Deeper Truths in the Gospels

1 Jan 2026

GOD’S ABSOLUTE SOVEREIGNTY

“If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all – how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? it is God who justifies. Who then can condemn? No-one. Christ Jesus who died – more than that, who was raised to life – is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? (Romans 8: 31b-36 TNIV)

On this New Year day, 1/1/2026, my heart is ‘heavy’ as I ponder over the sufferings of brethren all over the world – for those who are undergoing persecution, hardship, and pain, simply because they are believers and are steadfast in their loyalty to the Lord Jesus.
“If God is for us, who can be against us?’ is a remarkable statement. Mankind’s rebellion warrants only God’s anger and punishment. Indeed, perhaps the most terrible words which human ears would ever hear are those which God uttered many times in the Old Testament: “I am against you” (e,g,Jer. 50:31; Ezek. 13:8). But the amazing news of the gospel is that God is now on the side of those He has chosen.
Apostle Paul points us to the cross for proof that God is on our side and sees there, also, the guarantee of our future hope (Rom. 5:6-8). The fact that God did not spare His own beloved Son, but willingly gave Him up for us, can leave us in no doubt that He will give us all things.These things are not the worldly desires of our hearts, but the things He intends for us, namely glory(8:30) and a share in Jesus’ inheritance (v. 17).

God’s absolute sovereignty is a truth of which we need to be reminded today. Our age has domesticated God and reduced Him to our level to that of a buddy or friend; hence we rudely question Him when ‘things go wrong’, we demand explanations from Him when we suffer or go through hardships, and we do not hesitate to be ‘angry’ with Him.
Our distorted view of the almighty transcendent God results in thinking that He cannot cope with the complexities that life will invariably throw at us and that He cannot bear the weight of our faith.
But the truth is: God is working out HIs purposes through history and cannot be thwarted. Therefore we should confidently urge one another to trust Him in all circumstances.
At the heart of the passage in Roman 8 is the wonderful truth that Christians can be fully confident of all the good God intends for us, the good that culminates in our glorification in heaven. Firstly, we can be sure of God’s sovereignty. Also, we can be confident because God is for us. Although we have done nothing to deserve His favour, we can say that God is on our side. He has declared us righteous through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and, in case we should ever have any doubt that this work is sufficient for our justification, Paul tells us that Jesus is now in heaven pleading our case in the light of His death.

It is in looking to God, and to God alone, that we gain our assurance. It is He who enables us to look at any hardship in the face and say that it is incapable of severing us all the lifeline we have in Christ. All Christians will feel lack of assurance at some time in their lives, but it always arises through the loss of a correct perspective. We tend to look at ourselves and our experience, both of which are bound to discourage us.
In ourselves, we will find ongoing sin, because of our mortal bodies that have yet to be redeemed (Rom. 721-25), and also that life in this world will always be hallmarked by ‘present sufferings’ (8:18). We are urged to look at the future that God has in store for us (8:28-30) and, above all, to the God who has saved us, because His power and His commitment to us are both perfect.
We will share in Christ’s inheritance (8:17); we will be freed from all suffering (8:21), and our bodies will be redeemed (8:23) as we wait to be conformed to the image of Christ (8:29). God’s plan to glorify us in this way will be achieved, no matter what we may be facing in the present. For the work He is doing in us is the work that He started before the beginning of time and that He will definitely complete in eternity. God really does rule over His world and thus our lives really are in His hands. This is a particular comfort for believers who are suffering in the present and may find many reasons to doubt their security.
So be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might; do not waver in our trust and confidence in Him, for He is absolutely and perfectly able and faithful to fulfil all His promises!

Some thoughts for the New Year
All believers are surely familiar with Matthew 28:19 – “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you….”

Perhaps we may not have paid closer attention to the following: The commandment was given to the eleven disciples – they were ordinary men from one point of view; many came from humble backgrounds (fishermen, tax-collector, not religious leaders and learned individuals like the lawyers). Yet the Lord Jesus gave them a tremendous task -make disciples of all nations (not just some individuals – it was a worldwide mission); they were to baptise them and teach them to obey everything (not just some things). Is it possible for such ordinary individuals to accomplish such a global and thorough mission?
Study the passage again: Before this commission, the Lord Jeus said, ” All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me – Therefore go..” And in the closing of the passage, the Lord declared, “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age”. Now, this seems more possible and more feasible.

The disciples were to go with the authority of the Lord Jesus, an authority not just on earth but in heaven. The global mission does not seem so impossible when it is backed up by the authority and power of God Himself, and when God Himself is with them always, not just for a while, but to the very end of the age.

When we look at what is happening to God’s church and God’s people today, and as we lament at the poor spiritual state of the people of God in general, all over the world, we may feel that the task and mission is not possible. But we need to look at the authority and power behind the mission and commission; we need to realise who is with the disciples in this global mission and that He is with them not just for a season, but until the end of the age.

In Acts 1:8, the Lord told about 120 persons: “But you will receive Power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalemand in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth”. Notice again that the mission is to the ends of the earth – it is not restricted to a local area or local towns and villages – it is a global commission and mission!
So what the Lord Jesus commanded his disciples (the apostles) and the 120 believers in Acts 1:8 was a global worldwide mission that spans generations until the end of the age; it was not a mission that is localised in some localised areas or cities or states, but it is to extend to all nations throughout many generations in this new era brought in by the Lord; it is to establish the kingdom of God (a new humanity with Christ as the head), an eternal kingdom with a people who are redeemed to dwell in the new heaven and new earth, to rule with the Lord Jesus and to share His glory.
But in today’s context, we see believers building their own little kingdoms in their own local Christian groups, churches (mega or small), their own ‘disciples’ who owe their loyalty and allegiance to the group or leader; and furthering their own agenda and objectives – all these do not constitute what the Lord desire in HIs commission and command to go and make disciples of all nations throughout this current age and beyond, until the Lord Jesus comes again.
Such groups and churches are concerned about the number of members in their midst; they are focused on carrying out their own plans and objectives, and in all these, they may be unknowingly oblivious to the fact that they are not actually carrying out the mission and command given by the Lord.
After Jesus completed his salvation plan at the cross, he was resurrected and he ascended to the right hand of the Father. We need to affirm that although Jesus no longer carry out his mission on earth, he is still continuing his mission of bringing in God’s kingdom through his people and the church (via the Holy Spirit, the third Person of the Trinity, who empowers them to continue the mission and task of our Lord Jesus until He comes again.
God’s people today are not the original apostles, but we continue to carry out what was established by them through successive generations, and in the community, the church. And the church’s priority is to make disciples of all nations in the context of the many local communities (churches) all over the world and throughout many generations and years. And the priority centres on the gospel – we are to preach the gospel and to bring back God’s elected people into His kingdom and to nurture them and mature them in the process of discipleship and church-life such them the churches will be beacons of light in a world of darkness.
In that light, we need to refocus on the good news, the gospel; and we need to know clearly what the heart of the gospel is.
One of the greater errors of Christians is to place themselves at the heart of the gospel they preach (Romans 1:1-6).
The gospel comes from God (v.1) – the source of the good news is not humanity, nor even the apostles, but God Himself. The gospel is from God and about God.
It is a message that comes from God and we are to pass it on as it is given to us. It was promised beforehand in the Bible – it is God’s eternal plan, revealed to His people hundreds of years previously, in the Old Testament. Throughout history, God has been working to fulfil His plan. Jesus is not God’s “second plan”, or that the Old Testament is about a God of anger and the New Testament about a God of love. The gospel is about Jesus (Rom. 1:3). Paul describes Jesus as a descendant of David, in itself a fact about His messiahship, but in the spiritual realm, he has been declared to be the powerful Son of God by means of his resurrection from the dead. Thus Jesus (the man) Christ (the promised Messiah) our Lord (the supreme ruler in the universe) is the One Paul reveals.
The gospel is for Jesus’ name’s sake. The goal of gospel proclamation is not our benefit, but that Jesus’ name might be honoured and glorified.
God is the subject of the gospel; it is a message about Him – HIs character and His action through Christ. The gospel is God’s solution to His problem; it is the powerful means by which God saves sinful people – for in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last.
The gospel, about how God can make people righteous, is set against the backdrop of our utter condemnation and our total powerlessness to do anything to save ourselves. All humankind (from Adam) is unrighteous and condemned; God condemns us to lives contaminated by malice and selfishness (1:18-32), and in the future we will face His wrath. But God is righteous and just; and His solution is to justly make people righteous. As a righteous God, it is seen in His judgment as He condemns those guilty of rebellion (3:1-8), but as a loving gracious merciful God, He seeks to save fallen mankind but He cannot compromise His righteousness – hence His solution is seen in His salvation plan.
God makes people righteous by faith and not by works. No one can be good enough for God. We can only be made righteous by faith; this is the only way that we can appropriate the benefits of what God has done through Christ. Paul teaches that faith involves trusting God’s promises of salvation, and he points to Abraham as an example of how to do this.
God is angry because of our wickedness and this consists of our wilful refusal to acknowledge the truth about Him. Just He reveals His righteousness, so He reveals His wrath, and the purpose of both is to lead people to repentance and faith. Often, the church addresses the symptoms rather than the disease. God’s wrath is inescapable; it is a mistake to think of oneself as not that bad – sin is evil and a rebellion against God – our rejection of God results in a change in the object of our affections (the idol in our lives). Ultimately idolatry is our pursuit of possessions or our devotion to alternative ideologies – it is replacing God with something else or somebody else (it could even be ourselves). When we talk about God’s wrath, it is not just present wrath but also future wrath (before God’s judgment). Our future judgement changes everything. We often try to tell our unbelieving friends that they need Jesus because of the difference he will make to their lives whereas much more important is how he can affect their existence after death. If we do not tell people about God’s future wrath, they will not see their need for a saviour. There is no avoiding His just judgments. Our deeds convict us, because we do evil. There is no exception to the rule: when God judges our deeds, everyone is found wanting because no one has lived u p to His perfect standard of perfect good works. The Lord God is always true to Himself; God’s faithfulness to what He has revealed is also seen in judgment. He is being true to HIs word when He condemns, even if He ends up condemning everyone.
When we preach the gospel, we need to be careful not to present Christiansiyt to people as a satisfying and fulfilling way to live and invite them to try it out for themselves; we need instead to wake people up to the fact that their Creator is rightly angry with them in the way they treat Him and that they are powerless to save themselves. Only with such an understanding will the good news of God’s rescue plan truly make sense. Remember, Love and justice are hallmarks of God’s perfectly righteous character.
Righteousness from God is a state of being in a right relationship with Him that only He can bring about.
The good news is that God does not leave us facing His terrible wrath. He has stepped in and provided a solution. Because He has put forward His Sos as a sacrifice of atonement, so that His wrath is totally appeased, He is able to show us His grace. It is He who makes us righteous. Without God’s action, our condemnation is certain. God has done what we cannot do. In sharing the gospel, we must stick to this message and not move away from it. The message we tell then will be one of grace.
The commission and mission commanded by the Lord Jesus must be centred upon the gospel and salvation plan of God. There can be no genuine disciples and genuine churches without those who have repented and received Christ and His solution by faith. We are not called to increase membership in our groups; we are not to come out with methods and means to bring in people to God; it is only with the true gospel and the enabling of the Holy Spirit that genuine conversions and regenerations can take place in the lives of people chosen by God.But we do not stop at this point; the church is to nurture and disciple those who have come back to the fold; we are to present everyone mature in Christ, as true disciples and followers of God.

