Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/Sermons/zz20030302.htm

JESUS CHRIST IN OLD TESTAMENT PROPHECY
Part XXIX: Handling Doubts About God's Separatist Messenger(s)
(Malachi 3:1-2 with Matthew 21:12-13 et al.)

Introduction: (To show the need . . . )

Last Sunday, following the morning worship sermon, as I was speaking with two different members of our Church, they BOTH shared with me doubts they have experienced in the recent or more distant past regarding my credibility due to STANDS I have taken:

(1) One party shared that when the Jehovah's Witnesses had confronted this party about their denial of the Trinity, that this party had to choose between what I taught and what these Jehovah's Witnesses taught; I claim the Trinity is a true doctrine where the Jehovah's Witnesses claim Jesus was just a created being unlike the "Jehovah" of the Bible, and that He is not coequal and co-eternal with God the Father.

(2) Another member also told me of real doubts they had experienced this past week when a disgruntled former attender of our Church recently told this party we at Nepaug are "almost cultic" because of my stands critiquing some of the theological errors of major Evangelical ministries like Promise Keepers, Gothardism, etc.



Well, such doubts are often harmful to one's walk with God; if a believer DOUBTS the SPIRITUAL CREDIBILITY of the one who TEACHES him, he comes to DOUBT what he TEACHES, and then cannot GROW in the FAITH as a RESULT of that doubt EVEN IF the teacher ministers GOD'S truths!

He needs to be able to DISCERN if the TEACHER he heeds is indeed a teacher GOD directs, or if his teaching is NOT of God and to be resisted!



Thus, we need to ADDRESS this need, and we do so in our message today . . . (We turn to the sermon "Need" section . . . )



Need: "I know God wants us to stand against error and evil, but I'm concerned the Pastor may be leading us to take such STRICT stands that we border on being cultic'! Does the BIBLE address this?"
  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 Malachi 3:1-2 prophecy of Messiah's arrival at the temple as fulfilled by Christ in Matthew 21:12-13 et al. reveals HOW God's people are to handle DOUBTS arising from the TENSION of the SEPARATIST STANDS of God's Messenger (or messengers!):
    1. Jesus fulfilled the Malachi 3:1 prediction that Israel's God would suddenly come to her temple, cf. John 2:13-14a; Mtt. 21:12a et al.
    2. Yet, the Malachi 3:2 prediction also noted how difficult the Hebrew people would find it to HANDLE His arrival, for He would function as a Painful Purifier considered unbearable by the people.
    3. To CLARIFY this fact, we study the Biblical record of the event:
      1. When Jesus arrived at the temple, He TWICE took a strong separatist stand, driving the money changers out of the temple with a whip and charging they had made the temple a materialistic haven instead of keeping it a proper place of prayer, Jn. 2:14-17 (at Christ's first cleansing); Matt. 21:12-13 et al. (at His second one).
      2. Well, the Hebrew rulers did not TOLERATE what Jesus had done:
        1. The religious leaders wanted to kill Jesus for this, Mk. 11:15-18
        2. They demanded He prove He had the right to challenge the existing practice of the moneychangers, John 2:18; Bible Knowledge Commentary, New Testament, p. 280.
        3. In fact, they questioned Jesus' authority, Matt. 21:23 et al.
    4. Thus, Jesus supported His validity and hence His authority to take the stand and the corresponding action He had expressed by alluding to the Scriptural WITNESS of the credible JOHN the BAPTIZER:
      1. Christ's questioners were aware Scripture certified every fact was to be established regarding someone's credibility in the presence of two or three credible witnesses, cf. Deuteronomy 19:15b-21.
      2. In accord with this credibility test, Jesus appealed to credible witnesses to verify His identity and hence authority as GOD:
        1. Jesus asked the religious leaders who questioned His authority what they thought of John the Baptizer's ministry -- whether it was from God, cf. Matthew 21:24-25 et al.
        2. This was a loaded question, for John had certified that God the Holy Spirit had shown him Jesus was the Messiah, and John had then announced Jesus as God to Israel: (a) John claimed he had not known the Messiah's identity before he met Jesus at His Jordan River baptism, John 1:31; (b) Rather, John reported the Holy Spirit had claimed John would recognize the One Who baptized by the Holy Spirit as God by the sign of the Spirit like a dove descending and remaining on Him, John 1:33; (c) Thus, when John saw this sign occur, he publicly announced to Israel that Jesus was the One "Who taketh away the sin of the world" as the "Son of God," John 1:34-36, 29 KJV. (d) Since the term "Son of God" in that culture made one equal with God the Father (cf. John 5:18), John had claimed he and the Holy Spirit (TWO WITNESSES) identified Jesus as Messiah AND GOD!
        3. Besides, even the religious leaders knew all the people believed John was a prophet of God, so they were pressured not to claim his ministry was not of God, cf. Matthew 21:26.
        4. However, if these leaders responded to Jesus' question about John by saying his ministry was of God, then Jesus would have asked why they didn't believe John's witness of His identity and hence authority as God and Messiah of Israel, Mtt. 21:25b.
      3. As it turned out, the leaders didn't respond to Jesus' question, for they felt cornered, so Jesus did not further explain His authority as it was already clarified by John's witness of Him! (Matthew 21:27)
Application: (1) For handling doubts on the AUTHORITY of Jesus or any messenger alleging to be sent by Him to take a stand on a belief, (a) trust in Christ as Savior (John 3:16) and (b) thus be indwelt by the Holy Spirit (Rom. 8:9b) Who (c) equips us to discern God's truths, 1 Cor. 2:9-10. (2) Then, check CREDIBLE BIBLICAL WITNESSES on the messenger taking the stand. (3) Thus armed, we clear up our doubts so we can heed God's true messengers! (4) We then evaluate his stands by SCRIPTURE!

