Friday, September 29, 2017

Genesis First Faith Chapter 3 The Fall



The Fall and the First Gospel Genesis 3




The First Sin, The Fall of Man

Vs. 1 Who is the serpent?
Satan using the serpent as his tool. Satan is often cast as a serpent or Dragon in the Bible.


What prohibition does Eve add to God’s command that was not part of the original?
“Neither shall ye touch it, let ye die.”

Why do you think Eve added to the word of God?
Perhaps shows her feeling that God was too strict or unreasonable. Maybe her mistaken understanding of how dangerous the tree was.

What is his temptation, what is he actually offering to Eve?
To be like God, a form of equality with God through knowledge.

What is the “serpent” for this temptation still be offered today?
Mormonism, Hinduism, New Age movement, Humanism, Free Masonry.

Compare the temptation of Eve to that of Christ in Matthew 3 and the love of the world in 1 John 2:16

What does this comparison of temptations teach us?
Satan still uses the same means of temptations today. Physical, mental and prideful. Eve lost her encounter with Satan, but Jesus was victorious. If we are to be victorious it must be in Jesus’ power and not in the power of ourselves.

Where was Adam?
According to verse 6 he was with her.

 How did Adam fail Eve?
He did not lead, guide or protect her from the serpent as he was created to do.

What was the immediate consequence of disobedience?
They knew good from evil and were ashamed, they had lost their righteous innocence.
Now they were no longer immortal but due to their sin, began to die from that moment forward.

When there is a lack of spiritual leadership in families today what are some of the consequences?
Shame, guilt, a quicker death due to stress, drugs, immorality.

Vs. 7-11 How did Adam and Eve try and deal with their sin?
By covering themselves, hiding from God and blaming someone else.

First Punishment


What is the curse upon the serpent?  The woman?  The man?              


 First Gospel and First Prophecy (this is the Protoevangelium or First Gospel)


Is there any hope in the midst of the sin and its resultant curses? Genesis 3:15
Thy seed of woman would ultimately destroy the serpent.

Who is the seed of woman?
Christ is the only one born of the seed of woman without the seed of man.  He would crush the works of Satan and redeem mankind from sin.


Vs. 20 First Sacrifice, First Forgiveness

What does Eve mean?
Eve means life or life-spring, pointing to the role of bearing children and in Eve’s case all mankind.

God clothes Adam and Eve with a coat of skins.

Why were their aprons of fig leaves not enough?
The fig leaves were their own works and our own works can never forgive sin. With the fig leaves, there was no shedding of blood, which would have been a foreshadowing of an innocent paying for the sin of the guilty as one day, Jesus, the seed of woman would have to do.

Adam and Eve are driven from the garden and cherubim (guard angels) are set at the entrance to the garden with a flaming sword to prevent their reentry and eating of the tree of life.

Does Eden still exist today as a literal place on the earth?
No, without Adam to tend and keep it, the garden would soon be overgrown and unrecognizable.  Later the flood would forever change it and made it a completely different place.

Conclusion

With the fall of man, sin entered the world. All the pain, sorrow and death that we now must deal with came from that singular disobedience of God’s one commandment.

Often, we are challenged by unbelievers that if God is good and God is omnipotent then why does God allow suffering in the world. The answer, or course, is that God didn’t allow sin and suffering, but He did allow free choice. In making man a free moral agent, with a true choice between right and wrong, sin or obedience, God allowed sin. Without that allowance then man was not created in God’s image, nor could God have fellowship with man. God could only have created a higher form of animal, void of understanding, sentience and will. With the man’s free will and the sin he chose came pain, suffering and death. The choice would not have been a real choice if there had not also been real consequences.

Yet God was not surprised by man’s choice and had already planned for man’s redemption by grace through faith. The second exercise of man’s free will and this time the consequences would be forgiveness, hope and peace.

