Word of God

Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth from the mouth of God

Matthew 4:4

The Book of Daniel 2:44

44 And in the days of these kings, shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and this kingdom shall not be given to another people, but it shall break, and destroy all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.

Brethren:

Not of the Babylonian, Persian, and Grecian kings; nor, indeed, of the old Roman kings, or emperors; but in the days of these ten kings, or kingdoms, into which the Roman empire is divided, signified by the ten toes, of different power and strength. Indeed the kingdom of Christ began to be set up in the times of Augustus Caesar, under whom Christ was born; and of Tiberius, under whom he was crucified; and was continued and increased in the reigns of others, until it obtained very much in the times of Constantine; and, was revived at the Reformation.  But will not be set up in its glory until Christ has overcome the ten kings, or kingdoms, and put it into their hearts to hate and burn the anti-Christian whore, and when she and all the anti-Christian states will be destroyed by the pouring out of the vials (See Revelation 15:7, 16:1-12, 17). Then in their days shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed. This is the kingdom of the Messiah, as is owned by both ancient and modern Jews and as such it is said in an ancient book of theirs;

 ``in the time of the King Messiah, Israel shall be one nation in the earth, and one people to the holy blessed God; as it is written, in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom'' 

And in another of their writings, esteemed very ancient, it is said;

 ``the Ishmaelites shall do fifteen things in the earth in the last days; the last of which mentioned is, they shall erect an edifice in the temple [and] at length two brothers shall rise up against them, and in their days shall spring up the branch of the Son of David As it is said, in the days of these kings'';

Both Jarchi and Aben Ezra interpret this kingdom of the kingdom of the Messiah; and so Jacchiades, a much later writer, says the last kingdom is that of the Messiah: and another modern Jewish writer says;

"in the time of the King Messiah there shall be but one kingdom, and but one King, and this the King, the true Messiah; but the rest of the kingdoms and their kings shall not subsist in his time for as it is written, "in the days of these kings &c.".

Which kingdom is no other than his church on earth, where he reigns; has his throne, holds forth his scepter, gives out his laws, and is obeyed: and, though this is already in the world, yet it is not so visible, stable, and glorious, as it will be at the close of the fourth monarchy, which is meant by its being set up, confirmed, and established; and this will be done by the God of heaven, the Maker and possessor of it, and who dwells in it, and rules there, and over all the earth; and therefore Christ's church, or kingdom, is often called the kingdom of heaven; and when it is thus established, it will ever remain visible (See Colossians 1:16). Its glory will be no more eclipsed; and much less subverted and overthrown, by all the powers of earth and hell(See Matthew 16:18). Christ was set up as King from everlasting(See Psalm 145:13), and the elect of God were appointed and given him as a kingdom as early, and in and over these he reigns by his Spirit and grace in time, when they are effectually called, and brought into subjection to him. These are governed by laws of his making, he is owned by them as their Lord and King, and they yield a ready and cheerful obedience to his commands, and he protects and defends them from their enemies(See Psalm 18:48, 23:5); and such a kingdom Christ has always had from the beginning of the world(See John 1:1-3). 

But there was a particular time in which it was to be set up in a more visible and glorious manner: it was set up in the days of his flesh on earth, though it came not with observation, or was attended with outward pomp and grandeur, it being spiritual, and not of this world, (See John 18:36), upon his ascension to heaven it appeared greater. As he was made or declared Lord and Christ, and his Gospel was spread everywhere. In the times of Constantine it was still more glorious, being further extended, and enjoying great peace, liberty, and prosperity. At the Reformation there was a fresh breaking of it out again, and it got ground in the world. In the spiritual reign it will be restored, and much more increased, through the Gospel being preached, and churches set up everywhere and Christ's kingdom will then be more extensive. It will be from sea to sea and from the river to the ends of the earth it will be more peaceable and prosperous; there will be none to annoy and do hurt to the subjects of it and it will be no more subject to changes and revolutions, but will be in a firm and stable condition  It will be established upon the top of the mountains, and be more visible and glorious, which is here meant by its being "set up": especially this will be the case in the Millennium  state (See Revelation 20:2-4), when Christ shall reign before his ancients gloriously and they shall reign with him; and this will never be destroyed, but shall issue in the ultimate glory; for now all enemies will be put under the feet of Christ and his church; the beast and false prophet will be no more; and Satan will be bound during this time, and after that cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, with all the wicked angels and men (See Revelation 19:20, 2010, 14-15). Therefore the kingdom shall not be left to another people;
as was the Babylonian monarchy to the Medes and Persians; the Persian monarchy to the Greeks;and the Grecian monarchy to the Romans; but this shall not be left to a strange people, but shall be given to the saints of the most High; see ( Daniel 7:27 ) : but it shall break in pieces and subdue all these kingdoms; the Babylonian, Persian, Grecian, and Roman; the three former in the latter, which has swallowed them up; besides, the rest of these monarchies, which are all signified by beasts in an after prophecy, are said still to live, though their dominion is taken away, ( Daniel 7:12 ) , the same nations are in being, though not as monarchies, and have not the same denomination, and are in other hands; now these, and whatsoever kingdoms shall exist, when this shall be set up, shall be either broke to pieces, and utterly destroyed, or become subject to it; see ( 1 Corinthians 15:24 ) and it shall stand for ever: throughout time in this world, and to all eternity in another; it will be an everlasting kingdom; which is interpreted by Irenaeus an ancient Christian writer in the second century, of the resurrection of the just; his words are; 

 ``the great God hath signified by Daniel things to come, and he hath confirmed them by the Son; and Christ is the stone which is cut out without hands, who shall destroy temporal kingdoms, and bring in an everlasting one, which is the resurrection of the just; for he saith, the God of heaven shall raise up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed;'' 

This is the first resurrection, which brings on the personal reign, in which the righteous shall reign with him a thousand years. see ( Revelation 20:5 Revelation 20:6 ) .

