shared with you by
Kraig J. Rice
www.breadonthewaters.com
(doctrine of mainline Christianity)
| Introduction | The Kingdom of God |
| Beatitudes and the Lord's Prayer | Jesus Used Parables |
| Jesus and the 10 Commandments | Jesus and Old Testament Happenings |
| Farewell Discourse of Jesus |
Let's take a look at the preaching and teaching of Christ. Why? It is
important to know what He said and did. We can know a lot about Him this way.
Jesus Christ preached with His life. Jesus is love. Everything that He said and did
was from a motive of pure love. He is the Gospel that all men must obey.
What was His first sermon?
How did Jesus teach?
Jesus was Informal in His teaching-
Jesus used Concrete Examples in His teaching-
Jesus was Progressive in His teaching-
Jesus had Ethics in His teaching-
Jesus was Foundational in His teaching-
Jesus used several Methods in His teaching-
Most would like to change their circumstances
Did Jesus really teach and preach? Yes. Here are some scriptures that state that He did:
"He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes"
"Then they asked Him, saying, "Teacher, we know that You say and teach rightly,
and You do not show personal favoritism, but teach the way of God in truth..."
"This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, "Rabbi, we know that You are
a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is
with Him"
"And it came to pass, when Jesus had made an end of commanding his twelve
disciples, He departed thence to teach and to preach in their cities"
"In that same hour said Jesus to the multitudes,
"And He began again to teach by the sea side: and there was gathered unto Him a great
multitude, so that He entered into a ship, and sat in the sea; and the whole multitude
was by the sea on the land"
"And they were the more fierce, saying, He stirreth up the people, teaching
throughout all Jewry, beginning from Galilee to this place"
"And they (the religious leaders) sent out unto Him their disciples with the Herodians,
saying, Master, we know that thou art true, and teachest the way of God in truth,
neither carest thou for any man: for thou regardest not the person of men"
"Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and
with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and greatest commandment.
And the second is like unto it: Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these
two commandments hang all the law and the prophets"
"To me the kingdom of God refers to two things: the one thousand year Millennial Reign of Christ here on earth, and the heart of a believer. The kingdom is set forth in Scripture as a rule established on earth, and also the spiritual condition of a believer's heart.
Glimpses of the coming kingdom of God are found from Amos onward. Amos, Hosea, Isaiah, and Micah spoke of a great future beyond the approaching day of evil. The kingdom of God seems to symbolize an ideal future that presents itself at a time when Jehovah reigns in Zion over His people and teaches His ways to all nations.
This relation of Jehovah to Israel's ideal future is rooted in Israel's past, however, now there is a new covenant and a new people with Jehovah. Salvation has been granted to the gentiles also by the death of Jesus Christ and new prophecy has been given. It seems that the Old Testament prophecies and the Book of Revelation denote the same earthly kingdom of God.
Jesus speaks of a kingdom of God as existing on both sides of the grave, or in two spheres- an earthly and a heavenly. There is definately a difference between the kingdom of God and the kingdom of Heaven but no difference between these two are clearly marked in the words of Jesus. It seems that possibly when the saints rule with Jesus that the kingdom of God will be the kingdom of Heaven.
1
"But when Jesus saw what was happening, he was very displeased with his disciples. He said to them, "Let the children come to me. Don't stop them! For the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these"
2
"Jesus asked, "How can I describe the Kingdom of God? What story should I use to illustrate it? It is like a tiny mustard seed. Though this is one of the smallest of seeds, it grows to become one of the largest of plants, with long branches where birds can come and find shelter"
One of my college professors at the time distributed a paper to each member of the class (Synoptic Gospels) that contained this information about the kingdom of God.
Christ's central theme was the Kingdom of God. The kingdom of God is a universal rule of God now for all saints. The Kingdom of Heaven is in the future- many believe it will be on this earth after this earth has been renovated and purified with fire.
Some Reflections On The Kingdom Of God:
One of the most important phrases in the Bible is "the Kingdom of God." Since the term has varying connotations in Scripture and has been the source of much controversy, it is the feeling of your instructor (Norman Arnesen) that an effort should be made to distinguish between the various aspects of God's rule. The following summary is substantially the work of Doctor Donald G. Barnhouse, to whom we are indebted for this valuable information:
The Beatitudes and the Lord's Prayer are great teachings of Jesus.
