Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/Sermons/zz20030216.htm

JESUS CHRIST IN OLD TESTAMENT PROPHECY
Part XXVII: Using Scripture To Address The Challenge Of Doubts
(Isaiah 35:5-6 with Matthew 11:3-6)

Introduction: (To show the need . . . )

Recently, several believers have shared with me battles they have faced regarding questions which can raise doubts they or others might have relative to Christ, the Christian faith or to certain beliefs we have taught at our Church over the years:

(1) In one case, a party shared how he had run across a critic who holds that unless you add water baptism and speaking in tongues to faith in Christ, you cannot enter into heaven.

The critic had alluded to John 3:5, which says, " . . . Except a man be born of water [that is, water baptism] and of the Spirit [including speaking in tongues], he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." Then the critic claimed even if one believed in Christ and was "saved," and even became indwelt by the Holy Spirit, unless he was baptized and spoke in tongues he would still go to HELL!

The believer asked me for suggestions in how he could answer this critic's view!

(2) Another believer ran into a party who had become involved in interpreting the Bible using numeric calculations. According to this view, one can take the Scriptures, feed the arrangement of its letters and words into a computer and come up with all sorts of hidden predictions on just all sorts of events in history. This numeric fad has come and gone for decades, but it is really blossoming with the use of enhanced computer technology today.

What this believer needed from me was information on how we can know we have the right method of even interpreting the Bible!



How do we handle serious DOUBTS about the faith, Christ, Christianity, salvation or other BELIEFS we have been taught at Nepaug Bible Church over the years -- WHERE to we BEGIN?



(We turn to the sermon "Need" section . . . )



Need: " At times I think I'm in a "mine field" of DOUBTS about my beliefs or about God's leading in my life. What should I DO?!"
  1. The RISEN Jesus told His disciples on the road to Emmaus how He fulfilled Old Testament Messianic prophecies, Luke 24:25-27.
  2. As these men were edified by Christ's teaching of those passages (Luke 24:32), we also view them, following the list of prophecies named in the Ryrie Study Bible, KJV, s. v. "Messianic Prophecies."
  3. The prophecy of Isaiah 35:5-6 about Messiah's miracles was used by JESUS to settle DOUBTS John the Baptizer had about Jesus being the Messiah, and about God's leading in John's ministry:
    1. When John the Baptizer was led by God to be Messiah's Forerunner, God gave John a sign by which he would identify the Messiah:
      1. When God called John to be the Forerunner who would introduce the Messiah to Israel (John 1:6), John knew he was to announce Messiah in fulfillment of Isaiah 40:3, cf. John 1:21-23.
      2. In fact, the Holy Spirit gave John a certain sign by which he could identify the Messiah as follows (John 1:33): the Lord had told John he would see the Holy Spirit descending in the form of a dove and alighting and remaining on the Messiah of God, John 1:33.
    2. Thus, when John beheld this sign, he publicly announced Jesus as the Lamb of God Who took away the sin of the world, cf. John 1:28-31:
    3. However, when John landed in prison quite opposite his typical Hebrew belief that Messiah would immediately install the Messianic Kingdom, he became disillusioned about JESUS being the Messiah, and thus about his ministry of announcing Him to be the Messaih:
      1. In contrast to what we learned in our previous message, in Jesus' era, the Jews thought Messiah would set up His world reign when He first appeared, a belief John as a typical Hebrew also held to be the truth, cf. Bible Knowledge Com, N.T., p. 43.
      2. Thus, when John landed in prison opposite this theological presupposition, instead of reexamining the presupposition, he became disillusioned at the absence of Jesus' reign, and that led John to doubt Jesus and John's announcing Him to be the Messiah!
      3. To handle these doubts, John sent two of his disciples to confirm by two witnesses in keeping with Old Testament law (cf. Deut. 19:15b) to ask Jesus if He was the Messiah or if John was to identify another as that One, Matthew 11:2-3.
    4. Thus, when John sent his disciples to Jesus, JESUS instructed JOHN to focus on how Jesus fulfilled Isaiah 35:5-6 regarding the MIRACLES that would identify God's working in Israel's midst:
      1. In hearing John's question, Jesus told John's disciples they should tell John what they had seen and heard of Jesus' works, Matt. 11:4.
      2. Specifically, Jesus named the fulfillment of Isaiah 35:5-6 where God was predicted to give sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf and strength to the lame so they could walk, Matthew 11:5(a,b,d).
      3. Jesus added the fulfillment of Isaiah 61:1 we learned in our last message was to be fulfilled in His first Advent, a prophecy about the oppressed having the Gospel preached unto them, Mtt. 11:5(f).
      4. Also, Jesus added the great miracles of the cleansing of lepers and the raising of the dead as had occurred in the ministry of the Old Testament prophet Elisha, 2 Kings 4:32-37; 5:10-14, Mtt. 11:5(c,e)
Application: For surviving the "mine field" of troubling doubts of the faith, we must FIRST (1) believe in Christ for salvation from sin to be justified by God and become a spiritual child of God, John 1:11-12. That puts us in the position of being indwelt by the Holy Spirit Who can minister the truth to us, cf. Rom. 8:9 with 1 Cor. 2:9-16. (2) As a believer who is thus overshadowed by God's instructive care, GOD calls us to (a) CHECK WRITTEN SCRIPTURE to interpret ALL we EXPERIENCE for validation of God's TRUTH, 2 Tim. 3:13, 15-17. (b) OTHER helps of SECONDARY importance are ((1)) sticking to those beliefs that God has let us learn and become convinced were true, and that BEFORE the doubts arose, cf. 2 Tim. 3:13-14a and ((2)) sticking with what REPUTABLE believers have held to be the truth, 2 Tim. 3:13, 14b. (3) Recall that MANY doubts of the TRUTH are caused (as in JOHN'S case) by holding to ERRANT PRESUPPOSITIONS in our BACKGROUND -- presuppositions that need to be CORRECTED! (4) GOD will then guide us through the "mine field" of doubts unto His liberating truth!

