Christianity vs. Judaism

Colossians 1:25-29

COL-216

Our subject is "The mystery of the Church," segment number 31, in Colossians 1:25-29.

Paul's letter to the Christians in the city of Colossae was to assure them that the false teachers plaguing them were wrong in what they claimed, and in what they taught. These teachers claimed to have secret spiritual knowledge that was beyond what Paul had taught them through their pastor-teacher Epaphras. Paul reminded them that the real secret spiritually was what Paul had taught them about the mystery of the church. The Colossians understood their unique position as members of the church, the body of Christ. The church was a new species of saints, distinct from Israel under Judaism. The church had been the secret of God in the Old Testament Scriptures. Now with the Jews' rejection of the Lord Jesus Christ as their Messiah Savior, God had revealed His secret divine plan to the church body.

To church-age saints, God had provided the full revelation of doctrine, and a spiritual power system which is based upon the filling of the Holy Spirit. This is so commonplace that is almost tiresome for us to hear it. But I assure that this is not common knowledge among the Christian community. They do not understand the principle of feeding upon the Word of God as doctrinal principles, nor do they understand how to be filled with the Spirit, and the significance of that in their lives, and in the impact this will have on the quality of their eternity.

So, Christians had a way of life infinitely superior, in Colossae, to anything the Jews had under Judaism, who had no power whatever to be able to do right.

So, Paul is telling these Colossians to focus on living by means of the Holy Spirit, and to ignore the nonsense of the false teachers among them who claim to have superior, secret, spiritual insights for them.

The Secret Church was Revealed

In Colossians 1:27, that we have looked at particularly this morning, the apostle Paul goes on and says, "To whom God willed to make known (that is, to the saints of the gentiles in Colossae), to whom God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles." Here, Paul records God the Father's sovereign decision at a point in time to reveal His secret plan for the church. This came following the ascension of Jesus Christ into heaven. God made known, then, to the gentile world, the unbelievable spiritual riches of the glory of God, which is associated with a church-age way of life. The secret plan of God was to include both Jews and gentiles in one body called the church.

In time, the church body would be made up primarily of gentiles, though, for its early years, it was made up only of Jews. For the first 7 or 10 years, it was only Jews. Then, at the breakthrough in the home of Cornelius, gentiles were first brought into the picture.

Now, this suddenly created a real problem. It suddenly disrupted everything that the Jews had, for centuries, thought about themselves, and their special relationship to God. In time, the church body became primary gentiles, who would possess spiritual power, blessings, and relationships to God greater than anything experienced by the Jews in the past. God would shower numerous enormous grace blessings on the church saints, with the concept of the knowledge of doctrine, and the power of the Holy Spirit, enabling them to live lives of godliness; service to God; and, blessings beyond their fondest dreams.

Church saints would bask in the riches of the glory of God, daily – the glory of God was shed upon them on into eternity. There was nothing like this in the Old Testament – to live under the magnificence of the character of God, and all of that connotes.

Now, God in the Old Testament, as we have shown, made it plain that the gentiles would be saved along with the Jews. The provision of a Messiah Savior, promised to Abraham's descendants, would also cover the moral guilt of gentiles for their grace salvation.

However, the Old Testament never gave a clue as to the superior way of life that God had in store for a special group of saints, designed to create a special relationship for His son in the way of the body, of which he would be the head; and, the bride of which he would be the groom.

So, after Israel rejected the Messiah Savior, God the Father was now ready to make His move to bring light this which had been hidden up to this time.

There was a problem with the relationship between Jews and gentiles. The concept of gentiles being equal to Jews did not set well with the New Testament Jews. They could not conceive of gentiles being included in this special work of God: the church. Jews could not imagine gentiles having a special, spiritual relationship that was superior over anything that the Old Testament Jews had ever had with God.

So, the Jews (even the Christian ones) simply could not conceive of God creating a body of saints that were going to have special privileges, and honors, and blessings, entirely separate from the Mosaic system and from the Jewish way of life. They could not conceive of life apart from Judaism and a Mosaic Law.

Well, neither could our reformers in the Protestant reformation. They couldn't conceive of that either. And they made the mistake, which their followers have largely followed to this day, of trying to squeeze the magnificent life of the church into the pattern (the way of life) of the Law of Moses, under the Mosaic pattern of living. Consequently, in order to do that, they have to take the Bible in a non-literal way. They simply never grasped the distinctiveness of the church apart from Israel.

