No Common Ground - Part Six Aug 13, 2023 by: John Herbert | Series: No Common Ground Audio Study Notes PDF https://s3.amazonaws.com/cornerstonejax/sermonfiles/T015_20230813.mp3 Refresh A Recap from the Sermon Heb 2:9 But we see Jesus, who was made a little [for a little while] lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone. Today we will conclude our series on the ground that Satan has in common with us. The full text of this message can be found by clicking the PDF button. Sunday August 13th 2023 No Common Ground – Part 6 1). Jn 14:28 "You have heard Me say to you, 'I am going away and coming back to you.' If you loved Me, you would rejoice because I said, 'I am going to the Father,' for My Father is greater than I. 29 "And now I have told you before it comes, that when it does come to pass, you may believe. 30 "I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me. 31 "But that the world may know that I love the Father, and as the Father gave Me commandment, so I do. Arise, let us go from here. We have seen over and over in our study the reasons why the ruler of this world had not one thing, no common ground, no point of contact in Christ. Our Lord’s involvement with any aspect of the present world system before the time allotted for its overthrow would have given common ground to Satan. Consequently, what we know about how He conducted Himself at His first Advent is of profound significance – Heb 2:9 But we see Jesus, who was made a little [for a little while] lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone. And from these verses we can clearly see that there was purpose in the manner in which the Lord came to the earth. The purpose shows that He would suffer death to be ‘crowned with glory and honor’. a). And in the way that Jesus related to the present system of rulership during His first Advent we find our direction for the final steps to get us out from our country, our family, and our father’s house. The final steps of separation between us and the old man, between us and that common ground, that point of contact, that Satan has in us. b). And there are two facets to this that we will look at in this final part to our study. One has to do with authority and the other, which is connected to authority, has to do with money. c). And as we begin with authority let’s remember the verse that we read from Hebrews 2. Jesus was, for a little while, made lower than the angels - Jn 1:1 In beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. Col 1:16 For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. At the Lord’s first Advent, He came to the earth in a lesser position of authority than the fallen angels He had originally created, even though everything was created by Him and for Him. And for many, this truth becomes a rock of offense because it is ‘a hard saying’. But we MUST realize that God operates entirely within the parameters He has laid out in His Word of Truth and therefore He cannot violate that which He Himself has set in place. d). Although Jesus was born ‘King of the Jews’, that was not the time when He would exercise rulership in the place of Satan. Although He came to the Jewish people with the offer of the Kingdom of the heavens, this kingdom was and remained in Satan’s control. According to Hebrews 2:9, it would only be after suffering death that He would be crowned with glory and honor – Jn 18:33 Then Pilate entered the Praetorium again, called Jesus, and said to Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?” 34 Jesus answered him, “Are you speaking for yourself about this, or did others tell you this concerning Me?” 35 Pilate answered, “Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered You to me. What have You done?” 36 Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here.” 37 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.” Christ’s Kingdom is not of this age, His Kingdom is the Age to come. And as that Age was not going to begin at His first Advent, and Satan was not going to be removed from his position as the god of this age at that time either, Christ remained ‘lower than the angels’, for the purposes we have seen – Lk 4:5 Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. 6 And the devil said to Him, “All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. 7 Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours.” 8 And Jesus answered and said to him, “Get behind Me, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.’ ” These verses will suffice to show the truth that we have been discussing. Note what Satan said in v6 and note that in response, Jesus did not challenge his statement, because what Satan had said about the authority given to him was correct. And it remains correct even today and will remain so right up until the time that God removes him. And in the Book of the Revelation, around the mid-point in the tribulation, we can witness Satan giving his kingdom to his son, giving it to whomever he wishes – Re 13:2 Now the beast which I saw was like a leopard, his feet were like the feet of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. The dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority. Keep in mind though, that Christ was made lower than the angels for a little while to accomplish a specific purpose. And in connection with this, we will see this from earlier verses – Heb 2:6 But one testified in a certain place, saying: “What is man that You are mindful of him, Or the son of man that You take care of him? 7 You have made him a little lower than the angels; You have crowned him with glory and honor, And set him over the works of Your hands. 8 You have put all things in subjection under his feet.” For in that He put all in subjection under him, He left nothing that is not put under him. But now we do not yet see all things put under him. 9 But we see Jesus……. What do we see? We see that we have also been made for a little while lower than the angels. We are also seen as crowned with glory and honor, but not yet. We have been placed in positions of rulership over the works of God’s hands, but not yet. Until this age comes to an end, this remains true. There is purpose then for us being at present lower than the angels. And because the situation for those who will be joint heirs with Christ is shown to parallel that of Christ at His first Advent, what should our attitude to the present system of rulership be? Exactly the same as Christ’s was. e). We will in the present resist Satan’s wiles with the Word of Truth, just as Jesus did, just as we are told to do – 1 Pe 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. 