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Piney Christian
Research: The Gospel of Christ
Mark: "Beginning" means the MOST IMPORTANT thing of
the gospel after Christ has ascended. We must state in the beginning that nothing
which a human can do can "earn" or "merit" salvation. Not even
"faith" merits God's free gift. No supernatural sign can merit
salvation. However, God's free gift is extended to us and our
gratitude demands that we accept it. If we do not, then "we reject
the counsel of God for our lives." "When God speaks -- we should
listen." The gospel begins in many, many prophecies
which fill out the details of a full understanding. For instance, it
was good news or gospel that John the Baptist would come making an
initial offer from God to "catch fish" which were those
few Jews
waiting for their Messiah: A fundamental part of the good news or gospel
is that God's people will be "sprung from the prison" of "anxiety
created by religious ritual" under a religion like the nations which
brought Israel nothing but warfare and captivity: COMFORT ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. Isaiah 40:1
Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem,
and cry unto her, that her warfare is
accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the Lords hand double for
all her sins. Isaiah 40:2 The voice of him that crieth in the
wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the
desert a highway for our
God. Isaiah 40:3 Every valley shall be
exalted, and every mountain and hill
shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough
places plain: Isaiah 40:4 And the glory of the Lord shall
be revealed, and all flesh shall see
it together: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it. Isaiah
40:5 Under the
Law hohenwald, gospel, hohenwald, gospel,
hohenwald,
gospel, The Law was added because of Israel's sin at
Mount sinai. The sacrifices made the body ceremonially pure so that
they could continue in the community. However, these sacrifices
looked fordward to Christ who would pardon all iniquities in a true,
spiritual sense: FOR the law having a shadow of
good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never
with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually
make the comers thereunto perfect. Hebrews10:1 For then would they not have
ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once purged should
have had no more conscience of sins. Hebrews 10:2 Those who lived before the cross believed,
repented and confessed their faith by bing baptized by John as they
looked forward to believing in Christ Who proved Himself God by His
resurrection. Those who lived before Christ were acceptable to Him
based upon their obedience to the standards which they lived under
and by honoring God in their hearts. This salvation was possible even
to the Gentiles. However, the price of their spiritual regeneration
was not paid until Christ paid it: they had a bill marked "Full Price
Due." However, after Christ people were still
cleansed but their bill was marked: "Paid in Full." On both sides, people were under obligation to
keep whatever commandment they had been given. This idea may be
understood better by the use of the following table:
What the Gospel Would Not
Be hohenwald, gospel, hohenwald, gospel, Jesus refuted the notion that
His mission was for the body. In Matthew 13 Jesus noted that the truth had
been hidden to those who rejected the
normal light He furnished in creation and His dealings through
nature and providence. Therefore, He began to destroy the Jewish
notion that Messiah would be a king of victory, bread, celebration
and dominion by His chief agents. In fact, He was murdered for His
rejection of their notion that God's
gift of food and money meant that they
were His agents to collect it from the poor. Jesus told them about the miracles under the
Old Covenant whose God was the same as the One coming to them in the
guise of an unimpressive Nazarene: And many lepers were in Israel in
the time of Eliseus the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, saving Naaman the Syrian. Luke 4:27 Remember that Naaman could not understand why
his waters were not better than obedience to the command to be washed
or baptized. He wanted to do some mighty deed to cause God to heal him.
However, when he was convinced to dip himself in accepting the
counsel of God for his life, he was cleansed. Perhaps the Jews
believed that everyone would be cleansed automatically when the new Messiah
came. Jesus firmly said: "No." Of course, the "cheap grace" advocates decided
that if God was going to make them plant and till their own garden to
get God's free gift they would just kill Him and silence His voice
which rejected their patterns. The spirit of fire was truly poured
out at the same time the Spirit Word was poured out because Jesus did
not come to them: And all they in the synagogue,
when they heard these things, were filled with
wrath, Luke 4:28 And rose up, and
thrust him out of the city, and led him unto the brow of the hill
whereon their city was built, that they
might cast him down headlong. Luke
4:29 But he, passing through the midst
of them, went his way. Luke 4:30 Oh, how the wrath of men rise up to throw you
off the cliff when you speak of an Incarnate God who gives His Gift
only to those who "accept the will of God for their lives." And, Oh,
how we want bread and miracles and circuses and a "plan" which
doesn't demand anything but a tip of the hat to Jesus' full gospel
plan. When John wrote his gospel
story, he began: hohenwald, gospel,
hohenwald, gospel, God laid aside His Majesty and Glory as a king
might lay aside His crown and other signs of authority to go out and
understand his subjects. Isaiah noted that God sent His own Arm to be
that mediator or intercessor. When He finished His work, Jesus or the
"right arm or hand" sat down beside of or "in the folds of" His
garments of Majesty to be full Deity (Col 2:9). The Psalmist
wrote: BLESS the Lord (Jehovah), O my
soul. O Lord my God (Elohim), thou art very great; thou art
clothed
with honour and majesty. Psalm 104:1
Who coverest thyself with light
as with a garment: who stretchest out the heavens
like a
curtain:
Psalm 104:2 John shows that the Word was with God because
He was God illustrated as a spoken message. As the Messenger, He was
the Light: IN the beginning was the Word, and
the Word was with God, and the Word was God. John 1:1 The same was in the beginning with
God. John 1:2 All things were made by him; and without him
was not any thing made that was made. John 1:3 In him was
life;
and the life was the light of men. John 1:4
And the light shineth in darkness;
and the darkness comprehended (could
not understand it) it not. John 1:5
Like earthly priests, John had one course to serve
before Jesus revealed Himself as the One and Only High Priest or God
in the flesh. There was a man sent from God,
whose name was John. John 1:6 The same came for a witness, to
bear witness of the
Light, that all men through him might believe. John 1:7
He was not that Light, but was
sent to bear witness of that Light. John 1:8 In the Old Testament, the Spirit Word was
their Yehweh God the One and Only Elohim. He was as the Spirit of
Christ (1 Peter 1:11) the revealed Word to and through the Prophets.
