THE GOSPEL OF SPIRIT AND LIFE THE KINGDOM OF GOD
Until Jesus instructed his listeners, no one had heard of or knew of God the Father. The Jews he preached to, mistakenly believed he was talking of God the creator, the God of Israel, the God of the Commandments and God the covenant giver. Only the disciples and converts knew the truth.
John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 He was in the beginning with God.
3 All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.
4 In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men.
14 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.
10 He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him.
11 He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him.
12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God.
Jesus is God the creator, the God of Israel, the God of the commandments and God the covenant giver. Jesus, Christ, Christ Jesus, Jesus Christ, God, Lord, the Son, God the Son, the Son of God, the Son of Man, are all one in name. God the Father stands alone, but is not alone. He and Jesus are always in unison, and he is the source of the Holy Spirit, the light of truth.
The gospel is not presented in a 123…ABC…format. It is interwoven in the four gospel books with some found elsewhere, and you may ask why it needs to be dug out or decoded? The answer is two fold. The entire Bible is a story of God and His chosen people Israel. Each testament is enhanced by the other. Even the gospel spreading to the gentiles, is in truth a story of Israel. (we will get into this later). So searching for the gospel puzzle pieces will have you searching the entire Word for God’s truth. A simpler reason is explained by three scriptures:
John 6:65 “I tell you no one is able to come to Me unless he is allowed by the Father”.
Matthew 7:14 “For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life and there are few who find it”.
Matthew 22:14 “For many are called, but few are chosen”.
God closes the eyes and ears of those not ready for, or not worthy of His kingdom. Believe me, if you love God you will love the search of His word.
John the Baptist paved the way for Jesus, Mark 1:4 and Luke 3:3 say the same, John was preaching a baptism of repentance for forgiveness of sins. Baptism and repentance are the first two of four requirements of the gospel. Luke 13:3 and 5 say “unless you repent you will likewise perish”. Ezekiel 18:32 “I have no desire for anyone to die” says the Lord. “So repent and live”.
Mark 16:16 “He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved, but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned”.
John 5:24 “He who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death to life”.
John 3:16 “ that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life”.
John 3:36 “He who believes in the Son has eternal life, but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides in him”. Throughout the Lord’s earthly ministry, belief in His message about spiritual eternal life in kingdom is the third requirement of the gospel.
The last requirement of the gospel is the most controversial, it was stated above in John 3:36. You can be baptized, repent and have so called belief in abundance, but if you do not obey the Son, you will not see life. What makes this controversial is that the crucifixion execution of our Lord became our Passover Gift of remission of sin (past and present, but not future) by His sacrifice. This is the key that unlocked the gate to the kingdom of God. This gift, known as grace cancels the Law’s redemptive power. However, this doctrine of grace and faith doing away with the law is easy to dismiss, as not supported by our Lord’s word. How do we determine what sin is?
1 John 3:4 Sin is lawlessness
Romans 3:20 thru the Law comes the knowledge of sin
Before the grace of our Lord, Ezekiel 18:32 said “repent and live”. The act of repentance now and then are the same, we repent from the sinful behavior of breaking God’s Law.
Now and then, changed behavior is the fruit of repentance. No backsliding,
Matthew 10:20 “it is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved”.
Luke 16:16 “The Law and the prophets were proclaimed until John, since that time the gospel of the kingdom of God has been preached”.
Luke 16:17 “But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one stroke of a letter of the Law to fail”.
Matthew 19:17 “if you wish to enter life keep the Commandments”.
Hebrews 5:9 He became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey Him.
John 15:10 “If you keep My commandments you will abide in my love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love”.
Romans 2:13 It is not the hearers of the Law who are just before God, but the doers of the Law who will be justified.
Romans 6:15-16 What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the Law but under grace? May it never be! Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves of obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either sin, resulting in death or of obedience resulting in righteousness?