Word of God

Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth from the mouth of God

Matthew 4:4

The Gospel According to Daniel 2:18 

18 That they should beseech the God of heaven for grace in this secret, that Daniel and his fellows should not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babel.

Brethren:

That they would desire mercies of the God of heaven concerning this secret His view in sending for them, and informing them of this whole affair, was to engage them in prayer to God with him; even to that God that made the heaven, and dwells there, and is above all, and sees and knows what is done in earth, and rules both in heaven and in earth according to his will. To entreat his mercy, whose mercies are manifold, and not plead any merits of their own, and that he would, in compassion to them, and the lives of others that were in danger, make known this secret of the king's dream, and the interpretation of it. Which could never be found out by the sagacity of men, or by any art they are masters.  This Daniel requested of them, as knowing that it was their duty and interest, as well as his, to unite in prayer unto God on this account, and that the joint and  fervent prayer of righteous men avails much with him ( See James 5:16) that Daniel and his fellows should not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon, of which they were in danger of. This was the mercy (See Psalm 62:12),  they were to implore, being in distress(See Deuteronomy 4:30-31), and this the interest they had in this affair; a strong argument to induce them to it.

A Meditative Thought‭ 

By Doktor Riktor Von Zhades‭

Friends and Brethren;

Yesterday morning as I was meditating during my time with our Lord, it occurred to me, that so many times, (at least I have thought or said), the words “ Lord you just don’t know what it’s like down here”. It was then, that I realized, that yes he does know for one must remember that although He was God in the flesh, He was still in the flesh, and subject to human emotions. 

Now we may argue on what constitutes emotions, but for me, I’ve got it down to four basic ones.

1) Sadness
2) Joy
3) Fear
4) Anger

As stated above we might differ on the number, but it is felt by this writer that those four are the roots of other feelings. For example, one might say, what about hate? Well true hate is a feeling, but it is a learned one and usually stems from anger over something or even someone, or groups of people. Nobody is born hating, it is a learned behavior. Also one might ask, what about Love? Again a learned behavior. I would suggest that it comes from joy. The joy of a baby seeing his or her’s mother’s face. 

But I digress. Allow friends for this writing to be based on my above comment, that there are basically four emotions.  So, let us see how our Savior acted and how He likewise experienced all that we can go through at any given time. 

1) Sadness
First scripture that comes to mind is John 11:35 “and Jesus Wept” While tears can come from joy, more often they come from grief and sadness. But there is another scripture that I would suggest that indicates sadness on the part of our Savior. In the Gospel according to Matthew 23:37-38 we read “ 37 Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the Prophets, and stonest them which are sent to thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, as the hen gathered her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! 38 Behold, your habitation shall be left unto you desolate.”
This is described as lamentation which denotes extreme sadness, that one laments the loss of something or someone. Webster’s Dictionary Ed. 1913 and 1828 defines it thus;

“An expression of sorrow; cries of grief”

So yes our Savior knew sadness, sorrow, grief

2) Joy
This one we can infer from The Gospel According to John 16:22 which reads “And ye now therefore are in sorrow: but I will see you again, and your hearts shall rejoice, and your joy shall no man take from you.” We again see that our Savior is well acquainted with this emotion, if not how else could He say for others to experience  it? Likewise it shows the above mentioned emotion of sadness. 

3) Fear
One need look no further than the Gospel According to Luke 22:44 wherein we read “ But being in an agony, he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was like drops of blood, trickling down to the ground”. I would add here that agony, was not so much physically as it was mentally. This is to say that while severe anxiety of events about to unfold could produce a physical reaction, it is more apt to cause one to suffer mentally. 

4) Anger
We all know about Christ chasing out the money changers in The Gospel According to Mark 11:17 (and likewise in Luke 19:46) “And he taught, saying unto them, Is it not written, Mine house shall be called the house of prayer unto all nations? but you have made it a den of thieves.” Now of course this anger was righteous anger and a judgment by Him for what they had done inside the temple. Yet it still demonstrates the feeling, the emotion. 

Do not misunderstand, our Savior was easily able to overcome these emotions. Yet likewise understand that He is our High Priest as written in The Epistle to the Hebrews “16 For he in no sort took on him the Angels’ nature, but he took on him the seed of Abraham. 17 Wherefore in all things it behooved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be merciful, and a faithful high Priest in things concerning God, that he might make reconciliation for the sins of the people. 18 For in that he suffered, and was tempted, he is able to succor them that are tempted.”

Word of God

Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth from the mouth of God

Matthew 4:4

The Gospel According to Daniel 1:17-20 

17 As for these four children, God gave them knowledge, and understanding in all learning and wisdom: also he gave Daniel understanding of all visions and dreams. 18 Now when the time was expired, that the King had appointed to bring them in, the chief of the Eunuchs brought them before Nebuchadnezzar. 19 And the King communed with them: and among them all was found none like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah: therefore stood they before the king. 20 And in all matters of wisdom, and understanding that the King enquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the enchanters and astrologians that were in all his realm.

