Message 12 - By Leroy Surface
The Generation of Christ
A seed shall serve him; it shall be accounted to the Lord
for a generation. They shall come, and shall declare his righteousness unto a
people that shall be born, that he hath done this.
Psalms 22:30-31
He was taken from prison and from
judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the
land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.
Isaiah 53:8
From the beginning of time, from the very day that Adam disobeyed
God and sin entered the world, God
gave a promise of a “seed” to come. Speaking to (and of) the one who had “beguiled” Eve, which lead to the transgression of
Adam, God tells the Serpent, “...I will put
enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it (He) shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel” (Genesis 3:15). There would be a “seed of the woman” that would put His heel on the head of the
serpent. This is the first promise of a redeemer, given on the day of the fall
of man. This “redeemer” is Jesus
Christ, the only begotten Son of God that was born of a woman. God said this “seed of the woman” would bruise the
serpent’s head, but the serpent would bruise the heel of the “seed.” This was fulfilled to
perfection, when at Calvary, “...through
death…,” Jesus destroyed“...him that
had the power of death, that is, the devil” (Hebrews 2:14).
Two thousand years later God gives wonderful promises to Abraham
about a “seed” that would come. “In blessing I
will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon
the sea shore; and thy seed shall
possess the gate of his enemies; And in thy
seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast
obeyed my voice” (Genesis 22:17-18). Again,
this promise is fulfilled at the cross of Calvary where Jesus died for the sin
of the world. There He “possessed”
the gate of His enemy. He “led captivity
captive” (Ephesians 4:8). He opened the prison doors (Isaiah 61:1). In Hebrews 5:9, “...He became
the author of eternal salvation to all them that obey Him.” The apostle Paul
confirms that Jesus is that promised
“seed of Abraham” in Galatians 3:16, saying, “Now
to Abraham and his seed were the
promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ”. Pay close
attention to the words of Paul in the nineteenth
verse; “Wherefore then serveth the law?
It was added because of transgressions, till
the seed should come to whom the promise was made.” And the twenty-sixth verse: “For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ
Jesus”. He concludes the
chapter with these words in the twenty-ninth
verse; “And if ye be Christ’s, then are
ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” Do you belong to Jesus Christ? Have you been “born again” of the Spirit of God? If so,
you are both a “child of God” and the “seed
of Abraham” through faith in Jesus Christ.
The “Seed” of Christ
A seed shall serve him; it shall be accounted to the Lord
for a generation. They shall come, and shall declare his righteousness unto a
people that shall be born, that he hath done this.
Psalms 22:30-31
The twenty-second chapter of Psalms is an amazing prophecy of Jesus
Christ and His people. The first twenty-one verses describe the sufferings of
Jesus on the cross, beginning with the words, “My
God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me.” In this psalm,
David speaks of several things that happened at Calvary, including the “piercing” of the hands and feet of
Jesus, the soldiers dividing his clothes and gambling for His cloak, as well as
the very words of those that mocked Jesus as He hung on the cross. The last half of the chapter tells of the “results” of His death and resurrection,
ending with the promise of a “seed”
that will serve Him. That “seed” of
promise would be the “generation of the
Lord.”
Isaiah speaks of these same things in the fifty-third chapter of Isaiah. In that chapter, Isaiah tells of the
life, sufferings, atoning death, resurrection, and reign of Jesus in amazing
detail. Surely we all know verses like Isaiah
53:3-5; “He is despised
and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as
it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he
hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken,
smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he
was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and
with his stripes we are healed” (Isaiah 53:3-5). Perhaps many are not as familiar with the following verse: “He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who
shall declare his generation? for
he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my
people was he stricken” (Isaiah 53:8).
