Message
42 - By Leroy Surface
“If Ye Keep in
Memory”
Introduction
“Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the
gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye
stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto
you, unless (lest) ye have believed in vain.”
I Corinthians 15:1-2
The war in Heaven against Sin and Satan is
over. Jesus Christ has won the victory in His death and resurrection through
the precious blood that He shed. He has taken our sin away and delivered us
from the power of Satan. It remains for us to be “filled with the Holy Ghost” and “rejoice” in the victory of Jesus Christ forevermore. It will fill
the earth with the sweet aroma of His presence.
“If Ye Keep in Memory”
Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the
gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye
stand; By which also ye are saved, if….
I Corinthians 15:1-2
We know what that little word “if” is. It always indicates a
condition; it always presents a hypothetical. It is amazing that he would say “…by which also ye are saved if....” Do you believe that
salvation is conditional? Yes it is! Salvation is conditional upon your faith,
that is, upon your believing what the gospel says. Here Paul gives the
condition, saying, “…if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless (lest) ye have believed in vain. For I delivered
unto you first of all, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he
rose again the third day according to
the scriptures.”
According to the Scriptures
I call your attention to the third and fourth verses of this text (I Corinthians 15:3-4), where the
apostle Paul tells us what we must remember; “…how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures…and that He rose again the third day according to the scriptures.”
Notice that I am emphasizing the words, “according
to the scriptures.” These are the most important words in these verses. The
apostle did not have the New Testament scriptures when he wrote this. He is
referring to the prophecies of the Old Testament; everything the Old Testament
prophets of God wrote about the sufferings and death of the Messiah, and about
His resurrection from the dead, were all fulfilled in Jesus, proving that He is
in fact “…the Christ, the Son of the
living God” (Matthew 16:16). In Romans 1:4, Jesus is “declared to be the Son of God with power…, by the resurrection from the
dead.” John says in John 19:28
that “Jesus, knowing that all things were
now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst.”
Notice the wording, “…that the scripture might be fulfilled…”
Jesus said, “I thirst.” An
obscure prophecy of His sufferings in Psalms
69:21 says, “They gave me also gall
for my meat; and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.” When Jesus
said, “I thirst,” the apostle John
records, “…they filled a spunge with
vinegar, and put it upon hyssop, and put it to his mouth” (John 19:29). This final prophecy from
the Old Testament being fulfilled, Jesus lifted up His voice and cried, “It is finished;” which in the Greek
means, “It is accomplished.”
Everything the prophets prophesied of his
sufferings had been fulfilled. In the twenty
second Psalm, David writes of the sufferings of Christ on the cross a
thousand years before Calvary. He describes in great detail the words of the
mocking multitude. He tells of the soldiers who gambled for his clothes. He
begins this psalm with the very words that Jesus spoke on the cross, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me.”
Almost seven hundred years before Calvary, Isaiah writes these beautiful words
of the Messiah (Jesus, the Christ), “…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 53:5). Seven hundred years
later, Paul would tell us, “He died for
our sins, according to the scriptures.”
Isaiah tells of His (Jesus’) virgin birth
and incarnation; “Behold, a virgin shall
conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel (meaning God
with us).” Again, in Isaiah 9:6 he says, “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son
is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be
called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The
Prince of Peace.” In Isaiah 11:1 the
prophet gives us this insight: “And there
shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of
his roots: And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom
and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and
of the fear of the LORD; And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear
of the LORD: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither
reprove after the hearing of his ears: But with righteousness shall he judge
the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth.”
There is no greater revelation of the
Messiah than in the fifty third chapter
of Isaiah, given seven hundred years before Christ. In it we see His youth, “For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out
of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should
desire him” (Isaiah 53:2); His rejection, “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” (Isaiah 53:3); His mission, “Surely he hath
borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows” (Isaiah 53:4); His sufferings,
“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 53:5);
His purpose, “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his
own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:6); His death, “…for he was cut
off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he
stricken” (Isaiah 53:8); His burial, “And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death”
(Isaiah 53:9); His redemptive sacrifice, “When
thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed” (Isaiah 53:10); His
resurrection, “He shall prolong his days” (Isaiah 53:10); His eternal
reign, “the pleasure of the LORD
shall prosper in his hand” (Isaiah
53:10); His righteousness, “…by his knowledge shall my righteous servant
justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities” (Isaiah 53:11); His Father’s
judgment, “Therefore will I divide
him a portion with the great,
and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his
soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the
sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors” (Isaiah 53:12).
