Leaves Of Gold
A Call To Return
To The Teaching Of The Bible
A ministry of Evangelist James A. Nelson
Year III, No. 7 JULY
2009
MASTER OUTLINE NUMBER
FORTY-TWO
(From
the Christian Life Bible, Thomas Nelson
Publishers, notes by Porter L. Barrington)
We now come to the third
section of the King's manifesto. In the first section we studied the Beatitudes,
and saw what a believer in Christ is. In the second section we saw how the
believer is to manifest the kingdom principles. Now, in the third section we
see:
(1) The right and wrong way to give alms and practice charitable
deeds (Matt. 6:1-4).} (2) The right and wrong way to pray (Matt. 6:5-15)
(3) The right and wrong way to fast (Matt. 6:16-18).
(4) The right and wrong place to lay up treasures (Matt. 6:19-21).
(5) The right and wrong vision (Matt. 6:22, 23).
(6) The right and wrong master (Matt. 6:24).
(7) The right and wrong way to think (Matt. 6:25-34).
(8) The right and wrong way to judge (Matt. 7:1-6).
42-A.
A Threefold Hypocrite (Matthew 6:1-18)- The Jew had three ways to
practice righteousness and demonstrate the depth of his religious commitment:
giving alms and doing charitable deeds, prayer, and fasting. Hypocrites did
these right things in the wrong way, with wrong motives. Jesus exposed their
religious hypocrisy:
(1) "Therefore, when
you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet" (v. 2), do not
"blow your horn" as the hypocrites do. A hypocrite is a pretender, an
actor; he pretends to be what he is not, or to have a faith that he does not
have. He has a form of godliness, but it is empty inside (2 Tim. 3:5). Some of
the scribes, Pharisees, and other Jews gave alms as if for the glory of God,
while at the same time making sure that people knew of their generosity. The
main Christian motive for giving is the glory of God, "and your Father who
sees in secret will Himself reward you openly" (v. 4). Jesus is our great
example. He gave all of His riches,
making Himself poor, that all believers might be rich (2 Cor. 8:9).
(2) "When you pray, you
shall not be like the hypocrites" (w. 5-8). Here again He exposes the
hypocrisy of the Pharisees, scribes, and rabbis. However, many of us are just
as guilty before God, reading these verses without coming under conviction for
sins committed during the very act of prayer. When we pray in public, is it to
be heard or seen by other people? Or do we say the same prayer over and over in
order to be heard? Or do we think we have to pray a lengthy prayer to reach
God? If so, then we are hypocrites too. Jesus said, "Therefore do not be
like them [the hypocrites]" (v. 8).
(3) "In this manner,
therefore, pray" (w. 9-13). This model prayer tells us to pray directly to
our heavenly Father, recognizing that we are in the presence of eternal, holy
deity. In this prayer we are to seek His kingdom and His perfect will for our
lives, declare our physical needs, forgive all who have wronged us, and pray
for strength to endure temptation (for we will be tempted). This prayer
has often been called the "prayer perfect."
(4) "When you fast, do
not be like the hypocrites" (w. 16-18). In giving alms we make contact
with people; in prayer we make contact with God; in fasting we make contact
with self. Fasting is both physically and spiritually beneficial. When the
disciples failed to heal a demon-possessed, epileptic boy, they brought him to
Jesus and Jesus healed him. Then they asked, "Why could we not cast it
[the demon] out?" Jesus answered, "Because of your unbelief"
(Matt. 17:14-21). They failed first in prayer and fasting before they failed to
heal the epileptic.
Fasting is a form of
self-denial. It is time we talked less about giving, praying, and fasting, and
practiced them more. When you fast, don't be like the Pharisees, who, when they
fasted, appeared in public with sad faces, seeking the admiration of men. Twice
a week they fasted, but their only reward was the empty praise of men. Jesus
observed, "Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward" (v. 16).
There will be no reward for them at the judgment seat of Christ (2 Cor. 5:10),
where all our works will be judged (1 Cor. 3:12-15). Therefore, we should not
be concerned with what people say or think about our giving, praying, or
fasting.
42 –B. Where Is Your Heart?
(Matthew 6:19-21)-"For where your treasure is, there your heart will
be also" ). Here the King's subjects are asked to choose between earthly
and eternal treasures. Someone once ,'What I hoard, I lose; but what I give, I
keep." We cannot take our earthly treasures with us, but we can (hem on
ahead by sharing with others and supporting kingdom work. If your riches are
here on earth, ,1eart will be bound to this world system. If your riches are in
heaven, you will seek those things which ,:Jove and use the things of this
world to the glory of God (Col. 3:1,2
42-C. Do You Have a Good or Evil Eye? (Matthew
6:22, 23)- The good eye looks for the will of God, that the may be filled
with the presence of God, who is light; for "in Him is no darkness at
all" (1 John 1 :5). The good eye
places greatest value on things that cannot pass away, "for the things
which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are
eternal" (2 Cor. 4:18). For this reason the apostle said, "Yet indeed
I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ
Jesus my Lord, whom I have suffered the loss of all things" (Phil. 3:3-9).