So, there rose of conflict in the New Testament church over this issue of the relationship between gentiles and Jews. The apostles themselves were slow in grasping the astounding mystery of the church as a union of both Jews and gentiles in one body of believers, where they would no longer be Jews in God's estimate, nor would they be gentiles. But they would be a third group of humanity – a new species called Christian.

So, in 49 A.D., they called a council in the city of Jerusalem, with all the apostles there, and all the elders, and all the leadership, to settle this question of the place of gentiles, and the relationship of Christianity to Judaism. That has been recorded for us in Acts 15. It's a rather extended passage, but I think it is worth reading. Then please keep in mind to ask yourself: how it is that theologians missed this in the reformation days. How it is that whole denominations missed this principle that is laid out here, to this very day. So, the church is stifled by Satan, and Christians are held back from what they can really be, and the life they can really live.

Christianity vs. Judaism (Acts 15)

Acts 15:1: "And some men came down from Judea, and began teaching the brethren: 'Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.'" Now, here are a group of people down in Antioch, and they are becoming believers. Once it broke loose in the house of Cornelius, the gentiles started to get saved. And this began spreading. Along came these people down from Jerusalem as religious authorities, and they said, "You cannot go to heaven if your males are not circumcised." And the implication was: "Neither can you women unless they're living under the code of the Law of Moses.

That was exactly the problem that we have today. That's why we have the horrendous insult of going into a church, and there's an altar, and there are candles, and there is incense. And there is somebody standing before the altar. And altar is a place of interceding for God to be merciful; to be propitious; and, to be satisfied towards sin. And that's exactly what Hebrews says, once and for all, that the Lord Jesus Christ did. Therefore, there is no place for altars within the Christian community. Again, it's an insult to the grace of God. But it began right here at the start of the church.

Acts 15:2: "And when Paul and Barnabas had great dissension and debate with them (these men), the brethren determined that Paul and Barnabas, and certain others of them, should go up to Jerusalem, to the apostles and elders, concerning this issue." Now, Paul and Barnabas had had a marvelous experience of the first missionary journey. They had been sent out by the Antioch church, and they had come back marveling at what God had done – the churches that had been planted in gentile territory. So, they had some personal, firsthand experience in dealing with this matter, and debating with these Judaizers, who were saying: "The Law of Moses is still in effect." So finally, they decided they had to go up to Jerusalem, to the apostles themselves, to discuss this, and to settle the issue.

"Up and Down"

Now, when it says "up and down" in Scripture here, this is geographic. Jerusalem is at a high elevation. Antioch is at a lower elevation. So, you go "up" to Jerusalem, or you go "down" to Antioch. And it looks funny on the map, because to go from Jerusalem to Antioch, you go north. And we think about that as going up. But this is geographic that they're referring to.

Acts 15:3-5, "Therefore, being sent on their way by the church (Paul and Barnabas), they were passing through both Phoenicia and Samaria (on the way to Jerusalem), describing in detail the conversion of the gentiles, and were bringing great joy to all the brethren." Now, they were meeting with Christians along the way (Jewish Christians), and they were telling what had happened on their first missionary journey, and the way the gentiles had responded. And these people were rejoicing over the fact that gentiles were pressing into the church body through faith in Christ.

Acts 15:4: "When they (Paul and Barnabas) arrived at Jerusalem, they were received by the church, and the apostles, and the elders, and they reported all that God had done with them. But certain ones of the sect of the Pharisees who had believed (these are Christians – but Judaizers and legalists) stood up, saying, 'It is necessary to circumcise them, and to direct them to observe the Law of Moses.'" Aha! This was not just a religious ritual on the males. Now they're expanding it to observe the whole religious system of the Law of Moses You had to have an altar. You had to have the rituals. You had to have some kind of a ceremonial procedure. And, of course, out of this evolved the idea of the Roman Catholic Mass of sacrificing on that altar, which is what an altar is for. So, they created the bloodless sacrifice of the Mass, and converted the Eucharist (the Lord's Supper) into a sacrificial system.

So, these people were very hard-nosed about this, and that's why the contention was arising. They said that gentiles cannot go through a way that is other than what the Jewish way required. They still did not grasp that the Jewish way was dead. That had been postponed – not the promises of God to Israel. All of those are yet to be fulfilled.