Note the question, “Who shall
declare His generation?”. The generation
of a man is declared at his funeral. My generation at present is six children,
and fourteen grandchildren. Jesus died without a generation. He left no “seed” when He died on the cross. Two verses later Isaiah writes this: “Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to
grief: when thou shalt make his soul an
offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the
pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand” (Isaiah 53:10). When Jesus’ soul was
made an offering for sin, reconciliation between God and man was made in His
death on the cross. Our “...old man...” was “...crucified
with Him...” (Romans 6:6). In His
resurrection, a “...new man...” was birthed with Him (I
Peter 1:3). It was just as Isaiah had said; “...He
shall see His seed... .” We who are born of God are “...His
seed... .” We are “...the
generation of (‘...the Lord...’) Jesus
Christ...”. We do “serve Him.” We do “...declare His
righteousness unto a people that shall be born”. We do preach the
gospel of “...Jesus Christ, and Him
crucified... ;” which is the “righteousness of God.” Paul tells us in
Romans 3:25 that God set forth His
son Jesus, “...to be a propitiation through
faith in His blood, to declare His righteousness for the remission of sins that
are past… .” Jesus’ suffering
and dying on the cross for us, declares to the entire world that God is just. His atoning death and
victorious resurrection is the “righteousness of God” to all who can,
and will, believe. We declare His righteousness “...to
a people that shall be born…”. There
is no other way for man to come to God other than through the death and resurrection
of Jesus Christ. “A people that shall be
born” speaks not just of a future generation, but in particular, to all
those who will hear and believe the truth of the gospel, and be “born of God” because of the gospel we
preach. Finally, in declaring the “righteousness of God,” we declare “that He hath done this”. The true
gospel message consists of all that Jesus did in our behalf when He suffered at
the hands of sinners, and freely laid down His life for us.
“Sons of God”
Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon
us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us
not, because it knew him not.
I John 3:1
In the previous verse, I
John 2:29, John said, “If ye know
that he is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born
of him”. This is the first
mention in this epistle of the “New
Birth.” John was the only apostle, and writer, that told us of the exchange
between Jesus and Nicodemus. In the third
chapter of John, Jesus tells Nicodemus, “Ye (you) must be born again,” and essentially,
Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. In his first epistle, John tells us clearly
what the evidences are that a man is
born of God. The first is in the twenty-ninth verse. It is righteousness,
and the standard of righteousness is “His
righteousness”. “If ye know that He is righteous, ye know that
every one that doeth righteousness is born of Him.” The greatest of
man’s effort at righteousness is no better than “filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6). There is a gulf between the
righteousness of man and the righteousness of God that no man can span. It is
for that reason that if you see a person doing His “righteousness,” you know that he (or she) is “born of God.”
At the first mention of man being “Born of God,” John begins to rejoice at the “manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us.” He is speaking
of Calvary. “But God commendeth his love
toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). This is that “manner of love,” that the Son of God
would lay down His life for sinners. We were enemies, yet Jesus died for us to
reconcile us to God (Romans 5:10).
The language John uses in this verse is beautiful: “Behold
what manner of love…,” and it was all for this one purpose, “…that we
should be called the sons of God.”
Beloved, now are we the sons of God,
and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall
appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
I John 3:2
John, not content to leave us in the place of only being “called” the sons of God, continues in
this next verse, “...now are we
the sons of God…”. He takes every
question away. We are not “becoming” sons
of God. We are not in a process of “being”
born of God, but “right now, we are the
sons of God.” John continues, “…and it doth
not yet appear what we shall be…”. The potential of all we shall be is
inherent in the fact that we are, right now, the sons of God. When Peter wrote
in I Peter 1:23, “Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of
incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever,” he spoke of a present reality and not a lifetime process.
When John writes, “It doth not
yet appear what we shall be…,” he establishes that “being born again” a son of God is our starting point and not our
goal. We are not what we shall be, but neither are we what we were. We were
sinners, ungodly, enemies of God, but He saved us from our sin, gave us His
life, and brought us to the Father. John continues in this third chapter to tell us that those who are “born of God” do not sin, instead, they “do
righteousness”. He tells us in the fourth chapter that those who are born
of God “love” with the love of
God, because “God is love.” In chapter five
He tells us that the one born of God “overcomes
the world.” These things define what a son of God is. John says in I John 5:13, “These things have I written unto you that believe on the
name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life….”
Consider the Son
Thou son of man, shew the house to the
house of Israel, that they may be ashamed of their iniquities: and let them measure
the pattern.
Ezekiel 43:10
Consider baby Jesus. The Angel Gabriel had told Mary, “That holy
thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God” (Luke 1:35). That baby in the manger, wrapped
in swaddling clothes, was the Son of God. He was no sinner, for He had no sin
nature. Yet, it did not “appear” what this baby
would be. Hebrews 5:9 says, “And being made perfect (complete;
mature), He
became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him.”
