The Word of God - A Survey of the Bible - Part Twelve - B Nov 11, 2018 by: John Herbert | Series: The Word of God - A Survey of the Bible Audio Study Notes PDF https://s3.amazonaws.com/cornerstonejax/sermonfiles/T002_20181111.mp3 Refresh A Recap from the Sermon Acts 28:24 And some were persuaded by the things which were spoken, and some disbelieved. As the re-offer of the Kingdom of the Heavens to Israel came to a close so events surrounding the proclamation of the message changed and the message itself took on a different form. The full text of this message can be found by clicking the PDF button. Sunday November 11th 2018 The Word of God A Survey of the Bible – Lesson 12B ‘The Salvation of God Has Been Sent to the Gentiles’ 1). Acts 28:24 And some were persuaded by the things which were spoken, and some disbelieved. 25 So when they did not agree among themselves, they departed after Paul had said one word: “The Holy Spirit spoke rightly through Isaiah the prophet to our fathers, 26 saying, ‘Go to this people and say: “Hearing you will hear, and shall not understand; And seeing you will see, and not perceive; 27 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.” ’ 28 “Therefore let it be known to you that the salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will hear it!” 29 And when he had said these words, the Jews departed and had a great dispute among themselves. 30 Then Paul dwelt two whole years in his own rented house, and received all who came to him, 31 preaching the kingdom of God and teaching the things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ with all confidence, no one forbidding him. Acts 28:24 provides us with a snapshot of the overall outcome of the offer of the Kingdom of the Heavens to the Jewish nation seen throughout the Gospels and the Book of Acts – some Jews believed, and some didn’t – they could not agree among themselves. a). And this lack of harmony within the nation, in no small part brought about by the nation’s religious leaders, in effect demonstrated on a national level the rejection of the offer made to them. b). There was at this time then no national repentance and God’s dealings with Israel with respect to rulership from the heavens in the place of Satan and his angels had run its course. c). And as we have seen, this third occasion in the Book of Acts, where Paul turned from the Jews to the Gentiles marked the close of the reoffer of the Kingdom of the Heavens to Israel – this is the terminal point in relation to the Kingdom of the Heavens and Israel. d). God will never again deal with His chosen people with respect to this realm of His Kingdom. For Israel as a nation this door has been closed and can never be reopened. e). So, when God again deals with His chosen people in the future during the remaining 7 years of the dispensation allotted to them, Daniel’s 70th week, it will again be with respect to repentance but with the earthly realm of the Kingdom covenanted to David in view, not the heavenly realm. 2). Acts 9:15 But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel. 16 For I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name's sake.” 17 And Ananias went his way and entered the house; and laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you came, has sent me that you may receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” 18 Immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he received his sight at once; and he arose and was baptized. Paul, the man who had tried to destroy the fledgling Church, was the man God had chosen to take the offer of the Kingdom of the Heavens, taken from Israel, to the Gentiles. a). But this offer could not be taken directly to the Gentiles because they existed in a condition that Paul later described in – Eph 2:5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), And a few verses later in – Eph 2:11 Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh—who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands— 12 that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. The offer of the Kingdom of the Heavens is a message that can only be received by those who have passed from death to life, not those having no hope and without God in the world, and so there had to be a duality to the message that Paul took to the Gentiles. b). He had to begin with a message concerning death and shed blood – 1 Cor 2:2 For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. There is no other place for anyone to begin than the Lord’s death and shed blood on the cross – Acts 16: 30 And he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” 31 So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.” But having been told how to be eternally saved, ‘believe on the Lord Jesus Christ’, and then having believed on that which Jesus accomplished on the cross, it is then possible to be told the reason for being eternally saved and this reason is encompassed in the offer of the Kingdom of the Heavens, that which the Lord called ‘the Word of the Kingdom’. c). And the duality of the message Paul took to the Gentiles can be seen clearly in the letters he wrote, an example of which we can see in – Eph 1:7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace 8 which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence, 9 having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, 10 that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him. 11 In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, 12 that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory. 13 In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory. And as we had seen last time, because the audience for the message of the Kingdom had changed, going from eternally saved Jews to unsaved Jews and Gentiles, all had to begin with the Gospel of Grace – and again because the audience and circumstances surrounding the message had changed things accompanying the proclamation of the offer of the Kingdom also changed. d). In Acts miraculous signs accompanied the offer of the Kingdom to Israel because Joel’s prophecy began to be fulfilled, but when the offer of