That was the other mistake the Reformers made in the Protestant Reformation. They concluded that God was through with the Jew, and that He had no future with them. That's why God had taken their nation. That's why they were scattered around the world, and they would never again be a nation. Well, in our very time, that has proven to be false. And in 1948, they did become a nation again, and they're moving right ahead, full-steam, into a loyal relationship to the antichrist in a tribulation world, just exactly the way the Bible predicted. However, here, these Judaizers said: "Nothing doing. They have to become Jews (proselytes), before they can become Christians.

Acts 15:6-9: "And the apostles and the elders came together to look into this matter. And after there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them, 'Brethren, you know that in the early days, God made a choice among you: that by my mouth the gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe.'" He's referring back to his experience in the house of Cornelius, when the first gentiles came into the church: "And God, Who knows the heart, bore witness to them, giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He also did to us, and made no distinction between us and them, cleansing their heart by faith."

Peter says, "I know they were born again, and I know they were baptized into the church, the body of Christ, by the Holy Spirit, because they spoke in foreign languages just like we did. And that, in the early days, was the sign of the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

So, Peter says, "I know what happened. These people have been born again." In what way? Acts 15:9: "Their hearts have been cleansed by faith. They came by trusting Jesus Christ as personal Savior.

Acts 15:10: "Now therefore, why do you put God to the test, by placing upon the neck of the disciples a yoke with which neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear." Why are you trying to make these people live under the rules of the Mosaic Law in order to please God? None of us ever could do it. We as Jews were always a failure when it came to trying to obey the Mosaic Law, because we had no power to do right. Jesus has obeyed the Law for us. He has covered all that territory. Therefore, the Law has been satisfied by Him for us.

Acts 15:11: "But we believe that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, in the same way as they also are." Peter says, "It's clear to us that we Jews have been saved, and become part of the body of Christ, without any works on our part. It is by an act of faith in Christ. And these people have entered the church the same way: "And all the multitude kept silent."

Acts 15:12: "And they were listening to Barnabas and Paul as they were relating what signs and wonders God had done through them among the gentiles (that is, on their first missionary journey)." Now, James was the leader. He's the half-brother of the Lord Jesus Christ. James, the apostle, was the leader of the Jerusalem church. So, now at this point, he stands up. Acts 15:13-14: "And after they stopped speaking, James answered saying, 'Brethren, listen to me. Simeon (that is, Peter) has related how God first concerned himself about taking from among the gentiles a people for His Name (the Cornelius household incident)."

Acts 15:15: "And with this, the words of the prophet agree just as it is written." Now, James is going to quote from the book of Amos. And he says: "Everything we've talked about here; everything we've heard described; and, everything we've seen happening among the gentiles – this is Scriptural. This is exactly on target."

Now, we don't have time to go into details on this, so I'm just going to touch it as we go, without going into much of the background. But in this passage in Amos, here's what it says: "After these things I will return". The first thing to understand is that "after these things" refers to the seven years of the tribulation. That is the "after these things" – after the seven years of the tribulation. Do not think that this means after the rapture of the church. Why can it not mean that? Because Amos didn't know anything about the church. Amos had no information about the church. He could not have been putting a timetable in reference to this marvelous body of saints which was never revealed to anybody.

So, after these things of the tribulation era, which is what Amos was talking about" Acts 15:16 says, "I will return (and the Messiah Savior will come at that Second Coming after the tribulation). And I will rebuild the tabernacle of David which has fallen." What does that mean? It means that He's going to reestablish the throne of David upon this earth, and the royal house of David. And the kingdom of David will be reestablished in the Millennial Kingdom, following the return of Christ after the tribulation. And that kingdom will be ruled over by the only qualified King that lives today, of the Davidic line, and that's Jesus Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ is not ruling over David's throne. Our Reformer friends, in the Middle Ages, made that mistake. Obviously, He's not here on this earth ruling.

So, what did the reformers do? They spiritualized it. They twisted the words from literal meaning, to make it say," His throne is in heaven." So, the amillennials say, "There is where Christ is reigning. He's reigning on a throne in heaven." But that's not what the announcement of Mary said. It said that He would reign over the house of Jacob forever; and, of His kingdom there would be no end," meaning this earthly kingdom. It was very clear what the angel was referring to, and Mary understood him clearly.