Many have wondered about the childhood of Jesus. Luke tells us
about it. From eight days of age until twelve years, Luke says, “And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled
with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him” (Luke 2:40). From twelve years until He
was about thirty years of age Luke records, “And
Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour (grace) with
God and man” (Luke 2:51-52). When He was thirty years of age, the apostle John says of Him, “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we
beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of
grace and truth” (John 1:14). Notice the three stages of grace in the earthly life of
Jesus:
1. Grace was upon
Him,
2. He increased in
grace, and,
3. He was full of
grace.
In Jesus we find a “pattern” for
God’s dealing with all His obedient sons for all time. It is also a pattern
that will be fulfilled and finished in His church before the second coming of
our Lord Jesus Christ.
Cause and Effect
Herein is our love made perfect, that
we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in
this world.
I John 4:17
In this single verse of scripture there are two “causes” and two “effects.” The ultimate goal is “...that
we may have boldness in the day of judgment”.
Hebrews 9:27 says, “It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the
judgment”. Men fear death
because they fear the judgment. They fear to stand before God and be judged. In
Romans 14:10-12, Paul said, “For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of
Christ. For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to
me, and every tongue shall confess to God. So then every one of us shall give
account of himself to God”. Contrary to what
many today believe, even the sons of God will give account before God; but the
apostle John tells us how we can “...have
boldness in the day of judgment.” It is that “...our
love (be) made
perfect... .” John continues in
verse eighteen, “Perfect love casteth out fear... he that feareth is not
made perfect in love.” He speaks of the “fear”
of standing before God in the judgment. The potential of our love being
perfected is due to the “root cause”
mentioned in this text: “Because as He is, so
are we in this world.” He relates to the
previous chapter, I John 3:2, “Now are we the sons of God, and it doth not appear what
we shall be….” The potential of all we shall be begins with our “new birth,” that we are born of God.
Growing in Grace
The baby Jesus grew, but He did not grow from sin to righteousness.
He was never a sinner. Neither is that “new
born” baby in Christ a sinner. The “old
man of sin” has been crucified, nailed to the cross of Christ. It is
finished. The “grace of God” is upon
that baby, and he will “grow in grace.” Everything the babe in Christ will ever
become for God is in direct relationship to the “grace” that is given to him. Satan, the “god of this
world,” has blinded the minds of millions of people in the church to the
grace of God. Because they are “blind,”
all they can see when they hear the word
“grace” is a “covering” for their
sin. Grace has never been a “covering.” The only definition for “grace” that comes to their mind is “unmerited favor”. Certainly Jesus dying
on the cross for us was unmerited favor, but that is not the definition of
grace. Grace is given only to God’s “sons
and daughters,” not to sinners. Even so, James says, “...God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the
humble”. Read Romans 5:1-2 where Paul speaks of “...this grace wherein we stand... .” Hebrews 12:28 tells us of “…grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with
reverence and godly fear.”
In I Corinthians 15:9
Paul gives this view of himself: “For I am the
least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I
persecuted the church of God.” In the next verse he gives his view of grace.
“But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon
me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I,
but the grace of God which was with me.” What was Paul? In his view, he was the “least of the apostles,” but before God
and after almost two thousand years of church history, Paul was the greatest of
all apostles even to this present time. “...But
by the grace of God I am what I am.” He was aware of the wonderful thing God
had done in him and through him, but he took no credit. “Yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.”
Peter begins his second epistle, II Peter 1:2, with “Grace and
peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our
Lord.” Peter ends the
same epistle with; “But grow in
grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ...” (II Peter 3:18). Grace is the necessary area of growth in Christ. Paul speaks of “growing” in Ephesians 4:15: “But speaking
the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ”. Oh what a
powerful word this is from the apostle, but no more so than that which he spoke
in the two previous verses, “Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the
knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the
stature of the fulness of Christ: that we henceforth be no more children…” (Ephesians 4:13-14).
I cannot hear of the “fullness of Christ”
without remembering the words of John
1:14, “...(and we beheld His glory,
the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth”. For the church to come to the “...measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ...,” it must first
receive the “fullness of grace.”
Our Greatest Need
But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he
saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.
