Leaves of Gold

A Call To Return To The Teaching Of The Bible

A ministry of Evangelist James A. Nelson

Year III, No. 6                                                           June                                                                 2009                                   

 

 

MASTER OUTLINE NUMBER FORTY ONE  "The Christian Life Bible", Thomas Nelson Publishers,  notes by Porter L. Barrington

1. 

Manifesting Kingdom Principles

We now come to the second section of the King's manifesto. In the Beatitudes we have seen what the Christian is; now we are told how to manifest kingdom principles. As the King's subjects, we are not to withdraw from the world; we are in the world, but not of it. Jesus said, "You are the salt of the earth" (Matt. 5:13); but if you lose your saltiness (tang), you are good for nothing. Again He said, "You are the light of the world" (Matt. 5:14). But if you put your light under a bushel, you will not expel darkness in others around you. Your light does not shine to be seen, but that others may see Christ in you, and hunger and thirst after His righteousness.

When you are abused, turn the other cheek; go the second mile; pray for and love your enemies.  Why? Because "you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special peo­ple, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light" (1 Pet. 2:9).

Yes, we are the aristocracy of heaven, children of the King of kings and Lord of lords. Don't lose your saltiness or dim your light. The world is in spiritual darkness, blinded by the power of Satan, the prince of darkness (2 Cor. 4:4). Live close to Christ and reflect His light; He is the Light of the World (John 8:12).

41-A. Believers are salt and light, Matthew 5:13-16.

         Believers are salt and light (vv. 13-16). The teachings of Jesus are rich in parabolic metaphors.  In these verses He uses two familiar and important elements of everyday life:  salt and light:

 (1) "You are the salt of the earth" (v. 13). Salt is aseptic; it does not cure corruption, but it can prevent decay from occurring. It also seasons food, making it more palatable to the taste. Similarly, your Christian influence in the world-measured by your conformity to the Beatitudes-is like salt that checks the spread of sin (corruption). However, "if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned [made salty]? It is then good for nothing" (v. 13). Jesus is warning believers not to lose their Christian influence-their saltiness-in this corrupt world.

(2) "You are the light of the world" (v. 14). Light does not shine to be seen, but to enable others to see and what they are to see is not the Christian, but Christ. "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works [not you] and glorify your Father [not you] in heaven" (v. 16). He said, "A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden" (v. 14), suggesting a city whose streetlamps and home lights shine through the darkest night. This is a beautiful metaphor of a congregation filled with that spiritual light that comes from Him who is light, in whom "is no darkness at all" (1 John 1 :5-7). He added, "Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lamp stand and it gives light to all who are in the house" (v. 15). In this part of the metaphor, believers are taught to let their light shine, in their homes and elsewhere, to light the way to Jesus for the family and others. When congregated together, believers become a city on a hill, a beacon lighting the way to Jesus for all who can see the light.

41-B. Christ, the Law, and the Prophets (Matthew 5:17-20)-Christ said, "Do not think that I came to destroy ... but to fulfill" the Law and the Prophets (v. 17). With these words He placed His seal of authenticity on the Old Testament-the Law and the Prophets. He is the only Man who kept the whole law of God from the moment of birth, never breaking the least commandment, not "one jot or one tittle" (v. 18). "For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all" (James 2:10). Jesus walked this earth for some thirty-three years, and even after all-those years He could challenge His enemies, saying, "Which of you convicts Me of sin?" (John 8:46). Pilate said of Jesus, "I find no fault in Him at all" (John 18:38). There is only one righteousness that is worthy of the kingdom of heaven, and that is the righteousness of Christ, who "is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes .... For with the heart one believes unto righteousness" (Rom. 10:4, 9, 10

41-C. The King's Moral Requirements (Matthew 5:21-32)-In this portion of the Sermon on the Mount, our Lord contrasts the false teachings of the scribes and the Pharisees with His authoritative teaching on the moral commandments. "He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes" (Matt. 7:29). He appealed to no higher authority, because there is none higher: His authority is sovereign, because He is the God~Man. "And the Word [God] became flesh and dwelt among us" (John 1:14). In this part of His manifesto, the King disputed the scribes' and the Pharisees' interpretation of the moral law. Six times He made this challenging statement: "You have heard that it was said ... But I say to you ... " (vv. 21,22). It is no wonder that when He ended the Sermon, "the people were astonished [amazed, speechless, dumbfounded] at His teaching" (Matt. 7:28).

