Is Jesus the Messiah?
The following video is the third of a series uploaded to YouTube. To view the YouTube page containing all videos I have produced, click here . Enjoy the video!
The Unimpeachable Witness
The following video is the fourth of a series uploaded to YouTube. To view the YouTube page containing all videos I have produced, click here . Enjoy the video!
Holiness as Defined by Christ
In the Old Testament, the concept of sanctification and holiness was broad. It included not only living in accord with God’s standard of morality, but, for the Jews, it also included the ritualistic requirements of the covenant He had with Israel.
The book of Leviticus contains many laws required of the Israelites that they might be undefiled before Jehovah. It was necessary that they observe these laws, both moral and ceremonial, in order to be considered clean and worthy of worshipping Him. Concerning these laws, Jehovah said, “Therefore you shall observe all My statutes and all My judgments, and perform them: I am the Lord” (Leviticus 19:37).
The holiness of God demanded obedience on the part of the Jews. They were to be holy in their conduct, because God was holy. “For I am the Lord you God. You shall therefore consecrate yourselves, and you shall be holy; for I am holy” (Leviticus 11:44). It is interesting that in this particular context, the Lord had commanded the Jews to refrain from eating unclean animals. Later, this aspect of God’s law changed.
The Simple Gospel: Christ, The Source of All Authority
In Matthew 21:25, Jesus asked the elders of the Jews the question, “The baptism of John; where was it from? From heaven or from men?” The question put the elders in a difficult position. If they said it was from “heaven” (divinely authorized), then Jesus could admonish them for disobedience. “Why then did you not believe him?” (vs. 25). If they said it was from men to excuse their disobedience, they would run afoul of the people who counted John a prophet.
In this simple exchange a fundamental truth regarding the nature of authority is revealed. If a practice is authorized by man, it is in fact not authoritative at all. If however it is authorized by “heaven”, men must heed it.
Walking Worthy: The Mount of Transfiguration
Just what happened on the mount of transfiguration?
The events themselves are simple enough to reconstruct with the inspired account of the beloved physician, Luke. In his gospel narrative, we learn that Christ led Peter, James and John up into the mountain to pray, where his appearance was transfigured into something glorious and majestic. Through drowsy eyes, the three apostles witnessed both this transformation and a subsequent conversation that Jesus had with Moses and Elijah, lawgiver and prophet respectively. Their discussion concerned our Lord’s impending death in the city of Jerusalem.
Aroused and impetuous, Peter offered to construct three tabernacles for the Christ and his two Old Testament friends, indicating his notion that they were equally deserving of this special treatment. Just then a voice came out of the cloud and corrected the apostle, "saying, ‘This is my beloved son. Hear him.’" The lawgiver and prophet had disappeared and Jesus alone remained before them.
In the Steps of the Savior: Malchus – Recipient of Compassion Amidst Treachery
In all of the Gospel accounts, the writers record the events surrounding Jesus’ betrayal. While recounting those events, each writer tells about one man whose ear was cut off during the incident. The Gospel of John tells us that Peter wielded the sword and identified the man whose ear was cut off as Malchus, a servant of the high priest (Jn. 18:10).
Malchus was a part of an angry and illegal mob which came for the express purpose of facilitating the murder of Jesus. The plot to seize Jesus and frame Him on false charges was a plan which had been in the leaders’ minds for a long time. As the servant of the high priest, Malchus certainly had prior knowledge and participation in the scheme. What he saw and heard on that night was, no doubt, beyond his expectation.
Associate Editorial: Five Outlines on the Parables from a Recent Vacation Bible School
(Questions at the end of each lesson are borrowed from Jeff Asher)
Lesson 1
The Parables of the Lost Ones
I. Introduction
A. Read Text – ALWAYS Read the Text FROM THE BIBLE
- Luke 15: 1-7; Parable of the Lost Sheep
- Luke 15:8-10; Parable of the Lost Coin
- Luke 15:11-32; Parable of the Prodigal Son
B. Memory Verse – Luke 15:6 – “Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost.”
C. Other BIBLE readings – Psalm 23; 1 Samuel 17:32-37; Isaiah 40:11; 2 Corinthians 7:6-12; John 3:16-21; Romans 5:1-12; 1 Peter 1:12; Matthew 18:10; Matthew 3:1-12; James 4:1-10
D. Retell each Parable in your own words
In the Steps of the Savior: Jesus and Plain Preaching
Every year most American go through the exasperating experience of filing for income tax. I know of nothing more frustrating than reading the convoluted language of the IRS forms to figure out which provisions apply to me. I am beginning to think that the legal jargon of the IRS laws are a plot to force all of us to employ lawyers for assistance.
Evidently, the lawyers of Jesus’ day also sought to obscure the clear point of God’s law by clouding the issue with complex definitions and provisions to qualify that law. Let’s notice one such instance recorded in Luke 10:25-37. Jesus encounter with one lawyer went as follows:
- And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested Him, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” He said to him, “What is written in the law? What is your reading of it?” So he answered and said, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” And He said to him, “You have answered rightly; do this and you will live” (vs. 25-28).