the Kingdom to Israel came to an end, Joel’s prophecy for the time being also came to an end and with this came a cessation of miraculous signs – 1 Cor 13:8 Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part. 10 But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away. And also, because of Joel’s prophecy there is a marked difference between the experience of being immersed, of being baptized, in the Spirit and filled with the Spirit for those in the Acts period and those who come after. e). During the Acts period being immersed in the Spirit is seen subsequent to eternal salvation inextricably connected to Joel’s prophecy – Joe 2:28a “And it shall come to pass afterward That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh……… But for those who begin at the Gospel of Grace our Spiritual baptism comes at the moment we believe on the Lord Jesus Christ making us a part of the one new man in Christ and has no connection whatsoever with Joel’s prophecy – Gal 3:27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise. Likewise, during the Acts period individuals were instantly filled with the Spirit for a specific purpose, again inseparable from Joel’s prophecy – Acts 2: 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance………………..14 But Peter, standing up with the eleven, raised his voice and said to them, “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and heed my words. 15 For these are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. 16 But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: 17 ‘And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; But for those beyond the conclusion of Acts, who now move beyond the Gospel of Grace, being filled with the Spirit becomes a continuous process accomplished through rightly dividing the word of truth – Eph 5:17 Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. 18 And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, Col 3: 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. f). Not only this, but also because of a different audience and different circumstances, the message concerning the offer of the Kingdom of the Heavens also changed – during the offer to the Jews seen in the Gospels there was a call to repentance – Mt 4:17 From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” And in the Book of Acts although the Kingdom of heaven was no longer at hand because the King was no longer present there was a call to repentance with a view to the Lord’s immediate return and the establishment of His Kingdom – Acts 3:19 Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, 20 and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before, And as we have seen both in the Gospels and the Book of Acts, the call is for national repentance and this is because Israel as a nation has been adopted as God’s firstborn son and therefore the call is for God’s wayward son to come to repentance with respect to the rights of the firstborn. g). But a message such as this can have no place in the church. Those Christians comprising the church are awaiting adoption as a firstborn son at the Judgment Seat yet future - Rom 8:22 For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. 23 Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. And because we are not presently a firstborn son God does not deal with the church after the same fashion as He has and will deal with the Jews. h). The church is not as yet a firstborn son and is therefore not dealt with as a single entity and although individually we all have the responsibility to repent of our sins, doing so will not bring the immediate return of the Lord and the establishment of His Kingdom, as was possible in the Gospels and Acts. i). The return of the Lord, from our perspective, is determined by the expiration of time as seen in the 7 days of Genesis Chapter 1, not repentance. j). And the understanding of this is part of the Word of the Kingdom and would form part of what Paul called ‘the mystery’. 3). Gal 1:11 But I make known to you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. 12 For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came through the revelation of Jesus Christ. We will remember from a previous study that following Paul’s conversion he spent 3 years in Arabia, during which time he was taken into the 3rd heaven and was taught face to face by the Lord the message he was to give as the Apostle to the Gentiles. a). And this of itself would demonstrate to us a change in the message previously proclaimed to the Jews. The message previously proclaimed to the Jews was a message Paul was able to preach immediately following his conversion – Acts 9:20 Immediately he preached the Christ in the synagogues, that He is the Son of God. But this was not the message he was to take to the Gentiles. The message to the Gentiles would contain ‘the mystery’, that which had always been present in the OT scriptures but was now being opened to the understanding of eternally saved Christians – Ro 16: 25 Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery kept secret since the world began 26 but now made manifest, and by the prophetic Scriptures made known to all nations, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, for obedience to the faith— Eph 3: 1 For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for you Gentiles— 2 if indeed you have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which was given to me for you, 3 how that by revelation He made known to me the mystery (as I have briefly written already, 4 by which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ), 5 which in other ages [generations] was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets: 6 that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ through the gospel, 7 of which I became a minister according to the gift of the grace of God given to me by the effective working of His power. 