Southern Christian
University
The Gospels
James A.
Turner
Class Session Four
Hello, students. When our time was up the last session, we
were reading from the sixth chapter of the gospel of John. I believe we had gotten down to verse fifteen. I would like for us to pick up there about
Jesus feeding the five thousand with five loaves and two fishes as recorded
here by John. We will turn and read from
the other gospel writers. Notice
carefully how that they compliment each other.
Everything that John has recorded down to this is peculiar to his book,
it is not recorded by the other gospel
writers. Then picking up with what
follows, the latter part of the chapter six of John is peculiar to the book of
John. So let us begin reading from John 6:12.
"And
when they were filled, he saith unto his disciples, Gather up the broken
pieces, which remain over, that nothing be lost." If you believe in highlighting, I would
suggest that you highlight the latter part of verse twelve there, because that
is peculiar to John's account. He is the
one that tells that Jesus said do that.
The others say that they gathered up the broken pieces, but John is the
only one that says that Jesus told them to, that
nothing be lost. "So
they gathered them up, and filled twelve baskets with broken pieces from the
five barley loaves, which remained over unto them that had eaten. When therefore the people saw the sign, which
he did, They said, This is of a truth the prophet that cometh into the
world. Jesus therefore perceiving that
they were about to come and take him by force, to make him king, withdrew again
into the mountain himself alone."
Let me emphasize that the
Premillennialist are still trying to make Jesus an earthly king! He refused to
be an earthly king during his personal ministry, but they still are saying that
he must be an earthly king. If he
had come to be an earthly king, this would have surely been the time, but
notice that he withdrew again when he saw that they were ready to make him king
by force. When he was before Pilate, as
recorded here in the gospel of John, when Pilate questioned him about whether
or not he was a king, he said, My
kingdom is not of this world. If my
kingdom were of this world, then should my disciples fight that I should not be
delivered. But now is my kingdom not
from hence, (John 18:36). So Jesus did not come to be an earthly
king. That doctrine that Christ is going
to come back to earth and reign on earth a thousand years is false from
beginning to end! It is based entirely on wrong interpretation of
scriptures. When you start out with a
false premise, you are surely going to end up with false conclusions. So that doctrine will not stand. According to that doctrine, Christ came to
set up his kingdom and the Jews rejected him, and as a result of them rejecting
him, he ushered in the church age, and that we are still in the church
age. The Colossian brethren had been, translated out of the kingdom of darkness
into the kingdom of God's dear son, (Colossians 1:13), Remember that he said to Peter, upon this rock I will build my church. Upon that bedrock of truth that you confess
that I am the Christ the son of the living God, I will build my church,
and the
gates of Hades shall not prevail against it, and I will give unto thee the keys
of the kingdom of heaven. Whatsoever
thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatsoever thou shalt
loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. So in Matthew16:18-19,
he uses the church and the kingdom interchangeably. Christ is God, and if he could not do it the first time,
what assurance do we have that he could do it the second time? The apostle John
and all of those brethren of the first century were in the kingdom
of Christ (Revelation 1:9).
That doctrine is contrary to plain Bible teaching.
We will read on here a few
verses, because I believe the other accounts record about the disciples getting
into a boat. Verse sixteen, "And when evening came, his disciples went
down unto the sea, and they entered into a boat, and were going over the sea
unto Capernaum.
And it was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. And the sea was rising by reason of a great
wind that blew." There are
mountains on each side of the sea of Galilee, and the wind can blow down and
become dangerous with people in small boats in a hurry. So the wind had blown down on the disciples
in the boat. "When therefore they had rowed about five and twenty or
thirty furlongs." Johnson,
in his commentary on John, says that they would have been about halfway across
the sea of Galilee, which is about six miles wide. "They beheld Jesus walking on the water,
and drawing nigh unto the boat: And they were afraid. But he said unto them, It is I; be not afraid. They were therefore glad to receive him into the boat: And
straightway the boat was at land whither they were going." So they did not have any more trouble. We will note from the other readings that
they give a few more details, but you can see that it did not take them long to
finish getting across the sea of Galilee after Jesus got into the boat with
them. Now, turn to Matthew the
fourteenth chapter, and we will read from Matthew's account.
STUDENT: Was that a miracle?
BROTHER TURNER: Matthew, chapter fourteen.
STUDENT: Was that a miracle the boat getting to land,
or was that just normal?
BROTHER TURNER: Matthew 14:32
reads, And when they (Jesus
and Peter) had gone up into the
boat, the wind ceased. His walking on the water was contrary to the
natural laws of nature. Many people today wrongly speak of things like the
birth of a baby, and people not being killed in terrible accidents as miracles.
A miracle may be defined as an act of God, contrary to the laws of nature. The birth of a baby, or any bird or animal,
is according to Gods natural laws. A special providence of God is a special
act of God in keeping with the laws of nature.
And God does not operate in a miraculous way today, and we will probably
get around to talking about that further at a later date.
So Matthew chapter fourteen,
picking up with verse thirteen. "Now when Jesus heard it, Heard about how Herod had put John the
Baptist to death. he withdrew from thence in a boat to a
desert place apart: and when the multitudes heard thereof,
they followed him on foot from the cities.
And he came forth, and saw a great multitude, and he had compassion on
them, and healed their sick."
We have several times stated in the gospel books that Jesus, seeing the
great multitude, had compassion on them.
And here he had compassion on them and healed their sick. "And
when evening was come, the disciples came to him, saying, The place is desert
and the time is already past, send the multitude away, that they may go into
the villages, and buy themselves food." So there were no places for them to buy them
food or get food in the place where they were.
"But Jesus said unto
them, They have no need to go away; give ye them to eat. And they say unto him, We have here but five
loaves, and two fishes. And he said,
Bring them hitherto me. And he commanded
the multitude to sit down on the grass, and he took the five loaves, and the
two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed, and brake and gave the loaves
to the disciples." And so
Matthew shows that he did not do it directly but gave it to the disciples and
the disciples to the multitude. "And they all ate and were filled:
And they took up that which remained over of the broken pieces, twelve
baskets full. And they that did eat were
about five thousand men, besides women and children." Now, John did not say anything about
the women and children, but five thousand men besides women and children. Do you think there would have been at least
five thousand women and children, possibly more? So a great multitude that Jesus fed with five
loaves and two fishes, which was certainly a miracle. That was contrary to the laws of nature to
take five barley loaves and two fishes and feed a multitude, say, of more than
ten thousand people, and then take up twelve basket fulls. "And
straightway, he constrained the disciples to enter into the boat, and to go
before him unto the other side, until he should send the multitudes away. After he had sent the multitudes away, he
went up into the mountain apart to pray:
And when evening was come, he was there alone. But the boat was now in the midst of the sea." And so Matthew says that it was in the
midst. So when Jesus went to them, it
was in the midst of the sea. "Distressed by the waves:
for the wind was contrary.
Verse twenty-five, And in the fourth watch of the night,
he came unto them, walking upon the sea.
And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled,
saying, It is a ghost; and they cried out for fear. But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying,
Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.
And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto
thee on the water. And he said, Come. And Peter went down from the boat, and walked
upon the water, to go to Jesus. But when
he saw the wind, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried out, saying,
Lord save me. And immediately Jesus
stretched forth his hand, and took hold of him, and saith unto him, O thou
little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?
And when they were gone up into the boat, the wind ceased. And they that were in the boat worshipped
him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God. And when they had crossed over, they came to
land unto Gennesaret. And when the men
of that place knew him, they sent into all the region round about, and brought
unto him all that were sick; and they besought him that they might only
touch the border of his garment, and as many as touched were made whole." So all four writers record this, about
the feeding of the five thousand. It was
a very important event. It was very
unusual for all four to record the same event.
Turn next to Mark, chapter six
beginning with verse thirty. Mark's
gospel is very much like Matthew's, except much shorter. And notice that he records about the death of
John the Baptist, how that Herod's wife had her daughter to ask for John the
Baptist's head on a platter. The king
did not want to go back on his oath, and so he had John the Baptist beheaded
and his head carried to his daughter on a platter. Mark 6:30
beginning, "And the apostles
gathered together unto Jesus, and they told him all things, whatsoever they had
done, and whatsoever they had taught." He had sent them forth on that limited
commission to go only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. So they had performed that mission. "And
he saith unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest
awhile." They are trying to
get away into a place where they can get a little rest. They had been so busy, that they had not had
time to rest. "For there were many coming and going, and they had no
leisure, so much as to eat."
