Paul’s Grace Message

Hebrews I : I states that in time past God spoke to the Jewish patriarchs by the prophets. In the next verse we learn that in the end of these days God has spoken by His Son, or literally “en huio” (in Son). In a moment we will comment on this, but first note the words “God … hath … spoken.” This is a most sublime and satisfying statement. We have not been left in ignorance and uninformed, for God has spoken. “Hear, 0 heavens, and give ear, 0 earth; for the Lord hath spoken” (Isaiah I :2). It is tragic that while heaven hears and hearkens, the earth turns a deaf ear to the Word of God. People eagerly tune in the scientist, economist, or politician to get some word of hope or assurance, but seldom tune in to the voice of God spoken in His Word by His Son. In ancient times God spoke to man “by the prophets” who were simply the instruments He used. Now He has spoken “in (His) Son.” The Son is the Word of God. The prophets prefaced their message with “Thus saith the Lord” while the Son could declare “I say unto you.” William R. Newell has written: “Astonishing it was, indeed, even in that’ old time,’ that the infinite, eternal, glorious God should speak unto dust and ashes such as man is! But this wondrous fact of God having spoken in past days is to prepare us for a more stupendous statement: God did at the end of these days speak unto us in (the person of His) Son …. Nor is it to have the Son Himself here speak to us, God speaks; and lo, the Son is there! ‘This is my Beloved Son! ‘ God does not in Hebrews say, ‘Hear Him.’ Nay: the Son does not speak to us in Hebrews, but God speaks concerning Him.”

In light of the above it can be said that when the Son was here in the midst of the Hebrew nation the words He spoke were not His own, but the words of God the Father. Deuteronomy 18: 18-19 is the great prophecy of Messiah, the prophet who would be raised up like unto Moses, but far greater than Moses. It reads: “I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in His mouth; and He shall speak unto them all that I shall command Him. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which He shall speak in my name, I will require it of him.” This is none other than the Son of God and when raised up in Israel He came speaking the words which the Lord God had put in His mouth for that people. An apostle is one sent from the face of another and who comes bearing the words of the one who sent him. The Lord Jesus is likened to such in Hebrews 3: 1, “Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus.” The Lord Jesus was the Apostle, the One sent of the Father and bearing the Father’s message. Many times in the Gospel of John the Lord is referred to as being sent of the Father. He said, “For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of Him that sent me” (John 6:38). He also stated that the words He spoke were not His own but the Father’s who sent Him. “Jesus answered them, and said, My doctrine is not mine, but His that sent me” (7: 16). “For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent Me, He gave Me a commandment, what I should say, and what 1 should speak” (12:49). “He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings; and the word which ye hear is not Mine, but the Father’s which sent Me” (14:24). It thus appears that the words spoken by Jesus when here among men, in some Bibles shown in red letters, were not really His own words but the words of the Father who sent Him. If we want the words of the Lord Jesus, the resurrected and ascended Christ at God’s right hand as Head of the Church, they are to be found in the thirteen letters that came from the Holy Spirit inspired pen of Christ’s apostle, the Apostle Paul, who could say, “If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord” (I Corinthians 14:37).

The precursor of Christ was John the Baptist. His ministry was one of preparation. The word “prepare” denotes a leveling and straightening of the road as when an Oriental monarch comes on his journey. John preached “the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins” (Mark 1:4). He went before, calling men to repentance and making ready a people prepared for the Lord. The Lord began His public ministry immediately after His baptism and the temptation in the wilderness and we read: “From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent; for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 4: 17). This was the message also preached by His forerunner (3:1-2) and by His apostles (10:7). The kingdom proclaimed as being at hand was the kingdom promised to David and predicted by all the prophets, when David’s throne would again be occupied, when the law would go forth from Zion and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. Some years ago along the highways in Pennsylvania there were a number of billboards with this same text, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” While one might admire the zeal of those who placed these signs it would have been much better to have used a text relevant to the divine program in effect today and which would have contained God’s way of salvation for the sinner. The kingdom was at hand back yonder because the King Himself was at hand, for there can be no kingdom without a king. The Lord Jesus Christ was then present as Israel’s King, and if He had been recognized and owned as King, that prophesied and long-awaited kingdom would have been ushered in. Instead, the leaders of the nation said, “We have no king but Caesar” and “we will not have this man to reign over us.” Because of their unbelief the kingdom program has been suspended for a season and one would be out of the will of God if preaching the gospel of the kingdom today.

In the Scriptures we are told that the Jews require a sign and when Christ was here among them they were given plenty of signs to render them without excuse. In his Pentecostal message Peter said, “Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by Him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know” (Acts 2:22). These miracles, wonders, and signs performed by the Lord Jesus gave abundant witness as to His Person. He said, “The works which the Father hath given Me to finish, the same works that I do, bear witness of Me, that the Father hath sent Me” (John 5:36). Also, “Believe Me that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me; or else believe Me for the very works’ sake” (14:11). His works should have proven to them that He was all He claimed to be, the Messiah and the Son of God. He had power over disease, demons, and even death. Many did believe on Him because of His works. We read, “And many of the people believed on him, and said, When Christ cometh, will He do more miracles than these which this man hath done?” (John 7:31). There is another verse, John 2:23, which reads, “Many believed in his name, when they saw the miracles which He did. ” The next verse, though, reads, “But Jesus did not commit himself unto them.” A faith that rests simply upon signs and wonders does not bring salvation to anyone; only a personal faith and trust in the Saviour will do that. These people seemed only concerned with the startling and spectacular, and belief that is based upon such as this is always shallow and evanescent. Wondrous as were the miracles and signs perfonned by Jesus there were other witnesses to His Person than these. There was the witness of John Baptist, who identified Him as the Lamb of God and the Christ. There was even the witness of the Father in heaven, who on three occasions spoke, saying, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hearye him.” There was also the witness of their own Scriptures, for the Lord told them, “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life; and they are they which testify of me.” The wonders and signs wrought by the Lord were precisely what Isaiah prophesied the Messiah would accomplish. “Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing” (Isaiah 35:5-6). Those of Jesus’ day who did not believe were without excuse, and those of the present day who fail to believe have even less excuse, for they now have the completed Word of God and the testimony of countless Christians down through the centuries.

When reading the Epistle to the Hebrews it is important to recognize that it is written to the Hebrews and not to members of the Body of Christ. This epistle will come into full prominence in the future when God begins to deal again with the Hebrew nation. Hebrews 2:3 reads: “How shall we (Hebrews) escape, if we (Hebrews) neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us (Hebrews) by them that heard Him.” The reference here is to a salvation which was first of all offered to the Hebrews by the Lord and then later confirmed unto them by those who had companied with Him and had heard Him, i.e. the Twelve Apostles. As the Lord spoke to the people He was certainly concerned about their individual salvation, but implicit in the good news of the kingdom which He preached was national salvation, when Israel would be saved out of the hand of their enemies and would finally enjoy the exalted status destined for them. National salvation was in the mind of Zacharias when filled with the Holy Spirit he said, “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for He hath visited and redeemed His people, and hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David; As He spake by the mouth of His holy prophets, which have been since the world began; that we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us” (Luke 1:68-71) . National salvation was in view when the prophet wrote, “Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely; and this is His name whereby He shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS” ( Jeremiah 23:5-6). When the Lord Jesus was here, sent to Israel, this national salvation was offered. They had only to acknowledge Him as their Messiah and Deliverer, but this they would not do. Then through the Spirit-filled apostles the offer was confirmed, authenticated, made anew. Again they not only neglected, but rejected, this so great salvation, and for them there was no escape and it is evident how the nation has suffered as the result.

As stated above the expression in Hebrews 2:3 “by them that heard him” refers to the twelve Jesus had chosen to be apostles. One of the twelve was Judas, who betrayed the Lord, and He must be replaced. Israel had brought about the death of Christ and some might think that then and there God was through with that nation, and that shortly after on the Day of Pentecost a new program was introduced and the Church of this dispensation had its historic beginning. This was not the case. At the cross the nation Israel rejected Christ but He had not yet rejected them. There was to be a renewed offer of the kingdom to the twelve tribes so it was necessary to have twelve apostles to confirm Christ’s message to them. Therefore, the first thing after Christ’s resurrection and ascension was to choose one to take the place of Judas. Some tell us that God did not recognize the choice of Matthias and so He later chose Paul to take Judas’ place. Nothing could be further from the truth. According to Acts 1 :21-22 the one to be chosen must have companied with the Lord throughout His ministry and to have been an eyewitness of His resurrection.