8 To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, 9 and to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ; In essence the ‘mystery’ is summed up in Ephesians 3:6 - that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ through the gospel. Col 1:26 the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints. 27 To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in [Lit. Christ proclaimed among you] you, the hope of glory. b). Not only does the ‘mystery’ reveal the Gentiles being fellow heirs with Jews of the promises of God but would also encompass the opening of the OT types that would show this to be true. c). Quite simply, if eternally saved Gentiles are to find themselves in positions of rulership with Christ then this must be seen in the OT scriptures. And in the OT scriptures this is revealed through types and it would be the opening of these types to Paul’s understanding that required him to be taught face to face by the Lord after a similar fashion to that which happened to the Lord’s disciples on the day of His resurrection – Lk 24:45 And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures. d). For example, we can go to the account of Caleb and Joshua to see the type for Jews and Gentiles being fellow heirs together – Jos 14:12 Now therefore, give me this mountain of which the Lord spoke in that day; for you heard in that day how the Anakim were there, and that the cities were great and fortified. It may be that the Lord will be with me, and I shall be able to drive them out as the Lord said.”13 And Joshua blessed him, and gave Hebron to Caleb the son of Jephunneh as an inheritance. Caleb is a name that literally means ‘dog’ and ‘dog’ is an epithet that was used by Jews when referring to Gentiles. And this ‘dog’ received a mountain, Mount Hebron, as his inheritance. A mountain pictures a kingdom and this mountain was previously occupied by the Anakim, the giants. e). Caleb received his inheritance and Joshua received his inheritance picturing on the one hand Jews and Gentiles together as fellow heirs. f). And then from another perspective, Joshua is the Hebrew form of the name Jesus which would give us Gentiles being fellow heirs with Christ. g). And to understand being a fellow heir with Christ would require the opening up of the typology surrounding the Bride of Christ – typology that begins in Genesis Chapter 1 – Gen 1:27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28 Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” With further commentary in - Gen 2:21 And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place. 22 Then the rib which the Lord God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man. 23 And Adam said: “This is now bone of my bones And flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, Because she was taken out of Man.” 24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. And then of course we can add to this particular type by continuing through events in Genesis and Exodus and the Book of Ruth. h). And this typology surrounding the Bride with respect to the Kingdom of the Heavens forms a significant part of our faith, that which we are to believe. i). Now, although faith can be seen in a general sense it is a word used far more often in a particular sense, where we see it as articular, ‘the faith’. 4). Gal 1:23 But they were hearing only, “He who formerly persecuted us now preaches the faith which he once tried to destroy.” Paul, writing here to the church in Galatia concerning his former conduct uses the phrase ‘the faith’ with respect to the message he tried to destroy that he then subsequently preached. And the origins of the phrase ‘the faith’ show its exclusive connection with matters surrounding the offer of the Kingdom. a). In the Book of Acts those who had believed the message concerning the Christ, that He is the Son of God, before they were called Christians, were referred to as those of ‘the Way’ – Acts 9:1 Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest 2 and asked letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. Those accepting the re-offer of the Kingdom of the Heavens followed a different ‘way’ to the rest of the Jewish nation. The Jewish nation as a whole sought righteousness through the act of keeping the Law of Moses but those of ‘the Way’ the righteousness of faith – believing and acting upon that which God had said. b). The phrases ‘the Way’ and ‘the faith’ are in this sense interchangeable – those of ‘the Way’ are those of ‘the faith’. The important thing we want to note from this though is that both of these expressions are used exclusively with respect to the Kingdom on offer. c). The Lord used the phrase ‘the faith’ in relation to His Kingdom, recorded in – Lk 18:8b Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find [the] faith on the earth?” And Paul uses the phrase in relation to the offer of the same Kingdom throughout his writing – Rom 1:1 Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God 2 which He promised before through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures, 3 concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh, 4 and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead. 5 Through Him we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith among all nations for His name, 6 among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ; Phi 1:27 Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel, Col 1:21 And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled 22 in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight— 23 if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister. 1 Tim 6: 11 But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness. 12 Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. And the phrase is used in the same way by the other writers of the NT Epistles. For example – 1 Peter 5:9 Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. And – Jude 1:3 Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints. d). And understanding the phrase ‘the faith’ in relation to the Kingdom of the Heavens which we are offered will be of particular importance for us as we see what the scripture has to say to us concerning this Kingdom and the salvation of the soul. But that will have to wait for another time – If the Lord is willing. The Word of God - A Survey of the Bible - Part Twelve - B Nov 11, 2018 Speaker: John Herbert Series: The Word of God - A Survey of the Bible Category: Sunday Morning https://s3.amazonaws.com/cornerstonejax/sermonfiles/T002_20181111.mp3 Download Audio x
