Leaves of Gold

A Call To Return To The Teaching Of The Bible

A ministry of Evangelist James A. Nelson

Year III, No.5                                                           May                                                                 2009                                   

 

 

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

 

Citizens of the Kingdom

                The Sermon on the Mount is the King's manifesto of His kingdom principles, as taught by our coming King. When the King delivered this, the greatest of all sermons, His words must have been strange in the ears of His disciples, and amazing to the listening multitudes.

                Many believed that john the Baptist was the forerunner of the Messiah. They had heard him de­clare, "I am 'The voice of one crying in the wilderness: "Make straight the way of the LORD;' , as the prophet Isaiah said" John 1 :23; also Is. 40:3. To prepare the way for the com­ing of the King, John preached repentance. He said, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!" (Matt. 3:2). After the Lord's baptism by john (in the river Jordan), His temptation in the wil­derness, and the imprisonment of John the Baptist, Jesus began His public ministry (Mark 1 :14, 15). He preached repentance, saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matt. 4:17). The King could not set up His kingdom on earth because national Israel would not repent and believe the good news of the kingdom.

                John the apostle said, "He came to His own [Israel], and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name" John 1 :11, 12. Some did repent and receive Him by faith, as their Messiah. But the national leaders of Israel, and the Romans, nailed Him to the cross. Jesus, knowing that He was to die for the sins of the world, promised to come again and establish God's kingdom on earth, and to sit on the throne of His glory (Matt. 25:31), which is the throne of His father David, ac­cording to the flesh.

                God made an unconditional promise to King David when He said, "I will set upon your throne the fruit [descendants] of your body" (Ps. 132:11). God promised King David that He would be born of His descending line according to the flesh (Rom. 1 :3). He, the God-Man, would be seated on the throne of David (Acts 2:30; cf. Is. 9:6, 7)./

                The King could not establish His kingdom on earth because Israel would not repent and accept the Messiah as their King. We do not have the kingdom of heaven on earth, but we do have the King's manifesto. Even though we are not living in the kingdom, we are to practice kingdom life in this cor­rupt world system. The Beatitudes reveal the secret of true happiness. Study them with an open heart, a receptive mind, and a humble spirit, praying always. Remember that happiness is not found in the things you have, but in what you are in Christ Jesus. "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new" (2 Cor. 5:17). In this verse we have old things and new things. The old things are the fruits of the natural man (1 Cor. 2:14); the new things are the fruits of the new man in Christ.

                Happiness is one of the new things we find in Christ our King when we practice daily His kingdom manifesto.

 

40-A. The Poor in Spirit (Matthew 5:1-3)-"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" (v. 3). The poor in spirit are empty of all spiritual pride; they know that spiritual pride is the spirit of this age of which Satan is god (2 Cor. 4:4).

To be poor in spirit is to have "a contrite and humble spirit" (15.57:15)-to be conscious of your unworthiness. Peter demonstrated this quality when he fell at the knees of Jesus, saying, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, 0 Lord!" (Luke 5:1-11). The Pharisee of the parable boasted in his religious pride, but the contrite and humble tax collector was truly "poor in spirit" (Luke 18:9-14).

40-8. The Mourners (Matthew 5:4)-"Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted" (v. 4). This paradoxical Beatitude can be understood only by the believer. How can a bereaved person be blessed amid grief? Because he knows that "weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning" (Ps. 30:5), that God has promised to comfort the mourner in this life and in the life to come. Heaven's joys will abundantly compensate for earth's sorrows.

We should also mourn for lost souls. Paul grieved for his "countrymen according to the flesh," and longed desperately for their salvation (Rom. 9:1-5). Some lost souls lament their life of sin when they repent and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal Savior. The penitent publican "beat his breast, saying, 'God be merciful to me a sinner!'" (Luke 18:13). Mourning is a part of true repentance. "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted."

 

4O-C. The Meek (Matthew 5:5)-"Blessed are the meek [gentle], for they shall inherit the earth" (v. 5; Ps. 37:11). The philosophy of the world is the exact opposite of this Beatitude. People of the world consider the meek person to be weak and cowardly, a Caspar Milquetoast to be treated with contempt. The most gentle, meek, humble person that ever lived on this earth was the Lord Jesus Christ, who said, "I am gentle and lowly [humble] in heart, and you [that come to Me] will find rest for your souls" (Matt. 11:28-30). This gentle Son of God entered the temple as the Jews were preparing for the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Ex. 12:1-51). He overturned the tables of the moneychangers, and with a Whip of cords He drove out those who sold oxen, sheep, and doves In the sanctity of the temple. He said, "Do not make My Father's house a house of merchandise!", John 2:13-16.  Was this the act of a weak and cowardly man? Yet He is the Man who said, "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth" (v. 5).

To know the characteristics of a truly meek (gentle) person, study this passage: "Therefore I ask that you do not lose heart at my tribulations for you, which is your glory. For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height-to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God" (Eph. 3:13-19).

No, the meek are not weak; they are "strong in the Lord and in the power of His might" (Eph. 6:10,)!

.