Brethren:

As they prospered in their bodies, they succeeded in their studies, and improved in their minds, and became great proficients in all kind of lawful and useful knowledge. Not owing so much to their own sagacity and diligence, and the goodness and ability of their teachers, as to the blessing of God on their instructions and studies. For, as all natural, so all acquired parts are to be ascribed to God; and which these were favoured with by him in a very great manner, to answer some purposes of his. This is to be understood, not of magic art, vain philosophy, judicial astrology, to which the Chaldeans were addicted; but of learning and wisdom, laudable and useful, both in things natural and political. For these men, who scrupled eating and drinking what came from the king's table, would never indulge themselves in the study of vain, curious, and unlawful knowledge; much less would God have blessed the study of such things, and still less be said to give them knowledge and skill therein: and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams; besides knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom, in languages and sciences, in common with the other young men; he had the honour of seeing very remarkable visions of future things, and of interpreting dreams; and this not by rules of art, such as the Oneirocritics use, but by the gift of God; of which many singular instances follow in this book.

At the time of their examination before him, when he put questions to them, which they gave a ready, pertinent, and solid answer. Afterwards, when he had occasion to consult them on any affair, he found them ten times, (or ten hands) better than all the magicians and astrologers that were in all his realm, or than all the magi and sophies, the enchanters, diviners, soothsayers, and such who pretended to judicial astrology, and to judge of and foretell things by the position of the stars. These young men were able to give more pertinent answers to questions put to them, and better advice and counsel when asked of them, than all the persons before described, throughout the king's dominions.

Word of God

Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth from the mouth of God

Matthew 4:4

The Gospel According to Luke 24:47-49 

47 And that repentance, and remission of sins should be preached in his Name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 Now ye are witnesses of these things. 49 And behold, I do send the promise (John 15:26; Acts 1:4) of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.

Brethren:


And that repentance and remission of sins, which are the sum of the Gospel ministry; see ( Acts 20:21 ) the doctrine of "repentance" is not of the law, which neither requires, nor admits of it, but of the Gospel. The Persic version calls it, "the Gospel of repentance"; a doctrine preached by John the Baptist, Christ, and his apostles; and the thing itself is a blessing of the covenant, a gift of God's grace, and in the hands of Christ to bestow; and therefore the doctrine of it is published in his name, as well as remission of sins; which, though it springs from the free grace of God, is procured by the blood of Christ, and through him it is preached. These two are joined together, not because repentance is the cause of pardon; for repentance makes no satisfaction for sin, or atonement for it; nor does the law at all regard it: tears of repentance will not wash away sin; notwithstanding these, iniquity remains marked before God; Christ's tears themselves did not take away, nor atone for sin; his blood must be shed, and it was shed for the remission of it; and that is the only meritorious cause it. Indeed there is a notion that repentance atones for sin; but it is a very bad one, and has no countenance neither from the law of nature, nor the law of Moses: but these two are put together, because there is a connection between them, as there is between repentance, and life, and salvation: repentance issues in these things; and to whomsoever the grace of repentance is given, to them the forgiveness of sins is applied; nor need any truly repenting sinner despair of the pardon of his sin: and indeed, there is no true evangelical repentance without views, or at least hopes of pardoning grace, and mercy; for that is attended with faith in Christ, and is heightened by the discoveries of forgiving love: such who have the fullest view of the remission of their sins, have the clearest sense of sin, and have the most sorrow for it, and loath themselves on account of it, and are ashamed of it, and do most frankly confess it, and most thoroughly forsake it. And now it was necessary, according to Old Testament prophecies, that both these should be preached in his name; in the name of the Messiah; by his authority, and as coming through him; since the remission of sin is by his blood(Acts 10:43); and he is exalted as a prince(Isaiah 9:6; Revelation 19:16), and a Saviour(Psalm 17:7; Isaiah 4311, 45:21, 62:11, 63:7-9; Luke 1:46-48; John 4:42) to give both repentance and forgiveness of sins to all the Israel of God, whether Jews or Gentiles; and therefore it is fitting and proper that these should be preached,  among all nations (Matthew 24:14); of the world, where God's elect are; that so they may be brought hereby to repentance, and receive the forgiveness of their sins.

Beginning at Jerusalem; from whence, according to the Old Testament, the word and doctrine of the Lord were to go forth, ( Psalms 110:2; Isaiah 2:3 ) and is particularly mentioned, because the Gospel was to be first preached to the Jews, and be the power of God unto salvation to them; and because that in Jerusalem lived those who had been concerned in crucifying Christ, to whom repentance and forgiveness must be preached; and which would be a great encouragement to the vilest of sinners, to hope for mercy and forgiveness, since such received both. [Therefore] ye are witnesses of these things. As they were witnesses of the truth of his humanity, having seen, and heard, and handled him, both before, and after, his resurrection from the dead, and of all that he did, of all the miracles that he wrought in Jerusalem, Judea, and Galilee, and of his transfiguration on the mount; so likewise of his sorrows in the garden, and of his sufferings in the palace of the high priest, and in Pilate's hall, and on the cross; and of his death, which was the death of the cross; and also of his resurrection from the dead, in the same body, to whom he showed himself alive by many infallible proofs; by showing them the print of the nails in his hands and feet; by being handled by them; by eating and drinking in their presence; and by conversing with them for the space of forty days ( Luke 24:13-31; John 20:27): and their business was also to testify the doctrine of repentance, and remission of sins, in Jerusalem, in all Judea, and Samaria, and to the uttermost parts of the earth, which they accordingly did. (Acts 1:8, 2:30-32, 10:39, 41, 20:21 ).

And behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you. By which is meant the promise of the Spirit, called the promise of the Father, because he was promised by the Father to be sent, and poured on the saints in the times of the Messiah, ( Isaiah 44:3; Joel 2:28 ) and because Christ promised to pray the Father for him, and to send him from him; and that the Father should send him in his name, who would fit and qualify them for, and assist them in bearing a testimony for him; since he would teach them all things, lead them into all truth, take of the things of Christ, and show them to them, and bring to their remembrance all things they had seen and heard: and this promise of the Father was to be sent in a very short time, in ten days time (Acts 2:1), as accordingly it was; and might be very properly said to be sent "upon" them, since, when he was sent down, he sat upon them in the appearance of fire(Acts2:3); and this being a marvellous thing, as well as of great moment and importance, it is introduced with a "behold", as a note both of admiration and attention.

But tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem. For the space of ten days; here they were to continue during that time, and not depart thence; yea, they were to sit there, as the word used signifies: they were to sit still, and be silent; they were not to begin to preach; they were only to attend to prayer and Christian conversation, and to wait for the Spirit, the promise of the Father; and who also is designed in the following clause: “until ye be endued with power from on high”(Acts2:4). The Spirit of God is a spirit of might, and of power, as well as of knowledge, of understanding, of counsel, of love, and of a sound mind; whereby they were to be fortified, and inspired with courage, and greatness of soul, so as to look their greatest adversaries in the face with boldness and intrepidity, and freely, and without fear  (Job 36:4-6; Psalm 23:4), speak unto them; and whereby their ministrations would be succeeded to the conversion of many souls; and accordingly so it was: for after the Spirit was poured out upon them, they who before were timorous and fearful, came forth publicly, with undaunted courage, and resolution, and boldness, to the amazement of their adversaries; and their preaching was with the demonstration of the Spirit, and of power; who may be said to be "from on high", since he descended from heaven upon them; and they may be said to be "endued", or "clothed" with him, since there was such an extra ordinary and plentiful effusion of his gifts and graces on them: and now they were to wait in Jerusalem for this, that in the place where the Spirit had been dishonored and blasphemed, and the unpardonable sin against him had been committed by the Scribes and Pharisees, the might be in a most visible and signal manner honored; and also, because the doctrine of the Lord was to go out of Zion, and the word of the Lord out of Jerusalem. 

Word of God

Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth from the mouth of God

Matthew 4:4

The Gospel According to Luke 24:45 

45 Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the Scriptures

Brethren:

He not only opened their hearts, to attend to what he said, and the proofs he gave of his resurrection from the dead in a true body; but he removed the veil from the eyes of their minds and gave them an understanding of the sacred writings, respecting this matter, concerning his sufferings, death, and resurrection, which they were very ignorant of before, and which were as a sealed book unto them, (see John 20:9 ) though they had been from their infancy brought up to the reading of the Scriptures, and had had the advantage of Christ's ministry for some years; which shows the necessity of the special illumination of the Spirit, and the influence of his grace to remove the darkness of the mind, and give the true sense of the sacred writings.

In his discourse with the two disciples he took the veil from off the text, by opening the scriptures; here he took the veil from off the heart, by opening the mind. 

That Jesus Christ by his Spirit operates on the minds of men, on the minds of all that are his. He has access to our spirits, and can immediately influence them. It is observable how he did now after his resurrection give a specimen of those two great operations of his Spirit upon the spirits of men, his enlightening the intellectual faculties with a divine light, when he opened the understandings of his disciples, and his invigorating the active powers with a divine heat, when he made their hearts burn within them. 

Even good men need to have their understandings opened; for though they are not darkness, as they were by nature, yet in many things they are in the dark. David prays, Open mine eyes (See Psalm 119:18). Give me understanding. And Paul, who knows so much of Christ, sees his need to learn more. 

Christ’s way of working faith in the soul, and gaining the throne there, is by opening the understanding to discern the evidence of those things that are to be believed (See Romans 16:25-26). Thus he comes into the soul by the door (see Revelation 3:19), while Satan, as a thief and a robber(see John 10:1), climbs up some other way. 

The design of opening the understanding is that we may understand the scriptures; not that we may be wise above what is written, but that we may be wiser in what is written, and may be made wise to salvation by it. The Spirit in the word and the Spirit in the heart say the same thing. Christ’s scholars never learn above their bibles in this world; but they need to be learning still more and more out of their bibles, and to grow more ready and mighty in the scriptures. That we may have right thoughts of Christ, and have our mistakes concerning him rectified, there needs no more than to be made to understand the scriptures.

Word of God

Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth from the mouth of God

Matthew 4:4

The Gospel According to Luke 23:40 

40 But the other answered, and rebuked him, saying, Fearest thou not God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation?

Brethren:

The other malefactor made answer to him, and reproved him for his baseness and wickedness saying, dost not thou fear God; or "neither dost thou fear God", any more than these priests, people, and soldiers, that are acting such a barbarous and inhuman part to a man in misery: and wilt thou do the same, and show that thou art an impious wretch, now thou art just going out of the world, and neither fears God, nor regards man, and art without compassion to a fellow sufferer, adding sin to sin, and undergoing the same sort of punishment, though not on the same account, which might be the reason why they suffered on the same day: for the Jewish law was that, they were never to judge (or condemn) two in one day, but one today, and the other tomorrow; but if they are in one transgression, That is to say if both were involved in the same crime during the same period of time.  

For sins committed against the law; their sentence was just, and were righteously punished: which shows that he had a true sense of sin; for where that is, there will be not only an acknowledgment of the offence, but a vindication of the justice of God, should he proceed to deal according to the demerit of sin: for we receive the due reward of our deeds. 

Word of God

Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth from the mouth of God

Matthew 4:4

The Gospel According to Luke 22:27

27 For who is greater, he that sitteth at table, or he that serveth? is not he that sitteth at table? And I am among you as he that serveth.