Lesson: When Christ's SEPARATIST STAND re: the moneychangers was CHALLENGED by those who DOUBTED His identity and authority, Jesus BIBLICALLY appealed to CREDIBLE WITNESSES for the truth!

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

 Right after speaking last Sunday with the two members who shared battles of doubt they have had about some stands I have taken, Louis Leigh came up to me in Fellowship Hall holding up a magazine.

He was carrying the January-February, 2003, current issue of Business Reform, a magazine published by Christian businessmen.

Well, Louis had written on the cover with a felt pen, "Pastor, see page 44." When I turned to the page, I found the article, "Dow 5,000 or Dow 35,000?" by Marc Leavy, a Certified Financial Planner. As I began to read it, I noticed he had used Ecclesiastes 11:1-6 to show how to invest in today's troubled and uncertain stock market.

Well, the points Mr. Leavy makes on that page match what I wrote in my 15-page lesson on investing from the same passage three years before when the stock market was way up! Louis reported that this similarity of content made him wonder if Mr. Leavy gained his information from my lesson on our web site! I did not glean my points from any expert, but researched lots of articles to illustrate the exegesis I did on Ecclesiastes 11:1-6. I have made some minor revisions since the lesson first appeared on our web site, but, as Louis, our web master will testify, I've not altered the lesson in any way for many months.

I believe this article is of the LORD -- particularly as I was made aware of it IMMEDIATELY AFTER my conversation with the two members on their DOUBTS about my ministry stands! GOD was revealing to ME by SUPPORT WITNESS that HE had been LEADING me in my teaching ministry for YEARS!

Others I might call my "John the Baptizer witnesses" would be: John F. Walvoord, the late Chancellor Emeritus of the Dallas Theological Seminary and Dr. Donald K. Campbell, another past President of the Seminary who both signed my Master of Theology Degree certificate. Also, Dr. John G. Mitchell, founder of the Multnomah School of the Bible signed two Dennis Spearman Memorial spiritual life and ministry awards I received respectively in 1967 and 1968. He also signed my Bachelor's Degree. I was also recommended to Nepaug Church by Dr. J. Dwight Pentecost, one of the most respected Bible prophecy experts alive today.