406. God’s Word

“Is the Bible true?” is one of the greatest questions in the minds of people. Is the Bible really the Word of God? Our series number two today focuses on the Bible. Here is our doctrinal statement concerning the Word of God:

“We believe in the infallible, verbal inspiration of the whole Bible and that the Bible is the all-sufficient rule of faith and practice (Psalm 119:160; 2 Timothy 3:16,17).

The Bible is inspired! This means the writers of the Bible were carefully and specifically chosen by God to record His revelations. By the leadership of the Holy Spirit, God placed His message in their hearts and allowed them to write the words.

“For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit” ( 2 Peter 1:21). The analogical phrase, “moved by the Holy Spirit” can be compared to that of “a boat on the water being driven along by the wind.”

The Bible is Infallible! By this we mean no mistakes can come into the Word of God. We believe that the Bible is without error because its perfection and infallibility is based on the character of God. David wrote:

“The words of the Lord are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times” (Psalm 12:6). When it is to be refined, the silver is placed into a furnace and melted. As it gets hotter, the impurities within come to the top and removed. God’s Word is like silver refined in the furnace and unwanted materials can’t stay because it is refined seven times! As you all know, seven is the number of perfection and completion. Let’s read the Bible but not only for the sake of reading. The Bible should receive our attention and challenge us to live for Christ! -SDG

405. Christ, the Law, and the Prophets (Seeking His Kingdom # 10)

“Now don’t forget who you are. You must behave in such a way that you will not bring any dishonor to your parents and your family.” That would be the reminder of parents to their son or daughter who is going away from home to a party. When you look back at the Beatitudes and the Lord’s encouragement to use our godly influence by living as the “salt of the earth” and “lights of the world,” that is what the Lord has been saying here also. We are not just the children of God but citizens of the kingdom of heaven as well. For that reason, we have to manifest the characteristics of such people in order to manifest His glory. The question arises…How this is to be done? That is the subject which now confronts us. The answer is found in one word which sums up Christian living: “righteousness.” We are to live a life of righteousness. As our Lord goes on to deal with this question of righteousness, He lays down two categorical propositions. First, in vv. 17-18, “He says that everything that He is going to teach is in absolute harmony with the entire teaching of the Old Testament Scriptures.” That there is nothing in His teaching that contradicts them. The second proposition is, which He explains in vv. 19-20, “that His teaching which is in harmony with the Old Testament is in complete disharmony with, and an utter contradiction of the teaching of the Pharisees and scribes.” Thus, His stern warning in v.20, “For I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”

Is there something wrong with the righteousness of the Pharisees and scribes? Yes. The Pharisees were interested in details rather than principles; in actions rather than in motives; and in doing rather than in being. The remainder of the Sermon on the Mount is just an exposition of that.

404. Salt And Light Equals Influence (Seeking His Kingdom # 9)

In our study of the Beatitudes, we have seen how the Lord listed in order the characteristics that every believer should put on. Now, it’s time to consider how we should manifest those traits. In other words, after having realized what we are, we must strive to go on and consider what we ought to be and do.

I was reminded of an old story about a Rabbi living in a Russian city a century ago. Disappointed by his lack of direction and life purpose, he wandered out into the chilly evening. His hands thrust deep into his pockets, he aimlessly walked through the empty streets. He was questioning his faith in God, the Scriptures and his calling to ministry. He was so occupied thinking about those things that he mistakenly wandered into a Russian military compound. Of course, that was off-limits to civilians. As if he was sleepwalking, he was awakened by a Russian soldier barking at him, “Who are you? And what are you doing here?” “Excuse me?” replied the Rabbi. The soldier asked him again the same question. So as not to make the soldier angry, the Rabbi said, “How much do you get paid every day?” “What does that have to do with you?” the soldier replied. The Rabbi said, “I will pay you the equal sum if you will ask me those two same questions every day:  “Who are you? And what are you doing here?”

