August 19, 2024 • 59 mins
Special Message: "How to Enjoy the Bible" is a recording from a Sunday School class my dad, Dave Garrett, taught at First Baptist Church of Newbury Park in 1981. Be sure to subscribe and get notified when new episodes are available.
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Read "Rediscovering Dad"
I found several recordings of messages and recovered them from the original cassettes to digital files in 2024 - interestingly, I was in the middle of teaching a series called "How to Study the Bible" when I recovered his messages! I wish I had all of his messages, but unfortunately, I only have a dozen. I will continue to recover and make his messages available and share them here on my podcast as a special series as well as on my website where you'll also be able to read the transcripts and get other resources. I know you'll be blessed by his teaching because he was faithful to "rightly divide the Word of Truth" and I know you'll enjoy his humor and thoughtfulness as well.
This message explores how to enjoy the Bible by studying it inductively, rightly dividing the word of truth, and understanding its context. He emphasizes avoiding legalism and correctly interpreting scripture based on literary form, subject matter, times, and dispensations. A perfect word for us today as it was in 1981!
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Transcript Available on my website
Dwelling in the Word and letting the Word dwell in us richly is different than reading the Bible or reading a devotional with Bible passages. Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly and return the favor by dwelling in the Word - not "doing" Bible study, not simply reading - but moving into the Word with heart, soul, mind, and strength. It's being intentional in making a shift from treating the Word of God like a self-help book to letting it dwell in us as the living Word of God that it is.
This series with my Dad will include any of the teachings of his I am able to find, transfer, and make available Mondays August through October of 2024.
It's important to know this: the greatest heritage we can leave our children is a love for and faith in God. My parents both did that. As I've listened to his messages I am reminded just how profoundly he influenced my own teaching to this day. The very fact that the focus of my blog is "Dwelling Richly" is directly because of the love my parents both had for God's Word and the way the passed along that love to me and my sisters.
Questions about the Bible?I'm working on a new series! "So Glad You Asked" which will take your questions about the Bible, living the Christian life, dealing with difficult situations/people/life issues, ...really anything on your mind and I'll share my thoughts and responses. I'd love to hear from you. No question is off-limits - Submit questions about this or any topic to DwellingRichly@gmail.com or https://www.jennifergrichmond.com/podcast/#question
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
It is a lofty goal, I think, to try to take a whole group and teach them how
to actually enjoy the Bible.
I think you're so from the point of view I've taken that we need to look at
the very biggest picture possible and then begin to divide the picture up into
the several categories we have.
I talked to you about looking at the Bible inductively and not deductively.
(00:22):
That simply means we don't want to come to the Bible with presuppositions, our own prejudices.
But we'd like to approach the Bible as the Bereans did, searching the Scripture
to see if these things be so, taking all the information that we find in a subject in Scripture,
gathering that information together, and coming to certain conclusions based
upon what we've gathered together, and not doing it the other way around,
(00:44):
taking a conclusion that we've already come to, and then looking around the
Scripture, finding verses of Scripture that seem to support our previously held conclusion.
I cannot contrast it.
I do not do that, but I try not to.
And I will teach you not to do it, although I recognize that you will.
So as long as you know what to do, then your obedience is before the Lord.
(01:07):
Difficult to interpret the Bible, people say. I think because they approach
it from the point of view that it's a book that needs to be interpreted.
I think more accurately, God wants to speak to us.
Then if it's God's desire to inform us about his plan, about his will,
about his way with man, then I think we have to approach this book with a certain
amount of confidence that God has said just precisely what he wanted to say.
(01:31):
And then when we change it to this book, as I've said many times from copyright
to Indian, are the secrets to understanding those things which oftentimes lead people astray.
I think that we'll approach the book as something that we need to interpret,
something we have to figure out.
We lay the groundwork for a trap that we'll eventually fall into.
And so I thought one of the first things that I wanted to bring up,
(01:51):
I think it was pretty clear that the subject matter of the Bible was Jesus Christ.
The object was for God to interpret himself to us.
And the very principle of interpretation that has been laid down in Scripture,
found in 2 Timothy 2, verse 15.
Study, show thyself approved unto God a workman who needeth not be detained,
rightly abiding the word of truth.
And I took you back to Proverbs 3, verse 6, and talked about that passage of
(02:14):
scripture, which many of you have memorized.
Deuteronomy was taking the pathway, and that same word just there in Proverbs
3, 6 is found in the Greek translation of the Old Testament,
also found in 2 Timothy 2, verse 15.
We find that I went to some length to talk about the New American Standard,
how it translates that verse, handling accurately the word of God.
I think that although it is a proper translation as far as it goes,
(02:39):
it doesn't take into account the other key scripture, which is Proverbs 3,
6. I think right division is key.
As I looked at the principle of right division, we saw that there were going
to be four major areas in which we wanted to divide the Bible.
As we looked into gifts for ourselves, we want to make sure that we have this
outline from which to work.
(02:59):
And I divided the outline into four major segments. We want them to divide the
Bible according to its literary form.
Secondly, we want them to divide the Bible according to its subject matter.
Thirdly, we want them to divide the Bible according to its times and dispensations.
And I define what dispensations were.
And then finally, we want to divide the Bible according to its dispensational truth and teachings.
(03:20):
I finished three subjects out of my four the last time I was here on Sunday
evening, and tonight I want to finish the fourth, but I want to look at the other three.
In terms of its literary form, I think the simplest division I mentioned this
morning was the fact that the Bible is already divided into Old and New Testament
for us, representing the Old and New Covenant.
Testament is simply the word for covenant. But one of the most confusing things,
(03:43):
to many people who try to understand the Bible, especially the New Testament,
is the fact that the New Covenant wasn't instituted until Jesus died.
And therefore, the Old Covenant, that which was established under Moses,
that Old Covenant, which was expansive, that which was given to Abraham in Genesis
chapter 12, which we talked about this morning,
that Old Covenant held sway through Matthew, through Mark, through Luke, and through John.
(04:07):
And so the incidents, those things which happened to the light of Christ and
to the disciple, all happened while this old covenant was still in operation.
When Christ died, he established in his blood what is declared to be in Jeremiah 31, a new covenant.
And this covenant we are now under. And so the basic literary is built in between
the Old and the New Testament.
(04:28):
We looked at the separate books of the Bible. I told you about how the Old Testament
is divided, how we have the Pentateuch, and we have the writings and different things like that.
I talked about how the versions are divided up into different chapters and different
verses and subheadings. We talked about punctuation.
So I got involved in how you divide the Bible up literarily.
(04:49):
The second area that I wanted to look at was how we divided the Bible up into subject matter.
We found in 1 Corinthians 10, verse 32, that we have three major subjects in
the Bible, the Jews, the Gentile, and the Church of God. And the Bible really
can be divided depending upon whom is being addressed.
To whom is this being written? Is it being written to you? Is it being written to Gentile?
(05:11):
Is it being written to the Church of God? And so when you read the Bible,
you must understand these things because oftentimes it's like reading a letter
which wasn't addressed to you.
And someone promising you something that actually wasn't promised to you.
That I was looking into the difference between interpretation and application, but I mentioned that.
I think one of the two principles I talked about last Sunday night that I spoke
(05:32):
with was that where the entire Bible is for us, it was not written to us all.
It is for us all, but not written to us all. And there we have to make a distinction
between application of every portion of Scripture.
All Scripture is inspired by God. Is it profitable for doctrine,
reproof, correction, instruction, and righteousness that the man of God and
woman of God may be thoroughly furnished unto all good works?
(05:53):
That applies to each and every one of us.
It's all applicable from Genesis to Revelation, whether or not it's fitting
to the Gentile or the Church of God.
However, by interpretation, we must understand the context in which it's written
and to whom it's written so that we won't get certain different aspects of God's
program confused with other aspects of God's program, which we'll talk about later on the scene.
So we look at the Sunday matter. Then we talked about times and dispensation,
(06:15):
and I described what a dispensation was.
The word dispensation in English means a time in which something is distanced.
The sensory we hear in our English today.
The Greek word is the word from which we get an English economy.
And it really means the illustration.
God administrated his plans towards man in different ways.
(06:36):
I think I demonstrated that this morning. In the first 11 chapters of Genesis,
God was dealing with the Gentiles, the world in general.
And then it began dealing with man in particular, one man in particular, Abraham.
And from Abraham's growing in the nation of Israel, I will make figures those
who cross over the river.
And there was a different administration to them. There was a patriarchal administration
(06:57):
during the Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and then there was the administration
of law from Mount Sinai all through the book of the four Gospels.
Then we found that there was an administration of truth, the dispensation of
the grace of God, it's called in the book of Ephesians, which has pertained
ever since the coming of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost until the present hour,
(07:17):
which is something like 1950 years after Christ died,
was buried, rose again, and ascended to heaven.
That's another 50 years. Remember, I talked about the period of 2,000 years.
It seems to be prominent in Scripture.
And I was hoping that we'd all be around in 50 years to make sure that my message was correct.
So we looked at dispensations and times. And I looked at more detail of the
(07:41):
dispensations this morning.
Now we'll run into the final section, which will take up the rest of the time that we have.
I will kindly point it out to me that I went 13 minutes over.
13 minutes and how many seconds was it?
(08:04):
I guess yeah so no I might yeah we'll try to get this in and so that you can
get back and take a choice between what's on yes if anything tonight's on start
tonight what's that pom-pom girl for on the night,
what else is on the night is there a couple of good movies on get out so i get
back and watch You can turn off the tape or nothing, turn it off, edit it out or whatever.
(08:26):
Anyone read the front page of the Times about the Wycliffe translator down in Columbia this morning?
Absolutely incredible. If you can get a hold of the time, read it with this
in view, the mindset, the thinking of those who have captured this young man,
the Wycliffe translator.
And then, to add insult to injury, they've got a group of kids from a college
(08:49):
in Irvine, Pippa the Wycliffe, telling them to get out of Columbia because they're
destroying the culture down there.
I beg to differ with you.
You know, after, you know, some hotshot goes to college and reads the book Hawaii,
and he thinks he understands missionary work.
You know, he thinks he understands what's really going on in missionary work,
(09:09):
and the filth, and the garbage, and the degradation that goes on.
The perversion involved in these, as you describe, these pure tribes,
untouched by civilization. Garbage.
They need the cleansing blood of Jesus, and not the witch doctor's goofy little doll.
And they get upset because we go down there and put skirts on the ladies and
(09:33):
blasters on them. I don't know.
I wonder when Columbia is going to start sending rich men to Southern California.
They ought to come and bring a few skirts and blasters. Anyway,
you can turn the tape back on.
Not a real dead set in the Times. It was really something.
There was so much good stuff in the paper this week. I'd like to go on this.