9 Resist him, steadfast in the faith…… Eph 6:16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And just like Christ, we will not challenge Satan’s God given authority. Scripture has some serious things to say about those who do – 2 Pe 2:9 then the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment, 10 and especially those who walk according to the flesh in the lust of uncleanness and despise authority. They are presumptuous, self-willed. They are not afraid to speak evil of dignitaries, 11 whereas angels, who are greater in power and might, do not bring a reviling accusation against them before the Lord. 12 But these, like natural brute beasts made to be caught and destroyed, speak evil of the things they do not understand, and will utterly perish in their own corruption….. It is one of the subtleties of our enemy’s deception, that he would want us to bring a reviling accusation against him week by week, as so many do because in doing this, we would place ourselves in rebellion against God’s established order. This would align us with the house of ‘our father, the devil’, a position we must get out from. 2). Now, the fallen angels exercise their rule through the Gentile nations of the earth, every nation that isn’t Israel. So, how did Jesus relate to the Roman Empire into which He was born? We do not see Jesus trying to bring about political change during His earthly ministry. Nor does He intervene to stop the oppression, the mistreatment and the corruption that went hand in hand with Roman occupation. Rather we see Him willingly and knowingly submitting Himself to a Gentile world power under the control of the fallen angels. This was something that He chose to do because of God’s established order, and because of what awaited Him for doing so, which the following verses will make clear for us – Jn 10:17 "Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. 18 "No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father." Jn 19:10 Then Pilate said to Him, "Are You not speaking to me? Do You not know that I have power to crucify You, and power to release You?" 11 Jesus answered, "You could have no power at all against Me unless it had been given you from above. And this intentional, deliberate, and purposeful submission under God’s established order provides profound revelation with respect to the everyday for us - Mt 22:17 "Tell us, therefore, what do You think? Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?" 18 But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, "Why do you test Me, you hypocrites? 19 "Show Me the tax money." So they brought Him a denarius. 20 And He said to them, "Whose image and inscription is this?" 21 They said to Him, "Caesar's." And He said to them, "Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." And from the perspective of the Kingdom seeking Christian this remains the same - Ro 13:1 Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves……….. 5 Therefore you must be subject, not only because of wrath but also for conscience’ sake. 6 For because of this you also pay taxes, for they are God's ministers attending continually to this very thing. 7 Render therefore to all their due: taxes to whom taxes are due, customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor. 8 Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law. Honesty, integrity, and transparency in the way we handle financial matters with respect to the present system of rulership is a command of Scripture. And as such, to do so should be seen as a positive privilege and never a negative. a). But even though knowing the Scripture, why might a Kingdom believer not do this? Well, listening to the wisdom from below would be one reason. Wisdom that says, it’s OK to see how much you can get away with. Wisdom that says you have mitigating circumstances that let you off. The reality though, from the Book of James is that we are drawn away by our own desires and enticed. And this truth from James reveals to us the root cause for ignoring what we read in Romans 13, it is covetousness, the deceitfulness of riches - Eph 5:3 ¶ But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints…. Col 3:5 ¶ Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. 6 Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience…. Ps 119:36 Incline my heart to Your testimonies, And not to covetousness. Covetousness is a pillar in ‘our father’s house’ that must be torn down. b). Implicit in the word covetousness is a love of money. Money of itself is not the issue, money is just money but – 1 Ti 6:10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. Covetousness has caused some to stray from the faith and can be a serious point of contact between us and our enemy because of the lie the world, and much of the church for that matter, perpetuates. And the lie is revealed by noting the following. Covetousness is manifested in two ways. Firstly, through believing that in the accumulation of wealth is to be found security and contentment. The lie says the more money I have the more secure I am going to be and that will bring me contentment. And secondly, covetousness is seen in exchanging our money for things. Again, believing that the more things I possess the more secure and content I will be. More/bigger/better would be the slogan. And this lie is at the heart of the so-called prosperity gospel, which is a doctrine of demons coming from deceiving spirits. It is also the lie the world wants us to embrace and we are bombarded with its enticement at every turn – Heb 13:5 Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” 6 So we may boldly say: “The LORD is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?” In covetousness, in both its forms, is seen a worship of the things of this world within the kingdom of Satan, which the Scripture calls idolatry, rather than faith in that which God has said about the Age to come. What we have or what we don’t have can have nothing to do with having faith to the saving of the soul – Php 4:12 I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. 