David foresaw, in Psalms 16:9-11, the resurrection, ascension, and the reign of
Christ at the right hand of the Father: “…
my flesh also shall rest in hope. For thou
wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see
corruption. Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.” In
Psalms 110:1-2, David foresaw perfectly
the reign of Christ at the right hand of the Father when he wrote, “The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make
thine enemies thy footstool. The LORD shall send the rod of thy strength
out of Zion: rule thou in the midst of
thine enemies.” Certainly, everything that happened to Jesus in His
death, burial, resurrection, ascension, and exaltation to the right hand of
God, is “according to the scriptures.”
The gospel that Paul preached, however, was
more than just the fact of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. The
gospel, which Paul calls “the faith of
Jesus Christ” in Galatians 2:16,
includes everything the prophets said would be accomplished through His death and resurrection. Of
all the scriptures in the Old Testament, Daniel
9:24-25 best defines the mission of the Messiah (Jesus Christ):
The Purpose of Calvary
“Seventy
weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and
to bring in everlasting righteousness,
and to seal up the vision and prophecy,
and to anoint the most Holy. Know
therefore and understand, that
from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto
the Messiah the Prince shall be
seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks:”
This prophecy of seventy weeks is unique
among all the messages of the prophets. God did not give it to Daniel through a
dream or a vision. The subject of the prophecy was so important that God sent
the angel Gabriel personally to tell Daniel the exact year the Messiah would
come, and what the purpose of His coming would be. According to Daniel 9:25, the Messiah would appear
at the end of the first sixty nine weeks (four hundred, eighty three years) of
the prophecy, leaving only the last week (seven years) in which the ministry
and purpose of the Messiah would be fulfilled. This turned out to be the exact
year that Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist in the Jordan River. It was
there that the Holy Ghost came upon Jesus, fulfilling the words of the
prophecy, “…to anoint the most Holy.”
This event began the seventieth week of the prophecy, which is dedicated
entirely to the ministry of Messiah. It was in the exact middle of the
seventieth week that Jesus was crucified fulfilling the words in Daniel 9:26 that Messiah shall be “cut off, but not for Himself.” Now
notice the five remaining things that Gabriel said would be accomplished in the
seventieth week of the prophecy, all of which were “fulfilled” and “finished”
in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. 1. “…to finish the
transgression,” that is, the “sin”
that entered the world through Adam’s transgression (Romans 5:12). 2. “…to make an end of sins.” Jesus
died as “the Lamb of God which taketh
away the sin of the world” for all who trust in Him. 3. “…to make reconciliation for
iniquity.” II Corinthians 5:19 says, “God was in Christ, reconciling the world
unto Himself.” Romans 5:10 says,
“We were reconciled to God by the death
of his Son.” 4. “…to bring in everlasting righteousness.” Romans 3:25 tells us that the “righteousness
of God” is declared when He “set
forth” His Son Jesus to be a sin sacrifice for us. The words “Whosoever believeth in Him…,” John
3:16, declare for all time and eternity that God is righteous. Those who trust
in Him have “eternal life” in Christ
Jesus. 5. “…to seal up the vision and the prophecy.” All the visions and
prophecies of a suffering and redeeming Messiah are “sealed up” in the atoning death and victorious resurrection of
Jesus Christ. When Jesus cried “It is
finished,” the visions and the prophecies of His death were all fulfilled,
and thus “sealed up.” He “died” and “rose again,” and it was all accomplished “according to the scriptures.”