Can you imagine that, so many people thronging Jesus and his work, that
they have not had time to eat. "And they went away in the boat to a desert
place apart. And the people saw them
going, and many knew them, and they ran together there on foot from all of the
cities, and out went them. They
must have gone in a hurry. The disciples
were in a boat, and they figured out where they are going, so they run on foot and
got there before they do. "And he came forth and saw a great
multitude and he had compassion on them." And here Mark gives a good reason as to why
he hath compassion on them. Now, which
one said that he healed the sick? That
is Matthew. Mark here says that because
they were like sheep not having a shepherd, and he began to teach them many
things. We read a statement like
that more than once about Jesus, and he saw the people scattered as sheep not
having a shepherd. He had compassion on
them. "And
when the day was now far spent, his disciples came unto him and said the place
is desert and the day is now far spent, send them away, that they may go into
the country and villages round about:
and buy themselves somewhat to eat.
But he answered and said unto them, Give ye them to eat. And they say unto him, Shall we go and buy
two hundred shillings' worth of bread; and give them to eat? And he saith unto them, How many loaves have
ye? Go and see. And when they knew, they say, five, and two
fishes. And he commanded them all to sit
down by companies upon the green grass.
And they sat down in ranks, by hundreds, and by fifties. And he took the five loaves and the two
fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed, and brake the loaves, and he
gave to the disciples to set before
them, and the two fishes divided he among them all. And they all ate, and were filled. And they took up broken pieces, twelve
baskets full, and also the fishes. And
they that ate the loaves were five thousand men." So thus far only Matthew has said plus women
and children.
Verse 45, "And straightway he constrained his disciples to enter
into the boat, and go before him unto the other side to Bethsaida, while he
himself sendeth the multitude away. And
after he had taken leave from them, he departed into the mountain to
pray." Jesus, after the
disciples left in a boat, sent the multitudes away, and then he went up into
the mountain to pray, and then goes and catches up with the disciples. "And when evening come, the boat was in the
midst of the sea." So
Matthew and Mark say that the boat was in the midst of the sea instead of
telling how far they had rowed. "And he was alone on the land. And seeing them distressed in rowing; for the
wind was contrary unto them:
about the fourth watch of the night he cometh unto them, walking on the sea,
and he would have passed them by."
So Mark gives a little detail that he would have passed them by. "But
when they saw him walking on the sea, supposed it was a ghost and cried out; for
they all saw him, and were troubled. But
he straightway spaketh unto them, and saith unto them, Be of good cheer: It
is I; be not afraid. And he went up unto
them in the boat; and the wind ceased:
And they were sore amazed in themselves, for they understood not
concerning the loaves:
but rather their heart was hardened."
STUDENT: That's strange!
BROTHER TURNER: That is strange, isn't it? And I believe he is the only one that records
that they did not fully understand even about the multiplying of the five
loaves and the two fishes. "For they understood not concerning
the loaves:
But their heart was hardened. And
when he had crossed over, they came into the land into Gennesaret, and moored
to the shore. And when they were come
out of the boat, straightway the people knew him, and ran round about the whole
region, and began to carry about on their beds those that were sick, where they
heard he was. And wheresoever he
entered, into villages, or into cities or into the country, they laid the sick in
the marketplaces, and besought him that they might touch if it were but the
border of his garment; and as many as touched him were made whole."
Next Luke's account in chapter
nine. So Mark and Luke tell about the
apostles having returned from that limited commission. Luke chapter nine beginning with verse ten,
"And the apostles, when they
were returned, declared unto him what things they had done. And he took them, and withdrew apart to the
city called Bethsaida. But the
multitudes, perceiving it, followed him:
And he welcomed them, and spake to them of the kingdom of God, and them
that hath need of healing he cured. And
the day began to wear away, and the
twelve came, and said unto him, Send the multitude away that they may go unto
the villages and countries round about, and lodge, and get provisions:
For we are here in a desert place.
But he said unto them, Give ye them to eat. And they said, We have no more than five
loaves and two fishes; except we should go and buy food for all this people. For they were about five thousand men." So Matthew is the only one that says plus the
women and children. "And he said unto his disciples, Make them
sit down in companies about fifty each, and they did so, and made them all sit
down. And he took the five loaves and
the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed them, and brake, and gave
to the disciples to set before the multitude.
And they ate, and were all filled:
And there was taken up that which remained over of them of broken pieces
twelve baskets." So all of
them record that they took up twelve baskets full of broken pieces, but John is
the only one that says the Lord told them to do it. "And
it came to pass, as he was praying apart, the disciples were with him:
And he asked them, saying."
Well, I reckon that we have read all that we need to read from Luke
there.
What are some lessons that we
should have learned from these accounts concerning Jesus feeding the five
thousand?
STUDENT:
The number one I would learn would not to be wasteful.
BROTHER TURNER: Learn not to be wasteful.
STUDENT: Yes, sir.
BROTHER TURNER:
American people as a people are pretty wasteful people, aren't they? STUDENT: This is true.
BROTHER TURNER: There are many places where the people would
like to have, you might say, the crumbs of our tables. Maybe that can sometimes be carried to an
extreme, but at least the economy of the
world is that the Lord has created in such a way that really nothing is wasted,
right? STUDENT: That's true.
BROTHER TURNER: When things fall on the ground, it is going
to go back to fertile soil, or it is
going to feed the various kinds of insects.
Nothing from the standpoint of creation is actually lost. And I believe you will find that those in the
main in the church who give cheerfully and liberally are those that are
conservative in living. A man can go out
and do a lot of throwing away in buying.
He gets excited and he buys this and he buys the other, and ends up
spending a lot of money, and a lot of times on things he did not begin to
need. And a lot of them then end up
giving the Lord the crumbs, but that is not the proper thing. Think that how a lot of business enterprises
in the United States have capitalized on seeing that nothing is wasted. The meat‑packing industry. That has been one of the points of their
success is that they use everything. In
manufacturing some products, there are a lot of by‑products that come as
a result. Those companies who learn to
make things useful out of those by‑products may be the difference between
real success for the company and not success.
So that is an important principle that nothing be lost and Jesus
set forth that principle. The miracle
shows that he is God, his work proves that he is a divine person and that he
came from God. What about having the
people sit down in companies? And he
blessed the bread and the fishes and gave to the disciples and the disciples to
the multitude. God is a God of order, is
he not?
STUDENT: Yes, order.
BROTHER TURNER: And think how that could have even caused a
riot. The people must have been very
hungry, and if it had not been in an
orderly fashion, they would have been running over one another to get to the bread
and the fishes.
STUDENT: It certainly would hurt a few women and
children, wouldn't it? BROTHER TURNER: Yes, but it looks like there must have been
perfect order after he had the disciples tell them to sit down in companies and
then he blessed and gave to the disciples and the disciples to the multitude.
I believe we will turn back to
the gospel of John and continue reading the rest at least of chapter six, maybe
chapter seven of John before we go back to Matthew. Let us pick up with verse twenty‑three
of chapter six of John. I believe that
is where we left off. "On the morrow the multitude that stood on
the other side of the sea that saw there was no other boat there, save the
one that Jesus entered not with his disciples into the boat, but that his
disciples went away alone."
They were wondering how Jesus got there, see. There was but one boat and that was the one
that the disciples left in. And Jesus
after that sent the multitudes away and went into the mountains to pray and
then went walking on the sea of Galilee to the other side, at least according
to Mark, said he was going to pass them by.
I reckon I will have to pick up with verse twenty‑two again. "On
the morrow the multitude that stood on the other side of the sea saw that there
was no other boat there, save one and that Jesus entered not with his disciples
into the boat, but that his disciples went away alone; (howbeit there came
boats from Tiberias nigh unto the place where they ate the bread, after the
Lord had given thanks.) When the
multitude therefore saw that Jesus was not there, neither his disciples, they
themselves got into the boats, and came to Capernaum, seeking Jesus. And when they found him on the other side of
the sea, they said unto him, Rabbi, when camest thou hither?" They have a problem. They knew he was not in that boat when the
boat left. "Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you,
Ye seek me, not because ye saw signs, but because ye eat of the loaves, and
were filled."
So this gives him the opportunity
to teach about spiritual food. Verse
twenty-seven, "Work not for the
food which perisheth, but for the food which abideth unto eternal life, which
the Son of man shall give unto you:
for him the Father even God hath sealed." So Jesus is going to teach them in detail
about how that he is the bread of life.
And remember in his conversation with the Samaritan woman that he taught
her that he is the water of life. "They said therefore unto him, What
must we do, that we may work the works of God?