In "His Sermon on the Mount", Jesus gave us the beatitudes:
And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His
disciples came to Him.
The Lord's Prayer is also another of His great teachings:
Did Jesus teach anything about hell fire? Yes, He did.
Jesus stressed the infinite love of God for the
humble and weak, and He promised pardon and eternal life in Heaven to the most
hardened sinners- provided their repentance was genuine and sincere. The essence of His
teachings was on moral sincerity rather than the strict adherence to religious rituals.
This is where He was in conflict with the legalistic Pharisees of His day.
I believe in the sun, I believe in love, I believe in God,
Let's look at a little more of what He taught:
"But He said to them: Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there
also, because for this purpose I have come forth."
"...but He said to them: I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities
also, because for this purpose I have been sent"
Jesus did not only preach about His Father's Kingdom, but He trained
His disciples to preach the same thing:
Some months later, after training 70 others, He sent them out to:
Why did Jesus do this? He wanted His disciples to be preachers and teachers. He wanted
them to learn how to minister to folks who were hurting.
And just before His martyrdom, Jesus revealed His purpose to Pontius Pilate:
Avoid gossip
Jesus used parables in His teachings. What were some of those parables? Let's take
a look at a few:
Jesus (as part of the Holy Trinity) gave us the 10 commandments as a standard of righteousness.
However, we don't base our salvation (in the New Testament) on keeping or not keeping
the 10 commandments because our salvation is based on grace through faith in Christ alone.
Our salvation does not come by the works of the law (the 10 commandments)
"He answered and said to them: Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition?
Jesus taught a lot from the Old Testament. There is much for us to learn from all of His
Old Testament teachings. We can be sure that since Jesus said it, it is important.
"And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be
lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life"
Therefore they said to Him, What sign will You perform then, that we may see it and believe You? What work will You do? Our fathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written: He gave them bread from heaven to eat. Then Jesus said to them,
"Then He began to rebuke the cities in which most of His mighty works had been done, because they did not repent:
At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. And His disciples were hungry, and began to pluck heads of grain and to eat.
And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to Him: Look, Your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath!"
But He said to them:
Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying: Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.
But He answered and said to them:
"Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.
The Pharisees also came to Him, testing Him, and saying to Him: Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for just any reason?
And He answered and said to them:
They said to Him: Why then did Moses command to give a certificate of divorce, and to put her away?
He said to them:
"Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, permitted you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so.
His disciples said to Him, If such is the case of the man with his wife, it is better not to marry.
But He said to them:
"But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.
"But I tell you truly, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, and there was a great famine throughout all the land;
but to none of them was Elijah sent except to Zarephath, in the region of Sidon, to a (gentile) woman who was a widow.
"Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets, and your fathers killed them.
"And as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man:
You TAKE to HEAVEN
"From that time Jesus began to preach this message:
"Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near"
(Matthew 4:17).
Jesus used Simpicity in His teaching-
He used profound truth in simple language. In most cases He taught on the modern
equivalent of a third grade level so all could understand Him.
He prepared no written lessons or addresses for speaking to large crowds- His
teaching was natural.
He used parables and illustrations- He taught with authority. He got His point across
to His listeners.
He progressed from old truth in the Old Testament scriptures to new truth.
Jesus had character. He lived and practiced what He taught.
He taught basic truth including seed ideas.
He used simple figures of speech, parables, and object lessons (such as the money in the
mouth of the fish). He made use of questions, used miracles, and made use of the Old Testament scriptures.
but not themselves
"And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel
of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people"
Jesus preached a lot about the Kingdom of God. What is the Kingdom of God? To answer this question I quote from a short research paper I wrote many years ago:
(Matthew 4:23).
(Matthew 7:29).
(Luke 20:21).
(John 3:2).
(Matthew 11:1).
"Are ye come out as against a thief with swords and staves for to take me? I sat
daily with you teaching in the temple, and ye laid no hold on Me"
(Matthew 26:55).
(Mark 4:1).
(Luke 23:5).
(Matthew 22:16).
(Matthew 22:37-40).
(written by Kraig J. Rice when I was in Bible College)
Isaiah 24:23 states,
"Then the LORD Almighty will mount his throne on Mount Zion. He will rule gloriously in Jerusalem, in the sight of all the leaders of his people. There will be such glory that the brightness of the sun and moon will seem to fade away."