So, the throne upon which Jesus Christ is sitting in heaven, some of you may remember, is His Father's throne. He is sharing His Father's throne. Someday, He will come down to this earth, after the tribulation, in His Second Coming. Then He will rebuild the dynasty of David, and He will sit upon David's throne from the city of Jerusalem.

Acts 15:17: "'In order that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord, and all the gentiles who are called by My Name,' says the Lord, Who makes these things known from of old." Oh, now wait a minute. Are you telling us, James, that Amos 9:12 is saying that after the tribulation era, and in the Millennial Kingdom, when the reign of Christ is established as the descendant of David, there will be gentiles who are saved? That's exactly what Amos is saying. And James' point says, "Well, there you see. These gentiles are not living under the Mosaic system. These gentiles are not living under the Mosaic system in the tribulation, and yet they're going to be saved."

So, James is using this passage to say that he didn't know about the church, but he did know that gentiles, even in the Old Testament, were shown that they could be saved without being part of Judaism.

In Acts 15:19-20, James says, "Therefore, it is my judgment that we do not trouble those who are turning to God from among the gentiles, but that we write to them, that they abstain from things contaminated by idols, and from fornication, and from what is strangled, and from blood." He names three things. And these are moral issues. These are not just ritual ceremonies of the Jews, though they came from that, but these were moral issues. This was a great sin for the Jews to do any of these three things. And it was James' point that Jews and gentiles are going to be part of one body, a new body of believers, the church. And the gentiles are coming indeed without a Judaistic background. But we want peace to reign between these two groups that God has brought together: "Remove the dividing wall between them," as Ephesians says: and made of them one people (one body).

Abstain from Things Contaminated by Idols

Now, the apostle Paul, in 1 Corinthians 8:4, deals with this matter, where some Christians (some gentiles) were eating food offered to idols, because this meat would be taken; placed upon an offer of an idol altar; and, then it would be taken from there, and put in the butcher shop, which was right there in the temple. And it was some of the best meat in town. Was it wrong to eat it? No, it's not morally wrong. There's nothing wrong with that meat, which had just been offered to a dumb idol that doesn't really exist. And some Christians were eating it, but some Christians, just as James indicated, were offended by that.

So, Paul says, "If I have somebody that's going to be offended by my eating meat that has been on an idol altar, I suggest you don't do it. It's not worth it. Don't offend him. I know there's no meaning to that meat, but don't do it." That is because sometimes the banquets were held there in the banquet hall of the temple. They had banquet halls there. And the food that they were serving at the banquet had previously been offered to their gods.

Abstain from Sexual Immorality

So, this was no small thing. James was right on target. These people are never going to be very comfortable with Jews if they continue to conduct themselves in that way, which is why Paul very carefully, then, in his writings to the gentiles, spell out to them: "You have to stop that. We have a different lifestyle. We must conduct ourselves as Christ would conduct Himself in these matters. And He is our role model. And the Word of God is our pattern and guidance.

So they're to abstain from meat (food) offered idols. And they're not to be engaged in sexual immorality.

Abstain from Eating Blood

Now, there may have been sanitary reasons for that. But certainly, in this case, these three things are primarily moral issues. Therefore, I would suggest that we need to look at these as probably bigger than just that New Testament church situation. Clearly we're not confronted too much with eating meat that was sacrificed to idols. I haven't been able to find a good idol temple myself recently (at all), where they're selling cheap meat cuts. The sexual immorality, obviously, is very clear. That is out of bounds for Christians. But some Christians like to eat blood sausage. They like to eat foods made with blood. And I think that, even for Christians, on the basis of this passage, that's forbidden. It's a moral issue.

Acts 15:21: "For Moses, from ancient generations, has, in every city, those who preach him, since he is read in the synagogues every Sabbath." So, the gentiles should be aware that the Jews are very much conscious of these three primary things, because every time their Scriptures are read, this is called to their attention.

Acts 15:22: "Then it seemed good to the apostles and the elders (with the whole church) to choose men from among them, to send to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas." They're going to send Paul and Barnabas back down to Antioch. And they said, "Now we must have a representative: somebody who represents the Jewish element; and, somebody who represents the gentile element among us. We're going to send the report back. These people are waiting to be told what to do (these newly born-again gentiles)."

Acts 15:23 "So they sent Judas, called Barsabbas, representing the Jews; and, Silas representing the Greeks, leading men among the brethren. And they sent a letter with them."

