Barry Bennett-The Ministry of Jesus Lesson 6
Matthew 3:13 “Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him.”
Why did Jesus need to be baptized?
To be identified with the needs of the people
He was also endorsing John’s Ministry for baptism unto repentance
He was Foreshadowing his death, burial and resurrection
God was announcing the beginning of His ministry on earth
Jesus was fulfilling the rights of Priesthood. (Exodus 29:6-7 “You shall put the turban on his head, and put the holy crown on the turban. And you shall take the anointing oil, pour it on his head, and anoint him.”) A picture of the anointing and the Holy Spirit.
Yes I didn't not take many notes on that class... oh well, next two are Arthur Meintjes in a class that was not planned until recently... we didn't get the books for it until the day of the class! So, here he is, again.
Arthur Meintjes-Essential Truths of the New Testament Lesson 1
Introduction
Psalm 11:3 “If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?”
One of the biggest needs among Christians today is the need for stability. Part of the reason for their instability is that very few people have ever really been established upon the essential and foundational truths of the New testament.
There are many truths in the Bible that are very important but they are not essential or foundational truths. These truths are very important and extremely valuable but they are not essential, or foundational.
The difference
1. The essential factors for a person to be alive: The vital signs.
2. The important factors to live and interact with the environment is the Five physical senses.
We can do things to improve on these senses, hearing aids, binoculars. Even the clothes you wear, and the house you live in and the car you drive are very important, but not essential.
Unimportant truth is often VERY interesting! Some people build their ministries around the “truth” of the rapture, but even if you don’t know anything about that point, it isn’t going to radically change how you live. If you are a believer, it doesn’t matter when it comes, when it does, you’re going to go!
Many Christians build their lives around what they believe about the devil, demons, and spiritual warfare. (it isn’t that those truths are not there! They are! And they are very interesting and take lots of time to research!) But I don’t believe that the devil is important enough to put that much focus on!
Don’t keep building your life on unimportant truths. The devil is a roaring lion going about seeking whom he MAY devour, but you see, I have news for you, he MAY NOT devour you!
The difference between essential and important.
Vital signs, how do you tell if someone is alive or not? Those are ESSENTIAL things!
Physical senses, smell taste feel hearing and seeing, those are all important! But not essential!
But if someone is not breathing, does not have a pulse, or any blood pressure, you can give him anything to improve those five senses… but those are not going to work to help him anymore! They will be of no importance at all!
People build their whole lives around the important and unimportant truths, but not essential and foundational truths. Not to downplay all those other very important truths, but to say that if you don’t have a foundation to stick them on then they lose all of their importance!
An essential foundational truth is, (there is a difference between elementary truth and foundational/essential truth) A foundation is a strong base from which something is based or built up on. They are not usually visible, but always most important.
Isaiah 28:16 “Therefore thus says the Lord God: Behold I lay in Zion a stone for a foundation, a tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation; whoever believes will not act hastily.”
Arthur Meintjes-Essential Truths of the New Testament Lesson 3
Jesus died once for all-men, and for all sin, and He died once and only once for all time, never again will someone or something have to die to pay for sin.
Before you were saved, did you ever do anything good? Of course! Something at least, no matter how small, you did SOMETHING good, BUT, did that good make you righteous? Did it make you good enough? No. So, now that you have been born again, now that you have accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, have you done anything evil? Done anything bad? Of course, (unless you got saved 15 seconds ago, then I suppose it is possible to say no, but even then, unlikely) So, if good things are not what made you righteous, but it was Jesus’ death that made you righteous and you simply accepted that, then will evil things make you unrighteous? No. It is not about what you do, there is no longer any condemnation for those who are in Christ, but, if you are in Christ then you will grow in your new nature and begin to do good without thought, it is your new nature, just let it work its way from the inside to the outside of you!
So, who are you boasting in, do you go to God and say, “God I’ve given up everything for you, please do this for me” or, “God I’ve been in church faithfully for 40 years so I deserve this.” Then you are trying to get something by what you have done! But if you are to say, “God, Jesus died for me, He already paid for this, this shouldn’t be in my life, it isn’t fair to Jesus to let this stick around in my life.” Then it isn’t about anything you have done anymore, but what Jesus did.
Good works and Dead works look exactly the same from the outside.
In Luke 18, the Pharisee and the Tax Collector go into the temple to pray, they both go in to pray, so if you saw them going in, then there would be no reason to think one above the other. But, the one comes relying on his own self righteousness and his own good works, what he has done. And those are dead works. But the other man goes and totally relies on God’s goodness and mercy, and Jesus said, that THIS man rather than the other went home Justified before God!
Hope you liked them!
I'll have more later I'm sure... as always,
God's Blessed,
-Ben Heath
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