Refresh A Recap from the Sermon Acts 28:24 And some were persuaded by the things which were spoken, and some disbelieved. As the re-offer of the Kingdom of the Heavens to Israel came to a close so events surrounding the proclamation of the message changed and the message itself took on a different form. The full text of this message can be found by clicking the PDF button. Sunday November 11th 2018 The Word of God A Survey of the Bible – Lesson 12B ‘The Salvation of God Has Been Sent to the Gentiles’ 1). Acts 28:24 And some were persuaded by the things which were spoken, and some disbelieved. 25 So when they did not agree among themselves, they departed after Paul had said one word: “The Holy Spirit spoke rightly through Isaiah the prophet to our fathers, 26 saying, ‘Go to this people and say: “Hearing you will hear, and shall not understand; And seeing you will see, and not perceive; 27 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.” ’ 28 “Therefore let it be known to you that the salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will hear it!” 29 And when he had said these words, the Jews departed and had a great dispute among themselves. 30 Then Paul dwelt two whole years in his own rented house, and received all who came to him, 31 preaching the kingdom of God and teaching the things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ with all confidence, no one forbidding him. Acts 28:24 provides us with a snapshot of the overall outcome of the offer of the Kingdom of the Heavens to the Jewish nation seen throughout the Gospels and the Book of Acts – some Jews believed, and some didn’t – they could not agree among themselves. a). And this lack of harmony within the nation, in no small part brought about by the nation’s religious leaders, in effect demonstrated on a national level the rejection of the offer made to them. b). There was at this time then no national repentance and God’s dealings with Israel with respect to rulership from the heavens in the place of Satan and his angels had run its course. c). And as we have seen, this third occasion in the Book of Acts, where Paul turned from the Jews to the Gentiles marked the close of the reoffer of the Kingdom of the Heavens to Israel – this is the terminal point in relation to the Kingdom of the Heavens and Israel. d). God will never again deal with His chosen people with respect to this realm of His Kingdom. For Israel as a nation this door has been closed and can never be reopened. e). So, when God again deals with His chosen people in the future during the remaining 7 years of the dispensation allotted to them, Daniel’s 70th week, it will again be with respect to repentance but with the earthly realm of the Kingdom covenanted to David in view, not the heavenly realm. 2). Acts 9:15 But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel. 16 For I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name's sake.” 17 And Ananias went his way and entered the house; and laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you came, has sent me that you may receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” 18 Immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he received his sight at once; and he arose and was baptized. Paul, the man who had tried to destroy the fledgling Church, was the man God had chosen to take the offer of the Kingdom of the Heavens, taken from Israel, to the Gentiles. a). But this offer could not be taken directly to the Gentiles because they existed in a condition that Paul later described in – Eph 2:5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), And a few verses later in – Eph 2:11 Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh—who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands— 12 that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. The offer of the Kingdom of the Heavens is a message that can only be received by those who have passed from death to life, not those having no hope and without God in the world, and so there had to be a duality to the message that Paul took to the Gentiles. b). He had to begin with a message concerning death and shed blood – 1 Cor 2:2 For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. There is no other place for anyone to begin than the Lord’s death and shed blood on the cross – Acts 16: 30 And he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” 31 So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.” But having been told how to be eternally saved, ‘believe on the Lord Jesus Christ’, and then having believed on that which Jesus accomplished on the cross, it is then possible to be told the reason for being eternally saved and this reason is encompassed in the offer of the Kingdom of the Heavens, that which the Lord called ‘the Word of the Kingdom’. c). And the duality of the message Paul took to the Gentiles can be seen clearly in the letters he wrote, an example of which we can see in – Eph 1:7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace 8 which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence, 9 having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, 10 that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him. 11 In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, 12 that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory. 13 In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory. And as we had seen last time, because the audience for the message of the Kingdom had changed, going from eternally saved Jews to unsaved Jews and Gentiles, all had to begin with the Gospel of Grace – and again because the audience and circumstances surrounding the message had changed things accompanying the proclamation of the offer of the Kingdom also changed. d). In Acts miraculous signs accompanied the offer of the Kingdom to Israel because Joel’s prophecy began to be fulfilled, but when