Paul was an eyewitness of His resurrection but most certainly did not accompany the Lord in His earthly ministry. The ministry of the twelve at Pentecost and thereafter was simply a ministry of confirmation, whereas Paul’s ministry was a ministry of revelation. To him only was revealed the new truth of the dispensation of the grace of God and the calling out of the Church, the Body of Christ. The twelve confined their ministry to Israel. With the exception of Cornelius and his household there is no record of the twelve preaching to a single Gentile, while on the other hand Paul could boldly state, “For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office” (Romans 11: 13), and again, “That I should be the minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, ministering the gospel of God” (15:16). Further, it is evident from 1st Corinthians 15: 5-8 that Paul shows himself as separate from the twelve and having no connection with them. It is evident also that God set His seal of approval upon the choice of Matthias, for twelve men stood up on the Day of Pentecost and all twelve were filled With the Holy Spirit, and, just as the mighty works performed by Jesus of Nazareth testified as to His heavenly origin, so Hebrews 2:4 informs us that as the twelve went forth to confirm Christ’s message their ministry was accredited of God by signs and wonders. These were the signs of an apostle affirming they were divinely sent. These sign gifts were in evidence as long as God was dealing with Israel as a nation. That time frame ended with the close of the transition period, which coincided with Paul’s arrival at Rome and the abrupt ending of the book of Acts.

Peter’s message at Pentecost and thereafter was practically the same as that of John the Baptist. Both preached the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. John called on the nation to repent, to turn again to God, because the King and His kingdom were at hand. Peter called on the nation to repent of having rejected and put to death their King. Peter did not preach the gospel of the grace of God to his Jewish audience on the Day of Pentecost. When they cried out “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” he did not tell them we are saved by grace plus no doing on our part. He told them to repent and be baptized for the remission of sins. Newell writes: “After the Jews had crucified their Messiah, God gave the nation another great national offer of salvation. This is the opening story in Acts. Israel was not yet fully rejected. Note, now, that when they say, ‘What shall we do?’ Peter does not say: ‘Believe,’ as Paul does to the Gentile jailer in Acts 16, but ‘Repent” Change your mind about Jesus of Nazareth, and confess Him as Messiah in baptism.’” A most prominent word in the preaching of the kingdom gospel was the word “repent.” We should not confuse this word with penitence, or sorrow. As Newell indicates above, the word metanoia means to think differently or to have second thoughts, and in this regard it may be said that repentance automatically accompanies faith. The sinner hears the gospel concerning the work of Christ on his behalf, and believing, putting his faith and trust in the Saviour, is saved from all his sin. At the same time, perhaps unconsciously, there has been a change of mind on his part, no longer rejecting but now accepting. Sir Robert Anderson has a good word on this: “Faith and repentance are not separate acts to be successively accomplished by the sinner as a condition of his salvation. But, in different phases of it, they represent the same God ward attitude of soul which the truth of God, believed, produces. Salvation there cannot be without repentance, any more than without faith; but the soundest and fullest gospel preaching need not include any mention of the word. Neither as verb nor noun does it occur in the Epistle to the Romans, God’s great doctrinal treatise on redemption and righteousness. And in the Gospel of John, pre-eminently the gospel book of the Bible, it will be searched in vain for a single mention of it. ”

Posted By Cecil and Connie Spivey

E-mail this Bible study to all your friends.

 In our study of the Word we are told to test the things that differ, and in the next several lessons we will be looking at the ways in which God has spoken, the messengers He has used, and the various messages suited to the different ages. It is reasonable to assume that the Creator would not leave the creature in ignorance of his Maker, but there need be no assumption because the Scriptures plainly declare that from the very beginning, and in every age, God has revealed Himself and communicated with mankind. He has ever been desirous that men should know Him. The knowledge of God is the goal of redemption and all prophecy anticipates the day when the knowledge of the Lord will cover the earth and when all shall know Him from the least to the greatest.

God has spoken again and again but men have closed their eyes to the truth and stopped their ears to the divine message. In Romans 1: I 8-21 the ancient world is seen. That world was the antediluvian world and also the world thereafter which ended in the judgment at Babel. Verse 18 reads: “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness.” It is to be noted here that they had the truth, and the ungodliness that kindled God’s anger was not the ungodliness of ignorance but the ungodliness of a conscious and deliberate suppression of revealed truth. The next verse shows this to be the case. “Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.” The knowledge of God was manifest in them. God had shewed it unto them, and they not only had the witness of His words but the witness of His works as well. Before going any further, however, we need to be reminded that we should not apply these passages exclusively to the world of old. God is still speaking today and the present world, by and large, turns a deaf ear to His words and even attempts to hold down the truth lest others should hear.

Even if God had not spoken in other ways, which He had, His everlasting power and deity are clearly seen in His creation. “For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse.” The psalmist had this in view when he wrote: “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handiwork. There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard” (Psalm 19: 1-3). Creation bears a mighty testimony to all men everywhere. It says clearly and plainly that there is a Creator, and this Creator is God, and as God is then to be worshipped and served. This is the everlasting gospel mentioned in the Revelation which is simply that God is the Creator. “And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; ‘” and worship Him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters” (Revelation 14:67). In Isaiah 40:26 we are challenged to lift up Our eyes on high, to view the starry heavens, to consider the vastness and the intricacy of the universe. In doing so the question comes to mind; how did all this happen? Did it just come together by chance? Common sense precludes the answer to that question. We must say that behind it all is One who is infinite in wisdom and power, and we are introduced to Him in the 28th verse as “the Everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth. ”

When God put Our first parents in the garden prepared for them He did not leave them uninformed. He told them they were to be fruitful, to multiply, and to replenish the earth. They were, under God, to have dominion Over the restored creation. They were to be trained under the paternal care of their Maker to godliness and usefulness. What precious fellowship they must have had with the Lord as He oft came to converse with them. We do not know how long this state of Edenic innocence continued but the record seems to indicate it was brief. Sad to say they listened to Satan’s lies and sinned and fell, but even after their sin God did not abandon them. He came seeking them and finding them. Then, instead of the death of the sinners, which was deserved, it was the death of an innocent substitute, no doubt a lamb. “Unto Adam also and to his wife did the Lord God make coats of skins, and clothed them” (Genesis 3:21). Instead of the death of the sinners there was the death of a substitute, and now they were cleansed and clothed. What a beautiful picture. As sinners we deserved the wages of sin, which is death, but the Lord Jesus Christ died in Our place. Trusting Him we are cleansed from every spot and stain by the precious blood of the Lamb of God shed on the cross of Calvary, and we are clothed in the garments of salvation, the robe of God’s righteousness in Christ.

The IIth chapter of Hebrews is God’s hall of fame. In it are seen great champions of faith, both men and women, noble characters all. The word “faith” is mentioned twenty-four times, and since faith comes by hearing theWord of God, it is proof that God has been speaking. In the opening verses (4-7) we are introduced to three great men of faith. The first is Abel and we read: “By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain.” When the first creature was put to death so that Adam and Eve might be clothed it was probably then that God infonned man that henceforth approach to Him and acceptance must be on the basis of blood shed and a life laid dOwn. Believing, Abel carne in the God-ordained way arld was accepted. Here is faith’s Worship and also faith’s witness, for “he being dead yet speaketh.” The next one mentioned is Enoch and we read: “By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him; for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.” Enoch lived in a wicked and ungodly age. Told of the judgment that was to come he began to walk with God in separation from the surrounding sin. Here is faith’s walk, which was pleasing to God, and in him also we see faith’s witness for Jude tells us that Enoch was a prophet and warned of the judgment that was to be visited on the ungodly. The third man of faith was Noah and the record states: “By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.” Made aware of the coming judgment, and given God’s blueprint, he began building the great judgment-proof ark. This is faith’s work and again is faith’s witness, for while working Noah was witnessing as a preacher of righteousness. In all of this are lessons for us. By faith we are to be worshiping, walking, working, witnessing, and waiting for the realization of our blessed hope. It is to be noted also from these heroes of faith that man was not left uninformed: God was speaking and man was without excuse.