Go ahead and risk the review. I hope it's on the paper. It's 7 o'clock.
(09:58):
All right we need to rightly divide the word of truth
as to its dispensational truth in tt i want
to go over five count them five major points i'll give you the five points to
begin with and you can go back and therefore you'd be able to see if you've
gotten lost or if i have these are critical principles in terms of interpretation
and you may understood and And hopefully they need to be applied.
(10:23):
Principle number one, the past is not to be read into another part of the past.
One part of the past is not to be read into another part of the past.
I'll explain it a little later. Point number two, the past is not to be read into the present.
The past is not to be read into the present.
(10:45):
Point number three, the present is not to be read into the past.
Point number three, present not to be read in front of the past.
Point number four, the future is not to be read into the present.
Future is not to be read into the present. And point number five.
One part of the future is not to be read into another part of the future. The five points.
(11:10):
Past not to be read into the past. Past not to be read into the present.
Present not to be read into the past. The future not to be read into the present.
And why is it not to be read into another part of the future?
I think it will become very clear as we go through this.
Open your Bibles with me to Luke chapter 9.
Yes, you should have brought your Bibles. Luke asked me with tongue in cheek
this morning, will I read my Bible this morning, Dave?
(11:32):
Yes, you will have needed your Bible this morning and this evening. Luke chapter 9, verse 3.
Luke chapter 9 occurs during a period of time which is called in terms of dividing
up the ministry of the church.
When a kingdom was being proclaimed, Luke chapter 9, verse 3.
And as Jesus proclaimed the kingdom, he said, unto them who take nothing for
(11:53):
their journey, neither staff nor script, neither bread, neither money,
Neither have you two coats of peace, and whatsoever hath you entered into thereby, and then depart.
You whatsoever will not receive him when you go out of that city.
Shake off the very dust from your feet for a testimony against them.
And they departed, and went out to the towns, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere.
(12:15):
Luke chapter 9, verse 3. Keep your finger there. Turn over to Luke chapter 22.
And they said unto them, When I sent him without purse, and script,
and shoes, to lack to anything. And they said nothing.
Then said he unto them, and did this, mark this, but now, do you not have the purse?
(12:36):
Let him take it, and likewise this script, and you that have no sword,
let him sell his garment, and buy one, for I say unto you, that this that is
written must yet be accomplished in me.
And he was reckoned among the transgressors for the things concerning me have
an end and they said Lord behold there are two swords and he said to them it
(12:59):
is enough now when you look back at Luke chapter 9 verse 3 he tells them I want
you to take these things take your
staff your script and your bread and your money,
don't take your staff script bread and money then in Luke chapter 22 he said take them.
Something had happened. Something was changed. And I noticed this kind of in
(13:20):
the story of Matthew, found in Matthew chapter 12.
Matthew chapter 12 talks about the rejection of the king. First comes the proclamation
of the king, and then came his rejection.
During the period of his rejection, the situations changed.
And if you took that which was one part of the past, and try to read it into
another part of the past, for example, the period of time from Genesis chapter
(13:42):
1 through 11, and the economy which prevailed at that time.
And it reads again to the economy which prevailed from Genesis 12 through the
Gospels, or vice versa, push them around.
Two half-dispensation, and try to read one at a time.
Try to harmonize it, too. You're going to find out there can be discrepancies.
As a matter of fact, some liberals have pointed this out in Luke and said there's
(14:04):
a discrepancy in the Bible. There's contradiction.
You still realize that the Bible needs to be rightly divided.
The next verse that deals with the same subject is in Matthew chapter 10 verse
5 and 6 where Jesus sends the,
disciples out to preach and he says, only go to the house of Israel.
Don't go to the Gentile and don't go to the Jew.
And then in Mark chapter 16 verse 15 he sends them out and says,
(14:27):
I want you to go to every preacher.
Something has happened. Something has changed. Some people would look at this
and say, well, there's definitely a contradiction there. There's no contradiction.
All there is is a different administration that prevails under the two different
commands. in, nothing to recognize.
The past is not a major problem we have in terms of interpretation.
The secondary is as being read into the present. Look at Deuteronomy chapter 6, verse 25.
(14:53):
Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Deuteronomy. Deuteronomy chapter 6, verse 25.
And it shall be our righteousness if we observe to do all these commandments
before the Lord our God, as he has commanded it. How was righteousness obtained?
By observing to do all the commandments.
(15:14):
Keep your finger there in Deuteronomy. Turn over to Romans chapter 3, verse 20.
And Romans. Romans chapter 3 verse 20. Therefore by the deeds of the law there
shall no blest be justified in his sight.
Look at Galatians chapter 2 verse 16. Romans 1st 2nd Corinthians and Galatians.
(15:35):
Galatians chapter 2 verse 16. Knowing that a man is not justified by the works
of the law but by the faith of Jesus Christ.
Even we have believed in Jesus Christ.
That we might be justified by the faith of Jesus by Christ and not by the works
of the law for by the works of the law shall no place be justified.
Now we have the present dispensation which indicates that our justification,
(16:00):
our standing with God depends upon one thing only and that is in the service
work of Jesus Christ nothing else.
There's no other way to become righteous before God
but accepting the one who has
the righteousness of God placing faith
in the finished work of christ establishes my
(16:21):
relationship with god and i quote it so many times second corinthians
5 21 you know the same becomes in for us that we might be made the righteousness
of god how in him so your righteousness which is absolutely essential to fellowship
with god only comes by faith the faith principle was at work from adam from from Abraham on,
(16:42):
which Paul clearly talks about in Romans 3 and 4.
However, the righteousness that was required under the law by observing it is
not the righteousness which is required now.
There's no place that's dividing a site by that righteousness.
So if we take the standard of grace, bring it back into the Old Testament,
and take the standard of the Old Testament, bring it into grace,
(17:02):
we're going to have some real troubles.
The troubles would generally boil down to what we call oritalism.
In other words, a king's favor with God by keeping set rule.
Nothing wrong with keeping rule, but you're not obtaining favor with God by
keeping rule. You're obtaining favor with God by faith.
Why? Because he said without faith, it is impossible to please him.
So we don't want to read the law, the oldest meditation, into grace.
(17:27):
I don't know if I've struggled with it, but it's a bit of information whether
you're not. How many have an old-fashioned King James Bible with them?
Okay, some of them have been changed. Most of them still can't be edited on the top of the pages.
I need your help, cooperation. Turn to Isaiah 30.
Those of you who don't have a King James or an old-fashioned King James,
(17:48):
if you've got a Scorpio Bible, it won't count.
Scorpio won't work. A regular old King James Bible.
I've got one. This is what I use regularly, because I have my quiet margins
and I don't get Schofield's notes in my way.
Don't damn old C.I. Schofield poking his nose into my theology.
Although I certainly recommend his nose in your theology if you haven't.
(18:09):
It's a good place to start.
All right. You look at Isaiah chapter 30.
Okay. Now at the top of the page in my Bible, it says, the people threatened,
for trusting the nations on the one side.
Is that what that says, Paul? Paul, the people threatened for trusting in Egypt.
Now, on the next page, it says, God's mercy, what?
(18:33):
Paul, to the church.
Okay, this is the only thing I'm going to do.
Okay, it says on the one page, the people threatened for trusting in Egypt.
The next thing it says, God's mercy to his church. Someone was attacked in June.
I'm going to take it one step further. Look at 33.3.
(18:55):
32, at the top of the page, says, The blessings of Christ's kingdom.
And the top of the page, right next to it, says, God's judgment upon the church's enemies. Enemies.
Look at chapter 43 in verse 1 of Isaiah. I find it rather curious.
I've never left it after Egypt before. Never considered it my enemy.
(19:17):
You know, so that ain't such a bad guy. Look at 43.
Verse 1 says, you're going to have little headings above the chapter.
I mean, you said chapter 43, then it breaks down what's going to be in there.
Okay. This is what it tells me is going to be in this chapter.
From verse 1 to verse 7, it says, It says, the Lord comforteth the church with his promises.
(19:37):
That's what's going to be in chapter 43, verses 1 through 7.
You got that, Paul? Anybody else have that? Raise your hand.
That's probably the only one that's got one of these by.
Okay? Now, it says, the Lord comforteth the church with his promises. Now, read verse 1.
But now thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, and who is from thee,
O Israel, fear not, for I have redeemed thee.
(20:01):
I have called thee by thy name. Thou art mine.
Now, Sunday school class, to whom is this letter written? To Jacob and Israel.
That you and I can get comfort out of these verses, no doubt.
But that God is comforting his church here, I have some grave misgivings about that.
(20:23):
God is not comforting his church in Isaiah. God is comforting Israel.
And Israel is not the church.
Okay. Another problem in terms of bringing the past into the present are found
in certain psalms, which are known as the imprecatory psalm.
The psalms would contend, bring the judgment down upon people.
I realize in certain circumstances those psalms come in very handy.
(20:47):
Psalm 127, for example, verses 8 and 9.
A real humdinger. That's a theological expression. I'll be happy to explain
that to anybody after the meeting.
A real humdinger.
You get real upset with somebody, somebody begins sticking his nose in your
business, messing around with the church.
You get down on your knees and open your Bible for a psalm of comfort. You open to Psalm 137.
(21:12):
Then you start reading in verse 7, this prayer, Lord, protect me.
Remember, O Lord, the children of Edom in the day of Jerusalem,
who said, Raise it, raise it, even in the foundation thereof,
O daughter of Babylon, who art to be destroyed. droid.
Happy shall he be that rewardeth thee as thou hast served us.
(21:33):
Happy shall he be that takeeth and dashes thy little ones against the stones.
Next to that. Think of that in a stone-cloth window detected.
No, we don't have any right at all to pray that psalm for anyone else.
But in the time in which this psalm was written, during the time to which it
(21:57):
applied, that psalm is extremely applicable.
But not to the church. By yourself praying that psalm, you're going to have
to make some real changes in your interpretation. temptation.
Look at Isaiah 26 verse 9, not the front of it, Isaiah 26 verse 9,
and that expresses when the right time will be to pray a psalm like that.
(22:17):
But we do a lot of, you know, want to read that kind of a psalm into the present time.
I think one of the most obvious changes in terms of reading the past and the
present is the change dealing with the Sabbath day.
That the Sabbath was a command is so clear that it's beyond a skew.
All you have to do is look at the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20 or Deuteronomy 5.
(22:38):
There are those today, the Seventh-day Baptists and the Seventh-day Adventists.
There's always a Baptist out there in some oddball group. I don't know. It's just amazing.
There are more Baptists who are converted than the Jehovah's Witness in any other denomination.
I don't know if that speaks well of us Baptists or not, but there's a bunch of dim bulbs.
You know, dim bulb is a guy whose light's gone out.