the offer of the Kingdom to Israel came to an end, Joel’s prophecy for the time being also came to an end and with this came a cessation of miraculous signs – 1 Cor 13:8 Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part. 10 But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away. And also, because of Joel’s prophecy there is a marked difference between the experience of being immersed, of being baptized, in the Spirit and filled with the Spirit for those in the Acts period and those who come after. e). During the Acts period being immersed in the Spirit is seen subsequent to eternal salvation inextricably connected to Joel’s prophecy – Joe 2:28a “And it shall come to pass afterward That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh……… But for those who begin at the Gospel of Grace our Spiritual baptism comes at the moment we believe on the Lord Jesus Christ making us a part of the one new man in Christ and has no connection whatsoever with Joel’s prophecy – Gal 3:27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise. Likewise, during the Acts period individuals were instantly filled with the Spirit for a specific purpose, again inseparable from Joel’s prophecy – Acts 2: 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance………………..14 But Peter, standing up with the eleven, raised his voice and said to them, “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and heed my words. 15 For these are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. 16 But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: 17 ‘And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; But for those beyond the conclusion of Acts, who now move beyond the Gospel of Grace, being filled with the Spirit becomes a continuous process accomplished through rightly dividing the word of truth – Eph 5:17 Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. 18 And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, Col 3: 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. f). Not only this, but also because of a different audience and different circumstances, the message concerning the offer of the Kingdom of the Heavens also changed – during the offer to the Jews seen in the Gospels there was a call to repentance – Mt 4:17 From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” And in the Book of Acts although the Kingdom of heaven was no longer at hand because the King was no longer present there was a call to repentance with a view to the Lord’s immediate return and the establishment of His Kingdom – Acts 3:19 Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, 20 and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before, And as we have seen both in the Gospels and the Book of Acts, the call is for national repentance and this is because Israel as a nation has been adopted as God’s firstborn son and therefore the call is for God’s wayward son to come to repentance with respect to the rights of the firstborn. g). But a message such as this can have no place in the church. Those Christians comprising the church are awaiting adoption as a firstborn son at the Judgment Seat yet future - Rom 8:22 For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. 23 Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. And because we are not presently a firstborn son God does not deal with the church after the same fashion as He has and will deal with the Jews. h). The church is not as yet a firstborn son and is therefore not dealt with as a single entity and although individually we all have the responsibility to repent of our sins, doing so will not bring the immediate return of the Lord and the establishment of His Kingdom, as was possible in the Gospels and Acts. i). The return of the Lord, from our perspective, is determined by the expiration of time as seen in the 7 days of Genesis Chapter 1, not repentance. j). And the understanding of this is part of the Word of the Kingdom and would form part of what Paul called ‘the mystery’. 3). Gal 1:11 But I make known to you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. 12 For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came through the revelation of Jesus Christ. We will remember from a previous study that following Paul’s conversion he spent 3 years in Arabia, during which time he was taken into the 3rd heaven and was taught face to face by the Lord the message he was to give as the Apostle to the Gentiles. a). And this of itself would demonstrate to us a change in the message previously proclaimed to the Jews. The message previously proclaimed to the Jews was a message Paul was able to preach immediately following his conversion – Acts 9:20 Immediately he preached the Christ in the synagogues, that He is the Son of God. But this was not the message he was to take to the Gentiles. The message to the Gentiles would contain ‘the mystery’, that which had always been present in the OT scriptures but was now being opened to the understanding of eternally saved Christians – Ro 16: 25 Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery kept secret since the world began 26 but now made manifest, and by the prophetic Scriptures made known to all nations, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, for obedience to the faith— Eph 3: 1 For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for you Gentiles— 2 if indeed you have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which was given to me for you, 3 how that by revelation He made known to me the mystery (as I have briefly written already, 4 by which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ), 5 which in other ages [generations] was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets: 6 that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ through the gospel, 7 of which I became a minister according to the gift of the grace of God given to me by the effective working of His power. 