Leaves of Gold

A call to return to the teaching of the Bible

A ministry of Evangelist James A. Nelson   jan23@cox.net

Year III, No. 8                                                       AUGUST                                                                2009

 

 

Master Outline Number 43 Entering the Kingdom

(The Christian Life Bible, Thomas Nelson, publishers, notes by Porter L. Barrington)

 

Now we come to the fourth and concluding section of the King's manifesto. In this part we have the Golden Rule, the key that unlocks the treasure chest of the Sermon on the Mount. It is the es­sence of His kingdom principles. "Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets" (Matt. 7:12). Jesus was saying that when you practice the Golden Rule, you are fulfilling the Law and the Prophets.

On a later occasion, a certain lawyer tested Jesus by asking Him this question, "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?" (Matt. 22:36). Jesus knew that the intent of the law­yer was to trap Him and destroy his influence with the masses. He had taught earlier in His ministry, "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill" (Matt. 5:17). Had Jesus named anyone of the laws as the greatest, He would have de­graded the other nine commandments. They could then have accused Him of being an unreliable teacher of the law. However, they were not ready for His answer. He did not name just one law as the greatest, but He divided the ten laws into two sections and answered them by saying, " 'You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind: This is the first and great commandment" (Matt. 22:37, 38). He then went on to say, "And the second is like it: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself: On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets" (Matt. 22:39, 40).

When you love God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind, you are obeying the first four of the ten commandments; and when you love your neighbor as yourself, you are obeying the last six of the ten commandments (Ex. 20:1-17). When you reach that spiritual plateau where you truly love your neighbor as you love yourself, you are practicing the Golden Rule. It will be a joy, day after day, to do unto others as you would have others do unto you (Matt. 7:12).

At the conclusion of the King's manifesto, the multitudes were astonished at His teaching; it is no wonder that they were amazed, for He taught them as one having authority (Matt. 7:28, 29). He contradicted almost all the traditional interpretations of the scribes and Pharisees, while in His life and teachings He fulfilled all of the Law and the Prophets. 

 

43-A. Prayer Is Asking, Seeking, and Knocking (Matthew 7:7-11)-"Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you" (v. 7). This is a precious, positive promise for all of God's children. It should motivate every believer to become bold in prayer, knowing that our heavenly Father has promised to give good things to all those who ask Him.

Before you ask the Father for anything, however, examine your motives. James said, "You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures" (James 4:3). If your motives pass these tests, you will not be asking amiss:

(1) Are you obeying His command, "Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness" (Matt. 6:33)?

(2) Are you adhering to the principles of the Golden Rule, "Whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets" (Matt. 7:12)?

(3) What are your Christian ethics in your relationships with your brothers and sisters in Christ? Do you treat them, in all matters, as you would have them treat you?

(4) Do the Beatitudes determine your daily Christian walk or practice?

Verses 7-11 are not a carte blanche promise for all who cry, "Lord, Lord" (Matt. 7:21). It is one thing to understand mentally the Sermon on the Mount, but quite another to practice it. If you are a hearer of the Word but not a doer, you are deceiving yourself (James 1 :22-25). Jesus gave us the Sermon on the Mount to help even the weakest Christian to know and walk in the will of God. When your life reflects the ethics of the Sermon on the Mount, you can ask and receive; you can seek and find, you can knock and God will open wide the door.

          . ,

43-B. The Key to the Kingdom (Matthew 7:12)- The Golden Rule is the summation of the Sermon on the Mount. It established the Christian's ethical relationship with other believers, and revealed the purpose of the manifesto, which is to fulfill the Law and the Prophets (v. 12). Jesus said, "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill" (Matt. 5:17). Jesus came to do for us what we could not do for ourselves, to make His righteousness available to all believers. "For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes" (Rom. 10:4). Now that we are "made righteous" (Rom. 5:19) with the righteousness of Christ, we are to do to others every good thing to help them reach their highest spiritual goals, because this is what we would have other believers do for us.

