By Richard H. Morton
Never could more timely words be uttered than those spoken by Jesus when He said, "Now when these things begin to happen, LOOK UP and lift your heads, because your redemption draws near." (Lu. 21:28 NKJ). Personally, I do not believe He was speaking about watching the clouds in the sky, or getting a powerful telescope and looking at the Milky Way to see if you can see Jesus getting ready to return. When the Lord speaks to us of 'looking up' He is saying to us that we need to look in a higher dimension or a higher realm -- the realm of the SPIRIT.
We can see this thought in 1 Corinthians 2: "Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; COMPARING SPIRITUAL THINGS WITH SPIRITUAL. But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because THEY ARE SPIRITUALLY DISCERNED." (1 Corinthians 2:13-14, KJV).
If we would LOOK UP in our understanding of redemption, we would have a lot less confusion and fear in the church today. If you really understand the message of Christ and His plan of redemption, you will not have trepidation about the future, no matter what is going on in the world.
Spiritual discernment is vitally important in the believers life: There are so many voices in the land today it is hard to know who to listen to, therefor, WE MUST COMPARE SPIRITUAL THINGS WITH SPIRITUAL. Too many preachers are comparing spiritual things to natural things and this leads to confusion and fear. When we use the USA TODAY newspaper and CNN news reports to interpret the scriptures we make a grave error. That is using natural things and comparing them to spiritual. I have seen for years men who use world news reports to interpret prophecy, and when they are wrong they just change the date and get another news story to show you. When will this cycle end? We must come out of this confusion, lift our heads and LOOK UP!
"That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but TO BE SPIRITUALLY MINDED IS LIFE AND PEACE. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God." (Romans 8:4-8, KJV).
To be spiritually minded is LIFE and PEACE. Can we not see that those who preach messages that produce fear are not spiritually minded; but rather, it is a message of death and despair. The word 'carnal' means 'fleshy,' so to be carnally minded is to be fleshy minded, and that is to speak out of the lower realm of the flesh, not the spirit. The carnal mind preaches what's wrong with the earth, not what's true in the heavens. The carnal mind uses world events to interpret the scriptures, when we should be using the scripture to interpret the scriptures. It's kind of like Ragu spaghetti sauce -- it's in there, you just need to search it out. "If then you were raised with Christ, SEEK THOSE THINGS WHICH ARE ABOVE, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. SET YOUR MIND ON THINGS ABOVE, NOT ON THINGS ON THE EARTH." (Colossians 3:1-2, KJV). We must set our minds on Christ, He is our only refuge.
In the last chapter we shared with you that we are living at the end of the sixth day (six thousand years from Adam. A thousand years is as a day- 2 Pet. 3:8). When we see phrases like those in Matthew 17, we know to compare them to spiritual things (interpret scripture with scripture!). Matthew 17 opens up with this phrase -- "NOW AFTER SIX DAYS..." Now I must tell you my spirit jumps for joy when I read the next eight verses because, prophetically speaking, it is a picture of what we have to look forward to. I do not have the time or space to go into detail right now, but I will tell you this much... "WHEN THEY LIFTED THEIR EYES, THEY SAW NO ONE BUT JESUS ONLY." -verse 8. When we lift our eyes, look up, we will see Jesus in all that is said and done. We will see Him in the scriptures, and we'll see Him at work in our lives.
We are living at a time when God is giving greater clarity to His word than ever before and Jesus is the message of God's word. Jesus is the sum total of what God has done, what He is doing; and what He is going to do. If you are wondering what you should be doing in this day and age, get to know Christ in a deeper and more meaningful relationship, the more you know HIM the more secure you will be in whatever you do. "And He is the Head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that IN ALL THINGS HE MAY THE PREEMINENCE." (Colossians 1:18 NKJ).
UNDERSTANDING OUR REDEMPTION: Part 1
"For it is by Him that we have been redeemed and have had our sins forgiven." - Col. 1:14 Phillips Modern English.
WHAT IS THE GOSPEL?
"For I am not ashamed of THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST: for it IS THE POWER OF GOD unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek." (Romans 1:16, KJV).
The Gospel is God's good news to humanity, for in the Gospel we are redeemed. I am a firm believer in the Gospel, and I believe the Gospel IS the power of God. I believe in a positive, authoritative, powerful Gospel, and that is what we are going to see in the next few lessons. If one were able to ask the Apostle Paul "what is Gospel?" I think he would refer you to his first letter to the Corinthians and chapter fifteen. Let us begin there too.
"Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:" (1 Corinthians 15:1-4, KJV).
Brothers and sisters, this is the Gospel declared by Paul, and we need to look at and understand just what he meant by this. The Gospel is the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ! We need to grasp what this means to us today; for everything in God's plan of redemption is understood by understanding the work of Christ.
The Gospel (the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ) is God's way of doing away with who you used to be! By this I mean, that if any man be in Christ he is a new creation (new man); well what happened to the old creation (old man) that we were before we were in Christ?
The Gospel not only brings forth a new creation but it also gets rid of the old. Many people think the Gospel is so that we don't have to go to hell, but I will tell you it is much more than that. The Gospel is a plan of redemption and restoration. What one man brings all creation into, another Man brings creation out of and makes it new.