Jesus answered and said unto them, this is the work of God, that ye believe
on him whom he hath sent." Sometimes when people are talking so
deliberately about how that works do not have a part in our salvation, we may
need to remind them that even faith itself is a work. "This
is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent." So it is the work of God for men to believe
on Christ. "They said therefore unto him, What then doest thou for a
sign, that we may see, and believe thee?
What workest thou? Our fathers
ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, He gave them bread out of
heaven to eat." Of course,
it is referring to their eating the manna in the wilderness. When they rebelled
they had to journey for thirty‑eight more years to finish out the forty
years, so God fed them with manna from heaven.
"Jesus therefore said
unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, It was not Moses that gave you the
bread out of heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread of heaven."
So it looks like that that manna
in some way was a type of Christ to come, and God gave them that bread out of
heaven. Jesus is that true bread out of
heaven. There was nothing for them to
eat in that wilderness journey, and God gave them manna out of heaven, and it
was sufficient to sustain their physical health; and Christ, the true bread, is
surely sufficient to maintain spiritual health for every true beliver. "For the bread of God is this which cometh
down out of heaven and giveth life unto the world. And they said therefore unto him, Lord,
evermore give us this bread. Jesus said
unto them, I am the bread of life: He that cometh to me shall not hunger, and he
that had believeth on me shall never thirst." So Jesus is the bread of life and he is the
water of life.
Now here from the sixth chapter
of John, be sure to remember that Jesus said four times in the sixth chapter of
John that he would raise up the righteous that at the last day. Again, the premillennial doctrine, the
rapture preachers, are going to have the righteous raptured up and go to heaven
with the Lord. Then, according to that
false doctrine there would be seven years of extreme affliction, of terrible
trouble on the earth, and after the seven years, he is going to come to earth
and reign on the throne of David in Judah.
Remember Jeremiah twenty‑two when that king was carried into
captivity, Jeremiah said count this
man as childless, no more shall a man of his seed prosper reigning in Judah (RSV). And Christ' lineage is traced through
Jeconiah, Matthew 1:12. After Jeconiah was carried into Babylon, he
had a son named Shealtiel. And Shealtiel
had a son named Zerubbabel, and Zerubbabel is the one that led back that first
company from Babylonian captivity of nearly fifty thousand people, including
their servants. And he had been made
their governor by Cyrus king of Persia soon after the Persians took over the
government of Babylon.
Verse thirty‑five again,
"Jesus said unto them, I am the
bread of life: He
that cometh to me shall not hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never
thirst. And I said unto you, That ye
have seen me, and yet believe not. All
that which the Father giveth me shall come unto me; and him that cometh to me I
will in no wise cast out." Every person who has believed on Christ, if he
does not receive eternal salvation it will not be because the Lord is not
faithful. Jesus said, he that cometh to me, I will in no wise
cast out. And just as long as a
child of God hears and follows Christ, the devil does not have the power to
take a child of God out of God's hand, and out of Christ's hand (John 10:27-29). But if he ceases to hear and follow by his
own conduct, he can take himself out.
But Jesus said, him that cometh to me, I will in no wise cast out.
"For I am come down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the
will of him that sent me."
So it is the will of God that every person who believes on Christ may
have eternal salvation. Of course, man
is a free moral agent, and it continues to turn on how he uses his free moral
agency. If he continues to try to be
faithful to the Lord, he will be among the redeemed and the Lord will raise him
up in the last day. Verse thirty‑nine,
"And this is the will of him
that sent me, that of all that which he hath given me I should lose nothing,
but shall raise it up at the last day." They are going to have the righteous raised
up, and those seven years of tribulation, and then Christ and those saints
coming back to earth and reigning a thousand years. But the Lord is going to
raise up the righteous at the last day, and the unrighteous at the last day
(John 5:28-29). That is in the latter part of verse thirty‑nine. You would do well to highlight just the last
part of thirty‑nine and the last part of verse forty and the last part of
verse forty‑four and the last part of verse fifty‑four. You can do too much highlighting, and so be
careful how you do it. But you see how
that will stand out there. Four times in
chapter six, the Lord said he will raise up the righteous in the last day.
"For this is the will of my Father, that every one that beholdeth
the Son, and believeth on him, should have eternal life:
And I will raise him up at the last day." But remember man's free moral agency is
always involved, but it is Gods will that all who believe on Christ will have
eternal life. He would like for all men to be saved. Remember II Peter 3:9,
God is not slack concerning his
promises, as some men count slackness, but is longsuffering to us‑ward,
not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. But we know that the great majority of people
have always traveled down the broad and wrong way that Jesus talked about in
the Sermon on the Mount. I Timothy 2:4,
"Who will have all men to be
saved and to come unto the knowledge of the truth." But God is not going to force any man
to believe on Christ. And those who
believe on him, he is not going to force them to continue to do right. He is not going to cast out any of the
faithful for sure. Verse forty‑one,
"The Jews therefore murmured
concerning him, because he said, I am the bread of life which came down out of
heaven. And they said, Is not this
Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does he now say, I am come down out of heaven? Jesus answered and said unto them, Murmur not
among yourselves. No man can come to me,
except the Father that sent me draw him:
And I will raise him up at the last day.
It is written in the prophets, And they all shall be taught of God. Every one that hath heard from the Father,
and hath learned, cometh unto me."
And so we will stop there, because we want to discuss that in
detail. I guess it was in the class of
Acts that I have already discussed it in detail. If that be the case, I want to discuss that
in detail for this class. I haven't
discussed it in this class, have I?
STUDENT: No, sir, not in this class.
BROTHER TURNER: We will take a break. (A brief was recess taken.)
BROTHER TURNER: Okay.
We were reading from John 6:45. "It
is written in the prophets, They all shall be taught of God. Every one that hath heard from the Father,
and hath learned, cometh unto me."
Do you have a footnote by verse forty‑five in your Bibles?
STUDENT: I have Isaiah 54:13.
BROTHER TURNER: Do you have a footnote in verse forty‑five? You ought to have a footnote in front of, and
they shall all be taught of God.
STUDENT: Yes, sir.
BROTHER TURNER: All right.
What reference does it give?
STUDENT: It sends me to Isaiah 54:13.
BROTHER TURNER: All right.
Isaiah 54:13. The other night in the class in Acts, when we
were talking about a number of Old Testament passages which show that Christ
was to be raised up to reign on God's throne or on David's throne, we also took
time to read some of the references about the house of Israel, being the new
Israel of God, being made up of Jews and Gentiles, and how that the family
would be so greatly increased by the coming in of the Gentiles, that the land
of Israel would not be large enough to hold all of the people. And we will take time to read just a few of
those passages from Isaiah tonight. If
you will turn to Isaiah chapter forty‑nine, the passage is talking about
Christ and his mouth is like a sharp sword, verse two. And in verse six, God says it is too light a thing that ye shall be
my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved of
Israel. I will give you as a light to
the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth. And then in the latter part of verse eight, I have kept you and given you as a
covenant to the people. So Christ
would be given as a light not only to the remnant of Jacob, but would be given
as a light and as a covenant to the Gentile people, and the family would be
greatly enlarged by the bringing in of the Gentile people. And one of the references on the family being
enlarged, Isaiah forty‑nine beginning with verse nineteen, "Surely your waste and your desolate
places, and your devastated land, surely now will be too narrow for your
inhabitants, and those who swallowed you up will be far away. The children mourn in time of your
bereavement, will yet say in your ears, The place is too narrow for me:
make room for me to dwell. Then
you will say in your heart This
is talking about the new Israel of God. who hath born me these, I was bereaved
and barren, exiled and put away."
And in the book of Jeremiah, God talks about the two sisters that he had
put away, one sister referring to the
ten tribes, and he thought that the other sister, Judah, would wake up, and they did not wake up and
God divorced her with the Babylonian captivity.
"I was bereaved and
barren, exiled and put away, but who hath brought up these? Behold, I was left alone; whence then have
these come? Thus saith the Lord God,
Behold, I will lift up mine hand to the Nations, and raise my signal to the
people: And they shall bring your sons in their
bosoms, and your daughters shall be carried on their shoulders." And so in Christ, the family is going to be
greatly enlarged by the bringing in of the Gentile people.