The Golden Rule is the most concise, most inclusive ethical statement ever written or spoken. If it were obeyed by all of mankind, there would be no need for armies or law-enforcement officers; there would be heaven on earth. Make the Golden Rule your standard of ethics and you will make the world a better place in which to live.

 

43-C Two Ways: The Broad and the Narrow (Matthew 7:13, 14)- The Sermon on the Mount presents two paths-the way to heaven and the way to hell (vv. 13, 14). The choice is yours-and not to choose is itself a choice, the wrong choice (John 3:18,). You are already on one of these two ways:

(1) The broad way is the way of Satan, "the god of this age" (2 Cor. 4:4). The broad way appeals to "the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life" (1 John 2:15-17).

(2) The narrow way is the way of Christ, "which leads to life" (v. 14; John 14:6). You enter the "narrow gate" by faith in Christ (John 3:36), and you walk  his difficult way by following Christ (Mark 8:34-38).

                You may travel on the broad way, but it will narrow down to death. "There is a way that seems right t a man," a broad and easy way with no restraints, appealing to the carnal nature; "but its end is the way of death," or eternal separation from God (Prov. 14:12). , If you have entered the narrow gate, by faith in Christ, you are on the narrow way. The way is difficult but as you follow Christ, the way wi11 widen out into abundant life (John 10:10).      ,

Thank God, you can leave the broad way to enter the narrow gate by faith in Christ, and follow Him. His promise is, "The one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out" (John 6:37).         (

43-D. Two Prophets: The False and the True (Matthew 7:15-20)-Jesus said, "I am the good shepherd," The True Prophet (John 10:14). In the present verses He warned the sheep, "Beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep's clothing" (v. 15).

He added, "By their fruits you will know them" (v. 20; cf. James 3:16, 17). By their teaching you will know the true from the false. Paul said, "I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who· called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel" (Gal. 1 :6-10). The curse of God is o~ anyone who preaches any gospel other than the gospel of the grace of God (Eph. 2:8,9, page 1187). Pau defined this gospel when he said, "Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures" (1 Cor. 15:1-4, page 1161). As we approach the end of the dispensation of grace, false prophets will multiply until the time when the redeemed are raptured, the Antichrist is revealed (1 John 2:18), and Christ the True Prophet comes to establish His kingdom (Matt. 25:31-46).

43-E. Religious but lost (Matthew 7:21-23)-Anyone who cries, "lord, lord," (v. 21) but does not believe that Jesus is the God-Man, the only Savior, has a false religion. At the Great White Throne judgment Jesus will say to them, "I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!" (v. 23). !

It is difficult to know the false from the true, because man has a finite and corrupt mind. How can he know the heart of another person, when he does not even understand his own heart (Jer. 17:9, 10). Only the omniscient God has the capacity to understand the true relation of the human heart to His kingdom (1. Sam. 16:7). One may act the part of a Christian and cry, "lord! lord!" and even preach in His name, cast out demons in His name, perform miracles in His name, and do wonderful works in His name, deceiving many Christians-but such a person cannot fool the Lord, who knows the heart. '

I

43-F. Two Builders: The Wise and the Foolish (Matthew 7:24-27)- There are two foundations, the false an~ the true (vv. 24-27). In these verses Jesus taught that there are two builders, the wise and the foolish. The foolish builder builds on sand, a false foundation. The materials may be good, but when the storm comes the house will fall because of its weak foundation. The wise builder erects his house on the Rock; and when the storm comes, it will stand because of its solid foundation. Christ is the true foundation of His church (Matthew 16:18 and kingdom, 1 Corinthians 3:11.  The prophet Isaiah said: "Therefore thus said the Lord God: "Behold, I lay in Zion a stone for a foundation, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation; whoever believes will not act hastily", Isaiah 28:16.  The assembly and the kingdom stand upon Jesus Christ the solid Rock.  All other ground is sinking sand.

 

43—G. Two authorities: Sovereign and Human, Matthew 7:28, 29.  In this chapter we have briefly examined the two ways, the two prophets, the two religions, the two foundations, and now we consider the two authorities.  This is the epilogue of the King's manifesto: "The people were astonished at His teaching", v. 28.  After almost two thousand years, people are still astonished at the supreme authority with which Hr taught.  