However, the people killed the prophets for speaking the Words,
Spirit or Light of the Word and they would kill Him again. Trusting
the Words of God is always dangerous to your health: That was the true Light, which
lighteth every man that cometh into the world. John 1:9 He was in the world, and the world
was made by him, and the world knew him not. John 1:10 He came unto his own, and his own
received him not. John 1:11 That is, they did not "receive near, i.e.
associate with oneself in a familiar or intimate act or
relationship." Those who received Him "acted to get hold of"
His power to
become children: But as many as received him, to them
gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on
his name: John 1:12 Peter associated this gift with baptism:
hohenwald,
gospel, hohenwald, gospel, Then Peter said unto them, Repent,
and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the
remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the
Holy Ghost. Acts 2:38 Those who "received Him" experienced the New
Birth. In the story of Nicodemus Jesus told Him that He must be born
of water and spirit. John makes it clear that this new birth is not
the natural birth of blood nor the sheer will of the flesh. Rather,
the new birth is something done by the determination of God:
Which were born, not of blood, nor
of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. John
1:13 children born not of natural descent, nor of
human decision or a husband's
will, but born of God. John 1:13NIV
That Word or Will or God dwelt among men and
those with eyes could see His glory which could come only if He is
the Son or "offshoot" of the Light of God Himself: And the Word was made flesh, and
dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only
begotten of the Father,) full of grace
and truth. John 1:14 John bare witness
of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that
cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me.
John 1:15 And of his fulness have all we
received, and grace for grace. John
1:16 For the law was given by
Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. John 1:17
No man hath seen God at any
time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he
hath declared him John 1:18 And this is the
record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem
to ask him, Who art thou? John
1:19 John denied that he was the
Light hohenwald, gospel, He said, I am the
voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the
Lord, as said the prophet Esaias. John
1:23 Of course, the leaders of the
official religion refused to be baptized and therefore rejected this
light for themselves. To read about the New Birth of Water and
Spirit Click Here. When Mark wrote his gospel
story, he began: hohenwald, gospel,
hohenwald, gospel, Mark probably wrote to inform the Gentiles.
Because he connects baptism intimately with the gospel, it cannot be
said that water baptism does not apply to Gentiles although they were
not under the command to receive John's baptism unless they were
Godfearers or Proselytes. THE beginning of the
gospel of Jesus Christ, the
Son of God; Mark 1:1 As it is written in the prophets,
Behold, I send my
messenger before thy face, which shall
prepare thy way before thee. Mark 1:2 The voice of one crying in the wilderness,
Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his
paths straight (immediate). Mark 1:3
And so John came, baptizing in the
desert region and preaching a baptism
of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.
