The Strength of Faith

“He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God;”  (Rom. 4:20)

The Gospel of Matthew chapter five and verse 13 tells us,

“Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.” (Matt. 5:13)

In the days of Jesus, salt was used mostly as a preservative instead of a spice. It was used to preserve meat.

Here Jesus says that if the salt has lost its savor (strength or ability) and can no longer do what it is supposed to do, then it is good for nothing but to be thrown out and walked upon.

Now our strength, our keeping power, our preservative is our faith.

The Bible says “the just shall live by faith.” If our salt is faith then this Scripture is saying that if we lose the power of our faith it is good for nothing.

Our faith can become vain and useless by taking it and putting it in something other than Christ. (Gal. 5:1-6)

“And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.” (Mark 11:22)

There is only one direction for our faith, and that direction is not in ourselves, our abilities, our accomplishments, our commitment, our holiness, or anyone or anything else.

The only direction for our faith, the only place where our faith can be deposited, is in God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

“And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight: If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister;” (Col. 1:21-23)

There are those who think they have faith but they have let their faith die. The Bible says faith without works is dead.

“But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?” (James 2:20)

Faith is active. Faith is going. Faith is doing.

Ephesians chapter six and verse 13 says,

“Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.” (Eph. 6:13)

Many people believe that if they become a Christian then their life will become boring with nothing to do. However, there is so much that God will give us to do if we really want to get close to Him, that we won’t have time to worry about things that we shouldn’t do anymore.

Being a Christian is very active.

A Spirit filled Christian who is drawing closer to Jesus is very active in the kingdom of God.

Faith is active.

When faith ceases to be active, it can die.

The Gospel of Matthew chapter five and verse 14 declares,

“Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid.” (Matt. 5:14)

We cannot hide, we cannot afford to hide, our faith and dedication to God.

Romans chapter two and verse four tells us,

“Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?” (Rom. 2:4)

People are going to see God in our lives. They are going to see God in our lives and they are going to see the goodness of God in our lives.

It is that goodness of God that leads men to repentance.

We cannot allow ourselves to be a light that is turned off.

The Bible says the city that is set on a hill cannot be hid.

John chapter 18 verses 20 and 21 says,

“Jesus answered him, I spake openly to the world; I ever taught in the synagogue, and in the temple, whither the Jews always resort; and in secret have I said nothing. Why askest thou me? ask them which heard me, what I have said unto them: behold, they know what I said.” (John 18:21)

Nothing that Jesus did was hid behind closed doors. Jesus Christ was openly and freely proclaiming the counsel of God.

God is open. God is clear. God is light.

The Bible tells us in John chapter one and verse five,

“And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.” (John 1:5)

Our witness for God has to be as God.

It has to be clear. It has to be light. Our witness to the world has to be pure, unadulterated, and without compromise.

God will use the light of His love in you and through you to draw sinners to repentance.

I’ve seen ministries and outreaches fail and go down the drain because they dimmed the light. They compromised. They may have succeeded in the world’s eyes but they lost the anointing of God.

The people of the world do not need a ministry or a gospel that looks like what they have already tried in the world. Those who are seeking a change in their lives have already found that what the world offered was empty and unfulfilling.

They have already found that the world and all that is in it is no help at all for their problems. The people of the world are hungry for something that is different, something that is pure, and something that is true.

They are tired of what they’re living in and they are not going to want anything that looks and feels the same. They want something different. They want something clean.

They’re tired of the degradation and they’re tired of the uncleanliness that the world offers. They want something that is pure, clean, and true.

Without realizing it, their souls are craving the anointing and the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Our witness has to be pure and unfeigned.

Second Corinthians chapter four verses three and four declares,

“But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.” (2Cor. 4:4)

If someone does not get saved, let it be because they rejected the truth. Don’t let it be because they never heard the truth.

The apostle Paul says my gospel wasn’t hid to anyone except to those who didn’t want it. It was hid to those who were blinded by the prince of this world.

Matthew chapter five and verse 15 says,

“Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.” (Matt. 5:15)

Our witness should not just be on a hill so the world can see it, but our witness should also be in the house of God so the church can see it. Don’t let your light be put under a bushel in the house of God and in the family of God.

The Bible tells us that every one of us is a “member in particular” of the body of Christ.

“From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.” (Eph. 4:16)

Each of us is an important individual in our local assembly and among the believers that we associate with in our lives. We are like a link in the chain and it has been said many times that a chain is only as strong as its weakest link.

Each one of us has our place in the body of Christ. Each one of us has individual gifts that have been given to us by God that are useful to the building up of the entire body.

“Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.” (1Cor. 12:27)

No one is a “nobody” in the eyes of God. Each of us is a “somebody” in His eyes.

God has created each of us, saved us, anointed us, and deposited within us that certain “something” that no one else can duplicate.

“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” (Matt. 5:16)

For God to be glorified our works must be a result of faith in God and love.

Belief alone is not enough to please God.

“Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?” (James 2:19-20)

God wants to see the active result of our belief and faith with works.

“For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love.” (Gal. 5:6)

If our faith is going to be working it has to be working by love.

“And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.” (1Cor. 13:2-3)

Faith and love together comprise good works which men will see and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

Next- The Sin of Self-Righteousness

“The Sound Doctrine Seminar Volume Two: Revelations from the Sermon on the Mount” available now for $4.99 at bn.com for the Nook, amazon.com for the Kindle, the iBookstore for the iPad, and Lulu.com for the PC and all other e-reading devices.

Walking with a Pure Heart in the Peace of Christ

“Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.”  (Mat. 5:8-9)

Matthew chapter five and verse eight declares,

“Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.” (Matt. 5:8)

Something that is pure, such as pure gold, has no variables in it. It is unchanging. It is steadfast.

Blessed are the pure in heart, blessed are the steadfast in heart, for they shall see God.

First Corinthians chapter 15 and verse 58 tells us,

“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.” (1Cor. 15:58)

The Book of James chapter one verses six and seven tells us why this is to our advantage to be steadfast and unmovable.

“But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.” (James 1:6-7)

Have you ever known anyone in the body of Christ who this week believes in the baptism of the Holy Ghost with the evidence of speaking in tongues and next week they don’t believe in it at all?

This week they believe that we are supposed to be baptized in water this way and the next week believe we are supposed to be baptized another way. They are tossed to and fro with every wind of doctrine.

There are many winds of doctrine today but God says “stand fast”.

The Lord says to “stand fast” in what I have put in your heart and the revelation that I have given you. “Stand fast” in what the Holy Spirit has borne witness to be truth unto you.

We are not to be tossed to and fro as the wind tosses the waves, for the Bible says “we shall not receive anything from the Lord.”

Second Peter chapter three and verse 17 says,

“Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own steadfastness.” (2Peter 3:17)

God wants us to be steadfast.

The Gospel of Matthew chapter five and verse nine tells us,

“Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.” (Matt. 5:9)

Romans chapter eight and verse 14 says,

“For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.” (Rom. 8:14)

The children of God and the sons of God are those who are led by the Spirit and are peacemakers.

When the Spirit of God is involved we are going to be peacemakers. We are going to spread peace between man and God. We are going to show men how they can be reconciled unto God.

Acts chapter eight and verse 29 declares,

“Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot.” (Acts 8:29)

These Scriptures in Acts tell us of a time when Philip was led by the Spirit of God to go down to Gaza and there he met an Ethiopian eunuch whom he led to the Lord.

Philip was led by the Spirit of God.

This is the witness of the gospel that we are talking about: being a peacemaker.

James chapter five and verse 20 says,

“Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.” (James 5:20)

Ephesians chapter six and verses 14 and 15,

“Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;” (Eph. 6:15)

Being a witness is very important to God. It is an attitude of heart. Many people know that they are supposed to witness but they do not exercise that attitude of heart.

This attitude of heart is just like the Bible says, having “your feet are shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace.”

It means to be ready.

The Bible says that we are to always be prepared and be ready to give an answer for the hope that lies within us.

“But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:” (1Peter 3:15)

We are to be ready to give an answer as to why we don’t run to the same extremes of excess, the pleasures of sin, or the worry and panic that other people do.

This is an attitude of heart. To always be prepared to give an answer. To always be prepared to speak out for the Lord Jesus Christ and not to be ashamed.

Jesus said that if we are ashamed of Him in this wicked and adulterous generation, then He will be ashamed of us when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels. (Mark 8:38)

There is a lot more to the Word of God than just John 3:16.

It has been said that Thompson, the man who put together the Thompson Chain Reference Bible, said on his deathbed to the man who was consoling him as he was dying, that if we really believe everything contained in the Word of God, then there are going to be few who enter into eternal life.

This is just exactly what Jesus said.

“Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.” (Matt. 7:14)

Matthew chapter five verses ten through 12 declares,

“Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.” (Matt. 5:10-12)

Persecution is a gauge or an indicator of our godliness. The Word of God tells us in Second Timothy chapter three and verse 12,

“Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.” (2Tim. 3:12)

Jesus said in John chapter 15 verses 20 and 21,

“Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also. But all these things will they do unto you for my name’s sake, because they know not him that sent me.” (John 15:20-21)

Here Jesus lets us know exactly what we’re getting into when we decide to follow Him. It is not all a bed of roses being a Christian.

There are things we are going to encounter as a Christian that might not be very pleasing to the flesh.

But Jesus said also said that great is the reward when we do live godly.