The message of the gospel that Paul
preached came to him directly from God “by
revelation of Jesus Christ.” Paul makes it very clear that he did not
receive the gospel from man. It was so important that God did not entrust
angels to deliver it to Paul, as He did the prophecy to Daniel. Paul received
the message of the gospel he preached directly from God Himself. It is in the
revelation of Jesus Christ, that all the messianic visions and prophecies are
revealed. When Paul tells us in Romans
6:6 that “…our old man is crucified
with Christ,” he is only relating that which he “received (I Corinthians 15:3)”
directly from God. If you believe that Jesus Christ “died for your sins,” then believe the gospel that says your “old man of sin” died “with Him.” To believe that Jesus Christ
died for our sins “…according to the
scriptures,” is to believe that He accomplished everything the angel
Gabriel spoke of Him in Daniel 9:24.
Nothing was overlooked when Christ died for us. Paul assures us that everything
the prophets prophesied is fulfilled in the death and resurrection of Jesus
Christ. This is what the apostle tells us to “keep in memory.”
But though we, or an angel from heaven,
preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let
him be accursed.
Galatians 1:8
Those who say that sin doesn’t matter once
you have “believed upon Jesus” are
not preaching the gospel “…according to
the scriptures.” If they say you could never miss heaven as long as you say
“Jesus Christ is Lord,” you can know
they were not sent by Christ. Paul never preached such a gospel. He preached
the gospel, “according to the scriptures”
of those prophets who foretold the wonderful salvation and “grace that would come to us (I Peter 1:10). He preached the “sufferings of Christ, and the glory that would
follow” (I Peter 1:11), that
those who are born of God, the children of God, are heirs of God, and joint
heirs with Christ, and will be “glorified
together with him” (Romans 8:17)
through the witness of the Holy Ghost. When Paul preached that Jesus rose from
the dead, he also preached that God “hath
quickened us together with Christ” (Ephesians
2:5). When he preached the exaltation of Jesus to the right hand of God, he
also preached that “God has raised us up
together, and has made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus”
(Ephesians 2:6). These are things he
told us to “keep in memory.”
Remember Pharaoh
And the LORD shewed signs and wonders, great
and sore, upon Egypt, upon Pharaoh, and upon all his household, before our
eyes: And he brought us out from
thence, that he might bring us in, to
give us the land which he sware unto our fathers.
Deuteronomy 6:22:23
These words by Moses were written just days
before Joshua was to take the children of Israel across the river of Jordan
into the land of promise. In fact, the entire book of Deuteronomy was read
aloud to the children of Israel on what may have been the last day of Moses’
life on earth. The law of Moses had been completed; he reads it to the people
and tells them to place it in the Ark of the Covenant that it would be there
for a witness “against them” (Deuteronomy 31:26). Paul refers to this
text in Colossians 2:14 when he speaks of “…the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us,” which
Christ “…took...out of the way, nailing
it to his cross.” It was the “Law of
Moses” that Paul said was “…added
because of transgressions (their rejection of God at Mount Horeb; Exodus 20:19), until the seed (Christ) should
come to who the promise was made” (Galatians
3:19). This was the second generation of those who had come out of Egypt.
They had wandered in the wilderness for forty years because of their father’s
transgressions against God. All of those who had provoked God by not entering
the Promised Land forty years before were now dead, and their bodies lay in the
wilderness. Joshua, Caleb, and Moses were the only ones remaining of that first
generation. This second generation consisted of all those who had been twenty
years of age or younger at the time of the provocation forty years before. Most
of them had seen the plagues that came on Egypt; they had seen the miracle at
the Red Sea when the waters parted for the children of Israel to walk through.
After Moses reminds them of the great miracles which God performed against
Egypt to deliver them from the power of Pharaoh, he tells them this: “He brought us out…that He might bring us
in.” This was the generation that would go in with Joshua. They would cross
over the river Jordan by another great miracle. They would not see the waters
of the Jordan River “part” as the Red
Sea had; but they would see them but stand up in a heap on one side as the
waters drained off on the other side, as if an invisible damn had been built
across the Jordan River, which was at flood stage (Joshua 3:13-17). They would walk across the Jordan River into the
land of Canaan, yet, the greatest battles and victories would lie before them
if they were to possess the land of promise. Moses reminds them that “God destroyed Pharaoh and his armies to bring us out of Egypt. Remember that
He brought us out, to bring us in.”
