Category: Christ’s earthly ministry

Silent Building #6

Saturday, December 6, 2014

“And the house, when it was in building, was built of stone made ready before it was brought thither: so that there was neither hammer nor axe nor any tool of iron heard in the house, while it was in building” (1 Kings 6:7 KJV).

God is doing something similar today, very quietly too….

The Apostle Paul gently rebuked the Corinthians for their building pagan philosophy into their lives: “[12] Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; [13] Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. [14] If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. [15] If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire” (1 Corinthians 3:12-15).

In Paul’s epistles alone we find our doctrine, duty, walk, and destiny; outside of Romans through Philemon, we find Israel’s doctrine, duty, walk, and destiny. According to the book of Proverbs (3:13-15, 8:10-11, 8:19, 16:16, and 20:15), gold, silver, and precious stones are related to spiritual wisdom, spiritual knowledge, and spiritual understanding. If we are to have spiritual wisdom, spiritual knowledge, and spiritual understanding in this the Dispensation of Grace—doctrine that is well pleasing to the Lord Jesus Christ at the Judgment Seat of Christ—we must go to Paul’s epistles, to the doctrine Jesus Christ spoke to him for him to then write to us.

Christendom’s constant push to “go back to Pentecost” and its persistent cry to “go by what Jesus said” (the Four Gospels), is a disregard for the new revelation that Jesus Christ gave after His earthly ministry and after Pentecost. The Holy Spirit said through Paul, “Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more” (2 Corinthians 5:16). Now, we know Jesus Christ according to His heavenly ministry, Paul’s ministry. Will we submit to God’s current building plans, or, like the Corinthians, will we continue to do whatever we want in religion…?

Our latest Bible Q&A: “What does ‘my kingdom is not of this world’ mean?”

Slain and Crucified?

Friday, November 7, 2014

“The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree” (Acts 5:30 KJV).

Why did the Apostles suggest Israel killed Messiah Jesus before they crucified Him?

When reading, the diligent Bible student will ask questions. Questions prompt a deeper and more involved reading. Today’s Scripture has unusual language, but it conveys a precious truth. The Scriptures say that Jesus died on the cross (Matthew 27:50; Mark 15:37; Luke 23:46; John 19:30), so why did the Holy Ghost through the Apostles indicate that Israel killed Jesus and then crucified Him (today’s Scripture)? Moses provided clues, some 1,500 years earlier.

Deuteronomy 21:18-23 says, “[18] If a man have a stubborn and rebellious son, which will not obey the voice of his father, or the voice of his mother, and that, when they have chastened him, will not hearken unto them: [19] Then shall his father and his mother lay hold on him, and bring him out unto the elders of his city… [20] And they shall say unto the elders of his city, This our son is stubborn and rebellious, he will not obey our voice;…. [21] And all the men of his city shall stone him with stones, that he die: so shalt thou put evil away from among you; and all Israel shall hear, and fear. [22] And if a man have committed a sin worthy of death, and he be to be put to death, and thou hang him on a tree: [23] His body shall not remain all night upon the tree, but thou shalt in any wise bury him that day; (for he that is hanged is accursed of God;) that thy land be not defiled, which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance.”

Israel’s method of execution was stoning, but because she involved the Roman government, Jesus was put to death by crucifixion on a Roman cross. Just as a rebellious son was to be stoned and then hanged on a tree, Israel treated Jesus as a rebellious son, a heretic and imposter, and hung Him on a tree (Galatians 3:13). Simply put, in their minds, they had “killed” Him long before they hung Him on Calvary.

Wayward or Wise

Monday, November 3, 2014

“The way of a fool is right in his own eyes: but he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise” (Proverbs 12:15 KJV).

Today’s Scripture says we can be wayward, or we can be wise—one or the other is everyone before God’s eyes.

Sin is being our own authority, our operating independently of how God designed us to function. For 6,000 years now, the God of the Bible has tolerated our species, the sinful human race. Despite our technological advances that have made life easier, we are still so perplexed as to how to solve our basic problem, sin, that makes life harder.

For three years, the Lord Jesus Christ labored so fervently, so diligently, to turn around the nation He had delivered from Egyptian bondage 1,500 years earlier. He preached, and confirmed with miracles, that He was their long-promised Messiah—willing to evict their Gentile enemies and introduce Israel’s earthly kingdom. Yet, Israel largely disregarded Him. Precious few Jews, those who wisely hearkened to that divine counsel, trusted Him as Christ.