The two analogies, salt and light, are used to show our purpose and our duty before the world as subjects of the kingdom of God. The Lord gave these kingdom characteristics so we can influence the world when we act as “salt” and “light,” that is, when we know and understand who we are and what are we supposed to be doing here. John MacArthur hit the bull’s-eye when he says you can boil down this section of salt and light with one word: influence.  Believers who live the Beatitudes are salt and light of the earth. – SDG.

403. God’s Great Manifesto of His Kingdom (Seeking His Kingdom # 8)

The Beatitudes in Matthew 5 are for the children of God by spiritual birth. It’s no wonder the Lord started with “Blessed are the poor in spirit, because the kingdom of heaven is theirs.” The phrase “the kingdom of heaven” appears 32 times in Matthew’s Gospel, while “the kingdom of God” is used only 5 times. Though the phrases are the same and basically interchangeable, why would Matthew be the only one to use “the kingdom of heaven”  while Mark, Luke, and John refer to the kingdom of God? Matthew was writing primarily to the Jewish people and they were looking for a literal, physical, and material kingdom that is based in Israel. So, in writing about “the kingdom of heaven,” Matthew is saying, “Jesus did not talk about a physical kingdom  but a spiritual one – the kingdom of heaven.

The Preamble of our 1987 Constitution of the Republic of the Philippines guarantees the right of every Filipino to live a happy life by building a just and humane society; by also promoting the common good under the rule of law and regime of truth, justice, freedom, love, equality and peace. The Beatitudes looks like a constitution of the Lord that points out the pathway to happiness for the citizens of His kingdom.

The Scriptures declare in Psalm 33:12, “Blessed, or happy, is the people whose God is the Lord.”

Philippians 3:20, “But our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Believers, as children of God, should be the happiest and most joyful people on earth. And it all start by being “poor in spirit,” “mourning over sin,” “gentle,” “hungry and thirsty for God’s righteousness,” etc. Are you blessed? SDG.

402. God’s Great Manifesto of His Kingdom (Seeking His Kingdom # 7)

The Sermon on the Mount comprises Matthew 5-7. This is the first and longest message of Jesus in the Gospel. Jesus had been echoing the same message that John the Baptist was preaching: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” He had been calling for people to acknowledge their bankruptcy before God, to turn from their wicked ways and embrace the reconciliation that God has offered to all of mankind. Now, in this manifesto of His kingdom, Jesus reveals the character of life that each subject should observe. He presented the ethical guideline points that is necessary to the quality of righteousness that characterizes life in the kingdom.

Since the New Testament church is a part in the kingdom of heaven that Jesus introduced and established during His personal ministry, then, we are also subjects to these kingdom rules. Each of us who belongs to a New Testament church is required to observe these “ethical guidelines for life” in the kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ (I’m not talking about the “so called” kingdom established here in Davao City).

The Beatitudes are good to read but unless they are studied deeply, the spiritual truths hidden in each will not benefit a kingdom citizen saved by the blood of Jesus. The lesson or application that these lists of blessings give is: that God’s people should be living for Christ in this world. We should live the way kingdom citizens loyal to their King and His ordinances should live. We, also must remember the righteousness the Beatitudes promote is offensive to many, and so we must be prepared for the opposition that this hostile world will throw at us. “Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” 2 Timothy 3:12. – SDG

401. God Established His Church (Seeking His Kingdom # 6)

We point to Matthew 4:18-25 when asked about the beginning of the New Testament Church. Yet many in the Christendom believe that the account of the birth of the NT church is found Acts 2. When studied carefully, the meaning of the Greek word “ekklesia” will help in determining as to when did the church has its origin. Was it in Matthew 4 or Acts 2? The “calling” of the disciples to become a New Testament Church was recorded in Matthew. The “empowering” of the NT Church to preach the Gospel to all peoples took place on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2. Several reasons will be presented with Scripture references why we believe the NT Church was in existence before Acts 2.  

