Through the Bible in 7 Hours: session VII

Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, are they time past or are they part of the now gospel? They are in the new testament so surely they pertain to us right? Let’s take a deep dive and see where they truly belong. Let’s pray...

Good morning and welcome to the next installment of Through the Bible in 7 Hours. We are walking in Grace and as you may have guessed from the intro, we are talking about the first four books in the New Testament, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. There is going to be a lot of scripture that we will be going through so be prepared to either pause it or go back and rewatch. Unfortunately, we don’t have the time to pause for each verse. For today, sit back and relax and enjoy the Word of God.

Obviously, Jesus Christ is the most unique and important person to have ever lived on this earth. I think that we can all agree on that one. These first four books of the New Testament set forth His earthly ministry. Our interests are of course peaked knowing this information, however, we need to remember that our Lord lived and ministered in the time past. If you don’t remember this, you will quickly find yourself confused and discouraged by what you find in these passages.

What is the theme of Matthew thru John?

First, they are still in the time past.

The middle wall of partition is still up. There is still a separation between Israel and the Gentiles.

[Mat 10:5-6 KJV] 5 These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into [any] city of the Samaritans enter ye not: 6 But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

[Mat 15:24 KJV] 24 But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

[Jhn 4:22 KJV] 22 Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews.

[Rom 15:8 KJV] 8 Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises [made] unto the fathers:

And of course they were still all still under the law of moses. Let’s look at....

[Mat 5:17-18 KJV] 17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. 18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.

[Mat 23:1-3 KJV] 1 Then spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples, 2 Saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat: 3 All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, [that] observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not.

[Mar 1:44 KJV] 44 And saith unto him, See thou say nothing to any man: but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer for thy cleansing those things which Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them.

Salvation was also still THROUGH Israel.

[Mar 7:24-30 KJV] 24 And from thence he arose, and went into the borders of Tyre and Sidon, and entered into an house, and would have no man know [it]: but he could not be hid. 25 For a [certain] woman, whose young daughter had an unclean spirit, heard of him, and came and fell at his feet: 26 The woman was a Greek, a Syrophenician by nation; and she besought him that he would cast forth the devil out of her daughter. 27 But Jesus said unto her, Let the children first be filled: for it is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast [it] unto the dogs. 28 And she answered and said unto him, Yes, Lord: yet the dogs under the table eat of the children's crumbs. 29 And he said unto her, For this saying go thy way; the devil is gone out of thy daughter. 30 And when she was come to her house, she found the devil gone out, and her daughter laid upon the bed.

[Luk 19:8-10 KJV] 8 And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore [him] fourfold. 9 And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.

Now let’s compare some verses here.....

Let's take John 3:16 and Matthew 10:5,6

[Jhn 3:16 KJV] 16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

[Mat 10:5-6 KJV] 5 These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into [any] city of the Samaritans enter ye not: 6 But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

How can this clear difference be explained???

How can it be that “whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlationg life”?

How can it be that Jesus was only ministering to the Jews?

Isn’t this a contradiction???

The short answer is no.

The long answer is that we have to remember some previous verses that we have gone over. The answer is a dispensational one for it is found in the covenant made with Abraham.

Remember Genesis 12: 3,4?

[Gen 12:3-4 KJV] 3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. 4 So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram [was] seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran.

The scriptures had long predicted that salvation was to go to the Gentiles right? But how? THROUGH redeemed Israel.

[Isa 60:1-3 KJV] 1 Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee. 2 For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. 3 And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.

THIS is why Christ confined his earthly ministry to Israel. In fact, John 3:16 was a stinging rebuke to Israel for actually hindering the sending of salvation to the world by their own unbelief!

Now, continuing on, they were preaching “the Gospel of the Kingdom”.

[Mat 4:23 KJV] 23 And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom.....

[Mat 9:35 KJV] 35 And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom.....

[Mat 24:14 KJV] 14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached....

There are 4 things that we learned about Time Past that are all still true during the earthly ministry of Christ.

1. Israel is still God’s chosen nation in the earth.

2. The Law of Moses is still the operating system.

3. Gentile salvation was still available only through Israel.

4. The goal is still the establishment of the earthly Kingdom promised and prophesied in Scripture.

We have now come to a New phase of Israel’s program. What is it? Well let’s just look and see.

The New Testament begins with a very interesting verse.

[Mat 1:1 KJV] 1 The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.

This is the first book of the New Testament and still in Time Past: thus making it a Transitional book.

This is the first time the name “Jesus Christ” appears in Scripture and He is introduced as The Son of David ~ The Son of Abraham.

The long promised Kingdom was now at hand.

[Mat 3:2 KJV] 2 And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

[Mar 1:14-15 KJV] 14 Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, 15 And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.

A new stage in God’s program with Israel had begun.

[Luk 16:16 KJV] 16 The law and the prophets [were] until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it.

The ministry of John the Baptist marks a new beginning in the national life of Israel. The law and prophets prophesied exclusively until John, but with John the announcement that the Kingdom was “at hand” officially began. This “good news” became the pressing issue.

Now check this one out. Here is the gathering of the governmental structure of His Kingdom.