Wednesday, September 27, 2017

The Church That Jesus Built: 3 Holy Spirit and the Church



The Holy Spirit and the Church

Promised  by Christ  John 14-16, Act 1:8

Another Comforter John 14:16-17
Defined: Comforter is from the Greek word paraklêtos : one called along side to help.
 1) summoned, called to one's side, esp. called to one's aid
    1a) one who pleads another's cause before a judge, a pleader, counsel for defense, legal assistant, an advocate
    1b) one who pleads another's cause with one, an intercessor
     1c) in the widest sense, a helper, succourer, aider, assistant
 2) of Christ in his exaltation at God's right hand, pleading with God the Father for the pardon of our sins
 3) of the Holy Spirit destined to take the place of Christ with the apostles (after his ascension to the Father), to lead them to a deeper knowledge of the gospel truth, and give them divine strength needed to enable them to undergo trials and persecutions on behalf of the divine kingdom

His role

           Inspiration and Infallibility of Scriptures John 14:26, 16:13
           Testify and Glorify Christ John 15:26,16:14
           Reprover of the World  John 16:8-11
           Empowerer of the Church Act 1:8
           Indwelt/Seals Believers  John 14:7, Eph 4:30


 Given  by Christ John 20:22-23

           The Holy Spirit given by Jesus.
           Given now so they would not be comfortless until the Day of Pentecost  in 10 days.
           Given only to the 11 not the other 120 or more disciples at large.

The Church Baptized in the Holy Spirit by Christ, Acts 2

Prophesied by Joel  (Acts 2 is a foreshadowing)

Prophesied by John the Baptist  Matthew 3:11-12, Mark 1:8, Luke 3:16, John 1:33
           One baptism with Holy Spirit (Pentecost)
           One baptism with Fire  (Judgement)

Prophesied by Christ Act 1:5

Compare to Shekinah Glory of the Tabernacle and the Temple.  (Nu 19:5;  2Chr 7:1)

The Baptism in the Holy Spirit was God's authentication that the church was now His house of witness and to empower them for that witness.

Misconceptions about Baptism of the Holy Spirit.

The Baptism of the Holy Spirit does not occur now.
It is not concurrent with the new birth.
It is not a second blessing associated with tongues.
The event only happened once.  Similar events took place only two other times, at Cornelius' (Acts 10) and in Samaria (Acts 8:15-17), for the same purpose to authenticate these  peoples as also belonging in the church.  Though similar they were not the same.  Also see Eph 4:5
The filling of the Holy Spirit was not the same as the baptism of the Holy Spirit.   
Filling still takes place today. (Ephesians 5:18)
Baptism is outward (The room was filled with the sound of wind), filling is inward. (They were all filled with the Holy Ghost.)

The Baptism of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost (Act 2)

120 are gathered in the upper room.

           A rushing and mighty wind fills the upper room.  The wind sweeps from heaven through the city and to this location.  The word for spirit (pneuma) is the same word for wind or air.  This rushing wind is the Holy Spirit, which fills the room and the church is baptized, immersed in the Holy Spirit.

Tongues of flame descend and alight upon each church member.

They began to speak in other tongues and to witness to those in the street who had gathered to the upper room because of the sound of the wind.

Peter who once had denied Christ to a single servant in the darkness, now stands before a crowd of thousands and begins to convict them of the death of the Messiah.  This is the proof of the empowering of the church.

Conclusion

Do you believe that you the same Holy Spirit that was given on the Day of Pentecost?
Then you must also believe that you have the power that is needed to be a witness for Christ today as they were then.
Quit worrying about what you don’t have and begin to trust in what you do have, the indwelling and empowering of God the Holy Spirit. Rely on Him to lead, guide and fill.
It was Jesus’ promise that He would.

Wednesday, September 20, 2017

The Church Jesus Built:2 Authority and Autonomy



Authority and Autonomy of the Local Church #2

Video Link

Power Point Link

 

Definitions:

Authority:  the power and right given by Jesus to His church carry out the work of the great commission.
Autonomy: no body or institution has power or authority over the Lord's church.  Each local body answers directly to Jesus Christ it's founder and not to a man made outside organization.

