the man said, it was never heard that
anyone could do such a miracle. Satan is allowed by the Father,
to have some power, be able to do some miracles, but there is a
limit God puts on him, never has the Devil been allowed to give
sight to a man born blind. And you talk about the HARD, STONE-
MINDED hearts of scribes and Pharisees, who were so BENT and
TWISTED in their sinful minds, as to be not able to put sense
with logic, with facts, with Scripture, and come to acknowledge
that this Jesus was indeed the promised Christ Messiah to come. I
tell you friends, this is an example of the depth of what SIN can
do to your mind. YOU should not want to go there. You should want
to stay as FAR AWAY from that SEARED mind of sin and deception as
you can!
This Feast is about coming OUT of SIN, and moving always in
the direction of truth and righteousness.
Some of the Pharisees heard these words of Jesus, and they
asked Him if they were blind also (verse 40).
Jesus replied, "If you were blind, you should have no sin:
but now you say, 'we see' - therefore your sin remains" (verse
41).
What Jesus was saying is this. If you were blind, you would
not know you had sins to change and repent of, you would think
you were just fine. But by saying and asking if you were blind,
means your understanding this whole situation that has taken
place. So therefore you know your sins are seen, you know what is
truth, and hence your sins are there until you decide to take the
next step - REPENT and CHANGE and DO what is right. In the
specific situation they were in, their sins that remained, needed
to be taken away by accepting Jesus as the Christ, the Messiah,
the Son of God, and doing what the once bind man did - BELIEVE
and WORSHIP the "I AM" - God in the flesh that stood before
them.
I hope dear reader that YOU have come to understand WHO the
Jesus Christ of history (yes it was recorded in secular history
and a few times by the Jewish history Pharisee - Josephus of the
first century A.D.) WAS and IS - the Eternal "I AM" of old, the
Immanuel of prophecy - God with us - the person of the Godhead
that was the Word, who became flesh, to conquer sin in the flesh,
to then die for YOUR sins, so if you BELIEVE on Him, you can SEE
spiritual truths and finally inherit eternal life. And that GLORY
friends is MORE glorious than the human mind at this time can
comprehend. I pray Jesus Christ is YOUR PERSONAL Savior!
.......................
To be continued
Passover Lessons from the Gospel of John #4Jesus' Works proved He was the Son of God!
by
Keith Hunt
The blindness removed from the man born blind on the Sabbath
of the 8th day, the Feast day after the Feast of Tabernacles, is
the glorious example and typology, of the great White Throne
Judgment period (Rev.20), when millions, nay, billions from the
past ages will be resurrected to physical life, have the books of
the Bible opened to them, and the book of life, the way of
salvation given to them, fully, without blindness, knowing with a
clear mind, what sin and grace through Christ Jesus the Messiah
is all about. They, who were never called or chosen in their
lifetime on earth (millions never even knowing that Jesus ever
lived, never hearing His name, or seeing a Bible, less reading
it) shall for the first time be given spiritual truth and
insight; they will have a chance (men, women, children) to accept
Jesus as their Savior, to have their sins washed away in the
blood of Christ; salvation will be offered to them, and they like
us, will be judged by what works they do - living in serving God,
or rejecting it all. That is the message we have just read about
in John chapter 9, the blind from birth (spiritually blind)
having their eyes opened to the books of the Bible and the book
of life - salvation presented to them. No man can come to the
Jesus unless it is given to him of the Father, Jesus taught that
in chapter 6. Now He teaches it again in chapter 10.
There is only ONE correct door into the sheepfold; he that
enters that door is the shepherd of the sheep. The sheep will
hear HIS voice; he calls them by name, he leads them in and out,
when he leads them out he goes before them; the sheep will follow
him for they know his voice. They will not follow a stranger,
they will flee from him, for they do not recognize his voice
(verses 1-5).
That is how attached sheep become to their master and leader
and protector; they get to know him in a deep personal way. We
are to be like sheep in following Christ. We need to read and
hear His words in the Gospels, then we shall know Him when He
speaks through His servants; we will recognize His voice.
Jesus says HE is the door of the sheep, anyone else is a
robber and thief, but Jesus' sheep will not hear them. Jesus is
also the door to the sheepfold, by Him if any man enter in he
shall be saved, shall go in and out and find green pasture
(verses 7-9).
Are you thinking of the 23rd Psalm right now. It's a good
time to stop for a moment and to read it.
Then if you have not done so, in the near future, or during
this Passover Feast, take the time to read Phillip Keller's book
"A Shepherd Looks at the Twenty-third Psalm" on this Website -
it's a wonderful insight of the shepherd and his sheep.
All except the good shepherd, that come to lead the sheep,
are thiefs, coming to steal and kill and plunder. Jesus is the
only true shepherd, and He has come to not only give life but
give it more abundantly. This does not mean we will be guaranteed
an easy, free from troubles, trials, and test, even persecutions,
but through all that, as it came to people like the apostle Paul,
we can have a peace that passes all understanding, an inner quiet
rest, knowing no matter what life hands out to us, what cards we
are dealt, even in death, we can go to our rest as like Paul
said, "I have fought a good fight, I've finished the race, hence
a crown of righteousness waits for me on that blessed day of the
appearing of our Lord and Savior."
It is Jesus that is the only true shepherd. Only He is
perfect and right. Only He has the truth and right pathway to
walk on. So you need to be reading, eating, drinking in, His
words, if you have a red-letter Bible, there they are, easy to
see, written in bold red. I was given a red-letter New Testament
when I was about 10 or 11 years old by an adult member of the
church I attended. It was the first time I'd ever seen one. It
became one of my prized possession during my teens, it was so
easy to read the words of Christ, which I did just about every
night in bed, before I went to sleep.
Jesus is the door, the sheep know Him, and He knows the
sheep. Jesus knows the Father and the Father knows Him, Jesus is
the one who laid down His life for the sheep. Oh yes, Christ has
other sheep that are not part of your little world, they may be
on the other side of the earth, you do not know them, may never
in this lifetime know them, but Jesus knows them, and He will
bring them to Himself, and there will be ONE fold - scattered
maybe, the salt of the earth yes, the very little flock indeed,
but they are the true sheep of Christ, they knowing Him and He
knowing them.
Jesus said He was loved by the Father because He was going
to lay down His life for the sheep; He would freely lay it down;
He had the power to lay it down or not, lay it down or take it
up; the Father was not forcing Him to lay it down. He was going
to lay it down of His own will, because He loves the sheep
(verses 10-18).
We need to stop and think for a moment here. This man Jesus
Christ was the "I AM" of the time of Moses - a perfect eternal
being of the Godhead. He had all that there is to have from the
Godhead next to the One we now know as the Father. Yet in His
love for us, for YOU and for ME, this perfect holy being, was
willing to put aside everything that was the Godhead, and come as
a physical man, come to die for the sins of the world, and die in
no pleasant way - die a horrible painful death, a death whereby
many of His bones could be seen (as it is written - Ps.22:14-18
with Isa.53), and finally be killed by having a spear thrust into
His side. He gave up the glory He had with the Father for 33 and
1/2 years so WE could obtain that glory with Him as the children
of God the Father.
Yes, at this time of the year, it is time to meditate on all
of that. To be humbled but also to be happy and to REJOICE - this
is the BITTER/SWEET Feast of the year.
We can also have confidence being the sheep of Christ, that
doing our part, there is nothing or nobody that can take us from
out of the hands of our Lord and Savior (verses 25-28). The last
days before Jesus comes again, deception will be so GREAT, Jesus
said IF it was possible even the very elect would be deceived.
But we read here in John that it will NOT be possible to deceived
the elect, the sheep of Christ, no deception from man or Satan,
can take them from the caring hands of Jesus, the elect will
remain faithful and will have eternal life and will not perish.
The Father who is greater than all, who is the supreme One of the
universe, He has given the elect to Christ and no man can pluck
them from His hand. Jesus and the Father are ONE - they are the
ONE Godhead - TWO beings but One Godhead. The Father does not
always work arithmetic as we do; He can take one plus one and
have it equal ONE! Did He not do this with Adam and Eve - did He
not say TWO shall be ONE? Yes He did! So friends the simple truth
of the Bible is that God has always been TWO eternal beings - but
ONE God. God the Father is God and the Son, the Word is God. And
the Word was in the beginning WITH God! The New Testament makes
it clear that Jesus went back to heaven to sit on the RIGHT HAND
of God the Father. He does not sit on top of Him, or inside of
Him, like some silly far out planet Pluto ideas of a "trinity"
God proclaim. God can be understood. A child as I was, reading
through the New Testament, as I did when a child, can see as I
did, that God was two beings - Jesus and the Father - being ONE,
and Jesus sitting on the right hand of the Father, and hence we
have what Paul wrote in 1 Cor.11:3. So simple friends. There are
verses in the New Testament where Jesus is called GOD! You can
find them, just use Strong's Concordance of the Bible - do a
little work on your own, you take some time to look them up, they
are there. And God the Father is God, remember Jesus once saying,
"I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and
your God" - look that one up also - I'll give you a clue, it's
also in this Gospel of John.
And another simple thing about God. God the Father is the
greatest of all. Jesus sits at His right hand, not on top of Him
or inside of Him. That also throws a monkey wrench into some of
the strange teachings of the "trinity doctrine" of men.
Right here in this context of John, we find that the Jews,
the scribes and Pharisees had no trouble at all in understanding
what Jesus taught about His connection with the subject of God.
Jesus asks them which work had He done whereby they thought
He should be killed for. Look at their answer, "For a good work
we stone you not; but for BLASPHEMY; because that you, being a
man, makes yourself GOD!" (verse 33).
Yes they understood very well what Jesus taught on that
point, that He was God in the flesh, that He could rightly carry
the name of God, that He could then say He was Jesus Christ God!
Well Jesus answered them from the Scriptures, "Is it not written
in your law, 'I said, you are gods'? If He called them gods
(remember in the Greek there was no small and capital letters
mixed in, the Greek MSS were either all small letters and large
letters, one next to the other, no punctuation, no sentences, no
paragraphs, no full-stops, etc.)unto whom the word of God came,
and the Scripture cannot be broken. Say you of Him, whom the
Father has sent into the world, 'You blaspheme' because I said, I
am the Son of God?" (verses 34-36).