It's incredible to find Baptists in every oddball group around the world.
(23:02):
I mean, in terms of percentages, they've got everybody beat.
Eat but they got a seventh day baptist okay because you
know god rested on the seventh day and how that day and
as much as he did that before uh the law of fema and
therefore uh we need to keep the sabbath day and keep
it holy well i i'd uh well i appreciate that principle of scripture i really
(23:22):
do work six days and rest the seventh that's a good principle of scripture i
haven't got any problem with that whatsoever but when you begin taking and separating
different aspects of the ceremonial law and picking the ones you want and saying
that applies to me and I should obey that,
but that part of the law doesn't apply to me and I won't obey that, then who's God?
Because I seem to read in my Bible that failure to keep the Sabbath resulted in certain judgments.
(23:49):
What that judgment was? Stoning. Then you ask your local Seventh-day Adventist
church if they've got a pile of rocks behind the, you know, Baptist tree.
Why? To stone the guy who missed Sunday, you know, missed the Sabbath two weeks
in a row. I'm talking about getting, you know, faithful church attendance.
You know, we could have a visitation program and it would really knock your socks off.
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You know, oh, I mean, you're coming to a church and they've got a bucket full of rocks.
Close the door. And they also, you know, I believe in tithing, too.
You don't tithe and you don't make it to heaven, that kind of thing.
That's not a bad idea. Right, Mel?
Start that one. Oh, raise it. I'm building program metal.
Boy, I rival the Mormon church down here. That's quite a building,
(24:31):
isn't it? See what happens when you tithe?
Anyway, turn to Galatians chapter 4, verses 9 and 11. Let's take a look at the
New Distant Station and see what happens there.
Got a clear command. Boy, take the Sabbath. Don't take the Sabbath.
You're liable to be stoned. in Galatians chapter 4, verses 9 to 11.
It says, But now after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God,
(24:53):
how turn ye then to what is he called a weeping, bitterly element,
wherein think ye desire again to be in bondage?
The good days, and months, and times, and years, I am afraid of you,
lest I have bestowed upon you labor and vain.
Letter I bestow to you, do as I am, for I am as ye are. Ye have not injured me at all.
(25:13):
Now turn to Romans chapter 14 verses 5 and 6 to complete the thought.
One man esteemeth one day above another, another esteemeth every day alike.
Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind. Now is that a whole lot different
than stoning the poor character?
Guy wants to keep his Sabbath? Eh, don't bug him. He'll come here for Chinese
school, no one will be around. Sooner or later he'll get the picture.
(25:36):
Even if he regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord, and if he regardeth
it not, to the Lord he doth not regard it.
Excellent passage in Colossians chapter 2 It deals with the same Sabbath You
see, the Sabbath day is not binding upon us In terms of a ceremonial law But
(25:57):
I would certainly recommend it to you If anybody's out there working To really,
if you don't want to read into the past Number one, the mystery Which is found
in Romans 16, Ephesians 3 and Colossians 1 Nor do I want to bring the church
into the past Look at Romans chapter 16 verse 25,
Excuse me Romans 16 verse 25,
(26:20):
the hymn that is of power to establish you according to
my gospel and the preaching of
jesus christ according to the revelation of the mystery which was
kept secret since the world began i don't think you'd get much clearer than
that but there's a mystery which has been kept secret since the world began
i mentioned it this morning we find when it was revealed the reveal when fire
went to prison didn't even write in
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the ephesians epistle and if you're in chapter three It says in verse 3,
how that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery,
as I wrote afore in few words, whereby when you read, you may understand my
knowledge in the mystery of Christ,
which in early ages was not made known unto the sons of man,
as it is now revealed unto the holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit. Look at verse 9.
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And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery,
which from the beginning of the world hath been where?
Hidden in God. I figure if God's going to hide something, it's going to stay hidden. didn't you?
Now, look at Colossians 1, verse 26, and then I'll complete the idea on the mystery.
Colossians 1, verse 26, even the mystery which hath been from ages and from
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generations, but when, but now, is made manifest to his saints.
Now, note this. There is a mystery which was more revealed in the Old Testament,
than was hidden God, which was only revealed through the revelation given to
the Apostle Paul, which he made known specifically to us,
In the first epistle.
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Now, what is that mystery? What was hidden?
Well, certain commentators have
suggested that the mystery was that the Gentiles were going to be saved.
But I submit that that Gentiles were going to be saved was never a mystery.
As a matter of fact, it was part and parcel of the covenant made with Abraham in Genesis chapter 12.
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That Gentiles would be saved right along with Israel. Israel didn't care for the idea.
But it was not a mystery. Because it's talked about throughout the book of Isaiah,
for example, the fact of the Gentiles being blessed and saved.
Paul refers to it in Romans chapters 9, 10, and 11.
That the Gentiles were going to be saved was not a mystery, although it's stuck in the claw of the Jew.
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That the Gentile and the Jew, these two, would become, according to the expression
in Ephesians, one new man, was a mystery.
That there would be an organic unity between Jew and Gentile was a mystery.
And that Jesus would be the head was a mystery.
And this mystery was committed to the Apostle Paul. all. If you look at John
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chapter 16 verse 12 and 13, you see that Jesus anticipated the revelation that was to come.
John chapter 16 verses 12 and 13.
I have yet many things to say unto you, but you cannot bear them now.
Albeit when he, the spirit of truth, has come, he will guide you into all truth,
for he shall not speak of himself.
Whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak, and he will show you things to come.
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Jesus anticipated the revelation of the mystery, but the revelation of the mystery
was not available to the saints under the old dispensation until the revelation
was given to the Apostle Paul.
So we do not, the conclusion then, the application then, we do not want to read
the high doctrinal truths of the mystery,
and import them back to, or impart them back into the old dispensation as if
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Noah understood the mystery, as if Abraham understood the mystery,
As if Moses understood the things that we understand.
He didn't understand that. And we do not want to interpret Genesis,
Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, and those books by
Ephesians, Colossians, and Philippians.
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Draw application out of the story of Noah. We might draw application out of
the story of the tabernacle, but we do not want to import into that time information
they weren't even aware of.
The church, for example, the second area, is another area that we didn't want to confuse.
One of the most confusing things about the word church is the word church has
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a very, the word church has an edifice complex. You know what I mean?
We've got these edifices all over the country and call them churches i don't
think they've got the edifice complex anyway,
we've got these churches all over the country and when
we think of we say the word church our mind dive envisions a building with a
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baptistry of jews and if it's the seventh adventist church a pile of rocks we've
got and it's building in mind but the greek word church is eplasia it means
called out ones it could be anybody who's called out,
The word simply means an assembly. This is an assembly.
And so in Acts chapter 19, with the group of silversmiths, they were called
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the ecclesia, an assembly.
Well, you could have just as rightly called it a church, but then it would have
given the wrong idea. I mean, sure, the silversmiths weren't forming a church.
I don't think the tax burden was quite as bad as it was here in America.
One of the most confusing things is the passage in Acts chapter 7 where it talks
about the church in the wilderness.
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And we get all kinds of people running around trying to find gospel
truth in the wilderness we can find gospel
application in the wilderness but we can't find the church in the wilderness not
the church if we define it in terms of the one man the new man the one body
of whom christ is the head now i would suggest that whenever the word church
is found in scripture that you just don't have to do the word assembly and that
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will take any kind of odd interpretation out of it Here's the assembly.
Upon this rock, I will build my assembly.
Okay? And take the ecclesiastical terminology out of it so they get an idea
of what's really going on.
You do not want to read church truth and back in to the Old Testament.
And the Old Testament, remember, held sway through Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
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You do not want to read church truth of the mystery back into Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
Now, we start to get really serious in terms of this interpretation business. Why?
Because Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are, boy, it's just teachings of Jesus.
But it certainly is a teaching of Jesus. An applicable inner word to our lives.
But by interpretation, to whom was Jesus sent? Look at Romans chapter 15.
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Romans chapter 15, verse 8.
This is the declaration of the Apostle Paul. Now I say that Jesus Christ was
a minister of the circumcision.
Of the truth of God to confirm the promises made unto the fathers.
Now, why did Jesus come? He came, according to John chapter 1,
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verse 11, to his own, but his own received him not.
Only after the rejection of Christ was the salvation-bringing message of God
made available to you and I.
And as a result of that breaking off, what was designed to provoke Israel,
the emulation, It says in Romans chapter 9 and 11,
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you and I were given a position, a position according to Ephesians,
which is higher than of all, a position higher than any other believer in any
other dispensation had.
We need to recognize that position. Thank God for that position,
but do not read that position back into Matthew, Mark, Luke,
and John only by way of application, not by way of interpretation.
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Now, we've got two more points here. Let me cover those points,
and I've got one area that I wanted to cover, and we're not going to be able
to do it. I'll save it for some other night.
It's a hot topic, all right, especially because of a very popular book that
is out now, which I wholeheartedly endorse.
However, I think that there needs to be a balance to the book.
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It was written by a pastor everyone here knows, and I do not disagree with him at all.
All however i do believe that there needs to be clear understanding and a clear delineation,
made when we look at the sermon on the map and notice the difference between application,
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and interpretation but be it as it may be in the sermon amount a little later
on let's take a look at the fourth point future after you read into the present
generally there's three different points of view on the tribulation and they
are all of us are going to go through it Part of us will go through all of it.
All of us will go through part of it.
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I want to buy again. Generally, three points of view on the tribulation.
All of the church is going to go through all of it. Part of the church is going
to go through all of it. Or all of the church is going to go through part of it.
I believe there's a fourth point of view. None of the church is going to face any of it.
Why? Look at Jeremiah 30. Jeremiah?
Good turn of revelation. Let's talk about the tribulation. No,
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no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.
Let's look at Jeremiah and see if we can get the historical perspective of what's
going on in the tribulation. Jeremiah 30, verse 4.
Jeremiah chapter 30, verse 4. Get warmed up here.
And these are the words that the Lord spoke concerning the first Baptist church in Newberry Park.
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Concerning Israel and Judah. What did he say?
Verse 7. Alas, for that day is great, so that none of like it is even the time
of whose trouble? Billy's trouble?
Arnold's trouble? Bruce's trouble? Jerry Falwell's trouble? No.
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That great day is called the time
jacob's trouble this was
addressed to judah and israel it is
about the great day of tribulation a period
of seven years according to the prophecy of daniel it is
called jacob's trouble because it harkens back
to the time in genesis chapter 32 verses 24 and 30
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when jacob faced a crisis after exile
he returned to his own land and fine he was
not welcome isaac came
to the meeting 400 armed men and he
cries out during this time of tribulation and this time of trouble and so jeremiah
picks up on this tribulation that jacob had faith and he uses it to characterize
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the tribulation that israel was going to go through you look at daniel chapter 12 verse 1,
daniel chapter 12 verse 1 right after after ezekiel
and at that time shall michael stand up the great prince which standeth for
the children of thy people and there shall be a time of cover such as never
was since there was a nation even at that same time and at that time thy people
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shall be delivered everyone that shall be found written in the book but the
delivery doesn't take place until after the tribulation is over.