The kingdom of God appears seventeen times in Matthew's Gospel, and Jesus introduced into the model for prayer which He gave His disciples the words "thy kingdom come."
Micah 4:7 says,
"They are weak and far from home, but I will make them strong again, a mighty nation. Then I, the LORD, will rule from Jerusalem as their king forever."
Psalms 145:11-13 also states
"They will talk together about the glory of your kingdom; they will celebrate examples of your power. They will tell about your mighty deeds and about the majesty and glory of your reign. For your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom. You rule generation after generation. The LORD is faithful in all he says; he is gracious in all he does."
Daniel 4:3 states,
"How great are his signs, how powerful his wonders! His kingdom will last forever, his rule through all generations."
Revelation 20:6 also states,
"Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. For them the second death holds no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him a thousand years."
The word usage of Jesus infers that He thought of the kingdom as having actually begun with Him and His disciples. I believe this refers to the spiritual condition of believers' hearts. It is peculiar to Jesus that He thought of the kingdom of God as having a lowly beginning. The heart of a child is the most favorable soil for it.1 The mustard seed is the fittest symbol of it, both in smallness and in the size of plant which it produces.2 Jesus said,
"The kingdom of God is within you."
(Mark 10:14).
(Mark 4:30-32).
I. The term "Kingdom" in Greek is basileia
which occurs 158 times in the New Testament:
A. It occurs in the Gospels and the Acts- 132 times
It occurs in the Pauline Epistles- 17 times
It occurs in the General Epistles and Revelation- 9 times
B. The remaining 10 books of the New Testament omit the term.
C. The Old Testament, Hebrew equivalent to basileia is
malkuth.
II. Eight Different Aspects of the Kingdom of God:
A. The Kingdom of God in its universal, eternal aspect-
God's sovereignty over Heaven, Earth, and Hell-
ruling over angels, men, and demons.
B. The Kingdom of Satan- Christ described it as not being
"divided against itself."
C. The various Kingdoms of Men- Earthly power, rule,
and authority.
D. An Earthly Kingdom Promised to David- Eventually to dominate
the whole world. Also God's answer to the rebellion of Satan
and mankind as prophesied in the Old Testament.
E. The Spiritual Kingdom of God in the hearts of men-
Entered into by the New Birth-
Sometimes called the Kingdom of Heaven or
the Kingdom of Christ. It consists today of
the invisible body of believers (His church).
F. The Kingdom in Mystery- It is co-existent with
the spiritual kingdom of God in the
hearts of man and a phase of it-
representing organized Christendom.
G. The Future Earthly Kingdom of David with the Lord
ruling from Jerusalem. Also known as the Millennium-
the realization of an earthly kingdom promised to David.
H. The Final, Eternal Realization of the Kingdom of God-
It has a universal, eternal aspect when Christ shall
give back all rule to His Father.
Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying:
"Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, For they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, For they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled.
Blessed are the merciful, For they shall obtain mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, For they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, For they shall be called sons of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake.
Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.
You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.
Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.
Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your
Father in heaven"
(Matthew 5:1-16).
"In this manner, therefore, pray:
Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the
kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen."
(Matthew 6:9-13)
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even when it's not shining;
even when I feel it not;
even when He is silent.
(Mark 1:38; Luke 4:43).
"These twelve Jesus sent out and commanded them, saying: Do not go into the
way of the Gentiles, and do not enter a city of the Samaritans. But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And as you go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have
received, freely give. Provide neither gold nor silver nor copper in your money belts, nor bag for your journey, nor two tunics, nor sandals, nor staffs; for a worker is
worthy of his food. Now whatever city or town you enter, inquire who in it is worthy, and stay there till you go out.
And when you go into a household, greet it. If the household is worthy, let your peace come upon it. But if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you.
And whoever will not receive you nor hear your words, when you depart from that house
or city, shake off the dust from your feet..."
(Matthew 10:5-14).
"...heal the sick there, and say to them: the kingdom of God has come near to you..."
(Luke 10:9).