And again in chapter fifty‑four. It says, "Sing
O barren one, who did not bear; break forth into singing. And
cry aloud, you who have been in travail:
For the children of the desolate one or more than the children of her
that was married, saith the Lord." And I believe it is that
reference that was quoted in Galations chapter four ‑‑ that this
reference is quoted. And if you do not
give attention to it, you will think it may be talking about Sarah. "For
the children of the desolate one will be more than the children of her that is
married, says the Lord." But
it is talking about Israel in captivity, desolate in exile, but yet the family
is going to increase. "Enlarge the place of your tent, and
let the curtains of your habitations be stretched out. Hold not back, lengthen your cords, and strengthen
your stakes; for you will spread abroad to the right and to the left, and your
descendants will possess the nations, and will people the desolate cities." And coming down to verse five, "For your Maker is your husband; and the
Lord of hosts is his name."
And then this verse thirteen that is quoted in John 6:45. "All
your sons shall be taught by the Lord, and great shall be the prosperity of
your sons." So in John 6:45,
you need to put down Isaiah 54:13 and Hebrews
8:11.
And here in Isaiah 54:13, you need to
write down in your Bible John 6:45‑46
and Hebrews 8:11.
One of the primary differences
between the Old Testament religion and the New Testament religion is that the
Old Testament religion left a man in the flesh.
There was no spiritual birth.
When a child was born to Jewish parents, he was counted as part of the
commonwealth of Israel, and then it was the responsibility of the parents to
teach him about the Lord on every occasion that they had. But the Old Testament law left them in the flesh. There was no spiritual birth, and, of course,
there was no complete forgiveness of sin under that law. This is an important reference to understand
that the Holy Spirit is speaking through Isaiah, telling of a day to come when
they first have to be taught, and this is the meaning of Hebrews 8:11. The writer begins by quoting from Jeremiah 31:31,
that the day is coming when he would give a new law. And Hebrews 8:11,
I believe from the American Standard, reads that they
shall not teach every man his brother and every man his fellow citizen saying
know the Lord, for all shall know me from the least to the greatest of them. I find that there are very few people that
seem to understand the meaning of the verse.
Some have counted that reference as a time when people everywhere will
know the Lord, but it is talking about before people make up the commonwealth
of Israel today, which is the church and kingdom of Christ, that they first
must be taught. They will not teach
every man his brother in Christ and every man his fellow citizen, a
citizen in the heavenly kingdom.
Philippians 3:20 reads, For our citizenship is from heaven, from
whence we look for a Savior our Lord Jesus Christ, who shall fashion anew the
body of our humiliation, that may be conformed to the body of his glory.
And so one of the primary
distinctions, there must be a spiritual birth before a person is part of the
kingdom of Christ. Remember how Jesus
taught Nicodemus that. Nicodemus, like
the other Pharisees, had rejected the baptism of God, and so Jesus moved
immediately to talk to him about a new birth.
Now, a person cannot be in the kingdom without a new birth. So the new birth is one of the primary
distinctions between the Old Testament religion and the New Testament religion,
and that's stressed also in the eighth chapter of the book of Romans. And then another primary difference is also
stated there in Hebrews 8:12. For I will be merciful to their
unrighteousness and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more. And so under the law of Christ, there is
complete forgiveness of sin. When the
alien sinner applies the blood of Christ by believing on Christ, and repenting
of his sins and confessing Christ to be the Son of God and then baptized for
the remission of sins, he comes to the death where Christ's blood was
shed. Thus he applies the blood, and all
of his past sins are forgiven (Romans 6:3-7). Those past sins are never called against him
again. They are forgiven
completely. And then as a child of God
walks in the light as he is in the light, John says, I John1:7-9,
the blood of Jesus Christ his Son
cleanseth from all sin. But he
goes ahead to say, but if we say
that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. But if we confess our sins, he is just and
righteous and will forgive us of our sins and cleanse us from all
unrighteousness. But no sins are
cleansed apart from applying the blood of Christ. The alien sinner applies the blood when he
believes on Christ, repents of his sins, confesses the name of Christ before
men and is buried with him in baptism for the remission of his sins. And it is at that point that his sins are
forgiven completely.
STUDENT: It's at that point where the blood is
applied?
BROTHER TURNER: That is the point where the blood is
applied. I can remember the day when
some would say, We believe in a blood salvation, but you believe in a water salvation. Well, now, who believes in a blood salvation,
when it is the point of baptism that one reaches the blood. That blood was shed in his death. So water baptism applies the benefit of the
death of Christ, the blood of Christ, when he is baptized into the likeness of
Christ's death, burial and resurrection, Romans 6:3‑7. I hope all of you will write down references
and notes in your Bible. Remember the
best references that you can have are references that you can make in your
Bible. Some of you may take some good
notes, but when you need them, you will not have them with you. And if you will write down good references in
your Bible, they will remind you. And so
by verse forty‑five, if you will write down Isaiah 54:13
and Hebrews 8:11 and 12. Remember there are two primary differences
there between the Old Testament law and the New Testament law.
We will read verse forty‑five
again, "It is written in the
prophets, and they all shall be taught of God, every one that hath heard from
the Father, and hath learned, cometh unto me.
Not that any man hath seen the Father, save he that is from God, he hath
seen the Father." Of course,
Christ is talking about himself. "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that
believeth hath eternal life. I am the
bread of life. Your fathers ate the
manna in the wilderness, and they died.
This is the bread which cometh down out of heaven, that a man may eat
thereof, and not die. I am the living
bread which came down out of heaven: If
any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever. Yea and the bread which I give is my flesh,
for the life of the world. The Jews
therefore strove one with another saying, How can this man give us his flesh to
eat? Jesus therefore said unto them,
Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and
drink his blood, ye have no life in yourself." And, again, how does one eat the flesh and
drink the blood? He does it by believing on Christ and doing as he has
commanded. When Jesus instituted the
Lord's Supper, you remember the bread represents the body of Christ and the
blood represents the blood of Christ.
And that is another way in which Christian people partake of his flesh
and his blood is by eating the Lord's Supper on each first day of the week (I
Corinthians 16:11-12, 11:33;
Acts 20:7) as the Bible commands us to
do. Verse fifty‑four, "He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my
blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day."
So there is coming a last day,
and that last day will be that second advent of Christ as spoken of in Hebrews
9:28, he
shall appear a second time apart from sin. Some of our brethren are going to an extreme
when they talk about Christ coming in 70 A.D.
The Bible speaks of him only coming a second time. "For
my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my
blood, abideth in me, and I in him." And, of course, that simply by believing on
Christ by being faithful to Christ, one is in that sense eating his flesh and
drinking his blood. In other words, he
is applying the benefit of his life, his death on the cross by hearing and
following. "As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the
Father: So
that he that eateth me, he also shall live because of me." Of course, he is not talking about eating him
literally. "This is the bread, which came down out of heaven:
Not as the fathers ate and died.
He that eateth this bread, shall live forever. These things said he in the synagogue as he
taught in Capernaum. Many therefore of
his disciples when they heard this, said, This is a hard saying; who can hear
it? But Jesus knowing in himself that
his disciples murmured at this, said unto them, Doth this cause you to
stumble? What then if ye should behold
the Son of man ascending where he was before?" Christ knew that he was going to ascend back
to the Father. If you think this is a
hard saying, what if ye should behold the Son of man ascending where he was
before. "It is the spirit that giveth life; the flesh profiteth
nothing:
The words that I have spoken unto you, are spirit, and are life. But there are some of you that believe not. For
Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who it was
that should betray him. And he said, For
this cause, have I said unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it be
given unto him of the Father.
Verse sixty, Upon this many of his disciples went
back, and walked no more with him. Jesus
said therefore unto the twelve, Would ye also go away? Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall
we go? Thou hast the words of eternal
life." Peter was always
quick to respond, not always correctly, but quick to respond, it was his very nature, but he responds very correctly
on this occasion. "And we have believed and know that thou
art the holy one of God. Jesus answered
them, Have not I chose the twelve, and one of you is the devil? Now he spake of Judas the son of Simon
Iscariot:
For he it was that should betray him, being one of the twelve." I believe we will go ahead and read from
chapter seven of John and then we will go to Matthew.
Chapter Seven
"After these things Jesus walked in Galilee:
For he would not walk in Judaea, because the Jews sought to kill
him." Now, I hope you have
noticed that John uses the Jews referring to the leaders, those who were
supposed to have been spiritual leaders of the Jewish people, like the scribes
and the Pharisees and those who made up the Sanhedrin Court. And so they are bent on killing him. And so he walked in Galilee, for he would not
walk in Judaea because the Jews sought to kill him. Now the feast of
the Jews', the feast of the tabernacles was at hand. I hope all of you will give attention to the
outline on the three annual feasts. I
think it will help you to get a better understanding to look at the outline. Now the feast of the Jews, the feast of the
tabernacles was at hand. There were
three annual feasts, the feast of the Passover and the feast of the unleavened
bread, which was of the first feast, as a memorial to God passing over the
houses of the Israelites because they had applied the blood of the lamb to the
doorposts of their houses, (Exodus 12:7). And Exodus 12:13
says, When I see the blood I will
pass over you. And so that feast
came in the first month of the Jewish calendar, which answers to April in our
calendar today. That was the first
feast. And then the second feast was the
feast where they celebrated the harvest of the small grain, the feast of
harvests, because they were to number seven sabbaths. And the morrow after the seven sabbaths was
the second feast. And that would make it
always come on the first day of the week.
