Sunday, August 21, 2011

LLM Question of the Day for 8-21-2011, and, THE GOSPEL OF JOHN....THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST, pt. 9 of 12

First the Question: Christ died for our sins, He was buried, and He rose again the third day, ACCORDING TO THE SCRIPTURES. True or False?

Please take a moment to respond at the LLM Question of the Day

And now the answer to the LLM Question of 8-18-2011

Question: There is NOTHING of the LORD Jesus Christ’s work in Samaria, like the woman at the well, etc., recorded in Matthew, Mark, or Luke. True or False?

Answer: TRUE! Out of the 624 responses we received 75% of you got it right! So there is still work to be done with the 25% that got this wrong. Therefore,

Today let us consider, THE GOSPEL OF JOHN....THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST, pt. 9 of 12

CALL HIS NAME ‘JESUS’

In Matthew 1:1 our Savior is called ‘Jesus Christ’; in Matthew 1:17 He is called ‘Christ’. In 1:18 we are told, “the birth of ‘Jesus Christ’ was on this wise.” The Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream to tell him that Mary would be with child by the Holy Spirit and her Son should be called ‘JESUS’; for He shall save His people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:21). The Son was born and called ‘JESUS’. (Matthew 1:25). But in fulfillment of Isaiah 7:14 He was called “Emmanuel,” which being interpreted is “GOD WITH US.” (Matthew 1:22-23). So His first Names in the New Testament Scriptures are “Jesus the Messiah,” “Jesus‑Emmanuel.”

The Savior is called “Jesus Christ” in John 1:17; “Jesus,” the Lamb of God, in John 1:29. In John 1:14 Jesus is the “Incarnate Eternal Word.” So the Lord Jesus, in John, is “Emmanuel” and “JESUS”. In John 10:28-33 we find the religious people of His day trying their utmost to kill Him, with this charge: “Because that Thou, being a man, makest Thyself God.” Not only as a man did He make Himself God; but in the first chapter of John He is God who has been made Man. (John 1:1-2 and John 1:14). He is called by the single Name ‘JESUS’ about 250 times in John. At the end of the Book one of His Apostles worshipped Him, with “my Lord and My God.” (John 10:28). He was altogether worthy of this worship, for He testified that He had Glory with the Father before the world was. (John 17:5). “I and Father are ONE.” (John 10:30).

JESUS CHRIST THE SAVIOUR OF THE WORLD

In the Record of the life and ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ written by the Apostle John that Apostle did not call the Lord Jesus, “Savior.” Some people in Samaria, who came to Jesus through the testimony of the woman who met the Lord Jesus at the well, some who believed in Christ and were saved, said concerning Christ…“we have heard Him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world.” (John 4:42).

It is in John’s First Epistle that we find these words which the Holy Spirit directed John to write: “We have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the ‘Savior’ of the world.” (1 John 4:14). In John’s Record we find the words of Israel’s high priest in John 11:50-52: “Consider that it is expedient for us, that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not . . . he prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation (Israel) . . . and not for that nation only; but also that He should gather together in one the children of God that were scattered broad.” The Lord Jesus had said, in John 10:16, “Other sheep I have which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and there shall be one fold (flock) and one Shepherd.” We know from subsequent events that the twelve apostles no more understood this saying of Christ than did Caiphas the high‑priest, understand what he said. Caiaphas was led to say in different language what John said, in 1 John 4:14, that the Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the world.

Because the word ‘world’ is found about 77 times in John’s Record, this Message of John has been called by many “the universal Gospel.” In John 1:29, John the Baptist was led to say that Jesus was the Lamb of God who would bear away the sin of the world. The Apostle John, in 1 John 2:2, tells us that Jesus Christ is the propitiation for the sins of the whole world. In John 3:16 we read that God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

It is interesting to compare John’s statement, that the Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the world, with the statement of the Apostle Peter in Acts 5:31, that God raised Jesus from the dead to be a Prince and a Savior to give repentance TO ISRAEL and forgiveness of sins. Compare Acts 5:31 and 1 John 4:14 with the Apostle Paul’s statement to Israel, in Acts 13:23, that God raised up from David’s seed a Savior FOR ISRAEL, Jesus. We surely know there is a difference between Jesus sent to save Israel and Jesus sent to save the world. Many have been unable to reconcile Christ’s statement in Matthew 5:24, “I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel,” with John 3:16, “for God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son at whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” They prefer the statement in John 3:16 to the statements in Matthew 15:24 and Acts 13:23 and Acts 5:31. So they either ignore Christ’s words in Matthew 15:24 or think perhaps He did not mean what He said.