SIN IS NO SMALL MATTER BEFORE GOD

When we sin and excuse ourselves that it is not so bad, and everyone always does it; we forget how holy, righteous, and pure God is.
When Moses saw the burning bush, he was told to remove his sandals, for the ground he was standing on is holy (because God is present before Moses). When Isaiah saw a vision of God, he realised that he was a man with unclean lips and God had to assure him of His forgiveness. The man, Daniel, became so weak and could not stand up in the presence of the vision of God, and God had to touch him and strengthen him. And these men were godly men; Isaiah was a great prophet in the OT, probably one of the greatest; Moses was chosen to lead the people of God out of Egypt in the great exodus; Daniel was one highly esteemed by God; yet all could not stand before the almighty holy God and in His presence without being overwhelmed with their own unrighteousness.
In the OT, when David brought the ark back to Jerusalem on a new cart, and when the oxen stumbled, Uzzah reached out and took hold of the ark of God. The Lord’s anger burned against Uzzah because of his irreverent act; therefore God struck him down, and he died there besides the ark of God (2 Samuel 6:1-8). Scripture recorded that David was angry because the Lord’s wrath had broken out against Uzzah, and David was afraid of the Lord that day.
Here is an illustration that God’s work and service must be done in God’s way, without compromising His holiness and without being irreverent. The ark was supposed to be carried by Levites who had been ‘purified’ and not on an ark. The ark is where the presence of God is; and to touch the ark, even without the negative motive, is tantamount to an irreverent act. Notice how, when God decided to dwell among His people, during the journey in the wilderness, the tabernacle had to be constructed with strict instructions, and no one was to approach the tabernacle in a careless manner. Even the high priest could only enter the Holy of Holies on the day of atonement, and only after he had offered sin offering for himself and the people. There was always the possibility that he might not come out of the holy place where the ark was, if he were to be irreverent and careless in ‘cleansing’ himself before entering. When Aaron’s sons offered unholy fire before God, they were slain.

If we ponder over these, we would realise how much the Lord Jesus Christ has done for us, such that we can enter into the presence of God through His blood and be accepted by God, and not be slain, or killed.
But that does not mean we can take sin lightly and to think that small sins are alright and God would overlook them.
There are always consequences to sin, and we are to pursue holiness wholeheartedly, albeit, with the enabling and empowering of the Holy Spirit. The sin of one or several individuals can affect the whole church or congregations, remembering that “a little leaven permeates the whole leaven”.

PERSONAL REFLECTIONS ON LUKE 11:29-36

In the above passage, the people called for a sign from the Lord Jesus; the crowds were increasing the call for a sign, but Jesus viewed the request for a miracle as a characteristic of that generation that marked it out as evil (unbelieving). No such sign would be given, Jesus said, “except the sign of Jonah”(11:29). The sign of Jonah is generally regarded as a reference to Jesus’ resurrection (as Jonah was in the big fish for 3days and 3 nights, the Son of Man will be in the tomb for the same period)

Why was Jesus reluctant to give the people such a sign, as requested? Jesus had actually performed many miracles prior to this; this includes His power over sickness, His power over the demons (even they recognised the Lord Jesus and trembled); His power over death as He raised the dead; His power over nature (when He calmed the storm with a word); and He even healed from afar with just His words. If we look at the OT, the prophecies from Isaiah and others indicated that these signs of healing etc would accompany the arrival of the long awaited Messiah, and when John the Baptist (in prison) requested for Jesus to affirm that He was the Messiah, He referred John to the various miracles which accompanied the appearance of the Messiah and that He performed them. So why then was Jesus reluctant to perform another sign for the people?
The Lord knew that the people had enough miracles to witness for them to believe in Him, if they were truly open, and it was not the lack of signs or miracles that were preventing them from believing.
Jesus referred to the Ninevites, a pagan people who repented at the preaching of Jonah, warning of impending doom, and in that sense they were more perceptive than Israel in Jesus’s day. The Queen of Sheba was also astute; she travelled hundreds of miles to hear God’s wisdom, spoken by Solomon. Notice that Jesus was telling the people that One greater than Jonah and Solomon was in their midst. If the people of Ninevae and the Queen of Sheba could respond positively to God’s Word and wisdom respectively, with much less exposure to the power and reality of God as compared with that received by the Israeltes (including their leaders and teachers), then the former two would chastise Israel on the judgement day for their unbelief.

What was then the problem with the people? It was the problem of the heart; the heart that could not ‘believe’ and the heart that would not believe.No amount of miracles and signs would make the difference.There were enough signs and miracles to convince many who are truly open to respond to the Messiah; the people (and especially their leaders the Pharisees and Lawyers) had made up their minds not to believe. They were able to recognise that the Lord had performed miracles but they were more concerned with their own status and standing that might be lost if people were to flock to Jesus and abandon them’. They noted the miraculous signs, but they preferred to blaspheme by pointing the source of Jesus’ miracles to Beelzebul. In contrast some of the ordinary people could reason that only One from God can do all these great miracles performed by the Lord Jesus.
In the same passage, the Lord Jesus pointed out that their eyes were unhealthy and hence their body is full of darkness; whereas for those with healthy eyes, their body would be full of light. In John’s gospel, John pointed out that in Jesus, the Word, there was life and this life is the true light of all people. John also wrote that the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. John also indicated that men love darkness rather than the light because their deeds were evil; and Jesus also said that believers are to be the light of the world and the salt of the earth.
So the reference was not so much to the physical eye, or the physical light but rather to the true light (the Lord Jesus, the Word; and Scriptures also pointed out the Word of God is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path). Hence, when Jesus exhorted the people to see to it that their bodies is full of light and no part of it is dark, He was referring to spiritual life and godly character that is embedded in the heart (not the physical heart but the actual deep seated being and person ). If believers were to be the light of the world, they must reflect the character of God in their lives and not the darkness of the evil one; here is the reminder that godly character has a major role in influencing unbelievers to consider the claims of the gospel. If the body is full of darkness, no amount of signs or miracles can convince such ones to repent and to believe.

It is helpful to note that miracles by themselves can be performed by false prophet and antichrist, and the devil can dress as an angel of light (See Revelation 13).”The beast (antichrist) was given power to make war against God’s holy people and to conquer them…Another beast (the false prophet) exercised all the authority of the first beast on its behalf, and made the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose fatal wound had been healed (mimicking the death and resurrection of Christ), and it performed great signs, even causing fire to come down from heaven to the earth in full view of everyone. Because of the signs it was given power to perform on behalf of the first beast it deceived the inhabitants of the earth (Rev. 13:7,11-14a). In the last of the last days, “the day of the Lord will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness (antichrist) is revealed.. He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshipped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God” (2Thess. 2:3b-4)…
“The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with how Satan works. He will use all sorts of display of power through signs and wonders that serve the lie, and all the ways that wickedness deceives those who are perishing” (vv.9-10a).
So the warning is clear, the devil, the antichrist, and the false prophet would deceive many by claiming to be the “trinity” (the false one) and the deceptions would be carried out with the performing of signs and wonders. If we look to miracles to believe and cannot discern the source of these miracles and signs, we are in danger of being deceived and led far astray.
In the passage of Luke 1`1:29-36, Jesus was telling the people that they should not be interested so much in HIs miracles – it is the Lord Jesus they should be focusing on – Jesus was not interested in their applause but He wanted their commitment and their total surrender to Him, which He deserves as the Son of God. Either Jesus is the Lord or He is not; if He is not, then we are free to walk away; but if He is, then we need to give HIm our most careful attention and receive Him as God and Saviour.
It is interesting that the only sign Jesus would give the people is the sign of Jonah and we noted that it was referring to the resurrection.
The actuality of the Resurrection of Jesus from the dead and His subsequent ascension and ministry at the right hand of the Father and through the Holy Spirit, make Christian faith and ministry possible. Christian faith and ministry are the direct consequences of what happened to Jesus, as God the Holy Spirit joins us to Him to share in His life, and therefore also in His ministry. Joy and hope, therefore, mark Christian identity because Jesus the Christ is risen and we, in union with HIm, share now in His life.
The resurrection means the advent of a new ministry for Him. This is not a ministry different in content or goal from Jesus’ earthly ministry, but it is a ministry different in kind because He is now present to us in the Holy Spirit.