In times past God spoke to men in many different ways. With Abraham His friend He spoke face to face, as in Genesis 17: 1 when He appeared to Abraham, introducing Himself as Almighty God (EI Shaddai). The same was true with Moses. We read: “And the Lord spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend” (Exodus 33: 11). He also spoke to Moses out of the burning bush and to Balaam by means of a dumb animal. He spoke to others in dreams, or visions, and sometimes by angels. In this present dispensation of the grace of God there is no longer any need for Him to speak in this fragmentary manner. We now have the completed Word of God containing all we need to know, and all believers have the Holy Spirit indwelling them to be their teacher and to lead and guide them into all truth. What a treasure we have in this Book, the Bible, the Word of the Living God. The psalmist said, “Thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name” (Psalm 138:2) and if God has thus magnified His Word we ought to do likewise. We need to read it, study it, hide it in our hearts, walk in obedience to it, and make it known to others. As we read and study the Word it is God speaking to us, and as we pray it is us speaking to God. There should ever be this two-way street.

During Israel’s long history God was speaking to the Hebrew fathers by the prophets (Hebrews I: I). Referring to this it is written: “And the Lord God of their fathers sent to them by His messengers, rising up betimes, and sending; because he had compassion on his people, and on his dwelling place” (2 Chronicles 36: 15). This long line of prophets and messengers stretched from Moses to John Baptist. Some may think the only task of the prophet was to predict future events. This was far from the truth; his main business was to foretell, to tell forth the Word of Jehovah, rather than to foretell.

The prophet’s work was opposite that of the priest. Whereas the priest spoke to God on behalf of man, the prophet spoke to man on behalf of God. He was God’s spokesman. Really, the ministry of these prophets was twofold. First it had to do with the people’s spiritual condition, oft charging them with their sin and idolatry and calling on them to repent and turn back to Jehovah, and warning them of the judgments which would be their due if they persisted in their wickedness. Then secondly they reminded the people of God’s faithfulness in Israel’s past history and of the promised blessings which would eventually come to the nation on the basis of God’s covenant with them. Also, as in all the Scriptures, the great burden of the prophetic writings had to do with the person of God’s Son, the Messiah and coming King of Israel. The Apostle Peter wrote that Israel’s prophets “testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow” (I Peter I: 11). In other words they prophesied of two great events, which were the two advents of Christ; His first coming to suffer and die in putting away the sin of the world, and His second coming in power and glory to reign over the nations. This was brought out in the Lord’s words to the two disciples on the Emmaus road. He said, “0 fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken; ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into His glory” (Luke 24:25-26). Christ will enter into His glory when He returns to establish His kingdom on earth; when He will be enthroned and when the government will be upon His shoulder. Peter spoke of this prophesied kingdom with its attendant blessings as “the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began” (Acts 3:21). Praise His name, that day is coming, when our blessed Lord Jesus will have His rightful place.

Major Whittle refers to this in his hymn:

Our Lord is now rejected, and by the world disowned,
By the many still neglected, and by the few enthroned;
But soon He ‘// come in glory, the hour is drawing nigh,
For the crowning day is coming by and by.

Another subject dealt with by Israel’s prophets had to do with the brief period of time preceding Christ’s coming to establish His kingdom. This is the time of Jacob’s trouble, referred to by the Lord as the Great Tribulation. When God discontinued His dealings with Israel and began calling out the members of the Church, the Body of Christ, then and there the prophetic clock was stopped. When the Church has beencompleted and removed from this earthly scene by way of the Rapture the prophetic clock will begin ticking again. God will be working again with Israel, Abraham’s seed, and He begins by bringing them into and through the worst time of trouble they have ever experienced. “Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it; it is even the time of Jacob’s trouble, but he shall be saved out of it” (Jeremiah 30:7). This is the time of kingdom preparation and Jacob (Israel) is being prepared for the prominent role they will have in that kingdom as head over the nations. God says, “I will bring them through the fire, and refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried” (Zechariah 13:9). With their dross removed the Lord promises “it shall come to pass, that as ye were a curse among the heathen, 0 house of Judah, and house of Israel; so will I save you, and ye shall be a blessing” (Zechariah 8: 13). All of God’s purposes for the earth are to be worked out through Israel, and this time of Jacob’s trouble is Satan’s final effort to exterminate the Israeli and defeat the purpose of God. It will be a day of wrath; the wrath of Satan and Antichrist directed against God’s covenant people, while at the same time the wrath of God visited on their enemies. God says: “And they shall fight against thee; but they shall not prevail against thee; for I am with thee, saith the Lord, to deliver thee” (Jeremiah 1:19). Zephaniah refers to this day of trouble as “a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness” (1: 15) but shortly afterward they will hear the cry: “Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee” (Isaiah 60: 1 ). Israel will be saved out of that day of wrath, even as the three Hebrews were saved out of the fiery furnace. The Body of Christ, however, will not be saved out of, but saved from that fearsome time, for they will never enter into it. Members of Christ’s Body are waiting for their Head from heaven, even Jesus, who delivereth us from the wrath to come. “For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ” (l Thessalonians 5:9).

In rightly dividing the Word of truth it is needful to distinguish between that which was prophesied and that which was not prophesied, or kept secret. As already stated the prophets spoke of the two comings of Christ. They spoke of His first coming to suffer and His second coming to be glorified, but they did not know that between the two comings there would be a dispensation of grace that has already lasted almost two thousand years. This was a secret known only to God. Not only did the Old Testament prophets know nothing of this but even when the Lord was here as Israel’s King, offering the kingdom to them, He did not make this secret known. When Israel persisted in their rejection of Him,both before and after His death and resurrection, God turned away from that nation, called out a new apostle and made the secret known to him. That was the Apostle Paul. The truth concerning this present dispensation and God’s purposes in it was revealed to and through Paul and this truth is found only in his inspired writings. The prophets and others before Paul knew nothing about the Church, sinners saved by grace alone, baptized into Christ and made members of His Body. Paul wrote: “If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward; how that by revelation He made known unto me the mystery … which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men” (Ephesians 3:2-5). Paul wrote again concerning the Church: “whereof! am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God; even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints” (Colossians 1 :25-26). One looks in vain to find any reference to the Church in the prophetic writings. The Church was a mystery (secret) until revealed through the Apostle Paul.

Posted By - Cecil and Connie Spivey

E-mail this Bible study to all your friends.

Our Lord Jesus Christ is the One referred to in Isaiah 57: 15 as “the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy.” As a member of the Holy Trinity the Lord Jesus Christ was from etemity in the form of God. “But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law.” There was a twofold purpose in Christ’s coming out of etemity into time and to the earth His hands had made. First of all, He came to be the Redeemer, the Saviour of the world, to put away man’s sin by the sacrifice of Himself. Then, secondly, He came to set up His kingdom on earth; that kingdom which had been prophesied and long awaited, when Israel would be head among the nations and when the Lord Jesus as their Messiah would be on David’s throne and ruling in righteousness. God had made a covenant with David assuring him that one of his seed would sit on his throne and that his kingdom would be unending. The Lord Jesus was that promised seed. He was “made of the seed of David according to the flesh” (Romans 1:3). The angel said to Mary, “And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David; and he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end”

(Luke 1:31-33). He came to take the throne, but instead of the throne wicked men put Him to death on the cross. But death could not hold the Prince of life and on the third day He rose triumphant from the grave. In Peter’s Pentecostal message he said that David prophesied Christ’s resurrection, and that God had swom with an oath to raise up Christ to sit on his throne. Thus Christ was raised up twice in the midst of Israel. In His incarnation He was raised up from Mary’s womb to sit on David’s throne, and in His resurrection He was raised up from Joseph’s tomb to sit on David’s throne, and the day is surely coming when He will sit on David’s throne and rule over Israel and the nations.

The first question in the New Testament was asked by the wise men following Jesus’ birth. They came to Jerusalem saying, “Where is he that is born King of the Jews?” (Matthew 2:2). At the triumphal entry the people shouted His praise and cried, “Blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord” (John 12: 13). At His death on the cross the superscription was written over Him, “Jesus of Nazareth the King of the Jews” (John 19:19). John Baptist was Christ’s forerunner and he came preaching “the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 3:2). When the twelve apostles were sent forth they were told to preach “the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 10:7). There can be no kingdom without a king and the reason the kingdom was then at hand was because the King was at hand. When here in the flesh the Lord Jesus was here as King of the Jews and during that time His ministry was restricted to the Jewish people. He instructed the twelve not to go to the Gentiles but only to Israel (Matthew 10:5-6). He told the Syrophenician woman that He was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel (Matthew 15:24). In fact, He told her that it wasn’t proper to take the children’s bread (Israel) and cast it to dogs (Gentiles). Many Gentiles become upset when they hear that, but not this dear Greek woman. She told the Lord that what He said was the truth; that as a Gentile she had no claim on Israel’s Messiah, that she would be content with some crumbs.