Jesus makes the truth here again simple. All who will be a
child, son of God, will carry as their surname "God" - if your a
son of God, you are a son of God, your not God the Father, your
not Jesus Christ God, but you are still a "son of God" and Jesus
used the Scriptures of God to back up that God gives the right
for people to be called by His name! Well I've explained it all
in my study called "A Christian's Destiny" - please make sure you
study it.
The very works that Jesus did should have been enough to
prove He was indeed the Son of God, sent by God the Father. You
take all the miracles He did, them alone should have been enough
for the religious leaders of His day to know He was from God. Now
demons have some power allowed from God, but not even Satan is
allowed to do all the miracles Christ did. Jesus clearly told
them the miracles He did was proof enough He came from God (verse
37-38). So is the DEPTHS of sin, truth can be staring you in the
face, hitting you on the head, stomping you on the toes, kicking
you in the gut, and yet people will NOT want to see it, have no
desire to see it, will come up with every excuse under the sun to
REJECT it, and even go so far as to say it comes from Satan the
Devil!
So during this season think on that, how deep can be the
working of SIN and Satan.
We also find a few more interesting verses here at the end
of chapter 10. Jesus went away to where John the baptist first
started to baptize, and many came to Him, as they realized that
John did NO MIRACLES! But what he told them about the Christ was
indeed true, and so many believed on Jesus (verses 40-42).
They used some common LOGIC! John was not a miracle working
teacher from God, but what he taught about the Christ to come was
absolutely right on the button. And Jesus was working miracles
like as never seen in all history. The logic mind can often out
do the educated PhD mind of "scholars."
John the baptist, was the first fulfilment of the "Elijah to
come" - but he did no miracles! The chances are the Elijah to
come before the day of the Lord, before Christ's return, will
also be a man that does no miracles. Preaching truth is greater
anyway than miracles.
........................
To be continued
Passover Lessons from the Gospel of God #5Light, Truth, Commandments!
by
Keith Hunt
Chapter 11 is the great chapter on the truth of the
resurrection and the NT definition of "death" - you should be
able to find that truth if you really desire to.
I'll skip over to chapter 12:23-26. We must in type die with
Christ. To bear fruit that is unto eternal life, we have to die
to the world, the way the world without God thinks and practices,
which in the main is thinking and doing without any regard to
God's Word or Commandments. If we love our own ways, love doing
"our own thing" - love our life, in a complete selfish way, we
shall loose it in the end. But he that hates to be like the
unconverted world, shall keep his life unto enteral life.
Jesus is up front, He says if any man serves me, he must
follow me. Someone serving Christ will bring honor from the
Father to that person.
The disciples of the Lord had light right in their midst. It
was a wonderful blessing. It was very close to the end as for
what Christ was to accomplish while in the flesh. People were
around Him, and still asking questions for obviously they were
confused about what Jesus was teaching - things like He had to be
lifted up and in so doing all men would be drawn unto Him, and
still asking "Who is this Son of man?" Jesus simply was not going
to get into a once more simple explanation, He'd done so many
times before. He focussed right in on walking in the light, and
believing in the light. Many times before He's told them that HE
was the light. And so He told them again that they needed to walk
in the light of truth He had given them for three and one half
years. He told them once more they needed to BELIEVE in the
light, in Himself, for many, though seeing many of the miracles
He had done STILL did NOT believe on Him (verses 27-37).
We need to make sure we are willing to see the light of
Jesus' teachings. We need to be reading about that light. It's
all recorded for us in the Gospels. We need to be reading over
and over again in our lifetime, the GOSPELS! Some of the clearest
teachings of what it means to follow Christ is there in the
Gospels. And with a red-letter New Testament, you can see them in
bright red. As a child growing up there were many parts of the NT
that I found difficult to understand (many of the things Paul
wrote about are not that easy to understand, even the apostle
Peter mentions that in one of his epistles), but the words of
Christ I found pretty straight-forward. So from about the age of
9 and all through my teenage years I read and re-read the words
of Christ in the Gospels .... wow, more times than I can
remember, which is just a way of telling you, it was MANY times!
It was LIGHT, what Jesus had to say, and it kept me from much
darkness and sin, especially as I came into my teens, and saw
many of my fellow friends that I'd grown up with, going off onto
the wrong pathway of life, and bringing them troubles. I praise
God and I thank Him, that I had the light to read, I believed in
the light, and though not perfect (but trying hard) I was a child
of light. My teenage years went smooth and well and I was kept
from trouble, and from giving my parents sleepless night for
concern and worry over me. Parents who have had sleepless nights
because of concern about the way and the what that their
teenager/s were getting into, know exactly what I'm talking
about.
Jesus was concerned for the people looking at and listening
to Him. He wanted them to walk in the light, especially while
they had the light living with them in the flesh - Himself
(verses 27-36).
This LIGHT of Jesus' word is so important that He made it
clear HOW important it is in verses 46-50.
"I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believes on me
should not abide in darkness. And if amy man HEAR my words, and
believe not, I judge him not; for I came not to judge the world,
but to save the world. He that rejects me, and RECEIVES NOT my
words, has one that judges him; the word that I have spoken, the
same shall judge him in the last day. 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. And I know His
commandment is LIFE everlasting; whatsoever I speak therefore,
even as the Father said unto me, so I speak"
When the rubber hits the road, the bottom line, the acid
test, is NOT what well-known preachers and Christian "book
writers" say; it's not what is the traditions or customs or
popular practices of the churches of "Christendom" that count.
They can tell you the moon is made of Swiss cheese, they can hand
out every false doctrine and custom by the cart load, and tell
you it is "the truth" (and you see around you as to what they all
differ on as to what they claim is truth). When the hot water has
boiled away, when you are going to have to put on the pot is the
truth of the WORDS of Christ, and that is ALL the Bible. You are
not going to be judged on the ideas of men or women. You are
going to have to make the effort to STUDY, SEARCH, HUNGER AND
THIRST FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS AND "THE" TRUTH. You are going to have
to take the time to "Study to show thyself approved unto God, a
workman that needs not be ashamed, that right cuts the word of
God" and "Prove all things, and hold fast to that which is
right." Those two teachings from the apostle Paul, need to become
part of your very makeup, branded into your mind. When it's all
said and done - it will be the WORD of God that will be your
judge. Do you want its teaching and its correction ABOVE ALL
THINGS that this physical life can give you, jobs, money,
notoriety, fame, acclaim of men, praise for work well done, a
PhD. You can have all that IF you neglect and push aside the
Bible and all IT says is the pure and straight was to go. We
still have our part to do, I said it before, we have to take
the time to study and study to know what the true theology is all
about!! It's the attitude that counts in the end. Do we have the
attitude, are we willing to put in the hours of in-depth study. I
can remember back in my middle 20s, late 30s and into my 40s, often
spending all day Bible studying, using Bible Dictionaries, Bible
Concordances, as well as trying to find the truth by collecting
all the verses on any particular topic of the Bible.
Chapter 13 is the "foot-washing" chapter - I've covered that
in detail under the Passover studies on this Website.
Jesus gave a bench mark for being a true Christian: "A new
commandment I give unto you: That you love one another, as I have
loved you, that you also love one another. By this shall all men
know that you are my disciples, if you have love one to another"
(chapter 13:34-35).
It is a very sad commentary that this does not always happen
within the true Church of God. I've experienced some pretty wild
and nasty goings on in some churches of God, a few I've related to
you on this Website. When I think about them it is shameful,
degrading, disgusting, and unworthy to wear the Christian name. I
have been witness to verbal arguments, slander, lies, and the
disfellowshipping of members and ministers, just because they
disagreed with what the "head man" was saying or doing. But then
such local or worldwide organizations had stopped being a "church
of God" and had become a religious "cult."
The true disciples of Jesus will be the salt of the earth,
the little flock, the scattered ones, and they will have love one to
another.
Chapter 14. We have some wonderful true verses in this
chapter.
Jesus declares: "I am the WAY, the TRUTH, and the LIFE; no
man comes unto the Father, but by Me!" (verse 6).
It makes no difference what the arguments are given about
how persons can be saved WITHOUT knowing about Christ, saved by
their conscience being good or bad, living according to their
societies standards, good or bad. All such arguments to try and
get around the truth of a resurrection to physical life of all
that never had a chance of salvation in their first life. Too
many people I've met over the years, seem to hate the teaching of
people being raised to life and having an opportunity for
salvation, before they think, they cry out, "Oh, the second
change teaching." They do not stop and think that billions of
people down through time have never had even a FIRST chance!
Jesus, is the ONLY way to eternal life, and not one person in all
history is going to be with the Father but through Christ, and
that truth is again repeated in Acts 4:12 and other parts of the
Gospels. You need to study my study called "The Great White
Throne Judgment."
Jesus spoke about the Father over and over again in this
Gospel of John. The disciple Philip asked: "Lord, show us the
Father, and we'll be satisfied" (verse 8).
Jesus answered, "Have I been so long a time with you, and
you have not known me, Philip? He that has seen me has seen the
Father; so why do you say then, 'Show us the Father.' Do you not
believe I am in the Father and the Father in me ... Believe me
that I am in the Father, and the Father is in me; if you have
trouble with this then believe what I say from the very works I
do" (verses 9-11, paraphrased myself).
Friends, when you read the life of Christ as given in the
Gospels you are reading also about the life, the nature, the
character, of God the Father. Jesus had said earlier "The Father
and I are ONE!" Jesus in the flesh, mind and character, was
a carbon copy, a clone copy, of the Father. They are two SEPARATE
beings, Jesus now sits on the RIGHT HAND of the Father in heaven,
not on top of Him, or inside of Him, as some strange planet Pluto
teachings of the "trinity" expound to you. As you see Jesus in
the Gospels so you are seeing the Father, it's just that simple!
Jesus now goes back to "commandment keeping" and says, "If
you love me, KEEP my commandments!" (verse 15). Have you ever
found in the Gospels where Jesus DID AWAY with ANY of the Ten
Commandments (and that includes the 4th one)? If you find that
passage let me know, from the age of 6 when I first started
reading the Bible, I've never found it. All I've ever found is
that Jesus MAGNIFIED and made them even more binding, getting
right to the "spirit" of the letter of those great ten
commandments. Just read Matthew 5,6,7, for clear open proof of
what I've just stated. If you love Jesus you will love His
commandments of the "spirit" of the law that He taught and
amplified, in His words and in His life.
.......................