From the Father, through the Son and in the Holy Spirit: this now is the ground of the church’s ministry. To the Father, through the Son and in the Holy Spirit: this now is the goal of the church’s ministry. The kingdom of God is no longer at hand; it has come in the death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ. All those who repent and believe by faith are united with the Lord Jesus and they, together with the saints of the Old Testament as well as those who will believe in future, form the kingdom of God (the true church of God) which will be consummated in the New Heaven and New Earth.
Jesus, at His trial, had said that HIs kingdom is not of this earth; otherwise, His people would fight – His kingdom is the heavenly kingdom in which He would rule in all glory and His people will rule with Him and share His glory – what a tremendous hope and privilege await all those who are His!!

DISCOVERING THE HIDDEN AND DEEPER TRUTHS IN THE GOSPELS

Many congregations have been studying the Gospels in their series of sermons, and Bible studies. But perhaps, some of us have missed the deeper truths in the Gospels as we reflect on the Gospels, and we are the poorer for it (spiritually), as well as the fact that we may be oblivious of the possibility that judgment would not be positive for us when the kingdom of God is consummated with the second coming of the Lord Jesus.

We noted that the signs and miracles accompanied the coming of the Messiah – the healing of the sick, the raising of the dead, the proclamation of the forgiveness of sin, the miracles of controlling nature, the multiplication of bread for the multitudes, and so on.
Many may be taken up with the miracles; we saw in the study of Luke 11 that the people were asking Jesus for more signs.
But if we pause and ponder, the signs and miracles performed by the Lord Jesus were given to the people as a “foretaste” of what it would be like in the kingdom of God (the new heaven and new earth at the consummation).
Jesus began His ministry by telling the people “to repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand”. He came as the long-awaited Messiah to bring in the kingdom of God, and this He did not by conquest in warfare but by suffering and dying for the fallen humanity, becoming a substitute for us in taking the punishment for our sin and drinking the “cup of wrath” which rightly belongs to all of fallen mankind.
His healing of sickness and ailments was to indicate that in God’s kingdom there is no place for sickness. He raised the dead also to demonstrate that sickness and death exist in this world as a result of sin entering the world in the garden of Eden, and in God’s kingdom (the new heaven and new earth), there would be no more sickness, no more death, no more sorrow and pain. Also, there will be no place for sin.

But in fulfilling His mission, notice that the Lord Jesus did not start a revolution to overturn the Roman empire; He did not heal multitudes and multitudes of people or raise many from the dead. He did not pursue a political agenda, or a social cause (although the gospel has social implications and the pursuit of justice). Instead, He kept His eyes on Jerusalem and told His disciples He had to die to bring in the kingdom of God.
In the transfiguration, the disciples were given a foretaste of who Jesus really is, not only in His transfigured appearance, but also in the declaration of His heavenly Father. John the baptist identified Jesus as the “Lamb of God”, indicating the nature of His mission to bring in God’s kingdom.

Jesus was bringing in a new era; a new Age, when He told the people about the new wine in the old wineskin. This is a picture of the radical newness of Jesus’ ministry clashing with the Pharisee’ established traditions and expectations. The other thing repeated by the Lord was: ‘the patch tears away’; the wine willburse the skins’; the wine is destroyed, and so are the skins’. To fail to make room for the new will lead to disaster. And that would prepare for the next study in Luke when the Lord Jesus pronounced “Woes” unto the Pharisees and lawyers; obviously, the people and the leaders have rejected the new wine, the kingdom of God the Lord Jesus was bringing in, and the severe pronouncements of the Lord indicate the severity and seriously of rejecting the Messiah and His gift of salvation. When the leaders criticised Jesus for ‘breaking the Law’ (the ceremonial as well as what they claimed to be the moral law), they did not realise that they were criticising the One who is the Creator, the King, the One who established the Law, and the One who knows the real intent of the Law as well as the predicament human beings are in.
Jesus came as the “Light” of the world, but men love darkness more than light because their deeds are evil. Their evil hearts and hardened conscience forbid them to let the light in; they prefer to remain in darkness (and behind the darkness is the evil one who uses the negative influence of the world and the desires of the flesh and sinful nature to cause men to love darkness and to remain in darkness as well as lead others into the same predicament).
The Lord willing, we may share further on the mission and reality of the truths behind the Lord’s incarnation and His true identity.

DISCOVERING THE DEEPER AND HIDDEN TRUTHS IN THE GOSPELS(B)

Continuing on the above sharing, we noted that Jesus’ signs and miracles were a “foretaste’ of the kingdom of God in the new heaven and new earth – as the Messiah, who brought in the kingdom of God, He was helping the people to look forward to the consummation when in the kingdom of God, there is no more sorrow, no more pain, no more sickness, no more death, and the inhabitants would be those who are forgiven and adopted as children of God (hence no more sin). Also, as in the book of Romans, the creation also, which was groaning, would be recreated and renewed; as demonstrated by Jesus’ power over the storm, His walking on the water, His miracles which defied the laws of nature and were in the realm of the supernatural. Jesus’ challenge to the Jews to show when or where He had sinned; His power over the demons; His claim of being with God the Father in the beginning (before Abraham was, I am) and the “I am” on many occasions put Himself at the same level as God. To Philipp, His disciple, He said, “If you have seen me, you have seen the Father”.
Only a perfect man is without sin; only a divine being can overcome death and be resurrected. And ‘resurrection’ is not resuscitation; no man in history has been resurrected in the manner that Jesus was; He not only was resurrected, He was given a new body that is indestructible to match His resurrection. His resurrection (being raised to life by God through the Holy Spirit) vindicated Him, that indeed, He is the God-man, having a human and divine nature, and His sacrifice on behalf of sinners was and is accepted by the heavenly Father. No wonder Jesus referred to His resurrection as the final sign to the people; the resurrection declared Him to be who He really is, and what His mission has accomplished – and those who believe and share His death and resurrection manifest the greatest sign and miracle – wretched men and women spiritually born again to be like the Master in His holiness and character such that the spiritual beings in the heavenly realm also marvelled at God’s power and love.

Jesus’ invitation to would-be disciples: “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me”(Mark 8:34, and also in Luke 9) is declaring that Christians must die before they rise. It is a call to radical self-denial. Be prepared to deny yourself in your career, your popularity, your use of money, your sex life, your aspirations to an easy life. In other words, if you try to save your life now, you will lose it in the future; if you lose your life for Jesus’ sake and the gospel’s, then you will save it. Jesus never asks His followers to do what He Himself has not done. No sacrifice is too great if eternal glory is on offer, while no temporary pleasure could be worth eternal loss! That is illustrated in the saying of the Lord when He said,”The seed must die, or it remains alone, but when it dies, it brings forth much fruit” (paraphrased).
Note that Jesus has also said that if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off or face hell. When the rich young man came to Him, wanting to know how he could enter the kingdom of God, the Lord told him to sell all he has and give it to the poor. The man claimed to have kept the 10 commandments but when it comes to ‘no other gods before me’ and ‘do not make an idol’, he fails completely. His money and wealth had become his god.
Fighting sin is not an optional extra for Christian discipleship; unless we stop sinning, we shall find ourselves in hell. But thanks be to God that Jesus dies on the cross to save us from hell. But Jesus’ strong and sharp words concerning dealing with sin thoroughly (as in mortification of the flesh) reveal the seriousness of sin in the eyes of God.
When the tower fell and killed some Galileans, the people were asking Jesus whether those who died were more sinful. Jesus did not answer them directly; instead, He warned that unless they repented of their sins, they would also die – here is the focus on the seriousness of sins and the eternal consequence. Also, when someone asked Jesus to tell his brother to share the inheritance with him, Jesus, instead of carrying out his request, reminded him that a man’s life and well-being (spiritually?) does not consist of his wealth and possessions. Here again it echoes what the Lord advised the people to lay up treasure in heaven where moth and rust do not ‘destroy’ rather than lay up treasure on earth.
When the Lord observed the poor widow putting two copper coins (all that she has) into the offering to God, He praised her and stated that she has given all that she has whilst the rich give only the extra they have. This speaks of total devotion and commitment to God – what is valuable and is precious to God.

When Jesus spoke of the destruction of the temple (AD70) in Matthew 24, He spoke at the same time about the end times and the great tribulation. Although the temple had been destroyed, as predicted by Jesus, as God’s judgment against Israel, there is another great judgment (the great white throne judgment) that would be carried out in the future – our eternal destiny (heaven or hell) would be decided by the divine judge; and the ‘goats’ will be separated from the ‘sheep’, the ‘tares’ from the ‘wheat’. Take note and beware – be afraid of Him who can destroy both the body and the soul! Do not take our response and life before God in an indifferent manner – there would be eternal consequences!