In John 1: II we read, “He came unto His own.” His own were the chosen, covenant people, the nation Israel. He was a man approved of God among them by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by Him in their midst. Christ told them, “The works which the Father hath given me to finish, the same works that I do, bear witness of me, that the Father hath sent me” (John 5 :36). In addition to the testimony of His works there was also the testimony other Scriptures. The Lord said, “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life; and they are they which testify of Me” (John 5:39). The holy writer had them in mind when he wrote they had “tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the age to come” (Hebrews 6:5). The miraculous powers shown by Christ were a foretaste of the coming kingdom. Surely they should have known Him, but how tragic the words that conclude John 1: II, “His own received him not.” At times the multitude did throng His way and even shouted His praise, but mainly for the loaves and fishes or to see a miracle. The above verse from Hebrews indicates they were like many in the churches today, who are only “tasters” and not “drinkers.” They have never knelt to drink deeply at the well of salvation, just a bit of a taste, a mere profession, and perhaps soon turn away.

John Bunyan has written an article titled “Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners .. or .. the Jerusalem Sinners Saved.” In it he points out that the first ones to whom the gospel was preached after Christ’s resurrection were the very ones who had rejected Him and demanded His death. On the day of Pentecost the Apostle Peter charged this Jewish audience with having crucified Jesus, the Christ. When they were convicted and cried out “What shall we do?” he told them to repent and to be baptized for the remission of sins. This is not God’s message for today, but it was for that time. Thousands of those Jews, both then and later, responded to the message and were forgiven, but there was not national repentance. Israel had rejected Christ but He had not yet rejected them. On the cross He had prayed, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do” (Luke 23 :34). The Father heard and answered that prayer and Israel was forgiven and given another opportunity. In a later message to the leaders of the nation Peter stated, “The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree. Him hath God exalted with His right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins” (Acts 5 :30-31). Israel was being given one more chance to receive their King but turned a deaf ear. The purpose of the book of Acts is not to show the birth and growth of the church, but to show the decline and fall of Israel, and the reason they were set aside. The book of Acts is also referred to as covering the transition but there is really no transition in the early chapters. The kingdom which before had been preached is now offered but is violently refused. Israel’s rejection of the renewed offer reaches its peak with the stoning of Stephen, for immediately thereafter we begin to see a movement away from that nation.

Israel had rejected the testimony of John Baptist, of the Lord Himself, of Peter and the twelve, and now there is one final appeal through Stephen. The answer to this entreaty was to stone Stephen to death and this marked the end of Israel’s day. To Israel God had said, “All day long have 1 stretched forth my hands unto a disobedient and gainsaying people.” Israel’s long day as the God-favored nation is at an end. A new apostle, Paul, comes to the fore and through him a new program is inaugurated, with Israel set aside and God’s message of grace and reconciliation proclaimed to the Gentiles. And yet, God seems loath to turn away from His covenant people and during the remainder of the book of Acts, the transition period, the message still goes to the Jew first. It is not until the Lord’s message through Paul has been proclaimed from Jerusalem to Rome that Israel is finally off the scene. There we have the solemn pronouncement of Acts 28:28, “Be it known therefore unto you, that the salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles, and that they will hear it.” Stephen had concluded his message by saying, “Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God” (Acts 7:56). The Lord Jesus is later seen as seated, but up to this point the resurrected Christ is seen standing, waiting patiently and longingly to discern what Israel’s response will be to the renewed offer. If there had been national repentance He would have returned to earth to bring in “the times of restitution of all things” (Acts 3:20-21). When the offer was refused the heavenly Father said to His Son, “Sit thou at my right hand, until 1 make thine enemies thy footstool” (Psalm 110:1).

When God turned away from Israel He reached down and laid hold of the most bigoted Jew of all, Saul of Tarsus, who was the leader in the persecution of the believers. This was the Apostle Paul and he became Christ’s emissary to bear the message of salvation to the Gentile world. The dispensation of grace was ushered in with Paul and now there is no longer any difference between Jew and Gentile. The Scripture says: “For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek; for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon Him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:12-13). What a grand word is that word “whosoever.” None are excluded, all are included. Any sinner, regardless of race or place, who calls upon the name of the Lord, will be saved. And every such sinner, at the moment of their salvation, is baptized by the Holy Spirit of God into the Body of Christ. This is the one true Church, composed of all the redeemed. In relation to this Church the Lord Jesus holds a new office. In Ephesians we read that God “hath put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be the head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all” (I :22-23). Also in Colossians 1: 18, “And He is the head of the body, the church.” Christ is not the King of the church and is never given that title. He is the Head of the church. No pope, priest, prelate, preacher or potentate is the head. Man may be at the head of some human religious organization, but the Head of the true church is the crucified, risen, ascended Christ at God’s right hand.

Dr. Bultema said that God put the key to the Scriptures right on the threshold. The very first verse in the Bible states: “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” Then as we study we learn that God has a purpose for the heavens and also a purpose for the earth. He also has a people for the heavens, and a people for the earth, through whom His purposes will be consummated. Israel is His people for the earth, while the church is His people for the heavens. Members of the church do have a blessed hope, a bright anticipation, and it is not an earthly hope, but heavenly. The hope of the church has to do with that realm “far above all.” Dave Breese recently wrote in his paper: “Jews and Gentile proselyte believers (those saved under the kingdom program) will inherit a redeemed earth. By contrast, the Body of Christ will rule the universe in eternity.” The apostle wrote: “Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ” (Titus 2: 13). God’s day of grace will close when Christ comes in the Rapture to call every member of His blood-washed church into His presence. In that great passage in Thessalonians we read of the Lord descending from heaven with a great assembling shout and every child of God being caught up to meet Him in the air and to be forever with the Lord. Our blessed hope is fully realized 111 those three words “with the Lord.”

0, Blessed! 0 thrice blessed word!
To be forever with the Lord,
In heavenly beauty fair!
Up! .. Up! .. We long to hear the cry!
Up! .. Up! .. Our absent Lord draws nigh!
Yes, in the twinkling of an eye,
Caught up in the radiant air.

Following the Rapture of the church there will be a time of trouble on earth unparalleled in human history. This is the time of Jacob’s trouble, the Great Tribulation. We have been noting the changing roles played by Christ and here again we see a change. No longer will He be stretching forth His hands and beseeching men to come and be reconciled. Then it will be quite different. “Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure” (Psalm 2:5). In that day men will pray to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us, and hide us from the face of Him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb. For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?” (Revelation 6: 16-17). How much better to come in time; to flee to Christ, the Eternal Rock of Ages, and find in Him a hiding place and shelter from the coming storm. And Christians should be redeeming the time, because the days are evil; and reaching out to the lost, snatching them out of the fire.

The Great Tribulation will conclude with the personal return of the Lord Jesus Christ. Writing to the suffering saints at Thessalonica the apostle assured them that the day of their vindication was coming, when their enemies would receive the due reward of their deeds. He wrote: “And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ” (II Thessalonians 1:7-8). The Lord will be coming on this occasion not to suffer at the hands of His enemies, but to trample them beneath His feet; not to die in weakness on a tree of shame, but to sit on the throne of His glory. Great voices in heaven are heard to proclaim, “The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of His Christ; and He shall reign for ever and ever” (Revelation 11: 15). He comes as the All Conquering Sovereign, accompanied by the armies of heaven. In Revelation 19 is pictured His majestic return, and in verse 16 we read: “And he hath on His vesture and on His thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.” When Britain’s Queen Victoria was crowned, she said, in expressing the desire to be present on that future occasion, “I should so love to lay my crown at His feet.” She knew that when the Lord Jesus came it would be as a King - the King of David’s Royal House and Dynasty. She knew the government would be on His shoulders and that she would acknowledge His authority. One of these days all the kings and rulers of earth shall cast their crowns before Him. It will be the Coronation Day of Christ. The whole earth will tremble at the shouting and the tumult. It will be the grandest day in human history and may God hasten it. Amen!

Posted By - Cecil sna Connie Spivey

 E-mail this Bible study to all your friends.