13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. The world looks at the abundance of things possessed as a measure of success but for those of us whose heart is set on the Kingdom, our success cannot be measured in this age rather it will be revealed at the Judgment Seat through our faithful obedience – Lk 12:15 And He said to them, “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one's life [for the age] does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.” It will be in that Day that the true riches will be ours – Lk 16:11 Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? 12 And if you have not been faithful in what is another man's, who will give you what is your own? 13 “No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.” If we go back to the foundation in Genesis, we can find this very same tension between earthly riches and the riches of God’s promises demonstrated through Abraham’s giving of the tithe to Melchizedek – Ge 14:22 But Abram said to the king of Sodom, "I have raised my hand to the LORD, God Most High, the Possessor of heaven and earth, 23 "that I will take nothing, from a thread to a sandal strap, and that I will not take anything that is yours, lest you should say, 'I have made Abram rich' Now it is without doubt that, from a human perspective, Abraham was a very wealthy man, but his security and his hope were not in the abundance of things he possessed, but in the promises of God - Heb 11:10 for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God. Hence his reason for giving the tithe. It was an act of faith to the saving of the soul that expressed not only who he looked to for his provision but also the exponentially greater value of God’s promises over anything he might possess in this age. c). And in the Gospels, we can find a parable that Jesus gave that addressed covetousness - Lu 12:15 And He said to them, "Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one's life [in the Age to come] does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses." 16 Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: "The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. 17 "And he thought within himself, saying, 'What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?' 18 "So he said, 'I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. 19 'And I will say to my soul, "Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry."' 20 "But God said to him, 'Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?' 21 "So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God." This is particularly interesting because of what the Lord said in v20, ‘then whose will those things be which you have provided?’ Clearly, they were not going to be the rich man’s once he was dead, but implicit in the way the question is structured is that these things could somehow have been his. d). If this certain rich man had had a proper scriptural perspective on the things he possessed and had not been overcome by covetousness, the parable suggests that the things he possessed could have been turned into treasure in heaven. e). What we see from the parable though is that the certain rich man was obsessed with the abundance of the things he possessed. Bigger barns, more goods, all with a view to his security and contentment ‘for many years’. But in the very night that he felt his greatest security through his possessions, his soul was required of him. And at that moment nothing he possessed had any value. That which would have been of value and the only thing of value that he needed at that moment, faithfulness towards God, wasn’t there – Mt 16:26 For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? 27 For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works. None of us are guaranteed tomorrow, but we are guaranteed judgment at the Judgment Seat. What do you think will be important in that moment when we stand before the Lord? - Mt 6:19 ¶ "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; 20 "but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. And that said in v21 should grab our attention. Wherever we look to have riches is the place where our heart will be. Which begs us to ask the question, is our heart set on accumulating the treasures of this world or the treasures of the Age to come? f). Whether we have much or little in the way of material things is not the issue, the issue is where do we have our hope? Where is our home? Have we set our minds on things above and not on things on the earth? - Heb 11:36 Still others had trial of mockings and scourgings, yes, and of chains and imprisonment. 37 They were stoned, they were sawn in two, were tempted, were slain with the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented-- 38 of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, in dens and caves of the earth. 39 And all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise…. Now please note that these OT saints are not commended because of their destitute condition, but because of their faith in the promises of God in the midst of their afflictions. Nothing kept them from obtaining a good testimony through having faith to the saving of the soul. And in their determination and resoluteness, irrespective of the difficulty of their life, we can see the fulfillment for them, of having left their father’s house. g). Again, we are going to note that it is not the circumstances of our life on which we must focus but on our faithful obedience to the saving of the soul despite the condition we find ourselves in. We can observe this from Paul – Acts 20:22 And see, now I go bound in the spirit to Jerusalem, not knowing the things that will happen to me there, 23 except that the Holy Spirit testifies in every city, saying that chains and tribulations await me. 24 But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God. Paul knew that there were desperately hard times coming his way, but the one thing that mattered to him was that he finished his race with joy, the joy that was set before him, entering into the joy of his Lord. This is what getting out of our father’s house looks like. 3). And again, we will note that it is not money of itself that is an issue, but whether we have a worldly or a scriptural attitude toward it. We can look at the scriptural instructions for those who would be rich in this age - 1 Ti 6:17 Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. 