THE COMING OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD

In our study of the Gospels, it is clear that one main subject in all 4 Gospels is the “kingdom of God” that is inaugurated by the Messiah, by His coming to ‘establish’ the kingdom, not by warfare, but by His loving sacrificial death as the substitute for fallen mankind and by His willing reception of God’s wrath on behalf of all those who would turn to Him in repentance and faith. In all the four Gospels, a greater portion is given to the last days of the Messiah on earth and His trial and crucifixion (reflecting the significance of this in the bringing-in of the kingdom of God), as well as to His resurrection that followed, and His ascension (manifesting the Father’s vindication of the Son in receiving and accepting the fulfilment of His mission).
In Luke 17, verses 20 to 37, is recorded an interesting and relevant passage for us to ponder upon.
It began with the question by the Pharisees as to when the kingdom of God would come. Jesus replied that the coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be easily observed, “because the kingdom of God is in their midst”, and this is pointing to His coming and presence among them to inaugurate the kingdom. Sadly, and unfortunately, they did not recognise or acknowledge Him as the Lord and Saviour who has come into the world to fulfil His mission in the plan of salvation.
Then Jesus went on to relate that the time will come when these people will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man (referring to Himself), but they will not see it. At this juncture, the Lord Jesus revealed to them that He must first suffer many things and be rejected by that generation (focusing on the cross and crucifixion).
What follows from verse 26 is the discourse that is so very important for the people of the world to pay attention to:
Jesus first referred to the days of Noah (this has to do with the great flood as a judgment on the people from God). “People were eating and drinking, marrying and being given in marriage up to the day Noah entered the ark.Then the flood came and destroyed them all” (vv. 26-27).
Then Jesus went on to refer to something similar in the days of Lot (this has to do with the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah). “People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulphur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all” (vv.28-29).
Notice that the people were carrying on their ‘normal life and activities’ without the response to the warning by God through Noah and Lot; they were immersed in their pursuit of earthly pleasure and gratification [including marriage, celebration, commerce, eating and drinking, the pursuing of wealth and being productive physically and economically].
Notice that they paid no attention to the warning of impending judgment from God and the disaster that would follow; also note the sober and sad conclusion: “the flood came and destroyed them all” [in Noah’s time]; “fire and sulphur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all” [in Lot’s time]. And all these happened in the midst of their self-centred activities that dulled their need for urgent response to the serious warnings of God through His servants – they did not respond like the people of Nineveh who repented in sack-clothes when Jonah warned them of impending doom; the Pharisees and teachers of the Law did not respond in repentance, even in the presence of the God-incarnate who is the embodiment of the kingdom of God – instead there was unbelief, even serious negative accusations against the Son of God, and subsequently, they murdered the Messiah.

What about us today? What about those among us who persist in unbelief and arrogance in the face of the warning of the Lord Jesus? Do note that those who persisted in unbelief, arrogance and rebellion had among them individuals who were ‘religious’, knowledgeable in the Law (Torah), experts in the Law of Moses, spiritual leaders of the day, and the multitude who were swayed by deception as well as the desire to follow the crowd and the influence of so-called religion and tradition.

Jesus went on in Luke 17: 30-37: “It will be just like this on the day that the Son of Man is revealed. On that day no-one who is on the housetop, with possessions inside, should go down to get them. Likewise, no one in the field should go back for anything. Remember Lot’s wife! Whoever tries to keep their life will lose it and whoever loses their life will preserve it. I tell you, on that night two people will be in one bed, one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding corn together, one will be taken and the other left.”

Recall the reference to Lot’s wife – she turned back and looked, perhaps still desiring to preserve her home, possessions and belongings, as well as her ‘treasures’ – she turned into ‘stone’ (covered and killed by the ashes of the volcano). For people among the Jews, Pharisees, as well as for people today, Jesus warned them to leave behind their possessions, their ‘careers’ and security, their earthly relationships, and ‘flee from the oncoming judgment’ of God. This is in line with the Lord’s warning to the rich with regard to the kingdom of God – to the rich man, in the parable of the rich fool, who felt so secured with his wealth and intended to build more warehouses to ‘house’ his goods, God said to him, “You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?” “This is how it will be with those who store up things for themselves but are not rich towards God.”

What does Jesus mean when He said, “Where there is a dead body, there the vultures will gather.” When people in those days observed vultures gathering, they would conclude that there is a dead body, as vultures are birds of prey on the dead.
When we observe the ‘signs’ of an impending event, we should be wise to anticipate such an event happening soon. ‘Vultures’ and ‘dead body’ have reference to something negative and repulsive. The Lord Jesus had indicated that judgment of God is coming soon, and He also warned of the destruction and judgment of the world before His second coming when He would confront all evil and destroy them and send them to the ‘lake of fire’ ( See the book of Revelation).
The words and warnings of the Lord should not be ignored. Remember the times of Noah and that of Lot. Remember Lot’s wife. Even religion and religious traditions would not save us (like the Pharisees on whom Jesus pronounced “Woes” and judgement) – only those who repent and receive Christ by faith would be among those who rightly heeded the warnings of the Lord and despite temporary suffering and pain, would be among those who will reign with Him in bliss and true happiness and joy forever and ever!

THE WOES SPOKEN AGAINST THE PHARISEES AND TEACHERS OF THE LAW (Matt. 23:1-37; Mark 12:38-40; Luke 11:37-54, 20:45-47)

The word “woe” should be understood as a compassionate but strong judicial condemnation. The ‘woes’ pronounced by the Lord Jesus are written in the 3 Gospels; and have we wondered why the Lord spoke so ‘strongly’ and ‘severely’ against the Pharisees and teachers of the Law?
When Jesus made a critical observation of these men as “sitting in Moses’ seat’, this meant that these individuals were obeyed by the common people as Israel’s religious authorities. In the OT context, the Torah is interpreted in the Mishnah (the oral interpretation of Torah) and the two are applied by the sage (the expert in the Law) and all three are necessarily involved in the process of discerning God’s will. Scripture, the Mishnah, the sage – all three spoke with equal authority- that was the position – and sitting in Moses’ seat was what the position and status was all about for those who were addressed as ‘ Rabbi’.

So why did Jesus then take issue with these individuals? We need to unravel the ‘problems’ with them that were discerned by the Lord Jesus; and also the serious implications for the people of God? But before we do, let us realise that Jesus was condemning the religious leaders of that day; these were people who led the multitude in religious matters, and made religious decisions that concern the whole nation of Israel.

Because these condemnations were directed at religious leaders, it makes it more important that the leaders respond positively to the Lord Jesus, the Son of God, who would judge the world when He comes again in the second advent. But we see that the responses that were noted subsequently were ‘anger’, arrogance, and the intention to harm the Lord and to get rid of Him from the ‘scene’. The fact that they were religious leaders makes it more serious; James said that not many of us should be teachers, for this will entail greater and stricter judgment if we lead the people astray. Recall the blind man who was healed by Jesus responding to the Pharisees; he marvelled that no one ever made somebody born blind see again, and if Jesus made him see, surely, He must be from God – and the Pharisees told him off, saying that he, being an uneducated man, should even try to teach them.

This brings us to our present context. We have religious leaders (those in the churches, those in Bible colleges, those leading in Christian organisations), sitting, as it were, in the seat of authority, not open to the corrections by Jesus in the Scriptures. There were those who said that if anyone seeks to harm their church (not Christ’s church – please note), they would face serious consequences from them. They are those in the seat of teaching and so-called authority not open to correction (unteachable); and persisting to ‘spread’ their teaching despite the voice of correction coming from various angles.
Teachers and religious leaders influence those following them, and also the multitude (in the case of the Pharisees and teachers of the Law), and those listening to them with ‘awe’ and ‘respect’ are led along the same path to wrongful teachings and deceptions. It goes without saying that they too would have to face God’s judgement, although they may have some mitigating factors. Scripture tells us that to those who are given much, much would be required, and such ones would be inflicted with more stripes if they misuse what they are given. Those given less would also receive stripes, but less when compared to those given much more. God’s judgment would be just, impartial, and without error. Why so? Because God is the perfect, all-knowing God, and nothing is hidden from Him. In fact, we are told that on the day of judgment, nothing will be hidden – all will be exposed.

And that brings us to the underlying spiritual ‘problems’ and issues that matter a great deal to Jesus (and God the Father).
The Pharisees and teachers of the Law loved their power and position; they were more concerned with the trappings of faith and with appearances than with personal holiness and personal relationships with God. As a result, they could not hear, or rightly understand or respond to God’s Word when He spoke. This was the same problem in the OT: the faithful prophets, warning the king and those in authority about God’s impending judgement, were ‘shut off’ and not allowed to speak. In fact, some were imprisoned and even killed (as Jesus told those in authority that they were building the tombs of the prophets their ancestors murdered). And in the Gospels, we know that in the end, those religious leaders incited the multitude against Jesus and they finally killed Him, by using the Roman authorities to crucify Him. And so Jesus’ condemnations echo across the centuries, and they ought to speak to us today (not only leaders, but every believer who loves position and power and refuses to be corrected by God).
Have we allowed hypocrisy to infect our spiritual life? The word ‘hypocrite’ first came into use to describe ‘actors’. Actors play a certain role but they are not reflecting the actual roles in their lives. Hypocrisy has a lot to do with ‘acting’, presenting externally what we are not ‘internally’; do we, as believers, want spiritual authority for the position and praise and power it brings us? Do we concentrate on the externals, so that we can seem more spiritual to others? Is what others think of us so important that we find ourselves pretending a piety we do not have or feel? If this is so, be sure that your own inner corruption will prevent you from hearing and rightly understanding God’s Word’
We are reminded that Jesus said that the greatest among you will be your servant. For whoever exalts himself will be humbled and whoever humbles himself will be exalted (Matt. 23:8-12). The best and proper way: Humble yourself to serve the brethren; with Christ exalted, and our brothers’ and sisters’ welfare our primary concern, there will be nothing in us to block our hearing, our right understanding, and our proper humble response to God’s holy Word!!