 (1) "You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not murder'" (vv. 21-26). "You shall not murder" is the sixth commandment (Ex. 20:13, page 80). There is a difference between killing in general and murder. It is not murder when you kill to protect your home, family, self, or country. To murder is to kill a person with malice (premeditated or not). The Pharisees taught that as long as you did not shed innocent blood, that is, unlawfully take a life, you were innocent of transgressing the sixth commandment. Jesus corrected this interpretation, saying to the people and to the Pharisees, "But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment" (v. 22). Malice becomes murder in the heart, and God will judge such "murder." If you commit murder in your heart, or call a brother a fool, and later, while worshiping, you remember this transgression, you must leave the place of worship and make amends to your brother. It is as if you owed someone who is about to take you to court: settle it out of court, for you cannot escape your obligation. Paul said, "Owe no one anything except to love one another" (Rom. 13:8-10). There is one debt that can never be paid in full-the debt of love. Without love it is impossible to fulfill God's holy law.

(2) "You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not commit adultery'" (vv. 27-30). The Pharisees defined adultery as the act itself; they must have thought that God did not know the heart of man. Again Jesus said to the people and the Pharisees, "But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart" (v. 28); correspondingly, a woman has already committed adultery who lusts in her heart. You can easily commit adultery in your heart, aided today by books, magazines, movies, and television, until your eyes, in Peter's words, are "full of adultery" (2 Pet. 2:12-17). Your mind can control what the eye sees or what the hand touches. Job said, "I have made a covenant with my eyes; why then should I look upon a young woman?" (Job 31:1).

(3) "It has been said, 'Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce' " (v. 31 ) .. Here again, Jesus corrects the teachings of the scribes and the Pharisees: "But I say to you that whoever divorces his wife for any reason except sexual immorality causes her to commit adultery" (v. 32).

               

                Later, when the Pharisees came to Jesus to test Him, asking, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for just any reason?" (Matt. 19:3,), they were trying to get Jesus ,to contradict the teachings of Moses on divorce (Deut. 24:1-4). In their narrow, legalistic interpretation of Moses' law, a man could simply write out a note saying that he was divorcing his wife for some trivial reason. His response, however, was to repeat His earlier teaching-basing it on the Creation account written by Moses (Matt. 19:1-9)! (The apostle Paul gives still another reason for divorce, one which did not exist until after the formation of the New Testament church-1 Cor. 7:10-15).

                Adultery is a sin, but no sin of immorality is unpardonable. Jesus forgave an adulterous woman, saying, "Go and sin no more" (John 8:1-12). To the Samaritan woman, married five times and now living with a man who was not her husband, Jesus revealed that He was the Messiah, inviting her to drink the water of eternal life so that she might never thirst again (John 4:1-42).

 

41-D. Christ Speaks on Oaths (Matthew 5:33-37)-"Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform your oaths to the Lord.' But I say to you, do not swear at all" (vv. 33, 34). In other words, if we were living up to the Sermon on the Mount, we would never need to take an oath, in or out of court.

Is your word your bond? Or do you speak with a forked tongue, or from both sides of your mouth? When you make a business transaction, do you say one thing and mean another? Are you a double-talk artist? Jesus said, "Let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No.' For whatever is more than these is from the evil one" (v. 37; d. John 8:44). To the honest person, yes is yes and no is no. There is no gray area-truth is truth and a lie is a lie; even though we may call it a "little white lie," it is still a lie, and we are liars (James 3:5-10).

If the world could live up to the teaching of this kingdom manifesto, most of the world's problems could be solved. When the .King of kings returns to this earth and establishes His kingdom, His manifesto will be obeyed and mankind will learn to tell the truth-God's truth.