The Lord wants us to count the cost. Luke chapter 14 verses 28 through 30 says,

“For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it? Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him, Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish.” (Luke 14:28-30)

There will be persecutions. He says there will be divisions.

There will be a mother-in-law against a daughter-in-law and a father-in-law against a son-in-law. There will be a brother against a brother and a sister against a sister.

But the Lord says that if we stand fast and hold onto the faith, if we continue to go on and not turn back, we shall reap in due season if we faint not.

“And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel’s, But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life.” (Mark 10:29-30)

Many preachers preach about the 100 fold return, but oftentimes there are two words that they leave out when they preach about this Scripture. The words that are left out many times in preaching about the 100 fold return are the words “with persecutions”.

The persecutions are going to come as we live godly.

If we are able to live in this unrighteous world, work side-by-side with ungodly individuals, listen, laugh, or go along with the immoral jokes and philosophies and never receive any type of persecution for our faith and belief in Christ, then we need to ask ourselves “What kind of witness am I for Christ?”

Jesus told the Church at Laodicea,

“So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.” (Rev. 3:16)

Next- The Strength of Faith

“The Sound Doctrine Seminar Volume Two: Revelations from the Sermon on the Mount” available now for $4.99 at bn.com for the Nook, amazon.com for the Kindle, the iBookstore for the iPad, and Lulu.com for the PC and all other e-reading devices.

The Empowerment of Christian Mercy

“Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.”  (Mat. 5:7)

The Bible tells us in the Old Testament book of Hosea that,

“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.” (Hosea 4:6)

If we as God’s people are going to experience the abundant overcoming life that Jesus provided for us at Calvary, then we need to hunger and thirst to not only know God’s Word but also to understand it as well.

As we study the Word of God and seek after wisdom, knowledge, and understanding, we begin to see that often there is the apparent meaning of Scripture, and then there is the revealed meaning of Scripture that only the Holy Spirit can give.

In other words, we are to seek after and follow the whole Word of God, not just part of it. The Bible says,

“Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.” (James 4:17)

As God reveals these principles unto us, then we can have victory in them as we daily strive to walk according to His word.

We not only have the righteousness of God in Christ, but the Bible also says,

“But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.” (1John 1:7)

Jesus Christ cleanses us from not only all of our sin, but also everything that stands between us and Him that might interfere with receiving His best.

We see then that it is the whole Word of God, not just a few Scriptures, that provide for victorious Kingdom living.

So many times people have taken just a few Scriptures and built the entire doctrine of their Christian Faith around them, however the Bible says,

“But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” (Matt. 4:4)

The Gospel of Matthew chapter five and verse seven says,

“Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.” (Matt. 5:7)

God wants us to be merciful so that we can be blessed of Him.

Second Chronicles chapter six and verse 42 tells us,

“O LORD God, turn not away the face of thine anointed: remember the mercies of David thy servant.” (2Chron. 6:42)

The Bible teaches that David was a great example to us of how we ought to be merciful.

We can read in First Samuel chapter 24 verses one through eight and in First Samuel chapter 26 verses seven through 16 of how David was merciful unto Saul.

Twice David was in a position to thrust his spear into the heart of Saul and exact vengeance for himself.

David had the opportunity to kill the man who, for no reason, was chasing him and trying to kill him, but yet David was merciful. David said, “I will not touch God’s anointed”.

We can also read of David’s mercy in First Samuel the 25th chapter. These are the Scriptures referring to Abigail and her husband Nabal.

Nabal rightfully owed provisions to David’s men because they had protected Nabal’s servants while they were in the field.

However, Nabal mocked David’s men when David sent them to him and refused to give them the provisions they needed. David was furious and set out to destroy Nabal and all the men of his household.

Nabal’s wife Abigail was told of her husband’s foolish act so she loaded provisions and went to David to plead for his life. David saw the provisions and Abigail’s humility and decided to show mercy to Nabal for Abigail’s sake.

David committed Nabal unto God.

David committed Saul unto God.

And God wrought His sovereign vengeance on both Nabal and Saul in His time.

“Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.” (Rom. 12:19)

Acts chapter 13 and verse 34 says,

“And as concerning that he raised him up from the dead, now no more to return to corruption, he said on this wise, I will give you the sure mercies of David.” (Acts 13:34)

David was merciful and not only obtained mercy, but he obtained a promise from God that his descendent would sit upon his throne forever.

“The LORD hath sworn in truth unto David; he will not turn from it; Of the fruit of thy body will I set upon thy throne. If thy children will keep my covenant and my testimony that I shall teach them, their children shall also sit upon thy throne for evermore.” (Psalm 132:11-12)

God fulfilled this promise through David’s descendent Mary when she gave birth to Jesus Christ the Son of God.

Having mercy and being merciful are monumental in the eyes of God.

Galatians chapter six verses seven and eight says,

“Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.” (Gal. 6:7-8)

What we plant we are going to reap. The Bible says “God is not mocked”. In other words, make no mistake about it. It does not matter how spiritual we think we may be.

What we sow we are going to reap.

Job was a merciful man. In Job chapter 42 and verse ten the Bible tells us,

“And the LORD turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before.” (Job 42:10)

Job was delivered when he prayed for others. When he offered sacrifices for the false comforters who had come against him, then he received his deliverance from God.

Jesus was merciful from the cross.

He said, “Father forgive them for they know not what they do.”

Because of the mercy He showed to those who persecuted Him, tortured Him, and railed against Him, He received mercy as the Son of Man.

The mercy He received was the forgiveness of our sins.

In the Book of Zechariah we read,

“And he shewed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him.”

“And the LORD said unto Satan, The LORD rebuke thee, O Satan; even the LORD that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee: is not this a brand plucked out of the fire?”

“Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and stood before the angel.”

“And he answered and spake unto those that stood before him, saying, Take away the filthy garments from him. And unto him he said, Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment.”

“And I said, Let them set a fair mitre upon his head. So they set a fair mitre upon his head, and clothed him with garments. And the angel of the LORD stood by.”

“And the angel of the LORD protested unto Joshua, saying,”

“Thus saith the LORD of hosts; If thou wilt walk in my ways, and if thou wilt keep my charge, then thou shalt also judge my house, and shalt also keep my courts, and I will give thee places to walk among these that stand by.” (Zech. 3:1-7)

In these Scriptures found in the Book of Zechariah, we are reading a prophetic vision which the prophet had of Jesus Christ standing before the Heavenly Father after His ascension into heaven.

We know that there was a Joshua that returned from captivity and was a High Priest in the Old Testament, but the Bible also tells us that Jesus Christ is a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.

This is a perfect example of the apparent meaning of Scripture and the revealed meaning of Scripture.

To fully understand this portion of Scripture, we need to understand that the Hebrew word for Joshua is the same for Jesus: Yeshua.

Since Jesus said,

“And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.” (John 3:13)

These Scriptures are not referring to any Joshua from the Old Testament, but here the word of God in prophecy is talking about Jesus Christ as He ascended from the depths of hell and came before God the Father clothed in the filthy rags of our sins.

“And the LORD said unto Satan, The LORD rebuke thee, O Satan; even the LORD that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee: is not this a brand plucked out of the fire?”

After Jesus Christ had risen from the dead, He appeared to Mary and said, “Touch me not for I have not yet ascended unto my Father.” (John 20:17) Jesus could not allow Mary to touch Him for He still had the sin of the world upon His body.

He had to go and have the filthy spiritual garments removed. He had to be given the robes of righteousness to replace the filthy rags of our sins once they were taken away.

In the verse where the Lord says, “Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee”, He is talking about our iniquity. The Bible says that Jesus knew no sin, therefore He had no iniquity.

Jesus Christ was without sin, spotless, and blameless.

However, the Bible says

“For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” (2Cor. 5:21)

The filthy garments that were upon Him and the iniquity that was upon Him were our sins and iniquity which He took upon Himself at the cross of Calvary.

There He made the atonement for us. The Greek word for “atonement” is katallage (pronounced kat-al-lag-ay’) which means “the exchange”.

This is why Jesus had to be separated from the Father and had to die a spiritual death.

What is spiritual death? It is being separated from God.

This is why in the Garden of Gethsemane Jesus was in agony, not over the physical death, but he was agonizing over the spiritual death of being separated from the Father, something He had never known since the beginning.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1)

In the garden Jesus was praying “Father, if there be any other way let this cup pass from me.” He was sweating as it were “great drops of blood”, not because of the physical death he was going to endure but in anticipation of the spiritual death that he was going to endure.

The Bible says, “The soul that sinneth, it shall die.” (Ezekiel 18:20)

The death this verse is talking about is spiritual separation from God, something that Christ had never known. Even before he came to this earth and was born in a manger, Christ had always been with the Father.

That is why He was in terrible agony in the Garden of Gethsemane.

In Zechariah chapter three verse five the Lord said “Let them set a fair mitre upon his head”, meaning a “crown” or a “diadem”, signifying His restoration as the King of Heaven.

The angel was given a charge to speak unto Joshua or Jesus. He was speaking to the body of Christ. This is the charge given to the spiritual body of Christ. This is the charge given to us as Christians.

He says,

“Thus saith the LORD of hosts; If thou wilt walk in my ways, and if thou wilt keep my charge, then thou shalt also judge my house, and shalt also keep my courts, and I will give thee places to walk among these that stand by.” (Zech. 3:7)

The Bible says we shall judge the house of God. The Bible says we shall rule and reign as kings and priests with God. The Bible says “if you will walk in my ways”, and this is what we are talking about: walking in the ways of God.