 In reading any book it is good to know the author and the Bible is no exception. The Author of the Book is God and in it He has revealed Himself so that we may know Him. This knowledge is imperative and essential. In His great high-priestly prayer Jesus said, “And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent” (John 17:3). Dr. Bullinger has written an article on “The Christian’s Greatest Need.” In it he states that our greatest need is to know God, and God can only be known through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Christ Himself said, “Neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him” (Matthew 11:27). Coming to Christ and putting our trust in Him and in the work He accomplished for us at Calvary we are saved by the grace of God and born into God’s family. As newborn babes we are then to desire the sincere milk of the Word so that we may grow thereby. The child of God should be growing in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. This is accomplished by feeding on the Word, going from the milk to the meat, and becoming strong, mature and stalwart in the Christian life. Sadly, many never get off the milk diet, never develop, and remain spiritual babies. This must surely be a heartbreak to their heavenly Father.

It is fitting that our first lessons should deal with the Person of God’s Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. It is God’s desire tllatHe should have the pre-eminence in all things and it is certainly our desire that He should be preeminent in these lessons; that every eye should see Him and hearts set aflame with love for Him. He is the great and grand subject of Scripture and it is important that we have proper thoughts of Him. Newell writes: “There are two great truths you must hold fast; the truth about our Lord’s Person and the truth about His Work.” Jesus asked the question, “What think ye of Christ?” and we ought to be certain we have the right answer. John Newton has well written:

“What think ye of Christ? ” is the test To try both your state and your scheme’

You cannot be right in the rest, Unless you think rightly of Him.

The Bible clearly teaches that the Babe born at Bethlehem, who lived among men as Jesus of Nazareth, was indeed Almighty God in human form.The prophet Micah, foretelling His birth, said, “Whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting” (5:2). The gospel of John, which presents the Divinity and Deity of Jesus, opens with this tremendous statement: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” The One referred to in this verse as “the Word” is none other than the Lord Jesus. This will also be His name at His second
coming, for we read, “And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood; and his name is called The Word of God” (Revelation 19: 13). There are three things to be noted in John 1: 1:

He was in the beginning. In I John 1:1 we also read of a beginning and there it refers to the beginning of Christ’s earthly ministry. In Genesis 1:1 the reference is to the beginning of the creation. Here in John 1:1 we are taken back to ages past. This is really a beginning without a beginning. The Word (Gr. Logos) is the eternally existing Christ.

He was with God. He was with God the Father and with God the Holy Ghost, for as God the Son He was a member of the Holy Trinity. Genesis 1:26 reads: “And God said, let us make man in our image, after our likeness. “The plural pronouns in this verse indicate the three Persons of the Godhead.

3) He was God. Words could not be plainer in expressing the Deity of the Lord Jesus Christ. “And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness; God was manifest in the flesh” (l Tim. 3:16).

The Lord Jesus, who was the Eternal Word, was truly God and the Creator as well. In the third verse of this first chapter of John’s gospel is written: “All things were made by Him; and without Him was not anything made that was made.” It was the Trinity which said, “Let us … make,” but God the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, was the active agent in creation. There are many Scriptures which state this, such as Colossians 1:16, “For by Him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers; all things were created by Him, and for Him.” Also, Hebrews 1:2 affirms that “God … hath in these last days spoken unto us (Hebrews) by His Son, whom He hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also He made the worlds.” Christ is the Great God and Mighty Maker of all things. He is the Eternal One. He is “the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy” (Isaiah 57: 15). On the isle of Patmos He introduced Himself to John with the words “1 am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty” (Revelation 1:8).

There is a precious statement made in Hebrews 13:8, where we read: “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and for ever.” It is good to know that midst all the changing scenes around there is One who is unchanging. He proved to His people of old that, regardless of their changing attitudes, He was ever the same faithful and dependable God. He proves today also that amid the vicissitudes of life He is the same steadfast, loving, forgiving Saviour who merits our full trust, love and confidence. He will be forever the same. He can say, “For I am the Lord, I change not” (Malachi 3:6). But now we would ask the question: Does the fact that Christ is ever the same as to His person, pathos, and power mean that His dealings with mankind are always the same? The answer is no. We should give heed to the different ways in which Christ is viewed and to the dissimilar programs for His people. It is interesting that Hebrews 13: 8 is followed by these words: “Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines.” There are those with divers and strange doctrines who quote the 8th verse to support their fancied healing programs. They say that when Jesus was here on earth He healed all who were brought to Him, and since He is always the same He heals today in the same way. Jesus Christ is indeed ever the same, but they fail to see that in His dealings with mankind He does not always act in the same way. He was not acting in the same capacity when here in the flesh in the form of a servant as He was in eternity past when in the form of God. He will not be acting in the same capacity in the future when speaking to the nations in His wrath as He is today when speaking to them in mercy and grace. And His instructions or marching orders for His people do change with the changing times.

In Philippians 2: 5-7 is the great passage on the self-humbling of Christ. We read:

“Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus; who being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God; but made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men. ”

Here is found the Doctrine of the Kenosis. This title comes from the Greek in the expression “made Himself of no reputation” which really means “emptied Himself.” This does not mean He divested Himself of His Deity. Not in the least. He was just as much God when walking the dusty trails of Galilee as when seated on His eternal throne and creating all things. Scofield says: “Nothing in this passage teaches that the Eterna! Word (John 1:I) emptied Himself of either His divine nature, or His attributes, but only of the outward and visible manifestation of the Godhead.” In the time prior to His birth at Bethlehem He was in the form of God, and on an equality with God as a member of the Godhead Three. John 4:24 states that “God is a Spirit” so before His incarnation Christ had no physical body, but coming into the world He came in the body prepared for Him in the womb of the virgin. He lived among men in that body, was put to death in that body, and rose from the dead in bodily form, but it was now a glorified body no longer subject to natural laws. He ascended in that body and now there is something new in heaven. There is a Man in the Glory. “For there is one God, and one mediator
between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 2:5). Notice the one mediator is not the woman of the assumption but the Man of the Ascension, the Man Christ Jesus. And when He comes again to earth He will come in a body with the marks of Calvary on that body.

We contemplate with awe this mystery of godliness, God manifest in the flesh, and we bow in wonder. This is holy ground and we put off the shoes from our feet. The great Creator humbling Himself, taking upon Him creature fonn, in order that He might die and atone for the creature’s sins. After one of his sennons a woman came to Dr. McKay and said, “1 can’t accept that.” He replied, “You can’t accept what?” “Well,” she said, “this idea of God punishing an innocent man for the misdeeds of the guilty; that isn’t right.” Dr. McKay said, “Madam, it is not the case of God punishing an innocent man for guilty men. On the cross we see the offended God Himself, the One who had been sinned against, taking our humanity and dying in order that the guilt of His creatures might be taken away.” “But is that right?” “Madam,” replied he, “It is love.” Yes, it was infinite love that brought the Saviour down from the ivory palaces above and into this world of sin and woe. It was love that caused Him to live here among men, despised and rejected and hated without a cause. It was love that led Him to Calvary to suffer and die, shedding His precious blood for our sins. We can say, “He loved me, and gave Himself for me.” What should be our response to this love? We ought to love Him in return and to prove our love by living in a way that pleases Him.

One never tires of reading in the gospels of the wonderful life lived by the Saviour while here on earth. The Apostle John had this wonderful life in view when he wrote: “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth” (John 1: 14). We read of the mighty works He performed, listen to the words of grace that fell from His lips, see Him ministering to the needs of those around, and we bow in worship and exclaim, “Truly this was the Son of God.” And yet, the life lived by Jesus, sinless and God-pleasing though it was, could not save us. “Without the shedding of blood is no remission” (Hebrews 9:22), and “Except a com of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone; but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit” (John 12:24). Sinners are saved, not by Christ’s life, but by His death. The gospel is that Christ died for our sins and that Christ died for the ungodly. Further, in considering Jesus’ wonderful life, and as much as we may profit from the record of it, we must recognize that when here in the flesh He was not sent to us Gentiles. He said: “1 am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matthew 15:24). When here as King of the Jews, their Messiall, He confined His ministry to that people. Paul wrote: “Now 1 say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers” (Romans 15:8).