18 Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, 19 storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on age lasting life. For those who are rich in this present age there is a command that they must follow if they are to get out from their father’s house, if they are to store up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, if they may lay hold of life for the Age to come. And the command is that they are not to be haughty, they are not to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God. They are to do good and be rich in good works; they must be ready to give and willing to share. This is clearly the complete opposite of what we saw with the certain rich man in the parable in Luke. However, had the certain rich man done that seen in 1 Timothy, then his great possessions would have given him treasures in heaven. a). James also addresses those who are rich in this age – Jas 1:9 Moreover, let the brother who is in lowly circumstances [poor and afflicted] be glorying in his exalted position [namely, in the midst of trials which teach him patience]. 10 But the one who is wealthy, let him be glorying in his humiliation [brought on by his trials and resulting in his being reduced to the level of the man who is poor and afflicted], because as the flower of the grass he shall come to an end; 11 for the sun arises with its scorching heat and the grass withers and its flower falls off and the beauty of its appearance is destroyed. So shall also the wealthy person fade away together with his undertakings. 12 Spiritually prosperous is the man who remains steadfast under trial, because after he has met the test and has been approved, he shall receive the crown, namely, that crown which has to do with the life [age lasting life], which [crown] He promised to those who love Him. [Wuest] Here we see the poor and the rich together, and both can ‘glory’ in their trials because of the outcome of those trials. And the end of v10 into v11 reminds us of something we had noted with the certain rich man. No matter how much anyone has in the way of riches, the day will come when that person stands before the Lord. Earthly riches at that moment will mean nothing, which is why v12 deals with the spiritual prosperity of those who remain steadfast under trial. No matter whether poor or rich, those who remain steadfast under the trial they go through because of their poverty or because of their riches, will receive the crown of life for the Age to come. b). And again, we see, that poor or rich is not what matters when it comes to the Kingdom, but faithful obedience to the commands of God in whatever circumstances we find ourselves, the spiritual riches we store up for ourselves for the Age to come. And let us not suppose that it is easier for the rich man to be faithful than the poor. Remember what Jesus said – Lk 18:25 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” 4). And finally, let’s look at this from within a corporate setting, let’s see what we are to do as the church - Ga 6:10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith. And firstly, we will see that as we have opportunity, we should do good to all, but especially to those who are of the household of faith. And we can take this a step further in James - Jas 2:14 What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, "Depart in peace, be warmed and filled," but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? 17 Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. In James we see the connection between having faith to the saving of the soul and works. The brother or sister who is naked and destitute of daily food are here part of the household of faith and to do good to them would be to give them the things which are needed for the body. a). And through John we can take this a step further still to bring us again to the royal law - 1Jo 3:16 By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. 17 But whoever has this world's goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? 18 My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. If we love our neighbor as our self, if we reach that pinnacle of agape love through the process to spiritual maturity, then the verses from 1 John show us what our actions will be. And what we see here we can take back to the beginning of the church as recorded in the Book of Acts – Ac 4:34 Nor was there anyone among them who lacked; for all who were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the proceeds of the things that were sold, 35 and laid them at the apostles' feet; and they distributed to each as anyone had need. Now, let’s not get hooked up on selling everything, we are certainly not required to do that, rather, let’s ask the question why did they do these things? The answer is simple. They had heard the Word of the Kingdom and therefore they knew that their focus was to be the Seventh Day not the present. Their material possessions did not possess them, and they saw the opportunity to help those who are of the household of faith that would enable them all to continue seeking first the Kingdom and His righteousness. b). Spiritual values and verities in relation to the coming Kingdom are all that matter, so let’s not let our brother or sister stumble in their faith through want of daily need if it is in our power to help. And so, if we will be wise and heed the instruction to get out from our country, and from our family, and from our father’s house so we will arrive at the glorious Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ – Heb 12:22 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, 23 to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, 24 to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel. 25 See that you do not refuse Him who speaks. For if they did not escape who refused Him who spoke on earth, much more shall we not escape if we turn away from Him who speaks from heaven, 26 whose voice then shook the earth; but now He has promised, saying, “Yet once more I shake not only the earth, but also heaven.” 27 Now this, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of those things that are being shaken, as of things that are made, that the things which cannot be shaken may remain. 28 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. 29 For our God is a consuming fire. 13:1 Let brotherly love continue. Next week we will continue with a new series if we remain and the Lord is willing, and we have prayed. No Common Ground - Part Six Aug 13, 2023 Speaker: John Herbert Series: No Common Ground Category: Sunday Morning https://s3.amazonaws.com/cornerstonejax/sermonfiles/T015_20230813.mp3 Download Audio x