Clear, when you look at Scripture from beginning to end, that the tribulation
period talked about in Scripture has nothing to do whatsoever with the church, which is his body.
The church, which is his body, has to be taken out of the situation because it is a mystery.
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And like I said this morning, we have Israel's history, and when it stops, we have mystery.
And when the mystery is over, we have history again. And we have seven years
of history which have not been fulfilled yet to the Israelite.
Church has nothing to do with that. and God will take the church out.
Not because the church can't face tribulation. If you haven't faced,
you know, the church hasn't been facing tribulation in the last 1950 years, I don't know what it is.
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But tribulation in those seven years is going to be quite a bit different than
the tribulation faced in the last 1950 years because this is a time which has
never been like this before according to Daniel chapter 12, verse 1.
You look at Matthew chapter 24, verse 38 and 48, 41.
Matthew 24, verses 38 through 41. do you want?
For as in the days that were before the flood, they were eating and drinking
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and marrying and giving and marrying until the day that Noah entered into the
ark and knew not until the flood came and took them all away,
so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be.
Then shall two be in the field, the one should be taken and the other left.
Now, if you read back in the context, the people who were taken in Noah's day
were taken in the flood, not taken in the glorious rapture.
Matthew 24 has nothing to do with the church, nothing to do with the church at all.
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Israel is in Matthew 24 and it's talking
about the tribulation it's talking about the second advent of Jesus to the Mount
of Olives and when he comes back he'll come back in judgment those who are taken
are taken in judgment those who are left are left to go into the millennium
just the opposite of what most popular preaching is where Matthew 24 is used
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to as a proof text for the rapture,
there are various other prophecies.
Not being confused, being read
into the present, a one that's used by missionaries is found in Psalm 28.
I'll just make it very quick. This is so cute that you ought to know it.
You can use this to catch missionaries. All right. All right.
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Ask of me, Psalm 28. Ask of me and I shall give thee the Eden for thy inheritance
and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.
And so the missionaries get together and they have a commissioning service,
you know, and they lay hands on one another, you know, and Lord,
we pray for the outermost parts of the world, and we ask for the even for our
inheritance, and we're going to go out and we're going to win them.
How are they going to win them? Look at verse 9. Thou shalt break them with
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a rod of iron, thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.
What if they're given the fourth verse of the laws, they don't listen,
beat them upside the head.
I love it. That's a great verse. You know, put it on your missionary plaque.
Don't tell them about verse 9.
Folks, I guess what I try to say is it's more than anything else.
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A text without a context is a pretext, right? A text without a context is simply a pretext.
You've got to take the entire context of what the Scripture is talking about.
That's why this morning I went to trouble to define the great context of Scripture,
the 2,000 years here and the 2,000 years here, 2,000 years here and 1,000 years there,
and show the entire plan of God as a context in which we want to fit passages
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of Scripture So we do not do what I'm talking about here,
reading the present into the future, the future into the present,
the past in one part of the past or the future into another part of the future.
All thoughts of confusion about the advent of Jesus, the second coming.
All thoughts of confusion about the resurrection. And all thoughts of confusion about the judgment.
There are two aspects to Jesus' second coming. There are three aspects to the
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resurrection. And there are at least four aspects to the judgment.
I'm going to just whip these off very quickly and kind of wrap this up.
Christ is coming again. Good. He comes vigorously. 1 Thessalonians 4,
verses 13-18. For his church.
He comes openly seven years after he comes to the church to establish his millennial reign.
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Two aspects, one advent.
We call it the second coming of Christ. He'll come in the air for his church.
He'll come back to the earth for his earthly people. We are his heavenly people.
He comes to the earth in the heaven.
They are his earthly people. He comes to the earth. Two aspects of the advent. Don't read the two.
Don't read 1 Thessalonians 4, 13 through 18 back into Matthew chapter 24.
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It doesn't fit. It doesn't work.
Resurrection. When will the church be resurrected? Well, if you die in Christ,
it says in 1 Thessalonians 4, you will be raised when he comes back for his
church at the rapture before the tribulation period.
What about Israel? It looks like Israel is going to be raised at the end of
the tribulation period to face the judgment, and I'll talk about that in a minute.
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The unstayed dead, when will they be raised? They'll be raised after the thousand-year
reign of Christ to stand before the other judgment, the great white throne judgment.
Three resurrections. The resurrection of the church at the time of Christ's secret coming.
The resurrection of Israel, Christ coming to the earth. The resurrection of
the unpaid dead at the end of the millennium. Three parts of the resurrection.
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But we all talk about the resurrection, the just and the undeath. Okay?
But they are divided amongst us. Yes.
In Philippians chapter 3 where Paul starts to talk about the resurrection and
he says, I hope I attain to it.
Have you ever read that where he's hoping he's going to make it in the resurrection?
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Look at that in Philippians.
I'm going to have to preach an entire message on this passage and I shouldn't
even be talking about it now.
But I figured Gideon's men, he can handle anything. Just a point.
Now, he tells everything lost. for the excellency of knowing Jesus.
Verse 8 and 9. And to be found in him, not having mine own righteousness,
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which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ,
a righteousness which is of God by faith, that I may know him.
Look at that. I mean, he's just throwing out a soul here.
And the power of his resurrection. And the fellowship of his suffering,
being made conformable unto his death.
Now listen carefully to what he says here in verse 11. Here.
By any means, i might
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attain unto the resurrection of
the dead in other words i mean it's pretty
clear here then there's no doubt in his mind not as
though i had already attained he says either we're
already perfect but i follow after if that i may apprehend that for which also
i am apprehended of christ brethren i count not myself to have apprehended but
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this one thing i do forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forth
those things which are before i high press toward the mark for the prize of
the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Now, look at this. Two things. Now I'm going to drop this thing on the resurrection.
The whole context of Philippians chapter 3 verses 8 through 14 is a context speaking of reward.
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Paul, of anyone, is assured of his hope. Look at 2 Timothy chapter 4.
You know, I know my belief. And I'm persuaded he's able to keep that which I've
committed on the image that day.
I'm going to make it. I know it. And you'll hear in Philippians chapter 3,
he says, I don't know if I'm going to attain.
Boy, I want to. I want to make it in the resurrection of the dead.
That's really strange. I mean, if Paul said he's going to be resurrected if
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he died, that's pretty clear. I mean, we're all going to be resurrected.
But when you look at the Greek here, 35% just went to sleep.
When you look at the Greek here, you find the expression, the resurrection of
the dead, is an expression found nowhere else in Scripture.
And what the Greek says is not simply the resurrection of the dead,
but it says this literally, and you might want to write this down.
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He says that I may attain unto the out resurrection out from among the dead ones.
It falls right in your finger. Up and out.
He wants to obtain the out resurrection out from among the dead ones.
And then in verse 14 he associates this with a prize and a reward I have no other.
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More to add to that except it seemed like Abraham was looking for about the
same thing in Hebrews chapter 11. He was looking for what he called a better resurrection.
Now, it is my conclusion that since during the tribulation period,
the saints, y'all, are going to be in heaven at what is known the behemoth seat of Christ,
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which is not the judgment seat of Christ, but the
award reward platform of christ where the awards are
given out which are prizes for faithfulness and
some are going to get up there but they ain't going to have no reward and some
are going to go up there and they're going to have a prize a prize
for faithfulness and i believe that there are actually two aspects of the one
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resurrection that takes place at the second coming of christ for his saints
there are those who obtain a better resurrection because they go and they obtain a the prize.
And there's those who get the garden variety resurrection.
Now, that's not a theological term. I just made that up. Getting resurrected is, hey, you've made it.
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You're with Jesus. But then there's the out resurrection.
Out from among those who are not going to make the prize, not going to make it at the abema seat.
They're going to make it and, yay, Paul, go get him, Paul. You know,
there's burning stubble behind you, smoke.
I mean, we're cheering him on well you did a great job I sure blew it I really
believe that this passage of
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scripture talks about two aspects of the one resurrection for the church.
Are going to make the out-resurrection, and some of us aren't.
We're both going to make the resurrection, and we're both going to be at the dignity of Christ.
But some of us are going to get a prize, and some of us aren't.
And I believe with all my heart, one of the most forgotten truths in the Christian
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church is a doctrine of reward.
And folks, you better believe it. There are rewards for those of us who act
safely, and there is going to be death.
Zero. No say for those of us who do do not. Our standing in Christ makes it
a surety that we're going to be with him in heaven.
And yet according to 1 Corinthians 3, we'll be saved, yet so as by fire.
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Now that's heavy. Abraham looked for a city.
Abraham looked for a better resurrection. And I believe that the Jews have the
same privilege that the church does to either have a regular old resurrection or the better one.
And I trust tonight that you're looking for a better one. I trust tonight that
You're looking forward to a reward.
I'm trusting that you're doing something about having something in heaven.
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That you aren't sitting back on your gospel laurel and saying,
thank you, God, I'm saved by grace.
Let's go out and live and just live like hell.
We took the doctrine of salvation by grace plus nothing, and we abuse it.
Because according to scripture, we can't abuse it, can't we?
Shall we sin that grace may abound?
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Boy, Paul said that's a good possibility.
He says, God forbid. May it never be.
Is that it can be. Yeah, those of you who have locked aisle and personally received
Christ as Savior, and you have the assurance of your salvation,
yes, you can sin that grace may abound. And God forbid that you do.
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But those of us who don't, and realize that there's a prize and a reward and
an out-resurrection waiting for us, and there's a better resurrection,
not just the ordinary garden-variety one.
Listen, you and I as a church can live as we want to or live as He wants us to.
And those of us who live as he wants us to are
going to attain that out resurrection we're going
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to attain that pride we're going to get the reward and when the when the gold
medal the god's olympics are passed out you're going to be at number one the
winner because you ran you ran all out not beating the air not shadow boxing
it says in first corinthians 9 but you ran the way You ran for the prize.
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You do not run to get saved, but you do have to run to finish and to get the prize.
There are four judgments. With this, I'll close. The church is judged.
I already mentioned it's at the Bema State of Christ. B-E-M-A.
Long E. Bema State of Christ.
Found in Romans 14, verses 9 to 13.
Found in 2 Corinthians 5.10. And found in 1 Corinthians 4.5.
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We go there not to be judged, but we pray.
The notions will be judged at the second coming of Christ, Matthew 25,
verses 31 through 46, at the throne of his glory.