40-D. The Hungry and Thirsty (Matthew 5:6)-"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled" (v. 6). We have often heard it said that the world is hungry for the gospel of the grace of God. But if this were so, the whole world would be saved in a very short time. The truth is that people of the world hunger and thirst, not for righteousness, but to satisfy the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life (1 John 2:16, 17). This yields no lasting happiness. By faith Moses chose to suffer affliction alongside God's people, rather than enjoy the passing happiness and fleeting pleasures of sin. The happiness of sin is short-lived, but the happiness of the godly life is eternal (Heb. 11 :23-29,).

The Scriptures describe two kinds of righteousness:

(1) Legal or self-righteousness, which is man's vain effort to establish his own righteousness by his own works-works of the law (Rom. 10:1-3). Such "law works" cannot save (Titus 3:5; Eph. 2:8,9); they produce only self-righteousness, which in the sight of God is "filthy rags" (Is. 64:6).         ..

(2) The righteousness of God in Christ. "For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes" (Rom. 10:4). Faith alone brings lasting happiness. "For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation" (Rom. 10:10). Believers live the righteous life, but they do so not in order to be saved, but because they know they are saved. Happiness is salvation's reward; in this life there is no greater joy. And there is even better to come: John said, "We know that when He is revealed [when Jesus comes again], we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is" (1 John 3:2). We shall see Him in all His glory. This will be heavenly happiness.

40-E. The Merciful (Matthew 5:7)-"Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy" (v. 7). This Beatitude does not mean that, if you show mercy to people, they in turn will show mercy to you. Some will, but not all; some may even persecute you in return.  We cannot expect to receive mercy from those who do not know our merciful Savior. Jesus Christ showed 'mercy throughout His earthly ministry. He healed the sick, He cleansed the lepers, and He made the dumb speak, the deaf hear, the blind see, and the lame walk. He raised the dead and fed the multitudes. He never failed to show mercy, but did He obtain mercy from the people? No, the Roman army, the religious leaders, and many of their followers joined efforts to put Him to death. They showed only religious hatred for God the Son (Matt. 26 and 27; cf. Is. 53:1-12). "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy"-but not from sinful humanity!

We are to show mercy, knowing well that the recipient may never show mercy in return. We are to bestow it in the name of our merciful Christ, who Himself will reward us in this life and in heaven. An illustration is the parable of the Good Samaritan, spoken by Jesus in answer to a lawyer who asked, "And who is my neighbor?" (Luke 10:29). Jesus told of a man traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho, who was robbed, wounded, and left half dead by thieves. A priest came by and saw the man, but did not stop to help; he showed no mercy. A Levite also came along, stopped to look, then continued on his journey; he showed no mercy. But a Samaritan saw him, had compassion on him, and helped him without expecting anything in return. Jesus asked the lawyer, "So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?" When the lawyer answered, "He who showed mercy on him," Jesus said, "Go and do likewise" (Luke 10:25-37). "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy."

.

40-F. The Pure in Heart (Matthew 5:8)-"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God" (v. 8). The unsaved man cannot have a pure heart as long as he rejects the Lord Jesus as Savior (Acts 4:12); the things of God are foolishness to him (1 Cor. 2:14). The natural (unregenerate) "heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked" (Jer. 17:9).

Who are the pure in heart?

(1) They are void of hypocrisy (Ps. 24:3-5).

(2) They have room for only one master, Christ (Matt. 6:24).

(3) They thirst for God as a deer thirsts for the water brook (Ps. 42:1).

(4) They have a newly created heart (2 Cor. 5:17). David prayed, "Create in me a clean heart,  o God" (Ps. 51:10).

(5) They confess and forsake all known sin (Prov. 28:13).

(6) They never try to hide sin from God (Ps. 32:5).

(7) They are able to sin but cannot be happy in sin (Ps. 51 :1-4). When they sin, they repent and seek forgiveness (1 John 1:9).

(8) They are spiritually minded; they have the mind of Christ (1 Cor. 2:15, 16).

Only they will see God.

4O-G. The Peacemakers (Matthew 5:9)-"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God" (v. 9). To become this kind of peacemaker, we must first be "justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus" (Rom. 3:24). To be justified is to be declared just by Almighty God because of the imputed righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ. For God to declare us just, we must believe that

(1) Christ was offered on the cross to bear our sins (Heb. 9:28);

(2) He was buried and in the tomb three days and nights;

(3) He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures (1 Cor. 15:3, 4).

"Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Rom. 5:1). Now that we have peace with God, we can also share our faith with those at enmity against God (Rom. 8:7, 8). A peacemaker is one who shares the gospel with those who are lost, showing them how they can have peace with God, after being justified by grace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ (Eph. 2:8,9).

4O-H. The Persecuted (Matthew 5:10-12)-"Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" (vv. 10-12). This is a beautiful and vivid description of mature Christians. They are reviled and persecuted because they love the Lord Jesus Christ, and have been given the righteousness of God. How do mature Christians respond to such persecution? They rejoice and are exceedingly glad, because they know the speeches against them are lies. They also know that a great reward awaits them in heaven.