Refresh A Recap from the Sermon Heb 2:9 But we see Jesus, who was made a little [for a little while] lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone. Today we will conclude our series on the ground that Satan has in common with us. The full text of this message can be found by clicking the PDF button. Sunday August 13th 2023 No Common Ground – Part 6 1). Jn 14:28 "You have heard Me say to you, 'I am going away and coming back to you.' If you loved Me, you would rejoice because I said, 'I am going to the Father,' for My Father is greater than I. 29 "And now I have told you before it comes, that when it does come to pass, you may believe. 30 "I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me. 31 "But that the world may know that I love the Father, and as the Father gave Me commandment, so I do. Arise, let us go from here. We have seen over and over in our study the reasons why the ruler of this world had not one thing, no common ground, no point of contact in Christ. Our Lord’s involvement with any aspect of the present world system before the time allotted for its overthrow would have given common ground to Satan. Consequently, what we know about how He conducted Himself at His first Advent is of profound significance – Heb 2:9 But we see Jesus, who was made a little [for a little while] lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone. And from these verses we can clearly see that there was purpose in the manner in which the Lord came to the earth. The purpose shows that He would suffer death to be ‘crowned with glory and honor’. a). And in the way that Jesus related to the present system of rulership during His first Advent we find our direction for the final steps to get us out from our country, our family, and our father’s house. The final steps of separation between us and the old man, between us and that common ground, that point of contact, that Satan has in us. b). And there are two facets to this that we will look at in this final part to our study. One has to do with authority and the other, which is connected to authority, has to do with money. c). And as we begin with authority let’s remember the verse that we read from Hebrews 2. Jesus was, for a little while, made lower than the angels - Jn 1:1 In beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. Col 1:16 For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. At the Lord’s first Advent, He came to the earth in a lesser position of authority than the fallen angels He had originally created, even though everything was created by Him and for Him. And for many, this truth becomes a rock of offense because it is ‘a hard saying’. But we MUST realize that God operates entirely within the parameters He has laid out in His Word of Truth and therefore He cannot violate that which He Himself has set in place. d). Although Jesus was born ‘King of the Jews’, that was not the time when He would exercise rulership in the place of Satan. Although He came to the Jewish people with the offer of the Kingdom of the heavens, this kingdom was and remained in Satan’s control. According to Hebrews 2:9, it would only be after suffering death that He would be crowned with glory and honor – Jn 18:33 Then Pilate entered the Praetorium again, called Jesus, and said to Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?” 34 Jesus answered him, “Are you speaking for yourself about this, or did others tell you this concerning Me?” 35 Pilate answered, “Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered You to me. What have You done?” 36 Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here.” 37 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.” Christ’s Kingdom is not of this age, His Kingdom is the Age to come. And as that Age was not going to begin at His first Advent, and Satan was not going to be removed from his position as the god of this age at that time either, Christ remained ‘lower than the angels’, for the purposes we have seen – Lk 4:5 Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. 6 And the devil said to Him, “All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. 7 Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours.” 8 And Jesus answered and said to him, “Get behind Me, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.’ ” These verses will suffice to show the truth that we have been discussing. Note what Satan said in v6 and note that in response, Jesus did not challenge his statement, because what Satan had said about the authority given to him was correct. And it remains correct even today and will remain so right up until the time that God removes him. And in the Book of the Revelation, around the mid-point in the tribulation, we can witness Satan giving his kingdom to his son, giving it to whomever he wishes – Re 13:2 Now the beast which I saw was like a leopard, his feet were like the feet of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. The dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority. Keep in mind though, that Christ was made lower than the angels for a little while to accomplish a specific purpose. And in connection with this, we will see this from earlier verses – Heb 2:6 But one testified in a certain place, saying: “What is man that You are mindful of him, Or the son of man that You take care of him? 7 You have made him a little lower than the angels; You have crowned him with glory and honor, And set him over the works of Your hands. 8 You have put all things in subjection under his feet.” For in that He put all in subjection under him, He left nothing that is not put under him. But now we do not yet see all things put under him. 9 But we see Jesus……. What do we see? We see that we have also been made for a little while lower than the angels. We are also seen as crowned with glory and honor, but not yet. We have been placed in positions of rulership over the works of God’s hands, but not yet. Until this age comes to an end, this remains true. There is purpose then for us being at present lower than the angels. And because the situation for those who will be joint heirs with Christ is shown to parallel that of Christ at His first Advent, what should our attitude to the present system of rulership be? Exactly the same as Christ’s was. e). We will in the present resist Satan’s wiles with the Word of Truth, just as Jesus did, just as we are told to do – 1 Pe 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. 