Brethren:

An addendum, of sorts, to yesterday’s study. What we read in the next verse is that he would be the greatest, needs to be the least of all. To wit, a humble and lowly servant and as such Christ appeals to his disciples, and puts a case that is plain and obvious to any one, who is the greater, and more honourable person; he that sitteth at meat; that sits, or lies down at table, and another waits on him: or he that serveth? that stands behind, observes orders, and ministers to those that sit down: is not he that sitteth at meat? you, and every one must own, that he is the greatest, and most honourable person.

And this therefore is our Christian duty, as stated yesterday. That is to serve our fellow man in all ways. Preaching the Gospel of Christ, and helping all in need. These two services are compared to what our Savior said to him that had asked what was need to gain entry into heaven (see Luke 10:25-27). That was to love the Lord your God, and to love others. In this then we see how this can be made possible. We love Him first because he loved us first, yet we also love Him by the demonstrating of our actions, and acting as proxies to and for His will. Likewise we love others as He has loved us by taken on the mantle of servitude towards all that come across our paths. 

Let us rejoice, therefore, in that service. 

Word of God

Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth from the mouth of God

Matthew 4:4

The Gospel According to Luke 22:24-26

24 And there arose also a strife among them, which of them should seem to be the greatest.   
25 But he said unto them, The kings of the Gentiles reign over them, and they that bear rule over them, are called bountiful. 26 But ye shall not be so: but let the greatest among you be as the least: and the chiefest as he that serveth.

Brethren:

Our Savior, our King, came as Master to all that wish to hear His words of the Gospel of redemption. Yet always took on the role of lowly servant. Think if you will how many He healed, how many he spoke to and had compassion upon, and how He served all with His words. Therefore my brethren, let us use this as our example. Serve others and love them that you serve. Be not ashamed to take on this role, for it is one that has been commanded by our Creator. Each of us has diver ways in which to serve. Some as ministers of the Gospel, others by assisting the needy and hurt. Others in praises being lift up to Him in song, and still others by the lifting up of the saints through prayer. Yet likewise remember there is no division in the body of Christ. While one may be a foot and another a hand, it is still one body. 

Whoever would be reckoned a great man in the kingdom of Christ, or under the Gospel dispensation, must be a minister to others if he is desirous of being truly great in the esteem of God, and of men, he must do great service for Christ, and to the souls of men; and seek to bring great glory to God, by faithfully ministering the word and ordinances, and by denying himself worldly honour and glory, and by serving others, through much reproach, difficulty, and opposition. And not a servant of some only, but of all. This was verified in the Apostle Paul, who became a servant to all men, though he was free, that he might gain some to Christ; and by so doing was the chief, though he reckoned himself the least of the apostles, yea, less than the least of all saints

Word of God

Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth from the mouth of God

Matthew 4:4

The Gospel According to Luke 21:36 

36 Watch therefore, and pray continually, that ye may be counted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and that ye may stand before the son of man.

Brethren:

Watch ye therefore, and pray always Watch against every sin, snare, and temptation; particularly, against the above things, surfeiting, drunkenness, and worldly cares; pray continually, for fresh supplies of grace: that ye may be counted worthy; not for watchfulness and prayer, but through the grace and goodness of God: to escape all these things that shall come to pass; the dreadful miseries and distress, that shall come, and to stand before the Son of man, with intrepidity, confidence, and pleasure, and meet him at his coming in this way, with joy and comfort; and likewise at death, and at judgment ( see  1 John 2:28 ).

This then should be our aim: that we may be accounted worthy to escape all these things; that, when the judgments of God are abroad, we may be preserved from the malignity of them; that either we may not be involved in the common calamity or it may not be that to us which it is to others; that in the day of death we may escape the sting of it, which is the wrath of God, and the damnation of hell. Yet we must aim not only to escape that, but to stand before the Son of man; not only to stand acquitted before him as our Judge ( see Psalm 1:5 ), to have boldness in the day of Christ (that is supposed in our escaping all those things), but to stand before him, to attend on him as our Master, to stand continually before his throne, and serve him day and night in his temple ( see Revelation 7:15 ), always to behold his face, as the angels, (see Matthew 18:10).

The saints are here said to be accounted worthy, as before. God, by the good work of his grace in them, makes them meet for this happiness, and, by the good will of his grace towards them, accounts them worthy of it: but, as Grotius here says, a great part of our worthiness lies in an acknowledgment of our own unworthiness. What should be our actings in these aims: Watch therefore, and pray always. Watching and praying must go together, ( see Nehemiah 4:9 ) Those that would escape the wrath to come, and make sure of the joys to come, must watch and pray, and must do so always, must make it the constant business of their lives. To keep a guard upon themselves. "Watch against sin, watch to every duty, and to the improvement of every opportunity of doing good. Be awake, and keep awake, in expectation of your Lord’s coming, that you may be in a right frame to receive him, and bid him welcome.’’  Additionally to keep up their communion with God: "Pray always; be always in an habitual disposition to that duty; keep up stated times for it; abound in it; pray upon all occasions.’’ Those shall be accounted worthy to live a life of praise in the other world that live a life of prayer in this world.

Word of God

Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth from the mouth of God

Matthew 4:4

The Gospel According to Luke 21:24-26 

24 And they shall fall on the edge of the sword, and shall be led captive into all nations, and Jerusalem shall be trodden under foot of the Gentiles, until the time of the Gentiles be fulfilled.25 25 Then there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars, and upon the earth trouble among the nations, with perplexity: the sea and the waters shall roar. 26 And men’s hearts shall fail them for fear and for looking after those things which shall come on the world: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.