To be continued
Passover Lessons from the Gospel of John #6Love, Truth, Sin, Righteousness, Persecutions!
by
Keith Hunt
Jesus had just told His disciples that if they loved Him
they would keep His commandments. And although He was going away,
back to heaven, He would still come to them via the Holy Spirit.
And this Spirit was "truth" - hence it is only logical that truth
would be given to Jesus' true disciples; it applied then and it
still applies today.
Once more Christ says, "He that has my commandments, and
KEEPS them, he it is that LOVES me, and he that loves me shall BE
LOVED of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself
to him."
Judas, not Iscariot asked how He would manifest Himself to
them. Jesus answers, "If a man loves me, he will KEEP my WORD;
and my Father will love him, and WE will come unto him, and make
OUR ABODE with him. He that loves me not keeps NOT my sayings:
and the word which you hear is not mine, but the Father's which
sent me" (verses 21-24).
Jesus did not sin! And sin is the transgression of the law
(1 John 3:4). Jesus NEVER "did away" with ANY one of the Ten
Commandments - not a ones of them. There is not one word in all
the New Testament that the Sabbath command was either done away
with or CHANGED from the 7th day of the week to the first day of
the week. There is not one word in the NT that says Sunday is
"holy" or that the 4th commandment has been changed. If they had
a "ministerial meeting" to decide the issue of physical
circumcision (Acts 15), then you can bet your bottom dollar there
would have been just as large a ministerial meeting to discuss
that the Sabbath command was going to be changed to the first day
of the week or abolished completely. Such arguments presented by
the Roman Catholic and Protestant religions are TOTALLY HORSE
DUNG, when it comes to their reasoning on the Sabbath command.
Actually the RC church plays it much more openly than the
Protestants, for they will admit it was the RC church that
changed the 4th commandment, but they reason that because they
are the true church of God they had the authority to so change
the 4th commandment. No such authority was EVER given to anyone
to change any of the Ten Commandments. Jesus came to MAGNIFY the
law of God, (Isaiah 42:21) not to diminish it or "do away with"
this one or that one.
Another wonderful truth in these verses is the fact that
when the Spirit comes into a disciple of Christ, BOTH the Father
and Jesus are coming to DWELL inside of that person. It is NOT
some supposedly "third person" of the Godhead coming into a true
Christian, it is as Jesus stated here, the Father and Himself
coming to live inside the child of God. No wonder Paul was
inspired to write that our body is the TEMPLE of God, and anyone
wilfully defiling, living, practicing defilement, be it spiritual
or physical, God will destroy (1 Cor.6:9-10,15-20; 2 Cor.6:14-
18).
There are other verses that clearly tell us that Christ will
come into His disciple (see Gal.2:20), but here is the verse that
teaches not only Jesus but the Father also comes into His child
via the Comforter - the Holy Spirit.
The promise is also that the Holy Spirit will "teach you all
things," and bring to your mind what things Jesus has spoken and
taught. Certainly with the disciples of His day that was
miraculously so, as they were inspired to write the Gospels -
direct inspiration was part of writing the Gospels, which many a
modern "critical scholar" like to ignore or forget (verse 26).
We also come here to verse 28, that knocks in the head, does
a death blow, to the "trinity idea" that makes ALL in the Godhead
FULLY EQUAL in every way. No, Jesus taught no such doctrine.
While Jesus now has EVERYTHING that the Father has, there is ONE
thing that REMAINS for the Father ABOVE anyone for all Eternity.
I did not put this in your Bible last night, it's been there for
2,000 years near enough. Jesus, with plain words said, "....I go
unto the Father, for my Father is GREATER than I!" Christ does
not now sit on top of the Father or somehow inside of Him. Your
NT tells you Jesus sits at the RIGHT HAND of the Majesty on High.
The first chapters of the book of Revelation makes that very
clear. And so does 1 Corinthians 11:3. The Father will ALWAYS be
the Greatest IN AUTHORITY. Jesus taught elsewhere that the "one
sent" is never greater than the one who send him. The one sent
and the sender are not equal in authority, the SENDER is greater
in authority.
Jesus also makes this clear, as who has the greater
authority as He goes on into chapter 15. Jesus is the vine, the
Father is the Husbandman.
Christ's disciples are the branches of the vine Jesus. And
they must abide in Him or no fruit will come forth. It is
automatic - those abiding in Christ and He in them, will bring
forth fruit of righteousness. Not being so is also made just as
clear - the dead branches will be gathered up and burned in the
fire. So it is James chapter two friends, pure and simple, for
those who have a pure and child like mind.
Listen to Jesus again, "Herein is my Father glorified, that
you bear much fruit; so shall you be my disciples. As the Father
has loved me, so have I loved you: continue in my love. If you
KEEP my COMMANDMENTS, you shall abide in my love; even as I have
kept my Father's commandments, and abide in His love" (verses 1-
9).
Now, Jesus and the Father are ONE, in mind and character, so
whatever are the commandments of Jesus are the commandments of
the Father, and whatever are the commandments of the Father are the
commandments of the Christ. It works BOTH ways!
The next words of Jesus are so uplifting and powerful,
especially for Passover time:
"This is my commandment, that you love one another, as I have
loved you. Greater love has no man than this, that a man LAY DOWN
(Greek is "aorist 2" tense - interesting as "aorist" is usually
past tense, but here it obviously means "anytime tense" - because
Christ's death was a done deal so to speak, He can speak of it as
already past) his life for his friends. You are my friends, IF
you DO whatever I command you. Henceforth I call you not
servants; for the servant knows not what his lord does; but I
have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my
Father I have made known unto you. YOU have NOT chosen me, but I
have CHOSEN you, and ordained you, that you should go and bring
forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever
you shall ask of the Father in my name, He may give it you. These
things I command you, that you love one another" (verses 12-17).
Notice among many things taught here, a person does not my
themselves, just sit down and decide to be a "Christian" - well I
better put it another way; you do not decide to become a TRUE
Christian all on your on steam. In fact it is Christ (and the
Father) who have decided to call you to become a child of their
Kingdom - again we are back to chapter 6:44, 65. And remember
again when you are called and you do decide to follow that
calling, you are not given all truth at one time. But the promise
is the Spirit will guide you over time into all truth that
pertains to salvation, as long as you continue to hunger and
thirst for righteousness, as Jesus said in Matthew 5, and long as
you are willing to grow in grace and knowledge, as Peter wrote
that we should in 2 Peter 3:18. See how the Bible INTERWEAVES
itself, when you remember that you must read all Scripture, even
"search the Scriptures" as Christ taught, and "prove all things"
as Paul taught.
The last half of chapter 15 - verses 18-27 - Jesus teaches
His disciples that the world, from a spiritual view, will HATE
the true disciples of the Lord. As they persecuted Jesus so they
will persecute His disciples. He said elsewhere that at times His
followers would be "put out" of the synagogue: by people thinking
they were doing "God's service"! In simple language true
disciples of Christ ain't going to have much favor with the
popular "Christianity" and certainly not the carnal world. Jesus
came and He lived perfect and taught about SIN! The true
Christian is living according to righteousness (they strive for
it, their nature is to want and to do righteousness, even if they
miss the mark at times, and fall short) and so people who live
according to sin, are uncomfortable around the true Christian,
and will at times, in various ways, persecute Christ's disciples.
This persecution is to be noted as people "count the cost"
in answering their calling. Jesus certainly gave warning to His
followers that it would come upon them at times.
Yes here we are, the verses about being put out of the
"churches" - not acknowledged by other people who think they are
serving God: "They shall put you out of the synagogue: yes, the
time comes, that whosoever KILLS you will think he does God a
service. These things they will do unto you, because they have
NOT KNOWN the Father, nor me!" (verses 1-3). Oh, they will think
they "know" the Father, they may even go around saying "Do you know
the Lord brother," "Are you saved" sister, but they will be like
those looking in from without one day, who will say, "But Lord,
we did this in your name and we did that in your name. And He
will say to them, 'Get away from me, I do not know you, you that
work lawlessness (as the Greek is)'" (Mat.7:21-23).
Then we have the section on the Holy Spirit that will come
into true believers, it will SHOW and REPROVE SIN! It will show
what RIGHTEOUSNESS is! It will declare true JUDGMENT! And it WILL
guide into ALL truth! (verses 7-15).
Did you notice those words "all truth"? Many would probably
say it is impossible to have all truth. Well Jesus is of course
talking in the context of "spirituality." Not knowing all the
truths of all the physical universe etc. And yes friends, IT IS
POSSIBLE to KNOW ALL truth when it comes to the BASIC truths of
the Bible - the doctrines of God as listen in Hebrews 6:1-2. In
fact those truths are ALL fully explained to you on this Website.
For some of you those truths may take YEARS to find and learn,
others find and learn them in a relatively short time - the WHEN
you learn them all is in the hands of the Father. But ALL things
concerning salvation and the plan that God has for human kind,
CAN be found. Then, from there it is digging into the "meat of
the Word" (to maturity - see Hebrews 5:11-14). From milk to
strong meat!
It was ever now so close to the time when Jesus would have
to offer Himself as the lamb led to the slaughter - to give His
body - to shed His blood - for all sins of all people.
He gives encouragement to His disciples from chapter 16:16
through to verse 33. And verses 33 reads:
"These things I have spoken unto you, that in me you might have
PEACE. In the world you shall have tribulation: but be of good
cheer; I have overcome the world."
Then there is the real "Lord's Prayer" in chapter 17.
...........................
To be continued
Passover Lessons - Gospel of John #7The True Lord's Prayer expounded
THE REAL LORD'S PRAYER
These words spoke Jesus, and lifting up His eyes to heaven,
and said, "Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy
Son also may glorify thee. As you have given Him power over all
flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have
given Him" (verses 1-2).
Yes, as we have seen in chapter 6, it is God who calls
people out of spiritual blindness, to give them a chance to
choose the pathway of eternal life or to reject it. The truth of
blindness and calling is expounded in some detail by the apostle
Paul in Romans chapter 9 through to 11.
"And this is life eternal, that they might know You, the only
true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent" (verse 3).
Once more we should from this verses see that the Father is
the "head" - He only is the true and Supreme God. While there is
a Godhead, that Godhead has levels of authority (1 Corinthians
11:3). In this aspect of authority, there is no "equal" THREE
persons equal in ALL things. The ONE aspect of the Godhead is
that the Father is ABOVE all, there is NO equal to His authority.