            Unlike the scribes and Pharisees, whose authority was merely human, Jesus taught by His own divine authority.  And so the people, not at all accustomed to this kind of teaching, were astonished.  Jesus´s authority is by virtue of the fact that He, the God-Man, has been given all authority in heaven and in earth, Matthew 28:18.

                His authority was, is, and always shall be, absolute.  (These studies will continue)

 

 

 

The Church, Its Perpetuity, chapter six

From the book: "Baptist Doctrine" by E. C. Gillentine, published by Bogard Press, Texarkana, Ark.

The sacred Scriptures distinctly and abundantly teach the perpetuity of New Testament churches as the following facts from both history and Scriptures will show.

1. In Matt. 28:20 we read: "And, 10, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen." Jesus promised to be with His church to the end of the world, or age. He could not be with His church to the end unless the church exi.sted to the end, hence, we know it will continue to the end just as Jesus said.

2. In Matthew 16:18 we read: "And the gates of hell shall not prevail against it" (the church). The gates of hell are the powers of darkness, and Jesus said they should not prevail against His church, hence, the church must exist until the end of the age or else we must admit that Jesus did not know what'He was talking about.

3. In Eph. 3:21 we read: "Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen." If God is to be glorified in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, then, the church must of necessity continue throughout all ages. God could not be glorified in a non-existent institution, therefore the church must be perpetuated unto the end.

4. In Heb. 12:28, we read again: "Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear." If the kingdom can­not be moved, then it is foolishness for men to talk about the churches ceasing to exist. The word "shaken"

in this passage means that the kingdom is an unshaken, unmoved institution, not liable to disorder and over­throw.

5. In John 14: 16, 17 we read of a promise made by Jesus to His church as follows: "And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you." Jesus de­clares that the world cannot receive Him. Now, since the world cannot receive Him, and if the church ceases to exist, where will the Holy Spirit dwell? If the church ceased to exist Christ made a false promise to them about the Holy Spirit dwelling with them for ever, but we do not believe that Christ made a false promise, therefore we believe according to the Scriptures that the c~u.rch will be perpetuated always, or unto the end of the age as Jesus said. By "perpetuity" we mean that the church has continued through all centuries since the days of Jesus Christ to the end of the dis­pensation or until Christ comes again.

In the remaining paragraphs of this chapter we quote from the late F. L. Dupont's book on Church Perpetuity in which he introduces some historical statements from some of the principal ecclesiastical historians of the world, none of whom were Baptists, but all of whom testify to the fact that the churches of Jesus Christ have continued through the ages in uninterrupted succession from the days of Christ and the apostles to the present, and that they have ever been characterized by those Gospel principles and practices, which distinguish the Missionary Baptist Churches of today from all others claiming to be churches of Christ. Quote:

"1. Let us hear first, the testimony of the great German Lutheran historian, Dr. Mosheim:

"It may be observed in the first place, that the Men­nonites are not entirely in error when they boast of their descent from the Waldenses, Petrobrusians and other ancient sects who are usually considered wit­nesses of the truth in times of general darkness and superstition. Before the rises of Luther and Calvin there lay concealed in almost all the countries of Eu­rope, particularly in Bohemia, Moravia, Switzerland and Germany, many persons who adhered tenaciously to the following doctrine, which the Waldenses, Wick­liffites and Hussites have maintained, some in a more disguised and others in a more open and public man­ner, viz: "That the kingdom of Christ, or visible Church which He established upon earth, was an as­sembly of true and real saints and ought, therefore, to be inaccessible to the wicked and unrighteous, and also exempt from all those institutions which human prudence suggests to oppose the progress of iniquity or to correct and reform transgressors." This maxim is the true source of all those peculiarities that are to be found in the religious doctrine and discipline of the Mennonites; and it is most certain that the greatest part of these peculiarities were approved by many of those who, before the dawn of the reformation, enter­tained the notion already mentioned, relating to the visible Church of Christ." History of the Christian Church, p. 491.