9 Resist him, steadfast in the faith…… Eph 6:16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And just like Christ, we will not challenge Satan’s God given authority. Scripture has some serious things to say about those who do – 2 Pe 2:9 then the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment, 10 and especially those who walk according to the flesh in the lust of uncleanness and despise authority. They are presumptuous, self-willed. They are not afraid to speak evil of dignitaries, 11 whereas angels, who are greater in power and might, do not bring a reviling accusation against them before the Lord. 12 But these, like natural brute beasts made to be caught and destroyed, speak evil of the things they do not understand, and will utterly perish in their own corruption….. It is one of the subtleties of our enemy’s deception, that he would want us to bring a reviling accusation against him week by week, as so many do because in doing this, we would place ourselves in rebellion against God’s established order. This would align us with the house of ‘our father, the devil’, a position we must get out from. 2). Now, the fallen angels exercise their rule through the Gentile nations of the earth, every nation that isn’t Israel. So, how did Jesus relate to the Roman Empire into which He was born? We do not see Jesus trying to bring about political change during His earthly ministry. Nor does He intervene to stop the oppression, the mistreatment and the corruption that went hand in hand with Roman occupation. Rather we see Him willingly and knowingly submitting Himself to a Gentile world power under the control of the fallen angels. This was something that He chose to do because of God’s established order, and because of what awaited Him for doing so, which the following verses will make clear for us – Jn 10:17 "Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. 18 "No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father." Jn 19:10 Then Pilate said to Him, "Are You not speaking to me? Do You not know that I have power to crucify You, and power to release You?" 11 Jesus answered, "You could have no power at all against Me unless it had been given you from above. And this intentional, deliberate, and purposeful submission under God’s established order provides profound revelation with respect to the everyday for us - Mt 22:17 "Tell us, therefore, what do You think? Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?" 18 But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, "Why do you test Me, you hypocrites? 19 "Show Me the tax money." So they brought Him a denarius. 20 And He said to them, "Whose image and inscription is this?" 21 They said to Him, "Caesar's." And He said to them, "Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." And from the perspective of the Kingdom seeking Christian this remains the same - Ro 13:1 Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves……….. 5 Therefore you must be subject, not only because of wrath but also for conscience’ sake. 6 For because of this you also pay taxes, for they are God's ministers attending continually to this very thing. 7 Render therefore to all their due: taxes to whom taxes are due, customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor. 8 Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law. Honesty, integrity, and transparency in the way we handle financial matters with respect to the present system of rulership is a command of Scripture. And as such, to do so should be seen as a positive privilege and never a negative. a). But even though knowing the Scripture, why might a Kingdom believer not do this? Well, listening to the wisdom from below would be one reason. Wisdom that says, it’s OK to see how much you can get away with. Wisdom that says you have mitigating circumstances that let you off. The reality though, from the Book of James is that we are drawn away by our own desires and enticed. And this truth from James reveals to us the root cause for ignoring what we read in Romans 13, it is covetousness, the deceitfulness of riches - Eph 5:3 ¶ But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints…. Col 3:5 ¶ Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. 6 Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience…. Ps 119:36 Incline my heart to Your testimonies, And not to covetousness. Covetousness is a pillar in ‘our father’s house’ that must be torn down. b). Implicit in the word covetousness is a love of money. Money of itself is not the issue, money is just money but – 1 Ti 6:10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. Covetousness has caused some to stray from the faith and can be a serious point of contact between us and our enemy because of the lie the world, and much of the church for that matter, perpetuates. And the lie is revealed by noting the following. Covetousness is manifested in two ways. Firstly, through believing that in the accumulation of wealth is to be found security and contentment. The lie says the more money I have the more secure I am going to be and that will bring me contentment. And secondly, covetousness is seen in exchanging our money for things. Again, believing that the more things I possess the more secure and content I will be. More/bigger/better would be the slogan. And this lie is at the heart of the so-called prosperity gospel, which is a doctrine of demons coming from deceiving spirits. It is also the lie the world wants us to embrace and we are bombarded with its enticement at every turn – Heb 13:5 Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” 6 So we may boldly say: “The LORD is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?” In covetousness, in both its forms, is seen a worship of the things of this world within the kingdom of Satan, which the Scripture calls idolatry, rather than faith in that which God has said about the Age to come. What we have or what we don’t have can have nothing to do with having faith to the saving of the soul – Php 4:12 I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. 