The evil eye
looks for the things of this age, this world system, where Satan is god (2 Cor.
4:4). What are our real priorities? Are
we Christians merely in name, who have "sold out," having an evil eye
only the passing pleasures and possessions of this life, which soon flyaway (1 John
2:15-17)? Or have we truly seen the Master, who invites us to receive a
heavenly possession "that does not fade away" (1 Pet. 1:4)?
42-D. . Who
Is Your Master? (Matthew 6:24)-You can serve either a good or a bad master, but
not both. I cannot serve God and mammon," i.e., money, riches (v. 24). If
God is your Master, you will deny yourself and take up your cross and follow
Him (Mark 8:34-38). If wealth is your master, it will fail you in this life and in eternal life to
come (Luke 16:19-31).
42-E
Good or Bad Sphere (Matthew 6:25-34)-Faith is the good sphere,
and worry is the bad. You must choose. You cannot live in both at the same
time. To make the right choice, "seek first the
42·F.
Judge Not (Matthew 7:1-6)-ln this
last chapter of the manifesto of the King, He opens with a negative command:
"Judge not," i.e., condemn not (v. 1). Keep in mind that God's
negative commands always yield positive results.
(1) If we judge (condemn) another believer, we will be condemning
ourselves.
(2) We cannot correctly judge another, because our knowledge of
the facts is limited.
(3) We are not spiritually qualified to judge another.
(4) To sit in judgment on
another believer is to usurp "the judgment seat of Christ" (2 Cor.
5:10). Only He has the right to judge. Even "the Father judges no one, but
has committed all judgment to the Son" (John 5:22). I
To sit in judgment of a
brother or sister in Christ demonstrates a spirit of bitterness and lack of
love. But "judge not" does not
mean that we are not to distinguish between good and evil. Neither are we to excuse
or condone sin. To "judge not" means that we are not to assume the
role of a judge and magnify the speck in the eye of another Christian. When we
see sin in the life of another believer, then, how are we to cope with it?
(1) Practice self-judgment-take a critical view of your own
life-style for the purpose of improving yourself and understanding others (1
Cor. 11:31, 32).
(2) Practice the Golden Rule. "Therefore, whatever you want
men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets"
(Matt. 7:12).
See Master Outline 43, "Entering the Kingdom" for your
next study.
E. C. Gillentine, "Baptist
Doctrine", Bogard Press,
CHAPTER FIVE ~.
The Church, Its Dignity and Identity
1. THE DIGNITY OF THE CHURCH.
By
"Dignity" of the church we mean the high-ranking position of honor
which is given to the church of the Lord Jesus Christ in the sacred Scriptures;
its elevation of rank; its moral worth, and the many wonderful qualities
possessed by it which are worthy and inspire or command the respect and
reverence of all God's children.
1. It is the purchase of Christ's blood, Acts
20:28.
He bought it with His own precious blood and
therefore has a perfect right to call it "My Church," Matt. 16:18.
If Christ thought enough of the church to purchase it with such an awful cost
as His "precious blood," we should think enough of it to unite with
it and support its ordinances and worship.
2. It
is the light of the world, Matt. 5:14. Christ was the light of the world as
long as He was in the world, but when He went to heaven He left His church, His
body, here on earth to reflect His light while He is in heaven preparing a
place to take her when He is ready for her to cease to witness for Him here on
earth.
3. It
is the salt of the earth, Matt. 5:13. As salt preserves, seasons and prevents
the waste of meats and other foods, so does the church preserve the earth in
its present form; it seasons and by means of its witnessing power makes the
earth a fit place to dwell until the Lord is ready to take her unto Himself.
4. It
is the body of Christ-Christ is the Head and the church is His body, Eph. 1:23.
Just as long as Christ, the Head of the church, lives, just that long will the
church live. The body cannot die and the head live, neither can the Head die
and the body live, hence, as long as there is a living Christ there will be a
living church. .
5. It is the dwelling place of the 'Holy
Spirit on earth, I Cor. 3:16; II Cor. 6:16. The Holy Spirit dwells in the heart
of every believer, as an individual, and He also dwells in the church as an
institution. Jesus promised the Holy Spirit to His church before He went to the
Cross of Calvary to pay the price for her redemption. Read His glorious
promise in John 14:1618, 26.