Acts 15:24: "And the letter said, "The apostles and the brethren who are elders (spiritual leaders), to the brethren in Antioch, and Syria, and Cilicia who are from the gentiles: Greetings. Since we have heard that some of our number to whom we gave no instruction have disturbed you with words unsettling your souls."

Acts 15:25: "It seemed good to us, having become of one mind, to select men to send to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul: men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." James says, "People have gone to you (these Judaizers), and they've been telling you how you must act as gentile Christians. And they have pretended that they have been our messengers, and they have not been. They have deceived you to push their legalism on you. And we want you to know that that is not the case. We want to straighten it out now. And we're sending Paul and Barnabas back, with associated men as witnesses (so, they will know that Paul and Barnabas aren't just making this up), of the decision which we, the apostolic ban, have concluded in this matter."

Acts 15:27-32: "Therefore, we have sent Judas and Silas who themselves will also report the same things by word of mouth. They were witnesses in this matter. For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these essentials: that you abstain from things sacrificed to idols, and from blood: from things strangled; and, from fornication. If you keep yourselves free from such things, you will do well. Farewell.

"So, when they were sent away, they went down to Antioch (geographically moving to a lower elevation), and having gathered the congregation together, they delivered the letter and when they had read it, they rejoiced because of its encouragement (that is, the gentile Christians there). And Judas and Silas, also being prophets themselves, encouraged and strengthened the brethren with a lengthy message." These men had the gift of prophecy, which did exist in those days, which means they did have direct communication with God, guiding what they should say at this time. And both Judas and Silas had the gift of prophecy.

Acts 15:33-35: "And after they had spent time there, they were sent away from the brethren in peace to those who had sent them (they went back home). And it seemed good to Silas to remain there. But Paul and Barnabas stayed in Antioch, teaching and preaching with many others also, the Word of the Lord."

Now the picture had been clarified. Now the conclusion had been reached. Judaism and Christianity were two different things. Jews and gentile Christians will have to be related with one another. So, there were some ground rules laid down, so that there would be a relationship of peace and camaraderie.

Grace vs. the Law

The conclusion we may sum up in Paul's statement in Romans 6:14. This was what their new way of life was all about: "For sin shall not be master over you (the sin nature will not dominate you), for you're not under Law, but under grace." That's it. Your people are not under Law anymore. You're under grace. When people were under the Law (613 rules that they tried to keep), the old sin nature was always dominating them. They're always getting whipped to the ground. They didn't have any power, or any ability to be able to live the holiness of God. But now that you're under grace, you have a whole new ball game. You have a power system that God has given to you. It is the same one that Christ used in His humanity. So, you can live, and whip the devil at his own game. You can beat the sin nature and its appeals to you. It will turn your stomach. You don't want it. You can spot the world for the threat that it is to your life, and to the eternal wellbeing of your rewards. All of this is now possible, because God has given us the full revelation of church-age doctrine.

Paul

Now, the apostle Paul became a prominent conduit of this church age information through God. The detailed revelation of the mystery of the church began with Paul on the Damascus Road at his conversion. It was on that day, on that road, that suddenly, this man, who was on his way to persecute Christians, became the man who was going to be the primary avenue through whom God was going to reveal all the full details, relative to life in the church age. The other apostles didn't have that. They had some of it, but they had nothing like what Paul was now going to bring together, which is why Paul wrote so many of the New Testament letters, crystallizing and putting in formal expression, what God was now going to reveal to him about the church age.

Abortion

In Galatians 1:15-17, Paul says, "But when He, Who had set me apart (God), even for my mother's womb, and called me through His grace." Wait a minute: "Even though my mother's womb?" Are you telling me that God has a purpose for an unborn child? What if it would have been okay to abort Paul, because he was nothing: no person; no humanity; no soul; and, no spirit? Read that article that we put out on abortion today. What a horrendous thing! Here, Paul makes s very simple little statement. Obviously, he was a creation of God, even in his mother's womb: "And He called me through his grace. He was pleased to reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him among the gentiles. I did not immediately consult with flesh and blood, nor did I go up to Jerusalem, to those who were apostles before me. But I went away to Arabia, and returned once more to Damascus."