Authority was granted to the church in Matthew 16:18-19

 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

Exegesis

Peter, and rock from verse 18. The word Peter (Grk, Petros) was Jesus nickname given to Simon, it mean a small moveable stone.  The word rock (Grk, Petra fem.)  means a large outcropping of rock immoveable and steadfast.  Jesus is making a play on words, based upon His question to the apostles of His identity. Peter answers the question for the group and Jesus responds with, “You are Peter (Petros, a small stone) and upon this rock (Petra, large immoveable bedrock)  I will build my church.  The words contrast showing the one who was the rock which the church would be built upon would be Jesus Christ, the one who Peter confessed.

With this agrees the rest of scripture whenever the symbol of a rock is used it always refers to God or to Jesus Christ. (1Co 10:4, Daniel 2:34, Eph 2:20, 1 Peter 2:6)

 Keys: represent authority. Mt 6:19, Lu 11:52,  Re 1:18,  3:7,  9:1,  20:1 "The keys are the symbol of authority, as we speak of honouring one by giving him the keys of the city." Robertson's NT Word Pictures

 Kingdom of Heaven:  the word kingdom mean reign or rule.  The kingdom of Heaven is used synonymously with the Kingdom of God in the Gospels. Basically the Kingdom is all of God's reign and rule over mankind.  At the time of Christ this was a tentative physical kingdom, dependent upon the acceptance of Jesus as Messiah. (Luke 17:20-21)  At this present time (the church age) the Kingdom is being populated with citizens of that future Kingdom (Col 1:13, 4:11) and in the future the Kingdom in all its fullness will be instituted here on earth for a thousand years. (Rev 20:4)

The church is not the same as the kingdom.  The church is a means of extending the Kingdom of Heaven.  The church will be absorbed into the greater scope of the Kingdom at the end of the Church Age.

Bind, and Loose:  "To bind in rabbinical language is to forbid, to loose is to permit." (RNTWP) things that would be lawful or unlawful.

Interpretation: Jesus was giving to the church through Peter as it's spokesman and later pastor, the authority to do heaven's work on earth. This authority was fully in keeping with God's will and was executive not legislative.  If this is true then no other organization is authorized to carry out the Lord's work.  (1Ti 3:15)

The church's authority is to carry out the Lord's work as His body on earth.
The authority to preach the gospel, to baptize, to preach, to discipline.
This authority is contained within the local church itself and not outside the church, as para-church or extra-church organization.

Any organization which usurps authority over the local church is not authorized by Jesus.
Synods, College of Cardinals, Bishops, Presbyters,   Episcopals, Conventions and Associations.

Any organization which ignores or acts independently of the local church is not authorized by Jesus.
Evangelistic or Mission Organizations, Mission boards,       Christian Colleges.

Any person who ignores or usurps the authority of the church is wrong.  (3 John 1:9-11)

Church Polity

Polity is defined as the way a body governs itself.
The Lord's church is a pure democracy, all members have an equal voice.
If all believers are indwelt with the Holy Spirit then all have equal ability to make decisions.

Scripture Examples

Acts 1:26  The apostles put forth their lots   The ancients used pebbles in voting, black for condemning, white in acquitting.-Robertson's NT Word Pictures

Acts 6:3 The congregation at Jerusalem chooses the first deacons.

Acts 15:22 All the assembly agrees to James proposal.

3 John  9 John shows strong disapproval of  one man who takes preeminence over others in the church.

Other forms of Church Polity

Episcopalian  Rule by bishops outside the church itself.  One bishop has authority of several churches.

Presbyterian  Rule is by council or groups of men outside the church.

Pastor Rule  Rule is by one man within the church.

Balancing Church Polity with Pastoral leadership

The pastor must recognize that the church is the true authority.
The church must realize that God leads through the pastor. 
Ephesians 4:11-17
Within the walls of any true, local New Testament church is the authority of all the Kingdom of God.

To the church has been given the power to carry out the Great Commission until Jesus the church’s founder returns for His bride.

We must never take or granted such a responsibility nor ever give up to another that which was entrusted only to the local church.