If thou shalt say in thine heart, These
nations are more than I; how can I dispossess them? Thou shalt not be
afraid of them: but shalt well REMEMBER what the LORD thy God did unto
Pharaoh, and unto all Egypt; The great temptations which thine eyes saw, and
the signs, and the wonders, and the mighty hand, and the stretched out arm,
whereby the LORD thy God brought thee out: so shall the LORD thy God do unto
all the people of whom thou art afraid.
Deuteronomy 7:17-19
Moses tells this second generation that
they are the ones God is going to bring in. The nations they would dispossess
were greater and more powerful than they, but, he tells them not to be afraid,
but to “remember” what God did to
Pharaoh and the nation of Egypt. They would face the great walled city of
Jericho. They would be attacked by armies with swords, spears, and chariots of
iron (Joshua 17:18). If at any time the
fear of their enemies should come upon them, they were to stop for a moment and
remember what God had already done. “Remember the plagues that God brought
on Egypt; remember the night the
death angel passed through Egypt while you were kept by God because of the
blood of the Passover Lamb. Remember that
God opened the Red Sea for you, and drowned Pharaoh and all his armies when
they tried to follow you. Remember
the carcasses of Pharaoh and his army, along with their chariots of iron; they
all lie under the waters of the Red Sea until this day.” God says, “I want you to remember what I have done to Pharaoh and his armies, because, if
you will trust Me, I will do the same to all those you are afraid of today.”
Do not fear them; do not be afraid.
The entire Law of Moses was delivered to
the people in what was probably the last day of Moses’ life. After the reading
of the law, Moses sang “The Song of
Moses” which is recorded in the 32nd
chapter of Deuteronomy. When the song was finished, Deuteronomy 32:48-50 says, “And
the LORD spake unto Moses that selfsame day, saying, Get thee up into this
mountain Abarim, unto mount Nebo, which is
in the land of Moab, that is
over against Jericho; and behold the land of Canaan, which I give unto the
children of Israel for a possession: And
die in the mount whither thou goest up, and be gathered unto thy people; as
Aaron thy brother died in mount Hor, and was gathered
unto his people.”
From the top of mount Nebo Moses could look
across the Jordan River and see the beautiful fertile valley that stretched for
miles before him, but he could not enter because of his disobedience to God
when he struck the rock a second time to get water for the people. (Numbers 20:7-12).
I brought us to this text to see the
message of God to our generation; “When
you are afraid, remember.” For us, it is not Pharaoh and his armies that
have been destroyed; it is Satan and his
“armies” of principalities and powers. Hebrews
2:14-15 tells us, “Forasmuch then as
the children (that’s us) are
partakers of flesh and blood, he (Christ) also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death,
that is, the devil; And deliver them who through fear of death were all
their lifetime subject to bondage.” Paul tells us to “remember” that “Christ died
for our sins, according to the scriptures.” There are those who believe
that Christ died for their sins, therefore they can continue in sin with no
eternal punishment, but they are so wrong. Christ died for our sins, “…that through death He might destroy…the
devil.” Colossians 2:15
says, “And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of
them openly, triumphing over them in it.”
War in Heaven
And there was war in heaven: Michael and his
angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, And
prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great
dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth,
and his angels were cast out with him. And I heard a loud voice saying in
heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and
the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which
accused them before our God day and night. And they overcame him by the blood
of the Lamb….
Revelation 12:7-11
It is a powerful but little known fact that
Satan continued in heaven until Jesus Christ suffered the death of the cross
and shed His precious blood. He was not cast out of heaven before the creation,
as many believe, nor will he be cast out at the “rapture” of the church, as others believe. Jesus died to destroy
the devil through His death. It is also through His death that He “spoiled (stripped) principalities and powers (demonic spirits),” and “made a show of them openly, triumphing over
them in it” (His resurrection and ascension).