6. The
7. It is a school for religious instructions,
Matt. 28:20 ". . . Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have
commanded you." It is the business of the church to teach the doctrines of
the Bible to those who come into its membership. To fail to do this means for
the church to fail in her great mission on this earth. That is one of the
greatest causes for the drift away from the Bible among churches today. There
is much so-called activity, but much of it is out of harmony with the real
teachings of the Bible.' Churches are teaching much, but very little Bible.
8. It
is a field for service, I Cor. 3:9. There is a place in the field of the Lord
for every ~an and a man for every place. Many times we may miss our calling and
do something the Lord has not planned for us, but if we will follow the
teachings of the Scripture and the leadership of the Holy Spirit we will find
our places.
9. It
is the custodian of the faith-system of teaching, Jude 3; Eph. 4:5. Not only
did the Lord commit to His church the Word of God-the system of teaching, but
He also committed to her the keeping of the ordinances, or memorials of His
Word as revealed to us in the New Covenant, I Cor. 11:1, 2; Matt. 28:19, 20;
Luke 22:29, 30.
10. It
is the witness of the Lord on earth. Other institutions and individuals may
give testimony to the fact that the Lord has saved them, but the Lord commissioned
His church to bear testimony for Him, Luke 24:48; Acts 1:8.
11. To it has been committed the Word of
reconciliation, II Cor. 5:19. What a responsibility!
12. It
is the pillar and ground (support and stay) of the truth, I Tim. 3:15. The
church was not only commissioned to preach the gospel to all the world, but in
this last passage we find that the responsibility of doing this is resting
wholly upon the church as the "Pillar and ground" of the truth. No
other institution is responsible except the church. When I see so much idleness
among church members it almost makes me shudder to think of this tremendous
responsibility.
13. It is to make disciples of all the
nations, Matt. 28:19, 20; Mark 16:15, 16; Luke 24:47.
14. The
most highly honored position, and the most dignified place spoken of concerning
the dignity of the church is that she is called the Bride of Christ, John 3:29;
Rev. 21:2, 9-10; II Cor, 11:1, 2; Eph. 5:23-27. The
church is now the Bride of Christ, but when He returns He will take her
unto Himself and then she will be His Wife. Adam, the first man, had his wife
taken from his wounded side; Christ, the second Adam, will have a wife taken
from His wounded side. Christ is not a polygamist-he will marry but one woman.
He will have but one wife; He will marry but one church. It is a wonderful joy
to anticipate being a part of the bride of Christ and participating in the
marriage feast with Him and His church.
II. CHURCH
IDENTITY.
Baptists
are not Baptists simply because they are called Baptists, neither are they
Baptists because they believe many so-called Baptist doctrines, but there are
certain characteristic features held by Baptists which are held by no other
religious groups. There are eight of these peculiar Bible doctrines by which
Baptists may be identified from all other religious groups. They are as
follows:
1. Baptists believe the Bible to be an
All-Sufficient Rule of Faith and Practice.
2. Baptists believe the Church of Jesus
Christ was Founded, Established or Instituted by Christ during His Personal
Ministry on Earth.
3.
Baptists believe and practice the New Testament Order of New Testament
Commandments, which are as follows:
(1)
Repentance.
(2)
Faith.
(3)
Baptism.
(4) The
Lord's Supper.
4. Baptists believe in a Regenerated Church
Membership.
5. Baptists believe in an Absolute Equality
of Membership.
6.
Baptists believe in Restricted Communion.
7. Baptists believe in the Perpetuity of the Church and
that it has been persecuted in every century since the days of Christ and the
apostles, but it has never persecuted anyone at any time.
8.
Baptists believe that the Baptism Administered by John the Baptist was
Christian Baptism, and besides it there is no other Scriptural Baptism
.
On Church Identity we
offer the following outline on "Jesus Christ A Missionary Baptist."
JESUS
CHRIST A MISSIONARY BAPTIST
AD-DOWN-DITION
(Read down)
I-JOHN THE BAPTIST WAS A:
MISSIONARY-John
1:6. The word "missionary" means "one sent." John was sent,
therefore he was a missionary.
BAPTIST-Matt.
11:11. We know he was a "Baptist," for Jesus Christ the Son of God
called him a Baptist.
PREACHER-Matt.
3:1. He preached, therefore we know he was a preacher. Read down and you will
have "JOHN THE BAPTIST A MISSIONARY BAPTIST PREACHER.
II-JESUS CHRIST WAS A:
MISSIONARY-John
3:17. The word "missionary" means "one sent." Christ was
sent, therefore we know He was a missionary.