Lesson: When even the Forerunner of the Messiah, John the Baptizer expressed DOUBTS about JESUS' identity as Messiah, and that due to FALSE beliefs about the kingdom circulating in that era in contrast to the Holy Spirit's own leading in John's ministry, JESUS directed John to WRITTEN SCRIPTURE to handle his doubts and clarify God's TRUTH.

Conclusion: (To illustrate the sermon lesson . . . )

 (1) On the alleged need to be baptized with water and speak in tongues to go to heaven, we note what written Scripture claims:

(a) The moment we trust in Christ, we are all spiritually baptized by the Holy Spirit, 1 Cor. 12:13; Rom. 8:9b. This occurs without tongues speaking and/or water baptism: ((1)) from 1 Cor. 12:11-30, we know not all of the Corinthians baptized by the Spirit spoke in tongues; also, ((2)) 1 Cor. 1:14-17 shows Paul did not consider water baptism necessary as he had neglected to baptize most of them, and claimed Christ had not sent him to baptize!

(b) This spiritual baptism occurs at the same instant as does the sealing of the Holy Spirit, Eph. 1:13-14. (The word "after" does not occur in the Greek at Eph. 1:13, but the aorist participle does, so the sealing occurs based on faith in Christ, UBS Grk. N.T., p. 665)

(c) As a result, that Holy Spirit unconditionally keeps the believer saved until he enters heaven, Eph. 1:14; 4:30; Rom. 8:23. (The order in Eph. 4:30 is in the present tense, meaning to stop the sin of grieving the Spirit though one is still sealed with Him, UBS Grk. N.T., p. 673; Dana & Mantey, Man. Gram. of the Grk. N.T., p. 301.)

(d) Now, that Holy Spirit will change the body so the believer can go to heaven, Romans 8:11.

(e) As for John 3:5, the water there can not be literal baptism water, for Jesus implied in John 3:10 Nicodemus was to know of this subject from his Old Testament, and God predicted the new birth with spiritually "clean" water in Ez. 36:25! Since no baptismal water is spiritually pure, Jesus had to mean the ceremonial cleansing of Ez. 36:25 to picture spiritual realities only -- NOT water baptism!

(f) Thus, by faith in Christ without ANY OTHER function, God will UNCONDITIONALLY take us to heaven!

(2) Regarding how we can know how to interpret the Bible:

(a) 1 John 2:6 says we should follow Jesus' example.

(b) Well, in Mark 12:26-27, Jesus interpreted Exodus 3:6 in the Bible by the normal, or litero-grammatico-historical method!

(c) So, WE must interpret Scripture normally as Jesus did -- NOT with numerics or some other ABNORMAL way!