And remember it is called Pentecost in Acts two, because the meaning of
the Greek word Pentecost meaning fiftieth.
The feast of the tabernacles is the last of three annual feasts. And this feast came at the end of their
harvest period, when they had harvested in everything of their vine crops and
their fruit trees and their entire harvest.
They celebrated this feast of ingathering or feast of that final harvest
then, and they were to make booths or tabernacles, as spoken of here, to live
in during that week. It lasted for a
whole week, and then on the eighth day, they were to have a holy
convocation. Now the feast of the Jews, the feast of the tabernacles was
at hand. They were to take palm
trees and other boughs of trees and vines and build what we called a brush
harbor, going back to those days ‑‑ I dont guess you remember
those days, but I can remember the days of brush harbors when they put up some
poles and put branches over those poles to cut out most of the sun, if they had
a meeting in the daytime. They lived in
the booths in remembrance of those days when they did not have homes to dwell
in while they were journeying toward Canaan, that they lived in booths, and so
the feast of tabernacles.
Verse two again, "Now the feasts of Jews', the feast of the
tabernacles was at hand. His brethren
therefore said unto him, Depart hence, and go into Judaea, that thy disciples
also may behold thy works which thou doest:
For no man doeth any thing in secret, and himself seeketh to be known
openly. If thou doest these things,
manifest thyself to the world. For
even his brethren did not believe on him." So at this time, the earthly brothers of Jesus
did not believe on him, but the cross made all the difference. They were to gather together with the
apostles and Mary the mother of Jesus and about a hundred and twenty as given
in Acts one, waiting for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles. But these brothers, at this time, did not
believe on him. And, again, you know how
according to the Catholic doctrine that they talk about Mary being a perpetual
virgin as though she did not have any more children. And about every year, people somewhere are
going to see the virgin Mary appearing to them!
But look at Matthew 13:54, "And coming into his own country, he taught
them in their synagogues, insomuch as they were astonished, and said, Whence
hath this man this wisdom, and these mighty works? Is not this the carpenter's son? Is not his mother called Mary? And his brethren, James, and Joses, and
Simon, and Judas? And his sisters, are
they not all with us?" So
that would make at least seven children. STUDENT: Quite a few.
BROTHER TURNER: ‑‑ in the family of Joseph and
Mary. Four brothers and two sisters, and
so at least seven in the family. You
would do well to highlight verse five. "For even his brethren did not believe
on him." And so actually
they are criticizing him, right? You are
not what you claim to be. If you are
what you claim to be, if you are then move on up to the feast and show yourself
openly, if thou doest these
things. Manifest thyself to the world. Jesus
therefore saith unto them, My time is not yet come; but your time is always
ready. The world cannot hate you; but me
it hateth, because I testify of it, that its works are evil." And there are people today who hate faithful
Christians, because their way of living testifies against their wrong kind of
living. "Go
ye up unto the feast:
Because my time is not yet fulfilled.
And having said these things unto them, he abode still in Galilee. But when his brethren were gone up unto the
feast, then went he also up, not publicly, but as it were in secret." Now, can you imagine the Jewish people, all
the males were required to attend these three annual feasts. And it looks like it was a pattern under
normal circumstances for the whole family to go. So you can imagine the crowds as they
started, say, from Dan in the north to Jerusalem and Beersheba in the south,
the northern extreme to the southern extreme going to Jerusalem to the feast,
and how as they journeyed along, the crowds would get larger and larger. And so it looks like Jesus did not go with
the multitudes, right?
STUDENT: Right.
BROTHER TURNER: And then he went also not publicly, but as it
were in secret. "The Jews therefore sought him at the feast
and said, He was not there at the
beginning of the feast. Where is he? And there was much murmuring among the
multitudes concerning him: Some
said, He was a good man: Others said, Not so; but he leadeth the
multitude astray. Yet no man spake
openly of him for fear of the Jews." And, again, you see how he is using the
Jews there. They feared that ruling
party because they were bent on killing Jesus, and they would be ready to cast
out of the synagogue any that believed on him.
"But when it was now the
midst of the feast Jesus went up into the temple, and taught." So the midst of the feast, and
remember it lasted a full week, and then a holy convocation on the eighth day,
if I remember it correctly. And so he
goes up in the middle of the feast.
"And the Jews therefore
marveled, saying, How knoweth this man letters, having never learned?" They had those Jewish schools that anyone
that is supposed to be a leader was supposed to be trained in. And so how can this fellow teach? How knoweth this man letters having never
learned. "Jesus therefore answered them, and said, My teaching is not
mine, but his that sent me. If any man willeth
to do his will, he shall know of the teaching, whether it is of God, or
whether I speak from myself." Remember
the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said blessed
are they that do hunger and thirst after righteousness for they shall be
filled. This is saying about
the same thing but in another way, if
any man is willing to do his will ‑‑ and that is the real desire to
do the will ‑‑ he shall know of the teaching. He would be that man who is hungering and
thirsting after righteousness. "Whether it is of God, or whether I speak
from myself." And that still
holds. The word of God is plain
enough. If a man really wants to know
the will of Christ in respect to what he needs to do in order to be saved and
stay in a saved condition, he can learn by reading and by hearing the word of
God.
Verse eighteen, "He that speaketh from himself seeketh his
own glory:
But he that seeketh the glory of him that sent him, the same is true,
and no unrighteousness is in him."
And, of course, Jesus is talking about himself when he said, My teaching is not mine, but his that sent
me. He was not seeking his own glory, but he was seeking the glory of
him that sent him. Some speak trying to
gain glory for themselves rather than giving glory to God. "Did not Moses give you the law, and yet
none of you doeth the law? Why seek ye
to kill me?" And I guess the
multitude really does not know that ‑‑ Well, going back to verse
thirteen, it looks like that many of them knew that the Pharisees were against
him. "And Jesus asked and said unto them, I have done one work, and
ye all marvel because thereof. Moses
hath given you circumcision; (not that it is of Moses, but of the fathers;) and
on the sabbath ye circumcise a man." Abraham was ninety‑nine years old and
the son by the handmaid Ishmael was thirteen years of age when God gave him the
covenant of circumcision. Abraham was a man who always obeyed God, and the same
day that God gave the command for circumcision, Abraham saw to it that all were
circumcised that same day. Isn't that
Genesis chapter seventeen? STUDENT: It's somewhere around there.
BROTHER TURNER: Genesis chapter seventeen, picking up with
verse nine, "And God said unto
Abraham, Thou shalt keep my covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee
throughout their generations. This is my
covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee. Every male among you shall be
circumcised. And ye shall be circumcised
from the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant
betwixt me and you. And he that is eight
days old shall be circumcised among you, every male throughout your generation,
he that is born into thy house, and all the servants, that are bought with
money of any foreigner, that is not of thy seed. He that is born in thy house, and he that is
bought with thy money, must needs be circumcised:
And my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting
covenant." Picking up with
verse twenty‑two, "And he
left off talking with him, and God went up from Abraham. And Abraham took Ishmael his son, and all
that were born in his house, and all that were bought with his money, every
male among the men of Abraham's house, and circumcised the flesh of their
foreskin in the self‑same day as God said unto him." From Genesis chapter fourteen, you remember
that there were three hundred and eighteen trained soldiers that had been born
in Abraham's house. My, reckon how many
men were circumcised in that one day.
And so all males were circumcised on that same day, every male among the
men of Abraham's house, circumcised
the flesh of their foreskin in the self‑same day as God had said unto
him. Abraham was ninety years old and
nine when he was circumcised with the flesh of his foreskin. In the self same day was Abraham
circumcised and Ishmael his son. Ishmael his son was thirteen years old
when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. Then the promise that
Sarah would have a son, is given in Genesis 18:15-18,
and that would make Ishmael fourteen when Isaac was born. If Isaac was three years old when he was
weaned, that would make Ishmael
seventeen years of age when Sarah said to Abraham, cast out the handmaiden and her son.