Even Christ calls Him, the "only true God" and put it another
way, "the only supreme true God." The word "God" in the NT is
used in various contexts, for a "surname" - "Hunt" is my surname,
and all my children (I have 5 children) are known as "Hunt" but I
am the head of what you may call the "hunthead." So it is with
the Godhead, the One being we know today as God the Father is the
SUPREME in authority and is head of Christ (1 Cor.11:3).
"I have glorified You on earth: I have finished the work which
You have me to do" (verse 4).
Jesus lived a perfect life, without sin, not one. In
thought, work, speech, body, He glorified on earth the holy
perfect character of God the Father. And the work He was send to
do, was done. He was sent to overcome sin, to not sin, and hence
then be the Savior of all people, and He was sent to teach and
witness to the truth of God, and then finally to give His life,
to shed His blood, and so secure eternal life to as many as
accept Jesus as personal Savior. Jesus still had work to do AFTER
His resurrection, and that work is explained to us in the book of
Hebrews. And Jesus will STILL have work to do when He returns to
earth. But the work for that time frame of His life in the flesh
had been accomplished. All of it up to His death on the cross is
spoken of as "finished" because what was left to do would be
done.
"And now, O Father, glorify You me with thine own self with the
glory which I had with You before the world was" (verse 5).
Here is one of those plain simple verses in the NT that
proves Jesus lived before His human birth, in GLORY, WITH the
Father! And that is exactly what John said at the very beginning
of His Gospel.
I know that those who teach Christ did NOT exist until He was
born of the virgin Mary, will have all kinds of ways of getting
around a simple verse like verse 5, but for a child reading the
NT, it is simple to understand. When I was a child reading the
Bible, and reading this verses, I just believed what it said,
that Jesus had GLORY with the Father BEFORE the world was
created. Again John chapter one, verses 1-14 I was able to read
as a child and understand it meant exactly what it says.
"I have manifested Thy name unto the men which You gave me out of
the world: They were Yours, and You gave them to me; and they
have KEPT Your word" (verse 6).
Those whom the Father will call; those who accept that
calling, now become chosen, and such will KEEP the word of God.
This is again the teaching of Matthew 4:4 - a true Christian
wants to live their life in accordance to the Word of God, not
the word of men, the teachings of men, the traditions of men.
They will fear God before fearing any other person, be it mother
or father, husband or wife, friends, relatives, children. Serving
God by letting His Word teach and correct them, will be the joy
of all true children of the Father.
"Now they have known that all things whatsoever You have to me
are from You. For I have given them the words which You gave to
me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I
came out from You, and they have believed that You did send me"
(verses 7,8).
Indeed, you cannot have Christ without the Father,
INSEPARABLE They come as a "package deal" - they are two sides of
the same coin. As you accept the One so must you accept the
Other. You believe in Christ you must believe in God the Father;
you believe in God the Father, you believe in Christ. This is
where the Jew's theology of they accepting only the Father gives
them eternal life, is TOTALLY WRONG! And as it is wrong for them,
so it is wrong for ANYONE who thinks they can accept just the
"Father" God without Christ, and be saved. It is simply NOT
POSSIBLE. And so we are back with the truth that billions have
lived and died who have never been saved, but will one day be
resurrected and given a chance to accept BOTH the Father and
Christ. We are again back to my study called "The Great White
Throne Judgment" which you need to study if you have not.
"I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which
You have given me; for they are your. And all mine are thine, and
thine are mine; and I am glorified in them" (verses 9,10).
We see again the unity of the Father and Son, the unity of
purpose and direction. If you are Christ's you belong to the
Father; if you are the Father's you belong to Christ. And we note
that Jesus is still interceding for His brothers and sister as
shown in the wonderful book of Hebrews.
"And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world,
and I come to You. Holy Father, KEEP through thine own name those
whom you have given me, that THEY may be ONE as we are One"
(verses 11).
This is what Jesus prayed, and He still does. I do not
believe for one second, that He has stopped praying this request.
So where are the ones in ONE with Christ and the Father? Jesus in
the Gospels made it clear that His sheep are the called and
chosen, the salt of the earth, the very little flock, in relation
to all that may call themselves "Christian." His disciples are
not in the "church organization" per se, they are here and there,
a few here, a few there, one here and one over there; now and
again a small congregation. It has always been this way. Jesus
said many would come in His name saying that He was indeed the
Christ, and would deceive MANY! He said people would be looking
from without wondering why they were not in the Kingdom, people
who would say they did this and that in His name. It's all in the
Gospels, but most read right over those passages. Most Christians
just do not even think about that they may be deceived. The One
Billion Roman Catholics around the world, are not thinking their
religion may be false, or that they have been deceived into
worshipping God and Christ in VAIN! Most of them, if not all of
them, would be SHOCKED and very OFFENDED if you told them they
have been deceived by a false Christianity. I can tell you
another thing, that is very close to me, having gone through it.
Most, in the Churches of God that come from and have roots in the
Worldwide Church of God, especially those that did not move out
from that organization till about 1990 and after, would be very
OFFENDED if you told them they were still committing idolatry by
holding on to Herbert Armstrong as they do. And they would be
very offended if you told them they have never admitted HWA was
teaching false doctrines and had turned his organization into a
"cult" before he died. They still think everything was pure and
fine before HWA died. They still will not admit there was HUGE
sinS and corruptionS inside the very organization that HWA headed
up IN THE LAST 20 YEARS OF HIS LIFE, AND A LOT OF IT WAS OF HIS
DOING!
The true people of God have admitted those corruptions, come
out of it, have repented, or were never a part of it to begin
with. Today many are indeed part of the Laodicean attitude of
mind, and God pulls no punches in telling them what they cannot
see, will not see, and telling them to REPENT!! Read about that
"church" of people that covers a certain mind-set, it's in the
3rd chapter of Revelation. Today with the wonderful tool of the
Internet, the worldwide web, God's truths can go forth, people
can find the truths in the Father's Word, the Bible. They can do
what they need to do to be "right with the Lord" and so THEY WILL
be ONE, even as Jesus prayed to the Father that they would be.
We shall see this request of Christ's was REALLY on His
mind; He will come back to it again shortly in His prayer.
"While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name;
those whom You gave to me I have kept, and none of them is lost,
but the son of perdition; that the Scripture might be fulfilled"
(verse 12).
The true disciples of the Lord have truth given to them,
they will hear or see it, and they will come to KNOW it is the
truth of God, even in the time of the end when Jesus said
deception would be so great that IF it was possible even the very
elect would be deceived (Mat.24:24). But it's not possible. They
will be kept as One with Christ and the Father.
"And now come I to You; and these things I speak in the world,
that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves" (verse 13).
Yes, it is truly a JOY to be set free from falsehood and
deceptions, from sins and corruptions of men. It is a joy to know
the truth, which as Jesus said, will make you FREE!
"I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them,
because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world"
(verse 14).
The true disciples of the Lord will not be accepted by the
world, or any of the world's popular Christian religions. The
world will not speak well of them. Jesus said, "Woe unto you when
men shall speak well of you, for so did their fathers to the
false prophets." The true followers of God will have God's word,
and especially the words of Christ as given in the Gospels (all
clearly standing out if you have a red-letter NT). God's word is
powerful, like a two-edged sword, cutting and dividing even to
the joints and marrow (Hebrews 4:12). God's word will clearly
show and even AMPLIFY what SIN IS! (the basic answer is found in
1 John 3:4, then amplified by many other passages). It will
declare what RIGHTEOUSNESS IS (yes that answer is found in Psalm
119:172).
"I pray not that You should take them out of the world, but that
you should keep them from the evil" (verse 15).
Now, read that again! Jesus did not say, "I pray you take
them not out of the world, EXCEPT at the end time when you will
rapture them to heaven to escape THE great tribulation." Jesus'
prayer is quite specific, and if it's not registering in your
mind, IT IS A PRAYER - it is a request from Christ to the Father!
Jesus is asking that His disciples be NOT TAKEN out of this
world, but that they be kept from the evil. There is no
qualification of TIME mentioned here. Hence the clear way to
understand this prayer request of Jesus' is that it is a request
FOR ALL TIME, UNTIL verse 24, which we'll come to shortly.
The idea of some "secret rapture" at the very end time, is
not taught anywhere in the Bible. I have spent much time and
effort to bring you the truth of the matter, concerning the
falsehood of this popular modern teaching by the Protestant
fundamentalists. Christ's disciples WILL BE on this EARTH right
up to the time of His coming in POWER and GLORY, COMING VISIBLY
IN THE CLOUDS OF HEAVEN, only THEN will be the RESURRECTION (or
as some say "the rapture") of the saints, who by the angels
leading them will meet Christ in the air, the clouds, and then in
that same day descend to the Mount of Olives (Mat.24:29-31; 1
Cor.15; 1 Thes.4:13-18; Rev. 11:15-19; Zech.14:1-4). It's just as
simple as putting those passages of Scripture together that I've
just given you.
"They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.
Sanctify them through Your TRUTH: Your Word is TRUTH" (verse 17).
Mark that verse friends. Note it, highlight it in yellow!
Christians are set apart (sanctified) from the world BY TRUTH,
and it is God's Word that IS truth! It is not the teachings of
men or women, it is not the teachings of some church
"denomination" - it is not the teachings of any PERSON who claims
to be THE apostle of Christ - it is not anyone who BY OTHERS is
put as some "inspired" or "infallible" prophet or teacher - it is
NOT an individual, who by other "ministers" or "priests" is put
as "head cheese" over a church group. It is GOD'S WORD ONLY that
is TRUTH!! You need to be "searching the Scriptures daily" as the
Bareans did (Acts 17) to see what ANY PERSON teaches SQUARES with
the WORD of God!! You need to have your nose and eyes and mind in
the BIBLE! You need to do as the apostle Paul admonished, "Prove
all things, and hold fast to that which is good."
Today, it is even more needful to be doing all this, for as
we have seen, Jesus said that at the end time, deception would be
so great, that IF it was possible even the very elect would be
deceived! (Mat.24:24).
"As You have sent me into the world, even so I also send them
into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they
also might be sanctified through the truth" (verse 19).
It is not some teaching of a man (you Roman Catholics, who
look to "the Pope"; you off-shoots of the WCG who still cling to
Herbert Armstrong; you Mormons who cling to Joseph Smith etc.) or
woman (you SDA people who cling to Ellen White). Jesus was, is,
the Word, who became flesh. It is the Bible, from Genesis to
Revelation, that is INSPIRED, not some words or teachings of some
man or woman. It is the WORD of God that is TRUTH! And that word
of truth will SANCTIFY - set you apart from all the false ways,
lies, practices, and teachings of the world, and its MANY false
religions and "denominations" within those false religions. KEEP
YOUR EYES AND MIND IN THE BIBLE!
"Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall
believe on me through their word" (verse 20).
Oh yes, God will have His people teaching and preaching His
word. You just have to know the word so well, that you will
recognize the word of truth when you hear it. Emotions will not
tell you who teaches the Word correctly; the person's looks, or
skill of oratory, or fancy "educated" language; none of that is
going to tell you who teaches the truth of God's word! You will
only know by doing what the Bareans did .... they searched the
Scriptures daily to see if it was so, that Paul and his helpers
were teaching, if it all squared with the Bible (Acts 17).
"That they ALL may be ONE; as You, Father, are in me, and I in
You, that they also may be ONE, in US: that the world may believe
that You have sent me. And the glory which You gave me, I have
given to them; that they may be ONE, even as WE are ONE. I in
them, and You in me, that they may be made perfect in ONE; and
that the world may know that You have sent me, and have loved
them, as You have loved me" (verses 21-23).
Do you see HOW MUCH Jesus' prayed for His disciples to be
ONE! It was IMPORTANT that it be so. Notice have many times the
word "ONE" is used in these few verses. Could the Father turn
down such a request from His Son, who had put aside glory, the
Godhead, and was willing to come as flesh and blood, to face
Satan and sin, to have to go through conquering sin, and then a
horrible beating and death on a Roman cross?
No, such a request cannot be turned down by the Father.
God's children, the true disciples of Christ, will always be ONE.
They will be always searching the Scriptures, always willing to
be corrected, never blindly following what man may say; they will
always be proving all things, holding fast to what is good and
right; they will be the salt of the earth, the little flock. They
will be the one here and the few over there; now and again a
congregation over here and one over there. They will be the ones
who when any "church" work grows that corrupts itself, starts to
be ruled by one man, and sometimes a group of men, who bring in
false teachings, or idolize some "inspired prophet" as they may
call it; when all of this happens as history surely has shown
DOES happen with any organization "of men" in due time. When all
this takes place Jesus' true disciples will walk away, to again
be the salt of the earth and the very little flock, scattered
here and there.
In these end times those people called "Philadelphia" in
Revelation 3:7-13, will have what seems like little strength, no
large "organization" behind them, no big money budget to work
with, but God will OPEN A DOOR that no man can shut. Because
those people have NOT denied God's name (and God's name is TRUTH,
there is nothing about God that is not truth), the Father has
given enough time in this age, that a DOOR like the Internet and
Worldwide Web, is OPEN, FREELY OPEN, to even His salt of the
earth people, his little flock. No man can shut this door. The
Worldwide Web has been specifically designed by those who built
it, to be FREE to the world, with no person to shut it down, no
nation can shut it down.
God directed the minds of the inventors of the worldwide web, to
place that invention in free public domain. Who could have
thought of such a human communication, free worldwide network of
knowledge, 40 years ago. Such a modern invention I certainly was
not thinking about. But here we are, where just ONE of God's
children, one of the salt of the earth, like myself, has an open
door to the WORLD, that no man can shut down. It is mind-bending
when you think about it. With the help of TWO other people in my
life (Jesse was one of them, now resting in death), I have been
able to produce this HUGE KNOWLEDGE of God on this Website. Two
people helped build the physical side of this Website, and yes I
have a Website "host" who for just $100 a year keeps all
advertizing off and renders this Website possible for the whole
world. You talk about a little flock, with little strength, but
an OPEN DOOR .... you are seeing it right before your eyes. And
so it is also, with those others who are the true servants of God
doing His work. In this way, as like no other time in history,
the disciples of Jesus are ONE. Those whom believe can FIND the
truth of God, when they hunger and thirst for it, search for it,
and so they ARE ONE!
"Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given me, be with
me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which you have
given me; for You loved me before the foundation of the world"
(verse 24).
The time when Jesus' disciples will be with Him, to behold
His glory, is when they shall see Him as He is today, and will be
like Him, hence able to see Him in His glory (1 John 3:1-3). And
that will not be until Jesus returns in VISIBLE GLORY, coming on
a white horse in the clouds of heaven, when the angels are sent
to gather the elect from the four corners of the earth, when the
resurrection to glory comes for the saints of all ages. That is
when Jesus' disciples will be with Him, as fully expounded in
many studies on this Website.
"O righteous Father, the world has not known You: but I have
known You, and these have known that You did send me. And I have
declared unto them Your name, and I will declare it, that the
love wherein You have loved me may be in them, and I in them"
(verse 25-26).
It is not only "have declared it" (God's name of truth) but
it is also "I will declare it" - Jesus moves, He does not sit on
His duff doing nothing on the right hand of the Father in heaven.
He is head of His church, that He said He would build. He is
constantly through the Spirit, guiding, teaching, correcting,
leading His people into the truth, as He promised the Spirit
would do when it came. Being a true disciple of Jesus is "growing
in grace and knowledge" of Him and the Father. Truth is not given
out all at one time. We shall be led into truth, but at the
Lord's time. Being called to hear and understand, having
blindness removed and spiritual insight given, is for the Lord to
determine as to the when. Some are called when young, some in
middle age, some in late age. Then, at whatever age you are
called and chosen (doing your part of accepting), truth is
started to be given to you, more truth is given later, when you
have accepted that which is given now. And so it goes. Jesus is
constantly declaring God to you. The LOVE they BOTH have will
then be IN you. So it is indeed as Jesus said in chapter
14:23.....
"If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love
him, and WE shall come unto him, and make OUR abode with him."
I PRAY IT WILL BE SO FOR YOU!!
.......................
#8 BREAD AND FRUIT OF THE VINE
HOW OFTEN SHOULD
WE OBSERVE IT?
There are FEW church organizations that observe the so-called
"Lord's Supper" in the same manner or at the same time. Some
believe in practicing the "foot washing" as part of the overall
observance, others do not. Some only use alcohol wine, while
others use only grape juice. There are church groups that use
"unleavened bread" but others use regular puffed up bread. There
is even more variations and opinions as to how OFTEN this sacred
service is to be observed.
This article will only concern the last question, as to "How
Often?"
Paul was inspired to write in 1 Corinthians that God is NOT
the author of confusion!
Jesus said that God's WORD is truth (John 17:17). Let is
humbly and diligently search the word of the Eternal for the
truth on the Passover or Lord's Supper service and how often we
should partake of it in any given year.
Some churches take this ceremony once a week; some once a
month; some four times a year; some twice a year, and a few only
once a year in the evening. Jude, in the latter half of the
first century A.D. found it needful to write that "........You
should earnestly contend for the faith once delivered unto the
saints" (Jude 3).
If the first century Christians were beginning to wander away
from the original practices of Jesus and the early disciples, how
much do you suppose we today have departed from those original
teachings? For us to get back to the faith once delivered
we must put aside our assumptions and traditions, and with open
minds "search the Scriptures daily" as those at Berea did when
Paul preached to them (Acts 17:10-12). The Scriptures contain
the TRUTH - the true record of what was once delivered to the
saints.
THE FIRST OBSERVANCE
It is written that Jesus set us an example that we should
follow His steps (1 Peter 2:21). A person who looks to and
follows the way of Jesus Christ is called a Christian -
one who follows Christ. It is written that Jesus now comes and
lives His life over again WITHIN the Christian (Gal.2:20) - by
the faith OF Christ, not just faith IN Christ. The same practices
and customs Jesus observed nearly 2,000 years ago, He will still
practice and observe today as He lives in the Christian.
Let us examine the passage showing the institution of the NT
Passover service and symbols - commonly called by many "The
Lord's Supper."
Luke 22:14, 19-20. "And when the HOUR was COME, He(Jesus) sat
down, and the twelve apostles with Him.....And He took bread, and
gave thanks, and broke it, and gave unto them, saying: This is my
body which is given for you. THIS DO in REMEMBRANCE of
me.....Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This is the
New Testament in my blood, which is shed for you."
Notice, Jesus introduced the bread and wine (fruit of the vine
- cup) "when the hour was come." There was a DEFINITE TIME - when
He held this supper, setting us the perfect example. He commanded
them to observe it, "THIS DO....." And why? "In remembrance of
me," He said. It was a MEMORIAL - in memory of His death. Jesus
instituted this ordinance on the night, the eve of His death. We
are to observe this ceremony of Christ's death, as He Himself
said, "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down
his life for his friends." Jesus knew that upon this day - the
day He was instituting the symbols of bread and wine for His
broken body and shed blood - He would die. And Jesus further
said, "You are my friends IF you DO whatsoever I command
you....." (John 15:13-14).
In Matthew 26:26 we read: "And as they were eating, Jesus took
bread." It was "as they were eating" that He introduced this
ordinance of the NT. But eating what? Eating the PASSOVER! See
verse 17 and Luke 22:15. Notice Mat.26:2, "You know that after
two days is the Feast of the Passover, and the Son of man is
betrayed to be crucified." Jesus knew His time to be slain had
come. He knew the Passover lamb represented HIM - the true lamb
of God (John 1:29).
The apostle Paul understood that the real Passover lamb was
Christ, when he wrote: ".....even Christ OUR PASSOVER is
sacrificed for us" (1 Cor.5:7).
Jesus was eating the Passover, "Now the first of the unleavens
(original Greek. The Jews had by the time of Christ acquired the
custom of putting leaven out of their homes on the 14th day of
Nisan, and by late morning ate no more leavened bread, at least
those who followed the Pharisees practiced this tradition), and
the disciples came to Jesus, saying unto Him, Where will you that
we prepare for you to eat the Passover?" (Mat.26:7). At EVEN
Jesus sat down (when the hour was come) with His twelve disciples
in an upper room (Mat.26:20; Mark 14:15).
And as they were eating the Passover supper (Mat.26:26),
"Jesus took bread and blessed it, and broke it, and gave it to
the disciples, and said: Take, eat, this is my body. And He took
the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying: Drink you
all of it; for this is my blood of the New Testament, which is
shed for the remission of sins."
It was the night of the last Passover supper that Jesus kept
and He introduced the NT Passover service and symbols.
THE OLD TESTAMENT ORDINANCE
The original Passover marked the Exodus of the Israelites from
Egypt. You will find the events recorded in the 12th chapter of
the book of Exodus.