We are talking about keeping the principles of the kingdom of God.

Next- Walking with a Pure Heart in the Peace of Christ

“The Sound Doctrine Seminar Volume Two: Revelations from the Sermon on the Mount” available now for $4.99 at bn.com for the Nook, amazon.com for the Kindle, the iBookstore for the iPad, and Lulu.com for the PC and all other e-reading devices.

The Empowerment of Christian Meekness and Righteousness

“Gird thy sword upon thy thigh, O most mighty, with thy glory and thy majesty. And in thy majesty ride prosperously because of truth and meekness and righteousness; and thy right hand shall teach thee terrible things.”  (Psalm 45:3-4)

Matthew chapter five and verse five tells us,

“Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.” (Matt. 5:5)

Matthew chapter five and verse three instructs us concerning pride and humbleness, verse four instructs us concerning repentance, and now verse five instructs us about walking in that repentance and humility.

“Blessed are the meek.”

The Greek word for meek is “praus” (pronounced prah-ooce’). It literally means mild. Many people interpret the word meek to mean someone who is cowardly or afraid.

Jesus was a very meek individual and a very mild individual. The Bible says that He was led before His accusers as a Lamb led to the slaughter, meek and not opening his mouth.

However, He was anything but cowardly or afraid.

Jesus was a man among men.

He rebuked the Pharisees and religious leaders to their face.

He drove the money changers and sellers out of the Temple.

He willingly went to the cross knowing in advance what pain and suffering He would endure.

The “mildness” that God tells us to walk in is not a cowardly or timid meekness, for the Bible says the righteous are “bold as a lion”. (Prov. 28:1)

The “meek” that are blessed of God are those who determine in their hearts to completely do away with all vengeance and retaliation.

It is a meekness whereby we commit everything into the hands of our Heavenly Father.

He is the One who will rise up as a mighty Parent and protect His injured child.

“Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.” (Rom. 12:19)

He is the One who will make sure that all things will work together for the good of His child.

“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” (Rom. 8:28)

First Corinthians chapter six and verse seven says,

“Now therefore there is utterly a fault among you, because ye go to law one with another. Why do ye not rather take wrong? Why do ye not rather suffer yourselves to be defrauded?” (1Cor. 6:7)

God is able to sovereignly bless.

How many times have Christians deprived themselves of the tremendous blessings that God would have returned to them after they had been defrauded or wronged if only they had committed it to God instead of trying to obtain justice themselves?

God can cause men to give back to us good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over when we allow Him to be our avenger.

“Vengeance is mine” saith the Lord, “I will repay.”

Here He says we are “utterly at fault” because we go to law one with another instead of trusting God. The Lord says, “Why do you not rather endure being wronged?” I believe here the Lord is literally saying, “Don’t you know that you are robbing yourself of a blessing?”

By trying to be our own avenger and to force our own recompense, we miss out on the Lord being able to “…do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us.” (Eph. 3:20)

Trust God.

He is the one who owns everything. The Bible says that “He owns the cattle on a thousand hills; the earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof.”

Hebrews chapter ten verses 30 and 31 says,

“For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” (Heb. 10:30-31)

If we think that we can hurt someone because they have hurt us then we are wrong.

God is our avenger. God will judge to determine who is right and who is wrong and then He will punish or reward.

There were times when Jesus looked at the Pharisees and said, “Because of the traditions of men you make the Word of God of none effect.” Many times we literally tie God’s hands by taking it upon ourselves and not committing the situation unto Him.

“Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.” (Matt. 5:5)

Matthew chapter five and verse six says,

“Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.” (Matt. 5:6)

This is the attitude of a regenerate heart. This is the attitude of someone who has genuinely been born again. Romans chapter seven verses 18 and 19 says,

“For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.” (Rom 7:18-19)

The Apostle Paul says, “I know that in this flesh dwells no good thing.”

This flesh is not who we are.

It is how we appear to others, but it is not who we are on the inside. The flesh may look ugly but inside can be a beautiful person.

Jesus makes us beautiful when He gives us a new heart.

Here the Apostle Paul says “to will” is present with him. He wants to do what is right. However, he says “how to perform that which is good I find not.” This is a description of someone yearning for righteousness.

The Bible says in Romans chapter seven verses 24 and 25,

“O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.” (Rom. 7:24-25)

Jesus said, “Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness for they shall be filled.”

Jesus said in Luke chapter 24 and verse 49,

“And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.” (Luke 24:49)

The Bible goes on and says in Acts chapter two and verse four,

“And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” (Acts 2:4)

The Holy Ghost is the only way to overcome the flesh.

A person who has not received the baptism of the Holy Ghost more than likely will be found going forward a little and then falling back even more, not having victory in their life.

The Holy Ghost is the power that God gives us to overcome the flesh.

Jesus says if we thirst, if we hunger and yearn, we shall be filled. We will not only be filled with righteousness but we will be filled with the Holy Ghost.

Ephesians chapter five and verse 18 says,

“And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;” (Eph. 5:18)

Now all of these attitudes and principles that we are talking about have to do with living a blessed life in the eyes of God. It is not only our faith towards God that is important to Him but also our obedience to his word.

The Bible tells us in the book of James,

“For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.” (James 2:26)

Let us walk in the light as He is in the light.

If we walk in the light as He gives us the light, then the Bible says He will cleanse us from all sin.

Next- The Empowerment of Christian Mercy

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The Empowerment of Humility and Repentance

“Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:”  (1Peter 5:6)

The Bible reads in the fifth chapter of Matthew verses one through three,

“And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him: And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying, Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Mat 5:1-3)

“Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

Here Jesus is talking about humility or a contrite spirit. He is not talking about being financially or physically poor, spiritually starving, or poverty-stricken, but He is talking about having a humble spirit before God.

In James chapter four and verse six the Bible says,

“But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.” (James 4:6)

Grace is not only unmerited favor, but it is God’s power manifested in us to be able to carry out the will of God.

To have the grace of God is to be enabled by God.

The Bible says He gives grace unto the humble. He gives the humble the power to live an overcoming and abundant life in Christ.

The prophet Isaiah declared in Isaiah chapter 66 and verse two,

“For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the LORD: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.” (Isaiah 66:2)

In other words this verse is saying,

“This is the man that I’m going to look at,” says God. “This is the man I’m going to recognize. I’m going to consider and take note of the person who is of a poor and contrite spirit and trembles at my word.”

Psalms 51 and verse 17 says,

“The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.” (Psalm 51:17)

Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven, the kingdom of God, or we might even say the kingdom where God rules.

The Gospel of Luke chapter 17 verses 20 and 21 reads,

“And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.” (Luke 17:20-21)

For us to begin seeing the kingdom of God manifested in our life, the first step is getting rid of pride and embracing humility and humbleness before God.

In Matthew chapter five and verse four we read,

“Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.” (Matt. 5:4)

On the surface it would appear that the “mourning” which the Lord is referring to here would be the type of “mourning” that is experienced upon the loss of a loved one. However, in the context of the Scripture we realize there is a deeper meaning.

The “mourning” that the Word of God is talking about here is referring to the repentance that comes into someone’s heart when an individual mourns and is sorrowful over their sins.

First Corinthians chapter five and verse two tells us,

“And ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you.” (1Cor. 5:2)

The Church at Corinth had allowed blatant ungodliness and immorality to come into their midst. Instead of mourning and repenting that this sin would be taken from them, they allowed it to continue.

In other words, they okayed it by overlooking it.

In James chapter four and verses eight through ten the Bible says,

“Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.” (James 4:8-10)

Notice that mourning and weeping go hand-in-hand with repentance of sin.

The Bible is talking about repentance before God. It says to “let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to heaviness.” It says to “humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord and He shall lift you up.”

Humble yourselves.

In Second Corinthians chapter seven and verse ten it says,

“For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.” (2Cor. 7:10)

Godly sorrow produces repentance. Godly sorrow is being sorry that we have sinned against a holy God and disappointed Him. Worldly sorrow is being sorry that we got caught, or that our sin didn’t work out as we had planned.

Once again, the Bible talks about mourning over our sins. In other words, Jesus is saying “Blessed are those who repent and mourn and are sorry for their sins for they shall be comforted.”

If we want to see a manifestation of the Holy Ghost moving in our life, then we must stay in a repentant state before God.

We must always keep an inward look at who we are, what we’re doing, and how we stand before God.

We must strive to attain the attitude of repentance.

It’s an attitude. Repentance is not something that we do one time and then it’s over, but it is an attitude and a continuance.

When I was a young Christian, my Pastor preached a message entitled “Living under the Altar of God” which was about living in a state of repentance.

In my pride, I thought “That’s wrong. I repented when I became a Christian and I don’t have to do that anymore.”

I wasn’t praying daily as I should and allowing the Holy Spirit to search my heart and reveal to me the presumptuous sins that were continuing in my life. The Bible says,

“Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression.” (Psalm 19:13)

And again in the New Testament,

“If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.” (1John 1:10)

The Bible also says in First John chapter one verses eight through nine,

“If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1John 1:8-9)

Satan loves to condemn us when we sin. He loves to cause us to walk around in a state of heartbreak and defeat for days and keep us from having any victory.