James 4:6
The greatest need of the church today is more grace. It is common
to seek more power, but that is not our greatest need. In the first generation
of the church, in fact, at the “birth” of
the church, God poured out of His Spirit upon them, and they were all filled
with the Holy Ghost. God “endued
(clothed)” them with power, and Acts 4:23 says, “And with great
power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great
grace was upon them all”. Notice the two
things the scripture says were “great.” There
was “great power,” and there was “great grace.” The greatest of these is
grace. Any man or woman that is full of the Holy Ghost has access to great
power. I have found whenever I seek the presence of God with much prayer and
fasting I will see miracles through this ministry. I, and other men of God,
have seen blind eyes opened, deaf ears made to hear, visible growths instantly
disappear, incurable diseases cured; even a woman that was dying in the last
stages of aids was healed and restored to perfect health; but none of these
things brought the harvest of souls we must have. It is foolish to think that a
greater miracle would bring revival, but it is beyond doubt that “great grace” will.
The first generation of the church was the one in which the “foundation” was laid. The church of
Jesus Christ was purchased at Calvary, and birthed at Pentecost. They saw the
death and resurrection of Jesus and His ascension to Heaven. They saw the
prophecy of Joel fulfilled on the Day of Pentecost. The church was born in
glory and power, and received great grace. In that first generation of the
church there was a great harvest of souls. The gospel of Jesus Christ went to
the Gentile nations and multitudes in them received it with gladness. The
church was established in almost every nation of the known world of that time.
This wonderful move of God that swept across that world was a result of the “grace” that was given to the apostles,
and especially to Paul. Paul’s testimony in Ephesians 3:8 was this: “Unto
me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the
unsearchable riches of Christ.” Paul recognized that the “necessary ingredient” to make the
preaching of the gospel effective is “grace.”
The Holy Ghost is given to clothe the church (the believer) with “power:” grace is given to clothe us
with “Christ.” Note the next verse:
And to make all men see what is the
fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid
in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:
Ephesians 3:9
This grace was given to
Paul, not only to preach the “unsearchable
riches of Christ,” but also “to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery.” How desperately the present day church needs “that grace.” The “church”
of this hour has lost its way. Living in the last hours of time, with the “time of trouble” spoken of by both
Daniel and Jesus rushing upon us, the popular church has so lost its way that
it is preaching “the riches of the
Gentiles” instead of the “unsearchable
riches of Christ.” Many have believed the “glory” of the church is silver and gold, material prosperity
instead of Jesus Christ. They have believed that the “grace of God” is permission for them to continue in their
lascivious ways, fulfilling every lust of their covetous hearts with greedy
aspirations. God forbid! Grace is what Christ is. The apostles were
eyewitnesses of His glory. They described it as “full of grace and truth” (John
1:14). The more grace a believer
receives, the more of Christ is revealed.
But when it pleased God, who separated
me from my mother's womb, and called me by his grace, to reveal his Son in me,
that I might preach him among the heathen; immediately I conferred not with
flesh and blood:
Galatians 1:15-16
Notice what it is that God was pleased to do: “…to reveal His Son in me….” This was the testimony of the apostle
Paul. He said it pleased God to reveal Jesus Christ “in” him, “that (in order that) I might preach Him among the heathen.”
This is the grace of God. It reveals Christ “in” the one receiving “abundance of grace” (Romans 5:17). It is not enough for the
lost world just to “hear of” the “unsearchable riches of Christ,” they
must also “see” those riches: they
must “see” Christ. To see Christ “in
us” is their greatest need. And our greatest need is for that fullness of grace that reveals Christ
“in us” (His people).
We are the generation that will see the return of Jesus Christ to
this earth. Before His return, however, we will see the completion of the
church. Just as the foundation of the church was laid by grace, so will its
completion be by grace. It will come as revealed in the prophecies of the
prophet Zechariah. The fullness of the church is soon to come. It will be when
God again “pours the spirit of grace and
supplications” upon His people.
The Headstone
Then he answered and spake unto me,
saying, This is the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor
by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts. Who art thou, O great
mountain? Before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain: and he shall bring forth
the headstone thereof with shoutings, crying, Grace, grace unto it. Moreover
the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, The hands of Zerubbabel have laid
the foundation of this house; his hands shall also finish it; and thou shalt
know that the LORD of hosts hath sent me unto you. For who hath despised the
day of small things? for they shall rejoice, and shall see the plummet in the
hand of Zerubbabel with those seven; they are the eyes of the LORD, which run
to and fro through the whole earth.