In another place, Galatians 1:18, Paul tells us that he was out there for three years in the Arabian Desert. What was he doing? He was not playing Lawrence of Arabia. What he was doing was receiving intense instruction from the Lord Jesus Christ. And the Holy Spirit was making clear to Paul's understanding all the details about the new church age, and all the doctrines that pertain to that marvelous work of God. And he makes it clear that he didn't get this from some other human being. He didn't get it from any of those people. He went right out there, and after three years, he came back to Damascus. Now he was ready to start his ministry, because he knew the full gamut of truth about the church age, and none of the rest of them had.

In Ephesians 3:1-3, Paul says, "For this reason, I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus, for the sake of you gentiles, if indeed you have heard of the stewardship (or the dispensation) of God's grace, which was given to me for you; that by revelation, there was made known to me the mystery, as I wrote before in brief." What was made known to him in brief? The mystery of the church. He had written to them in brief, but it was given to him in full detail.

It was Paul's divine mission to make known the glorious, church-age riches of God's grace to the gentiles. There in Ephesians 3:8-12 he says, "To me, the very least of all saints, this grace was given to preach to the gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ." That is the riches of the glory that he's referring to in Colossians: "The glorious riches of the church-age lifestyle, and power system.

Ephesians 3:9-12, "To bring to light what is the dispensation of the mystery, which for ages has been hidden in God, Who created all things, in order that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church, to the rulers and authorities in heavenly places. This was in accordance with the eternal purpose which He carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord, in Whom we have boldness and confident access through faith in Him".

Paul says, "I was the agent that God selected for something that He decided a long time ago, in eternity past. This was not an accident. This was not a patchwork of decision on the spur of the moment when the Jews rejected the Savior. All this was coming in line, one step at a time. And God had all this put together – this plan for the church. And when the time was right, he brought the information out. And the mystery secret became known. And the details were revealed through the apostle Paul.

This was Paul's great mission – to tell people how to be Christians: "How then should we now live?" His mission was to tell people how they can live above the enslavement to the sin nature; how they can really rise to their potential in Christ; and, how they can, through the Spirit of God Who lives in them, be filled with the Spirit, so that they'll be able to respond to Him.

Once in a while, I have to go to somebody and say, "I have an uneasy feeling." And I'll tell it to them directly or indirectly: "I have an uneasy feeling about this with you. I have an uneasy feeling about this, and I think I should caution you. I need to alert you to the fact, perhaps, that you are a potential target of Satan, because you're highly exposed." And many times I have had Christians who just didn't understand that, unless they keep themselves under the protective custody of God the Holy Spirit, they can be brought down like anybody else. And suddenly, a prince among us becomes a popper. Suddenly, someone that we lean upon; and, someone that is in the line of the battle, is no longer there, and we have to go on, limping without, because of not using the assets and the resources of the church age to protect us from becoming spiritual casualties. You may get tired of having that drummed into you, but I get tired, and saddened, of seeing the devil win.

Paul had to tell people what life in the church age was like. Who does that today? This is what the pastor-teacher in the local church is designed by God to do. He is to inform Christians, through expository preaching, based upon the Word of God, and based behind the translation of the Word of God, to what his position is in Christ; to the power system of the indwelling Holy Spirit; to the whole church age privileges; and, to the consequences that this will be with a God who never forgets our works of love, so that what now will be blessing, but in the future will be eternal reward.

Pastor-Teachers

Isn't it interesting how, once in a while, we get a shock that life at the prime is suddenly snuffed out? Who would've thought it? And I wonder if the people who are there in eternity, especially if they're believers, realize what happened to them unexpectedly, look back and say, "Oh, I wish I had done that. I wish I had lived up to my potential as a member of the body of Christ in the age of the church. Most of them can't do that, because they don't know about it. They've never been informed. The pastor-teachers are not doing their job – understanding how to utilize the church age doctrine and the grace of God in this age, that can only be learned from Scripture. That's the only place you're going to get this. You're not going to get this in your little Saturday night Bible study groups that you gather, or your little cutesy-pooh ladies' clubs that you go to – so you can talk about the Word of God, and have inspirational stories.

The pastor-teacher who does not study in order to be able to understand the Word of God, in depth, from the languages in which it was written, is not going to be able to preach the great, full counsel of the Word of God, relative to the relative to the age of the church. The pastor-teacher may be sidetracked on one thing or another (maybe even good things), but sidetracked from his primary calling, which is intense study of the Word of God. And I guarantee you that the Bible is not a simple book. It never becomes a simple book. And a passage that you've been over many times before, requires intense review, and digging, and reorientation to the time in which you live, and to the application that is there.