Notice that it was Michael and his angels
who fought against the dragon (Satan) and his angels (evil principalities and
powers). This warfare did not end until Satan was cast out, and that did not
happen until the Son of God shed His precious blood when they pierced His side
on the cross. Jude 1:9 says, “Yet Michael the archangel, when contending
with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him
a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee.” The war in heaven
continued in the days of Moses death, because the blood of Christ had not yet
been shed. It continued in the days of Daniel, when the angel Gabriel was
hindered from coming to Daniel, by the “prince
of Persia”: “Then said he unto me,
Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to
understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I
am come for thy words. But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one
and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me…”
(Daniel 10:12-13). The war
continued, because Christ had not yet suffered and died.
The Victory of Christ
Notice that Revelation 12:11 says, “…and
they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb….” Not even Michael and the
angels of heaven could cast Satan out until the blood of Christ was shed. Hebrews 9:12 says, “Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having
obtained eternal redemption for us.”
Hebrews 9:23 says, “It was therefore necessary that the
patterns of things in the heavens (the earthly tabernacle etc.) should be purified with these (the blood
of animals); but the heavenly things
themselves (heaven itself) with
better sacrifices than these (the blood of Christ).” Heaven itself was defiled by the presence of the wicked one
until the precious blood of Jesus was sprinkled in the holy place of heaven.
The “things of heaven” were purified
as Satan and his angels were cast out “by
the blood of the Lamb.” Oh, how wonderful our redemption is! It was when
the blood of Christ was sprinkled on the mercy seat in heaven that a voice was
heard in heaven saying, “Now is come salvation, and strength,
and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our
brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night” (Revelation
12:10). All these wonderful things
which Jesus accomplished in His death and resurrection explains what Paul meant
when he said of Christ, “…through death,
He destroyed he that had the power of death, that is, the devil.”
Not only did Jesus shed the blood that
would cast Satan and his angels out of heaven, the scripture says he “…made a shew of them openly, triumphing
over them in it” (Colossians 2:15).
This entire quote indicates a “thriambeuō,” which is the Greek word that is translated as “triumphing.” A “thriambeuo” does not indicate the victory that is won,
but the noisy celebration that follows. When a Roman general who had won a
great victory over enemy nations would return to Rome, he would bring the
spoils of victory with him along with the kings and great warriors that he had
spoiled. If a “thriambeuō” was decreed for the victorious general, he
would be placed in the finest of chariots, pulled by the most beautiful horses.
The entire population of Rome would line the streets of the city as the
procession would pass by. They would shout praises to the victorious general,
and mock the defeated subjects, who were led along in chains. The modern
equivalent of a “thriambeuō” would be the “ticker tape parades” that were given to our great generals at the
end of World War II.
Rejoicing in Jesus
Jesus is declared worthy of a “thriambeuō.” Through His death, He destroyed the devil
(for all those who are in Christ). He spoiled principalities and powers. Ephesians
4:8 says, “When he ascended up
on high, he led captivity captive….” In Revelation 1:18, Jesus tells John in His revelation, “I am he that liveth, and was dead; and,
behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.”
He destroyed the one who held the power of death, and He holds the keys. His “thriambeuo”
began on the Day of Pentecost when God poured out His Spirit on the hundred and
twenty, and they began to speak “the
wonderful works of God” in over a dozen languages they had never learned.
Jesus had been “highly exalted” to
the right hand of the Father, who had “given
Him a name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus, every knee
shall bow…” (Philippians 2:9-10).
Three thousand souls bowed their knees before Him that same day, and were “added to the church” (Acts 2:41). We are the people of God,
who “rejoice in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:3). Oh how we need the
Holy Ghost to give us words worthy for His praise. Our rejoicing in Jesus will
continue for all eternity.
In I
Corinthians 2:14 Paul rejoices in Christ, “Now thanks be unto
God, which always causeth us to triumph
in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every
place.” The Greek word that is translated “triumph” is the same as in Colossians
2:15; “thriambeuō.”