God’s law was plain enough for anyone to understand. Its charge to all was clear. Unless one complicated the simple commands of God, their meaning was obvious.
Christ: The Divine Depository of All Religious Authority
The Land of Jesus: “There They Crucified Him…” (Luke 23:33)
(At the Parking Lot)
“And when they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified Him, and the criminals, one on the right hand and the other on the left” (Luke 23:33).
“And when they had come to a place called Golgotha, that is to say, Place of a Skull…then they crucified Him” (Matthew 27:33-35).
Visitors coming to tour Jerusalem learn rather quickly that it is a modern, living city. While our biblical knowledge of Jerusalem forever seals it in the past, ancient and timeless, unchanged and undisturbed, today’s reality is quite different. The blare of car horns, hordes of tourists, electronic technology and modern architecture compete with ancient ritual, bearded men, cloaked women and sites where holy events took place. If ever there is a dichotomy of space and time, it is Jerusalem with its contrast of old and new, sacred and profane, reverent and blasphemous.
In the Steps of the Savior: The Person of Christ
“Form of God” and “Form of a Servant”
The New Testament begins in Matthew with the introduction to Jesus Christ as He came in His humanity and ends in Revelation with the declaration of the eternal power which is His as deity. The two views are not contradictory, nor did the one develop over time out of the other. The same Gospel of Matthew that declares the humanity of Jesus in His birth also announces Him as Immanuel, “God with us” (Matt. 1:18-24). The same book of Revelation that portrays the deity of Christ also proclaims Him as the “offspring of David” (Rev. 22:16). Throughout the word of God, the humanity and deity of Jesus are presented as co-equal facts. Both elements are seen to exist in unity in the person of Christ. While one may be given emphasis in a particular passage to stress a point under consideration, no writer denies or seeks to lessen either the divine or human nature of Christ while on earth.
Despite the clear teaching of God’s Word in revealing the twofold nature of Christ, men have compiled various man-made doctrines regarding the person of Christ. Colin Brown has an excellent synopsis of such doctrinal conflicts throughout history in his article on the “Person of Christ” in the new ISBE. Some have totally or partially denied the deity of Jesus while others have totally or partially denied His humanity. It is interesting to note that the first dispute in the early church arose over the fact of Jesus’ humanity. Those closest to the eyewitnesses and other pertinent evidence about the life of Christ had no question about His deity. Almost twenty centuries later, the modernists of our time readily accept Jesus’ humanity, but concoct increasingly absurd theories of interpreting the New Testament aimed at denying His deity. In this article, we will concentrate on the plain teaching of the Bible regarding the twofold nature of Christ in the unity of His person.
Evidences of Faith: Nero’s Scapegoats
We have all heard the tale that Nero fiddled while Rome burned. The Roman historian Tacitus, who was born ca. 56 AD and began his writing career shortly before 100 AD, tells us that Emperor Nero was a remarkably immoral man. In 64 AD, during Nero’s reign, a horrible fire – the worst in its history to that point – engulfed Rome. There were many who believed that Nero had commanded the fire to be set, because he wanted to build a new city bearing his own name. And, indeed, a rumor spread that while the city burned Nero took to the stage and sang about the fall of Troy.
Of course, the emperor needed to squelch these suspicions and rumors, or risk a revolt. So, he instituted great programs and projects to appease the people by providing for their needs. He also saw to it that the new city was in many respects grander than the one that had burned. And, of course, he offered conspicuous prayers and sacrifices to a number of prominent Roman “gods”.
Evidences of Faith: The Suffering Servant
In the eighth chapter of the book of Acts, we find Philip the evangelist being sent by God to the deserted road that led from Jerusalem to Gaza. Once there, Philip saw the chariot belonging to the eunuch who was treasurer to the queen of Ethiopia. The Spirit told Philip to overtake the chariot. When he did so, he found the eunuch reading from the book of Isaiah. Specifically, he was reading the passage known to us as Isaiah 53:7-8. Philip established that the eunuch did not understand the prophecy he was reading, and the eunuch asked Philip for help. “Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning at this Scripture, preached Jesus to him” (Acts 8:35).
This is an amazing thing. Philip began preaching Jesus from the book of Isaiah, which was written more than seven hundred years before Jesus’ birth. How could this be? How could a book written centuries before Jesus was born be used to teach someone about Him? If we go to the passage that the eunuch was reading, we will see that, on its own, it is indeed difficult to understand. However, when we view it through the lens of the New Testament, we can get a glimpse of how Philip could have used this passage to lead the eunuch to Christ. We will also see that it becomes very difficult to explain how or why Isaiah wrote such a passage – unless he was truly inspired by God.
The Plea for a Daysman
Job chapter nine records one of the speeches Job made while defending himself against Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar. This speech in chapter nine is somewhat different from the others. This is because Job does not spend much of his speech responding directly to Bildad and what he has said in chapter eight. In chapter 9, Job devotes his attention to God and His greatness. The questions Job asks in this chapter get to the heart of the matter of sin.