The Jews will be judged at that time, Matthew 25, verses 1 through 30,
at the throne of his glory.
Then finally, at the end of the millennium, at the great white throne judgment
found in Revelation chapter 20, verses 11 through 15, all the unbelievers will
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be judged, summarily judged, because they'll be judged by their works,
and you'll never make it to heaven on your works.
Sermon on the Mount and other things that are some difficult passages to interpret
at a later time, my heart is just full.
I needed to tell you what I felt about that aspect of the resurrection.
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The fact that we miss it one of these days, I'll get involved with you and go
through the entire concept of reward.
I personally believe that the millennium is reward and that it's only for those who overcome.
I think I can prove that from scripture. One of these days, we'll have to get into it.
The Lamb's Book of Life. Life, another aspect of reward, I believe,
hardly touched on at all. We'll get into that.
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I trust these five sections, future into future, present into past,
these kind of things have been helpful to try to get you to begin to see that
the scriptures aren't just something you want to willy-nilly read through,
but recognize that God moves in different ways at different times,
and that if we begin to confuse these things, we'll simply confuse ourselves.
I trust I haven't overstayed my welcome tonight. I hope you've learned something.
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Let's close in a word of prayer. Our Father in heaven, we thank you so much for the word of God.
We thank you that it is alive, its power, oh, it's sharper than any two-edged sword.
Give us men and women and boys and girls who desire the prize,
who want it more than anything, and will study the word to show themselves approved
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unto God, righted, divided in the word of truth.
Thank you for each one who comes in Jesus' name. Amen.
It is a lofty goal, I think, to try to take a whole group and teach them how
to actually enjoy the Bible.
I think you're so from the point of view I've taken that we need to look at
the very biggest picture possible and then begin to divide the picture up into
the several categories we have.
I talked to you about looking at the Bible inductively and not deductively.
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That simply means we don't want to come to the Bible with presuppositions, our own prejudices.
But we'd like to approach the Bible as the Bereans did, searching the Scripture
to see if these things be so, taking all the information that we find in a subject in Scripture,
gathering that information together, and coming to certain conclusions based
upon what we've gathered together, and not doing it the other way around,
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taking a conclusion that we've already come to, and then looking around the
Scripture, finding verses of Scripture that seem to support our previously held conclusion.
I cannot contrast it.
I do not do that, but I try not to.
And I will teach you not to do it, although I recognize that you will.
So as long as you know what to do, then your obedience is before the Lord.
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Difficult to interpret the Bible, people say. I think because they approach
it from the point of view that it's a book that needs to be interpreted.
I think more accurately, God wants to speak to us.
Then if it's God's desire to inform us about his plan, about his will,
about his way with man, then I think we have to approach this book with a certain
amount of confidence that God has said just precisely what he wanted to say.
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And then when we change it to this book, as I've said many times from copyright
to Indian, are the secrets to understanding those things which oftentimes lead people astray.
I think that we'll approach the book as something that we need to interpret,
something we have to figure out.
We lay the groundwork for a trap that we'll eventually fall into.
And so I thought one of the first things that I wanted to bring up,
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I think it was pretty clear that the subject matter of the Bible was Jesus Christ.
The object was for God to interpret himself to us.
And the very principle of interpretation that has been laid down in Scripture,
found in 2 Timothy 2, verse 15.
Study, show thyself approved unto God a workman who needeth not be detained,
rightly abiding the word of truth.
And I took you back to Proverbs 3, verse 6, and talked about that passage of
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scripture, which many of you have memorized.
Deuteronomy was taking the pathway, and that same word just there in Proverbs
3, 6 is found in the Greek translation of the Old Testament,
also found in 2 Timothy 2, verse 15.
We find that I went to some length to talk about the New American Standard,
how it translates that verse, handling accurately the word of God.
I think that although it is a proper translation as far as it goes,
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it doesn't take into account the other key scripture, which is Proverbs 3,
6. I think right division is key.
As I looked at the principle of right division, we saw that there were going
to be four major areas in which we wanted to divide the Bible.
As we looked into gifts for ourselves, we want to make sure that we have this
outline from which to work.
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And I divided the outline into four major segments. We want them to divide the
Bible according to its literary form.
Secondly, we want them to divide the Bible according to its subject matter.
Thirdly, we want them to divide the Bible according to its times and dispensations.
And I define what dispensations were.
And then finally, we want to divide the Bible according to its dispensational truth and teachings.
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I finished three subjects out of my four the last time I was here on Sunday
evening, and tonight I want to finish the fourth, but I want to look at the other three.
In terms of its literary form, I think the simplest division I mentioned this
morning was the fact that the Bible is already divided into Old and New Testament
for us, representing the Old and New Covenant.
Testament is simply the word for covenant. But one of the most confusing things,
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to many people who try to understand the Bible, especially the New Testament,
is the fact that the New Covenant wasn't instituted until Jesus died.
And therefore, the Old Covenant, that which was established under Moses,
that Old Covenant, which was expansive, that which was given to Abraham in Genesis
chapter 12, which we talked about this morning,
that Old Covenant held sway through Matthew, through Mark, through Luke, and through John.
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And so the incidents, those things which happened to the light of Christ and
to the disciple, all happened while this old covenant was still in operation.
When Christ died, he established in his blood what is declared to be in Jeremiah 31, a new covenant.
And this covenant we are now under. And so the basic literary is built in between
the Old and the New Testament.
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We looked at the separate books of the Bible. I told you about how the Old Testament
is divided, how we have the Pentateuch, and we have the writings and different things like that.
I talked about how the versions are divided up into different chapters and different
verses and subheadings. We talked about punctuation.
So I got involved in how you divide the Bible up literarily.
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The second area that I wanted to look at was how we divided the Bible up into subject matter.
We found in 1 Corinthians 10, verse 32, that we have three major subjects in
the Bible, the Jews, the Gentile, and the Church of God. And the Bible really
can be divided depending upon whom is being addressed.
To whom is this being written? Is it being written to you? Is it being written to Gentile?
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Is it being written to the Church of God? And so when you read the Bible,
you must understand these things because oftentimes it's like reading a letter
which wasn't addressed to you.
And someone promising you something that actually wasn't promised to you.
That I was looking into the difference between interpretation and application, but I mentioned that.
I think one of the two principles I talked about last Sunday night that I spoke
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with was that where the entire Bible is for us, it was not written to us all.
It is for us all, but not written to us all. And there we have to make a distinction
between application of every portion of Scripture.
All Scripture is inspired by God. Is it profitable for doctrine,
reproof, correction, instruction, and righteousness that the man of God and
woman of God may be thoroughly furnished unto all good works?
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That applies to each and every one of us.
It's all applicable from Genesis to Revelation, whether or not it's fitting
to the Gentile or the Church of God.
However, by interpretation, we must understand the context in which it's written
and to whom it's written so that we won't get certain different aspects of God's
program confused with other aspects of God's program, which we'll talk about later on the scene.
So we look at the Sunday matter. Then we talked about times and dispensation,
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and I described what a dispensation was.
The word dispensation in English means a time in which something is distanced.
The sensory we hear in our English today.
The Greek word is the word from which we get an English economy.
And it really means the illustration.
God administrated his plans towards man in different ways.
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I think I demonstrated that this morning. In the first 11 chapters of Genesis,
God was dealing with the Gentiles, the world in general.
And then it began dealing with man in particular, one man in particular, Abraham.
And from Abraham's growing in the nation of Israel, I will make figures those
who cross over the river.
And there was a different administration to them. There was a patriarchal administration
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during the Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and then there was the administration
of law from Mount Sinai all through the book of the four Gospels.
Then we found that there was an administration of truth, the dispensation of
the grace of God, it's called in the book of Ephesians, which has pertained
ever since the coming of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost until the present hour,
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which is something like 1950 years after Christ died,
was buried, rose again, and ascended to heaven.
That's another 50 years. Remember, I talked about the period of 2,000 years.
It seems to be prominent in Scripture.
And I was hoping that we'd all be around in 50 years to make sure that my message was correct.
So we looked at dispensations and times. And I looked at more detail of the
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dispensations this morning.
Now we'll run into the final section, which will take up the rest of the time that we have.
I will kindly point it out to me that I went 13 minutes over.
13 minutes and how many seconds was it?
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I guess yeah so no I might yeah we'll try to get this in and so that you can
get back and take a choice between what's on yes if anything tonight's on start
tonight what's that pom-pom girl for on the night,
what else is on the night is there a couple of good movies on get out so i get
back and watch You can turn off the tape or nothing, turn it off, edit it out or whatever.
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Anyone read the front page of the Times about the Wycliffe translator down in Columbia this morning?
Absolutely incredible. If you can get a hold of the time, read it with this
in view, the mindset, the thinking of those who have captured this young man,
the Wycliffe translator.
And then, to add insult to injury, they've got a group of kids from a college
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in Irvine, Pippa the Wycliffe, telling them to get out of Columbia because they're
destroying the culture down there.
I beg to differ with you.
You know, after, you know, some hotshot goes to college and reads the book Hawaii,
and he thinks he understands missionary work.
You know, he thinks he understands what's really going on in missionary work,
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and the filth, and the garbage, and the degradation that goes on.
The perversion involved in these, as you describe, these pure tribes,
untouched by civilization. Garbage.
They need the cleansing blood of Jesus, and not the witch doctor's goofy little doll.
And they get upset because we go down there and put skirts on the ladies and
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blasters on them. I don't know.
I wonder when Columbia is going to start sending rich men to Southern California.
They ought to come and bring a few skirts and blasters. Anyway,
you can turn the tape back on.
Not a real dead set in the Times. It was really something.
There was so much good stuff in the paper this week. I'd like to go on this.
Go ahead and risk the review. I hope it's on the paper. It's 7 o'clock.
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All right we need to rightly divide the word of truth
as to its dispensational truth in tt i want
to go over five count them five major points i'll give you the five points to
begin with and you can go back and therefore you'd be able to see if you've
gotten lost or if i have these are critical principles in terms of interpretation
and you may understood and And hopefully they need to be applied.
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Principle number one, the past is not to be read into another part of the past.
One part of the past is not to be read into another part of the past.
I'll explain it a little later. Point number two, the past is not to be read into the present.
The past is not to be read into the present.
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Point number three, the present is not to be read into the past.
Point number three, present not to be read in front of the past.
Point number four, the future is not to be read into the present.
Future is not to be read into the present. And point number five.
One part of the future is not to be read into another part of the future. The five points.
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Past not to be read into the past. Past not to be read into the present.
Present not to be read into the past. The future not to be read into the present.
And why is it not to be read into another part of the future?
I think it will become very clear as we go through this.
Open your Bibles with me to Luke chapter 9.