41-E. Turn the Other Cheek, Go the Second Mile, and Love Your Enemy (Matthew 5:38-48)-"You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' But I tell you not to resist an evil person" (vv. 38, 39). If they slap you on the cheek, give them the other cheek to strike. If anyone sues you for your tunic, give him your cloak also. If he compels you to carry his burden for a mile (Roman soldiers could do this, under Roman law), offer to carry it a second mile (vv. 38-42). The believer has the ability to demonstrate his new life in Christ, "because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us" (Rom. 5:5).

"You have heard ... 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy'" (v. 43). This was the teaching of the scribes and the Pharisees. But Jesus said, "Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you" (v. 44). Pray for them in love, from a heart filled with the love of God (1 Pet. 1 :22,23).

Why? Because God loves them and shows them that love throughout their wicked lives. His sun shines on the evil and the good; His rain falls on the just (those who have been justified by faith-Rom. 5:1), and on the unjust (the unsaved). But if we love only those who love us, we are no better than the ungodly, who do the same.

Even if we love our antagonist, and show it by turning the other cheek and by going the second mile for a taskmaster, we may suffer persecution, even as the apostles were beaten for daring to preach Christ. They responded by "rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name" (Acts 5:40-42). They practiced the kingdom principle by turning the other cheek and loving their enemies, because the love of God filled their hearts (Rom. 5:5); they "will receive the crown of life [a reward] which the Lord has promised to those who love Him" (James 1:12).

As subjects of God's kingdom, not only are we to do what is demanded of us by the laws of man, we are to go beyond the demands of the law, even though it may be an unjust law. If someone takes your shirt, give him your coat also. If you are compelled to go a mile for someone, go two miles in the spirit of the Lord. Do you love your family and friends? You should love those who love you; this is easy. But do you love your enemy? This is the true test of the kingdom principle.

See Master Outline 42, "Making Kingdom Choices," page 55, for your next study.

 

 

The Church, It's Origin, by E. C. Gillentine, Bogard Press, Texarkana, Ark. CHAPTER FOUR

"And I say also unto thee, 'That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it," Matt. 16:18.

"A church of Jesus Christ is a congregation of bap­tized believers, associated in faith and fellowship of the gospel; observing the ordinances of Christ, gov­erned by His laws, and privileges, invested in them by His Word".,,_Baptist Confession of Faith.

1. THE CHURCH INSTITUTED BY CHRIST.

1. The church of Jesus Christ was instituted by Jesus Christ during His personal ministry on earth. The first statement in the above definition is that "A church is a congregation of baptized believers." The first members of the church instituted by Jesus Christ had been previously converted and baptized under the ministry and leadership of John the Baptist, Matt. 3:1-12; Mark 1:1-8; Acts 1:5,,22. They were called out-separated from the world, by Jesus Christ, and compacted into a church. The first to be chosen were: Peter, Andrew, James and John, Matt. 4:18-22. These four were the first members. Others were called until when He led them up into' the mountain and prayed all night, He had a large multitude of disciples. In Luke 6'12-17we read: "And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray and continued all night in prayer to God. And when it was day, he called unto him his disciples (A disciple is a pupil; one who believes the teaching of another; a follower; anyone who receives or professes to receive instruction from another): and of them (Christ's dis­ciples; followers) he chose twelve, whom he also named apostles; *' (, ,~ And he came down with them (His disciples), and stood in the plain, and the company of his disciples, and a great multitude of people out of all Judea and Jerusalem, and from the sea coast of Tyre and Sidon, which came to hear. him, and to be healed of their diseases." In this_ passage we see:

(1) Christ going into a mountain, verse 12.