Mark 1:4NIV John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of
sins. Mark 1:4KJV This baptism was not because their sins were already remitted. The very first message of the gospel of Jesus
Christ was that John the Baptist was like the "Elijah" figure who
came to do battle with the "Jezebel" prophets of "Baal and Asherah"
in Jerusalem. His first message to the Jews was that you must be
baptized to look forward to the cross. In symbolism, the Asherah priests tried to
force God to do His work by urgent calling, singing, dancing and even
cutting themselves. However, when Elijah had the dead animal
completely overwhelmed by water, he simply spoke to God and God
consumed the "old dead bodies." After baptism, Paul demanded that we
"reckon" our bodies dead and our spirit alive unto God. The beginning of the gospel
was to the faithful Jews. If they wanted to make the path to Jesus
immediate in their lives they would just naturally obey the command
to be baptized to remit their sins. At the same time, they understood
that the price for that remission had not yet been paid. Jews already demanded of a proselyte that he
be washed with pure water, consider his old life dead and believe
that he was a new-born child in the Jewish faith. The Jews, in a
sense, had to become proselytes into the body of Christ just as would
the Gentiles. Everything is the gift of God; the application
of the fact is that you must accept the gift. Without the acceptance,
the gospel is the long "Hand" of God handing you food with no one to
bear witness with Him by accepting it. In time, Jesus entered a synagogue:
And there was delivered unto him
the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he
found the place where it was written, Luke 4:17 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he hath anointed me to preach
the gospel to the poor; he hath sent
me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the
captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to
set at liberty them that are bruised, Luke 4:18 To preach the acceptable year of the Lord. Luke 4:19 What would the gospel as the death, burial and
resurrection of Jesus be if it didn't have means and methods beyond
the facts. "Good News" is not limited to "Just Jesus." Forthermore, Jesus didn't have a little person
sitting on His shoulders; He had the Spirit of or a mental
disposition of certain God-like qualities. The Gospel includes the fact that the Spirit
of God would be upon Jesus to heal the spiritual blindness and
deafness created by the rejection of God's Word: AND there shall come forth a rod
out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots:
Isaiah 11:1 And the spirit of the Lord shall
rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and
understanding, the spirit of counsel and
might,
the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the
Lord; Isaiah 11:2 And shall make him of quick understanding in
the fear of the Lord: and he shall not judge after the
sight of
his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears:
Isaiah 11:3 But with righteousness shall he
judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth:
and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and
with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked. Isaiah 11:4
This says, in another way, that He would
overwhelm sincere people with His Word or Spirit (John 6:63), but He
would pour out the hot breath of His anger upon the wicked.
It is good news that He closes His ears and
eyes to our sights and sounds. He teaches
wisdom, understanding, counsel, might, knowledge, fear of the Lord
and is of quick understanding (spiritual in nature). This new kind of Spirit was required because
people had become blind and deaf (Isaiah 6; Isaiah 29) and could not
hear the voice of God in His word. When Israel failed and fell almost
totally into paganism it was because even righteous-living people
were destroyed by their own clergy: Yea, truth faileth; and he
that departeth from evil maketh himself a prey. And the Lord saw
it, and it displeased him that there was no judgment. Isaiah
59:15 And he saw that there was
no man,
and wondered that there was no
intercessor: therefore his
arm
brought salvation unto him; and his righteousness, it
sustained him. Isaiah 59:16 (Jesus is the Right Hand of God)
For he put on righteousness as a
breastplate, and a helmet of salvation upon his head; and he put on
the garments of vengeance for clothing,
and was clad with zeal as a cloak. Isaiah 59:17 This Right
Arm and Hand of God was God
Himself clad in human flesh to deliver supernatural power through His
Spirit Word: And the Redeemer shall come to
Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression
in Jacob, saith the Lord. Isaiah 59:20 As for me, this is my covenant with
them, saith the Lord; My spirit that is
upon thee, and my words which I have put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the
mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth of thy seeds seed, saith the
Lord, from henceforth and for ever. Isaiah 59:21 We earn death but spiritual
life as a gift can come only from God: For the wages of sin is death; but
the gift of
God is eternal life through Jesus
Christ our Lord. Romans 6:23 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that
not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Ephesians 2:8 When God extended grace to the Jews if they
would simply believe the good news and honor Him by honoring His
command, and the salvation they received would be the pure gift of God. The next part of the Gospel of Jesus Christ
was that He personally
submitted to water baptism to
'"fulfill all righteousness." That simply means that he
"fully preached baptism" by His own example even though He was not sinful.
Luke restated the preamble
of the Gospel recorded by Mark:
hohenwald,
gospel, This is he, of whom it is written,
Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy
way before thee. Luke 7:27 For I say unto you, Among those
that are born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the
Baptist: but he that is least in the kingdom of God is greater than
he. Luke 7:28 And all the people that heard him,
and the publicans, justified
God, being baptized with the baptism
of John. Luke 7:29 But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the counsel of God against themselves, being not baptized of him. Luke 7:30 John will correct any misunderstanding and
explain what it means to justify God: He that
believeth on the Son of God
hohenwald,
gospel, hath the witness
in
himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a
liar; because he believeth not
the record that God gave of his Son. 1 John 5:10 Listening by faith results in obedience to
that faith; listening by the doctors of the law meant that they first
had to reinterpret John's message. When it didn't fit their distorted
view, they just repudiated God. Home Page
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gospel, hohenwald, gospel, E-Mail
hohenwald, gospel, hohenwald, gospel, Home... Apocalyptic... Apocryphal... Awakening... Baptism.....Caneridge... Church.... Colonial... Godhead.... MaxLucado... Lynn.Aderson... Musical
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