Yes, you should have brought your Bibles. Luke asked me with tongue in cheek
this morning, will I read my Bible this morning, Dave?
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Yes, you will have needed your Bible this morning and this evening. Luke chapter 9, verse 3.
Luke chapter 9 occurs during a period of time which is called in terms of dividing
up the ministry of the church.
When a kingdom was being proclaimed, Luke chapter 9, verse 3.
And as Jesus proclaimed the kingdom, he said, unto them who take nothing for
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their journey, neither staff nor script, neither bread, neither money,
Neither have you two coats of peace, and whatsoever hath you entered into thereby, and then depart.
You whatsoever will not receive him when you go out of that city.
Shake off the very dust from your feet for a testimony against them.
And they departed, and went out to the towns, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere.
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Luke chapter 9, verse 3. Keep your finger there. Turn over to Luke chapter 22.
And they said unto them, When I sent him without purse, and script,
and shoes, to lack to anything. And they said nothing.
Then said he unto them, and did this, mark this, but now, do you not have the purse?
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Let him take it, and likewise this script, and you that have no sword,
let him sell his garment, and buy one, for I say unto you, that this that is
written must yet be accomplished in me.
And he was reckoned among the transgressors for the things concerning me have
an end and they said Lord behold there are two swords and he said to them it
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is enough now when you look back at Luke chapter 9 verse 3 he tells them I want
you to take these things take your
staff your script and your bread and your money,
don't take your staff script bread and money then in Luke chapter 22 he said take them.
Something had happened. Something was changed. And I noticed this kind of in
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the story of Matthew, found in Matthew chapter 12.
Matthew chapter 12 talks about the rejection of the king. First comes the proclamation
of the king, and then came his rejection.
During the period of his rejection, the situations changed.
And if you took that which was one part of the past, and try to read it into
another part of the past, for example, the period of time from Genesis chapter
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1 through 11, and the economy which prevailed at that time.
And it reads again to the economy which prevailed from Genesis 12 through the
Gospels, or vice versa, push them around.
Two half-dispensation, and try to read one at a time.
Try to harmonize it, too. You're going to find out there can be discrepancies.
As a matter of fact, some liberals have pointed this out in Luke and said there's
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a discrepancy in the Bible. There's contradiction.
You still realize that the Bible needs to be rightly divided.
The next verse that deals with the same subject is in Matthew chapter 10 verse
5 and 6 where Jesus sends the,
disciples out to preach and he says, only go to the house of Israel.
Don't go to the Gentile and don't go to the Jew.
And then in Mark chapter 16 verse 15 he sends them out and says,
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I want you to go to every preacher.
Something has happened. Something has changed. Some people would look at this
and say, well, there's definitely a contradiction there. There's no contradiction.
All there is is a different administration that prevails under the two different
commands. in, nothing to recognize.
The past is not a major problem we have in terms of interpretation.
The secondary is as being read into the present. Look at Deuteronomy chapter 6, verse 25.
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Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Deuteronomy. Deuteronomy chapter 6, verse 25.
And it shall be our righteousness if we observe to do all these commandments
before the Lord our God, as he has commanded it. How was righteousness obtained?
By observing to do all the commandments.
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Keep your finger there in Deuteronomy. Turn over to Romans chapter 3, verse 20.
And Romans. Romans chapter 3 verse 20. Therefore by the deeds of the law there
shall no blest be justified in his sight.
Look at Galatians chapter 2 verse 16. Romans 1st 2nd Corinthians and Galatians.
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Galatians chapter 2 verse 16. Knowing that a man is not justified by the works
of the law but by the faith of Jesus Christ.
Even we have believed in Jesus Christ.
That we might be justified by the faith of Jesus by Christ and not by the works
of the law for by the works of the law shall no place be justified.
Now we have the present dispensation which indicates that our justification,
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our standing with God depends upon one thing only and that is in the service
work of Jesus Christ nothing else.
There's no other way to become righteous before God
but accepting the one who has
the righteousness of God placing faith
in the finished work of christ establishes my
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relationship with god and i quote it so many times second corinthians
5 21 you know the same becomes in for us that we might be made the righteousness
of god how in him so your righteousness which is absolutely essential to fellowship
with god only comes by faith the faith principle was at work from adam from from Abraham on,
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which Paul clearly talks about in Romans 3 and 4.
However, the righteousness that was required under the law by observing it is
not the righteousness which is required now.
There's no place that's dividing a site by that righteousness.
So if we take the standard of grace, bring it back into the Old Testament,
and take the standard of the Old Testament, bring it into grace,
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we're going to have some real troubles.
The troubles would generally boil down to what we call oritalism.
In other words, a king's favor with God by keeping set rule.
Nothing wrong with keeping rule, but you're not obtaining favor with God by
keeping rule. You're obtaining favor with God by faith.
Why? Because he said without faith, it is impossible to please him.
So we don't want to read the law, the oldest meditation, into grace.
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I don't know if I've struggled with it, but it's a bit of information whether
you're not. How many have an old-fashioned King James Bible with them?
Okay, some of them have been changed. Most of them still can't be edited on the top of the pages.
I need your help, cooperation. Turn to Isaiah 30.
Those of you who don't have a King James or an old-fashioned King James,
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if you've got a Scorpio Bible, it won't count.
Scorpio won't work. A regular old King James Bible.
I've got one. This is what I use regularly, because I have my quiet margins
and I don't get Schofield's notes in my way.
Don't damn old C.I. Schofield poking his nose into my theology.
Although I certainly recommend his nose in your theology if you haven't.
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It's a good place to start.
All right. You look at Isaiah chapter 30.
Okay. Now at the top of the page in my Bible, it says, the people threatened,
for trusting the nations on the one side.
Is that what that says, Paul? Paul, the people threatened for trusting in Egypt.
Now, on the next page, it says, God's mercy, what?
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Paul, to the church.
Okay, this is the only thing I'm going to do.
Okay, it says on the one page, the people threatened for trusting in Egypt.
The next thing it says, God's mercy to his church. Someone was attacked in June.
I'm going to take it one step further. Look at 33.3.
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32, at the top of the page, says, The blessings of Christ's kingdom.
And the top of the page, right next to it, says, God's judgment upon the church's enemies. Enemies.
Look at chapter 43 in verse 1 of Isaiah. I find it rather curious.
I've never left it after Egypt before. Never considered it my enemy.
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You know, so that ain't such a bad guy. Look at 43.
Verse 1 says, you're going to have little headings above the chapter.
I mean, you said chapter 43, then it breaks down what's going to be in there.
Okay. This is what it tells me is going to be in this chapter.
From verse 1 to verse 7, it says, It says, the Lord comforteth the church with his promises.
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That's what's going to be in chapter 43, verses 1 through 7.
You got that, Paul? Anybody else have that? Raise your hand.
That's probably the only one that's got one of these by.
Okay? Now, it says, the Lord comforteth the church with his promises. Now, read verse 1.
But now thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, and who is from thee,
O Israel, fear not, for I have redeemed thee.
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I have called thee by thy name. Thou art mine.
Now, Sunday school class, to whom is this letter written? To Jacob and Israel.
That you and I can get comfort out of these verses, no doubt.
But that God is comforting his church here, I have some grave misgivings about that.
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God is not comforting his church in Isaiah. God is comforting Israel.
And Israel is not the church.
Okay. Another problem in terms of bringing the past into the present are found
in certain psalms, which are known as the imprecatory psalm.
The psalms would contend, bring the judgment down upon people.
I realize in certain circumstances those psalms come in very handy.
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Psalm 127, for example, verses 8 and 9.
A real humdinger. That's a theological expression. I'll be happy to explain
that to anybody after the meeting.
A real humdinger.
You get real upset with somebody, somebody begins sticking his nose in your
business, messing around with the church.
You get down on your knees and open your Bible for a psalm of comfort. You open to Psalm 137.
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Then you start reading in verse 7, this prayer, Lord, protect me.
Remember, O Lord, the children of Edom in the day of Jerusalem,
who said, Raise it, raise it, even in the foundation thereof,
O daughter of Babylon, who art to be destroyed. droid.
Happy shall he be that rewardeth thee as thou hast served us.
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Happy shall he be that takeeth and dashes thy little ones against the stones.
Next to that. Think of that in a stone-cloth window detected.
No, we don't have any right at all to pray that psalm for anyone else.
But in the time in which this psalm was written, during the time to which it
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applied, that psalm is extremely applicable.
But not to the church. By yourself praying that psalm, you're going to have
to make some real changes in your interpretation. temptation.
Look at Isaiah 26 verse 9, not the front of it, Isaiah 26 verse 9,
and that expresses when the right time will be to pray a psalm like that.
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But we do a lot of, you know, want to read that kind of a psalm into the present time.
I think one of the most obvious changes in terms of reading the past and the
present is the change dealing with the Sabbath day.
That the Sabbath was a command is so clear that it's beyond a skew.
All you have to do is look at the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20 or Deuteronomy 5.
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There are those today, the Seventh-day Baptists and the Seventh-day Adventists.
There's always a Baptist out there in some oddball group. I don't know. It's just amazing.
There are more Baptists who are converted than the Jehovah's Witness in any other denomination.
I don't know if that speaks well of us Baptists or not, but there's a bunch of dim bulbs.
You know, dim bulb is a guy whose light's gone out.
It's incredible to find Baptists in every oddball group around the world.
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I mean, in terms of percentages, they've got everybody beat.
Eat but they got a seventh day baptist okay because you
know god rested on the seventh day and how that day and
as much as he did that before uh the law of fema and
therefore uh we need to keep the sabbath day and keep
it holy well i i'd uh well i appreciate that principle of scripture i really
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do work six days and rest the seventh that's a good principle of scripture i
haven't got any problem with that whatsoever but when you begin taking and separating
different aspects of the ceremonial law and picking the ones you want and saying
that applies to me and I should obey that,
but that part of the law doesn't apply to me and I won't obey that, then who's God?
Because I seem to read in my Bible that failure to keep the Sabbath resulted in certain judgments.
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What that judgment was? Stoning. Then you ask your local Seventh-day Adventist
church if they've got a pile of rocks behind the, you know, Baptist tree.
Why? To stone the guy who missed Sunday, you know, missed the Sabbath two weeks
in a row. I'm talking about getting, you know, faithful church attendance.
You know, we could have a visitation program and it would really knock your socks off.
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You know, oh, I mean, you're coming to a church and they've got a bucket full of rocks.
Close the door. And they also, you know, I believe in tithing, too.
You don't tithe and you don't make it to heaven, that kind of thing.
That's not a bad idea. Right, Mel?
Start that one. Oh, raise it. I'm building program metal.
Boy, I rival the Mormon church down here. That's quite a building,
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isn't it? See what happens when you tithe?