Chiefly, Israel’s works-religion—their striving to be accepted of God—was “right in [their] own eyes.” They refused to hear about their sin; they rejected the counsel Jesus Christ was providing through His sermons and miraculous demonstrations. The Lord Jesus spoke to unbelieving Jews in John 5:39,40: “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.” Contrary to “irresistible grace,” one of the tenets of Calvinism, God never forces Himself on anyone who rejects Him. He gives them over to what they prefer. Jesus continued, “I am come in my Father’s name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive” (verse 43). They did not want Jesus as Christ, so God will one day give Israel a false Messiah, the satanic Antichrist, one who will deceive them and they will gladly have him!

May we wisely come to Jesus Christ as He is presented in Paul’s epistles, Romans through Philemon. Otherwise, we are just as wayward as Israel was in time past.

Reading Calvary’s Superscription in 4D

Sunday, November 2, 2014

“And the superscription of his accusation was written over, THE KING OF THE JEWS” (Mark 15:26 KJV).

Today’s Scripture proves how one of the Four Gospels can be used to better understand the other three.

Have you ever wondered why there are four Gospel records of the Lord Jesus Christ’s earthly ministry? Why do we need the Bible books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John? Why did the Holy Spirit choose four books instead of having one single account of Jesus Christ’s earthly life and ministry?

The four Gospel records provide unique aspects of Jesus Christ’s earthly life and ministry. Matthew presents Him as King, Mark presents Him as Servant, Luke presents Him as Man, and John presents Him as God. Hence, overall, their records independently verify and complement one another. It is one life and ministry viewed from four perspectives—that is why they do not read 100 percent alike, even when discussing the same events or parables. Throughout history, theologians have gotten themselves into trouble by trying to conflate all four books into one—they have omitted phrases or verses that are unique to one or two of the four books. Today’s Scripture is an example of how all four Gospel records can be used to explain and better understand one another, despite their differences.

Mark said the superscription above Christ’s head on the cross was, “THE KING OF THE JEWS.” Matthew 27:37 states, “THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.” Luke 23:38 says, “THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.” John 19:19 declares, “JESUS OF NAZARETH THE KING OF THE JEWS.” While Bible detractors often contend Bible writers “conspired” to make their books agree, these four varying superscriptions strengthen the case for the independent testimony of the Bible authors. In addition, only Matthew 27:38 and John 19:20 report that the aforementioned superscription was written in Greek, in Latin, and in Hebrew.

So, in Greek, Latin, and Hebrew (the chief languages of Jerusalem at the time), the superscription above Christ’s head read in full, “THIS IS JESUS OF NAZARETH THE KING OF THE JEWS.”

Attention: The 2014 Slidell Grace Bible Conference will be held Friday, November 21, to Sunday, November 23. Slidell is 40 minutes’ drive northeast of New Orleans. Speakers are Brothers Richard Jordan, Frank Redman, and Edward Yarber, and myself, Shawn Brasseaux. For more information, see the following flyers.

Arrayed in Hypocrisy

Friday, October 31, 2014

“Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness. Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity” (Matthew 23:27,28 KJV).

“Looks can be deceiving” is not only true during Halloweentime, but confirmed year-round within Christendom.

Today is Halloween, when children dress up and feign themselves to be creatures they are not. Likewise, many church leaders today wear “Christian” garbs, but their ministries do not bring the Lord Jesus Christ glory and honor. They promote their denomination, and seek to perpetuate it, rather than serve and exalt the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ. The Bible manifests these who appear to be good, as “wolves in sheep’s clothing.”

In today’s Scripture, Jesus Christ exposed Israel’s corrupt religious leaders who misled the nation in His day. In His Parable of the Tares, Matthew 13:24-30,37-43, Christ explained how just as He had sown good seed (wheat, believing Jews) in Israel, Satan had also sown tares/weeds (unbelieving Jews). Tares resemble wheat; unbelieving Jews resemble believing Jews. The unbelieving Pharisees and scribes, for instance, looked like God’s people (believing Israel). Judas Iscariot was another example of Satan’s tares—the apostles never realized who Judas really was until it was too late!

But Satan’s counterfeit believers are not confined to Israel’s program. Today, within local assemblies of the Body of Christ, there are people feigning themselves to be Christians: For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works” (2 Corinthians 11:13-15).

Beloved, beware of the church leaders who are arrayed in hypocrisy, “and avoid them” (Romans 16:17b). If their teaching does not agree with the rightly divided King James Bible, you have no business as a child of God to be listening to them.