13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. The world looks at the abundance of things possessed as a measure of success but for those of us whose heart is set on the Kingdom, our success cannot be measured in this age rather it will be revealed at the Judgment Seat through our faithful obedience – Lk 12:15 And He said to them, “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one's life [for the age] does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.” It will be in that Day that the true riches will be ours – Lk 16:11 Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? 12 And if you have not been faithful in what is another man's, who will give you what is your own? 13 “No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.” If we go back to the foundation in Genesis, we can find this very same tension between earthly riches and the riches of God’s promises demonstrated through Abraham’s giving of the tithe to Melchizedek – Ge 14:22 But Abram said to the king of Sodom, "I have raised my hand to the LORD, God Most High, the Possessor of heaven and earth, 23 "that I will take nothing, from a thread to a sandal strap, and that I will not take anything that is yours, lest you should say, 'I have made Abram rich' Now it is without doubt that, from a human perspective, Abraham was a very wealthy man, but his security and his hope were not in the abundance of things he possessed, but in the promises of God - Heb 11:10 for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God. Hence his reason for giving the tithe. It was an act of faith to the saving of the soul that expressed not only who he looked to for his provision but also the exponentially greater value of God’s promises over anything he might possess in this age. c). And in the Gospels, we can find a parable that Jesus gave that addressed covetousness - Lu 12:15 And He said to them, "Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one's life [in the Age to come] does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses." 16 Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: "The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. 17 "And he thought within himself, saying, 'What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?' 18 "So he said, 'I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. 19 'And I will say to my soul, "Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry."' 20 "But God said to him, 'Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?' 21 "So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God." This is particularly interesting because of what the Lord said in v20, ‘then whose will those things be which you have provided?’ Clearly, they were not going to be the rich man’s once he was dead, but implicit in the way the question is structured is that these things could somehow have been his. d). If this certain rich man had had a proper scriptural perspective on the things he possessed and had not been overcome by covetousness, the parable suggests that the things he possessed could have been turned into treasure in heaven. e). What we see from the parable though is that the certain rich man was obsessed with the abundance of the things he possessed. Bigger barns, more goods, all with a view to his security and contentment ‘for many years’. But in the very night that he felt his greatest security through his possessions, his soul was required of him. And at that moment nothing he possessed had any value. That which would have been of value and the only thing of value that he needed at that moment, faithfulness towards God, wasn’t there – Mt 16:26 For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? 27 For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works. None of us are guaranteed tomorrow, but we are guaranteed judgment at the Judgment Seat. What do you think will be important in that moment when we stand before the Lord? - Mt 6:19 ¶ "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; 20 "but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. And that said in v21 should grab our attention. Wherever we look to have riches is the place where our heart will be. Which begs us to ask the question, is our heart set on accumulating the treasures of this world or the treasures of the Age to come? f). Whether we have much or little in the way of material things is not the issue, the issue is where do we have our hope? Where is our home? Have we set our minds on things above and not on things on the earth? - Heb 11:36 Still others had trial of mockings and scourgings, yes, and of chains and imprisonment. 37 They were stoned, they were sawn in two, were tempted, were slain with the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented-- 38 of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, in dens and caves of the earth. 39 And all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise…. Now please note that these OT saints are not commended because of their destitute condition, but because of their faith in the promises of God in the midst of their afflictions. Nothing kept them from obtaining a good testimony through having faith to the saving of the soul. And in their determination and resoluteness, irrespective of the difficulty of their life, we can see the fulfillment for them, of having left their father’s house. g). Again, we are going to note that it is not the circumstances of our life on which we must focus but on our faithful obedience to the saving of the soul despite the condition we find ourselves in. We can observe this from Paul – Acts 20:22 And see, now I go bound in the spirit to Jerusalem, not knowing the things that will happen to me there, 23 except that the Holy Spirit testifies in every city, saying that chains and tribulations await me. 24 But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God. Paul knew that there were desperately hard times coming his way, but the one thing that mattered to him was that he finished his race with joy, the joy that was set before him, entering into the joy of his Lord. This is what getting out of our father’s house looks like. 3). And again, we will note that it is not money of itself that is an issue, but whether we have a worldly or a scriptural attitude toward it. We can look at the scriptural instructions for those who would be rich in this age - 1 Ti 6:17 Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. 