Zechariah 4:6-10
Zerubbabel was the governor of Judea in the days of the restoration
of Jerusalem and the rebuilding of the Temple of God. It was his charge to
rebuild the temple. The foundation had been laid, but many enemies arose to
resist its completion, not the least of which was the “apathy” of the people themselves. The nations of the world and the
enemies of the Jew did not want that temple built, and were doing all they
could to hinder the work. God spoke to the prophet Zechariah in a vision and
gave him a message for Zerubbabel. The vision was somewhat confusing to the
prophet. He saw a “candlestick” with
seven “lamps.” He saw two “olive trees” standing on either side of
the candlestick to supply oil for the lamps. Zechariah asked the meaning of the
vision, and God said it was His message to Zerubbabel, saying, “Not by might, nor by power, but by my
Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts.” He continued, saying, the “great mountain,” the great “military powers” of the world could not
stop the completion of His temple. They would “become as a plain” before Zerubbabel. He had laid the foundation
of the Temple of God, and he would also “bring
forth the headstone thereof with shoutings, crying, Grace, grace unto it.” The
“headstone,” the same Hebrew word
that was translated “plummet” in the tenth verse, is the final stone to be
laid in the building. In the ancient construction methods, the “headstone” was such that it locked in
place all the other stones of the building. Now the scaffolding and temporary
supports could be removed, because the building was complete. God said the “hands” of the one that laid the
foundation would also place the last stone in the temple, and the building
would be complete. Certainly this was an encouraging word to Zerubbabel as he
faced impossible odds against the continual onslaught of the enemy. It would
not be by Zerubbabel’s “might” or “power,” but, God said, “by my Spirit” the victory would come to
the people of God.
This prophecy of Zerubbabel and the history of his times are
interesting, but if that were all that is in this text, I certainly would not
be writing about it. God has not called me to give history lessons, but rather
to see by the scripture, things to come. God used the circumstance of
Zerubbabel in rebuilding the temple in Jerusalem some five hundred years before
Christ to send a message to us who live in this last generation, the generation
that will see the return of Jesus Christ to earth. In fact, it can be proven
that the message of Zechariah was given more for our sakes than for
Zerubbabel’s. Remember the “vision” of
the candlestick and the two olive trees? In the eleventh and twelfth verses, Zechariah asked God the meaning of the
“two olive trees” and God answered in
the fourteenth verse, “These are the two anointed ones, that stand by the LORD of
the whole earth.”
The eleventh chapter of
Revelation begins with the ministry of the “two witnesses” which lasts for three and a half years just before
the second coming of Jesus. Concerning these witnesses, God said, “These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks
standing before the God of the earth” (Revelation 11:4). These words date
the ultimate fulfillment of Zechariah’s prophecy. It is during the last three
and a half years before the return of Jesus that the “headstone” will be laid in the “Temple
of God,” which is “The (true) Church of Jesus Christ.” The completion
of the church will coincide with the ministry of the “two olive trees” of the fourth
chapter of Zechariah, and the “two
witnesses” of the eleventh chapter
of Revelation. It will be the “Glorious Church, without spot or wrinkle, but holy and
without blemish (Ephesians 5:27)” that Jesus will present to Himself at His coming.
Men of God have always known that God “dwelleth
not in temples made with hands” (Acts 17:24). The “temples” of the Old
Testament were but shadows of the New Testament “church.” God told the prophet Haggai “the glory of this latter house shall be greater than of
the former”. Concerning the
second temple, these words were not fulfilled until Jesus, “the brightness of God’s glory (Hebrews 1:3),” came and taught
in that Temple. Paul spoke to the Corinthian church on two different occasions
with words that indicated surprise: “Know ye not
that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in
you? (I Corinthians 3:16),” and again, “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of
the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own (I Corinthians 6:19)?”. The Old Testament
temple was still standing when Paul wrote these words to the church; “Ye are the Temple of God”. Going forward to
John’s vision of the New Jerusalem; Revelation
21:22. John said, “And I saw
no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple
of it”. From the time that Jesus suffered and died on the cross for the
sin of the world, there has never been, and there will never be another
building made by man’s hand that will be the “Temple of God.”