Persecution harassed the church from the start. The apostles were arrested and tried before the Sanhedrin for preaching Christ and for doing many miracles in His name. Some wanted to put them to death, and even though Gamaliel persuaded the Sanhedrin to let them go, they were beaten before their release.

But this did not stop them from preaching the gospel. "They departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name" (Acts 5:33-42).

 

See Master Outline 41, "Manifesting Kingdom Principles," for your next study.

 

        The Trinity  

 "Baptist Doctrine" by E. C. Gillentine, Bogard Press, Texarkansa, Ark.

As a definition of the "Trinity" we quote from "The New Church Manual" bv Elder J. E. Cobb, D.D. "The Name, Nature and Being of God."

"We believe that there is one, and only one, living and true God, an infinite, intelligent Spirit, whose name is Yahweh, the Maker and Supreme Ruler of the uni­verse inexpressibly glorious in holiness, and worthy of all possible honor, confidence, and love; that in the unity of the God head-there are three separate and distinct persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; equal in every divine perfection, and executing distinct but harmonious offices in the great work of redemption." John 4:24; Psalm 83:18; Exodus 15:11; I Peter 1:15, 16; Rev. 4:11; Matt. 28:19; John 15:26; 10:30; Acts 5:3, 4; Eph. 2:18; II Cor. 13:14; Rev. 1:4, 5.

The word "Trinity" is not used in the Scripture nor applied by any sacred writer to the Supreme Being, but it has been used for many centuries by Christian men to express what they see taught in the Bible in respect to God. The word "Trinity" really means "tri-unity," and is formed of two words, which sig­nify, respectively, "three" and "one." Thus we might safely say that "trinity" and "unity" are affirmed of the Godhead.


1.      THE DOCTRINE OF THE TRINITY IS SEEN IN THE WORK OF CREATION.

The divine doctrine of the Trinity is clearly taught in the work of creation.

1. Creation is attributed to God absolutely without any distinction of person, Gen. 1:1. "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth."

2. It is attributed to God as the Father, I Cor. 8:6. "But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things. and we in him: and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him."

3. Creation is attributed to the Father through the Son, Heb. 1:2. "Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds."

4. Creation is attributed to the Father through the Spirit, Psalm 104:30. "Thou sendest forth thy Spirit, they are created: and thou renewest the face of the earth."

5. Creation is attributed to the Son, John 1:1-3. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made."

6. Creation is attributed to the Spirit, Gen. 1:2. "And the earth was without form, and void; and dark­ness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters." Job 33:4: "The Spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of -the Almighty hath given me life."

II. THE TRINITY IS SEEN IN THE COMMISSSION.

Matt. 28:19, 20: "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, 10, I am with you always, even unto the end of the age. Amen."

III. THE TRINITY IS SEEN AT THE BAPTISM OF JESUS.

1.     The Son was there being baptized.

2.      The Spirit was present in the form of a dove.

3.   The Father was present in the voice that was heard from heaven, Matt. 3:16, 17; Mark 1:10, 11; Luke 3:21, 22.

IV. PAUL RECOGNIZES THE TRINITY IN HIS CONCLUSION TO THE CORINTHIAN LETTER.

1.     "The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ."

2.      "The love of God."

3.   "And the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen," II Cor. 13:14.

The Father, Son and Holy Spirit, are each equally one God, and each individual divine essence and all divine perfections and prerogatives belong to each in the same sense and degree.

The titles, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, are not dif­ferent names of the same person in different relations, but they are names of different persons. These three divine persons are distinguished from one another by certain personal properties, and are revealed in a cer­tain order of subsistence and of operation.

All the names and titles of God are applied to Christ, and to none other except to the Father and the Holy Spirit. For example, see Jer. 23:6, "In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safe­ly: and this is the name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS," Isa. 9:6:  "The Mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace." Heb. 1:8: "But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, 0 God, is for ever and ever: .a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of thy king­dom."

V. JOHN RECOGNIZES THE TRINITY.

"For there are three that bear record in heaven:

1. "The Father. 2. The Word (Son). 3. And the IIoly Spirit: and these three are one." I John 5:7.

VI. THE TRINITY IS RECOGNIZED IN THE AS­CENSION OF JESUS.

1.Jesus prays the Father to send the Holy Spirit, John 14:16, 17. "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 (Christ's disciples) know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you."

2. Jesus ascends to heaven, Acts 1:9. "And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight."

3. The Father sent the Holy Spirit, Acts 2:1-4.

"And when the day of Pentecost was fully come...... and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and be­gan to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance."

VII. THE TRINITY IS EMPLOYED IN THE SAL­VATION OF EVERY SOUL THAT IS SAVED.

1.     God the Father gave His Son, John 3:16 ..

2.   Jesus Christ gave His life, John 10:17, 18. "..... I lay down my life, that I might take it again...... I lay it down of myself."

3. The Holy Spirit convicts the sinner of sin and causes him to come to Christ, John 16:8-11. "And when he (The Holy Spirit) is come, he will reprove the world of sin." Thus we see the Trinity in the sal­vation of every soul that is saved. God does the sav­ing, through the blood of His Son, and it is brought about by the Holy Spirit through the preaching of the Word.

 

These studies will continue next month.

 

 

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)