Yes, we need to be sorry and mourn for our sins once they are revealed to us, but then our repentance must be mixed with faith.

God cannot lie.

When God says that if we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, then that is exactly what He will do.

The Bible says that He is faithful.

That means He will do it every time. The Bible says that He is a just God. He will not only cleanse us from our sins but He will cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Now it is time to believe it, receive it, and rejoice because of it.

There is a period of mourning and being sorry for our sin. There is a time to repent and change from what we were doing wrong and begin to walk in the opposite direction.

Once we have confessed our sin and forsaken it, God will cleanse us and we are to walk in that newness of life. We are not to drag ourselves around in an attitude of defeat.

We must rise up and walk in victory according to the Word of God.

When we determine to get pride out of the way and repent of our wrong attitudes, then we can begin to walk in the fullness of the Holy Ghost.

Next- The Empowerment of Christian Meekness and Humility

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“Once Saved, Always Saved?”

“In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight: If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister;”  (Col. 1:22-23)

In the previous verses of Scripture, the Bible says that God will present us holy, unblameable, and unreproveable in His sight if we continue in the faith.

As we happen upon the word “if” in this portion of Scripture, it seems that we have come upon the question of an individual’s possible loss of salvation. The question of “eternal life” and whether or not a Christian can lose their salvation involves a doctrine which is called by many the “Once Saved, Always Saved Doctrine” of salvation.

Let’s look through the Scriptures to see if the whole Word of God refutes or supports this doctrine. In John chapter ten and verses 28 and 29 Jesus says,

“And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.” (John 10:28-29)

This is one of many portions of Scripture pertaining to “eternal life” that seem to support this doctrine.

However, in order to “rightly divide the Word of God” (Second Timothy 2:15) we must understand that the word “eternal” simply describes the type of Life that God will give but does not preclude that life from being removed from us.

In the same way, the fact that “no man can pluck us out of the Father’s hand” does not preclude us from willingly leaving the Father’s hand on our own.

We read in Romans chapter 11 verses 19 through 22,

Thou wilt say then, The branches were broken off, that I might be grafted in. Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not high-minded, but fear: For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee. Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off. (Rom. 11:19-22)

Here the Bible says “if thou continue in his goodness.”

The Bible also says in Hebrews chapter six verses four through six,

“For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.” (Heb. 6:4-6)

I’m sure many of us have read these Scriptures in Hebrews the sixth chapter; however it is quite possible that some might not have understood them. It is evident that these Scriptures are not describing someone who is minimally in the faith.

This is a description of a person who has tasted of the heavenly gift. They were made partakers of the Holy Ghost. They tasted the good word of God and the powers of the world to come. This describes an anointed individual. This was an individual walking in the power and the anointing of the Holy Ghost.

But the Bible here says that “if they shall fall away” that it is impossible for them to be renewed again unto repentance. I have met people in that condition. They could not find a place of repentance before God. They had lost their faith in Him.

In Revelation chapter three and verse five the Bible says,

“He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.” (Rev. 3:5)

Here the Scripture refers to blotting someone’s name out of the book of life. A name cannot be blotted out if it had never been written in.

The Bible tells us in Galatians chapter five verse four,

“Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.” (Gal. 5:4)

The church at Galatia had started well. They had received the Spirit but then some false teachers came in and destroyed their faith in God’s grace. They taught the Galatians that they had to not only believe in Jesus for salvation, but they also had to resume obeying the Law of Moses and put their trust in their obedience of that Law.

The Galatians began to try to obey the Law of Moses and they took their faith that they had in Christ and placed it instead in their ability to obey the law. So here the Bible says they lost their faith in Christ and therefore Christ had become of no affect to them. They had fallen from grace.

We read in Hebrews chapter ten verses 38 and 39,

“Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.” (Heb. 10:38-39)

Here the Bible says that if a man draws back he draws back to perdition, and that is the same as destruction.

The Scripture says in James chapter five verses 19 and 20,

“Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him; Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.” (Jas 5:19-20)

Here the Bible uses the word “brethren”. The Scripture is talking about saving the soul of a “believer” from death.

What can we say to conclude the things that we have just discussed? We cannot lose our salvation like we lose our keys. We cannot lose our salvation like we lose our pocket change. We stand by faith in Christ.

A person who begins to commit sin in their life, unrepentant and continued sin, and who quenches the Holy Spirit, does despite to the Spirit of grace, and loves the pleasure of sin more than they love the presence of God have begun walking on the wrong path.

They haven’t yet lost their salvation. For the Bible says that if we see anyone err from the truth and we convert them from their sinful way then we have saved their soul from death.

There is a distance that has to be trod before they lose their faith in God.

When we see a brother sinning, we can still go to him and convert him to keep him from falling. It we do such a thing and they are converted, the Bible says we have saved their soul from death. And this is talking about brothers in Christ: believers.

A person can lose their salvation but it is lost by losing their faith in Jesus Christ. As long as a person has faith in Jesus Christ they do not have to ever worry about losing their salvation.

The day someone refuses to believe that Jesus is the son of God and that He died for their sins and rose from the dead, then that is the day that they will no longer be saved.

The Bible says the just shall live by faith. Where there is no faith there is no spiritual life.

That is why it is called “eternal life” that he has given us. If we forever have faith in Christ then we forever have life. No one can pluck us out of the Father’s hand. The only way that we can come out of the Father’s hand is if we choose to leave ourselves.

No devil, no demon, no unclean spirit, nothing can cause us to quit believing in Jesus Christ. That is a choice that only we can make.

Humility and submission, coupled with faith and trust in God, opens the door to receiving from the Lord.

Now God has given unto us the measure of faith. Not by any amount of faith or belief in our strength or abilities does the abundant life come from, but by our belief in the faith and strength and righteousness and love of Jesus Christ.

“And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.” (Mark 11:22)

This is the only direction for our faith.

“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” (Gal. 2:20)

The Bible says in James chapter four verses eight through ten,

“Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.” (Jas 4:8-10)

When we cast forth our pride and draw nigh to God in humility then He shall lift us up.

I want to say that this doesn’t come automatically. We need to search our hearts. We need to ask God to reveal areas of spiritual pride in our lives.

And we all have them. None of us have gained perfection.

When God reveals these areas of pride in our lives we must determine in our hearts to cast them away. When we do that then we draw nigh to God.

So many times we have such a battle in fighting the devil. But God says it’s His battle.

The Bible tells us that light dispels darkness and that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.

“This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.” (1John 1:5)

When we draw nigh to God through humility and obedience to His word and He draws nigh to us, then the light of the glory of God covers us. All the demons of hell have to leave. They cannot dwell in the light of God.

Hebrews chapter 12 verse two tells us,

“Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Heb. 12:2)

This is faith’s direction.

“Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith.”

This takes all of the effort off ourselves and allows us to rest in what Christ did. This is what the Bible talks about when it says that we are to enter into his rest.

Jesus did it all.

“Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it.” (Heb. 4:1)

“There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.” (Heb. 4:9)

Next- The Empowerment of Humility and Repentance

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Jesus Christ and the Atonement

“And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.”  (Rom. 5:11)

Here are four questions for consideration.

Where is all your faith directed? Is it directed towards how much you can accomplish? Is it directed towards how much you can order your thoughts? Is it directed towards how much Scripture you can memorize?

Or is it directed towards Jesus?

Jesus paid it all. Jesus provided for it all. Jesus fulfilled all.

The Bible says in Matthew chapter seven and verse 14,

“Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.” (Matt. 7:14)

We can compare our faith to an automobile.

Faith is the car. The key to start that car is belief in Jesus Christ. The battery to turn the engine over is the Holy Ghost. The fuel to keep the car going is the word of God.

The Bible says “straight is the gate” and “narrow is the way”. It’s a narrow road. As long as we have our car of faith pointed straight towards Jesus Christ we are not going to go off the road.

But the moment we direct our faith in some direction other than Jesus, we are going to run off the road and it is going to be disastrous. Our direction for faith has to be towards Jesus Christ.

“Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Heb. 12:2)

The Bible tells us that God has already blessed us with all spiritual blessings,

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:” (Eph. 1:3)

God wants to manifest the spiritual into the natural for our benefit.

“But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.” (1Cor. 12:7)

Here in First Corinthians the Bible is talking about spiritual gifts, but in the same manner God wants to manifest spiritual blessings into the natural for our benefit.

It’s going to take two conditions for this manifestation to take effect. They are proper faith direction towards Jesus and our humbleness, submission, and love for God and others.

The Bible says in James chapter four verses six through eight that God resists the proud,

“But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.” (James 4:6-8)

We cannot be high-minded and prideful and expect to receive anything from God. The first and foremost prerequisite for receiving from God is humility and absence of pride. “God resisteth (he pushes against) the proud but giveth grace unto the humble.”

What does it mean when the Bible says God has given us spiritual blessings but they have not yet been manifested? One example of this would be salvation.

In John chapter one and verse 29, John the Baptist beheld Jesus and said,

“…Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” (John 1:29)

John the Baptist didn’t lie. Jesus took away the sin of the world but before we can be sinless in the eyes of God we have to receive it by faith.

If we had died before we were born again and saved, although Jesus provided for the sin of the world to be taken away, we would have died in our sins, missed heaven, and gone to hell. Before we can experience the reality of the forgiveness and cleansing of our sins, we have to believe it and receive it by faith.