(Note.-Those whom Dr. Mosheim calls Mellionites in one place, and Ana-baptists in another, he also styles Baptists in yet others. For instance, on page 500" he says: "The sectaries in England who reject the custom of baptizing infants, are not distinguished by the title of Ana-baptists but by that of Baptists.")

Let the reader carefully note this testimony.

(a) Every sentence in this quotation from the Con­fession of Faith of these ancient Christians can be heartily endorsed by the Baptists of today. Read it carefully again.

(b) Mosheim declares that these Baptists existed "before the rise of Luther and Calvin," and before the dawn of the reformation," and hence, the idea that the Baptists originated with either Roger Williams or John Smith, is forever exploded by the testimony of this great Lutheran.

 

As to their origin. hear him again:

"The true origin of that sect which acquired the de­nomination Ana-baptists by their administering anew the rite of baptism to those who came over to their communion, and derived that of Mennonites from the famous man to whom they owe the greatest part of their present felicity, IS HID IN THE DEPTHS OF ANTIQUITY, and is, of consequence, extremely diffi­cult to be ascertained." (Church History, page 490.)

Dr. Mosheim virtually admits that their origin can­not be found on this side of the New Testament age!

2. Drs. Yepij and Dermont, two learned members of the Dutch Reformed Church, were appointed by the King of Holland to write a history of the different religious denominations of the country, and this is their testimony as to the origin of the Baptists:

"We have now seen that the Baptists, who were for­merly called Ana-baptists, and in later times, Mennon­ites, were the original Waldenses, and who have long in the history of the Church received the honor of that origin. On this account, the Baptists may be consid­ered as the only Christian community which has stood since the days of the apostles, and as a Christian so­ciety, which has preserved pure the doctrines of the gospel in all ages. The perfectly correct external and internal economy of the Baptist denomination, tends to confirm the truth, disputed by the Romish Church, that the Reformation brought about in the sixteenth century, was in the highest degree necessary; and, at the same time, goes to refute the erroneous notion of the Catholics, that their communion is the most an­cient."

                This testimony deserves to be indelibly engraven upon the tablets of the memory of every true Baptist!  

3. Hear Zwingle, the great Swiss reformer:

"The institution of Ana-baptism is no novelty, but for 1300 years has caused great disturbance in the Church, and has acquired such a strength, that the attempt in this age to contend with it, appeared futile for a time."

Take 1300 from 1530, the date at which Zwingle wrote, and we have A. D. 230, a date reaching nearly the apostolic age, according to this great reformer.

4. Ree, in his "Reply to WalL" page 20, says:

"The Ana-baptists are a pernicious sect, of which the Waldensian brethren seem to have been. Nor is this heresy a modern thing, for it existed in the time of Austin."

(Note.-Austin, a monk to whom Ree refers, lived A. D. 354).

Ree calls these Ana-baptists "heretic," because, as the celebrated philosopher, Sir Isaac Newton, declared, "the Baptists are the only body of Christians that has not symbolized with the Church of Rome!"

5. Now hear Mr. Alexander Campbell, the great preacher and founder of the Campbellite church:

"We can find an unbroken series of Protestants-a regular succession of those who protested against the corruptions of the Romish Church, and endeavored to hold fast the faith once delivered to the saints, from the first schism, 251 A. D., to the present day." (Campbell~Purcell, page 77.)

Hear Mr. Campbell in his debate with McCalla:

"From the apostolic age to the present time, the sen­timents of Baptists, and their practice of· Baptism, have had a continued chain of advocates, and public monuments of their existence in every century can be produced!"

With this testimony we close, although scores of statements equally strong, might be adduced. Well

. might we exclaim, "Their rock is not as our Rock, our enemies themselves being judges!" Reader, the Scrip­tures, the arguments and the evidences are before you, and we ask you to weigh them in view of that great day, when the Master will say to His obedient ones "Well done, thou good and faithful servants! '  (These studies will continue)

 

                This page is edited by Evangelist James A. Nelson, jan23@cox.net.  The Web Master is Pastor Martin R. Gutzmer, mrgutzmer@gmail.com, and the sponsor is David R. Pickett, dr_pickett@hotmail.com