People think this is about money but I'm here to tell you that it isn’t about the money, but about how you spread the Word of God. This is something that is for us but not to us. It is something that we can apply to our own lives to remind us to teach.

[Luk 19:11-27 KJV] 11 And as they heard these things, he added and spake a parable, because he was nigh to Jerusalem, and because they thought that the kingdom of God should immediately appear. 12 He said therefore, A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return. 13 And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come. 14 But his citizens hated him, and sent a message after him, saying, We will not have this [man] to reign over us. 15 And it came to pass, that when he was returned, having received the kingdom, then he commanded these servants to be called unto him, to whom he had given the money, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading. 16 Then came the first, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained ten pounds. 17 And he said unto him, Well, thou good servant: because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities. 18 And the second came, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained five pounds. 19 And he said likewise to him, Be thou also over five cities. 20 And another came, saying, Lord, behold, [here is] thy pound, which I have kept laid up in a napkin: 21 For I feared thee, because thou art an austere man: thou takest up that thou layedst not down, and reapest that thou didst not sow. 22 And he saith unto him, Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee, [thou] wicked servant. Thou knewest that I was an austere man, taking up that I laid not down, and reaping that I did not sow: 23 Wherefore then gavest not thou my money into the bank, that at my coming I might have required mine own with usury? 24 And he said unto them that stood by, Take from him the pound, and give [it] to him that hath ten pounds. 25 (And they said unto him, Lord, he hath ten pounds.) 26 For I say unto you, That unto every one which hath shall be given; and from him that hath not, even that he hath shall be taken away from him. 27 But those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay [them] before me.

Here it is saying that the more “money” you make, the more that people are made known of Him, the more responsibility He will give you. The more you prove yourself.

There is also this verse here:

[Mat 19:28 KJV] 28 And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

Let’s talk briefly about baptism and how important it was at this time.

[Mar 1:4 KJV] 4 John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.

[Luk 7:29-30 KJV] 29 And all the people that heard [him], and the publicans, justified God, being baptized with the baptism of John. 30 But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the counsel of God against themselves, being not baptized of him.

[Act 13:24 KJV] 24 When John had first preached before his coming the baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel.

John preached a “national baptism” as a means of a National Repentance.

[Jhn 1:30-34 KJV] 30 This is he of whom I said, After me cometh a man which is preferred before me: for he was before me. 31 And I knew him not: but that he should be made manifest to Israel, therefore am I come baptizing with water. 32 And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him. 33 And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost. 34 And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God.

John’s baptism was the means of identifying Messiah to Israel.

Let's go to the Old Testament and look at Exodus 19

[Exo 19:5-6 KJV] 5 Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth [is] mine: 6 And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These [are] the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.

[Exo 29:1, 4, 7 KJV] 1 And this [is] the thing that thou shalt do unto them to hallow them, to minister unto me in the priest's office: Take one young bullock, and two rams without blemish, ... 4 And Aaron and his sons thou shalt bring unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and shalt wash them with water. ... 7 Then shalt thou take the anointing oil, and pour [it] upon his head, and anoint him.

[Eze 36:25-28 KJV] 25 Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. 26 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do [them]. 28 And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and ye shall be my people, and I will be your God.

These scriptures are to prove to you that this is a National Cleansing in order for them to function in their role as a Kingdom of Priests.

[Isa 61:6 KJV] 6 But ye shall be named the Priests of the LORD: [men] shall call you the Ministers of our God: ye shall eat the riches of the Gentiles, and in their glory shall ye boast yourselves.

The last point I am going to make is that even His own did not receive Him!

[Jhn 1:11-12 KJV] 11 He came unto his own, and his own received him not. 12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, [even] to them that believe on his name:

He came unto His own, His nation of Israel. They rejected him!

They de-emphasized His public ministry

[Mat 12:14 KJV] 14 Then the Pharisees went out, and held a council against him, how they might destroy him.

They De-emphasized His Messianic Office

[Mat 16:20 KJV] 20 Then charged he his disciples that they should tell no man that he was Jesus the Christ.

And the De-emphasized His Messianic Glory

[Mat 17:9 KJV] 9 And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying, Tell the vision to no man, until the Son of man be risen again from the dead.

As many as received Him, He trained as the little flock for the ministry they would have during his coming absence.

[Jhn 17:4 KJV] 4 I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.

The work of the training the little flock.

At the conclusion of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John the little flock is poised to continue the ministry Christ had trained them to perform, and extend to the nation Israel a renewed opportunity of Repentance and Salvation. The opportunity to at last be the blessing to the world they were created to be.

I know this was a lot of scripture. I know I didn’t give you time to look all of this up to read along with me, but you can always go back and watch it again and look up the scripture yourself. Also, the majority of what was said in this is in the description, so you could always go through the description and look at it there. Remember, Jesus was sent to save Israel and if any of the Gentiles wanted to be saved as well, they had to go through Israel. They had to bless Israel. This is Time Past. Next week we are going to continue our study in the first 4 books of the New testament and why 4 Gospels were recorded. Have a great week and we will see you next saturday at 10 am!