The greatest tragedy, and the greatest sadness, is to see Christians who cannot rise to it. All around us there are Christians out there who can't rise to it, because nobody's telling it to them. There is no pastor-teacher who is digging out the Word of God; who has the gift; who has the training; and, who has the heart: "You gotta have heart," like the old song says. I guarantee you that you gotta have heart to get ready to stand up in the pulpit, and take that burden upon you.

One of our men this morning said, "You look very relaxed this morning in the pulpit. I think you're feeling better that the mortgage is paid." I said, "Well, I think it's because there's less of me nowadays than there used to be, such that maybe I look better."

However, there was something that encouraged me. I was sitting here this morning, and people are looking around for seats. People are coming in. They thought I was going to pull out a new blockbuster here (another thermometer). They were waiting for the second stage. Well, you got it tonight. Here it is. But, obviously, on the human level, one is most encouraging things is when the believers are there, filling the chairs. That's the only way they can get what they need to know.

So, this is a great and the mighty thing that God has done for us in the age of grace. And the pastor-teachers are the crying need of Christians today.

The Permanent Indwelling of Jesus Christ

So, in Colossians 1:27, Paul says, "To whom God will to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the gentiles." Then he says, "Here's the message: which is Christ in you." This is the indwelling Lord Jesus Christ – the promise of the Lord Jesus Christ to live within the human body of every believer. Oh boy. What an understanding of principle that is, that we need. How much we would not think. How much we would not tolerate in our conduct, if we reminded ourselves that there is somebody in the house observing.

In John 14:20, Jesus made this dramatic statement when He said, "Ye in Me, and I in you". One of the special relationships unique to the church-age believer is the permanent indwelling of Jesus Christ. This was never true, and never could have been true in Old Testament times, which is why it is so ridiculous when people still want to live under the legalistic systems, and the rituals, and the setup of the Old Testament.

In Hebrews 13:5-6, the writer says, "Let your character (meaning your way of life, Christian) be free from the love of money, being content with what you have. For He Himself has said, 'I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you.' So we confidently say, 'The Lord is my helper. I will not be afraid. What shall man do to me?" Now, I thought, when I read this verse again, it struck me: isn't it interesting that here's a verse where it tells us that Christ is going to indwell us? He promised to do that, and this verse says that He is never going to leave us.

And one of the ways he evidences it, and we should react to it, is in reference to money. "Let your way of life be free from the greed, and the love, and the grasping, and the snatching, and the gripping, and the hanging on, of money, which belongs to Me anyhow. You're My steward. Just be content with what I give you. Be content with what you give me." You might say, "Yeah, but I got this and that. I've got this to take care of, and that to take care of." Jesus says: "I know. I'll never leave you. I'll never desert you. I will always remain in you. I will permanently stay with you. And I'll never forsake you. I will always give you the daily grace for what you need – logistical grace to do your ministry for Me."

Sometimes you'll do it like a lot of us have to do it: "I'm very slim pickins." We have to do it because we've had to use our money in one thing and another that the work of God required. But are we ever starving? No. Are we ever cold? No. Are we ever missing anything? No. Are we ever replenished? That's right. The widow's jar of oil keeps pumping back in, about the time we think we've given our means and beyond. Why? The Lord is my Helper. So, it's no great problem to do that. All you have to do is believe it. I will not be afraid. How can I be afraid when I've got God as my Caretaker?

"What shall man do to me? I thought that was fascinating. Christ is stressing that He's going to be indwelling you permanently. And He says, "And I'll show you how you really believe it – that this is a reality to you. How do you handle your money?" Jesus Christ indwells the Christian as his role model Who is to be imitated. This is the person you should direct your children to imitate, not those clowns out in the rock-n-roll world.

Galatians 2:20 says, "I've been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. And the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, Who loved me, and delivered Himself for me:" "Christ liveth in me," as the Psalm says.

So, a Christian is never alone in his life. And he should never think and act except as he would under the conscious gaze of Jesus Christ. That makes sinning very embarrassing. How amazing it is that Christians are willing to compromise their integrity, and satisfy some old sin nature lust, while Jesus Christ is standing there within Him, looking on. That's very strange.