THE ‘WOES’ PRONOUNCED BY JESUS AGAINST THE SCRIBES AND PHARISEES (B)

In pronouncing the ‘woes’, Jesus was quite willing to make enemies when the cause demanded it. In this case, the issue at hand was the contrast between the values of the kingdom of God and the superficial approach to religion which has already been unmasked in the earlier accounts in the Gospels.
It is to be noted that Jesus’ concern was not so much with their performance as individuals, but with the system of religious observance which they upheld.
For one thing, their insistence on many rules and regulations (somewhat akin to our legalistic religious practices in our current context) were in danger of ignoring inner attitudes and motives and putting the system before the will of God.
Then, as stated before, they were keen on making a good impression by flaunting their status and authority; they were unconcerned with the problems their teaching was creating for the people at large. In that light, they concentrated on the ‘externals’ rather than on inward purity and holiness (similar to the practice of ‘formalism’ today, where the outward form is emphasised at the expense of the inward reality).

But more importantly, their approach in religion was a hindrance to those who really wanted to please God. In fact, their religious system made people worse rather than better; hence their convert [proselyte] ended up as worse than themselves (and described as ‘son of hell’). This is similar, in some ways, with our current attempts with evangelism and sharing of the gospel – we produce statistics of conversions (often tares rather than wheat) because of the desire for increase in numbers without the stress on genuine repentance and faith required in the listeners. Who, in the right mind, do not want to receive blessing, prosperity when there is no requirement to face the issues of the ‘wrath’ of God, ‘sin’, and judgment, and the need for repentance? So Jesus said that they travel..to win a single convert.. and ‘make him twice as much a son of hell as you’.
Unwilling to surrender their positions of power, they kept the populace from believing in Jesus, and adhering to the values of the kingdom of God. They had neglected the more important matters in the eyes of God and concentrated on trivial issues; the central issues of faith are concerned with justice, mercy, and faithfulness, and these the Pharisees and Scribes ignore; instead they came out with many small issues, rules and regulations – and they use them to make themselves look more spiritual than others. In fact, their misunderstanding of Scripture and of God’s will is fundamentally misplaced, and somewhat lacking. They failed to realise that the true spiritual issue is that of inner cleansing from the greed and self-centeredness that make a man morally unacceptable to God. In fact, Jesus even mentioned that they stopped various ones from entering the kingdom of God, and they themselves also failed to enter (and this is very serious, for it has to do with eternal destiny and their place in the new heaven and new earth). Many who claim to know Jesus might end up in the end being rejected because the Lord exclaims that He does not know them – there is no real and living relationship with the Lord Jesus and His Father!
A desire for pretentious titles and positions of influence can still today be a signal that disciples are straying from the values of the kingdom of God. Jesus even told the multitude, “Do what they say, if you like, but do not do what they do”. The spiritual leaders were concentrating on showing off and gaining a reputation for piety, whereas the Lord God concentrates on the inner cleansing and inner renewal of those who are His.

THE SOLEMN WARNINGS OF JESUS IN LUKE 12:1-10

These were spoken after Jesus pronounced the “Woes” against the religious leaders of that day. We should recall that Jesus condemned ‘hypocrisy’ in so-called believers and religious leaders; the emphasis on ‘externals’ without the inner spiritual reality. Hence the first warning in Luke 12:- “Be on guard against the yeast of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy” (Luke 12:1b). We know that ‘yeast’, when used in bread-making, penetrates the whole loaf and causes the bread to rise; here is the warning that if we listen and accept the teachings of religious leaders who are in reality hypocrites, then we are sure that the effect and influence on us will spread to many and that would be spiritually ‘disastrous’, not just for the proponents of these false teachings, but also for those who follow mindlessly.

Then the Lord Jesus went on to share about judgment, and ‘Judgment Day’, and here we need to pause and examine soberly what He communicated:
“There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. What you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the roofs” (vv. 2-3). What is clear is that the Lord declared that nothing would be hidden on judgment day; what is hidden and spoken in secret would be made known, and publicly ‘announced’, as it were. So the hypocrites, and those who are pretentious must know that they cannot get away with it, as far as God is concerned. Try as we may, we cannot ‘cover up’; all will be revealed and loudly proclaimed. Someone once said, ‘Character is what you are in the dark’, implying that in the dark what you do reveals your true character. But the Lord proclaims that those things spoken and done in the ‘dark’ would be exposed in the light (the light of God).
Then the Lord Jesus went on to communicate very serious matters: “I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. But I will show you whom you should fear: fear him who, after your body has been killed, has authority to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him” (vv. 4-5). Then He went on, saying, ..”I tell you, whoever publicly acknowledges me, the Son of Man will also acknowledge before the angels of God. But whoever publicly disowns me will be disowned before the angels of God” (vv. 8-9).
Notice that Jesus mentioned ‘hell’; in fact, the Lord Jesus referred to ‘hell’ more times than many others in the New Testament – ‘hell’ is not something made up by some people; it is real and those who reject the Lord God (those who do not believe and those who are pretenders, hypocrites, and rebellious) would be thrown by God into hell (together with the devil and his minions). This is not a fable or a fairy-tale – Jesus is telling us to fear God (the Triune God) who has the power to deal with all after they are killed or after they died – and this power extends beyond death to send those who do not repent into the lake of fire. Evil men and even the evil one can only kill the body and after that, they can do no more. Notice also that Jesus was talking about judgment and hell in the light of dealing with the hypocrites (even those who were religious leaders).
In other parts of the New Testament, Jesus referred to the ‘goats’ and ‘sheep’ and that they would be separated on judgment day – the sheep into God’s presence eternally, and the goats into eternal judgment in hell. There was also reference to ‘tares’ or ‘weed’ as compared to ‘wheat’ in the church; the former would be dealt with and sent into eternal ‘fire’ and ‘burned continually’, while the latter would be with God in eternal bliss.
There is no doubt that those who are hypocrites and are not truly born again as God’s children would not escape the just judgment of God. As noted earlier, nothing can be hidden and there is no way such ones can ‘talk their way out’ before the perfect, just, and eternal God. The God who is the God of love is also the God of wrath. God hates sin and there are serious and eternal consequences for those who continue to sin and to rebel, even in the face of the mercy and grace of God, when He sent His Son into the world to save sinners.

Judgment is certain, and God will say to those who refuse to repent, “Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.” (Matthew 25:41)
The judgment will demonstrate, and so finally vindicate, the perfect justice of God. In a world of sinners, in which God has “allowed all the nations to walk in their own ways” (Acts 14:16), it is no wonder that evil is rampant and that doubts arise as to whether God is sovereign, can be just or, if just, can be sovereign. But for God to judge justly is his glory, and the Last Judgement will be his final self-vindication against the suspicion that he has ceased to care about righteousness.
For those who profess to be Christ’s, review of the evidence that shows whether their profession is the fruit of an honest regenerate heart would be revealed (Matthew 12:33-35) – or whether their faith is only the parrot cry of a hypocritical religiosity (Matthew 7:21-23). Everything about everybody will be exposed on Judgment Day (1 Corinthians 4:5), and each will receive from God according to what he or she really is. Those whose professed faith did not express itself in a new lifestyle, marked by hatred of sin and works of loving service to God and others, will be lost (Matthew 18:23-35; 25:34-46; James 2:14-26).

Knowledge of future judgment is always a summons to present repentance. Only the penitent will be prepared for judgment when it comes. For those who continue to be persistently unrepentant, “Today is the day of repentance and the day of salvation!” Do not assume that because you are attending a church or following a set of religious beliefs, that judgment day will exonerate you. God looks at the heart; He sees what is inward and real, not what is presented to the world. And if what He sees fails to convince Him that you are indeed right before Him, then the judgment would be seriously fearful. “But God so loves the world that He sent His only beloved and begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).

GOD IS WILLING TO PUT HIS REPUTATION ON THE LINE

“He has granted to us his precious and great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature.” (2 Peter 1:4)

We need to note that when God made a covenant with Abraham that his descendants shall be His people and He shall be their God, this did not take place immediately. Even when Abraham’s descendants were in Egypt and put to forced labour by the ruler of Egypt (who did not know Joseph or even acknowledge Joseph’s role in saving Egypt during the seven years of famine), God did not intervene until the right time when He sent Moses to effect the ‘Exodus’. Even after Moses told Egypt’s ruler to let Israel go (as a statement from the God of Israel), the Israelites were told to fulfil their tasks to make bricks, this time without straw given to them. Plague after plague in Egypt, as a manifestation of God’s intervention on behalf of His people, did not change Pharaoh’s mind but hardened his heart, until the final slaying of all the first-born in Egypt. Then God’s promise that He would deliver His people from Egypt finally took place after many events and apparent setbacks (which made the people of Israel complaining against Moses and God). But note that God’s promise to deliver them finally took place in the Great Exodus.
God’s promise is always kept by HIm; but not in the way we expect it or in our own timing and expectation.
Notice that throughout the history of Israel as a nation in the OT, many events took place, and even in the midst of Israel’s unfaithfulness, idolatry, rebellion, God still kept His promise to Abraham, and although He punished the nation, He still did it out of love and a desire to bring them back to Him.