Anyway, turn to Galatians chapter 4, verses 9 and 11. Let's take a look at the
New Distant Station and see what happens there.
Got a clear command. Boy, take the Sabbath. Don't take the Sabbath.
You're liable to be stoned. in Galatians chapter 4, verses 9 to 11.
It says, But now after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God,
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how turn ye then to what is he called a weeping, bitterly element,
wherein think ye desire again to be in bondage?
The good days, and months, and times, and years, I am afraid of you,
lest I have bestowed upon you labor and vain.
Letter I bestow to you, do as I am, for I am as ye are. Ye have not injured me at all.
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Now turn to Romans chapter 14 verses 5 and 6 to complete the thought.
One man esteemeth one day above another, another esteemeth every day alike.
Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind. Now is that a whole lot different
than stoning the poor character?
Guy wants to keep his Sabbath? Eh, don't bug him. He'll come here for Chinese
school, no one will be around. Sooner or later he'll get the picture.
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Even if he regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord, and if he regardeth
it not, to the Lord he doth not regard it.
Excellent passage in Colossians chapter 2 It deals with the same Sabbath You
see, the Sabbath day is not binding upon us In terms of a ceremonial law But
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I would certainly recommend it to you If anybody's out there working To really,
if you don't want to read into the past Number one, the mystery Which is found
in Romans 16, Ephesians 3 and Colossians 1 Nor do I want to bring the church
into the past Look at Romans chapter 16 verse 25,
Excuse me Romans 16 verse 25,
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the hymn that is of power to establish you according to
my gospel and the preaching of
jesus christ according to the revelation of the mystery which was
kept secret since the world began i don't think you'd get much clearer than
that but there's a mystery which has been kept secret since the world began
i mentioned it this morning we find when it was revealed the reveal when fire
went to prison didn't even write in
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the ephesians epistle and if you're in chapter three It says in verse 3,
how that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery,
as I wrote afore in few words, whereby when you read, you may understand my
knowledge in the mystery of Christ,
which in early ages was not made known unto the sons of man,
as it is now revealed unto the holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit. Look at verse 9.
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And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery,
which from the beginning of the world hath been where?
Hidden in God. I figure if God's going to hide something, it's going to stay hidden. didn't you?
Now, look at Colossians 1, verse 26, and then I'll complete the idea on the mystery.
Colossians 1, verse 26, even the mystery which hath been from ages and from
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generations, but when, but now, is made manifest to his saints.
Now, note this. There is a mystery which was more revealed in the Old Testament,
than was hidden God, which was only revealed through the revelation given to
the Apostle Paul, which he made known specifically to us,
In the first epistle.
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Now, what is that mystery? What was hidden?
Well, certain commentators have
suggested that the mystery was that the Gentiles were going to be saved.
But I submit that that Gentiles were going to be saved was never a mystery.
As a matter of fact, it was part and parcel of the covenant made with Abraham in Genesis chapter 12.
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That Gentiles would be saved right along with Israel. Israel didn't care for the idea.
But it was not a mystery. Because it's talked about throughout the book of Isaiah,
for example, the fact of the Gentiles being blessed and saved.
Paul refers to it in Romans chapters 9, 10, and 11.
That the Gentiles were going to be saved was not a mystery, although it's stuck in the claw of the Jew.
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That the Gentile and the Jew, these two, would become, according to the expression
in Ephesians, one new man, was a mystery.
That there would be an organic unity between Jew and Gentile was a mystery.
And that Jesus would be the head was a mystery.
And this mystery was committed to the Apostle Paul. all. If you look at John
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chapter 16 verse 12 and 13, you see that Jesus anticipated the revelation that was to come.
John chapter 16 verses 12 and 13.
I have yet many things to say unto you, but you cannot bear them now.
Albeit when he, the spirit of truth, has come, he will guide you into all truth,
for he shall not speak of himself.
Whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak, and he will show you things to come.
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Jesus anticipated the revelation of the mystery, but the revelation of the mystery
was not available to the saints under the old dispensation until the revelation
was given to the Apostle Paul.
So we do not, the conclusion then, the application then, we do not want to read
the high doctrinal truths of the mystery,
and import them back to, or impart them back into the old dispensation as if
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Noah understood the mystery, as if Abraham understood the mystery,
As if Moses understood the things that we understand.
He didn't understand that. And we do not want to interpret Genesis,
Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, and those books by
Ephesians, Colossians, and Philippians.
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Draw application out of the story of Noah. We might draw application out of
the story of the tabernacle, but we do not want to import into that time information
they weren't even aware of.
The church, for example, the second area, is another area that we didn't want to confuse.
One of the most confusing things about the word church is the word church has
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a very, the word church has an edifice complex. You know what I mean?
We've got these edifices all over the country and call them churches i don't
think they've got the edifice complex anyway,
we've got these churches all over the country and when
we think of we say the word church our mind dive envisions a building with a
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baptistry of jews and if it's the seventh adventist church a pile of rocks we've
got and it's building in mind but the greek word church is eplasia it means
called out ones it could be anybody who's called out,
The word simply means an assembly. This is an assembly.
And so in Acts chapter 19, with the group of silversmiths, they were called
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the ecclesia, an assembly.
Well, you could have just as rightly called it a church, but then it would have
given the wrong idea. I mean, sure, the silversmiths weren't forming a church.
I don't think the tax burden was quite as bad as it was here in America.
One of the most confusing things is the passage in Acts chapter 7 where it talks
about the church in the wilderness.
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And we get all kinds of people running around trying to find gospel
truth in the wilderness we can find gospel
application in the wilderness but we can't find the church in the wilderness not
the church if we define it in terms of the one man the new man the one body
of whom christ is the head now i would suggest that whenever the word church
is found in scripture that you just don't have to do the word assembly and that
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will take any kind of odd interpretation out of it Here's the assembly.
Upon this rock, I will build my assembly.
Okay? And take the ecclesiastical terminology out of it so they get an idea
of what's really going on.
You do not want to read church truth and back in to the Old Testament.
And the Old Testament, remember, held sway through Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
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You do not want to read church truth of the mystery back into Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
Now, we start to get really serious in terms of this interpretation business. Why?
Because Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are, boy, it's just teachings of Jesus.
But it certainly is a teaching of Jesus. An applicable inner word to our lives.
But by interpretation, to whom was Jesus sent? Look at Romans chapter 15.
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Romans chapter 15, verse 8.
This is the declaration of the Apostle Paul. Now I say that Jesus Christ was
a minister of the circumcision.
Of the truth of God to confirm the promises made unto the fathers.
Now, why did Jesus come? He came, according to John chapter 1,
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verse 11, to his own, but his own received him not.
Only after the rejection of Christ was the salvation-bringing message of God
made available to you and I.
And as a result of that breaking off, what was designed to provoke Israel,
the emulation, It says in Romans chapter 9 and 11,
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you and I were given a position, a position according to Ephesians,
which is higher than of all, a position higher than any other believer in any
other dispensation had.
We need to recognize that position. Thank God for that position,
but do not read that position back into Matthew, Mark, Luke,
and John only by way of application, not by way of interpretation.
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Now, we've got two more points here. Let me cover those points,
and I've got one area that I wanted to cover, and we're not going to be able
to do it. I'll save it for some other night.
It's a hot topic, all right, especially because of a very popular book that
is out now, which I wholeheartedly endorse.
However, I think that there needs to be a balance to the book.
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It was written by a pastor everyone here knows, and I do not disagree with him at all.
All however i do believe that there needs to be clear understanding and a clear delineation,
made when we look at the sermon on the map and notice the difference between application,
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and interpretation but be it as it may be in the sermon amount a little later
on let's take a look at the fourth point future after you read into the present
generally there's three different points of view on the tribulation and they
are all of us are going to go through it Part of us will go through all of it.
All of us will go through part of it.
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I want to buy again. Generally, three points of view on the tribulation.
All of the church is going to go through all of it. Part of the church is going
to go through all of it. Or all of the church is going to go through part of it.
I believe there's a fourth point of view. None of the church is going to face any of it.
Why? Look at Jeremiah 30. Jeremiah?
Good turn of revelation. Let's talk about the tribulation. No,
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no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.
Let's look at Jeremiah and see if we can get the historical perspective of what's
going on in the tribulation. Jeremiah 30, verse 4.
Jeremiah chapter 30, verse 4. Get warmed up here.
And these are the words that the Lord spoke concerning the first Baptist church in Newberry Park.
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Concerning Israel and Judah. What did he say?
Verse 7. Alas, for that day is great, so that none of like it is even the time
of whose trouble? Billy's trouble?
Arnold's trouble? Bruce's trouble? Jerry Falwell's trouble? No.
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That great day is called the time
jacob's trouble this was
addressed to judah and israel it is
about the great day of tribulation a period
of seven years according to the prophecy of daniel it is
called jacob's trouble because it harkens back
to the time in genesis chapter 32 verses 24 and 30
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when jacob faced a crisis after exile
he returned to his own land and fine he was
not welcome isaac came
to the meeting 400 armed men and he
cries out during this time of tribulation and this time of trouble and so jeremiah
picks up on this tribulation that jacob had faith and he uses it to characterize
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the tribulation that israel was going to go through you look at daniel chapter 12 verse 1,
daniel chapter 12 verse 1 right after after ezekiel
and at that time shall michael stand up the great prince which standeth for
the children of thy people and there shall be a time of cover such as never
was since there was a nation even at that same time and at that time thy people
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shall be delivered everyone that shall be found written in the book but the
delivery doesn't take place until after the tribulation is over.
Clear, when you look at Scripture from beginning to end, that the tribulation
period talked about in Scripture has nothing to do whatsoever with the church, which is his body.
The church, which is his body, has to be taken out of the situation because it is a mystery.
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And like I said this morning, we have Israel's history, and when it stops, we have mystery.
And when the mystery is over, we have history again. And we have seven years
of history which have not been fulfilled yet to the Israelite.
Church has nothing to do with that. and God will take the church out.
Not because the church can't face tribulation. If you haven't faced,
you know, the church hasn't been facing tribulation in the last 1950 years, I don't know what it is.
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But tribulation in those seven years is going to be quite a bit different than
the tribulation faced in the last 1950 years because this is a time which has
never been like this before according to Daniel chapter 12, verse 1.
You look at Matthew chapter 24, verse 38 and 48, 41.
Matthew 24, verses 38 through 41. do you want?
For as in the days that were before the flood, they were eating and drinking
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and marrying and giving and marrying until the day that Noah entered into the
ark and knew not until the flood came and took them all away,
so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be.
Then shall two be in the field, the one should be taken and the other left.
Now, if you read back in the context, the people who were taken in Noah's day
were taken in the flood, not taken in the glorious rapture.