"Pilate therefore said to Him: Are You a king then? Jesus answered:
"You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have
come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of
the truth hears My voice"
(John 18:37).
lest you come to be regarded as its originator
The foolish and wise builders Matthew 7:24-27, Luke 6:47-49
The two debtors Luke 7:41-47
The rich fool (storing it up) Luke 12:16-21
The servants waiting for their Lord Luke 12:35-40
The barren fig tree Luke 13:6-9
The tares and the wheat Matthew 13:24-43
Seed growing on it's own Mark 4:26-29
The hidden treasure Matthew 13:44
The pearl of great price Matthew 13:45-46
The fish net (righteous & wicked) Matthew 13:47-50
The unmerciful servant Matthew 18:23-35
The Good Samaritan Luke 10:30-37
Friend at midnight (persistence) Luke 11:5-8
The Good shepherd John 10:1-16
A great supper Luke 14:15-24
A lost sheep is found Matthew 18:12-14, Luke 15:3-7
A lost piece of money Luke 15:8-10
The prodigal son and his brother Luke 15:11-32
The unjust steward Luke 16:1-9
The persistent widow Luke 18:1-8
The pharisee and the publican Luke 18:9-14
Laborers in the vineyard (time) Matthew 20:1-16
Money investments Luke 19:11-27
The two sons who changed their minds Matthew 21:28-32
Story of the great feast Matthew 22:1-14
Fig tree leafing (signs of the times) Matthew 24:32, Mark 13:28-29
A man taking a far journey Mark 13:34-37
Story of the Ten Bridesmaids Matthew 25:1-13
Story of the Three Servants Matthew 25:14-30
Jesus, the True Vine John 15:1-17
The evil farmers Matthew 21:33-44, Mark 12:1-12,
Luke 20:9-18
The sower who went out to sow Matthew 13:3-23, Mark 4:1-20,
Luke 8:5-15
The mustard seed (small) Matthew 13:31-32, Mark 4:30-32,
Luke 13:18-19
Leaven (teaching of the Pharisees) Matthew 13:33, Luke 13:20,
Luke 13:21
(Romans 3:21-22). However, the law is still there to condemn any of us who wilfully sin
against God. Here is what Jesus taught on this matter:
"Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.
For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.
Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so,
shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he
shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven"
(Matthew 5:17-19).
For God commanded, saying: Honor your father and your mother; and, He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.'
But you say, Whoever says to his father or mother: Whatever profit you might have received from me is a gift to God
then he need not honor his father or mother. Thus you have made the commandment of God of no effect by your tradition.
Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying:
These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me.
And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men"
(Matthew 15:3-9).
"But even Moses showed in the burning bush passage that the dead are raised, when he
called the Lord "the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob."
For He is not the God of the dead but of the living, for all live to Him"
(Luke 20:37-38).
(John 3:14-15).
"Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven.
For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world"
(John 6:30-33).
Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.
But I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you.
And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades; for if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.
But I say to you that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of
judgment than for you"
(Matthew 11:20-24).
"Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him:
how he entered the house of God and ate the showbread which was not lawful for him to eat, nor for those who were with him, but only for the priests?
Or have you not read in the law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath, and are blameless?
Yet I say to you that in this place there is One greater than the temple.
But if you had known what this means, I desire mercy and not sacrifice, you would not have condemned the guiltless.
For the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath"
(Matthew 12:1-8).
"An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.
For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here.
The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here
(Matthew 12:38-42).
And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says: Hearing you will hear and shall not understand, and seeing you will see and not perceive;
For the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, so that I should heal them.
But blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear; for assuredly, I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it"
(Matthew 13:13-17).
"Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning made them male and female,
and said: For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh?
So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let
not man separate."
And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries
another, commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultery."
"All cannot accept this saying, but only those to whom it has been given:
For there are eunuchs who were born thus from their mother's womb, and there are eunuchs
who were made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for
the kingdom of heaven's sake. He who is able to accept it, let him accept it"
(Matthew 19:3-12).
For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark,
and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.
Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left.
Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left.
Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming.
But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into.
Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect"
(Matthew 24:37-44).
And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, and none of them
was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian (a gentile)"
(Luke 4:25-27).
In fact, you bear witness that you approve the deeds of your fathers; for they indeed killed them, and you build their tombs.
Therefore the wisdom of God also said, I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they will kill and persecute,
that the blood of all the prophets which was shed from the foundation of the world may be required of this generation,
from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah who perished between the altar and
the temple. Yes, I say to you, it shall be required of this generation"
(Luke 11:47-51).
They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all.
Likewise as it was also in the days of Lot: They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built;
but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all.
Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed"
(Luke 17:26-30).
What you GIVE To God on EARTH
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