Jesus, the “Temple Builder”
And it shall come to pass, when thy
days be expired that thou must go to be with thy fathers, that I will raise up
thy seed after thee, which shall be of thy sons; and I will establish his
kingdom. He shall build me an house, and I will stablish his throne for ever. I
will be his father, and he shall be my son: and I will not take my mercy away
from him, as I took it from him that was before thee: But I will settle him in
mine house and in my kingdom for ever: and his throne shall be established for
evermore.
I Chronicles 17:11-14
This text, the words of God to David through the prophet Nathan, is
a prophecy of Jesus, the Son of God. David mistakenly thought these words would
be fulfilled in his yet unborn son Solomon. David had spoken to the prophet
Nathan of his desire to build a house for God to dwell in. He was disturbed
that his own house was made of cedars, but God’s house was a tent. Nathan told
David to do all that was in his heart, because God was with him. That night,
however, God spoke to Nathan and sent him back to David with this message: “Thus saith the LORD, Thou shalt not build me an house to
dwell in” (I Chronicles 17:4). In our text, God told David about the one He had chosen to “build me (Him) an house.” He would be of
the “seed of David.” He would be of the “sons” of David. Now notice what God also said, “I will be his father, and he shall be my son,” and “His throne shall be established for evermore”. These last two
things do not fit Solomon. This is a prophecy of Jesus even though David never understand
it; he truly thought that this prophecy would be fulfilled in Solomon.
Paul’s introduction to the book of Romans introduces Jesus Christ
as both the “seed of David,” and the “Son of God,” just as God had told David
He would be. “Concerning his
Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to
the flesh; And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the
spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead” (Romans 1:3-4). God had also told David
the temple builder would be “...of thy sons... .” All Israel knew for hundreds of years that the Messiah, when
He came, would be “The Son of
David”. Believing Jews called out to Jesus, “...Thou
Son of David... .” But Jesus upon
this earth was not merely “a son of David,” rather He
was “The
Son of David.” He was, and is, also God’s “Temple Builder.” He has laid the foundation. In fact, He is the foundation, and He will
also “...bring forth the headstone thereof
with shoutings, crying Grace, grace
unto it.” That time is at hand. The final stone to be laid in the Temple of
God, the Church, is an outpouring of grace
that will bring the church into its “fullness.”
Just as the foundation of the church was laid by grace, so the church will be brought to completion by grace, an outpouring of grace that will prepare the church to
reap the final harvest. The prophet Zechariah gives the prophetic foundation
for the last day “out pouring of grace” upon the church.
Coming, an Outpouring of Grace
And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the
inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications:
Zechariah 12:10
This prophecy by Zechariah is yet to come to pass, but it will
surely come, just as surely as Joel’s prophecy of the pouring out of God’s
Spirit came on the day of Pentecost. Just as the “pouring out of the Spirit” came at the founding of the church. The
“outpouring of the spirit of grace and
supplications” will come, for the completion of the church. It will bring
that which we have so long desired; “fullness”
to the body of Christ. The time is at hand. It will come during the “time of trouble” spoken of by Daniel,
the prophet. The prophet Jeremiah calls it “the
Time of Jacob’s Trouble” (Jeremiah
30:7). It is called by Jesus, “great tribulation” (Matthew 24:21). The first generation church was established in “much tribulation” (Acts 14:22), and the last generation of the church will be “made glorious” in the midst of great
tribulation. It will be “a glorious church,
without spot or wrinkle... , holy and without blemish,” that Jesus will
present to Himself at His coming; and it is grace that will make it to be so.
The time of Jacob’s trouble is about to begin. Israel will become
the target of the nations of the world. God said, “I will gather all nations against Jerusalem.” It is during this
time, prophesied in the twelfth, thirteenth, and fourteenth chapters of Zechariah that God promised to pour the “spirit of grace and supplications” upon
both the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. Notice some of the
results of this “outpouring of grace.”
1. “And they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall
mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son…”
Zechariah 12:10:
Israel will look
to Jesus in their time of trouble. They will repent in bitter tears for their
rejection of their Messiah. The church also will look again to Calvary, to the
one whom we pierced (Hebrews 6:6). There will be mourning in Zion and
supplications for salvation in Israel.