On the 10th day of the first month (Abib or Nisan chap.13:4)
they were told to take a young lamb without spot or blemish. This
lamb was to be kept UNTIL the 14th day of this first month, when
they were to kill it "in the evening" (verse 6).
As soon as it was killed, the blood was to be sprinkled over
the door posts of their houses. The lamb was to be roasted and
eaten in haste - with their shoes on - ready to move out quickly.
At midnight that night of the 14th (no other day is yet mentioned
in the context, so it is still the 14th) the death angel passed
through the land, striking dead the firstborn of each family in
all the land of Egypt. But those under the blood of the lamb
were saved from death. And God brought - delivered - them from
the Egyptian bondage that night of the 14th. Compare these
passages - Ex.12:7-14; Num.33:3; Deut.16:1-3; Lev.23:6.
The Israelites were delivered from bondage on the 14th - the
death angel passing through the land that NIGHT of the 14th.
Israel left Rameses on the 15th, the morrow AFTER the Passover
had been slain, by NIGHT. This day of the 15th was to be a
memorial day - the feast day - a holy day (Ex.12:14-17). And that
night of the 15th was a night to be "much observed unto the
Lord."
The Passover lamb was slain on the 14th. The Israelites were
delivered on the 15th - starting the night of the 15th from
Rameses. This festival of the Passover (all eight days) - from
the 14th of Nisan to the 21st, was ordained to be observed
FOREVER (Ex.12:17,24), and in this case forever includes our time
today. The Jews certainly observe it. It was to be a MEMORIAL of
deliverance - to be kept in its season, from year to year. Hence
observed ONCE a year only (Ex.13:9,10).
TYPE AND ANTI-TYPE
The Paschal lamb was typical. As the Matthew Henry's Bible
Commentary notes:
" Christ is our Passover - 1 Cor.5:7
(1) It was to be a LAMB; and Christ is the lamb of God (John
1:29).
(2) It was to be a MALE of the first year (vs.5) in its prime.
Christ offered up Himself in the midst of His days.
(3) It was to be without BLEMISH (vs.5) denoting the purity of
the Lord Jesus - a Lamb without SPOT (1 Pet.1:19).
(4) It was to be set apart FOUR days before (vs.3,6).....It is
very observable that, as Christ was crucified at the Passover, so
He solemly entered into Jerusalem four days before - the very day
the paschal lamb was set apart.
(5) It was to be SLAIN, and ROASTED WITH FIRE (vs.....6-9),
denoting the extreme sufferings of the Lord Jesus, even unto
death. The wrath of God is as fire, and Christ was made a curse
for us.
(6) It was to be killed by the whole congregation between the two
evenings......Christ suffered at the END of the world (Heb.9:26)
by the hand of the Jews - the whole multitude of them (Luke
23:18) and for all His spiritual Israel.
(7) Not a bone of it must be BROKEN (vs.46) - which is expressly
said to be fulfilled in Christ (John 19:33,36)" (emphasis mine).
Notice again points number 4 and 6 made by the commentary.
Many Bible chronologers (i.e. the Chronological Bible by Edward
Reese) have seen that a harmony of the Gospels clearly shows
Jesus entering on a stay in Jerusalem and area FOUR days prior to
His death, and that He died on the 14th of Nisan at around the
ninth hour (3 to 4 p.m.)
God had foreshadowed the events of Jesus' last days, and
especially the last 24 hours, centuries earlier by means of the
Passover lamb. God was able, and He did fulfil them. For those
interested in the chronology of Jesus last 24 hours I have a full
in-depth study on that subject that I can send e-mail to those
who request it. Some teach that all the events must have taken
more than 24 hours. My artcile answers their arguments.
JESUS' EXAMPLE
Throughout His life and ministry Jesus observed the Passover
(Luke 2:41-42; John 2:13,23; 6:4; Mat.26:1-2, 17-20). He kept
it ONCE a year - on the 14th of Nisan. Jesus knew it pictured His
suffering and death (Mat.26:1-2).
On the NIGHT of the 14th, early evening - He sat down with His
disciples to observe the Passover meal. During this supper Jesus
introduced the symbols of the BREAD and the FRUIT OF THE VINE. He
did not abolish the Passover but merely CHANGED the symbols from
the roast lamb to bread and wine. He said to His disciples, "This
do, in remembrance of me." Jesus did this ON the 14th - on the
SAME day the Passover lamb had been slain in that first Passover
observance as recorded in Exodus 12, in the BEGINNING or EVENING
of the 14th. He thereby set us an example (1 Peter 2:21). Can
His disciples today do any more or any less? Surely the example
of Christ Himself is teaching material enough.
The Old Testament Passover was to be observed just once a year
- on the 14th of Nisan. Jesus did not, either by word or example,
change the day or the number of times in a year to remember His
death.
THE ORDINANCE OF HUMILITY
In giving us the account of the institution of the NT Passover
ordinance, Matthew, Mark and Luke describe the taking of the
bread and cup. But John relates another part of this ordinance.
It is found in the 13th chapter of John. Verse one shows the
event of the last Passover observed by Christ. And "during
supper" (which is a more accurate rendering of the Greek, see the
Interlinear by Berry and other translations), verse 2.
Jesus took a towel (verse 4) and began washing His disciples'
feet (verse 5). They had already bathed (verse 10 - Fenton
translation); they were already clean, including the feet.
Why then, did Jesus do this foot washing?
"So after He had washed their feet and had taken His garments
and was set down again, He said unto them, Know you what I have
done unto you? You call me master and Lord: and you say well; for
so I am. If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet;
you ALSO OUGHT TO WASH ONE ANOTHER'S FEET. For I have given you
an EXAMPLE that YOU SHOULD DO AS I HAVE DONE TO YOU" (verses
12-15).
This ordinance of footwashing is an ordinance of HUMILITY. It
was the lowest servant of the household who, in Jesus' day, was
given the job of washing the dusty feet of the guests. Some say
this command of Jesus was only to the disciples of His day, and
not to us today. But they will admit it was a command to them.
Turn to Matthew 28:19,20. "Go you, therefore," Jesus told those
disciples, "and teach all nations, baptizing them......teaching
them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded YOU."
So they were to teach US to observe all things He commanded
them. Washing each other's feet at the Passover time was one of
those commands, and one of those examples of Jesus we are to
follow.
Even with what is taught by such clear verses, some will still
argue up and down that we do not have to wash any feet today. I
answer in detail those arguments in another article devoted to
that specific topic. It can be sent e-mail to those who request
it.
DO AS OFTEN AS YOU WISH?
Paul gives directions regarding the NT Passover service in the
11th chapter of 1 Corinthians. Some have interpreted verse 26
which says, "As often as you eat this bread and drink this cup"
to say - "Take it as often, as many times as you like." But is
that what Paul meant to say?
Read the CONTEXT. In verse 23, Paul says that what he received
from Christ he delivered to the Corinthians, that "......the Lord
Jesus the same NIGHT in which He was betrayed (14th of Nisan)
took bread." Jesus, as has been seen, introduced the symbols
of bread and wine. He told His disciples "this do" in remembrance
of Him. In the original Greek there is the definite article "the"
so the phrase could read "this do in THE remembrance of me."
Now, what was the remembrance or MEMORIAL of Christ's death?
Why the PASSOVER - held on the 14th day of the first month of
Abib or Nisan, the day the Passover lamb was slain.
Many nations observe a "Remembrance Day" for all who died in
the last two world wars. Many people observe a MEMORIAL of their
wedding or someone's birthday. How often do they observe these
remembrance days? Only ONCE a year! A wedding, birthday, or
death, is remembered in a special way usually ON THE DAY it
occurred. We show or remember the Lord's death by partaking of
the bread and wine on the VERY DAY - the very NIGHT that Jesus
did, when He told us "this do." We remember Christ's death
through this ordinance often called the "communion service" by
some as we follow His example of partaking of it on the NIGHT and
the day of the 14th of Nisan in the Hebrew calendar.
By following His example and observing this sacred ordinance
at the same time He did, we do continue to REMEMBER His death
annually, on the very anniversary of His crucifixion. It is the
most solemn but yet joyful occasion of the year, especially when
observed at this correct hour and day.
Paul is telling the people at Corinth that as OFTEN as this
REMEMBRANCE NIGHT is observed - year after year - decade after
decade - down through the centuries and ages - we do show, we
remember by this NT ordinance - the Lord's death till He returns
again (verse 26).
TAKING UNWORTHILY?
Many have worried about Paul's statement in 1 Cor.11:29
concerning eating and drinking UNWORTHILY and so do not partake
of it. But truly we are ALL unworthy of and by ourselves of
Christ's love for us in taking our sins upon Himself and dying
for us. So is Paul saying here that UNTIL somehow we FEEL we are
worthy, we are not to partake of this ordinance? NO! For in
verse 28 Paul has just said we are to examine ourselves,
"AND SO LET HIM EAT......AND DRINK......." Jesus said, as we
have seen, "this do." He commanded His followers to partake of
the symbols of His broken body and shed blood.
This verse is not speaking about a Christian being in some
technical way worthy or unworthy (actually all repentant
Christians are sinless because the blood of Christ has blotted
them out, so they are righteous and worthy), to take this
ordinance. It IS speaking about EXAMINING oneself - getting in
the right attitude and frame of mind for this special time and
day of the year.
It is also speaking of the MANNER in which we do it. To take
it unworthily is to take it in a wrong manner. Notice what the
Corinthians had done on this special night - verses 20 to 22.
They had a big "bash" as we would say today. They had much food,
some of them; while others were left out of the party, and had
none or very little. Some got DRUNK on the wine. Paul is
correcting them for the WRONG MANNER in which they were observing
this sacred ordinance.
In connection with the wrong manner, it is worth noting that
had the ancient Israelites in Egypt observed the first Passover
at any other time or day other than when appointed by God they
would have done it unworthily and suffered the plague along with
the Egyptians. This is not to say that people today who do not
know any better or have not had this truth of the word of God
revealed to them, will be smitten down in some way if they do
observe this NT service at some other time than on the night of
the 14th of Nisan. God is very merciful during this age of the
Gospel. But when truth and light is revealed the Eternal expects
that person to walk in it, and to refuse or ignore it could
place that individual on spiritually dangerous ground.
Once truth has come to us on this matter, it could be unworthy
for us to partake of this ceremony at any other time than set
down by God in His Holy Word, we could be partaking of it in a
wrong manner. The Greek here is a VERB - an action word - a
doing word. Certainly the Corinthians were doing things in
actions that were wrong on this remembrance night as they thought
they were remembering the Lord's death.