The Gospel is GOOD NEWS and that is just what the word Gospel means -- Good News! If all people were to really understand the Gospel I don't think they would ever reject it. The Gospel is NOT a lot of religious rules and regulations as some would preach; nor do you have to conform to uniform of some Church entity.
The reason it is good news is because it restores man back into favor with God, and gives man a new LIFE with which to live. I can hear someone say; "there is nothing wrong with my life, I'm a good person, and I don't have a problem with God." But it matters not how good you are, or rather or not if you have a problem with God; what matters is -- who are you in?
GOD'S ONE MAN PLAN
"He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life."
Let us get into the book of Romans and see what God's word has to say on this matter. "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:" (Romans 5:12, KJV). Can you see that through one man sin and death entered into the whole human race and the creation. It does not matter how good we are it is who we are born after, and all humanity is born after 'Adam' the one man that brought us all into sin and death.
"(For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law. Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come." (Romans 5:13-14, KJV).
The power of death was introduced into the world by Adam. Sin and death are a FORCE and POWER that had to be reckoned with. Sin is so much more than wrong actions that we do, it is a force that drives the world; and death is a power that was given birth to by sin. Death is more than just when we die physically, it is a power that the enemy uses against us. It is not primarily physical death that we deal with but SPIRITUAL DEATH. Adam died spiritually before he ever died physically and he brought the power of this DEATH to us and all the creation.
All of creation has been plunged into the force and power of sin and death and been spiraling downward ever since: until another One Man came along that is. Adam was a figure, a type, of one who was to come and undo all he got us into.
"But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if THROUGH THE OFFENCE OF ONE MANY BE DEAD, much more the grace of God, and THE GIFT BY GRACE, WHICH IS BY ONE MAN, JESUS CHRIST, hath abounded unto many." (Romans 5:15, KJV).
Through the actions of Adam we all were plunged into death; so also, through the actions of another, Christ, we are brought back into life. So we can see that one man gets us all into trouble and another One Man gets us all out -- GOD'S ONE MAN PLAN.
"And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for THE JUDGMENT WAS BY ONE to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification." (Romans 5:16, KJV).
Adam brought JUDGMENT unto all of us. You say that's not fair! Well Christ brings RIGHTEOUSNESS unto us all!! The word "justification" means "declared righteous." We are brought out of a state of judgment into a state of righteousness through God's one man plan. This is good news!!!
"For if by one man's offence DEATH REIGNED BY ONE; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in LIFE BY ONE, Jesus Christ.)" (Romans 5:17, KJV).
Death came by one man Adam, so too life comes by one man - Christ. But if you will notice the life is for those who will RECEIVE IT. It is a free gift all right, but one must except the gift in order to receive it and posses it.
"Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life." (Romans 5:18, KJV).
Again, the judgment of God comes on all men because of what Adam did. All of humanity is born under a cloud of judgment because of what Adam did. It doesn't matter if your good or bad or somewhere in-between, if you are in Adam you are lost and that's all there is to it! But if you will except the free gift of grace and receive the life of Christ you will be saved from this judgment. "He that believeth on him (JESUS) is not condemned: but HE THAT BELIEVETH NOT IS CONDEMNED ALREADY, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." (John 3:18, KJV).
"For as BY ONE MAN'S DISOBEDIENCE MANY WERE MADE SINNERS, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous." (Romans 5:19, KJV).
We were made sinners, not because of our actions, but because of who we were born into; and we are made righteous because of who we are born into also. This is what being BORN AGAIN is all about. At our natural birth we are all born into Adam and we are sinners by nature (have you ever noticed that you don't have to teach a child how to sin, it's because it's in their nature). At the new birth we are born into Christ and we become a brand new creation. A new nature is birthed into us at the NEW BIRTH -- righteousness; and as Christians we must grow up into that new nature. We must grow up into WHO WE ARE IN CHRIST. This is the point and plan of Christianity. "But speaking the truth in love, may GROW UP INTO HIM in all things, which is the head, even Christ:" (Ephesians 4:15, KJV).
"For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life." (Romans 5:6-10, KJV).
Well these verses are sure jammed-packed with truth, and in closing I would like to briefly comment on them. The reason Christ died for the ungodly (all in Adam) is because one man had to undo what the other one man did. It is only through Christ living a perfect life without sin and being the Lamb of God, the sacrifice for our sins, and die to all that Adam brought us into that we could ever have life again. God showed His love toward us by sending His Son to take our place of judgment and death. Jesus was the final sacrifice needed for the justification of humanity, and we were declared righteous by the BLOOD OF CHRIST. We are now saved from the wrath of God through Him. If you are "in Christ," born again, you are saved from the wrath of God, if you are not born again then you are still in Adam and are in your sins and the wrath of God abides on you. "He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him." (John 3:36, KJV).
The DEATH of Christ reconciles us back to God again, and the LIFE of Christ brings salvation. (I will have to write more on this later, for it is another lesson in its self.) The main point of this lesson is for you to see God's ONE MAN PLAN of salvation. What one man gets us all into another Man gets us out. This is but the tip of the iceberg called the Gospel. Remember, the GOSPEL is the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ, and what that means to you!
So what must you do to be saved? "...Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, BELIEVE ON THE LORD JESUS CHRIST, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house." (Acts 16:30-31, KJV). Believe on Christ and be a new man! :-)