In Numbers 32:23, all the way back in the Old Testament time, God had something to say about this: "But if you will not do so," and He is talking about them here – some of the tribes. Two of the tribes want to stay on the other side of the Jordan. They have not gone over and conquered the rest of it. They want to stay on this side. They like that territory. Moses says, "Fine. You give me your word. You can go ahead and leave your families here, and your flocks, and build your homes here. But you give me your word that you'll come across the Jordan with us, and you'll fight the battles, and you'll stay with us until we have conquered the Promised Land. Then you come back, and you can go ahead and live in this part of the territory. They said, "Yes, we'll do it. We're going to make a promise to God. And at this point, Moses says, "And if you'll not do so, behold, you have sinned against the Lord. And be sure your sin will find you out."

Uh-oh! Christ in us, the hope of glory. He is observing, and we sin. Just be sure your sin will find you out. Sooner or later, that horrible sin becomes a terrible, terrible thing.

I once had to perform a marriage ceremony with Henry Kincaid who used to be up at First Baptist Church. The girl was from his church. The young man was from ours, so they wanted me to participate. And Henry was the main officiator. And I read scripture, or led in prayer, or something. And as Dr. Kincaid was conducting the ceremony, I was kind of surprised. Right there, speaking to this couple, he gave them a speech on sexual integrity – on personal honor in how they acted sexually toward one another. And he said, "If you do not, there will be shame; there'll be grief; there'll be wounding;" and, he just went on and on. And I thought: "How odd, but how appropriate:" "Be sure your sin will find you out" was what he was telling them.

Psalm 90:8, "You have placed our iniquities before You – our secret sins in the light of Your presence." How can you have a secret sin when Jesus Christ is in you, indwelling you, and looking upon this?

Dr. Lewis Sperry Chafer of Dallas Seminary used to say, "Secret sin on earth is open scandal in heaven."

Then there's Luke 8:17: "For nothing is hidden that shall not become evident, nor anything secret that shall not be known and come to light". So, let's not be stupid, and carry on as if we can do these evil sins. We can redefine them. We can play around the edges. Sin is sin, and it will be dealt with by a God of integrity, especially for those of us who have the privilege of being in part of the special group of people, the body of Christ. To be Christ-like – that's our goal.

2 Thessalonians 1:11-12, "To this end also we pray for you always, that our God may count you worthy of your calling, and fulfill every desire for goodness and the work of faith with power, in order that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you and Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ." Don't embarrass our Lord.

There's one more thing that Paul points out in Colossians 1:27: "To whom God will to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory." The indwelling of the church believer by Jesus Christ assures the saint of entrance into the glory land of heaven, because where Christ is, that is where we will be. Why am I sure of heaven? Because Jesus Christ lives within me, and where He is going to spend His eternity, and where He is spending it as a human being, qualifies us to do the same. And He will not leave us behind.

Romans 5:1-2: "Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through Him also, we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace of the church, in which we stand, and we exalt in hope of the glory of God." We rejoice in what the glory of God is going to do for us in the future.

Then there is Romans 8:16-17: "The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit (our human spirit) that we are the children of God. And if children, heirs also: heirs of God, and fellow-heirs with Christ." Everything that He has, we have: "If indeed we suffer with Him, in order that we may also be glorified with Him."

The Lord Jesus Christ indwells us. And Christians (in Christ) will return with Him in glory, someday, from heaven, to rule (to reign) upon this earth. This is mentioned in Colossians 3:3-4: "For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, Who is our life, is revealed (in the Second Coming), then you also will be revealed with Him in glory." So, let's live up to what we are. Let's live up to our heritage. Let's live up to all the privileges appertaining to us in Christ, and in our royal position. Let's rise to what we should be.

The glorified humanity of the Lord Jesus Christ is now in heaven. It assures us that all church-age saints, in their humanity, will also enter there. We'll enter with a glorified body, meaning one free of the old sin nature; free of all moral guilt; and, free of death.

1 John 3:2, "Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we shall be. We know that when He appears, we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him just as He is." The indwelling of the church believer by the Lord Jesus Christ is permanent, and we are certain, because Christ is in heaven, that that is where we will be too. It is His purpose for us to be where He is.

I leave you tonight with John 14:3, that puts this all together: "And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also." Christ in us, the hope of glory.

Thank you, Father, for this time in Your Word. Help us to rejoice, and go out of here with great confidence, and act accordingly. Thank you for these offerings which we bring to You as an expression of our gratitude, and our confidence that You will never leave us nor forsake us. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

Dr. John E. Danish, 1995

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