The Lord Jesus Christ had come as Israel’s long-awaited Messiah, the one who was to save them from their enemies, and while here He confined His ministry to that nation. We are not to think, however, that His life did not concern us Gentiles, for we do have a deep interest in it. By His sinlessness, as the Lamb without spot or blemish, He proved that He was competent to deal with our sins and to put them away by the sacrifice of Himself. Then, too, the fact that He was once here in this wilderness scene, tested and tried as we, is that which qualifies Him as our great High Priest, now to appear in the presence of God for us. And because of His experience, having walked where we walk, He knows and understands, and in our time of trouble can come alongside and give the help needed. The late Dr. Hallman has written: “Christ was tempted in all points like as we - sin excepted. His round of temptations gives Him experiential knowledge of our conflicts; so his sympathy is not just the pity of an onlooker, but the compassion of a fellow sufferer.” The Scripture says: “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” (Hebrews 4: 15). The double negative “not” and “cannot” express a strong affirmative: “We have a high priest who can be touched with the feeling of our infirmities.”
Because of His experience, akin to ours, He knows and understands. Stuart Hutchinson tells of a boy who lost his right hand, and was so humiliated he wanted no one to see him. His father suggested that a certain minister come and see him, but the boy rebelled against it. Finally, the father sent for this minister, and when he came the boy saw that he too had lost his right hand. Then there was an immediate bond of sympathy. The minister could say: “I know how it feels.”

Posted By- Cecil and Connie Spivey

E-mail this Bible study to all your friends.

“IF GOD wrote the Bible, as you folks claim, why didn’t He write it in plain language so ordinary people could easily understand it?” How often we encounter this question. And strangely enough, the learned and educated people seem to be baffled the most by tbe language of the Word of God.

A certain New York minister tells of an intelligent young man who came to him with the complaint that he had been trying to read the Bible but couldn’t “make heads nor tails out of it.” He had asked a number of other ministers why the Bible was written like that.

“I am a college graduate.” he said. “They never did set a book before me that I could not in time understand and pass a creditable examination upon. But the Bible has me baffled:’

“Why, that is easy:’ the minister replied, “because the answer is in the Bible itself,” Turning to First Corinthians 2:14, he began to read, slowly: “The natural man” - turning to the questioner, he abruptly asked, “Do those words fit you?”

“Why yes, of course they do. I’m not some kind of a freak; I’m an ordinary man, a natural man, sure’”

“All right, then we will read on and see what God says about His Word and natural men like you.

‘The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him …

“Wait a minute,” interrupted the young man. ”That’s just what I said, that it’s all foolishness to me. Are you sure you are reading that straight, and not making it up for the occasion?”

Whereupon he was permitted to read the text for himself: “But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.”

“Does that mean, then, that God purposely caused His Book to be written like that, so that a man of my intelligence and education would be prevented - actually prevented - from getting a grasp of it?”

“Yes,” replied the older man. “I dare to solemnly declare that very thing, strange as it may seem to you. It is purposely made unknowable to men like you, so that you might appreciate this fact, that as no man has ever been able to formulate a CODE that could not be deciphered and uncoded by other men, so right here on the surface is evidence that you, at least, ought to appreciate. Right here is proof that it is the writing of God and not of man. This, at least, is an extraordinary volume. It defiantly challenges a correct interpretation or understanding by any stranger or enemy of the Author, of the marvelous truths which it abundantly contains, yet so effectually conceals:’

He went on then, to show that God has written His Word for His friends, and successfully hidden it from His enemies, one and all, great and small, ignorant and learned. The natural man receiveth it not. On the other hand, let a man come to it with a seeking heart, in humility and sincerity toward God, desiring to know about His love and mercy toward sinners, and of the Son of God who died for him on the cross, and he will find his darkness turning into light.

The outstanding key to the Scriptures, then, lies in the words of the Lord Jesus Christ: “Ye must be born again.” The world is made up of two kinds of people - natural men, and born again men. To the natural man, it is all a baffling mystery; to the child of God, the Word of God is a living thing, which talks to him and instructs him.

Three Principles of Uncoding

Shortly after the war with Japan it came to light that the United States intelligence experts had, early in the war, succeeded in decoding the secrets of the Japanese navy. This resulted in several crushing victories, including the battle of Midway, and even brought about the death of Japanese Admiral Yamamoto. It has been demonstrated over and over that human minds cannot formulate a code for communication purposes, which cannot be decoded by equally smart men in the camp of the enemy. Sooner or later, somebody will work out the key. But God’s ”-Word, which is His message written in code to His own citizens, has defied all attempts of the enemy to uncode it, and yet God dares to plainly publish the keys to it, and invites everyone to make use of them!

Why is this? It is because the secret of uncoding human codes lies in possessing certain mental adeptness and training, while the secret of uncoding God’s message lies in possessing certain conditions of heart and purpose. Under this system, the highest wisdom and learning of man lies helpless before Him who searcheth human hearts. God Himself must unfold His Word to whom He will, and this He often does for the most illiterate and lowly of men, providing He finds in their hearts that response for which He looks.

Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him. But God hath revealed them unto us (believers) by His Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. Even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God; that we might KNOW the things that are freely given to us of God” (I Cor. 2:9-12).

There are many principles of Bible interpretation known among God’s people. One Bible teacher gives eighteen principles of interpretation, while others condense it down to a half dozen or so. But we are not attempting in this booklet to cover the subject of principles of Bible interpretation, although some of them are important, and necessary for a proper knowledge of the Word. There is, for instance, the principle of rightly dividing the Word of truth (II Timothy 2:15). Failure to recognize this principle is the cause of most of the religious confusion today. But even this principle is somewhat of an exterior implement, which even an unconverted man could, with diligent study, learn to use.

We are concerned here with what we might term the “principles of Bible understanding,” or with application rather than interpretation. It is our earnest desire that the reader may be “filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding” (Col. 1:19).

In the course of many years of laboring in the Word and doctrine, the writer has often found help and guidance in three main keys that unlock God’s Word in a marvelous fashion, so that God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God; that we might KNOW the things that are freely given to us of God” (I Cor. 2:9-12).

There are many principles of Bible interpretation known among God’s people. One Bible teacher gives eighteen principles of interpretation, while others condense it down to a half dozen or so. But we are not attempting in this booklet to cover the subject of principles of Bible interpretation, although some of them are important, and necessary for a proper knowledge of the Word. There is, for instance, the principle of rightly dividing the Word of truth (II Timothy 2:15). Failure to recognize this principle is the cause of most of the religious confusion today. But even this principle is somewhat of an exterior implement, which even an unconverted man could, with diligent study, learn to use.

We are concerned here with what we might term the “principles of Bible understanding,” or with application rather than interpretation. It is our earnest desire that the reader may be “filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding” (Col. 1: 19).

In the course of many years of laboring in the Word and doctrine, the writer has often found help and guidance in three main keys that unlock God’s Word in a marvelous fashion, so that it becomes a living and precious part of one’s very life. These three main keys are found in the first three kinds of ground in the Parable of the Sower. But for clarity’s sake, we might enumerate them in this manner:

1. The New Birth Principle (I Cor. 2:14).

2. The Willingness Principle (John 7:17).

3. The Preeminence of Christ Principle (Col. 1:17-18).

Before looking “at them in the Parable of the Sower, let us examine their working methods in other Scriptures.

The New Birth

This principle, which was used to help the young college graduate, is the crown of all the revelations of God to man. It is the first thing that should concern and occupy the heart and mind of every person. “The natural (or unsaved) man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him.” Here we have the starting place. Unless a person is Willing to come to God as a poor, guilty, and unworthy sinner, believing God’s record of His Son and receiving Him as his Saviour, he cannot be God’s child, and he cannot be God’s friend.

“Ye must be born “again,” said the Lord Jesus,n John chapter three. And again, concerning that One who loved us and died for our sins, it is written: “As many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name.”

Nor can the sinner say that he isn’t saved because he can’t understand the Bible. God has made that part of His Word so plain and simple that no honest person could miss it. That all have sinned and come short of the glory of God, and that God has provided a loving Saviour for all who will receive Him, is so plainly written in the New Testament that we are without excuse.

The first principle, then, of understanding the things of God is to become H[s friend and His child, by personally receiving the Lord Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour. “For Christ also hath once suffered for sins. the just for the unjust, that He might BRING US unto God” (I Peter 3:18).