God remembered Abraham even when He destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah; and earlier on in the time of Noah, although the Lord expressed sadness as He observed how the ‘whole earth’ was filled with wickedness and there was nothing good in His eyes, His destruction of the earth by a great flood still did not eliminate His promise to have a people of His own in the eternal future.

A quick forward to our current situation, our gracious God has laid His credit and reputation on the line in what He has told us through Christ, through the apostles, and through the entire BIble about the life to come, and in the promises about the future that He has given to all believers. Recall that before the coming of Christ, the Messiah, many years passed by, and many may conclude that God has forgotten His promise of a coming Messiah.

But today, the Messiah has come and fulfilled His mission at the Cross, and He has been resurrected and has ascended to the right hand of the Father. And the promise of His second coming still beckons.
All these promises of God from the beginning have heaven in view constantly. It would be insulting to God to refuse to believe this teaching and these promises when we receive other things taught by Christ, the apostles, and the Bible as being divine truth. Can we justify not taking God’s word and promises about these things? Can we here and now justify withholding belief from God’s own promises about the future?
2 Peter 1:4 was written in the context of much suffering and persecution for the people of God; yet Peter, through all these, affirmed the faithfulness and precious promises of God, that through them we may become partakers of the divine nature.
We need to remember that God is not like us (finite beings who are limited in time and space). He is infinite, transcendent, outside of time and space (the past, the present and the future are all seen by Him at the same time). But the fact remains, that He is the “I am”, unchanging, the same yesterday, today, and forever; and what He promises and what He puts into place would take place according to His wisdom, in HIs own way, and in His own time. But He always remain faithful and true; and as His people, we need to trust Him, even in the midst of pain and suffering, and persecution, for even though a mother may forget her baby that she breast-fed, God does not forget us and He has us (His people) always in His heart. Hence, the ‘just shall live by faith’. And ‘faith’ is the assurance of things hoped for, and the substance of things not seen.

SPIRITUALLY DEAD

To the church in Sardis: “I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have found your deeds unfinished in the sight of my God….But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you.” (Revelation 3:1b;3b)

These are the words of Jesus to the church in Sardis and the reference to His coming like a thief refers to His second coming, which will be sudden and unexpected.
The following tale illustrates the above truth in an amusing way:
A minister was called to minister in a certain church. He was warned that this church was ‘dead’ but he accepted the calling as a challenge.
He soon discovered that the church was indeed dead – no planning, no toil, no exhortation, no urging could kindle a spark of life or awaken any response.

The minister told the congregation that he wanted to carry out a funeral in the church. A coffin was brought into the church, the church was decked with mourning wreaths. The minister carried out the ‘burial service’ and the church was crowded as it had not been for years.
At the end, as a last token of respect, he invited the congregation to file past the open coffin. As they did so, they received a shock. The coffin was open but empty. But the bottom of the coffin was not wood, it was glass. It was a mirror. As each man looked into the coffin of the dead church he saw – his own face.
The church is people. It is its members. If the congregation is dead, it is because its members are dead.
This is an unusual but effective way of communicating to the congregation that it is spiritually dead. The ‘fire’ has gone out; it is filled with a lot of activities, though, but they are no different from those of unbelievers.

The Bible has been ‘identified’ as a mirror to our souls. If we read the Bible, not as literature, but with yearning hearts to find God and the truth, the Bible would reflect who we really are. If we are honest, we see our ugliness, our distorted figures as we look intensely, but prayerfully, into the Word of God. When King David was told by prophet Nathan the story of how a rich man sacrificed the only lamb of a man to entertain his guests although he had so many sheep of his own, David was furious. But Nathan told him, “You are the man!”.This was related to David’s sin with Bathsheba, and the murder of Uriah.
And David repented.How often has God spoken to you and me through the Scripture. Are we open and truly responsive? When we hear a sermon, do we often wish so-and-so can be present, because the sermon spoke about him. Little do we realise that God was actually laying a finger on us, rather than on somebody else. Do we remain spiritually dead? Awake! Do it before it is too late.

THE BREADTH AND DEPTH OF GOD’S PEACE

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me” (John 14:10).
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid” (14:27).
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble.But take heart!~ I have overcome the world.” (16:33)

These words were spoken to the disciples prior to his betrayal and to prepare them for what was to come – his coming death and crucifixion. But it is noteworthy to read that Jesus in chapter 14 also spoke of what was to come beyond the crucifixion: “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.” (John 14:3)

Peace (Hebrew shalom; Greek eirene) is one of the great Bible words in both the Old and New Testaments. Its overtones are always of total well being and happiness. It means peace with God, sin forgiven; guilt gone, our person accepted by God. It also means peace with ourselves; if God has forgiven us, we must learn to be at peace with ourselves now that we have with the Triune God. It also means peace with our circumstances; if the Lord of circumstances is at peace with us, we can be sure He orders and controls circumstances for our good.
Looking at the verses in John 14 and 16, notice that if our hearts are troubled, we have no peace; if we are afraid, we have no peace; if we fail to trust God, we have no peace. Note also that Jesus is fully aware that in this world we will have trouble and tribulation; yet He told the disciples to take heart – He has overcome the world. In that context, the crucifixion had not taken place; Christ has not resurrected and ascended – yet Jesus spoke of preparing a place for His disciples and also referred to His second coming to bring them to be with Him.

The peace Jesus promised them is not like the peace the world gives; it is the peace embedded in the person of Jesus, the Son of God, the second person of the Trinity. For believers today, we are united with Christ by the Spirit (union with Christ) and we are “in Him”. What is His also becomes ours because we are one with Him and He is in us through the Spirit (who also brings us into the communion of the Trinity). Nothing can shake the communion, harmony, love, and peace in this holy communion; no circumstance, no trouble, no persecution, indeed nothing. If we are deeply united with Christ and are in harmony with the communion of the Holy Trinity, nothing can disturb the deep peace in our hearts. Jesus also reminded us of the glorious hope – He will come again and He will bring history to an end and usher in the new heaven and new earth.
As we survey the troubles, the chaos, the wickedness of man in this current world, we are reminded that we are citizens of heaven and our lives on this earth are temporary and passing away. What we need to ensure, with the empowerment and enabling of God’s Spirit, is to persevere, endure, in the midst of temporary suffering, with joy (because Jesus ia alive), and with hope (the eternal home and inheritance await us).
“Peace be with you” the risen Christ said to His disciples (John 20:19). And Jesus repeated the same greeting (vs 21) and the repetition shows that it was more than a mere greeting. Repetition in Scripture, as in daily life, is for emphasis and to enforce significant meaning.
This is to remind us of the breadth and depth of God’s peace, given to us, in the midst of trouble, to dispel ‘fear’, ‘anxiety’ and to focus on the faithfulness and promise of God, which will finally be consummated in the bliss and joy of the new heaven and new earth.
Be reminded – God is telling us “SHALOM”!

THE SOVEREIGNTY, POWER, AND RIGHTEOUS RULE OF GOD

A quotation from the Secretary-general of the United Nations today:

“The law of power has overcome the power of law” – describing the chaos, the global disorder, and the violence affecting nations and the world today. This causes me to ponder over the revelation from Scripture regarding the Law:-
Scripture shows that God intends his law to function in three ways.

Its first function is to be a mirror reflecting to us both the perfect righteousness of God and our own sinfulness and shortcomings. It is meant to give a knowledge of sin and to show us our need of pardon and our danger of damnation, to lead us in repentance and faith to Christ (Gal. 3:19-24).
Its second function is to restrain evil. Though it cannot change the heart, the law can to some extent inhibit lawlessness by its threats of judgment.
The third function is to guide the regenerate into the good works that God has planned for them (Eph. 2:10). The law tells God’s children what will please their heavenly Father.
The Christian is free from the law as a supposed system of salvation but is “under Christ’s law” as a rule of life.
In today’s context, the law of power seems to overcome the power of law. God has allowed this for the present; and He will allow it in the future when Antichrist comes into the scene and subjects nations and people under his power and rule.
But we need to pause and meditate on who it is who holds ultimate absolute power and who will execute judgment and establish his rule and sovereignty?

Isaiah 40 and 41 describe in detail the awesome power of God when compared to the nations and rulers of this world:
“..He hands nations over to him and subdues kings before him. He turns them to dust with his sword, to wind-blown chaff with his bow. He pursues them and moves on unscathed, by a path his feet have not travelled before. Who has done this and carried it through, calling forth the generations from the beginning?
I, the Lord – with the first of them and with the last – I am he” (41:2b-4).

“Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens? Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket, or weighed the mountains on the scales and the hills in a balance?
Who can fathom the Spirit of the Lord, or instruct the Lord as his counsellor? Whom did the Lord consult to enlighten him and who taught him knowledge, or showed him the path of understanding?
Surely the nations are like a drop in a bucket; they are regarded as dust on the scales; he weighs the islands as though they were fine dust….
With whom, then, will you compare God? To what image will you liken him?….
To whom will you compare me? or who is my equal? says the Holy One. Lift up our eyes and look to the heavens; who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one, and calls them by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing.
Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlastingGod, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom” (40:12-15; 18,25-26,28)
This is revealed to Isaiah, the great prophet of old, who also prophesied the coming of the Messiah, and His mission as the suffering servant (Isaiah 53)/

Fast forward to the last book of the Bible – the book of revelation, written by John:-
“I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice, he judges and makes war….
The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Coming out of his mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations…..
Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to make war against the rider on the horse and his army. But the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who had performed the signs on his behalf. With these signs he had deluded those who had received the mark of the beast and worshipped his image. The two of them were thrown into the fiery lake of burning sulphur. The rest were killed with the sword coming out of the mouth of the rider on the horse, and all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh” (vv 11, 17-21).
God has allowed evil and unrighteousness to ‘be in power’ for the time being in the last days; but the final outcome is clear from Scripture. Remember who holds the ultimate power and rule and who would judge the nations and every individual!!

A CRISIS IN PREACHING AND TEACHING THE BIBLE: A PERSONAL VIEW

It is not accidental that the title above is qualified by “A personal view”. This is to indicate that what I share is certainly not comprehensive; it is also based on my own personal experience as an elder-pastor/tent maker as a medical practitioner for 30 odd years. I did have my share of preaching and teaching in that number of years, and I must confess that oftentimes, my preaching and teaching were far from being what they ought to be in the light of what I am about to share.

Over the years, from my own teaching and preaching, and from my exposure to preaching and teaching by others, there are certain pertinent lessons the Lord impressed upon me.
I am of the opinion that one major factor that hampers growth and development of the church is the lack of biblical exposition in preaching and teaching. In that sense, the church is at a critical point and a crisis is in the making in our pulpits as well as in our teaching classes.God’s Word. Too many of our church-goers know neither the content nor the doctrines of Scripture. Not knowing the Word, they do not love or obey the Word. Contrast this with the early church in Acts, they devoted themselves to the Apostles’ teaching (primarily from the Old Testament) and the Apostles were principally responsible for penning the New Testament which was taught verbally, and through letters (epistles, which later were compiled to give us the New Testament).
But some may object that we do preach and teach the Bible. It is true that often the Bible is quoted or used in our preaching and teaching, but often than not, it is included as a proof-text that it is used out of context and has no real connection to what the BIble author is saying. Many who claim and perhaps believe they are expositors betray their confession by their practice in their ministry.
By what they do, such ministers indicate that they believe they can see people converted and brought to maturity (in transformation) in Christ without the consistent teaching of the Bible. And if there should be any teaching, it is not Christ-centered, text driven, Spirit led preaching and teaching that transform lives.
Perhaps, an expanded definition and description of Biblical exposition, needful for preaching and teaching, may be in order. Again, it has to be emphasised that this is not comprehensive and it is coloured by a personal view – also this subject is necessarily sensitive and ‘certain toes may be stepped upon’. But the conviction is that this is so very important for the progress of the church that it is worthwhile to face the risks of misunderstanding and ‘unhappiness’ on the part of the practitioners.

Expository preaching is text driven preaching that honours the truth of Scripture as it was given by the Holy Spirit (applies also to expository teaching. The goal is to discover the God-inspired meaning through historical-grammatical-theological investigation and interpretation. By means of engaging and compelling proclamation, the preacher/teacher explains, illustrates and applies the meaning of the biblical text in submission to and in the power of the Holy Spirit, preaching and teaching Christ for a verdict of changed lives.
From the above, we can provide certain foundation premises which will guide our investigation:
1. Preaching must be text-driven so that it truly honours what is in the divine revelation. Expository teaching allows the Scripture text to determine both the substance and structure of the message. How one structures the Scriptures will determine how one structures the sermon. The Scriptural text drives and determines, shapes and forms sermon development as it relates to the explanation of the biblical text. The strength of expository preaching respects not only the author’s original intention, but also the Holy Spirit’s placement and sequencing of the text.This is opposed to other forms of preaching such as topical preaching, which takes a topic and seeks various texts to support the particular topic; this may result with the various texts chosen to be not in line with the actual topic, when examined closely. It is also a ‘problem’ to give a title to a certain text when in actual fact, the text does not truly support the title; also there is the tendency to choose titles which reflect one’s favourite topic or one’s intention to use the preaching and teaching to advance one’s own personal agenda. Hence it may not be unusual to hear preaches ‘scolding’ some factions of the congregation from the pulpit, when the text has nothing to do with the topic per se, and the application in addressing certain factions is not in order. It is also not unusual to hear preachers and teachers rattling on, on their favourite topics and using Scriptural texts that happen to have some semblance to the topics chosen. This is not expository preaching or teaching; in fact, it makes a mockery of what true preaching and teaching should be and it also fails to make the pulpit and lectern sacred as they represent God preaching and teaching His Word to His people through His servant at the pulpit or lectern.
2. Preachers and teachers must honour the principle of authorial intent, recognising that the ultimate author of Scripture is the Holy Spirit Himself. Although the Bible has been written in the words of men, we must never forget it is ultimately the Word of God. The divine author’s intended meaning as deposited in the text should be honoured.
3. Scripture must be interpreted and understood as it was given to the original audience. The text cannot mean today what it did not mean then. The faithful preacher or teacher must not read into the text the preconceived notions of his imagination or interests. The meaning is one, although the applications are many. The preacher or teacher should therefore be careful not to ‘jump into the applications straightaway’ without interpreting the meaning of the text.
4. Exegesis must drive theology. Scripture must shape any theological system; a theological system must not shape the use of Scripture. In church history, many heretical theological systems had emerged because of wrong exegesis and interpretation of the text. Among them are “Pelagianism”,”Semi-Pelagianism”, Liberal theology etc.
5.Effective biblical instruction will take seriously the implications of what Jesus said about the Christolgical nature of Scripture (John 5:39; Luke 24:25-27, 44-47) and develop them. Preaching and teaching that do not exalt, magnify, and glorify the Lord Jesus is not Christian preaching or teaching. If it does not present the gospel and call men and women to repent of sin and place their faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, it is not gospel preaching.
Faithful exposition will carefully interpret Scripture in the larger context of the grand redemptive story line of Scripture (Creation ->Fall -> Redemption -> Consummation; and this is in fact Biblical theology). The text does not stand alone – it is in a context, what comes immediately before and after; it is also in a context of the whole book, and also in the context of the whole redemptive story line.
6. From beginning to end, from the study to the pulpit (or lectern), the entire process of biblical exposition must take place in absolute and complete submission to the Holy Spirit. The interdependence of the Word and the Spirit is the hallmark of the faithful preacher/teacher. Hence the sacredness of the ministry of preaching and teaching the BIble.
7. Changed lives for the glory of God is always the goal for which we strive. Bad preaching will sap the life of a church. It will kill its spirit, dry up its fruit, and eventually empty it. If we dare to be honest, we must say that bad preaching/teaching is not true preaching/teaching.
Engaging exposition is not an option. It is an absolute necessity for the health of the body of Christ. If the church is sick, it must mean that the people are sick or spiritually ‘dead’; and it often points to lifeless preaching and teaching. One wonders how certain individuals are called to teach the Bible when they do not truly know the Bible, and for that matter, they have not even read the whole Bible, not mentioning anything about studying the Bible in depth.

The absence of authentic and proper preaching and teaching of the BIble is killing many churches and producing a generation of starved and immature Christians. As stated in the introduction, this is a very sensitive subject, but it has to be addressed if we seek to be faithful to God and to be responsible before Him in our preaching and teaching. May the Lord use this short sharing, but by no means irrelevant, to ‘wake up’ God’s church and HIs preachers and teachers to fulfil the sacred task entrusted to them.

SOME IMPORTANT RELATED ISSUES TO THE PREVIOUS SHARINGS

To recapitulate, the two previous sharings: ‘The lack of expository preaching and teaching in the churches’; ‘The diminishing authority of the Scriptures in the churches today’. This has led to the lack of growth in maturity and spirituality in the church; it also has led to congregations with leaders who are looked upon as ‘infallible’, who put themselves above the Scriptures in authority, and ‘members’ who fail to check whether the preaching and teaching are in line with God’s revelation in Scriptures. Other problems include the ‘rise of legalism’; the refusal to submit to authority; ‘lovers of position and power’ rising up to leadership and
‘to manipulating God’s people for selfish, self-centered ambition’, seeking to build their own kingdom at the expense of God’s honour and glory.

1. True freedom is in God’s truth found under God’s authority and under the authority of Scriptures.
Through the authority of Scripture, God’s authority is mediated to men, and Christ by his Spirit rules his people’s lives. Biblical authority is often expounded in opposition to wrong views of truth; but, not so often, it is presented as the liberating, integrating, invigorating principle that it really is.
Some have complained that unqualified confidence in the Bible leads to narrow-minded inhibitions and crippling restraints on what one may think and do; the truth is that such confidence actually produces liberated living – living which is free from uncertainty, doubt, and despair.
The man and woman who trusts his/her Bible knows what God did, does, and will do, what he commands, and what he promises – the Christ of Scripture has become his Saviour, master, and friend.
Since Scripture shines as a lamp to his feet and a light to his path (Ps.119:105), he can pick his way through the pitfalls of our spiritually ‘dark world’ without stumbling and travel through life with safety, certainty, and enjoyment. Such is the freedom and victory found under the authority of the Bible!