This study will also show our indebtedness to the first disciples’ sacrifice in forsaking everything in their lives just to answer the call of Jesus – “Follow Me. And I will make you fishers of men.”  Reading the narrative, it appears they (disciples) did not struggle in their decisions to leave their trade and their families. Did no one ask, “Are we going to receive any money out of this fishing for people?” They have families to feed and credit cards to pay. But the Bible says they left their boats, families and friends to follow Jesus. We are indebted heavily.

Herb Hodges once said, “It is impossible to even be born as a human being without heavy indebtedness. Every human being already owes for nine months of room and board when he is born!” I concur with Herb Hodges. We are blessed by God with parents, especially our mothers who didn’t charge us for those nine months. Men, can you imagine carrying a basketball or a watermelon in your tummy for nine months? An expectant mother carries a baby that becomes too ambitious sometimes by turning a mother’s womb into a flight simulator. Indeed, God knows what He is doing when He chose to give the role of childbearing to women because we, men, would fail miserably. We are indebted also to the Lord and His disciples for manning the boat until it reaches the shore safely. Let’s do our share by fishing for people too!

Allow me to share the doctrinal statement number 17 of the ABA (American Baptist Association), which we firmly believe also: “We believe that Jesus Christ established His church during His ministry on earth and that it is always a local, visible assembly of scripturally baptized believers in covenant relationship to carry out the Commission of the Lord Jesus Christ, and each church is an independent, self-governing body, and no other ecclesiastical body may exercise authority over it. We believe that Jesus Christ gave the Great Commission to the New Testament churches only, and that He promised the perpetuity of His churches.”

400. God Was Tested! (Seeking His Kingdom # 5)

“1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil…11 Then the devil left Him, and immediately angels came and began to serve Him” Matthew 4:1,11.

We talked about two reasons why Jesus came to John the Baptist to be baptized. First, “to fulfill all righteousness.” His baptism not only initiated His Messianic ministry but it was also the “first step in His carrying out the will of God, of fulfilling all righteousness.” Second, to please His Father. God was delighted when His begotten Son was baptized. “This is My beloved Son. I take delight in Him,” John 3:17.

The baptism of Jesus seemed strange to John at first but it was nevertheless necessary to fulfill all righteousness. It was an important step in the mission of Jesus to identify with sinful man, and that one day this would lead and finally be fulfilled at the cross.

There’s a saying that goes like this: “It is often true and inevitable that after the blessings come the battles.” The coming of the Holy Spirit to Jesus “like a dove” was a blessing because Jesus would start His public ministry in the power of the Spirit of God. But the same Spirit who descended upon Him was the same who will lead Him into the wilderness, where He would encounter the enemy.

Many people witnessed the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River. There were multitudes of people, the disciples of John and the religious elite groups of the Pharisees and Sadducees. But can you imagine Lucifer standing also there, watching and waiting for the Messiah to be revealed? Lucifer had been waiting not for years but for millennia. Remember, Lucifer is not all-knowing. When revealed finally, this fallen angel flew to the wilderness to test the Son of God. Jesus came out of the wilderness victorious! – SDG

399. Assassinate the Messiah

“A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children; and she refused to be consoled, because they were no more” Jeremiah 31:15.

From the time the proclamation of the “Messianic Prophecy” echoed in the garden in Genesis 3:15, Lucifer did not waste a single moment in exerting all means to thwart this plan of God. Again, we need to remind ourselves that this fallen angel is not omniscient. He can’t see what is beyond or else he would have known that his evil schemes would just be useless along the way.

Lucifer heard of his own coming doom very clearly: “He shall bruise thy head…” He also knew  that he can’t raise a motion for consideration to this declaration. His ultimate destiny was already in the books – of being cast into the lake of fire, together with his angels whom the Scriptures numbered to one third of all the angels. So, from the time he heard of his fate – he had only one focus: prevent the Messiah from being born into this world.