Being in a wrong attitude of mind could also come under an
action of wrong manner, so that is why Jesus inspired Paul to
say, "But let a man(person) EXAMINE himself and SO LET HIM
EAT....."
I also have an article on examining ourselves before we come
to partake of this service, it also can be e-mailed to anyone
requesting it.
"BREAK BREAD" - WHAT DOES IT MEAN?
Some turn to Acts 20:7, "And upon the first day of the week,
when the disciples came together to break bread....." and say
this shows the "communion" - "Lord's Supper" - was observed every
Sunday. But notice, nothing is said about taking "the cup" or
fruit of the vine. Surely if this was intended to be written to
show that the NT symbols of bread and wine were to be observed
every week, it would be more explicit; especially when one
considers the fact that it would have been a NEW custom for both
the Jewish and Gentile Christians. If the question of
circumcision gave rise to a conference on the matter at
Jerusalem (Acts 15), the question of WHEN and HOW OFTEN the death
of Jesus should be commemorated and remembered in a specific way
would not have been a less issue. But we find no such issue
arising in the early Church of God.
Let's examine the context of Acts 20:7. Notice verse 6. This
was just AFTER the Days of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover
would have already taken place. Paul was holding a farewell
meeting at Troad, ready to depart at sunrise the next day. When
was Paul preaching? It was NOT Sunday morning but what we would
call Saturday night.
It was between sunset of the first day of the week and midnight
(verse 7) and many LIGHTS were burning (verse 8). They were all
getting hungry. And after they had "broken bread and EATEN" Paul
went on his journey (verse 11). THIS BREAD BREAKING WAS EATING A
COMMON MEAL.
The words "break bread" are used in many places to refer to a
plain meal. Notice Acts 27:34,35, "Wherefore I pray you to take
some meat(food). He took bread......and when he had BROKEN IT he
began to EAT......" notice also Acts 2:46, ".....And breaking
bread from house to house, did eat their meat(food) with
gladness." Here they were breaking bread DAILY, eating food or
meals; and Paul says we are not to eat the Lord's Supper to
satisfy hunger (1 Cor.11:34). Then notice Matthew 26:29. Jesus
said He would not again take the NT Passover until after His
coming in His Kingdom. Yet later, as He sat "at meat," eating a
meal, He BROKE bread and blessed it (Luke 24:30).
They did not have sliced packaged bread in the first century
A.D. The bread was often BROKEN apart with the hands. "Break
bread" was a term for having a meal.
THE EARLY CHURCH KEPT THE PASSOVER
Christianity has a Jewish background. Jesus Christ was a Jew,
of the house of Judah (Heb.7:14). Paul, Peter, James, John and
others were all of the house of Judah, though maybe not of the
tribe of Judah. Christianity began with Jewish people. As the
Gentiles entered the Church they became part of spiritual Israel
- spiritual Jews. There is NO DIFFERENCE between Jew and Gentile
- all become ONE in Christ (Rom.2:28-29; Eph.2:12-22). All are to
worship God in the SAME MANNER - in SPIRIT and in TRUTH (John
4:24).
What about the Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread
festival? Are Gentiles to observe as some call them, "those
Jewish festivals"? Did the Jewish Christians continue to keep
them? Did the Gentile converts in the apostolic Church observe
the festivals of Israel, as given by God in Leviticus chapter 23?
Paul, writing to the predominately Gentile congregation at
Corinth, admonishes them to, "Purge out therefore the old leaven
that you may be a new lump, AS YOU ARE UNLEAVENED. For even
Christ our PASSOVER is sacrificed for us. Therefore let us
KEEP (Greek in the present continuous tense) the FEAST"
(1 Cor.5:7,8).
Paul is admonishing the NT Christians to CONTINUE keeping the
Passover and Feast of Unleavened Bread - but with the spirit of
true Christianity - in sincerity and truth. He wanted them to
observe the festival not only in a literal way but in the way the
festival portrays SPIRITUALLY, remembering Christ's DEATH for our
sins and PUTTING AWAY sin (leaven is a type of) from our lives
(hence to unleaven us) as we physically unleaven our homes in a
physical type teaching and lesson for our spiritual lives.
The authors of "The Life and Epistles of St. Paul" - Conybeare
and Howson, have this to say on these verses:
" In spite of the opinion of some, we must adhere to the
interpretation which considers these words as written at the
Paschal season, and suggested by it. The words LEAVEN, LUMP,
PASCHAL LAMB and FEAST all agree most naturally with this
view......It has been object that St. Paul would not address the
Corinthians as engaged in a feast which he, at Ephesus, was
celebrating, because it would be over before his letter could
reach them. Anyone who has ever written a birthday letter to a
friend in India will see the weakness of this objection. If we
take 'as you are unleavened' in a metaphorical sense, it is
scarcely consistent with the previous 'cast out the old leaven';
for the passage would then amount to saying, 'Be you free from
leaven (metaphorically) as you are free from leaven
(metaphorically)'; whereas, on the other hand, St.Paul says,
'Be free from leaven (metaphorically) as you are free from leaven
(literally).' There seems to be no difficulty in supposing that
the Gentile Christians joined with the Jewish Christians in
celebrating the Paschal feast after the Jewishmanner, at least to
the extent of abstaining from leaven in the love feast. And we
see St. Paul still observing the 'days of unleavened bread' at
this period of his life, from Acts 20:6......" (pages 389, 390,
emphasis mine).
The Passover and Days of Unleavened Bread were still being
observed by Paul and the Jew-Gentile Christians of the first
century A.D. The Holy Spirit inspired those words in Acts 12:3,
"Then were the days of unleavened bread." Notice also verse 4.
The word "Easter" is a mistranslation. The Greek word is "Pascha"
(which means Passover). See any Greek lexicon.
Contrary to many views the passage in Col.2:16 is one of the
STRONGEST proofs in the entire NT that Christians of the first
century A.D. continued to observe the annual, monthly, and weekly
festivals as given by the Eternal in the law and books of Moses.
A study of Col.2:16 can be e-mailed to those who request it.
THE TESTIMONY OF CHURCH HISTORY
That the early Church continued to remember the DEATH of
Christ on the 14th of Nisan is confirmed by the writers of the
second century. Polycarp (of Asia Minor) - a disciple of John the
apostle, travelled to Rome to try to persuade the bishop of Rome
to observe the 14th of Nisan as opposed to "Easter." Polycrates
later in the 2nd century also contended with the Roman church in
favor of the 14th of the first month, Jewish calendar. This 14th
of Nisan/Easter controversy became known in Church History as the
"QUARTODECIMAN controversy."
You can read all about it in the Catholic Encyclopedia at your
public library, under the articles, "Quartodeciman" - "Easter" -
"Polycarp" - "Polycrates."
The TRUTH on this subject as to HOW often to observe the bread
and fruit of the vine symbols of the death of Christ can be found
and understood as this article explains, if you are willing to
search the Scriptures daily, and really do hunger and thirst for
righteousness and have a love of the truth.
May the Eternal grant you such an attitude as to want to
understand His will on this matter.
................................
Written first 1980
re-written and revised in March 1998
by
Keith Hunt
#9 1 CORINTHIANS 11:20…..LORD'S SUPPER
by Keith Hunt
THE GREEK WORD IS DEIPNON
The Strongest Strong's Concordance says... "...banquet, supper, evening meal.."
Thayer's Lexicon says basically the same thing; "....1. supper, esp. a formal meal usually held at evening.....used of the Messiah's feast, symbolizing salvation in the Kingdom of heaven; Rev. 19: 9, 17..... 2. univ. food taken at evening 1 Cor. 11:21
The Englishman's Greek Concordance gives every place it is used, which are:
Mat. 23:6 love the uttermost rooms at feasts Mar. 6:21 made a supper to his lords, high captains 12:39 the uppermost rooms at feasts Lk. 14:12 When you make a dinner or supper 16 And a certain man made a great supper 17 sent his servants at supper time 24 were bidden shall taste of my supper 20:46 the chief rooms at feasts Jon. 12:2 There they made him a supper 13:2 supper being ended, the devil having 4 He arose from supper, and laid arside 1 Cor. 11:20 (this) is not to eat the Lord's supper 21 one takes before (other) his own supper Rev. 19:9 unto the marriage supper of the Lamb 17 unto the supper of the great God
So a meal, a banquet, a feast, an evening meal or supper. The Greek word can be used in all those contexts.
The Passover was an evening meal, the Old Testament Passover with a Lamb eaten, and with un-leavended bread and bitter herbs, as directed by the OT law of God (Ex. 12:5-8 etc.). Wine or fruit of the vine was part of this Passover evening meal by the time of Christ.
1 Corinthians 11:17-34.
We see Paul had taught them how to observe the memorial of the Lord's death (v. 23).
Now there was division.
We see some were continuing to make a meal of it, and a selfish and un-righteous manner in doing so; some were left out, some got drunk (v. 21).
Verse 20, as in the margin reference. "When you come together therefore into one place, YOU CANNOT EAT THE LORD'S SUPPER."
Paul goes on to tell them not only can they not eat the Lord's evening meal [as He did with his disciples at the Passover; which was the Lord's Passover meal] as a New Testament memorial, but many were even trying to do it, and with selfishness [not sharing] and drunkenness [some getting drunk].
All of this was a double whammy; a triple whammy - a meal when it was no longer to be a meal, and doing this meal in a way that Paul says he certainly could not praise. "What! Have you not houses to eat and drink in? Or despise you the Church of God, and shame them who have not. What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you in this? I praise you not!" (v. 22).
THEN PAUL TELLS THEM WHAT HE HAD ALREADY TAUGHT THEM:
"For I have received of the Lord that which also I DELIVERED UNTO YOU......"
Paul tells them again Jesus took bread and the cup and blessed both and told them what they represented for the New Testament Passover (vs. 23-26).
IT IS CLEAR WHAT JESUS INSTITUTED THAT LAST PASSOVER NIGHT TO BE THE NEW TESTAMENT PASSOVER.
IT IS CLEAR PAUL WAS INSTRUCTED TO TELL THE CORINTHIANS AND EVERYONE, THE NEW TESTAMENT PASSOVER WAS NOT TO BE A "LORD'S SUPPER" MEAL.....THEY WERE TO EAT AN EVENING MEAL IN THEIR HOUSES.
