2-LJ 07 2nd Year

q LIFE OF JESUS 2019 MINISTRY - 2nd YEAR Part 4 Lesson #7 PREPARATION FOR LESSON: Matthew 8:23 - 9:26;12:22 - 13:53; Mark 3:20 - 5:43; Luke 8:4-56 or Harmony of the 4 Gospels, SECTIONS 60-65 EXPLANATIONS Jesus’ ”brothers and sisters “ Matt. 12:46-50; Mark 3:31-35; Luke 8:19-21 The Greek word, adelphos, can mean any near relative, so the Greek word does not prove anything. Roman Catholics say they are cousins; Protestants say they are half-brothers/sisters; why not say, blood relatives? When we argue over exact relationships, we miss the contrast Jesus is making. The Jews believed they had a right to the Kingdom because of blood-ties to Abraham. Jesus is saying it is spiritual-ties with Abraham that gives the right to enter the Kingdom. Messianic miracle #2 - healing of a mute person with an evil spirit Matt. 12:22-24 The Sanhedrin believed that exorcism was done thru the power of the Holy Spirit. They believed the rabbi first had to ask the evil spirit’s name. It would answer by using the voice of the person. Knowing the name of the sprit gave the rabbi power and authority to command it to leave the person. But if the evil spirit controlled the person so he could not speak, then the rabbi had no way of knowing the name of the spirit. Therefore he could not command it to leave. Only the Messiah could know the name of a demon if the person could not talk. Therefore, only He could command the spirit to leave. This is the 2nd of 3 Messianic miracles, the way the Sanhedrin could identify their Messiah. Matt. 12:23 The Sanhedrin - was given the responsibility by God to identify the Messiah when He came and then to make a one-time decision for the nation, Yes, He is our Messiah or no, He is not and this is why. It is the most important decision they will ever make. Their decision will forever change history in one way or another. With a yes answer, the perfect kingdom will come in their lifetime. With a no answer, the perfect kingdom will be postponed indefinitely. Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit - The Unpardonable Sin - only possible by the Jewish nation in the 1st century. ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ The Sanhedrin know true miracles are done only by the power of the Holy Spirit. They know the Messiah will work in the power of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit of the Lord is on Me. Isa. 61:1 They see evidence Jesus has done 2 Messianic miracles that by their teaching, only the Messiah could do. They have the proof, but reject Jesus because He will not do things their way - obey Mishnah laws. They tell the people He is doing the miracles thru sorcery - by the power of the head-demon Beelzebub. He is not from God but from Satan; He is not from heaven, but from hell; He is in league with the devil. It is a national decision that is final for that generation - it cannot be changed. Mt. 12:31-32 It is a also a decision that cannot be forgiven. It is why it is called the unpardonable sin. No forgiveness for the nation in the 1st century. Israel will be taken off the map in 70 AD. No forgiveness for the Jews who said these words in this age - meaning the Old Testament age or period when sin is still forgiven by animal sacrifices. There was no animal sacrifice for blasphemy, so there could be no forgiveness. In the age to come - the Church age, if they still reject Jesus in spite of the conviction of the Holy Spirit, they would be eternally separated from God. Mark 3:29. After Pentecost, if any Sanhedrin member repented, there was forgiveness for individuals because Jesus’ payment was for all sin, including blasphemy. Jesus’ payment would forgive by taking away the sin. Summary of the Unpardonable Sin of the 1st Century It is a one-time sin, that only the Jewish nation could commit in the 1st century. It is a one-time consequence - the nation was destroyed in the 1st century - 70 AD. This sin can never be committed again. Therefore it is not a sin anyone can commit today. With national rejection, Jesus’ ministry to the nation is finished; His ministry is now to individuals ◆ Miracles: No longer on a group basis; now they are only for individuals who express their need. Faith is required; they are used to train the apostles; they are often done privately. (Before the national rejection, everyone was encouraged to tell others about healing. The exception is the man with leprosy who needed to go immediately to the Sanhedrin to be declared healed. q MINISTRY - 2nd YEAR part 4 Page 2 With national rejection, Jesus’ ministry to the nation is finished; His ministry is now to individuals ◆ ◆ Miracles: (contined) Now the ones healed are commanded not to tell, so people do not think Jesus is still offering the perfect kingdom. The only exception is