BAPTIST-Mark 1:9. Jesus was baptized by John the
Baptist, who was a "MISSIONARY BAPTIST PREACHER,"
therefore we know Jesus was a "MISSIONARY BAPTIST" because He had
"MISSIONARY BAPTIST BAPTISM."
PREACHER-Matt. 4:17. Jesus preached, therefore He was a preacher.
III-THE TWELVE APOSTLES WERE:
MISSIONARY-Matt. 10:5. The
word "missionary" means "one sent." They were sent,
therefore they were missionaries.
BAPTIST-Acts 1:5-22. They
were baptized by John the Baptist, who was a "MISSIONARY BAPTIST
PREACHER," therefore they were "MISSIONARY BAPTISTS." No one
could take the place of Judas who had not followed all the way from the baptism
of John down to the ascension of Jesus.
PREACHERS-Matt. 10:7. They
preached, therefore they were preachers-hence "MISSIONARY BAPTIST
PREACHERS."
IV.-THE CHURCH WHICH WAS
INSTITUTED BY JESUS CHRIST DURING HIS PERSONAL MINISTRY WAS A:
MISSIONARY-Matt. 28:19, 20.
This church was sent out to preach the gospel to the whole world, therefore
they were a "
BAPTIST-Acts 1:5-22. They
all had "MISSIONARY BAPTIST" baptism. All the first members of the
church were baptized by John the Baptist, a "MISSIONARY BAPTIST
PREACHER," Matt. 3:1-6. Jesus was baptized by him. This proved Jesus to
be a "MISSIONARY BAPTIST PREACHER." Jesus took this "MISSIONARY
BAPTIST MATERIAL" and out of it He constituted His Church-Mark 3:13-21;
Luke 6:12-20, therefore the Church was a "
CHURCH-Matt. 16:18.
V. God is a:
MISSIONARY-John 3:17; John
1:6. In fact, when there was no one else to send, God sent Himself. He went in
person and talked to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, Gen. 3:9-17. He sent
Noah, Abraham, Moses, Joseph and hundreds of ot4ers -hence we know God was and
is a "MISSIONARY."
BAPTIST-He sent the
"Man named John" who was a "MISSIONARY BAPTIST," therefore
by this act we know that God was a "MISSIONARY BAPTIST."
VI-THE HOLY SPIRIT IS A:
MISSIONARY-John 14:26; Rev.
22:17.. The Holy Spirit was sent into the world-therefore we know He is a
"MISSIONARY."
BAPTIST-Matt. 3:16, 17. He
endorsed the baptism of John, who was a "MISSIONARY BAPTIST,"
therefore we know that the Holy Spirit is a "MISSIONARY BAPTIST."
The Baptism of John the Baptist was endorsed by Jesus Christ, the
Son, by God the Father and by the Holy Spirit. Matt. 3:16, 17; Mark 1:9-11. It
was endorsed by the Church, and "by the Apostle Paul, Acts 19:1-5. It is
endorsed by all true Missionary Baptists of today, and by no others. It was
good enough for Jesus, the apostles, the church, Paul and others-it is good enough
for me.
VII. THE NEW TESTAMENT IS
A:
MISSIONARY-It contains the
doctrines and practices of all the Missionaries sent out by Jesus Christ.
BAPTIST BOOK-Written by "MISSIONARY BAPTIST" writers,
Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Paul, James, Peter and Jude, all of whom were members
of "MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCHES." It was inspired by a
"MISSIONARY BAPTIST GOD," its writers guided by a "MISSIONARY
BAPTIST SPIRIT" and it was given to "MISSIONARY BAPTIST
CHURCHES." II Tim. 3:16, 17; Rev. 1:4-6. It contains "MISSIONARY
BAPTIST DOCTRINE," and "MISSIONARY BAPTISTS" believe it
all-every word of it from one side to the other. It is a "Lamp" to
our feet and a "Light" to our path. We love it, we cherish its truth,
we respect its wonderful teachings and expect to be judged by it at the
judgment.
The Churches of Jesus Christ
have not always been called by the name, "MISSIONARY BAPTIST" but
have borne many names, a few of which I name here: Donations, Montanist, Novatians, Paulicians, Waldensens, Albigensians, Petrobrusians, Henricians, Arnoldists,
Anabaptists, Baptists, Gospel Mission Baptists, Church Party Baptists and
doubtless by many other names too numerous to mention here, but in every case
they were in fact "MISSIONARY BAPTISTS." The Lord gave His forerunner
the name Baptisthence it is a Scriptural name but
really in fact the Church of Jesus Christ is to be identified by its doctrinal
teachings more so than by a name. These folks who have been called by all these
various names have believed, taught and practiced in the main what "MISSIONARY
BAPTISTS" of today believe, teach and practice. (These lessons will continue)
Evangelist James A.
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