Back to John 7:22,
"Moses hath given you
circumcision; (not that it is of Moses, but of the fathers;) and on the sabbath
you circumcised a man." Now,
think of that, they can carry out circumcision, but when Jesus healed a man on
the sabbath day, they were ready to tell him it was wrong to heal on the
sabbath day. "If a man
receiveth circumcision on the sabbath, that the law of Moses may not be broken,
are ye then wrought with me, because I made a man every whit whole on the
sabbath? Judge not according to
appearance, but judge righteous judgment." God never gave a command that prevented them
from helping the infirm on the sabbath day.
"Some therefore of them
of Jerusalem said, Is not this he, whom they seek to kill?" So some of them knew that the Jews were
seeking to kill him. "And lo, he speaketh openly, and they
say nothing unto him. Can it be that the
rulers indeed know that this is the Christ?
Howbeit we know this man whence he is:
But when the Christ cometh, no one knoweth whence he is." So some are saying, we can't know when the
Christ comes. "And Jesus therefore cried in the temple
teaching, and saying, Ye both know me, and know whence I am:
and I am not come of myself, but he that sent me is true, whom ye know
not. I know him:
because I am from him, and he sent me." And John 3:16
reads, "For God so loved the
world that he gave his only begotten Son." God sent Christ as the sin offering for
man. "They sought therefore to take him:
and no man laid his hand on him, because his hour was not yet come."
So Jesus was not taken until the
appointed time for him to be taken. And
remember the Pharisees had said, we will not take him during the feast of that
last Passover. But it was time for Jesus
to suffer as the lamb of God at the time of that Passover feast, and he did. He
did not die according to their plans. "They sought therefore to take him:
And no man laid his hands on him, because his hour was not yet
come. But of the multitude many believed
on him, and they said, When the Christ shall come, will he do more signs than
those which this man hath done?"
They were reasoning properly. Has
he not done enough signs to convince you that he is the Christ? Can a person come and do more signs than he
has done? "The Pharisees heard the multitude murmuring these things
concerning him; and the chief priests and the Pharisees sent officers to take him. Jesus
therefore said, "Yet a little while I am with you, and I go unto him that
sent me. Ye shall seek me, and shall not
find me:
And where I am, ye cannot come.
The Jews therefore said among themselves, Whither will he this man go,
that we shall not find him? Will he go
unto the dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks? What is this word that he saith, Ye shall
seek me, and shall not find me: and where I am, ye cannot come?" Jesus was going to soon return to his father
and they could not come because they were rejecting him.
Verse 37, "Now on the last day, the great day of the
feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me
and drink. He that believeth on me, as
the scripture hath said from within him, shall flow the rivers of living
water. (But this spake he of the Spirit,
which they that believed on him were to receive:
For the Spirit was not yet given; because Jesus was not yet
glorified.) Some of the multitude
therefore, when they heard these words, said, This is of a truth the
Prophet. Others said, This is the
Christ. But some said, What doth the
Christ come out of Galilee? Hath not the
scriptures said, That Christ cometh of the seed of David and from Bethlehem,
the village where David was?"
And remember Micah, the Holy Spirit had said through him that Christ
would be born in Bethlehem of Judaea. So
they are overlooking the fact that he was born in Bethlehem like the prophet
had said. "So there arose a division in the
multitude because of him. And some of
them would have taken him; but no man laid hands on him. The officers therefore came to the chief
priests and Pharisees; and they said unto them, Why did ye not bring him?" See, they were sent to take him. "The
officers answered, never man so spake." Strange thing how that they had said, how can
this man teach since he had not been taught?
Here the officers answered, never
man so spake. "The Pharisees therefore answered them, Are
ye also led astray? Have any of the
rulers believed on him or of the Pharisees?" You see how proud and arrogant they
were. We are the wise men. We know, and you are just foolish, you do not
know. We will stop here. (A brief recess was taken.)
BROTHER TURNER: I am reading from John 3:19,
"This is the judgment that the
light come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than light,
because their deeds were evil. For
everyone that doeth evil hateth the light, and cometh not to the light, lest
his works should be reproved. This is still the primary reason why so
many do not want to hear the gospel today. So the Pharisees had sent the
officers of the Sanhedrin court. They had sent them to take Jesus, but they
went back without him. And they asked
why. The officers answered, Never man so spake. John 7:50, "Nicodemus saith unto them, (he that
came to him before being one of them.)"
Meaning one of that Jewish court. "Doth our law judge a man, axcept it
first hear from himself, and know what
he doeth?" So Nicodemus
reminded the other members of the Sanhedrin that they are judging Jesus
contrary to the law. I wonder if he had received the baptism of John by this
time. Remember that he assisted Joseph
of Arimathea in the burial of Jesus.
"They answered and said
unto him, Art thou also of Galilee?
Search, and see:
For out of Galilee ariseth no prophet." And going back to what some had said that the
Christ was to come from Bethlehem. But
Micah had spoken concerning the birth of Christ, that he would be born in
Bethlehem of Judaea.
I have found the chapter in
Isaiah that I was looking for a while ago about Christ being the water of life
and the bread of life as set forth in Isaiah chapter fifty‑five. "Ho,
every one that thirsts, come to the waters, and he who has no money; come, buy,
and eat; come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do ye spend money for that which is not
bread? And your labor for that which
does not satisfy?" This passage is not talking about literal
food. Literal food just satisfies for a
little while. "Hearken
diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in the
fatness. Incline your ear, and come to
me." So this is the
invitation of Christ given through Isaiah the prophet more than 700 years
before Christ was born of the virgin Mary.
"Hear, that your soul
may live, and I will make you an everlasting covenant. My steadfast sure love for David. Behold, I made him a witness to the people, a
leader and commander for the peoples.
Behold, you call nations that you know not, and nations that knew you
not shall run to you because of the Lord your God, and the Holy One of Israel;
for he hath glorified you. Seek the Lord
while he may be found, call upon him while he is near:
Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts:
Let him return unto Jehovah, and he will heal him. And let him return to the Lord that he may
have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways saith the Lord.
For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts higher than your thoughts. For as the rain and snow come down from
heaven, and returned not thither, but watereth the earth, and making it bring
forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower, and bread to the eater. So shall my word be that goes forth from my
mouth. It shall not return to me empty,
but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and prosper in the same for which
I sent it. For ye shall go out in joy,
and be led forth with peace: The mountains and the hills before you
shall break forth into singing, and all the trees of the field shall
clap their hands."
I guess you have heard some
brethren say that either a passage is supposed to be interpreted as all
figurative, or all literal, haven't you?
That is not the case. Many times
in the book of Isaiah, you have plain non‑figurative language, and then
you have figurative language. The latter
part of this passage is surely one of those that is figurative, the mountains
and hills breaking forth into singing and all the trees of the field shall clap
their hands. So some passages on the
surface you can see that they are figurative. Others may not be so easy, even when they are
figurative. And in regard to the word of
God accomplishing what God sends it to.
John 12:48, "He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my
words, the same judgeth him: The same will judge him in the last
day." So the word of God is
going to accomplish its purpose. It either
saves that humble person or it condemns that man who refuses to believe on
Christ. In II Corinthians 2:15-16,
Paul talks about how that they were a sweet sacrifice to the Lord in them that were saved and in them that
perished. So when men faithfully teach
and preach the gospel, it is pleasing to God.
Those that receive the teaching, of course, will have salvation. Those who reject the teaching are left in
their sins. But God is still well‑pleased
that the gospel is preached. It still is
a sweet sacrifice to God when men teach and preach the gospel correctly.
Matthew Five
Now, we will turn to Matthew
chapter five. Matthew is the only one
that records the full length of the sermon that Jesus gave which is spoken of
as the Sermon on the Mount. Mark and
Luke record portions of it, but it looks like Matthew gives the whole
sermon. Matthew chapter five beginning
with verse one, "And seeing the
multitudes, he went up into the mountain:
And when he hath sat down, his disciples came down to him:
And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying, blessed are the poor
in spirit:
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven." I wish that you would write out by verse
three an Old Testament reference, Isaiah 66:2. The latter part of that verse reads, to this man will I look. He that is poor and contrite spirit and
trembleth at my word. Don't those
two passages mean the same thing?
STUDENT: I would think so, yes, sir.