(2) He called His disciples unto Him, verse 13. He did not here make disciples but called those who were already His disciples. The word "church" means a called out assembly; the body of the called out disciples of Christ. The following definition of a church is copied from "The Baptist Encyclopedia," by William Gath­cart, 1881 edition, p. 223, Vol. 1. "The church of Christ is a company of faithful people, separated from the world by the Word and Spirit of God, being knit unto the Lord, and one to another by baptism, upon their own confession of the faith and sins."-Baptist Confession of 1611, in Articles X and XIII. The Con­fession of 1646 reads: "The church is a company of vis­ible saints, called and separated from the world by the Word and Spirit of God to the visible profession of the faith of the gospel, being baptized into that faith and joined to the Lord, and each to other by mutual agreement in the practical enjoyment of the ordinances commanded by Christ, their Head and King."-Article XXXIII. We maintain that these were disciples, who had been joined to the Lord by being called of Him as His followers-disciples.

(3) Of them (the disciples whom He had called) He chose twelve, verse 13.


 

(4) The twelve thus chosen were ordained as apos­tles, Mark 3:14: "And he ordained twelve, that they should be with him." The twelve did not constitute the church, but were chosen out of the membership of the church, which had been called out by the Lord, and they were ordained as apostles. They were the first official members set in the church, I Cor. 12:28. "And God hath set some in the church, first apostles." He could not have set them in the church if there had been no church, but since He had a church; He could set officials in it.

(5) He came down from the mountain with them (the disciples, including the twelve), verse 17.

(6) There were present a company of His disciples and a great multitude of people, verse 17. Hence, we see from this that Jesus had a church before going up into the mountain.

Jesus compared His church- or kingdom to a mus­tard seed. As the mustard seed is the smallest of all seeds, the church of Christ was, in its beginning, the smallest of all kingdoms; it had only a few members to begin with-just a few. By the time of the resur­rection of Jesus the church had more than five-hun­dred members, for more than that number saw Jesus at one time after His resurrection, I Cor. 15:6. "After that he was seen of above five-hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep."

The church-the local congregation is the unit in the militant kingdom of Jesus Christ. The kingdom embraces all the churches. Each church is an inde­pendent organization of and within itself. In Luke 17:21 Jesus said, "The kingdom of God is within you," meaning in your midst, hence. His church was in ex­istence at that time, and it was in the midst of the congregation then gathered about Jesus. He certainly did not mean that the church was in the hearts of those wicked Pharisees standing around Him. He said again, "If I by the finger of God cast out devils, no doubt the kingdom of God is come night unto you;" Luke 11:20.

John the Baptist refused to baptize any except be­lievers in Christ, or those who professed to be believers. When the Pharisees and Sadducees came demanding baptism at his hands, he refused and demanded that they bring forth fruits worthy of repentance, Matt 3:7-9. Baptism is for believers and not for unbelievers. Until one has really and truly repented of his sins he is unfit for baptism.               .

2. The second statement in the definition is that believers in Christ are "associated in faith and fel­lowship of the gospel." Jesus and His followers were thus. associated while He was on earth in person. In John 14:9 we read: "Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip?" How long had Jesus been with Philip and the other disci­ples? The ministry of Jesus covered a period of about three or three and one half years, and Philip had been with Him practically all the time. Hence, we see that Jesus and His disciples were actually associated together over a "long" period of. time, according to Jesus.

3.The third statement is "observing the ordinances of Christ." In John 4:1, 2, We read: "When therefore the Lord knew how the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John, (Though Jesus himself baptized not, but his disciples.)" In Matt. 26:26, 27 we learn that Jesus instituted the Lord's supper. Baptism and the Lord's supper are the two ordinances of the church, and both of them were observed by Jesus and His disciples while they were associated together during the personal ministry of Jesus.

4. The fourth step in this· definition is that the church is "governed by His laws, and privileges, in­vested in them bv His Word." While Jesus was with His church He governed it Himself. He is the Head of the church, Eph. 1:22: "And gave him to be head over all things to the church." Eph. 5:23: "For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church." "He is the head of the body," Col. 1:18. The body of Christ is His church, Eph. 1:22, 23. "And gave him to be the head over all things to the church, which is his body." When Jesus left the earth He gave authority to His church to carry on His work according to the instructions given her in the New Testament, Matt. 28:19, 20. "And Jesus came and spake unto them saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, 10, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen." Also read Luke 9:35 and Matt. 17:5.