*This is excerpted from a larger Bible study with the same name. The Bible study can be read here or watched here.

Our latest Bible Q&A: “Should Christians celebrate Halloween?”

Stones Whose Praises Would Rock Creation

Wednesday, October 29, 2014

“And he answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out” (Luke 19:40 KJV).

Why did our Lord Jesus Christ utter such a strange statement?

It was less than a week before He would die on Calvary’s cross, and He had entered Jerusalem on a donkey’s colt, a perfect fulfillment of a Messianic passage: “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass” (Zechariah 9:9).

Believers in Jesus, those who recognized Him as the fulfillment of hundreds of specific Old Testament prophecies of Messiah, “began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen; saying, Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of the Lord: peace in heaven, and glory in the highest” (Luke 19:37,38). The Bible says, “And some of the Pharisees from among the multitude said unto him, Master, rebuke thy disciples” (verse 39). Today’s Scripture was Jesus’ reply to the Pharisees.

Geologically speaking, rocks are inorganic; they are composed of non-living minerals. Yet, the Creator Himself, Jesus Christ, said that they had the ability to “cry out.” Some may say that the notion of non-living objects “crying out” is preposterous, and the Bible unbeliever is free to feel that way. We may, however, point out that it was outlandish that most Jews—creatures with brains and souls—turned a blind eye to the hundreds of prophecies Jesus fulfilled, specific indications He was their long-promised Messiah, the Son of God.

The Holy Spirit through the Prophet Zechariah urged Israel to rejoice and shout when her Messiah came forth on the donkey, and yet here some Jews discouraged the exhibition of such joy! Had no person praised Jesus on that day of the so-called “Triumphal Entry,” surely other aspects of creation would have honored their Creator. The sounds of their praise would have “rocked creation” indeed! 🙂

Our latest Bible Q&A: “Could you please clarify Ephesians 2:18-22?”

Interested, Indifferent, and Insolent

Sunday, October 12, 2014

“Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?” (Isaiah 53:1 KJV).

No one wants to hear you repeat God’s Word? (Yea, there is “nothing new under the sun!”)

In the last few weeks, I have met some people so interested in God’s Word they could not hear enough of it. One lady saw the truth in the verses; she appreciated some of those verses, but wished others were not in the Bible! Others refused to hear and believe the verses—actually, these Bible-rejecters were not atheists or agnostics but “Christians” who “loved and preached Jesus.” (?)

Dear saint, you will meet the following three:

  • INTERESTED. “And the common people heard [Jesus] gladly” (Mark 12:37b). The LORD told the Prophet Zechariah how some of his forefathers believed and obeyed His words of old: “But my words and my statutes, which I commanded my servants the prophets, did they not take hold of your fathers? and they returned and said, Like as the LORD of hosts thought to do unto us, according to our ways, and according to our doings, so hath he dealt with us” (Zechariah 1:6).
  • INDIFFERENT. Acts 24:24,25: “[24] And after certain days, when Felix came with his wife Drusilla, which was a Jewess, he sent for Paul, and heard him concerning the faith in Christ. [25] And as he reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come, Felix trembled, and answered, Go thy way for this time; when I have a convenient season, I will call for thee.” (Nothing in Scripture indicates Felix ever trusted Christ.)
  • INSOLENT. The idolatrous Jews replied to the Prophet Jeremiah’s preaching in Jeremiah 44:16,17: “[16] As for the word that thou hast spoken unto us in the name of the LORD, we will not hearken unto thee. [17] But we will certainly do whatsoever thing goeth forth out of our own mouth, to burn incense unto the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto her….” Sounds like what we hear today, “Leave me alone! I do not care to hear the Bible. You will never take away my church tradition!”

Our latest Bible Q&A: “Why did lying cause the deaths of Ananias and Sapphira?”

Glorious Freedom #2

Monday, October 6, 2014

“But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life” (Romans 6:22 KJV).

The second verse of Haldor Lillenas’ classic 1917 hymn “Glorious Freedom” highlights today’s Scripture.

“Freedom from all the carnal affections;
Freedom from envy, hatred and strife;
Freedom from vain and worldly ambitions;
Freedom from all that saddened my life!”

Lost people view Christianity as bondage (due to strict denominational oppression) and their own lives as freedom (due to the deceitfulness of their own sinful hearts). Lost people assume they freely think for themselves and freely run their own lives—they succinctly declare that they are “not fettered to ancient texts of superstition and fiction” as we are!