In Job 9:1-10, Job declares God’s greatness. Here, he asks a question in verse 2, “…how should man be just with God?” or (NKJV) “…how can a man be righteous before God?” Job is simply asking, “How can a man maintain that he is in the right and then be in opposition to God?” Job has maintained all along that he has done nothing that would warrant his present situation, yet, he has been suffering. He then says, “If he will contend with him, he cannot answer him one of a thousand” (v. 3). Near the end of this chapter, Job pleads for a “daysman.” He says, “For he (God) is not a man, as I am, that I should answer him, and we should come together in judgment. Neither is there any daysman betwixt us, that might lay his hand upon us both” (Job 9:32-33).
White Unto Harvest: Jesus and Foreign Evangelism
While our Lord was limited in his ministry to the land of Israel (Matt. 15:24), he nonetheless did leave home and go to other places to preach and teach God’s word. In light of this there are a number of lessons he teaches us that apply to foreign evangelism.
- He accepted the hardships involved. After leaving home, Jesus had “not where to lay his head” (Lk. 9:58). Also, the endless journies that were a part of his ministry to the house of Israel must have been tiring (e.g., Jno. 4:6). While we recognize that there is nothing wrong with a preacher staying in one place (1 Tim. 1:3) and having a place in which to live (Acts 10:6; 21:8; 28:30), Jesus’ example is instructive when applied to foreign evangelism. One who decides to spread the Gospel somewhere far from his home, especially in a foreign land, must take some hardship for granted. This would include not only separation from home, but having much of the work load on one’s shoulders, the lack of some familiar services and products, and living in a strange land, sometimes among people who speak another language. While there is a danger of exaggerating these hardships (they can sure make good stories to tell!), one need only consider them at face value to see that it would be much easier to simply stay put in the relative comforts of wherever we call home. Accepting hardship is not something that should be shunned or shrank from. Sacrifice was the spirit of Christ’s ministry and we are called to be living sacrifices to him (Rom. 12:1; cp. Phlp. 2:17).
Evidences of Faith: The Snake on the Pole
The people were complaining again. This time, they were tired of eating the manna God had given them to eat – food which they did nothing to earn, but was rained down from the sky for them:
And the people spoke against God and against Moses: “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and our soul loathes this worthless bread.” (Numbers 21:5)
It should be remembered that the manna tasted pretty good, like wafers made with honey (Exodus 16:31). Yet this was not the first time they had complained about it; a short time earlier, they whined about not having meat, and God rained down quail for them. Indeed, this incident is just one in a seemingly endless series of complaints.
The Glorious Church Reflected in The Promised Messiah
In his epistle to the Ephesians, Paul extols the glorious church of our Lord (5:27). The church was planned by God from eternity past (3:11) for the redemption of mankind (5:23), and the glory of God (3:21). By its existence and purpose the church reveals the manifold wisdom of God to the universe He created (3:10). The church had its beginning on the day of Pentecost about fifty days following the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus (Acts 2). It was established then and exists today as a result of divine planning, the fulfillment of divine promises, and the execution of divine power.
Solid Food: Ye Are Gods (John 10:34)
In the last year of Jesus’ life during the Feast of Dedication (present-day Hanukkah), unbelieving individuals confronted him and demanded of him a plain declaration that he was the Christ (John 10:22-24). Like ravenous wolves the Jewish rulers had encircled him, ready to pounce upon their prey (v. 24).
The Context
Jesus was surrounded by unbelievers. They had seen his miraculous works and their results (i.e., the healing of the man ill for 38 years, John 5:2-18; sight restored to the man born blind John 9:1-34) but still they did not believe on him. His works and his words had provided ample proof of his claims (John 5:36; 10:25). A further demonstration of his power would no doubt be casting pearls before swine (Matt. 7:6). They had made up their minds. They were looking for a reason to put Jesus to death.
Confusion on the Covenants: Jesus – Priest After the Order of Melchizedek
“For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, who met Abraham, returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, to whom Abraham gave a tenth part of all, first being translated “king of righteousness,” and then also king of Salem, meaning, “king of peace,” without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God, remains a priest continually”
(Heb. 7:1-3).
The sacred history about Melchizedek is very brief (Gen. 14:18-20). He, a Canaanite, was king of Salem (probably, later known as Jerusalem), and the priest of God Most High. After a particular battle in which Abraham was victorious, Melchizedek blessed him. In turn, Abraham gave tithes to Melchizedek. What is omitted in this history about Melchizedek, as well as what little is said about him, is important in that he is set forth as a type of Christ. The author of the epistle to the Hebrews introduced the case of Melchizedek in 5:6,10 and in 6:20, developing it further in chapter 7. The argumentation of the author is based on the emphases about Melchizedek. He had no beginning nor end, neither parents nor descendants (that history records)! He appears on the inspired pages of Genesis as a king and a priest of God, without registry that relates his lineage or ancestry, nor of predecessors nor successors in his priesthood. In these particulars, he serves as a type of Christ in his kingship and priesthood, one who abides thus continually.