THE
SPIRIT’S
SWORD 

Volume VI, Number 51
April 27, 2003

Published by

Mt. Baker
church of Christ
Bellingham, WA
(1860 Mt. Baker HWY)
(360) 752-2692

Sunday:
Bible Classes..........9:30 AM
Worship............10:30 & 6:00
Wednesday:
Bible Classes...........7:00 PM

Web sites:
www.bibleanswer.com/mtbaker
www.bibleanswer.com

Editor................Joe R. Price

"And take...the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God" (Eph. 6:17)

In this issue:

• How Many are in the Godhead?  (Jarrod Jacobs)
• Christ, Our Passover  (Joe R. Price)
• Sermon Outlines:
  • "I Have Overcome the World"  (Revelation 12:1-12)
  • Bible Question Box (April 2003) (2 Peter 3:8-18)

How Many are in the Godhead?
Jarrod Jacobs

        The false doctrine which says there is only one in the Godhead is quite popular.  It seems that anytime some people read passages wherein Jesus emphasizes His unity and agreement with the Father, they assume that this means that Jesus and the Father are one and the same being!  This is simply not true.

        Below are some passages which might help us in our study.  How many are in the Godhead?  Let us consider these passages together.

        1)  When the Pharisees accused Christ of lying, Jesus answered by saying:  “Though I bear record of myself, yet my record is true: for I know whence I came, and whither I go; but ye cannot tell whence I come, and whither I go. Ye judge after the flesh; I judge no man. And yet if I judge, my judgment is true: for I am not alone, but I and the Father that sent me. It is also written in your law, that the testimony of two men is true. I am one that bear witness of myself, and the Father that sent me beareth witness of me”(Jn. 8:14-18).  Does this language sound like Christ and the Father are one and the same being?

        2) When speaking of the coming Comforter for the apostles, Christ said, “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you” (Jn. 14:26).  If you can count to three, you can know how many are mentioned in this verse – the Holy Ghost, the Father, and Christ!

        3) No less than three verses in John 15 emphasize the distinction between the Father and the Son.  Please note the following:  “I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman…As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love…But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me” (Jn. 15:1, 9, 26).  These passages ought to be clear.  Twice in verse 26, Christ distinguishes between Himself, the Father, and the Holy Spirit!

Conclusion

        Friends, may we ever be mindful that Satan lurks as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour (I Pet. 5:8).  Let us be bold, and watchful, and not allow false doctrines such s the “Oneness” position to stand unchallenged!  Let us search and study the Scriptures, and be ready to proclaim the truth to people while there is hope!  (Acts 17:11; I Pet. 3:15; Col. 4:6; II Cor. 6:2)

        We, like Paul, stand ready and willing to meet those who teach false doctrine in public or private studies (Acts 20:20) in order to teach people the way of the Lord more perfectly.

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Christ, Our Passover
Joe R. Price

The Passover feast was Israel’s annual commemoration of deliverance from Egyptian slavery by the mighty hand of God.  With the roasted meat of a sacrificed Lamb, unleavened bread and bitter herbs the Israelites partook of this annual memorial of when the Lord passed through the land of Egypt with His judgment of death upon Egypt’s firstborn, but passed over every house of Israel when He saw the lamb’s blood on the doorposts and lintel (Exo. 12:6-14; cf. 13:43-50; 34:25; Deut. 16:1-8).

Jesus Christ is compared to the Passover lamb in the New Testament:  “For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us” (1 Cor. 5:7).  As the Lord saw the blood of the Passover lamb and passed over that house, even so the blood of the Lamb of God is the sinner’s means of deliverance from God’s judgment against his sin (Jno. 1:29; Rom. 3:23-26; Eph. 1:7).

We are told that His disciples “sacrificed the passover” (lamb) and prepared the Passover (Mk. 14:12-16; Lk. 22:7-13).  Jesus ate the Passover meal with His apostles just before His betrayal, arrest and death.  His approaching death would fulfill or accomplish man’s deliverance from sin – a deliverance typified by the annual feast of Passover. 

Jesus used the bread and fruit of the vine which was present at the Passover meal to symbolize something new and different from what the Passover memorialized.  Jesus taught that in the kingdom of God (the church), the bread and the fruit of the vine represent His body and His blood by which remission of sins is accomplished (Matt. 26:26-29; Lk. 22:19-20; 1 Cor. 11:23-25).  Jesus would never again partake of the Jewish feast of Passover, but He would share with His disciples in a new memorial in His Father’s kingdom (the church) -- the Lord’s Supper (Matt. 26:29; Lk. 22:18; 1 Cor. 11:20).

So, it is not at all surprising that Jesus, our Passover Lamb, spoke of the fulfillment of the Passover while eating it with His disciples:  “With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; for I say to you, I will no longer eat of it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God” (Lk. 22:16).  To fulfill means to “accomplish, consummate, carry to the end, complete.”  Recall that Jesus has fulfilled (accomplished) the law and the prophets, which certainly includes the Passover (Matt. 5:17-18).  The blood of our Passover lamb grants us deliverance from sin (Isa. 53:7; Rom. 10:4; 1 Pet. 1:19; Gal. 3:24-26).  Hence, the OT Passover, a memorial of national deliverance from bondage,  has been fulfilled in the blood of Christ which delivers us from the bondage of sin.  The result:  a kingdom of blood-bought saints who each week remember the “blood of the new covenant” by which they are redeemed (Rev. 5:9-10; Matt. 26:28; Acts 20:7).