Still, they fail to realize that they are captive, not free; they are slaves to sin, powerless to overcome it. Our Lord plainly declared that in John 8:34-36. Actually, the Pharisees resented Jesus for those words, even going so far as to say they “were never in bondage to any man” (verse 33)—they overlooked the hundreds of passers-by, soldiers who belonged to Israel’s overbearing Roman government! Even today, lost people claim to be free as they walk around wearing chains of sin.

In Christ, we are liberated from fleshly attitudes and likings; envy; hatred; strife (fighting); worthless secular goals; and all the other miserable actions that accompany our Adamic sin nature. After illustrating a horrible (sinful) lifestyle in verses 17-19 of Ephesians chapter 4, the Apostle Paul wrote: “[20] But ye have not so learned Christ; [21] If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus: [22] That ye put off concerning the former conversation [behavior and lifestyle] the old man [old, Adamic, sin nature], which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; [23] And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; [24] And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.” He then delineates grace living in verses 25-32, the eternal life God has for us in Christ. We are free from sin, and, as God’s Word rightly divided renews our minds, we see that everlasting life become evident in ours!

Words for Weary and Wounded Warriors

Friday, October 3, 2014

“Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man’s sake. Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy: for, behold, your reward is great in heaven: for in the like manner did their fathers unto the prophets” (Luke 6:22,23).

Although spoken to Israel’s believing remnant, our Lord Jesus’ words still comfort us weary or wounded Christian ambassadors.

A little brother in Christ recently telephoned me (and we later continued our conversation face-to-face). He was despondent because of the disrespectful way lost people—and even professing Christians—treated him. I told him that I could identify with that “coldshouldering” and assured him that he must not let it bother him; God has made provisions for us in Christ to withstand all of the Adversary’s darts (and occasional cannonballs!) aimed at us. Denominational divisions run ever so deep between professing Christians. The greatest spiritual division of all is between children of Father God and children of the Devil. The Lord Jesus Christ in the flesh experienced it, and the early Christians knew it, too.

Before dying, Jesus reminded His disciples, “If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you” (John 15:18). Later, the Apostle John amplified those words by recounting the story of Cain killing his righteous brother Abel, concluding with, “Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you” (1 John 3:13). The Apostle Peter wrote to his Jewish readers who abandoned their lost lifestyles, “Wherein they think it strange that ye run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you” (1 Peter 4:4). Beloved, people hated Jesus Christ living in His flesh; they equally hate Him living in us!

While quality Christian friends are very rare, hold them close once you find those few. We do pray for those who persecute us, that they step out spiritual darkness and into the light of God’s grace to us in Christ; still, we will not let their shunning of us, bother us! 🙂

Ye Do Err!

Thursday, October 2, 2014

“Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God” (Matthew 22:29 KJV).

If Jesus spoke audibly today, He would say this not only to much of the world, but also to 99 percent of “Christian” church members and leaders!

Today, Christianity has more books than ever before—millions and millions of books, millions upon millions upon millions of copies of those books. You would assume that, because of all these “Christian” books, today’s churches would abound with the most Biblically-literate people to ever walk the planet. Alas, this is not so—quite the opposite, actually. They know books, but not the Book! Not long ago a dear, elderly friend in the ministry bemoaned, “The average lost person fifty years ago knew more about the Bible than the average preacher does today!”

For example, a friend and I were recently researching a local church that touts its thousand-plus weekly attendance. When I found their statement of faith online, I discovered that it cited 12 basic Bible verses and one familiar 15-verse-long passage. Yea, it was a very doctrinally-shallow document—one verse supporting almost every tenet.

More recently, I skimmed a “Christian” handbook for teens, published less than a decade ago. The “Bible-believing” author, with denominational approval, wrote: “So when the creation story of Genesis describes the earth as flat, is that true in the sense of factual? Of course not. Did creation take six days as we know them? Not likely.”

While much could be said about his faulty theology (and horrific grammar!), I can only wonder what “creation story of Genesis” (?) he was reading when he claimed God’s Word indicated that the earth was “flat!” Like many today in religion, the author just fabricated an idea (denominationalism), he pretended it was “Scripture” (the average reader would never check the Bible for himself anyway!), and then he demeaned the very God and Book he claimed to adore (“I only believe the Bible verses my church supports literally!”)! As Jesus told the religious leaders of His day, “Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures!”

Beloved, be on guard against these “wolves in sheep’s clothing!”