2. “In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and
to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness.”
Zechariah 13:1
This “fountain” is the
blood that flowed from Immanuel’s veins. It is the blood of the Son of God that
was shed to wash us from our sins. The Jew and the inhabitants of Jerusalem
will come to this “fountain... filled
with blood.”
3. “In that day shall the LORD defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and he
that is feeble among them at that day shall be as David; and the house of David
shall be as God, as the angel of the LORD before them.”
Zechariah 12:8:
The “House of David (the church) shall be as God…”. What a powerful
statement! We are not gods, but we are “...sons
of God”. We will never be “gods,”
but we shall be “like Him.” It is God
Himself that says we shall be “as God, as
the angel (the messenger) of the LORD
before them”. In the first
generation of the church, God chose the Jew to bring the gospel to the
Gentiles. In this, the last generation, God has chosen us who were .Gentiles to
take the gospel back to the Jew, and they will receive it when they see that
fullness of grace that is coming to the people of God. There will be many men
and women of God who will go into that same time of tribulation that millions
seek to flee, driven by “love perfected,”
strengthened by “abundance of grace,” sent
to preach the “unsearchable riches of
Christ” to Israel and the Jew. Israel will turn to Jesus in the very worst
of that “time of Jacob’s trouble.” In Jeremiah 30:7, Jeremiah expresses it this way, “Alas! for that
day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob’s trouble;
but he
shall be saved out of it.” After two thirds of all those in the land
have been slain, God says, “I will bring the third part through the fire, and
will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: (Then) they shall call on
my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is (They are, which also includes the Gentile church) my people: and they shall say, The LORD is my God” (Zechariah 13:9).
The Mystery
For I would not, brethren, that ye
should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own
conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of
the Gentiles be come in.
Romans 11:25
Do you like a good mystery? In the New Testament, there are
twenty-one references to “mysteries.”
Chief among them are the “mystery of
Christ,” the “mystery of the gospel,”
the “mystery of God,” the “mystery of godliness,” and the “mystery of the Kingdom of God.” Another
mystery every child of God should be aware of is the “mystery of iniquity” through which Satan wars against the church
of Jesus Christ. The mystery revealed in this eleventh chapter of Romans is God’s plan to save Israel through His
grace upon the church. Paul said we should not be ignorant of this mystery, but
most are, even to believing that God will not “turn to Israel” until after the church is raptured. In truth, God
never turned away from Israel. They were “cut
off” through their own unbelief.
Paul warned that any one of us could be cut off in the same manner, if we “continue not in His goodness.” Israel
turned away through unbelief, but they will again “turn to” God through Jesus Christ. God has planned from the
beginning that salvation would come to the Jew through the church. We will go
through an outline of scriptures in the eleventh
chapter of Romans which “reveal”
this mystery.
What then? Israel hath not obtained
that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were
blinded.
Romans 11:7
This text is a reminder of what Paul had already written in Romans 9:30-32, “What shall we say then? That the Gentiles, which followed
not after righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness
which is of faith. But Israel, which followed after the law of
righteousness, hath not attained to the law of righteousness. Wherefore?
Because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law.
For they stumbled at that stumblingstone.” For over sixteen hundred years, Israel had sought for something they
never “obtained.” God had given
promise through Moses in Exodus 19:5-6,
“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: And ye shall be unto me a
kingdom of priests, and an holy nation”. Immediately
after hearing this promise from God through Moses, God spoke to all Israel from
the top of Mount Horeb, giving them “...the ten
commandments”. Israel drew back
from God, saying, “let not God speak with
us… let Moses speak with us… we will hear him.” Within six weeks Israel had
make a golden calf to worship while Moses was on the mountain with God. Because
of this “transgression,” the Law of
Moses was added (Galatians 3:19).
From that time until the time of Jesus Christ, they sought to receive the
promise of God through “the works of the Law,” but Israel never obtained. They
never “...attained...” to be the “holy nation, peculiar treasure, and kingdom
of priests” which God had promised to them. But when the gospel was
preached to the .Gentiles, they believed, and through faith in Jesus Christ,
they “obtained” the promise. Peter
wrote his first epistle to the “strangers
scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappodocia, Asia, and Bithynia,” all
of which are Gentile nations and cities. In I Peter 2:9-10, Peter spoke to these “Gentiles” who believed, “But ye are a
chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that
ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness
into his marvellous light: Which in time past were not a people, but are now
the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy”. These Gentiles were the “elect” of God, the church of Jesus
Christ, God’s holy nation, kingdom of priests, and special treasure.