This is illustrated by the prodigal son. There is no indication that he was a collage graduate. or a man of extraordinary learning. But when he finally came to see his own desperate need of the father’s forgiveness and mercy, he arose and went to the father, pleading only that he was an unworthy sinner. From there on. all the riches and treasures of the father were opened unto him. As we have it in I Corinthians I: 18, ”’the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.” Our relation to God, and the humility with which we approach Him, make a vast difference. We must all start at the cross of Calvary.

The Willingness Principle

This principle is stated in John 7:17: “If any man will DO His will, he shall know of the doctrine, . :’ The marginal rendering is a little better: “If any man will to DO His will, he shall know of the doctrine.”

Abraham was called a friend of God because he believed God and gladly pitched his tent toward the mountain with God, rather than toward Sodom and the world. And God, on His part. let Abraham in on His own plans. “And the Lord said, ShalI I hide from Abraham that thing which 1 do . .? For 1 know him, that he will command his children and his house hold after him, and they shalI keep the way of the Lord, to DO justice and judgment” (Gen. 18:17-19). To us today, the Scripture saith:

“Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God” (James 4:4). Why? Because Satan is the god of this world (II Cor. 4:4), and the promoter of alI of its system of things. Except for the simple truths of sin and salvation, God has written His secrets in code, so that His friends may understand and His enemies may not.

God meant business when He went to all the labor and sacrifice to provide us with His Word. We must mean business too, when We read it, and be Willing to do it, if We are to receive precious portions from Him. So many in our day have itching ears. They want to know about prophecies, about everything that is sensational and interesting, but which doesn’t call for any doing, no doing nor any suffering for His name’s sake. But God knows the hearts of all such, and He will not let them in on His plans.

This Was the condition of Israel when the Lord Jesus said: “Therefore they could not believe” (John 12:39). “He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart; that they should not see with their eyes, nor understand with their heart:’ Let us note that carefully. “Under_ stand with their heart.” With the mind We understand the things of men, but only with the heart can We understand the things of God.

Many other Scriptures show in different Words that a willingness to DO His Word is necessary for an understanding of it. In Psalm Ill: 10 We read: “a good understanding have all they that DO His commandments.” In James 1 :22 We are exhorted to be doers of the Word, and not hearers only, “For if any be a hearer of the Word, and not a doer, he is like a man beholding his natural face in a glass: for he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was:’ Most of us do not need more light from the Word; we need more walking in the light we have.

The Preeminence of Christ

“And He ” before all things, and by Him all things consist. And He is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things He might have the preeminence” (Colossians 1:17-18).

Here again is an important condition of heart which we must have before God will open up His rich treasures to us. The whole Bible is woven around one great and eternally blessed Person, the Lord Jesus Christ. Unless we see Him in every book in the Bible. desiring to know Him better and better in our reading. and above all, to honor Him and esteem Him above every other person and thing, God cannot afford to enlighten us, lest we become puffed up.

As the Lord Jesus walked with the two on the way to Emmaus, He expounded unto them ‘in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself’ (Luke 24:27). Again, in the 44th Verse He referred to the things “which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the Psalms, concerning Me.” If we take the five books of Moses, and all the books of the prophets, and the Psalms, We have nearly the whole Old Testament, and it all spoke of Him.

Some brethren and the writer once attended a country Bible forum. where a weekly discussion of the Word was held. At this particular session there were some interesting discussions on certain prophecies. and some study was made of certain Bible characters, and of certain interpretations. The Beast. and even Satan, came in on a good share of the study. But no one, from the beginning to the end, had anything to say about the Lord Jesus Christ. He was absent. A vacant chair in the semi-circle of participants seemed to us to be sitting there as a mute reminder of the One who was not there, unsought and uninvited. How good, brethren. and how pleasant it must be to the Father to hear us speak of His Son!

We may not be learned men, and our meetings not as sensational as some. We may stumble and stammer in presenting the Word. But if the glorious Son of the living God is the theme of our hearts; if there is among us, withal. glory and honor to His name, then the Father is pleased with us. Does He not say, ”This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased”? Then We are not left in doubt as to how to please the Father!

THE PARABLE OF THE SOWER

Let us now see how wonderfully the Parable of the Sower brings out these three principles of understanding, or of decoding the hidden secrets of God’s Word. Remember that these three principles have to do with the New Birth, WilIingness to Do His Will. and the Preeminence of Christ.

In the Parable of the Sower we find these three principles demonstrated in the first three kinds of ground. The wayside ground sets forth the necessity of first RECEIVING the Lord Jesus as Saviour, before one may understand the Word. The stony ground sets forth the mere professor of Christ, a believer in mind only, who has not fully surrendered himself to the Lord of glory, and hence has no heart for DOING His will.

Many church members, perhaps most of them, are in this category, mere religious professors who have never been born again. The thorny ground sets forth a saved but unfruitful believer, who hears the Word but is not able to give the Lord Jesus FIRST PLACE in his life. “Other things entering in,” come ahead of his Lord, and God cannot trust him with many precious gems from the rich stores of His Word. For a comparison of these three kinds of ground in the three Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke, let us put them down this way:

The Wayside Ground

Matthew 13:19- “When anyone heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which receiveth seed by the wayside:’ Here is a person who hears the Word but he understands it not, and the wicked one (Satan) catches it away. (See 11 Cor. 4:4).

Mark 4:15- “And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts,” They hear the Ward, but Satan takes it away.

Luke 8:12- “Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.” They hear the Word, then comes the devil and takes the Word out of their hearts, “lest they should belieee and be saved!”

Thus we see this to be the case of an unsaved person. He has, out of curiosity or for some other reason. read the Bible some. Or perhaps he has gone to hear it preached a number of times. But he does not understand it because his heart is not right toward God. He has a natural, unseeking heart, and “the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God.” Luke’s Gospel labels him clearly as an UNSAVED person, from whom the devil quickly snatches the Word, “lest he should believe and be saved:’ This agrees perfectly with the statement in II Cor. 4:3-4, that even the gospel is hid from such a person, whose mind is blinded by Satan, the god of this world, “lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto him:’

The Stony Ground

Matthew 13:20.21-”But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it; yet hath not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the Word, by and by he is offended.” This is a person who hears and receives the Word, but he hath no root in himself. His spiritual joy doesn’t last very long.

Mark 4: 16-17-”And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who when they have heard the Word, immediately receive it with gladness; and have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affiiction or persecution ariseth for the Word’s sake, immediately they are offended:’

Luke 8: 13-”They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the Word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away:’

These folks get farther than the wayside kind, but not far enough to become actually saved. Their acceptance of the Gospel is too theoretical and their joy is too quick and too shallow to last. They are marked by the statement, “which for a while believe,” But they have not counted the cost of stepping forth wholeheartedly for the Lord, They are intrigued by the wonders of God’s Word, and they desire the benefits of salvation, but they have not at any time surrendered that one thing to God that should have been surrendered-their own wills. This is necessary if one is to have reality in his Christian profession. Paul’s first words after the Lord revealed Himself to him were: “Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do?”

The stony ground heart is one that is not willing to DO the Lord’s will, It receives the Ward so long as the going is smooth. but when trials begin, it is offended. Luke makes it plain when he says this kind of person will “fall away,”

You will notice, also, that the stony ground person has “no root in himself.” It will not do to have a root in the faith of some other person. You may have had “a Christian mother,’ as so many say, or you may have a godly pastor, or have your trust in some evangelist of great ability. But all that will avail you nothing. Each one of us must have a root in himself; that is, the Word of God must have taken root in our own hearts, in our own faith. Each of us must consider our own eternal welfare, and have saving faith of our own, a personal faith that will not wilt under persecution. The love of Christ is said to be this force which constrains us (II Cor. 5:14), so that we will be able to live not unto ourselves but unto Him who loved us and died for us-II Cor. 5:15.

The Thorny Ground

Matthew 13:22 - “He also that received seed among the thorns is he that hearcth the Word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the Word, and he becometh unfruitful” Here is a person who hears the Word, but the things of this life press in upon him, and he becomes unfruitful. Saved but unfruitful.

Mark 4:18-19-”And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the Word, and the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the Word, and it becometh unfruitful.”

Luke 8: 14- “And that which fell among thorns arc they, which. when they have heard, go forth, and arc choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection.”

The stony ground speaks of a believer, hut one whose low esteem for his Saviour, and high esteem for the things around him, keep him in a state of spiritual poverty. Let us note that the end of the matter with the wayside person was that the devil snatched the Word out of his heart, and he remained unsaved. The stony ground person had no real root of faith and soon fell away, and remained unsaved also. Thus the first two kinds of ground speak of tasters and professors who were never really saved.