Brethren:

Once the fulness of the Gentiles is brought in; until the Gospel is preached all over the world, and all God's elect are gathered in out of all nations; and then the Jews will be converted, and return to their own land, and rebuild and inhabit Jerusalem; but till that time, it will be as it has been, and still is possessed by Gentiles.

So immediately after the distress the Jews would be in through the siege of Jerusalem, and the calamities attending it; just upon the destruction of that city, and the temple in it, with the whole nation of the Jews, shall the following things come to pass; and therefore cannot be referred to the last judgment, or what should befall the church, or world, a little before that time, or should be accomplished in the whole intermediate time, between the destruction of Jerusalem, and the last judgment: for all that is said to account for such a sense, as that it was usual with the prophets to speak of judgments afar off as near; and that the apostles often speak of the coming of Christ, the last judgment, and the end of the world, as just at hand; and that one day with the Lord is as a thousand years, will not answer to the word "immediately", or show that that should be understood of two thousand years after: besides, all the following things were to be fulfilled before that present generation, in which Christ lived, passed away, ( Matthew 24:34 ).

Word of God

Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth from the mouth of God

Matthew 4:4

The Gospel According to Luke 20:38 

38 For he is not the God of the dead, but of them which live: for all live unto him.

Brethren:

Thus our Lord having to do with the same sort of persons, fetches his proof of the doctrine of the resurrection out of the law, and from a passage which respects the covenant relation God stands in to his people, particularly Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and which respects not their souls only, but their bodies also, even their whole persons, body and soul; for God is the God of the whole: and therefore as their souls now live with God, their bodies also will be raised from the dead, that they, with their souls, may enjoy everlasting glory and happiness; which is the grand promise, and great blessing of the covenant of grace.

All these live unto him; namely, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; for though they are dead to men, they are not to God; their souls live with him, and their bodies will be raised by him: he reckons of them, as if they were now alive, for he quickens the dead, and calls things that are not, as though they were; and this is the case of all the saints that are dead, as well as of those patriarchs. The Ethiopic reads, "all live with him"; as the souls of all departed saints do; the Arabic version reads, all live in him; so all do now, (See  Acts 17:28 and Job 12:10).  As all the saints are; for though their bodies are dead, their souls are alive, and their bodies will be raised in consequence of their covenant interest in God, to enjoy an immortal life with him.

``for God is not the God of the dead, for the dead are not; but of the living, for the living exist; therefore also the patriarchs, in respect of the soul, may rightly be inferred from hence to live.'' -
Menasseh ben Israel - Eminent Rabbi of the seventeenth century 

Word of God

Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth from the mouth of God

Matthew 4:4

The Gospel According to Luke 20:1-8 

1 And it came to pass, that on one of those days, as he taught the people in the Temple, and preached the Gospel, the high Priests and the Scribes came upon him, with the Elders, 2 And spake unto him, saying, Tell us by what authority thou doest these things, or who is he that hath given thee this authority? 3 And he answered, and said unto them, I also will ask you one thing: tell me therefore: 4 The baptism of John, was it from heaven, or of men? 5 And they reasoned within themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven, he will say, Why then believed ye him not? 6 But if we shall say, Of men, all the people will stone us: for they be persuaded that John was a Prophet. 7 Therefore they answered, that they could not tell whence it was. 8 Then Jesus said unto them, Neither tell I you, by what authority I do these things.

Brethren:

They saw the dilemma they were brought into; they chose rather therefore to speak against their own consciences, and tell a wilful lie, and incur the reproach of ignorance: who, at other times, took upon them to judge of a prophet, whether he was a true or a false one, and by what authority he acted, whether of God, or man: but now being reduced to this wretched condition, contrary to their office and character, declare they did not know, and could not tell from whence John had his commission, and who gave him his authority.

Therefore since, according to the proposal of Christ, and the agreement he entered into with them, they did not give him a direct answer to his question, he looked upon himself under no obligation to inform them, what was his authority, and from whence he had it; though by the question he put to them he tacitly suggests, that he had his authority not from man, but from God; and by this his answer signifies, that since John preached and baptized without their authority and approbation, so might he; nor was he dependent on them, or accountable to them.

Herein likewise we see the wretched condition of today’s wicked generation. Those who openly deny Him, ( that at least honestly admit to it ), those that demand some sign or wonders to make them believe, and those that profess themselves to believe, but act not upon it. 

Word of God

Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth from the mouth of God

Matthew 4:4

The Gospel According to Luke 19:9 

9 Then Jesus said to him, This day is salvation come unto this house, forasmuch as he is also become the son of Abraham.

Brethren:

To the master of it, and it may be to others in it; the Arabic version reads, "to the inhabitants of this house". The Persic version reads, "great salvation"; by which may be meant, the Gospel, as in ( See Hebrews 2:3 )so called, because it brings the account of salvation by Christ, which is not discoverable by the light of nature, nor made known by the law of Moses; but the Gospel publishes and proclaims it; the ministers of it show unto men the way of salvation, and direct them, and encourage to go to Christ for it; likewise the Gospel is the means of bringing near this salvation, and of applying it to them; and when it comes with the demonstration of the Spirit, it is the power of God unto salvation: and this might be truly said to come to Zacchaeus's house; inasmuch as Christ the great preacher of it, and by whom it first began to be spoken, and was spoken by him, as it never was by any one besides, was now in his house, preaching it; the sum and substance of which lie in the words delivered by him in the following verse; and the Gospel came to him to purpose, and was effectual: sometimes it comes to a people, city, town, or family, and it is rejected, and becomes of no effect; but here it came to Zacchaeus, and into him; and wrought effectually in him, as his words in the preceding verse declare: moreover, the blessing of salvation itself, which is wrought out by Christ, and published in the Gospel, was brought home to him; he was not only made sensible that he stood in need of salvation, but this was brought near unto him, and set before him, and applied to him; he had not only hopes of it, but faith of interest in it; it was made known unto him, that Christ was his salvation; and it was revealed and applied to the rest of the family, as well as to him: sometimes the Lord takes one of a city, and two of a family; and sometimes whole families, as Lydia's and the jailor's, and here Zacchaeus's, as seems probable; for by his house may be meant, his family: though this may be understood of Christ, the author of salvation; who came into his house in a literal sense, as well as in a spiritual sense; and was made known to Zacchaeus, as his Saviour and Redeemer. The Alexandrian copy reads, "in this house".