As we compare Matthew 15:24 with John 3:16, let us consider this interesting fact, the fact that in Matthew 8:1-12, Matthew 15:21-27, Mark 7:21-27, and in Luke 7:3-12 we read that the Lord Jesus ministered to ONLY TWO gentiles of ‘great Faith’ while He was Jesus of Nazareth in the midst of Israel, in the land of the Jews. The woman was a very humble Greek. The man was a Roman, a centurion, who loved Israel and built for Israel a synagogue. This centurion asked the elders of Israel to present his urgent request to their Messiah. This story recorded in Luke 7:3-12 is most interesting. But what seems so strange is the fact that, although we find the word ‘world’ 77 times in John’s Record, there is no mention of the two Gentiles to whom we have referred. There were certain Greeks, in John’s Record who came to Jerusalem to worship, and said, “sir, we would see Jesus” (John 12:20-22). It seems that their request was not granted. The sum total of the ministry and witness of the Lord Jesus to Gentiles, recorded in John’s Gospel, is told in 1 Timothy 6:13, that Jesus Christ witnessed a good confession before Pontius Pilate. The saying of Jesus in John 4:48 seems to be proof that the nobleman of John 4:46 was not the Roman Gentile of Luke 7:1-10.

In Matthew 10:5-7 we learn that there is a difference between Gentiles and Samaritans. In the John 4 we learn that Christ must needs go through Samaria, where He had a most fruitful ministry. NOTHING of Christ’s work in Samaria is recorded in Matthew, Mark or Luke. It was while the Lord Jesus was in Samaria that He was called “Savior” the ONE time in John’s Record. (John 4:42).

In our previous study, “THE GOSPEL OF JOHN...THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST, part 4”, we mentioned the fact that the word “salvation” is found but ONE time in John’s Record; and that also is found in Christ’s statement to the woman at the well, in John 4:22, “salvation is of the Jews.” The word “righteousness” is found one time only in John’s Record. In John 16:10 we read that the Holy Spirit would reprove or convict the world of righteousness, because Jesus went to His Father. Not once in John’s Record do we find the words “justification,” “forgiveness,” “redemption,” “reconciliation” and “hope.” In the recorded ministry of the Apostle Paul these words, together with “salvation” and “righteousness,” are found more than 200 TIMES. In these words we have the great evangelical Christian doctrines. They are all IMPLIED in John’s Record.

We have observed that the word “Gospel” is not found once in John’s Record. But in that Record we have the glorious, wonderful Gospel of Salvation. In John 3:17 we read; “For God sent not His son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” Then again in John 12:47, we have the Good News from the mouth and heart of the Lord Jesus, “I came not to judge the world; but to save the world.” In between John 3:17 and John 12:47 we see this ‘no condemnation’ saving message in operation. Read John 8:1-11, in which verses we find a sinful woman caught in the very act of a sin that was not only condemned by The Law but which called for the death penalty. The religious men brought her to Jesus to be stoned to death, according to the Law of Moses. The Lord Jesus did not in any way condone or minimize her sin. He asked the woman, what had become of her accusers. They had gone out one by one, as not one of them was qualified to stone her. The Lord Jesus asked her, “doth no man condemn thee?” She replied “no man, Lord.” Then Christ spoke to her troubled conscious and sinful heart the good news of John 3:17 and John 12:47, saying to the guilty woman, “neither do I condemn thee: go and sin no more.” (John 8:11). Here we have the combination of Romans 5:20 and Romans 6:1-2, “where sin abounded grace did much more abound”…“what shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid.”

Surely all through the Message of John we find the all‑sufficient, abounding Grace in operation for any and all sinners who were willing to receive that Grace which came by Jesus Christ. (John 1:17).

“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved” Acts 16:31, while there is still time!

So There You Have it!

Spread this message to everyone you know, far and wide. The time is short

Grace be to you and peace, from God: our Father, and The LORD Jesus Christ.

In The LORD Jesus Christ,
The Lion and Lamb Ministry

Pastor David Picos, D.D.
Minister and Ambassador for Christ in the Ministry of Reconciliation (2 Cor. 5:18-20)

Subscribe Here to the LLM Newsletter , Follow LLM on Twitter , Subscribe to LLM on Youtube , LLM on MySpace , and FaceBook

{jcomments on}

No comments:

Post a Comment

Holy Week Message, part 2: Jesus Knew ALL

. In part 1 of the Lion and Lamb Ministry Holy Week Messages , we learned that the LORD Jesus Christ is NOT divided, and that He is t...