In the same fashion, God has already provided every spiritual blessing in heavenly places in Christ Jesus but is up to us to receive them by faith before they can be manifested and enjoyed in our life.

God wants the manifestation of the spirit in our life so that every man can profit withal. Jesus fulfilled the Law but He rejected the blessings of the Law so that He might freely give them unto us in exchange for our sins through the cross of Calvary.

If we must believe before we can receive, then what are these blessings contained in the Law that Jesus earned by His obedience but are now held in reserve for us in Heavenly places? And how can we believe in them so that they can be manifested in our lives?

We can believe in them when we see them contained in the Law, and we can receive their manifestation when we see in the Scriptures how Jesus rejected them and took upon Himself the curses instead.

What were some of the blessings and the curses contained in the Law of Moses? Blessings were promised to those who fulfilled the Law and curses were promised to those who broke the Law. Curses were opposite of blessings.

In order that faith can gain hold in our hearts, we must say again that Jesus was the only one to keep the whole Law, yet He rejected the promised blessings and received the curses so that He might impart the promised blessings to us by faith.

God had promised in Exodus chapter 23 and verse 25 that if they would obey, then He would remove sickness out of the midst of Israel,

“And ye shall serve the LORD your God, and he shall bless thy bread, and thy water; and I will take sickness away from the midst of thee.” (Exodus 23:25)

Jesus fulfilled the Law in all points so He should have received this promise. Jesus as an Israelite, as the Son of Man obeyed the Law therefore sickness should have been taken out of His midst. He was entitled to this blessing.

However, we read in Matthew chapter eight and verses 16 and 17,

“When the even was come, they brought unto him many that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick: That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses.” (Mat 8:16-17)

Jesus took our infirmities and He bore our sicknesses. He took the curses of a sinful life to give us the blessings of a righteous and holy life.

Our health, our healing is not dependent upon how much we believe that we can be healed. Our healing is dependent upon how much we can believe in Jesus Christ fulfilling the Law, rejecting the blessing of promised healing, and exchanging that blessing of healing for our sicknesses and infirmities.

The Bible says that He took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses. Our faith has to be in Jesus being righteous and in His imparting that righteousness unto us. Therefore, we receive the fulfillment of the law and the promised blessing.

In Deuteronomy chapter 15 verses four and five, God says that He will take poverty out of our midst,

“Save when there shall be no poor among you; for the LORD shall greatly bless thee in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance to possess it: Only if thou carefully hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all these commandments which I command thee this day.” (Deut. 15:4-5)

Jesus should have obtained this promise by His righteousness. No poverty should have been in His midst. He should have had good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over.

However, we read in Matthew chapter eight and verse 20,

“And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.” (Matt. 8:20)

I have heard people preach that Jesus was a very prosperous and financially secure Prophet, that they had a headquarters, and that their ministry was run like a successful business.

All this might sound well and good and it is true that they did have a money bag and they distributed money to the poor. But here the Scripture tells us that Jesus rejected the blessings of the Law so that we could receive those blessings and He received the curses of the Law and therefore dwelt in the midst of poverty.

Jesus walked in obscure poverty. He walked the dusty streets. He did not have it pressed down, shaken together, and running over. He did not have a place to lay his head. Jesus took our sins and curses of disobedience.

In Deuteronomy chapter 28 verses 2 through 6 we read of the promised blessings of obedience,

“And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God.

Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field.

Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep.

Blessed shall be thy basket and thy store.

Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out.” (Deut. 28:2-6)

Blessed, blessed, blessed.

Every blessing we just read in Deuteronomy should have belonged to Jesus because of His fulfillment of the Law. When God speaks, makes a covenant, or declares a promise then He will bring it to pass if the conditions are met.

The Bible says that “God is not a man that he should lie.”

When God made His covenant with Abraham’ seed, with David’s descendants, and with the nation of Israel through the Law of Moses, then whoever fulfills those covenants must receive the promises contained therein.

Jesus as the Son of Man, the Seed of Abraham, the descendant of David, and a child of Israel was the only One to ever fulfill man’s requirements in the covenants and thereby earn the promised blessings.

Yet He rejected those blessings when He went to Calvary and hung on the tree for it is written “Cursed is every one that hangs on a tree.”

“Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:” (Gal. 3:13)

The Bible says that Jesus exchanged His blessings for our curses and His righteousness for our sins.

“For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” (2Cor. 5:21)

This is called the atonement (the exchange).

“And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.” (Rom. 5:11)

God makes that exchange when an individual puts all of their faith in Jesus Christ alone.

Jesus was separated from His Father for our sins so we will never have to experience that separation because of our faith in Christ. There is no such thing as purgatory. There is no such thing as penance. We will never know separation from the Lord our God as long as we never reject the faith that we have in Jesus Christ.

Jesus as the Son of Man, without sin, pure, righteous, and obedient should have received on this earth, as a result of His righteousness, blessedness, long life, prosperity, healing, and no separation from God.

Man, on the other hand, with a sinful nature, a wicked heart, disobedient, and unrighteous should receive a cursed life, few days, poverty, sickness, and death with separation from God.

Through our faith in Christ’s atoning work on the cross of Calvary, Jesus transfers His blessed life through His obedience to us and He received all of the curses that rightfully should have been ours.

Jesus even descended into hell as the Son of Man but He ascended out of it victorious as the Son of God.

“For it pleased the Father that in him should all fullness dwell;

And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.

And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled

In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight:

If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister;” (Col. 1:19-23)

This is the fulfillment of all that we have talked about in Scripture.

We are reconciled today. Because of Jesus, we stand before God holy, unblameable, and unreprovable in his sight.

This is all dependent upon how much we believe in Jesus Christ and not in ourselves. Not in what we can do, not even in how much faith we can muster, but only in how much faith we put in Christ alone.

“If we continue in the faith and be not moved away.”

There is a big “if” in there.

Next- “Once Saved, Always Saved?”

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Jesus is the Christ: The Law Fulfilled

“Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill.”  (Mat. 5:17)

When we are looking at Christ fulfilling the Law, then we are looking into something that is most instrumental in our faith walk and our faith relationship with God.

Jesus fulfilled the Law in all points and it means something very, very important to us. It has to do with our direction of faith in order that our faith may grow.

There was a blessedness and a righteousness in the law if it could be fulfilled, and Jesus Christ was the only one to fulfill it.

The Bible says that sin is the transgression of the law,

“Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.” (1John 3:4)

The Bible tells us that Jesus Christ never committed sin and therefore never transgressed the law.

“For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.” (Heb. 4:15)

Jesus fulfilled the Law of Moses in order to pass the righteousness found in His fulfillment unto us.

Since the Bible tells us that “faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God” (Rom. 10:17), we are going to look at some examples in the Word of God in which Christ fulfilled the Law of Moses.

As with the prophecies that we have looked at concerning their fulfillment in Christ, we will look at some examples in Scripture of Christ’s fulfillment of the Law. These will be examples in which Jesus had no hand or “say so” in their fulfillment.

This is to silence the scoffers that claim Jesus set out to accomplish certain things in His life in order to make a false claim that He was the Messiah.

We read in the Law of Moses concerning the circumcision of a male child in Leviticus chapter 12 verses two and three,

“Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If a woman have conceived seed, and born a man child: then she shall be unclean seven days; according to the days of the separation for her infirmity shall she be unclean. And in the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised.” (Lev. 12:2-3)

We see the fulfillment in Luke chapter two and verse 21,

“And when eight days were accomplished for the circumcising of the child, his name was called JESUS, which was so named of the angel before he was conceived in the womb.” (Luke 2:21)

Now the days in which Jesus lived upon the earth were very ungodly days as far as obedience to the Law of Moses was concerned. The Israelites observed a type of religion based upon tradition. Although they might not have been openly worshiping vain idols, they literally had departed in their heart from the Law of God.

One example of this is when Jesus cast the demons called Legion out of the man into the herd of swine in the Gospel of Mark chapter five. What in the world was a herd of swine doing in Israel? Swine were unclean and the children of Israel were forbidden to eat pork.

Yet here we read of a time when there was a herd of swine in the land of Israel.

The average Israelite of the day had basically given up trying to obey the heavy burdens and requirements of the religious leaders, and the religious leaders falsely believed their righteousness was fulfilled in keeping the vain traditions of their religious orders.

In the midst of this very religious yet unrighteous culture and environment, God chose a very godly set of parents in Mary and Joseph. Because of their godliness and dedication to the Lord, Mary and Joseph made sure that their son Jesus fulfilled the requirements of the law while as yet He was still just a child.

We see this as they took Him to the temple and offered a sacrifice to the priest for the first born child according to the Law as described in Leviticus chapter 12 and verse six.

“And when the days of her purifying are fulfilled, for a son, or for a daughter, she shall bring a lamb of the first year for a burnt offering, and a young pigeon, or a turtledove, for a sin offering, unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, unto the priest:” (Lev. 12:6)

We see the fulfillment of this Scripture in Luke chapter two verses 22 through 24,

“And when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were accomplished, they brought him to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord; (As it is written in the law of the Lord, Every male that openeth the womb shall be called holy to the Lord; ) And to offer a sacrifice according to that which is said in the law of the Lord, A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.” (Luke 2:22-24)

In another portion of Scripture it says that if anyone were too poor to offer a lamb for a burnt offering, then they could substitute a pair of turtledoves. So we see here by the offering presented by Mary and Joseph that they were very poor people and could not afford a lamb for an offering.