BROTHER TURNER: A man poor in spirit who recognizes that he
is sinful, that he is lost without the Lord, like Peter said, to whom shall go,
thou hast the words eternal life. Poor
in spirit is surely the opposite of having that puffed up spirit like the
scribes and Pharisees had. They were puffed up and arrogant. They were like the
publican in the temple who stood and thanked God as to how good he was, and not
like other men. So the poor in spirit
are those who really have a sense of being helpless without God's
salvation. In regard to Isaiah 66:2,
instead of poor, some other versions read humbled, contrite spirit. But, anyway, he is talking about that person
who is ready like the publican who would not so much as lift up his eyes to
heaven, but smote his breasts, saying, Lord, be merciful to me, a sinner. He was poor in spirit.
Verse four, "Blessed
are they that mourn:
For they shall be comforted." Jesus is talking about the kind of mourning
that leads men to repentance and the kind of mourning where people mourn
because of sins in our American Society.
Think of the terrible way that our American society has been going now
for many years. And all sincere people
should be mourning in a sense, because of the way our country has been going
down the wrong way, and those that mourn for their own sins and those that
mourn for members of the family, members of the church that have turned back
into sin. Do you remember the fifth
chapter of I Corinthians how the Corinthians were puffed up instead of mourning
over the man that had his father's wife?
Paul rebukes them for their being puffed up when they should have been
mourning. Well, after Paul wrote that
letter to them, then they, at least the great majority of the church, did mourn
over their sin. Please turn to the seventh
chapter of II Corinthians, and picking up with verse five, "For, even when we were come into
Macedonia, our flesh had no relief." He is so concerned about news from the
Corinthian church. In chapter two he tells how there was an open door for him
to preach at Troas, but he was so concerned that Titus was not there, and he was concerned about whether or not they received
the epistle in the right way, that he left that open door and went on into
Macedonia. So verse five, "For, even when they were come into
Macedonia, our flesh had no relief, but we were afflicted on every side;
without were fightings, within were fears.
Nevertheless, he that comforteth the lowly, even God comforted us by the
coming of Titus; and not by his coming only but also by the comfort wherewith
he was comforted in you, while he told us of your longing, your mourning, your
zeal for me; so that I rejoiced yet more.
For though I made you sorrow with my epistle, I do not regret it, though
I did regret it:
For I see that that epistle made you sorrow, though but for a
season. I now rejoice, not that ye were
made sorrow, but that ye were made sorrowed unto repentance:
For ye were made sorrow
after a godly sort, that ye might suffer loss by us in nothing. For godly sorrow worketh repentance unto
salvation, a repentance which bringeth no regret, but the sorrow of the
world worketh death." They
did what Paul commanded them to do. They
disciplined the fornicator, and it
brought sorrow to them when they got to thinking about how they had
conducted themselves in the wrong way.
"So blessed are they
that mourn." But this has to
do with that godly sorrow.
Verse five, "Blessed are the meek for they shall
inherit the earth." One of
the best examples of meekness in the Old Testament would be Moses. He is spoken of as being the meekest man of
all the earth in his day. And do you
remember how he pleaded for the people of Israel when God was ready to destroy
them? When they sent the twelve spies
from the wildness of Paran to spy out the land of Canaan, a man from each
tribe, and they came back, all twelve of them giving a true report, that it was
a land flowing with milk and honey
as God had described it. And they
brought back of the fruit of the land to show it, and one bunch of grapes that
they had to carry on a pole between two of them. My that would be some bunch of grapes! But
then ten of them brought up a lying report that the land devours its inhabitants. Numbers chapter thirteen, verse thirty‑two,
"So they brought to the people
of Israel an evil report of the land, which they had spied out saying, The land
through which we have gone to spy out, is a land that devoureth its inhabitants." And, of course, that was a lie. "And
all the people that we saw in it are men of great stature." That is another lie. There were giants in the land, but not all the
people were giants. "There we saw the giants, the sons of Anak,
which come from giants:
and we seemed to ourselves like grasshoppers, and so we seemed to them." So they had a grasshopper complex. Sometimes today members of the church have a
grasshopper complex. We cannot do this,
and we cannot do the other, and they do not put forth the proper effort to do.
And notice that they rebelled. In
chapter fourteen and verse two in the latter part, "Would that we had died in the land of
Egypt or would that we had died in this wilderness. Why does the Lord bring us into this land to
fall by the sword. Our wives and our
little ones have become a prey? Would it
not be better for us to go back to Egypt?
And they said one to another, Let us choose a captain, and go back to
Egypt." God was so
displeased with them, and notice what he said to Moses. Verse ten, "But all the congregation bade stone them with stones. Then the glory of the Lord appeared at the
tent of meeting to all of the people of Israel.
And the Lord said to Moses, How long will this people despise me? And how long will they not believe in me, in
spite of all the signs which I have brought among them? I will strike them with pestilence, and
disinherit them, and I will make of you a greater and mightier than
they." So God said to
Moses, just get out of our way and I will kill this people with pestilence and
disinherit them and I will make of you a new nation greater and mightier than
they. If there had been any proud or
arrogant spirit in Moses, he would have taken God up on that, dont you think?
STUDENT: He would have.
BROTHER TURNER: He could have said, Lord, I regret that they
are so sinful, but I see that they are, so
I am willing for you to do as you plan to do. But notice that Moses pleaded with God for
the people. Numbers 14:15,
"Now if thou dost kill this
people as one man, then the nations who have heard thy fame will say, because
the Lord was not able to bring this people into the land which he swear to give
them, therefore he hath slain them in the wilderness. Now, I pray thee, let the power of the Lord
be great, as thou hast promised, saying, the Lord is slow to anger, and
abounding in steadfast love, forgiving iniquity and transgression, but he
will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquities of the fathers upon
the children upon the third and upon the fourth generation. Pardon, the iniquity of this people I pray
thee, according to the
greatness of thy steadfast love, and according as thou hast forgiven this people,
from Egypt even until now. And the
Lord said, I have pardoned according to your word." So as
spoken of in Psalms 106:23 , Moses' prayer had
a part in saving the people. Ezekiel 22:30,
he stood in the gap for the people.
"And the Lord said I
have pardoned according to your word:
But truly as I live, and as all the earth shall be filled with the glory
of the Lord, none of the men who have seen my glory, and my signs, which I
wrought in Egypt and in the wilderness, and yet have put me proved these ten times,
and have not hearkened to my voice; shall see the land which I swear to give to
their fathers, and none of those who despise me shall see it:
but my servant Caleb, because he had a different spirit. He tried to still or quiet the people and
said, let us go up at once, for we are well able to overcome them, and
have followed me fully, I will bring into the land which he went; and his
descendants shall possess it." Verse
twenty‑nine, "Your dead
body shall fall in the wilderness; and
all of your numbered, numbered from twenty years old and up, who have murmured
against me, not one shall come into the land, where I swore that I would make
you dwell, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun. But your little ones, who ye said would become
a prey, I will bring in, and they shall know the land which ye have
despised."
So that first generation did not
receive the land, the land of Canaan, because they rebelled against the
Lord. And God made them to wander in the
wilderness for thirty-eight more years.
They could have gone into the land of Canaan in that two years if they
had not rebelled. Deuteronomy is spoken
of as the doubling of the law for it is.
Moses gives the law again to that second generation. All of those men twenty years of age and
above died. Thus the book of Deuteronomy
is giving of the book of the law to that second generation. Deuteronomy two and fourteen reads, "And the time from our leaving, Kadesh‑barnea." And that is where they were when the spies
were sent to spy out the land. "Until we crossed the brook Zered, was
thirty and eight years; until the entire generation, that is the men of war
hath perished from the camp, as the Lord hath sworn to them." So they would have wandered a year for a
day. It had been approximately two years
since they left Egypt until the time of rebellion Do you remember Galatians 6:1,
"Brethren, if any man be
overtaken in any trespass, ye who are spiritual, restore such a one in the
spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted." And it talks about a man who thinks himself
to be something when he was nothing, is a man who thinks that he is so holy and
righteous that he will not help those who are over taken in sin. So a meek and
kind spirit, always seeks that which is best for people. So blessed are the meek, for they shall
inherit the earth.
Verse six, "Blessed are they that hunger and
thirst after righteousness:
For they shall be filled." I
believe that we understand that there is not a hungering and thirsting after
righteousness so far as American society as a whole is concerned. And it looks like that even in the church, I
guess we are all guilty ‑‑ that we do not hunger and thirst after
righteousness like we should. I am of
the opinion that about the only time that the average member of the church
reads the scriptures enough to amount to anything is when they read at church.
STUDENT: I share that opinion.
BROTHER TURNER: And that does not sound like hungering and
thirsting after righteousness, does it?
Hunger and thirst are two of the very strongest drives of the body. But Jesus said blessed, and remember the word
blessed means happy. "Happy are they that hunger and thirst
after righteousness:
For they shall be filled."