But with the thorny ground there is no such language as “falling away.” This person is a believer, one who is born again, but who is said to be “unfruitful.” Many of God’s dear saints fall into this class. They have the Word, but it is continually choked.

The three “chokers” against which every believer must wage constant combat, are: cares, riches, pleasure-all things of this life and of this world. In Galatians 1:4 we read that Christ died to save us from this present evil world, as, as well as from the abyss of the lost in the next world, Many whose souls have escaped the sentence of hell by fleeing to the cross for the great salvation of God, have not been fully saved from this present evil world. And yet, that is one of the things for which our Saviour went to the cross.

This goes back to the preeminence of Christ. All those in heaven will shout: “He is worthy:’ The martyrs of old proclaimed that He was worthy of all that they suffered for His name’s sake. Devoted saints today are able to live separated and victorious lives by the same means by counting the Son of God more dear than all things in this present evil world. Moses of old counted the sufferings and reproaches of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt- Hebrews 11 :26.

The Good Ground

It is interesting to note that the good ground sets forth a person who has overcome on each of the three points covered in the other three kinds of ground. Matthew says he heareth the Word and understandeth it. Luke 8: 15 says: “But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the Word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience”

Three things may be said of the good ground. (l) It speaks of a heart of faith, not a natural or unsaved heart. It is an “honest and good heart,” and able to understand the Word of God. (2) It not only hears the Word, but “keeps it.” That is, it sets out to be a doer of the Lord’s will and not a hearer only. (3) It brings forth fruit. The love of Christ constrains it, so that it does not live unto itself, but unto Him who loved us and died for us. The heart of every human being is described by one of these four kinds of ground, the first two describing unsaved people, and the last two describing believers.

How clear it becomes, then, that the three principles of nnderstanding-New Birth, Willingness, and Preeminence of Christ are the keys that unlock God’s secrets and His riches. People often say that parables are given to explain truth. But they are really given for the opposite reason, to hide truth.

During his school days, the writer used to work occasionally for a man who owned numerous tracts of land around a small California town. This man had his barns, tool houses, granary, blacksmith shop, and other buildings on a large block inside the city limits, where everything had to be locked up. Hired men were always losing the various keys, and there was a good deal of trouble, until a man with inventive genius perfected special combinations on every door. To open one building, you would step on a certain nail head on the step, press a certain panel, and then lift the latch. On another, you would pull a wire, press on a peg, pull the latch first to the left and then to the right. And so on. It was then simply a matter of each employee leaning the combinations, and all others were kept out.

God has written His parables in somewhat this fashion, so that they are baffling mysteries to those on the outside, but open doors for very precious things to those entitled to them. So it is that the Lord told the disciples:

“Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables: that seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand .. ” (Mark 4:11-12).

We cannot overemphasize that it is the condition of a person’s heart, and not of his mind, that opens the doors of understanding in the Word of God. Draw nigh unto God, seeking to know His Word for the purpose of giving all honor and glory to His Son, and you will find that He is faithful to open up its treasures to you. “Study to show thyself approved unto God.” 2. Timothy 2:15

Posted By - Cecil and Connie Spivey

E-mail this Bible study to all your friends.

Grace Bible Church!

1450 Oak Hill Road

 Fort Worth, TX 76112-3017

 (817) 451-0937

 Email: gbcfw@sbcglobal.net

 Sermons Online

Listen to Bible messages online.
New series on “The Crises of the Christ

 Posted By - Cecil and Connie Spivey

E-mail this Bible study to all your friends.

             .

After the tragic event of September 11th we often heard the question “Where was God?” or “Why did God allow this to happen?” The believer knows that God is still on His eternal throne, that He is sovereign, and nothing happens apart from His direct or permissive will, but for a season He has withdrawn from this earthly scene. He does indeed work on behalf of His own, and otherwise as well, but He acts covertly and His action seen only with the eye of faith. Bloody wars take place among the nations, thousands perish from famine, flood, earthquake and storm, but no voice or action is heard from above. In one of Sir Robert Anderson�s books the opening words are: “A silent heaven is the greatest mystery of our existence.”

What is the answer to this mystery? For two thousand years the heavens have been silent and this is strange when we compare it with Old Testament times. God was then dealing with the Hebrew nation and they saw marvelous displays of His person and power. He brought them out of slavery, making a path through the sea, and for forty years He fed them and led them and brought them into the land of promise with mighty victories over all their foes. Isaiah saw the Lord; Daniel fell at His feet; angels walked to and fro in the land; God fought for His people; heaven was not silent.

When Israel is enjoying the favor of God the heavens are open, but when Israel is in disfavor with God the heavens are silent. Between the two testaments, when Israel was being judged for their sins, there was a period of time which is often referred to as “the four hundred silent years.” God spoke His last word through Malachi and then 400 years of silence. This silence was finally broken by the appearance of the angel Gabriel to Zacharias announcing the birth of John the Baptist. Then Gabriel spoke to Mary, telling her of that Holy One which should be born of her, even the Son of God. Later the angel of the Lord appeared to the shepherds, announcing the birth of the Christ-child, and from the opened heavens they heard the heavenly host praising God.

Heaven was not silent during the earthly ministry of Christ, when He was presenting Himself to Israel as their Messiah, nor was heaven silent after His resurrection and on into the Acts period, when Israel was given opportunity to repent. There were miracles, wonders, signs, angelic visitations, jail deliverances, sudden judgments, etc. The heavens were not silent. However, Acts 28:28 marks a great change. Israel no longer stands as a nation before God. They are set aside for a reason and a season. The reason was their rejection of Christ both in His incarnation and in His resurrection. The season is this present dispensation of the mystery.

After the close of the Acts period we find a great man of God sitting in the Roman prison, but no angel comes to liberate him. An age of silence has begun. A silent God. A silent heaven. This silence has already lasted two millenniums. The nations rage and we see war, sin, suffering and sorrow on every hand. The people of God oft suffer at the hands of their enemies, and we see the ever-increasing and God-defying masses sinning and sinning and sinning. And yet in the midst of it all, God remains silent.

When God turned away from Israel, that nation through which His earthly purposes are to be realized, He then and there withdrew from this earthly scene. C.H.M. wrote “So long as there was any ground of hope in connection with Israel, the heavenly mystery was held back; but when earth had been abandoned and Israel set aside, the apostle of the Gentiles, from his prison at Rome, writes to the Church, and opens out all the glorious privileges connected with its place in the heavens.” God has for a season abandoned earth but we are here as His ambassadors in enemy land and we are asked to walk by faith and not by sight. God is allowing man�s day to run its course and is permitting the full development of the mystery of lawlessness. The mystery of iniquity is working. Soon the whole will be leavened. Man�s day will be replaced by the Lord’s Day. Then …

THE SILENCE TO BE BROKEN!

This is promised everywhere in Scripture. The psalmist declared: “Our God shall come, and shall not keep silence!” Just as the silence of the 400 years was broken by His first coming, so the present silence will be broken by His second coming. But before He manifests Himself to the world, He will manifest Himself to His own. This is the bright and blessed hope of the Church, the rapture, and it will be the opening rift in the silent heavens. After the Body of Christ has been removed from the scene God will begin to deal again with Israel and the nations. The silence will be broken and God will speak again, not then in grace, but in wrath. The heavens will be opened, not to pour out blessing, but disaster. The judgments of the Apocalypse will be visited upon the world, when the seals will be broken, the judgment trumpets sounded, and the vials of God�s wrath poured out.

Finally, the heavens will be fully opened and the blessed Lord Jesus Christ will return. The Apostle John saw Him as the rider on a white horse, followed by the heavenly armies, and He wrote: “He hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.” The silence will be broken. The King will return and have His rightful place upon the throne, with all beneath His feet. Every eye shall see Him and the earth will be filled with His glory. And never again will there be silence, for the lines of communication will always be open between heaven and earth, both as to the millennial earth and on into the new earth.

Grace Bible Church!

1450 Oak Hill Road

 Fort Worth, TX 76112-3017

 (817) 451-0937

 Email: gbcfw@sbcglobal.net

 Sermons Online

Listen to Bible messages online.
New series on “The Crises of the Christ

 Posted By - Cecil and Connie Spivey

 E-mail this Bible message to all your friends.