In the book of Deuteronomy chapter 16 verses one and 16 we read of the times and feasts in which the males were commanded to appear before God,

“Observe the month of Abib, and keep the Passover unto the LORD thy God: for in the month of Abib the LORD thy God brought thee forth out of Egypt by night.” (Deut. 16:1)

“Three times in a year shall all thy males appear before the LORD thy God in the place which he shall choose; in the feast of unleavened bread, and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of tabernacles: and they shall not appear before the LORD empty:” (Deut. 16:16)

We can see an example of Jesus when He was still a child fulfilling this commandment in the Gospel of Luke chapter two verses 41 and 42,

“Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the feast of the Passover. And when he was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem after the custom of the feast.” (Luke 2:41-42)

Here the Bible shows us that even as a young boy Jesus and His parents were diligent to observe and keep the Law of Moses.

I feel that many Christians may be as I was when I was young in the faith and didn’t understand the need for Christ to fulfill the Law of Moses.

I assumed that the only time Jesus went to the Temple in Jerusalem was as a young boy, at the beginning of His ministry when He cleansed the Temple (John 2:13-16), and then at the end of His ministry when He cleansed the Temple again by chasing out the buyers and sellers just before His crucifixion (Matt. 21:12).

But the Apostle John in writing his Gospel indicates in several different places that Jesus was at the temple during the times required of Him by the law.

We read of His being at Jerusalem during the Passover in John chapter two and verse 13,

“And the Jews’ Passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem,” (John 2:13)

And again in John chapter 5 verse one,

“After this there was a feast of the Jews; and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.” (John 5:1)

In John chapter seven verse ten,

“But when his brethren were gone up, then went he also up unto the feast, not openly, but as it were in secret.” (John 7:10)

And in John chapter 12 verse 12,

“On the next day much people that were come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem,” (John 12:12)

So Jesus fulfilled the Law even when it came to appearing before the Lord in the Temple at the appointed times according to the Law of Moses.

The commandment to honor one’s parents is found in Exodus chapter 20 and verse 12,

“Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.” (Exodus 20:12)

We read an example of Christ’s fulfillment in Luke chapter two and verse 51,

“And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject unto them: but his mother kept all these sayings in her heart.” (Luke 2:51)

Even as a young boy Jesus was very godly, very respectful, and very honorable to His parents. Even as a child and then as a young man, Jesus fulfilled the Law of Moses in every point. He never transgressed the Law.

In Numbers chapter four and verse three we read of the age of assumption of priestly duties,

“From thirty years old and upward even until fifty years old, all that enter into the host, to do the work in the tabernacle of the congregation.” (Num. 4:3)

Have you ever wondered why Jesus waited until He was 30 years old before He was baptized in the River Jordan by John the Baptist and revealed unto Israel as the Messiah? He had to be 30 years old in order to fulfill the Law of Moses concerning the assumption of priestly duties before He could establish a new priesthood after the order of Melchisedek.

We read of Christ’s fulfillment in Luke chapter three verses 21 through 23,

“Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass, that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened, And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased. And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, which was the son of Heli,” (Luke 3:21-23)

In Exodus chapter 29 verse four we read where the Law gives instructions for the washing of the Levitical priest,

“And Aaron and his sons thou shalt bring unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and shalt wash them with water.” (Exodus 29:4)

Before a priest could assume his priestly duties he had to be washed with water by another Levitical priest. We read this fulfillment in Matthew chapter three verses 14 and 15,

“But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me? And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness. Then he suffered him.” (Matt. 3:14-15)

John the Baptist realized that Jesus was the Messiah; the One prophesied Who would deliver Israel. This is why he told Jesus, “I have need to be baptized of thee.” However, Jesus told John that He needed to be baptized of him in order to “fulfill all righteousness.”

In order to fulfill the Law, before He could assume any priestly duties such as offering a sacrifice for forgiveness of sin, Jesus had to be washed by another priest. Since the priesthood was inherited and John the Baptist’s father was a priest, then that made John a priest also.

The Bible says that Jesus was made a priest after another priesthood, after the order of Melchizedek. We first read of Melchizedek in the Book of Genesis.

“And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God. And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth: And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all.” (Gen 14:18-20)

Abraham had gone to the battle of the Kings and was returning home after his victory when he encountered this man called the king of Salem, the priest of the most high God named Melchizedek.

We read more of Melchizedek in the seventh chapter of Hebrews,

“For this Melchisedek, king of Salem, priest of the most high God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings, and blessed him; To whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all; first being by interpretation King of righteousness, and after that also King of Salem, which is, King of peace; Without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God; abideth a priest continually. Now consider how great this man was, unto whom even the patriarch Abraham gave the tenth of the spoils.” (Heb. 7:1-4)

According to the Law of Moses, a man could not be a priest unless he was the son of a priest. This was the reason that Samuel could be a prophet but never inherit the priesthood from Eli, no matter how godly Samuel was.

Jesus said that He came to fulfill the Law of Moses. We know that Jesus is the Son of God but He walked as the Son of Man anointed with the Holy Ghost.

In order for Him to become a priest Jesus had to be the son of a priest, so in order to satisfy the Law, God manifested Himself upon the earth as Melchizedek thousands of years before the birth of Christ.

In Hebrews chapter seven, Melchizedek was called King of Peace. In Isaiah chapter nine verse six, Jesus is called the Prince of Peace.

“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” (Isa. 9:6)

A prince is the son of a king.

The Bible says in Hebrews that Melchizedek was “made like unto the Son of God.” How was the Son of God made? He was God manifest in the flesh.

Melchizedek was made in the same fashion, made “like unto the Son of God.” He was God manifest in the flesh.

God the Father spoke into existence a body so that he could appear as Melchizedek, the King of Peace, the King of Salem, the Priest of the Most High God. This was done so that thousands of years later Jesus Christ could be born of a virgin, grow up, and become a priest after His order.

This fulfilled the Law saying that a priest had to be the son of a priest.

Thereby, Jesus Christ was able to be baptized in the River Jordan, washed by a Levitical priest, ordained as the Son of a Priest in another priesthood, and could go about forgiving men of their trespasses and performing priestly duties.

The Bible says in Acts ten and verse 38,

“How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.” (Acts 10:38)

Why did God go through such intricate detail over an expanse of thousands of years just so Jesus could fulfill the law in all points?

First, the Bible teaches in the Book of Hebrews that before the old covenant (the Law) could be done away with and a new and better covenant could take its place, it had to be satisfied, or fulfilled.

Secondly, Jesus had to obtain the righteousness and the blessings that were contained in fulfilling the Law in order that He could transfer them unto us through our faith in His atoning work at Calvary.

God ordained from the beginning of time that it would be so.

The problem is not whether we have enough faith. The answer is to direct our faith towards the righteousness obtained by Jesus Christ through His fulfillment of the Law but yet rejected when He took our sins at Calvary.

The Bible calls it the “atonement” which means the “exchange.”

“And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.” (Rom. 5:11)

It’s not whether you think that you are knowledgeable enough, or strong enough, or in the word enough. It is totally by your faith in Jesus Christ that you have the righteousness that Jesus Christ obtained.

When God looks at you he sees the same righteousness that Jesus had. We have been made the righteousness of God in Christ.

Next- Jesus Christ and the Atonement

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Jesus is the Christ: The Prophecies Fulfilled

“Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill.”  (Mat. 5:17)

“But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” (Heb. 11:6)

What is the key to mountain moving faith? What was it that produced such a faith in the first disciples they were known as men who “had turned the world upside down”?

The word of God is Holy. Scripture cannot be broken. All Scripture is literal and God inspired.

“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.” (2Tim. 3:16-17)

Jesus came off a mountain and found that the disciples were unable to cast the devil out of a young man. After Jesus had cast the devil out and healed the boy, the disciples took Jesus aside and asked why they could not cast him out. Jesus said, “because of your unbelief.”

“Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out? And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.” (Matt. 17:19-20)

So we see the key to the failure of the disciples was unbelief.

“And they brought him unto him: and when he saw him, straightway the spirit tare him; and he fell on the ground, and wallowed foaming. And he asked his father, How long is it ago since this came unto him? And he said, Of a child. And ofttimes it hath cast him into the fire, and into the waters, to destroy him: but if thou canst do anything, have compassion on us, and help us. Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.” (Mar 9:20-24)

Now here in Scripture we have the first time that Jesus didn’t immediately stretch forth His hand to heal or deliver someone. He didn’t command the devil to come out of the boy right away but He began to talk to the boy’s father and ask him when this problem had begun.

There was a discernment that Jesus wanted revealed before He cast the devil out, so He asked the father, “how long is it ago since this came unto him?” The boy’s father said “of a child”. Then the boy’s father went on to say, “But if thou canst do anything”.

This man was not like the woman with the issue of blood. She had said, “If I can just touch the hem of his garment I will be made whole.”

He was not like blind Bartimaeus who would not be silenced, but said “Jesus thou son of David, have mercy upon me.”

This man said, “If thou canst do anything.” He was hoping this might be a great prophet. He was hoping this might be the Son of God, but he wasn’t sure.

Jesus went on to say, “If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.” Believe what? Believe that He could do it? Believe that He was able to do it? No!