To “triumph in Christ” is not a victory that we win; it is to “rejoice” in the victory of Christ. In I Corinthians 15:57 Paul says, “…thanks be to God, which giveth us the
victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” His victory is our victory, and for
this we ever sing His praises and rejoice in His victory. We can read in the
scriptures about all the terrible things the apostle Paul suffered for Christ.
He suffered at the hands of those who hate the gospel more than any of the
other apostles, and perhaps more than any person ever. He continually placed
his own life in jeopardy to preach the gospel in places it had not been
preached. His entire ministry, however, was a “thriambeuo” for Christ. He rejoiced in
Jesus, and declared the victory of Calvary, and the “sweet savour of the knowledge of Christ” was made manifest
wherever he went. In the midst of his greatest sufferings, he “rejoices in Christ Jesus.” Faced with
imprisonment and death, he writes, “…none
of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy,
and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the
gospel of the grace of God” (Acts
20:24). From the prison in Rome he writes the Philippians, urging them to “Rejoice in the Lord alway:
and again I say, Rejoice” (Philippians
4:4).
“It is Finished!”
Remember once again the words of Paul in I Corinthians 15:2-4: “…ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I
preached unto you…, how that Christ died for our sins according to the
scriptures…, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures.”
There are two things of equal importance spoken of in these verses. The first is to “bring us out,” and the second
is to “bring us in.” What did he do
to bring us out? He died for our sins. Paul says in Romans 5:8, “…while we were
yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Jesus became our “proxy” in His death on the cross. Whatever they did to Him, they
did to our “old man.” Paul says in Romans 6:6, “Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with Him….” When they
nailed Jesus to the cross, they nailed our “old
man” to the cross. This is what I must remember. If I lose sight of this
truth, and think that it is through my ability and will power that I cease from
sinning, then I will fail. I will lose the conflict. In the short epistle that
Jude wrote, he closes by saying, “…unto
him that is able to keep you from
falling, and to present you
faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, to the only wise
God our Saviour, be glory and
majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen” (Jude 1:24-25). It is our “only
wise God our Saviour” who alone can keep us from falling. He will present
us faultless in the Day of Judgment, but He must first “keep us from falling.” The Greek text says that He will keep us “not sinning.” He can do this because He
nailed our “body of sin” to the cross
with Christ (Romans 6:6). Romans 6:10 says, “For in that he died, he died unto sin once.” The next verse says, “Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin.” In
the same manner that Jesus died “unto sin
once,” we also died with Him “once,”
and we are “dead indeed (in fact) unto sin.”
Everything that Jesus did to deliver us
from sin, Satan, and the world is finished. “It
is finished!” When the waters of the Red Sea returned upon King Pharaoh and
his armies, Moses could look back at Egypt and say, “It is finished!” Pharaoh and his armies will never again hold you
in bondage to slavery. They can pursue no further, because, “It is finished!” That is exactly what
happened on the cross of Christ. Everything the prophets foretold was
fulfilled. Our adversary was destroyed; principalities and powers were spoiled,
stripped of their power, and rendered helpless before the children of God. When
Jesus cries, “It is finished,” Satan
will never again be able to hold you in bondage. Demon powers can no longer
oppress you, because, “It is finished.”
My justification is finished; my “old man” is dead, buried with Christ,
never to rise again. My sanctification is also finished. Those who believe that
sanctification is progressive will struggle to the last day of their life and
never be sanctified. If we do not believe that the blood Jesus Christ shed for
our sanctification is sufficient to sanctify us from all iniquity, we will
never be clean. Paul told Titus that Jesus “…gave
himself for us, that he might redeem us
from all iniquity, and purify unto
himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works” (Titus 2:14). If you do not believe that both justification and
sanctification were finished at the cross, you will struggle with sin and
uncleanness in your heart until you breathe your last breath, and you will then
leave this earth wondering if you have done enough. You must know, while you
are in this present world, that Jesus “did
enough” when He died for you. One of the saddest experiences of my life has
been to hear godly old men ask the question, “Have I done enough? Will He receive me?” Oh, listen to me! I cannot
say to that godly old man or woman, “No,
you have not done enough; you must do this much before He will receive you.”