8 To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, 9 and to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ; In essence the ‘mystery’ is summed up in Ephesians 3:6 - that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ through the gospel. Col 1:26 the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints. 27 To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in [Lit. Christ proclaimed among you] you, the hope of glory. b). Not only does the ‘mystery’ reveal the Gentiles being fellow heirs with Jews of the promises of God but would also encompass the opening of the OT types that would show this to be true. c). Quite simply, if eternally saved Gentiles are to find themselves in positions of rulership with Christ then this must be seen in the OT scriptures. And in the OT scriptures this is revealed through types and it would be the opening of these types to Paul’s understanding that required him to be taught face to face by the Lord after a similar fashion to that which happened to the Lord’s disciples on the day of His resurrection – Lk 24:45 And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures. d). For example, we can go to the account of Caleb and Joshua to see the type for Jews and Gentiles being fellow heirs together – Jos 14:12 Now therefore, give me this mountain of which the Lord spoke in that day; for you heard in that day how the Anakim were there, and that the cities were great and fortified. It may be that the Lord will be with me, and I shall be able to drive them out as the Lord said.”13 And Joshua blessed him, and gave Hebron to Caleb the son of Jephunneh as an inheritance. Caleb is a name that literally means ‘dog’ and ‘dog’ is an epithet that was used by Jews when referring to Gentiles. And this ‘dog’ received a mountain, Mount Hebron, as his inheritance. A mountain pictures a kingdom and this mountain was previously occupied by the Anakim, the giants. e). Caleb received his inheritance and Joshua received his inheritance picturing on the one hand Jews and Gentiles together as fellow heirs. f). And then from another perspective, Joshua is the Hebrew form of the name Jesus which would give us Gentiles being fellow heirs with Christ. g). And to understand being a fellow heir with Christ would require the opening up of the typology surrounding the Bride of Christ – typology that begins in Genesis Chapter 1 – Gen 1:27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28 Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” With further commentary in - Gen 2:21 And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place. 22 Then the rib which the Lord God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man. 23 And Adam said: “This is now bone of my bones And flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, Because she was taken out of Man.” 24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. And then of course we can add to this particular type by continuing through events in Genesis and Exodus and the Book of Ruth. h). And this typology surrounding the Bride with respect to the Kingdom of the Heavens forms a significant part of our faith, that which we are to believe. i). Now, although faith can be seen in a general sense it is a word used far more often in a particular sense, where we see it as articular, ‘the faith’. 4). Gal 1:23 But they were hearing only, “He who formerly persecuted us now preaches the faith which he once tried to destroy.” Paul, writing here to the church in Galatia concerning his former conduct uses the phrase ‘the faith’ with respect to the message he tried to destroy that he then subsequently preached. And the origins of the phrase ‘the faith’ show its exclusive connection with matters surrounding the offer of the Kingdom. a). In the Book of Acts those who had believed the message concerning the Christ, that He is the Son of God, before they were called Christians, were referred to as those of ‘the Way’ – Acts 9:1 Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest 2 and asked letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. Those accepting the re-offer of the Kingdom of the Heavens followed a different ‘way’ to the rest of the Jewish nation. The Jewish nation as a whole sought righteousness through the act of keeping the Law of Moses but those of ‘the Way’ the righteousness of faith – believing and acting upon that which God had said. b). The phrases ‘the Way’ and ‘the faith’ are in this sense interchangeable – those of ‘the Way’ are those of ‘the faith’. The important thing we want to note from this though is that both of these expressions are used exclusively with respect to the Kingdom on offer. c). The Lord used the phrase ‘the faith’ in relation to His Kingdom, recorded in – Lk 18:8b Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find [the] faith on the earth?” And Paul uses the phrase in relation to the offer of the same Kingdom throughout his writing – Rom 1:1 Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God 2 which He promised before through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures, 3 concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh, 4 and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead. 5 Through Him we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith among all nations for His name, 6 among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ; Phi 1:27 Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel, Col 1:21 And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled 22 in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight— 23 if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister. 1 Tim 6: 11 But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness. 12 Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. And the phrase is used in the same way by the other writers of the NT Epistles. For example – 1 Peter 5:9 Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. And – Jude 1:3 Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints. d). And understanding the phrase ‘the faith’ in relation to the Kingdom of the Heavens which we are offered will be of particular importance for us as we see what the scripture has to say to us concerning this Kingdom and the salvation of the soul. But that will have to wait for another time – If the Lord is willing.