Believe that Jesus of Nazareth was and is the veritable Messiah, God manifest in the flesh, the Christ, the Son of the living God.

Jesus was saying, “If thou canst believe in me all things are possible to him that believeth.” And straightway the child’s father cried out with a loud voice and said with tears, “Lord, I believe, help thou mine unbelief.”

He called Jesus Lord!

And Jesus cast the devil out.

There was a discernment that had to take place before the devil could come out. More than the boy’s deliverance, Jesus wanted this boy’s father to have faith in Him and believe that He was the Messiah. Once this happened, then the family could be made whole.

The boy’s father needed to believe the revelation of Jesus Christ, who Jesus is and what He has done. This was the key to miracle working faith.

Why do you believe Jesus is the son of God?

Many people would say, “Because the Bible says so.”

Well, why do you believe the Bible?

Many will answer “I just do. I’m really not sure.”

Why did the nation of Israel believe in the Old Testament? They believed because of the prophecies that had been fulfilled.

Why did the first church believe in Jesus when they as yet did not have the written New Testament? They believed because of the prophecies concerning the Messiah that were fulfilled in Jesus Christ.

Peter had heard the voice of God declare from heaven that “…This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.” (Matt. 17:5)

Hearing the Voice of God made such an impression on Peter that he carried this memory with him his whole life. Even as an old man, he wrote about it in his epistle.

“For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” (2Peter 1:17)

However, as wonderful and miraculous as it was, that is not what Peter based his faith on. As he says in Second Peter chapter one and verse 19,

“We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:” (2Peter 1:19)

In Isaiah chapter 53 and verse one Isaiah says, “Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed?” (Isaiah 53:1)

The Bible says “faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God”. (Rom. 10:7)

The word of God which increases faith includes the Law of Moses and the prophecies of old that Jesus Christ fulfilled.

Many scoffers and agnostics who don’t believe that Jesus Christ was the Messiah would tell you that Jesus purposely fulfilled these prophecies in order to make that claim.

However, we’re going to go through many of these prophecies that were fulfilled in the life and death of Jesus which neither He nor His disciples had any say so as to their fulfillment.

All the holy prophets prophesied of the coming Messiah, God manifest in the flesh.

Even in the Garden of Eden in Genesis the third chapter verse 15, Satan was told by God that the seed of woman would bruise his head.

“And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.” (Gen. 3:15)

Now, woman does not have seed but man has seed. However, there was a time in history (the only time) when a woman conceived seed without the aid of man because God put the seed in her.

“Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.” (Luke 1:34-35)

In Genesis chapter 22 and verse 18, Abraham was told that in his seed all the nations of the earth would be blessed.

“And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.” (Gen. 22:18)

In Deuteronomy chapter 18 and verse 15, Moses promised that a prophet like unto himself would God raise up among them and all who would not hear him would be cut off.

“The LORD thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken;” (Deut. 18:15)

So God and all His prophets prophesied of the coming Messiah, God manifest in the flesh. To obtain faith, which is part of the fruit of the spirit, to obtain salvation, before we can receive the Holy Ghost, we must receive a heart belief that Jesus Christ of Nazareth is that Messiah.

We read the Scriptures in Hebrews chapter 11 and verse six that “he who cometh to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of them who diligently seek him.”

So in order to help us believe that “He is”, we are going look at a few of the many Scriptures in the Old Testament which prophesy of the Messiah and were fulfilled in the New Testament by Jesus Christ.

In Isaiah chapter nine and verse six we read,

“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6)

Here is the prophecy of the coming of the Son of God. Not just a prophet, not just a teacher, not just a good man, but the mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of peace.

We can read the fulfillment almost 732 years later in Matthew chapter one and verse 21,

“And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.” (Matt. 1:21)

America has been a nation for over 200 years and for many of us, when we look at her accomplishments, growth, population, and advancements, it seems like a very long time. However, compared to the 732 years between the prophecy of Isaiah and the birth of Christ it is only a drop in the bucket.

So we can imagine that the expanse of time between this prophecy and the fulfillment must have seemed like an eternity to the children of Israel. However, God’s timing is perfect.

“But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,” (Gal. 4:4)

God spoke it, God declared it, and it came to pass.

In Isaiah chapter seven and verse 14 we read of the prophecy of the virgin birth,

“Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” (Isaiah 7:14)

The prophet said a virgin would conceive. Some scoffers and agnostics say that the word translated “virgin” in the prophecy really just means “young woman”, but God said it was going to be a sign. A young woman having a child is not a sign, but in this verse it says there’s going to be a sign.

A virgin would conceive and bear a child calling his name Immanuel, which means “God with us”. The Messiah was to be born of a virgin.

We see the fulfillment in Matthew chapter one and verse 18,

“Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.” (Matt. 1:18)

Jesus Christ was born of a virgin. The Bible says, “before they came together.” Jesus had nothing to do with it. God’s prophecy was fulfilled.

The exact place of His birth was prophesied. In Micah chapter five and verse two the Bible says,

“But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.” (Micah 5:2)

Here the prophet speaking of the Messiah says that His goings have been “from everlasting”, in other words with “no beginning and no ending.”

If Joseph Smith had known this portion of Scripture, it’s possible that he never would have been deceived by an angel of light. Joseph Smith wrote in the book of Mormon that Jesus was born in Jerusalem, the city of David, which contradicts the Old Testament prophecy. God never contradicts Himself.

“For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.” (Mal. 3:6)

“But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.” (Gal. 1:8)

If Joseph Smith had known the Word of God, he would have known that not any angel, no matter how holy he appeared to be, would contradict the word of God. Here it is specifically prophesied that in Bethlehem Ephratah Christ would be born.

We read the fulfillment in Luke chapter two verses 11 and 15,

“For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.” (Luke 2:11)

“And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.” (Luke 2:15)

Jesus, if He were only a man, would have no control as to the place of His birth.

Even the traitor’s price that was paid for Him just before His betrayal and crucifixion was prophesied of almost 485 years before Christ. In Zechariah chapter 11 and verse 12,

“And I said unto them, If ye think good, give me my price; and if not, forbear. So they weighed for my price thirty pieces of silver.” (Zech. 11:12)

We read the fulfillment in Matthew chapter 26 and verse 15,

“And said unto them, What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you? And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver.” (Matt. 26:15)

Not 29 and not 31, but 30 pieces of silver. This is the exact fulfillment of God’s word. God knows the ending from the beginning. When God says it’s going to happen, then it is going to happen.

Jesus was the only one to fulfill these Scriptures; therefore Jesus Christ alone is the only begotten Son of God.

The manner of His death and the way in which he was killed by crucifixion was prophesied of approximately 1800 years before Christ in Psalms chapter 22 and verse 16,

“For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet.” (Psalm 22:16)

There is something very remarkable about this prophecy. At the time of this prophecy, the manner of execution among Jews was stoning to death, not piercing the hands and feet. This came almost 1800 years later when the Roman Empire began the crucifixions in which the hands and feet of those executed were impaled upon a cross.

God knew exactly how it was going to happen.

We see the fulfillment of this prophecy in John chapter 20 and verse 25,

“The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe.” (John 20:25)

Here we read of Thomas referring to the “print of the nails” made when they pierced His hands and feet in order to nail Jesus to the cross.

One particular fact of the shameful treatment that Jesus Christ received during His crucifixion was prophesied nearly 1000 years earlier in Psalm 22 and verse 18,

“They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture.” (Psalm 22:18)

Again we see that this was a prophecy that Jesus had no control over because He was hanging on the cross at the time it happened. We read the fulfillment in Mark chapter 15 and verse 24,

“And when they had crucified him, they parted his garments, casting lots upon them, what every man should take.” (Mark 15:24)

This New Testament Scripture is almost verbatim word for word the fulfillment of that Old Testament prophecy. These are details concerning His death prophesied of over 1000 years before His birth.

These things have never happened to any other individual in History except for Jesus of Nazareth. He is the Messiah. He is the Christ. He is the Son of God.

In the Book of Psalms we read of one very unusual fact concerning the Messiah that was to come,

“He keepeth all his bones: not one of them is broken.” (Psalm 34:20)

In John chapter 19 and verse 33 we read something very remarkable happening to fulfill this prophecy,

“But when they came to Jesus, and saw that he was dead already, they brake not his legs: But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water.” (John 19:33-34)

When an individual was crucified, it wasn’t the nailing of his hands and feet that caused death. As long as the individual could pull up with his arms and push up with his feet in order to take a breath, he would remain alive.

It was only when that individual was no longer able to raise themselves up in order to breathe due to exhaustion and pain that they then suffocated to death. Crucifixion was a slow and torturous death.

Since Jesus and the two thieves with Him were crucified on the eve of a Sabbath and Holy Day, the Romans were willing to show the Jews a favor and end the crucifixion before sundown.

They came to the thief that was crucified to the right of Jesus and they broke his legs. They came to the one crucified to the left of Jesus and they broke his legs. The Roman soldiers saw that Jesus was dead already, but instead of breaking His legs they thrust a spear into His side to make sure that He was dead.

It wasn’t a matter of the soldier trying to fulfill a prophecy. He didn’t even realize what he was doing. It was God’s sovereign hand moving at that time in order that His word would be fulfilled in Christ.

God was determined to fulfill His prophecies concerning the Messiah in Jesus of Nazareth and nothing was going to hinder it. There would be no gainsayer that could say Jesus didn’t fulfill this little prophecy or that little prophecy. Jesus fulfilled them all.