THE NEW TESTAMENT PASSOVER EVENING WAS TO BE UN-LEAVENED BREAD AND THE FRUIT OF THE VINE. AND IN THE GOSPEL OF JOHN THE FOOT WASHING SERVICE.
THERE IS ALSO THE RECORD OF HISTORY - CALLED IN CHURCH HISTORY "THE QUARTODECIMIN CONTROVERSY" - THE 14TH OF THE MONTH [of Nisan or Abib - first month in God's canendar].
THE ROMAN CHURCH WENT WITH THE ADOPTION OF "EASTER" SUNDAY MASS SERVICE, AS IT CAME INTO THEIR TRADITIONS. BUT SOME STAYED WITH THE PASSOVER OBSERVANCE ON THE EVENING OF THE 14TH. THE ROMAN CHURCH EVENTUALLY CALLED THEM "HERETICS" AND CONDEMNED THE PRACTICE. ALL THIS I HAVE FULLY EXPLAINED IN OTHER STUDIES.
THERE IS NO RECORD AT ALL OF THESE 14TH OBSERVERS, KEEPING AN EVENING MEAL AS WAS DONE FOR THE OLD TESTAMENT OBSERVANCE OF THE PASSOVER.
AS PAUL SAID, ".....YOU CANNOT NOT EAT THE LORD'S MEAL [SUPPER]" IT WAS NO LONGER TO BE A LORD'S PASSOVER EVENING MEAL.
FOR AT LEAST 500 YEARS THESE 14TH OBSERVERS AND THE "EASTER SUNDAY" ROMAN CATHOLIC OBSERVERS CLASH HORNS ON WHEN AND HOW TO REMEMBER THE LORD'S DEATH.
THE TRUE 14TH CHRISTIANS NEVER OBSERVED IT AS AN EVENING MEAL. THEY FOLLOWED THE INSTRUCTIONS OF PAUL TO THE CORINTHIANS. ……….
#10 PASSOVER
UNDERSTANDINGS
For us today with the writings of the New Testament(NT) and
two thousand years to look back at the death of Christ, it is
sometimes hard to put ourselves in the shoes of the Jews and
disciples of Jesus concerning the theology of the Old
Testament(OT) Passover lamb.
I raised a few eye-brows lately with some questions like:
Show me from the OT where the Passover lamb represented the
Messiah and show me from the OT where the Passover lamb was to be
killed at 3 p.m. in the afternoon of the 14th of Nisan.
For our edification we need to put ourselves in the shoes of
the Jews of the first century A.D. Try to forget for a moment all
you have come to know about the Passover lamb from the NT, and
how the NT explains the typology. Now your mind is clear. Good.
take the right shoe of the Jews at the time of Christ and put it
on your right foot. Got it on? Fine, do the same with the left
shoe. You are now standing in the same shoes as the Jews of the
first century.
You(as a Jew) have been told from birth that the Passover
memorial service was to remember how God saved and delivered your
people on the 14th of Nisan from the bondage of Egyptian slavery.
You have been told time and time again the story of Exodus
12 and 13. How the death angel saved from death those under the
blood. You have observed the night many times with the reading
and telling of these historic events, BUT NEVER HAVE YOU BEEN
TOLD: "listen son, the Passover lamb God gave to Israel to
kill on the 14th was to represent the Messiah."
You were never taught this by your parents, you were never
taught it in the synagogue, you were never taught it by the Rabbi
of your town or in fact by anyone! Why? VERY SIMPLE! There is
NO SCRIPTURE that says: "See Moses this lamb you kill on the 14th
is to represent the Messiah to come" or "Moses, I want you to
tell the children of Israel that this 14th day lamb is to remind
them of the coming Messiah, it is to picture His death."
There is not one word in the books of Moses that come close
to explaining the lamb of the 14th was to symbolize the Messiah
to come. There is not one word in the Psalms, the writings, or
the Prophets that told anyone about the Passover lamb being a
type and forshaddow of the coming Messiah. Try to find it
friends, you will not because the OT is SILENT on that typology!
You as a first century Jew were never told by anyone: "Now
we want you to understand that the death of the lamb on the 14th,
represents the death of the Messiah to come."
You were never taught that because the OT says NOTHING in
any specific language that that was what the lamb's death on the
14th really typified.
Oh, the death of the Messiah was talked about in the OT, but
even that was clouded in some not too clear words. Certainly it
was not laid out in plain language so none would ever get mixed
up on. It was shrouded in language and a setting that left
most scratching their heads as to what and who it was all about.
Remember the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts 8. He was reading Isaiah
53. Philip asked him if he understood what it meant. His answer
was NO!
The Jews and disciples of Christ did not have as part of
their upbringing the, theology that the Passover lamb represented
the Christ, the Messiah. They did not have as part of their
theology that the Messiah was to come and be slain like a lamb on
the 14th of Nisan! Oh, they may have had some theology that
taught the Messiah would deliver them from the Roman armies on
the 14th as God once delivered Israel from the Egyptians, but
that is not the same and is a long way from the theology that the
Passover lamb represented the Messiah who would be killed on the
14th. How could He deliver them on the 14th from Rome and die on
the 14th at the same time without delivering them.
When we understand how the Jews had no theology that the
14th lamb typified the Christ, then we can understand the NT
gospels and the mind set of the Jews and the disciples much
clearer. All starts to become understandable as to why what
happened ,did happen to Jesus, and why even the disciples were
stunned, shocked, and in complete despair. Peter even saying "I
go fishing" and Thomas even doubting Jesus had been raised to
life again.
Looking only to Exodus 12 or anything else said about the
Passover lamb in the OT, would never have led you to the theology
that this lamb represented the coming Messiah, who would shed His
blood in death on the very day the Passover lamb was always
killed.
Let's use some common human logic. If this lamb of the
Passover was known in religious circles to be the Christ to come,
then it would have been KNOWN, right? Yes, of course! It would
have been common theology of the synagogue. All would have talked
about it, that the Messiah would come the first time to die and
be slain on the 14th of Nisan for the sins of the world, and His
coming in glory would be after that event. The fact is the
theology of the Jews did not see the first coming, they just
could not put it together as the Ethiopian eunuch could not. They
just could not understand the scriptures concerning someone to
die and suffer as given in Ps.22 and Isaiah 53.
What was said about the Passover lamb in the OT was
certainly no help to them, for nothing was said about it
representing the Messiah.
The religious leaders who were against Jesus, and who
finally wanted Him dead, they knew He claimed to be the Messiah,
the Son of God, even God in the flesh. Now if they had known from
the Passover lamb that the Messiah was to come and be slain
on the 14th of Nisan, DO YOU THINK THEY WOULD HAVE KILLED THIS
JESUS WHO CLAIMED TO BE THE MESSIAH ON THAT DAY?
They hated him, did not want Him to be acknowledged as
anything but from the devil. They knew the people, at least more
than they wanted, were looking to Him as from God. They knew many
believed He was the very Messiah. With all that and if their
theology taught the 14th lamb was representive of the Messiah,
YOU CAN BET YOUR BOTTOM DOLLAR THEY WOULD HAVE GONE OUT OF THEIR
WAY TO MAKE SURE THIS JESUS DID NOT DIE ON THE 14TH!!
Now, take some logic with the very disciples of Jesus. If it
was their understanding that the Messiah was to fulfil the
Passover lamb, in death and on the very day of the 14th of Nisan,
then you would expect that somewhere along the line in the
gospels you would read something to the effect as: "well Lord we
know that you are the Passover lamb, to be slain for the sins of
the world on the 14th of the first month. Is it this year Lord,
this coming Passover that it will happen?"
You know and I know that such a thought let alone a
statement as that never came into the heads of the disciples of
Jesus. They never even thought Christ would be killed, it just
was not in their wildest dreams or nightmares.
Even when Jesus just before the last Passover, said to them
that the Passover was coming and the Son of man was to be
betrayed and killed, IT WENT OVER THEIR HEADS, IN ONE EAR AND OUT
THE OTHER, THEY COULD NOT SEE THE MESSIAH BEING KILLED!!
Even when at the Passover supper meal and Jesus told them
that one among them was going to betray Him, they could not
believe it. It was just too ridiculous to contemplate such a
thing. Who among them could possibly do such a terrible act. They
certainly were not thinking that this Passover day Jesus was to
have His blood shed and be killed. When in the garden and they
were coming to arrest Jesus, Peter was ready to FIGHT to save Him
from being taken!
Do we see brethren the theology of the Passover lamb in the
time of Jesus was not what we have come to see it as of today,
and as the NT church came to see it after the Day of Pentecost
when the Spirit came to start to reveal to them all things and
all truth.
We take things for granted today because we have the NT and
have the answers to some of the typology in the OT that HAS
ALREADY BEEN FULFILLED. It is easy for us to see AFTER THE FACT!
We need to try and remember that for the Jews of Jesus' day it
WAS NOT EASY TO SEE!
When Paul uttered those words in 1 Cor.5 about Christ being
our Passover, IT WAS AFTER THE SPIRIT HAD COME, AND AFTER THE
FACT HAD BEEN FULFILLED!
Paul did not say: "Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us
because He was burnt at the stake(roasted like the lamb)." Or,
"Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us because He had His
throat cut and blood shed like the lamb." Paul did not say:
"Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us because He was spit
upon, beaten, and scourged like the lamb" (which was never so
treated anyway). He did not say: "Christ is our Passover
because He died at 3 p.m. on the afternoon of the 14th, when the
lambs were slain in the Temple."
Paul said none of those things. He did not get into ANY
specifics. He did not quote from Ps.22 or Isaiah 53. Paul was
using a GENERAL FIGURE OF SPEECH, based upon what was NOW OBVIOUS
TO THEM AND ALL CHRISTIANS. Jesus was the "lamb of God that
takes away the sins of the world" (as John the Baptist
proclaimed), and He died on the 14th of Nisan, the very day that
the Passover lamb had always been slain upon.
Those two facts alone put the sealing typology on the question,
if there was a question about it. Jesus did fulfil the Passover
lamb. The lamb of the Passover did represent the true lamb of God
that would die to save sinners and die on the Passover day - the
14th of the first month.
BUT THEY DID NOT KNOW THAT FACT UNTIL AFTER THE FACT WAS
FULFILLED AND IT WAS THEN CLEARLY EASY TO SEE!!
More in a future post.
 Written
by
Keith Hunt
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