Awhile ago we read that he
that willeth to do his will, he shall know the teaching, whether they
be of God or not. So those who have that
strong desire to know Jesus said they
shall be filled.
Verse seven, "Blessed are the merciful, for they
shall obtain mercy." And,
again, Moses was a man ready to show mercy, wasn't he? He pleaded with the Lord for him to show
mercy. And a reference that all of us
need to keep in mind is James, I believe it's 2:13,
that man will be judged without mercy to him that showeth no mercy. And mercy glorieth against judgment. James 2:12‑13,
"So speak ye, and so do, as man
that are judged by a law of liberty for judgment is without mercy, to him
that hath showed no mercy; mercy glorieth against judgment." Now, what man wants to stand before God and
be judged just on the basis of just and righteous judgment? No man will be able to stand on that basis!
But the Lord will be able to show mercy to
those who have practiced showing mercy to others. Every man like that
stands uncondemned. And so we need to
learn to show mercy, and Jesus our captain is full of mercy and
compassion. "So blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain
mercy.
Verse
eight, Blessed are the pure in heart:
For they shall see God."
The pure in heart are those who are controlling their thinking. The heart of man as spoken of in the Bible is
the mind and will of man. Do you
remember how that the writer of Proverbs said,
keep thy heart with all
diligence for out of it are the issues of life. Every man becomes a
product of his thinking. So blessed are
the pure in heart, those who control their thinking.
Verse nine, "Blessed are the peacemakers:
For they shall be called the sons of God." Christ is spoken of in Isaiah chapter nine,
among those other identifying words, Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. So
our Savior is the Prince of Peace, and if we follow him, we will be
peacemakers. Not peacemakers on the
basis of compromising with wrong, but peacemakers on the basis of things that
are right. We are to be peacemakers in
the family, in the church, at work, and in the community; always ready to try
to keep peace and good will among men.
After the angel had appeared to the shepherds, remember the heavenly
host of angels were singing, Peace on earth and good will toward men. The Prince of Peace had been born.
Verse ten, "Blessed are they that had been persecuted
for righteousness' sake:
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven." Not just blessed are those that are
persecuted, but for those that are persecuted for righteousness' sake. How does righteousness come? It comes by keeping the law of God, Psalms
119 and verse 172, For all thy
commandments are righteousness.
So a person becomes a righteous person by keeping the commandments of
God. And blessed are they that are
persecuted for righteousness' sake. Like
Peter and John and then all of the apostles being persecuted by the Sanhedrin
court, because they were teaching the commandments of God, they were persecuted
for righteousness sake', for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. "Blessed
are ye when men shall reproach you, and persecute you, and say all manner of
evil against you falsely, for my sake.
Rejoice, and be exceeding glad:
For great is your reward in heaven:
For so persecuted they the prophets that were before you." So Jesus taught very plainly that if you are
faithful in my service, you will be persecuted.
And a good reference that all of us need to keep in mind is II Timothy 3:12,
"Yea, and all that will live godly
in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution."
Not may, but shall. And I
think I got the right verse.
STUDENT:
That's the right one.
BROTHER TURNER: That is the right reference?
STUDENT: Yes, sir.
BROTHER TURNER: II Timothy 3:12. That would be a good verse that every
Christian ought to have in mind. Just as
surely as we are faithful to the Lord, we are going to be persecuted in some
way or the other. Now, we are not to go out
and try to do things in a spiteful manner, so people will persecute us, that wouldn't be for
righteousness' sake. "But blessed are ye, when men shall
reproach you, and persecute you, and say all manner of evil against you
falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be
exceeding glad:
For great is your reward in heaven:
For so persecuted they the prophets that were before you." Remember how they persecuted the prophet
Jeremiah. On one occasion, they let him
down in the cistern and he sank in the mud.
They not only persecuted them, but they killed some of them. And the apostle Peter in I Peter chapter four
says, Inasmuch as Christ suffered
in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same mind:
For he that hath suffered is free from sin. I am not getting that exactly right, but,
anyway, arm yourselves that just as surely as Christ suffered in the flesh, you
are going to suffer in the flesh. And
then further in the chapter, he talks about count it not as a strange thing, as though a strange
thing has happened unto you. And he
says, let none of you suffer as a
meddler in other men's matters, but if any man suffer as a Christian, let him
not be ashamed but let him glorify God in this behalf.
Verse thirteen, "Ye are the salt of the earth:
but if the salt have lost its savor, wherewith shall it be salted? It is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be
cast out, and to be trodden under the foot of men." They say it was
the custom for them to store up salt in some kind of a house, and the salt
would be on the ground, and that which was closest to the ground would receive
enough moisture until it would loose its saltiness. They would not throw it out
in the field, because that would ruin the production of crops, but they might
put it in the walkway. So Christians
people are the saving influence in any society. Ten righteous people would have
saved Sodom and Gomorrah. The salt of
the earth has a special saving power in keeping meat, and I remember the day of
the old meatbox. When you killed a hog, or whatever animal you killed, you
salted it down in the meatbox and it preserved the meat. Christian people are to be this saving power,
they are the salt of the earth, the
saving influence in the earth. If there
were not a lot of Christian people in the world, this whole world would have
already been destroyed, wouldn't it? There were not enough righteous people in
the days of Noah to save the world, and God destroyed the world with a world
wide flood. There were not ten righteous
people in Sodom. Ten righteous people
would have saved Sodom and Gomorrah from destruction. And Christian people are the saving influence
in the earth. "Ye are the salt of the earth. But if the salt hath lost its savor,
wherewith shall it be salted?"
And so Christians can lose their saving influence, they can turn around
and be unfaithful to the Lord to the point that they are no more a saving power
in the earth but to the contrary, helping to lead men the wrong way. "So
if the salt has lost its savor, wherewith shall it be salted. It is good for nothing, but to be cast out,
and to trodden under the foot of men.
Verse fourteen, Ye are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a lamp, and put it under
the bushel, but on the stand; and it shineth unto all that are in the
house. Even so let your light shine
before men, and that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who
is in heaven." The good,
black American preacher back yonder, Marshall Keeble, I have heard him say that
the Lord did not say shine your light, but let your light shine. Some want to make themselves shine, but it
says let your light shine. We let our
light shine by living as Christ wants us to live. Remember Christ is the light that came
into the world (John 3:19). And that is also given in the eighth chapter
of the gospel of John. As long as I am in the world, I am the
light of the world, and he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. And so just as surely as we follow Christ
faithfully, we are going to be a light to those who want to follow the light. I like to hear the children sing, going to
let the little light shine. "Neither do men light a lamp, and put it
under the bushel, but on the stand; and it shineth unto all that are in the
house. Even so let your light shine
before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who
is in heaven.
Verse seventeen, Think not that I came to destroy the law of the prophets: I
came not to destroy, but to fulfill." So Christ did not come to destroy the Old
Testament law, the law of the prophets.
I came not to destroy but to fulfill.
And, of course, he was the fulfillment of so many of the prophecies
concerning him. But the primary way in
which he came to fulfill the law is by keeping every provision of the Old
Testament law. He kept the law
perfectly. I came not to destroy but to
fulfill. "For
verily I say." And then when
Christ died on the cross, that was the end of the Old Testament law, because he
had fulfilled it. You remember
Colossians 2:14 says, "Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was
against us, which was contrary to us, and took them out of the way, nailing
them to his cross." So
Christ's death on the cross of Calvary marked the complete fulfillment of the
Old Testament Law. " For verily I say unto you, Till heaven
and earth shall pass away, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass away
from the law, till all things be accomplished." And one jot or one tittle, I guess, that
would be about like dotting the I's and crossing the T's, emphasizing that everything
in respect to the law of Moses is going to be fulfilled, that he was going to
keep the law perfectly. It would not
pass away until all things be accomplished.
"Whosoever therefore
shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, shall be
called least in the kingdom of heaven." Please remember that Matthew used the term
kingdom of heaven as Jesus was using that term more than thirty times. And this would be especially meaningful for
the Jewish people that his book was written especially for the benefit of. "But
whosoever shall do and teach them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of
heaven:
For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed, the
righteousness of the scribes and the Pharisees.
ye shall in no wise enter into the kingdom of heaven." So Jesus is saying to his disciples, you have
got to go beyond what the scribes and the Pharisees do. In their judgment, they
were so faithful in carrying out the commandments of God, but they had changed
God's law by their traditions. That brings us down to verse twenty‑one. We will count Matthew 5:21
as the beginning place for our next class session.