the Gentiles, who tell their own people so they will want to know more. The apostles are commanded not to tell others that Jesus is the Messiah until the resurrection. Teaching: only in parables; for those who believe, parables illustrate the truth. for those who reject Him, parables hide the truth to limit their harassment. Kingdom of God or kingdom of heaven - phrases mean the same thing; the way God’s control is experienced in history. ◆ Five different forms - all but the Theocracy are world-wide Universal kingdom: God is sovereign and in control “He’s got the whole universe in His hands”. Spiritual, invisible kingdom: My kingdom is not of this world; the kingdom of God is within you. Includes all believers thruout all of history. Theocracy of the Old Testament: a literal, physical kingdom with a king ruling on God’s behalf (David). Future kingdom of Jesus: a literal, perfect kingdom where Jesus is King; it is a theocracy of 1000 years. Postponed when the Jewish nation of the 1st century rejects Him as their Messiah King Temporary, divided kingdom: A time of continued battle between God and Satan for the minds and hearts of people. Begins at the time of national rejection and continues until Jesus’ physical, future kingdom. ◆ Parables describe new concepts in the temporary kingdom. Matt. 13:11 Seed: The message about Jesus will be given with a variety of responses. Satan, society and our own desires will oppose it. False wheat and true wheat: God will have His people; Satan will have his; until the time of judgment, it will be impossible to know for sure, which is which. Mustard seed: the kingdom starts small with information about Jesus but grows rapidly. The birds picture those who want to destroy the message about Jesus within the temporary kingdom. Yeast in flour: The divided kingdom will have false religions with false teaching about Jesus and His message. Treasure: Jesus values the Jews and provides salvation for individual Jews in spite of national rejection. Pearl: Jesus values Gentiles and provides salvation for them; they no longer have to convert to Judaism. Net: at the end of the divided kingdom, Gentiles will be judged, based on their response to Jesus. Householder: some things are like other forms of God’s kingdom; other things are new. The Storm Calmed Jesus muzzles the wind and waves - it is the same word and command He used to silence an evil spirit in a man. The storm was an attack by Satan to kill Jesus before He could get to the cross. The apostles learn 2 lessons: That Jesus has power against Satan’s attacks. That even in areas where they have experience, they cannot handle life on their own. They must depend on Jesus. He is sufficient for every situation. Healings Two Gentile men possessed with evil spirits - Jesus tells them to share the news of their healing with their own people. An unnamed woman with an unexplained bleeding problem for 12 years touches Jesus’ cloak and is healed. Jesus operating from deity, knows who it is, what she has done and why. With His public question He forces her to come forward. He wants to reassure her - her faith has healed her and she can go into peace with health of body and soul. Mark 5:34 q MINISTRY - 2nd YEAR part 4 Page 3 Healings (continued) The daughter of Jairus, the synagogue leader Jesus does the miracle in private; he tells the parents not to tell what happened. Lesson for the parents - Jesus now responds to individuals on the basis of faith and need. Lesson for the apostles - Jesus has power over death thru resurrection. He uses the word sleeping to describe death in order to emphasize that death is temporary. In the literal sense, after we sleep, we wake up and the body becomes active again. When the body is put in the ground at death, it is like sleeping. It will awaken at the resurrection. The body will become active again when it is reunited with our soul and spirit. APPLICATION In the 1st century, the Sanhedrin rejected Jesus because He did not accept their values and rules. They wanted to keep their power, authority and control. Jesus said if they wanted to be in His kingdom, they had to live by His rules and do it His way. In our day the issue is the same: our ways or God’s ways? Our ideas or God’s commands? Our nation must decide - will we live by Judeo-Christian standards or the world’s standards? The Church must decide - will we spiritually develop and grow using the ways of the world or the ways of God? We as individuals must decide Will we accept what the world says is right or what God says is right? Are we going to live, doing things our way or God’s way? Do we see ourselves as able to go it alone or do we recognize how much we need God in our life? The future of our nation, the Church and our lives is determined by our answer. p