18 Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, 19 storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on age lasting life. For those who are rich in this present age there is a command that they must follow if they are to get out from their father’s house, if they are to store up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, if they may lay hold of life for the Age to come. And the command is that they are not to be haughty, they are not to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God. They are to do good and be rich in good works; they must be ready to give and willing to share. This is clearly the complete opposite of what we saw with the certain rich man in the parable in Luke. However, had the certain rich man done that seen in 1 Timothy, then his great possessions would have given him treasures in heaven. a). James also addresses those who are rich in this age – Jas 1:9 Moreover, let the brother who is in lowly circumstances [poor and afflicted] be glorying in his exalted position [namely, in the midst of trials which teach him patience]. 10 But the one who is wealthy, let him be glorying in his humiliation [brought on by his trials and resulting in his being reduced to the level of the man who is poor and afflicted], because as the flower of the grass he shall come to an end; 11 for the sun arises with its scorching heat and the grass withers and its flower falls off and the beauty of its appearance is destroyed. So shall also the wealthy person fade away together with his undertakings. 12 Spiritually prosperous is the man who remains steadfast under trial, because after he has met the test and has been approved, he shall receive the crown, namely, that crown which has to do with the life [age lasting life], which [crown] He promised to those who love Him. [Wuest] Here we see the poor and the rich together, and both can ‘glory’ in their trials because of the outcome of those trials. And the end of v10 into v11 reminds us of something we had noted with the certain rich man. No matter how much anyone has in the way of riches, the day will come when that person stands before the Lord. Earthly riches at that moment will mean nothing, which is why v12 deals with the spiritual prosperity of those who remain steadfast under trial. No matter whether poor or rich, those who remain steadfast under the trial they go through because of their poverty or because of their riches, will receive the crown of life for the Age to come. b). And again, we see, that poor or rich is not what matters when it comes to the Kingdom, but faithful obedience to the commands of God in whatever circumstances we find ourselves, the spiritual riches we store up for ourselves for the Age to come. And let us not suppose that it is easier for the rich man to be faithful than the poor. Remember what Jesus said – Lk 18:25 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” 4). And finally, let’s look at this from within a corporate setting, let’s see what we are to do as the church - Ga 6:10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith. And firstly, we will see that as we have opportunity, we should do good to all, but especially to those who are of the household of faith. And we can take this a step further in James - Jas 2:14 What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, "Depart in peace, be warmed and filled," but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? 17 Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. In James we see the connection between having faith to the saving of the soul and works. The brother or sister who is naked and destitute of daily food are here part of the household of faith and to do good to them would be to give them the things which are needed for the body. a). And through John we can take this a step further still to bring us again to the royal law - 1Jo 3:16 By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. 17 But whoever has this world's goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? 18 My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. If we love our neighbor as our self, if we reach that pinnacle of agape love through the process to spiritual maturity, then the verses from 1 John show us what our actions will be. And what we see here we can take back to the beginning of the church as recorded in the Book of Acts – Ac 4:34 Nor was there anyone among them who lacked; for all who were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the proceeds of the things that were sold, 35 and laid them at the apostles' feet; and they distributed to each as anyone had need. Now, let’s not get hooked up on selling everything, we are certainly not required to do that, rather, let’s ask the question why did they do these things? The answer is simple. They had heard the Word of the Kingdom and therefore they knew that their focus was to be the Seventh Day not the present. Their material possessions did not possess them, and they saw the opportunity to help those who are of the household of faith that would enable them all to continue seeking first the Kingdom and His righteousness. b). Spiritual values and verities in relation to the coming Kingdom are all that matter, so let’s not let our brother or sister stumble in their faith through want of daily need if it is in our power to help. And so, if we will be wise and heed the instruction to get out from our country, and from our family, and from our father’s house so we will arrive at the glorious Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ – Heb 12:22 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, 23 to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, 24 to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel. 25 See that you do not refuse Him who speaks. For if they did not escape who refused Him who spoke on earth, much more shall we not escape if we turn away from Him who speaks from heaven, 26 whose voice then shook the earth; but now He has promised, saying, “Yet once more I shake not only the earth, but also heaven.” 27 Now this, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of those things that are being shaken, as of things that are made, that the things which cannot be shaken may remain. 28 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. 29 For our God is a consuming fire. 13:1 Let brotherly love continue. Next week we will continue with a new series if we remain and the Lord is willing, and we have prayed.