1 Corinthians 7:20 obedience to God’s commands is everything.
In Matthew, Mark, and Luke, Jesus answers questions on the commandments and one asked “what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus answered “What is written in the Law? How does it read to you?” And he answered “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength and all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself”. And He said to him “you have answered correctly; DO THIS AND YOU SHALL LIVE”. Lastly in the treasure Gospel of John, Jesus says:
John 14:15 “If you love me, you will keep My commandments”.
John 14:21 “He who does my commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me”.
John 8:51 and restated in 8:52 “If anyone keeps My word he will never see death”.
John 14:23 “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and my Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him”.
The Law can, and most often does mean the commandments, and the commandments mean the 10 Commandments, which are by covenant given to the sons of Israel, and also given to anyone who believes the Gospel and sacrifice of our Lord. Since the annual Feasts have High Holy Sabbaths, the are all within the 4th commandment. OBEDIENCE is the fourth requirement of the Gospel, it was necessary for salvation before Christ, and is still necessary. The 10 Commandments are the only covenant Law given to the Israelites. All law and ordnances outside the covenant are the theocratic structure. The Israelites have not had a theocracy for more than 2,500 years. Anyone is free to follow any of these ordnances they want, although it is not required.
Satan’s last contention is the Commandments only apply to Israel and the Jews of today. The following words of God show these ancient Commandments have applied to all believers from Moses time to today.
Ephesians 2:19-21 So you (Jews and Gentiles) are no longer strangers and aliens, but are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord.
John 10:14-16 “I am the good Shepard, and I know My own and My own know Me, even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep, which are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will hear My voice and they will become one flock with one Shepard”.
Romans 11:17-21 But if some of the branches were broken off, and you (Gentiles) being a wild olive, were grafted in among them (Jews) and became partaker with them of the rich root (Christ Jesus) of the olive tree, do not be arrogant toward the branches; but if you are arrogant, remember that it is not you who supports the root, but the root supports you. You will say then, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.” Quite right, they were broken of for their unbelief, but you stand by your faith. Do not be conceited, but fear; for if God did not spare the natural branches, He will not spare you, either.
This proves that Jews and Gentiles are fellow citizens, of the same flock, and branches of the same tree, all metaphors for the same church. The true church in Christ Jesus is made up of Jews and Gentiles and the lost children of Israel as one dispersed flock.
The Gospel message is about entering the eternal spiritual kingdom of God. There are four requirements: 1 Repent, 2 Be baptized, 3 Belief in the message and the messenger, 4 Obey the Commandments of our Lord. NO BACKSLIDING
Luke 9:62 “No one after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God”.
Matthew 10:20 “It is the one who has endured to the end will be saved”.
WHY WE NEED EXTRA CREDIT
Luke 17:10 “So you too, when you do all things which are commanded of you, say, ‘We are unworthy slaves; we have done only that which we ought to have done’”.
So what should we do? Lets start with attitude or character, Galatians 5:22-26 The harvest of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, good temper, kindliness, generosity, fidelity, gentleness, self control. – There is no law against those who practice such things. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with it’s emotions and passions. As we live by the Spirit, let us be guided by the Spirit; let us have no vanity, no provoking, no envy of one another.
Matthew 6:1 “Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven.”
Matthew 6: “pray in secret”
Matthew 6:14 “for if you forgive others their transgressions your Heavenly Father will also forgive you”.
Luke 6:36-37 “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. Do not judge and do not condemn and you will not be condemned; pardon and you will be pardoned”.
Matthew 6:2 tells us to give to the poor and how to do it.
Luke 6:31 “Treat others the same way you want them to treat you”.
Matthew 25: 34-40 “Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger and you invited Me in; naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to me.’ “Then the righteous will answer Him ‘Lord when did we see you hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and gave You drink? And when did we see You a stranger, and invite you in, or naked, and clothe You? When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ “The King will answer and say to them ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them , you did it to Me.’
Luke 12:8 “Everyone who confesses Me before men, the Son of Man will confess him before the angels of God".
The next installment will be a rant on myths,
perversions of the truth, and false doctrines
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