Neither can I tell those who have done the most, “Yes, you have done enough.” We must understand that the work was
finished at Calvary in the body and blood of the Son of God. Our “work” is to rejoice in the victory of
Jesus Christ, and “…shew forth the
praises of Him who hath called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” If
we do so, the “sweet savor of Christ” will
fill the entire earth.
The “Unfinished Work”
“Christ
died for our sins, according to the scriptures,” to bring us out of sin and the bondage of
Satan. He “rose again the third day,
according to the scriptures” to bring us into the blessings of the promise.
Everything necessary to “bring us out”
is finished at the cross. To “bring us
in,” however, is not a “finished
work.” God had no problem whatsoever when it came to destroying Egypt, the
most powerful kingdom on earth, in order to bring the children of Israel out.
He found it impossible, however, to bring that generation of Israel into the
land of promise, because of their “unbelief”
(Hebrews 3:19). To those who
believe, God gives the “Holy Ghost”
to bring them in. Ephesians 1:13-14
says, “…after that you believed you were
sealed with the Holy Spirit promise, which is the earnest of our
inheritance....” According to the Greek word that is translated as “earnest,” the Holy Ghost is actually
the “pledge,” or the “guarantee” of our inheritance. He is
given to the children of God to bring us into the “land of promise.” This “guarantee”
the Holy Ghost gives does not speak of “heaven”
when we die. For those who are justified and sanctified in Christ, heaven is
secure, because the work is finished at the cross. We partake of it when we
receive it by faith, and we “reckon it to
be truth,” that we are “dead indeed
unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:11). The Holy Ghost is given
to us as a guarantee of our inheritance, to bring us “into the purchased possession.” The translators of the King James
Version of the Bible used the word “until”
in this place, indicating that the Holy Ghost is our guarantee of heaven to
keep us “until” we either die, or
Jesus returns. The Greek word, however, is “eis,” which means “into”
and never “until.” He didn’t save us
only to try to “hold on, until we die.”
Our great salvation is not an “endurance
contest” to see who can “hold on to
the end.” Instead, He gave us the Holy Ghost as a “guarantee” to bring us “into”
the inheritance that God has set before us for this present life. In Ephesians 1:17-18 Paul prayed for all
who would read his epistle, “That the God
of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of
wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: the eyes of your understanding
being enlightened….” He wanted their eyes of understanding (as well as
ours) to be “enlightened” so they
(and we) would “know (through seeing)” what God has called us to (“the hope of his calling”), and what our
inheritance is (“the riches of the glory
of his inheritance”), as well as where it is (“in the saints”).
Raised Up With Christ
And what is
the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working
of his mighty power, Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the
dead, and set him at his own
right hand in the heavenly places,
Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name
that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: And
hath put all things under his
feet….
Ephesians 1:19-22
Paul tells us that the Holy Ghost we have
received is the same Spirit that “worked
in Christ” when God “raised Him from
the dead and set Him at His own right hand in the heavenly places.” In Romans 8:11 he tells us that the Holy
Ghost is given to us to “quicken our
mortal bodies.” This does not speak of the resurrection at the end of the
age; instead it confirms that our bodies are the “temple of the Holy Ghost” (I
Corinthians 6:19). Paul “beseeches
us” in Romans 12:1, “…that ye (we) present your (our) bodies a
living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your (our)
reasonable service.” Until we do so, our “mortal bodies” are yet quickened by “human nature,” which can never please God (Romans 8:8). It is only when we fully surrender our bodies to God
that the Holy Ghost becomes our “quickening
Spirit.” He will work in us as He worked in Christ, in resurrection power.
He will lift us up to sit with Christ in heavenly places. He will place us “far above all principality, and power, and
might, and dominion,” with “all
things” under our feet. This is our inheritance, and it is in “heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” This
is where we are “blessed with all
spiritual blessings” (Ephesians 1:3).