I say then, Have they stumbled that
they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come
unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy.
Romans 11:11
Jesus Christ, the “chief
corner stone,” became a “stone of
stumbling, and a rock of offence” to the Jew. Paul said, “For they stumbled at that stumblingstone” (Romans 9:32). Israel “stumbled,” and “through their fall” salvation came to
the Gentiles. The apostles had always preached the gospel “to the Jew first” (Romans
1:16). Wherever they went, they preached in the Jewish synagogues first. If
they were received, they would continue with the Jews. If the Jews rejected the
gospel, they would preach it to the Gentiles. Near the end of that first
generation of the church, the Jew had so completely rejected Jesus that Paul
said in Acts 28:28 while he was yet
in a Roman prison, “Be it known
therefore unto you, that the salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles, and
that they will hear it”. It was through
the hardness of the hearts of the Jew that the preaching of the gospel came to
the Gentiles.
Paul said, “…salvation is
come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them (the Jews) to jealousy”. Certainly this does not sound like God has “rejected” the Jew. In fact, the Jew
rejected Jesus, and God gave the promise of salvation to all the Gentiles who
would believe, to make Israel “jealous”. Consider what it is that provokes
jealousy. If a man saw another man with his wife, it would provoke jealousy. If
one man receives a great honor that rightfully belongs to another man, it would
provoke jealousy. The mystery of God in the salvation of Israel is that the Jew
should see all that was promised to Israel fulfilled in the church. They would
see what was their inheritance given to another, and be jealous.
Now if the fall of them be the riches
of the world, and the diminishing of
them the riches of the Gentiles; how much more their fulness?
Romans 11:12
Paul poses a question for us who believe to answer. Consider your
answer carefully. If salvation came to us through the fall of the Jew, and if
their “diminishing” as a people meant
our blessing as a people, Paul is asking, How much better (for them) if they
had believed and received the “fulness”
of that which God had promised to them. The gospel came to the Gentile world
through a few Jewish apostles and evangelists. Consider the wonderful estate of
the world if every Jew had believed and received. Only a hundred and twenty
received the Holy Ghost on the day of Pentecost. These turned the world upside
down in their day. Consider if a million or more, even the entire nation of
Jews had received the Holy Ghost that day. They would have invaded every land
on the planet with the gospel message. Consider the meaning of the word “fullness” as used in this text. We will
see it later in this chapter. “Their
fullness” speaks of all that God had ever promised them. Oh what a better
place this world would be if Israel had received her “fullness” instead of her “fall.”
For I would not, brethren, that ye should
be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that
blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be
come in.
Romans 11:25
The common interpretation of this verse is that Israel will be
blinded until the last Gentile is saved. Then, it is taught, the church will be
raptured and God will turn once again to the Jew. To believe such teaching is
to be “blinded” to the mystery Paul
reveals in this chapter. If I can paraphrase this twenty-fifth verse some may understand. Paul says in essence, I don’t want you to be ignorant of this
mystery. If you don’t understand what I am telling you, you will think you are
wise, but it will only be your conceit. The reason Israel is still blind is
because your fullness has not come, but when the church receives the fullness
of all that was promised, and all that Jesus purchased, Israel will see and
believe (paraphrased).
Far too many Christians are sitting and waiting for the last
Gentile to be saved so they can “get out
of here.” Too many are ignorant of the fact that the greatest day of the
church is just ahead. An “outpouring of
grace” will make it so. In the midst of tribulation God will have His
glorious church. Israel will see and believe. They will be grafted once again
into the good olive tree, which is the church of Jesus Christ. The last harvest
will take place even as the nations of the world rage against Israel, Jesus
Christ, and His church. That day is at hand. We are the church. We are the “generation of Christ,” the “seed of God.” An outpouring of grace
will bring our fullness. And we will reign with Christ forever.
Message 12 - By Leroy Surface - The Generation of Christ
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