These words are to be considered, either as a reason, or evidence, of salvation being come to his house; and therefore cannot be understood of him as a son of Abraham, by natural descent: he was indeed a Jew, as appears by his name, and by his knowledge of the Jewish law, concerning restoration; and which may be confirmed by the silence of the Pharisees, who murmured at Christ's going along with him; who, had he been a Gentile, would not have failed to have mentioned it; but then, though this might be a reason justifying Christ in going to his house, who did not exceed the bounds of his office, as the minister of the circumcision, and as sent, and that only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel; yet this could be no reason of spiritual salvation coming to him, which was not confined to Abraham's natural seed, nor was it necessary to them, more than others, and much less general; and indeed, very few of them then in being, partook of it; for though salvation was of them, and Christ the Saviour came unto them, yet they rejected him, and died in their sins: nor is this a reason of salvation coming to his family; for though by virtue of the covenant of circumcision made with Abraham and his natural seed, there were many outward privileges bestowed upon them, yet spiritual salvation was not ensured by it to them; and with regard to that, natural descent from Abraham, and circumcision, were of no avail: but this is to be understood of him, as a son of Abraham in a spiritual sense, he being now a believer in Christ, and so one that walked in the steps of the faith of Abraham; and this was an evidence of his interest in salvation by Christ, the blessing with which he was blessed, with faithful Abraham: and also his being a son of Abraham, which is no other than to be a child of the promise, ( See Romans 9:8 ) or in other words, one of God's elect, a chosen vessel of salvation, was a reason why Christ, the author of salvation, came to him, why the Gospel of salvation was made known to him, and why the blessing of salvation was applied to him.

Word of God

Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth from the mouth of God

Matthew 4:4

The Gospel According to Luke 18:27 

27 And he said, The things which are impossible with men, are possible with God.

Brethren:

This is to say to be done by him, if he will, which are consistent with the glory and perfections of his nature: for as he could, by his almighty power, if he would, reduce a camel to so small a size, as to be able to go through the eye of a needle, which, with men, is an impossible thing; so by the mighty power of his grace he can work upon a rich man's heart, in such a manner, as to take off his affections from his worldly substance, and cause him to drop his trust and confidence in it: he can so influence and dispose his mind, as to distribute his riches cheerfully among the poor, and largely, and liberally supply their wants, and even part with all, when necessity requires it: he can change his heart, and cause the desires of his soul to be after true riches of grace and glory; and bring him to see his own spiritual poverty, his need of Christ, and salvation by him; and to deny himself, take up the cross, and follow him, by submitting to his most despised ordinances, and by suffering the loss of all things for his sake; and he can carry him through a thousand snares safe to his kingdom and glory, which is Christ's sense; though the thing is impossible upon the foot of human nature, and strength, which can never effect anything of this kind: and as to what the apostles suggested concerning the safety of persons in the Messiah's kingdom, if no rich man could enter there, but should be in opposition to it; our Lord's answer implies, that though, humanly speaking, it was not possible and practicable that they, a company of poor, mean, and despicable men, should be able to stand against the united force of the great and mighty men of the earth; yet God was able to support, and uphold them, succeed, and keep them, and make them both useful and comfortable, amidst all the opposition and persecution they should meet with, until he had finished his whole will and work by them.

We know how closely the hearts of most men cleave to this world, and are ready to despair of their being ever brought to this place of grace. There are such difficulties in the way of our salvation: as could never be got over but by pure omnipotence, by that grace of God which is almighty, and to which that is possible which exceeds all created power and wisdom. The things which are impossible with men (and utterly impossible it is that men should work such a change upon their own spirits as to turn them from the world to God. Yet these things are possible with God. His grace can work upon the soul, so as to alter the bent and bias of it, and give it a contrary ply; and it is he that works in us both to will and to do.  There is an aptness in us to speak too much of what we have left and lost, of what we have done and suffered, for Christ.

Word of God

Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth from the mouth of God

Matthew 4:4

The Gospel According to Luke 18:10-14 

10 Two men went up into the Temple to pray: the one a Pharisee, and the other a Publican. 11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, O God, I thank thee that I am not as other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this Publican. 12 I fast twice in the week: I give tithe of all that ever I possess. 13 But the Publican standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes to heaven, but smote his breast, saying, O God, be merciful to me a sinner. 14 I tell you, this man departed to his house, justified rather than the other: for every man that exalteth himself shall be brought low, and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

Brethren:

Let us not be so quick to be smug, and forward in the grace that God hath bestowed upon us. Whilst it is indeed so to be thankful for it, leave us not to be ungrateful as to consider ourselves higher than another sinner. Recall and note that even during our best of moments, we are still sinners, whose best efforts are still naught but filthy rags in comparison to the righteousness of our Savior Christ. In fact, it would be right and justified to aid another in their prayer. To stand in agreement with that person, even so, that it would be unknown to the other. We are instructed to pray for all men everywhere, and even more so at all times. For our Lord knoweth the sins of all men no matter whether it be spoken or unspoken.