And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself,
and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also
hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;
Philippians 2:8-10
The name of Jesus is not a “magic word.” It is not given to those “believers” who remain “earthbound” to their carnal desires. In
the days of Jesus’ flesh, he gave the promise of eternal life to those who
would forsake everything to follow Him (Matthew
19:29). These were those who returned again, saying, “Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name” (Luke 10:17). Jesus responded in the
next verse, “I beheld Satan as lightning
fall from heaven. Behold, I give unto you power (authority) to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over
all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you” (Luke 10:18-19). These things happened
before Calvary, and before the Day of Pentecost. They did these things by the
direct authority of the Son of God who sent them. How much greater is it when
the same “power” that worked in
Christ also works in us, to “quicken”
us, and to “raise us up together,” to
“sit together in heavenly places in
Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 3:6).
That is the place of great authority, “far
above principalities and powers,” with “all
things under our feet.” In this place of authority, we can do nothing in
our name, but He has given us His name, that “at the name of Jesus” upon our lips, “every knee shall bow.” It is by the great authority He gives to
His children by the working of the Holy Ghost in them that will bring all
things under their feet.
Contrary to current popular opinion, the
Holy Ghost is not “received by faith.”
We accept our justification and our sanctification by faith, and they are
effectual to everyone who believes the truth of the gospel. In Matthew 3:11, John the Baptist tells us
that it is Jesus Christ who baptizes with the Holy Ghost. No one could have
received John’s baptism by faith; it was an actual baptism in which the one
baptized became “soaking wet” in
water. John refused to baptize the Pharisees and Saducees, telling them to “bring fourth fruit, meet for (“worthy of”) repentance” (Matthew 3:8
& Luke 3:8). Jesus, our baptizer, will not baptize those He has not
first sanctified. Paul says in II
Timothy 2:21, “If a man therefore
purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and
meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work.” Paul was
telling the believers to separate themselves from the “vessels of dishonour,” such as “Hymenaeus and Philetus,” whom
he identified in the seventeenth verse.
Get away from those ministers who continue in sin and teach others so. Separate
yourselves from false teachers and their false teachings. Hold to the truth
that is “according to the scriptures,” and as Paul say’s, you will be a
“vessel unto honor, sanctified, and meet
for the master’s use….” This is the one whom Christ will “baptize with the Holy Ghost” and “prepare them unto every good work.”
Filled into All Fullness
After we have received the Holy Ghost we
will need “daily renewal.” The
prophecy in Psalms 68:19 speaks of
Christ, “who daily loadeth
us….” Ephesians 3:17-19 speaks
of those who are “rooted and grounded in
love;” they will also “…know the love
of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that
you might be filled with all the fullness of God.” What an incredible
statement! It is beyond the comprehension of mortal man that we “might be filled with all the fullness of
God.” The word “with” in this
verse is translated from the Greek word “eis,” which we found earlier in this message. It means “into.” Man could no more be filled “with” all the fullness of God than you
could pour all the contents of the ocean into a milk pail. It simply won’t fit.
Remember in Ephesians 1:14, Paul
says that the Holy Ghost is “the
guarantee of our inheritance,” to bring us “into the redemption of the
purchased possession.” In this third
chapter of Ephesians, it is those who are filled with the love of Christ
who will also be “filled into all the fullness of God.” Every
day we live on this earth, let us present our bodies a “living sacrifice unto God” to be filled day by day into all
fullness. We cannot comprehend what it would be like if every child of God were
“baptized by one spirit into one body”
(I Corinthians 12:13), with the “manifestation of the spirit (I Corinthians 12:7)” working in them by the Holy Ghost. What would it be like? I can
tell you, there would never be another dead dry service, because Christ would
be working, moving, and ministering in our midst. It would not be something we
could do, but it would be the Holy Ghost working through the members of the
body of Christ. Paul arrives at this conclusion in Ephesians 3:20-21, “…unto him
that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,
Unto him be glory in the church
by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.”
Message 42 - By Leroy Surface - “If Ye Keep in Memory...”
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