Israel “after the flesh” ate the annual Passover feast, the blood of which recalled God’s powerful deliverance.  Jesus promised to fulfill the Passover in the kingdom, and, by His blood-stained cross, He has done so (Lk. 22:16; Eph. 1:7).  Jesus now partakes “of the fruit of the vine” (i.e., the Lord’s Supper) in the “Israel of God”, the church (Lk. 22:18; Gal. 6:16).  The shadow of Israel’s Passover lamb has been fulfilled in Christ (Lk. 22:16).  The sacrifice of our Passover Lamb, Jesus, delivers us from sin.  Accordingly, we remember His death each week in the Lord’s Supper, a communion of the blood and body of Christ (Lk. 22:18; 1 Cor. 10:16).

Let there be no mistake:  the Lord’s Supper is not a continuation of the Passover feast.  The Lord’s Supper is not the “New Testament Passover” as some suggest we believe.  Neither the terminology nor the concept are found in the New Testament.   Instead, the NT tells us who the Passover lamb typified:  Jesus.  The NT tells us when our Passover was sacrificed:  at the crucifixion of Jesus.  And, the NT tells us how and when to eat the Lord’s Supper (1 Cor. 11:23-34; Acts 20:7).  But, the NT never describes the Lord’s Supper as our Passover.  Christ is our Passover (1 Cor. 5:7).  In the kingdom we commune with Jesus (our Passover) as we remember His sacrifice which delivers us from sin (Matt. 26:26-29; Lk. 22:18).

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     At great cost Jesus has “overcome the world” so you and I may live free!  (Rev. 12:7-10; Jno. 12:27-33;  16:33)

I.  JESUS HAS OVERCOME THE WORLD – Jno. 16:33.

  A.  He Has Overcome Satan – 1 Jno. 3:8; cf. Rev. 12:9 (Jno. 12:27-31; cf. Heb. 2:14-15).
  B.  He Has Overcome Sin - 2 Cor. 5:18-21; 2 Pet. 2:23-24 (Isa. 53:4-6); Rom. 8:4 (1-4).
  C.  He Has Overcome Death – Jno. 11:25-26 (1 Cor. 15:20; Rom. 6:21-23; 8:1-2).
  D.  He Has Overcome the Darkness of Ignorance & Error – Jno. 1:4-5 (Lk. 2:29-32; Matt. 4:16; Jno. 8:12; 9:5; 14:6.
  E.  He Continues to Overcome Every False Doctrine – 1 Jno. 4:1-4 (Gal. 1:8-9).

II.  OUR FAITH IN JESUS OVERCOMES THE WORLD – 1 Jno. 5:4.

  A.  By Faith in Christ, We Share in His Victories!
  B.  When We Live by Faith, We Overcome (Rev. 12:11):
    1.  By the blood of the Lamb, Eph. 1:7 (Rom. 6:1-3; Acts 22:16).
    2.  By the word of their testimony, cf. Rev. 12:17; 14:12 (Acts 2:40; 20:20-21, 24, 32).
      a.  Overcome Satan by the word of God – 1 Jno. 2:13-14.
      b.  Overcome darkness & error when we believe & walk in His light of truth – Jno. 12:35-36.
      c.  Overcome every false teaching – 2 Cor. 10:3-5.
    3.  By self-denial, Matt. 16:25; Rom. 8:37-39 (Rev. 12:17; 2 Tim. 2:3-4; Eph. 6:13; Rev. 12:12).

Conclusion

1.  Victory over Satan, sin & death is through Christ – 1 Cor. 15:50-57.
2.  Rev. 3:20-21; 21:7 – Hear & obey Him!  He who overcomes shall inherit all things!

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# 1:  Please give some Bible teaching on speaking respectfully and showing respect for:  Spouse, parents, children, fellow Christians.

  1.  Respect for parents (Prov. 30:11) - Exo. 20:12; Lev. 19:3; Deut. 27:16; Prov. 30:17; Eph. 6:2; Exo. 21:17 (Deut. 21:18-21); Prov. 23:22; Eph. 6:1 (Rom. 1:30); 1 Tim. 5:4.
  2.  Respect for spouses – Eph. 4:31-32; 5:22-29; Prov. 31:10-12, 23; 11, 28-29; Heb. 13:4; Matt. 6:14-15 (2 Tim. 3:3).
  3.  Respect for children - Matt. 19:13-15; Col. 3:21; Heb. 12:9-11.
  4.  Respect for the aged - Lev. 19:32, 14; 1 Tim. 5:1-2.
  5.  Respect for fellow-Christians – Matt. 25:34-40, 45; Phil. 2:3-4; Eph. 5:21.

#2:  In Hebrews 6:18, what are the two immutable things in which it is impossible for God to lie?

  1.  A look at context, Heb. 6:13-18.
  2.  What are these two immutable things?
    a.  God’s promise to Abraham – Heb. 6:13-15; Gen. 22:17-18 (12:2-3); Rom. 4:17-21 (22), 13-16; Gal. 3:16, 18, 22, 29.
    b.  God’s oath (which confirmed the promise) Heb. 6:16-17, 13; Gen. 22:16; Gal. 3:15, 17.
  3.  Heb. 6:18 – By God’s promise & His oath we have strong encouragement to remain faithful!

#3: Why is gambling a sin, and what is included in it?

  1.  Why is it a sin?
    a.  Its essential motive is covetousness – Col. 3:5; 1 Tim. 6:10.
    b.  It entices people to shirk honest labor – Gen. 3:19; 1 Ths. 4:10-11.
    c.  Gambling perpetuates selfishness instead of love – Matt. 22:39; Matt. 7:12.
    d.  Violates the principle of good stewardship – Lk. 16:10-12.
  2.  Gambling takes many forms.

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The Spirit's Sword is a free, weekly publication of the Mt. Baker church of Christ, Bellingham, WA
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