The above verses showed in the publican, that the guilt of his sins lay heavy on him; that he could not look up; that shame filled him with blushing; that sorrow caused his countenance to fall; and that fear of divine wrath, and displeasure, possessed him; and that he looked upon himself as unworthy of the smiles of heaven, smiting upon ‭ ‬his own breast and thereby‭ ‬pointing at the fountain of his sin; expressing by this action, his sorrow, and repentance for it; and an aversion and abhorrence of himself on account of it, joined with indignation and revenge; and he did this to arouse and stir up all the powers and faculties of his soul, to call upon God. The Persic version renders it, "he fell on his knees, and beat the earth with his head"; taking a sort of revenge on himself for sin.

This is his prayer; a short, but a very full one, and greatly different from that of the Pharisee: in which is a confession that he was a sinner; a sinner in Adam, who had derived a sinful nature from him, being conceived and born in sin; and a sinner by practice, having committed many actual transgressions, attended with aggravating circumstances; a guilty and filthy sinner, a notorious one, deserving of the wrath of God, and the lowest hell: he speaks of himself, as if he was the only sinner in the world; at least, as if there was none like him: and there is in this prayer also a petition; and the object it is put up to, is "God", against whom he had sinned; with whom there is mercy and forgiveness; and who only can forgive sin; and who has promised that he will: and has proclaimed his name, a God, pardoning iniquity, transgression, and sin; and has given instances of his forgiving grace and mercy; and therefore the publican was right in addressing him by confession: the petition he makes to him is, to be "merciful", or "propitious" to him; that is, to show mercy to him, through the propitiary sacrifice of the Messiah, which was typified by the sacrifices under the law: the first thing a sensible sinner wants, is an application of pardoning grace and mercy; and forgiveness springs from mercy; and because the mercy of God is free and abundant, therefore pardon is so: but this is not to be expected from an absolute God, or God out of Christ. God is only propitious in Christ: hence it may be observed, that God pardons none but those to whom he is propitious in his Son; and that he forgives sin upon the foot of a reconciliation, and satisfaction made to his law, and justice, and so pardon is an act of justice, as well as of mercy; and that there is no pardoning mercy but through Christ. The Arabic version renders it, "spare me, because I am a sinner"; see ( Psalms 25:11 ) .

Hence this man that so freely owned himself to be a sinner, and by his carriage acknowledged he was unworthy of any favour; and who was treated with so much contempt by the Pharisee, left and went home wsa accounted as a righteous person in the sight of God; justified from all his sins, and accepted by him, when the other was abhorred and neglected. The Syriac and Persic versions, and so Beza's most ancient copy, read, "than the Pharisee", who had such an high opinion of himself, and despised others: not that the Pharisee was justified at all, when the publican really was; but the sense is, that if judgment had been to have been made, and sentence passed according to the then conduct and behaviour of both parties, the publican had greatly the advantage, in the sight of God; an humble demeanour being well pleasing and acceptable to him, when pride, and arrogance, boasting of, and trusting in a man's own righteousness, are abhorred by Him.

Word of God

Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth from the mouth of God

Matthew 4:4

The Gospel According to Luke 18:7-8 

7 Now shall not God avenge his elect, which cry day and night unto him, yea, though he suffer long for them?  8 I tell you he will avenge them quickly: but when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?

Brethren:

Who are a select number, a special people, whom he has loved with an everlasting love, so as of his own sovereign good will and pleasure to choose in his Son Jesus Christ unto everlasting life and salvation, through certain ways and means of his own appointing, hence they are peculiarly his: and these he will avenge and vindicate, right their wrongs, do them justice, and deliver them from their adversaries, and take vengeance on them; as may be concluded from his hatred of sin, his justice, and his holiness, from his promises, and from his power, and from the efficacy of prayer, and the regard he has to it.

Though he bear long with them that is with their adversaries, their oppressors, and persecutors, who are vessels of wrath, fitted for destruction, whom he endures with much longsuffering, till the sufferings of his people are accomplished, and the iniquities of these men are full; or rather with the elect, for the words may be rendered, "and is longsuffering towards them": delays his coming, and the execution of vengeance, as on the Jewish nation, so upon the whole world of the ungodly, till his elect are gathered in from among them. ( See 2 Peter 3:9 ) 

He will avenge them speedily as he did in a few years after the death of Christ, when God's elect among the Jews were singled out, and gathered in from them, and were delivered from their persecutors, and saved from temporal ruin and destruction, whilst the Roman army made sad havoc of their enemies; and so will he do in the end of the world. (See Matthew 13:39-40, 49-50)

The believers being removed from thence, and scattered among the Gentiles, and not a man, at least in Jerusalem, that had any faith in Jesus, as the Messiah; or in the world at the last day: there will then be little of the doctrine of faith, and less of the grace of faith, and still less of the exercise of faith, particularly in prayer, and especially about the coming of Christ; it will be little thought of, and expected, or faith little exercised about it.

 ``Nevertheless as coming the tokens, behold, the days shall come, that they which dwell upon earth shall be taken in a great number, and the way of truth shall be hidden, and the land shall be barren of faith.'' (2 Esdras 5:1)  -  Note: 2 Esdras (also called 4 Esdras, Latin Esdras, or Latin Ezra) is the name of an apocalyptic book in many English versions of the Bible. Its authorship is ascribed to Ezra.