Matthew 24 has nothing to do with the church, nothing to do with the church at all.
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Israel is in Matthew 24 and it's talking
about the tribulation it's talking about the second advent of Jesus to the Mount
of Olives and when he comes back he'll come back in judgment those who are taken
are taken in judgment those who are left are left to go into the millennium
just the opposite of what most popular preaching is where Matthew 24 is used
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to as a proof text for the rapture,
there are various other prophecies.
Not being confused, being read
into the present, a one that's used by missionaries is found in Psalm 28.
I'll just make it very quick. This is so cute that you ought to know it.
You can use this to catch missionaries. All right. All right.
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Ask of me, Psalm 28. Ask of me and I shall give thee the Eden for thy inheritance
and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.
And so the missionaries get together and they have a commissioning service,
you know, and they lay hands on one another, you know, and Lord,
we pray for the outermost parts of the world, and we ask for the even for our
inheritance, and we're going to go out and we're going to win them.
How are they going to win them? Look at verse 9. Thou shalt break them with
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a rod of iron, thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.
What if they're given the fourth verse of the laws, they don't listen,
beat them upside the head.
I love it. That's a great verse. You know, put it on your missionary plaque.
Don't tell them about verse 9.
Folks, I guess what I try to say is it's more than anything else.
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A text without a context is a pretext, right? A text without a context is simply a pretext.
You've got to take the entire context of what the Scripture is talking about.
That's why this morning I went to trouble to define the great context of Scripture,
the 2,000 years here and the 2,000 years here, 2,000 years here and 1,000 years there,
and show the entire plan of God as a context in which we want to fit passages
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of Scripture So we do not do what I'm talking about here,
reading the present into the future, the future into the present,
the past in one part of the past or the future into another part of the future.
All thoughts of confusion about the advent of Jesus, the second coming.
All thoughts of confusion about the resurrection. And all thoughts of confusion about the judgment.
There are two aspects to Jesus' second coming. There are three aspects to the
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resurrection. And there are at least four aspects to the judgment.
I'm going to just whip these off very quickly and kind of wrap this up.
Christ is coming again. Good. He comes vigorously. 1 Thessalonians 4,
verses 13-18. For his church.
He comes openly seven years after he comes to the church to establish his millennial reign.
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Two aspects, one advent.
We call it the second coming of Christ. He'll come in the air for his church.
He'll come back to the earth for his earthly people. We are his heavenly people.
He comes to the earth in the heaven.
They are his earthly people. He comes to the earth. Two aspects of the advent. Don't read the two.
Don't read 1 Thessalonians 4, 13 through 18 back into Matthew chapter 24.
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It doesn't fit. It doesn't work.
Resurrection. When will the church be resurrected? Well, if you die in Christ,
it says in 1 Thessalonians 4, you will be raised when he comes back for his
church at the rapture before the tribulation period.
What about Israel? It looks like Israel is going to be raised at the end of
the tribulation period to face the judgment, and I'll talk about that in a minute.
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The unstayed dead, when will they be raised? They'll be raised after the thousand-year
reign of Christ to stand before the other judgment, the great white throne judgment.
Three resurrections. The resurrection of the church at the time of Christ's secret coming.
The resurrection of Israel, Christ coming to the earth. The resurrection of
the unpaid dead at the end of the millennium. Three parts of the resurrection.
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But we all talk about the resurrection, the just and the undeath. Okay?
But they are divided amongst us. Yes.
In Philippians chapter 3 where Paul starts to talk about the resurrection and
he says, I hope I attain to it.
Have you ever read that where he's hoping he's going to make it in the resurrection?
(42:59):
Look at that in Philippians.
I'm going to have to preach an entire message on this passage and I shouldn't
even be talking about it now.
But I figured Gideon's men, he can handle anything. Just a point.
Now, he tells everything lost. for the excellency of knowing Jesus.
Verse 8 and 9. And to be found in him, not having mine own righteousness,
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which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ,
a righteousness which is of God by faith, that I may know him.
Look at that. I mean, he's just throwing out a soul here.
And the power of his resurrection. And the fellowship of his suffering,
being made conformable unto his death.
Now listen carefully to what he says here in verse 11. Here.
By any means, i might
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attain unto the resurrection of
the dead in other words i mean it's pretty
clear here then there's no doubt in his mind not as
though i had already attained he says either we're
already perfect but i follow after if that i may apprehend that for which also
i am apprehended of christ brethren i count not myself to have apprehended but
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this one thing i do forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forth
those things which are before i high press toward the mark for the prize of
the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Now, look at this. Two things. Now I'm going to drop this thing on the resurrection.
The whole context of Philippians chapter 3 verses 8 through 14 is a context speaking of reward.
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Paul, of anyone, is assured of his hope. Look at 2 Timothy chapter 4.
You know, I know my belief. And I'm persuaded he's able to keep that which I've
committed on the image that day.
I'm going to make it. I know it. And you'll hear in Philippians chapter 3,
he says, I don't know if I'm going to attain.
Boy, I want to. I want to make it in the resurrection of the dead.
That's really strange. I mean, if Paul said he's going to be resurrected if
(44:54):
he died, that's pretty clear. I mean, we're all going to be resurrected.
But when you look at the Greek here, 35% just went to sleep.
When you look at the Greek here, you find the expression, the resurrection of
the dead, is an expression found nowhere else in Scripture.
And what the Greek says is not simply the resurrection of the dead,
but it says this literally, and you might want to write this down.
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He says that I may attain unto the out resurrection out from among the dead ones.
It falls right in your finger. Up and out.
He wants to obtain the out resurrection out from among the dead ones.
And then in verse 14 he associates this with a prize and a reward I have no other.
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More to add to that except it seemed like Abraham was looking for about the
same thing in Hebrews chapter 11. He was looking for what he called a better resurrection.
Now, it is my conclusion that since during the tribulation period,
the saints, y'all, are going to be in heaven at what is known the behemoth seat of Christ,
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which is not the judgment seat of Christ, but the
award reward platform of christ where the awards are
given out which are prizes for faithfulness and
some are going to get up there but they ain't going to have no reward and some
are going to go up there and they're going to have a prize a prize
for faithfulness and i believe that there are actually two aspects of the one
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resurrection that takes place at the second coming of christ for his saints
there are those who obtain a better resurrection because they go and they obtain a the prize.
And there's those who get the garden variety resurrection.
Now, that's not a theological term. I just made that up. Getting resurrected is, hey, you've made it.
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You're with Jesus. But then there's the out resurrection.
Out from among those who are not going to make the prize, not going to make it at the abema seat.
They're going to make it and, yay, Paul, go get him, Paul. You know,
there's burning stubble behind you, smoke.
I mean, we're cheering him on well you did a great job I sure blew it I really
believe that this passage of
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scripture talks about two aspects of the one resurrection for the church.
Are going to make the out-resurrection, and some of us aren't.
We're both going to make the resurrection, and we're both going to be at the dignity of Christ.
But some of us are going to get a prize, and some of us aren't.
And I believe with all my heart, one of the most forgotten truths in the Christian
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church is a doctrine of reward.
And folks, you better believe it. There are rewards for those of us who act
safely, and there is going to be death.
Zero. No say for those of us who do do not. Our standing in Christ makes it
a surety that we're going to be with him in heaven.
And yet according to 1 Corinthians 3, we'll be saved, yet so as by fire.
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Now that's heavy. Abraham looked for a city.
Abraham looked for a better resurrection. And I believe that the Jews have the
same privilege that the church does to either have a regular old resurrection or the better one.
And I trust tonight that you're looking for a better one. I trust tonight that
You're looking forward to a reward.
I'm trusting that you're doing something about having something in heaven.
(48:15):
That you aren't sitting back on your gospel laurel and saying,
thank you, God, I'm saved by grace.
Let's go out and live and just live like hell.
We took the doctrine of salvation by grace plus nothing, and we abuse it.
Because according to scripture, we can't abuse it, can't we?
Shall we sin that grace may abound?
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Boy, Paul said that's a good possibility.
He says, God forbid. May it never be.
Is that it can be. Yeah, those of you who have locked aisle and personally received
Christ as Savior, and you have the assurance of your salvation,
yes, you can sin that grace may abound. And God forbid that you do.
(48:57):
But those of us who don't, and realize that there's a prize and a reward and
an out-resurrection waiting for us, and there's a better resurrection,
not just the ordinary garden-variety one.
Listen, you and I as a church can live as we want to or live as He wants us to.
And those of us who live as he wants us to are
going to attain that out resurrection we're going
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to attain that pride we're going to get the reward and when the when the gold
medal the god's olympics are passed out you're going to be at number one the
winner because you ran you ran all out not beating the air not shadow boxing
it says in first corinthians 9 but you ran the way You ran for the prize.
(49:38):
You do not run to get saved, but you do have to run to finish and to get the prize.
There are four judgments. With this, I'll close. The church is judged.
I already mentioned it's at the Bema State of Christ. B-E-M-A.
Long E. Bema State of Christ.
Found in Romans 14, verses 9 to 13.
Found in 2 Corinthians 5.10. And found in 1 Corinthians 4.5.
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We go there not to be judged, but we pray.
The notions will be judged at the second coming of Christ, Matthew 25,
verses 31 through 46, at the throne of his glory.
The Jews will be judged at that time, Matthew 25, verses 1 through 30,
at the throne of his glory.
Then finally, at the end of the millennium, at the great white throne judgment
found in Revelation chapter 20, verses 11 through 15, all the unbelievers will
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be judged, summarily judged, because they'll be judged by their works,
and you'll never make it to heaven on your works.
Sermon on the Mount and other things that are some difficult passages to interpret
at a later time, my heart is just full.
I needed to tell you what I felt about that aspect of the resurrection.
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The fact that we miss it one of these days, I'll get involved with you and go
through the entire concept of reward.
I personally believe that the millennium is reward and that it's only for those who overcome.
I think I can prove that from scripture. One of these days, we'll have to get into it.
The Lamb's Book of Life. Life, another aspect of reward, I believe,
hardly touched on at all. We'll get into that.
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I trust these five sections, future into future, present into past,
these kind of things have been helpful to try to get you to begin to see that
the scriptures aren't just something you want to willy-nilly read through,
but recognize that God moves in different ways at different times,
and that if we begin to confuse these things, we'll simply confuse ourselves.
I trust I haven't overstayed my welcome tonight. I hope you've learned something.
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Let's close in a word of prayer. Our Father in heaven, we thank you so much for the word of God.
We thank you that it is alive, its power, oh, it's sharper than any two-edged sword.
Give us men and women and boys and girls who desire the prize,
who want it more than anything, and will study the word to show themselves approved
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unto God, righted, divided in the word of truth.
Thank you for each one who comes in Jesus' name. Amen.
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