2. God does not profess to answer in Scripture all the questions that we, in our boundless curiosity, would like to ask about Scripture. He tells us merely as much as he sees we need to know for our life of faith; and he leaves unsolved some of the problems raised by what he tells us, to teach us a humble trust in his wisdom and revelation.
We should not abandon faith in anything God has taught us merely because we cannot solve all the problems which ist raises. Our intellectual competence and ability are not the test and measure of divine truth. It is not for us to stop believing because we lack understanding, or to postpone believing until we can get understanding, but to believe in order that we may understand.

3. That must not bring us to the other extreme – thinking that we do not need to bother about instructing and enlightening our mind before faith and obedience become possible. Richard Baxter, a well known godly pastor of the past, wrote: “Ignorance is almost every error,” and one of his favourite maxims about preaching was ‘first light – then heat.’ Heat without light, pulpit passion without pedagogic precision, would be no use to anyone. Unwillingness on the part of church attenders to learn the faith and accept instruction from sermons and teaching was a sure sign of insincerity.
Baxter continued, “If ever you would be converted, labour for true knowledge.”
When his congregation (mostly working-class) objected, saying, “We are not learned, and therefore God will not require much knowledge at our hands,” Baxter replied,”If you think…that you may be excused from knowledge, you may as well think that you may be excused from love and from all obedience, for there can be none of this without knowledge.”
The saints in Baxter’s time regarded religious feeling and pious emotion without knowledge as worse than useless. Only when the truth was being felt was emotion in any way desirable. When men felt and obeyed the truth they knew, it was the work of the Spirit of God, but when they were swayed b feeling, without knowledge, it was a sure sign that the Devil was at work, for feeling divorced from knowledge and urgings to action in darkness of mind were both as ruinous to the soul as was knowledge without obedience. So the teaching of truth was the pastor’s first task, as the learning of it was the member’s.

Realise that the above important related issues will not fall into place without wholesome expository preaching and teaching; they will not be nurtured wholesomely in the congregation when the members ignore instruction and enlightenment from God’s revelatlon in Scripture through His Spirit, and somehow believe they can drift into holiness and spiritual maturity without diligence, discipline, in dependence on God, in studying, and knowing the Bible, and in obeying what they understand from God’s teaching and revelation.

But a caution: No human performance is ever good enough, for there are always wrong desires in the heart along with a lack of right ones, regardless of how correct one’s outward motions are, and it is at the heart that God looks first. Hence for the churches, for the leaders, pastors, teachers, members, we must approach God humbly as we seek to learn what He seeks to communicate; in that light, we ought to be open, teachable, and not cling to our understanding, thinking that this is what it means to be convicted. Only the truth from God can change lives; it is not our limited understanding or our hardened hearts that would achieve true spirituality in the kingdom of God (remember the ‘woes’ against the Pharisees from the Lord Jesus), and certainly it is not our vain effort to cling to our positions and so-called convictions that would help others to grow spiritually (the Pharisees were accused of making their convert worse than them and branded as ‘children of hell’).
May the Lord enable us to receive from Him in ensuring that the authority of Scripture is upheld, and that the preaching, teaching, and training of God’s children in His churches are in line with what He has laid out in His Word.

THE SPIRIT’S ROLE IN GOD’S KINGDOM AND THE CHURCH

We have been considering the lack of expository preaching and teaching in the church, the decline in upholding the authority of God’s Word, and related important issues like true freedom, the place of wholesome knowledge, and the renewed mind in the growth and development of the individual and the church – all in association with the lack and decline of the above.

We now seek to consider how all the above have to do with the role of the Holy Spirit; and if we fail to identify the Spirit’s role and His ministry in God’s kingdom, we would fail to establish wholesome spiritual growth in the church.
When God said, “Let there be light” and there was light.” This links together the divine word and the divine power in the creative work of the Holy Spirit; and the word of God created the heavens by the breath of His mouth (breath and ‘wind’ closely associated with the Spirit). There is no doubt that the Holy Spirit is divine, the third Person of the Trinity; his role is creative in the physical universe, and in the spiritual realm, he regenerates sinful men and women to bring about the new birth (John 3:3,5). The Spirit is the author and giver of eternal life (Romans 8:11). The very essence and being of God is Holiness – and the Spirit is termed the Holy Spirit; he is God’s Spirit (1 Cor.3:16), and the Spirit of glory (1 Peter 4:14). What is clear thus far is that the Spirit is divine; he is involved in creation of the physical universe by his word and his breath; and he also regenerates sinful men and women; he is holy; he is the holy Spirit of God, and the Spirit of glory. Note the relationship of the Spirit with the word of God, the creative life of God, and the holiness of God.

In the NT, the focus of the Spirit’s work is to reveal the true nature of Christ and to bring men and women to worship him through faith and obedience. To do this, the Spirit inspired the authors of Scripture to write the testimony which he revealed to them; not only is the Spirit active in inspiration, he also is involved in illumination of the Scriptures we read and understand. He brings about, not only understanding and conviction, but he also grants us repentance towards God and the gift of new life through faith in the Lord Jesus.
It is the same Spirit who works in each of us Christians to restore the defaced image of God in us, through the process of sanctification. In the process, we become more like the Lord Jesus in our character and behaviour, only by his power, because the Spirit constitutes the church, the body of Christ on earth and he rules in that new community, cultivating his fruit, dispersing his gifts, and energising his witness. Hence we see that without the Spirit and his ministry, there would be no Bible, no gospel, no new birth, and no progress in holiness. We must therefore realise that preaching and teaching the Bible would be very lacking in effectiveness and ‘life without the role of the Spirit; and as a result, there would be no substantial growth and development of the church. If we do not submit to the authority of Scripture (noting that the Spirit is the author as well as the interpreter and illuminator of Scripture), all the research, commentaries, intellectual study of the Bible from institutions and colleges would be in vain to achieve the aim of salvation, sanctification, progress in holiness and transformation into the image of Christ, as well as the witness, evangelism, and fulfilment of the Great Commission (Matt. 28).
Not also that the emphasis of the ministry of the Spirit is the cultivation of character and behaviour, often from inside-out; and although the gifts of the Spirit are given to edify the church, the manifestation of the gifts is not meant to focus on the believer who exercises the gifts, but it is to focus on Christ and his church’s development and progress. We have been told that the Spirit shines his spotlight on Christ, and not on his gifts and ministry; unhealthy emphasis on gifts and their manifestation is not his priority – in fact, this is often associated with the work of the Devil and his minions, and with the desire of men to exalt themselves and to exhibit their so-called spiritual power (note: this would be prominent in the last days with the manifestation of evil power by the false prophet, anti-Christ, and the evil one).

The Spirit’s great work is to reveal God to mankind. At the heart of the gospel lies the revelation that God is love; that he longs to bring us sinful men and women back into a living personal relationship with himself in spite of our sin and his righteousness, and that he has therefore intervened in our history by coming personally into this world as our redeemer. Note also that the apostolic ministry (of the apostles) was a ministry of the Spirit. The truth is revealed only by the Spirit and only through God’s word.
What Scripture says, God the Holy Spirit says, and whatever God says will happen. That is why we can have such confidence in the written word of God – it is the great gift of the Holy Spirit to the church and to the world!
But we need to remember that the Spirit who originated the Word is also its great interpreter. It follows that if we interpret the Bible by our own wisdom (whether we wean it from research, theological study that is unwholesome, commentaries written by ‘fallen’ men) and ignore the truth communicated by the Spirit and even share applications from this distorted interpretation; we would not only fail to help the hearers to grow, we would also be guilty of leading them astray with eternal consequences (and judgment from God when we are asked to give an account of our faithfulness as good stewards of the Lord).

THE SPIRIT’S ROLE IN GOD’S KINGDOM (B)

The Spirit produces his fruit in Christ-like character and enables us to mature as disciples of Christ (2 Cor. 3:18); he is our ability in prayer (Rom. 1:26), our guide and strength (Gal. 5:16,25) in the issues of life. He is the divine enabling by which we have everything we need to live a godly life in this world (2 Peter 1:3). His is the power which shields us from the world, the flesh and the devil, keeps us persevering in faith and obedience and who will eventually secure our safe arrival in our heavenly Father’shome (1 Peter 1:3-5).
One essential aspect of the work of the Spirit is his rule within the church. The Spirit, who indwells each Christian, also unites us all as members of one body of Christ on earth – it is he who imparts the gifts of God’s grace to the church, for the common good of all (1 Cor. 12:4-7). He decides which gifts shall be given to which individuals, but always with the objective of building up and edifying the whole (1 Cor. 12:11). The Holy Spirit is also the enabling power behind the witness of the church in the world. He makes the church grow, adding to it those who are being saved; he makes the Christian grow, checking our sin, strengthening our wills to obey God’s Word, producing her fruit of godly character, ministering to and through the body of Christ by his gifts.
We see how central the role of the Holy Spirit is, in bringing in the kingdom of God, establishing it and bringing it to consummation.

As we study the ministry of the Holy Spirit, we must not forget that he is the third Person of the Triune God; he is sent by the Father and the Son to be our comforter, guide and to enable us to fulfil God’s desire for His kingdom and His church – to be a people of God to dwell with Him in the new heaven and new earth, to rule with Him and to share His glory eternally. The Spirit joins us to Christ and brings us into the holy communion of the Trinity; he brings the presence of the Father and the Son into our lives; he indwells in us to mould us from within and to make us more like the Son, so that we can increasingly become the bride of Christ, the temple of God, and the holy body of Christ and the glorious people of God, fulfilling the ultimate eternal purpose of God in recreating a new humanity under Christ, and renewing creation to her former glory, so that God can be all in all!!