The word "church" occurs one hundred twelve times in the New Testament and in most every instance re­fers to a local assembly of believers. It never refers to what is commonly spoken of as the "invisible church." In fact, there is no such an animal as the invisible church-':-it does not exist. In the beginning there was but one congregation-it was called "the church," but after churches began to multiply they were no longer referred to as "the church," but as "churches," Acts 9:31. "The churches had rest through­out all Judea and Galilee and Samaria." "Then tidings of these things came unto the ears of the church at Jerusalem," Acts 11:22. "So were the churches established," Acts 16:5. "All the churches of the Gentiles," Rom. 16:4; "The churches of Christ salute you," Rom. 16:16. "The church of God which is at Corinth," I Cor. 1 :2.

II. THE CHURCH INSTITUTED BEFORE PENTE­COST.

There are three schools of thought relative t6 the time the church was established, namely:

1. Some say it was established in the days of Abraham.

2. Others say it was established during the personal ministry of Christ.           .

3. Still others say it was established the first Pen­tecost after the resurrection of Jesus.

          We believe a middle of the road position is the safest, hence, we assume the second proposition, that the church was established during the personal ministry of Christ. Abraham's day was too early, Pentecost is too late. I feel sure that sufficient evidence has been given already that it was originated during the per­sonal ministry of Christ, but I offer the following to

     prove that it was in existence before Pentecost.

1. No prophecy points to Pentecost as the place for the church to begin.

2. There was no organization divinely arranged on Pentecost. There was no going up into a mountain or coming down out of a mountain.

3. There was no Head, Shepherd or Bishop present on Pentecost.

4. There was no authority of any kind whatsoever given to any person on the day of Pentecost.

5. There is no mention of a body of persons called out on Pentecost.

6. There were no names given on Pentecost that they did not already have.

7. No commission to preach or baptize or do any­thing was given on Pentecost.

8.     There was no law given to be executed.

9.There was no ordination service on Pentecost ­that took place before Pentecost, Acts 1:20-26. If Matthias was not ordained, he was chosen to take the place of Judas.

10.      No baptism was committed.

11.      No Lord's Supper was committed. _

12.      No special or general orders assigned.

13.      No special field pointed out for work.

14.      No form of church-government given.

15.The only new thing that came on Pentecost different to what the church already had was the pow­er to speak with new tongues.

Before Pentecost:

1.     A body had been called out.

2.     Apostles had been set in the body.

3.The church had been commissioned to admin­ister the ordinances.

. 4. The church had observed both ordinances--bap­tism and the Lord's supper.

  5. Jesus said, The kingdom had been shut up. It could not have been shut up if it did not exist.

  6. The kingdom had suffered violence. It could not have suffered it if it had not existed.

      7. Jesus called it a little flock--He must have had a flock, or He would not have referred to it as a flock.

      8. The keys of the kingdom had been turned over and authority was already in their hands before Pen­tecost.

  9. Officers had been set in the church--you could not set something into a thing that did not exist-­hence it must have existed.

10.      They had a rule of discipline, Matt. 18:15-17.

11.      They had a church roll, Acts 1:15.

12.      They had an ordained ministry.

13.They had the same gospel and the same bap­tism before Pentecost that they had after Pentecost.

14. They had the promise of Jesus to be with them unto the end, Matt. 28:20.

15. They had His promise that He was coming back again, John 14:1-4.

(The next study will be:  "The Church, Its Dignity and Identity")

 

         These outlines and studies are brought to you by Evangelist-Missionary James A. Nelson who has been preaching the Word for sixty years.  If you are serious about the "Christian Life", you will find the information you need in these studies.  Any questions can be addressed to:   jan23@cox. net

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Evangelist James A. Nelson also publishes a monthly Spanish magazine "Hojas de Oro" which is available at: jan23@cox.net   or can be seen at:   www.hojasdeoro.com

            This page is sponsored by David R. Pickett (dr_pickett@hotmail.com) and our Web Master is Martin Gutzmer (mrgutzmer@gmail.com)