Lucifer started by eliminating the godly line that God would utilize. He succeeded by having Abel killed, but God raised Seth. God called Abram from the city of Ur of the Chaldees and gave Him promises including the “Seed” that would come to the world in whom all the families of the earth will be blessed. Again, Lucifer shook the old couple’s faith by trying to change God’s plan when Sarah gave Hagar to Abraham. After 25 years, Isaac, the one God promised to them was born. Isaac fathered Esau and Jacob. We know how Esau planned to kill Jacob but God was faithful!  Lucifer used a famine in Canaan to annihilate Jacob’s family. But God employed Joseph the Dreamer to bring them to Egypt. For four centuries, Jacob’s family grew and became the nation of Israel.

In Matthew 3:16-18 was another Lucifer’s desperate move to kill the Messiah when Herod ordered the massacre of the infants. Again, God was faithful to His plan when Joseph, Mary and the baby Jesus  escaped to Egypt and stayed there until Herod’s death. – SDG.

398. God Was Baptized! (Seeking His Kingdom # 4)

13. “Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him. 14. But John tried to stop Him, saying, ‘I need to be baptized by You, and yet You come to me. 15. Jesus answered him, “Allow it to be for now, because this is the way for us to fulfill all righteousness. Then he allowed Him to be baptized” Matthew 3:13-15.

We cannot pull up the anchor yet and sail away. We just can’t  or should not pass the fact of the baptism of Jesus in this chapter. We got only two ordinances in the New Testament church: water baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Water baptism is considered as the first act of obedience in the life of a true, committed follower of the Lord. Here in our text, He set the example for all to follow.

Before anyone can raise the question on why the need to be baptized in water, we should consider first why Jesus had to do it? Israel’s long-awaited Messiah did not need to fulfill the prerequisite of baptism which is repentance of sin and faith toward God. Jesus needed no repentance because He is without sin. But why did He come to John the Baptist? Even John himself got a little bit disturbed that something is not right in the picture of Jesus coming to him for baptism. John tried to stop Jesus, “I need to be baptized by You, and yet You come to me.” Jesus’ response should stir our attention that water baptism is a significant act in the kingdom of God. “Permit it at this time; for in this way it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.”

John MacAthur has this to say, “This act of baptism was a necessary part of the righteousness He secured for sinners.” If Jesus, being God and the long-promised Messiah, King of kings and the Lord of lords submitted to water baptism, what reason do we have not to? SDG.

397. The First Word of the Gospel (Seeking His Kingdom # 3)

“A voice of one crying out: Prepare the way of the Lord in the wilderness; make a straight highway for our God in the desert” Isaiah 40:3.

After the book of Malachi was written, the chosen people of God did not hear a single prophet for 400 years. That must have been a deafening silence for those who are looking for the coming of the Messiah. The Gospel of Matthew chapter 3 introduces Jesus through “the Voice” also known as “the Forerunner” of the King. Only John the Baptist fulfilled this prophecy in the book of Isaiah, and the first word that came out from him was – “Repent!”

The birth of John was miraculous too. His parents, Zacharias and Elisabeth were too old to have a child. But because nothing is  impossible with God, “the Voice” was born to bear witness to “the Light.”

Again, John’s message was a call to repentance. “Repent, because the kingdom of heaven has come near!” Matthew 1:3. It is important to remember that the Gospel of Matthew presents Christ as the King. This is what Matthew did in the first ten chapters. In John’s preaching, he is offering the kingdom to the Jews. John was asking the people to repent so as to prepare for the King. Repentance is not just about feelings like feeling sorry for your sin. Repentance is a change of mind. The nation of Israel need to change their thinking about their perception of the Messiah. They need to change their thinking about trusting in their works to earn favor with God. Jesus preached repentance also (4:17), and so did the disciples (10:7). When Israel did not change their minds (repent) they rejected the King, and the kingdom was taken from them. “Jesus said to them, ‘Did you never read in the Scriptures, the stone which the builders rejected, this became the chief corner stone; this came about from the Lord, and it is marvelous in our eyes?” Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people, producing the fruit of it.”

No one  can enter the kingdom of God without repentance. This is John the Baptist’s message. – SDG.