Every single prophecy prophesied of concerning the first coming of Christ was fulfilled by Jesus Christ alone. Jesus is the Messiah. Jesus is the Son of God.

Psalms 16 verses eight through ten declare the promised resurrection,

“I have set the LORD always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope. For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.” (Psalm 16:8-10)

We find the fulfillment of the resurrection spoken of in Luke chapter 24 verses 45 and 46,

“Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures, And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day:” (Luke 24:45-46)

All of these prophecies were prophesied hundreds of years before His birth and certainly before His crucifixion. Even the outpouring of the Holy Ghost, something Jesus could have nothing to do with if (as according to the scoffers) He was still dead in a tomb, is prophesied in Psalms 68 and verse 18,

“Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led captivity captive: thou hast received gifts for men; yea, for the rebellious also, that the LORD God might dwell among them.” (Psalm 68:18)

Notice that Scripture said that He gives more than one gift, plural. Salvation is not the only gift that we can receive from God. Jesus had said in John chapter 14 verses 16 through 17,

“And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever;” 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.” (John 14:16-17)

We know that Jesus ascended to Heaven, sat down at the right hand of the Father, and prayed for another Comforter because we have the proof that the Father answered His prayer.

In Acts chapter two verse four and verses 38 through 39 we read of the outpouring of the Holy Ghost,

“And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” (Acts 2:4)

“Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.” (Acts 2:38-39)

God wants to baptize every one He calls with the Holy Ghost. This is where we are. We are the “as many as the Lord our God shall call.”

Next- Jesus is the Christ: The Law Fulfilled

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Faith’s Growth and Direction

“And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.”  (Mark 11:22)

“And the Lord said, If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you.”  (Luke 17:6)

“It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when it is sown in the earth, is less than all the seeds that be in the earth: But when it is sown, it groweth up, and becometh greater than all herbs, and shooteth out great branches; so that the fowls of the air may lodge under the shadow of it.”  (Mark 4:31-32)

“But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” (Heb. 11:6)

“He that cometh to God must believe that He is.”

In First Corinthians chapter three and verse 11 we read,

“For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” (1Cor. 3:11)

It has been said many times that “the New Testament is concealed in the old and the Old Testament is revealed in the new.” But there is a problem today in that many times the Old Testament Scriptures are not emphasized at all.

Some denominations and ministers have even done away with the Old Testament Scriptures in their preaching and teaching, except for a few Bible stories and prophecies that are sometimes referred to.

When Jesus was being tempted in the wilderness by the devil, the Bible says in Matthew chapter four and verse four,

“But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” (Matt. 4:4)

The Bible tells us that Jesus fulfilled the Law of Moses in all points. We are not under the Law of Moses but many of us do not know what the Law is that He fulfilled, when the fulfilling of that Law is instrumental to you and I as a Christian in understanding our position in Christ.

Jesus fulfilled the prophets but the problem is many Christians do not know what the prophecies are that He fulfilled, when the fulfillment of those prophecies is what gives us the basis for believing that Jesus is the son of God.

“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.” (2Tim. 3:16-17)

Jesus quoted the Old Testament. The apostles quoted the Old Testament.

In Luke chapter 24 verses 13 through 27, we read the story of Jesus appearing to two disciples on the road to Emmaus after his resurrection. The Bible tells us in the 27^th verse,

“And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.” (Luke 24:27)

Jesus taught from the Old Testament.

“Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me, I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart. (Psalm 40:7-8)

Paul also would enter into houses and synagogues and teach from the Old Testament, persuading them out of the Law and the Prophets that Jesus was the Son of God.

“And when they had appointed him a day, there came many to him into his lodging; to whom he expounded and testified the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus, both out of the law of Moses, and out of the prophets, from morning till evening.” (Acts 28:23)

This was the basis for the faith they had that Jesus was the Messiah prophesied of old. This was the basis for their extraordinary faith which the Bible says in the Book of Acts “turned the world upside down.”

A person cannot have full working faith without knowing and believing in exactly who Jesus is, what He has done, and what He will do.

Notice I said full working faith.

A person can believe in Christ, but to have full working faith we really need to know exactly who Jesus is, what He has done, and what He will do for us.

This is found not only in knowing what the New Testament has to say about Christ, but also in knowing and understanding the Scriptures that Jesus fulfilled contained in the Old Testament.

The English word for “faith” in the New Testament comes from the Greek word pronounced “pis’-tis”, which has a threefold definition.

The first definition is “conviction”. The second definition is “especially reliance upon Christ for salvation”, and the third definition is “constancy in such profession or confession”.

In this threefold definition we actually have the three types of faith the Bible talks about.

Number one is “conviction”. This is a worldly kind of faith. A person can have a conviction that their doctor is the best doctor there is. A person can be convicted that they have the best lawyer. A person can have convictions concerning any number of worldly things.

It doesn’t take faith in Christ to have these kinds of convictions. This is the worldly type of faith.

The second type of faith is “reliance upon Christ for salvation”. This is the ability given by God unto every individual to believe the Gospel of Jesus Christ if he or she so chooses.

“And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.” (Rev. 22:17)

This is faith unto God for your salvation.

The third definition for the Greek word “pis’-tis” (faith) is “constancy in such confession or profession”. This is the faith of God. This is the ability to stay constant and unwavering in your confession or your profession of faith no matter what.

This is the type of faith that God used to frame the worlds.

This is the type of faith that “turns the world upside down”.

This is the faith the Bible talks about in Hebrews the 11th chapter beginning with verse one,

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” (Heb. 11:1)

This is the faith of the Son of God.

“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” (Gal. 2:20)

If you have been born again then God has given you the ability to have this type of faith. This is the measure of faith that the Bible talks about in the Book of Romans,

“For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.” (Rom. 12:3)

God has given believers His faith but many believers have misdirected that faith. There is only one direction for faith and that is in Jesus Christ, God manifested in the flesh.

Christians want to know how to have more faith; however Christians do not need more faith. Christians need to know how to properly direct the faith that God has already given them so that it may grow.

Jesus compared faith to a mustard seed. In Matthew chapter 17 and verse 20 we read,

“And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.” (Matt. 17:20)

Now a mustard seed is extremely small, but a mustard seed can grow. Jesus gave the parable in Matthew chapter 13 verses 31 and 32,

“Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field: Which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof.” (Matt. 13:31-32)

Jesus compared the kingdom of God to the mustard seed which is the smallest of all herbs, but once it is planted it grows into one of the largest of the trees and the birds come and lodge in its branches.

In other words, if we want our faith to be the “mountain moving faith” that Jesus talked about, we don’t need more faith. We just need for our faith to grow and it is going to grow when it is properly directed and fed.

A beautiful example of this in the Bible is the Old Testament story of Abraham and Sarah. The Bible teaches us the things that happened in the Old Testament are examples and shadows of things that were to come in the New Testament.

“Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle: for, See, saith he, that thou make all things according to the pattern shewed to thee in the mount.” (Heb. 8:5)

The best example and shadow for the growth of New Testament faith is Abraham.

How many times have you heard someone preach about Abraham fathering Isaac when he was about 100 years old?

“And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sara’s womb: He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.” (Rom 4:19-21)

God had promised Abraham that his seed through his wife Sarah would become as the stars in the sky for multitude, but yet Sarah had been unable to conceive. Now to show His power, God had waited until Abraham was at the age of 100 and Sarah at the age of 90 to declare that this was the time for it to happen.

We marvel at the faith of Abraham in that he believed God even though his body was now almost dead due to his age and Sarah was beyond the age of childbearing. He staggered not at Sarah’s body but he was strong in faith believing that what God had promised him he was able to perform.

He was strong in faith and at the age of 100 he was able to father a son, but did you know that his faith grew?

At the age of 137, Abraham took another wife named Keturah after Sarah’s death and she bore him six more children.

“Then again Abraham took a wife, and her name was Keturah. And she bare him Zimran, and Jokshan, and Medan, and Midian, and Ishbak, and Shuah.” (Gen 25:1-2)

So we see that Abraham had great faith at 100, but his faith grew. It didn’t just stay there. It grew. Abraham realized that through faith, what he was able to do at 100 years old, he could also do at 137 years old.

God wants our faith to grow.

In Romans chapter 12 verse three, the Bible says,

“For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.” (Rom. 12:3)

The Apostle Paul says, “To every man who is among you.” This is the faith given to believers. There is not a single person here today who having been born again does not have the measure of faith.

The Bible says in Second Thessalonians chapter three and verse two,

“And that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men: for all men have not faith.” (2Thess. 3:2)

The “measure of faith” is given to believers only.

We are not talking about the faith that someone needs to have to get saved, but we are talking about the faith that God gives to every believer once they are saved.

Faith is also a part of the fruit of the Spirit. The Bible tells us in Galatians chapter five and verses 22 and 23,

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.” (Gal 5:22-23)

Fruit is a result or product of an effort. An apple tree produces apples. An orange tree produces oranges. Faith is the fruit or result of the Spirit.

It is impossible for us to create faith by works or efforts. It is produced by the Spirit of God. It is the faith of the Son of God. Second Corinthians chapter three and verse five tells us,

“Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God;” (2Cor. 3:5)

Next- Jesus is the Christ: The Prophecies Fulfilled

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