The Bright and Shining Revival   The Hebridean Revival 1948-1952 

The Hebrides Islands are a small group of islands off the West coast of Scotland. In 1949 -1952, God poured out His Spirit in response to a handful of praying men and women. It doesn’t take multitudes to move the hand of God – but those who were determined to “push through the crowd” and touch the hem of His garment. 

The First Stirring – At a meeting of the Church of Scotland, in Stornaway, a group of men discussed the awful condition of the church in their communities. The worldly places were crowded and the church were virtually empty. The young people had just about disappeared and it seemed that many churches were about to close their doors. No-one at the meeting dreamed that this would be the preliminary of an amazing spiritual awakening.Among the many people who were concerned about the state of the church, was a small group of men from Barvas, the district that was to become the center of the revival. 

The Barn – They agreed to meet in a small barn by the side of the road, to pray. They were given the revelation that God was a covenant- keeping God who had made covenant promises! “If this is true,” they reasoned, “We can enter into this covenant and if we keep our part then He must keep His. Has God given us a covenant promise for revival?” Immediately the words of 11 Chronicles 7:14, came to them, “If My people which are called by My name shall humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and forgive their sin and heal their land.”That same night they entered into a solemn covenant with God to pray for the community and to humble themselves in prayer until revival came.  For months they prayed and waited on God – three nights, three times a week they wrestled and prayed until 4am or 5am. Finally one night, a young deacon arose from his knees and began to read Psalm 24, “Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who shall stand in His Holy place? He that has clean hands and a pure heart – he shall receive the blessings of the Lord.” In response to this searching challenge from God they fell upon their knees in confession and re-dedication and began to pray even more earnestly. An hour later three of them were laying prostrate on the floor – they were exhausted. By five o-clock revival had come! The barn was suddenly filled with the glory of God, and the power that was let loose filled that little barn, shook the whole community. 

The Praying Sisters – Around the same time in a little cottage in the village of Barvas, two elderly sisters – Peggy and Christine Smith, were also praying. Peggy was almost blind, and Christine was bent over with Arthritis. They were 84 and 82 years old. They also had been seeking God for revival, and to them came the promise, “I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground.”   One night, knowing that the others had gathered together to pray in the barn, they had gathered around their little peat fire to spend the night in prayer. Peggy suddenly had a vision of the church, crowded again with young people. She sent for the minister, Rev. James Murray Mackay, and told him what God had shown her, asking him to encourage his elders and deacons to come together for special times of waiting upon God. 

God’s Choice – On the same night when the presence of God visited the barn, the glory swept into the little cottage and God spoke to the two women, revealing to them the name of the man God wanted to use in the visitation – The Rev. Duncan Campbell, a Presbyterian minister and a great man of prayer. God said, “In two weeks I shall send upon this community the greatest spiritual awakening it has known.” A wire was sent to Duncan Campbell, who was ministering in the Highland town of Skye, but it was discovered that he was already booked for another meeting. He sent a reply, “It is impossible for me to come at this time but keep praying and I will come next year.” When the reply came back and was told to the sisters they answered, “That is what man has said, but God has said that He will be here in two weeks.” In the meantime Duncan Campbell’s meetings in Skye were cancelled, due to the fact that the tourist board had monopolized the accomodation for the convention. Within two weeks he was in Barvas!  

Duncan Campbell comes to Barvas – Duncan Campbell crossed the Minch in the Loch Seaforth. He was planning to stay for 10 days in Barvis. Little did he know what awaited him. As the ship docked and Duncan stepped ashore, he was met by the Rev. James MacKay and two of his elders. One of the elders greeted him and asked, “Mr Campbell, are you walking with God?” “Well at any rate I can say that I fear God,” was Duncan’s reply. 

The First Meeting – The first meeting was held in the old parish church. Many people had gathered in a great expectancy but nothing exceptional happened at that meeting. Duncan Campbell appeared discouraged and so one of the deacons went to him and said, “Don’t be discouraged, it is coming. I hear the rumbling of heaven’s chariot wheels. We will have another night of prayer and then we will see what God is going to do!”  They went to a nearby cottage and about thirty knelt in prayer and began to travail before the Lord. About 3 am God swept in and a dozen or so were laid out prostrate on the floor, and lay there speechless. Something had happened – God had moved into action as He had promised. Revival had come and men and women were about to find deliverance.As the group left the cottage they found men and women seeking God. Lights were burning in the homes along the road – no one seemed to be thinking about sleep. Three men were found lying by the roadside in a torrent of conviction, crying out for God to have mercy on them! The Spirit of God was moving into action and soon the parish of Barvas was to be stirred from end to end.  

The Second Stirring  - On the second night buses came from the four corners of the island, crowding into the church. Seven men were being driven to the meeting in a butchers truck when suddenly the Spirit of God fell on them in great conviction and all were saved before they reached the church building! As the preacher preached his message, tremendous conviction swept down.. Tears rolled down the faces of the people and men and women cried out for mercy from every corner of the church. So deep was their distress that some of their cries could be heard outside in the road. A young man beneath the pulpit cried out, “Oh hell is too good for me.”The meeting closed when the people began to move out. As the last person was leaving a young man began to pray under a tremendous burden of intercession. He prayed for three quarters of an hour and as he continued to pray people kept gathering outside until there were twice as many outside as there had been inside. When the young man stopped praying the Elder gave out Psalm 132 and as the great congregation sang the old hymn, the people streamed back into the church again and the meeting continued until 4am.The moment the people took their seats, the Spirit, in great conviction began to sweep through the church, and hardened sinners began to weep and confess their sins. 

The Police Station - As the meeting was closing someone excitedly hurried to the preacher, “Come with me! There’s a crowd of people outside the police station; they are weeping and in great distress. We don’t know what’s wrong with them but they are calling for someone to come and pray with them.” The minister described the scene outside the police station; “I saw a sight I never thought possible. Something I shall never forget. Under a starlit sky, men and women were kneeling everywhere, by the roadside, outside the cottages, even behind the peat stacks, crying for God to have mercy on them.” Nearly 600 people, making their way to the church, suddenly experienced the power of God falling upon them in great conviction, and like Paul on the road to Damascus, fell to their knees in repentance.  Revival had come in power – for five weeks it swept across that one parish. Duncan Campbell conducted four services every night; in one church at 7pm, in another at 10pm and a third at midnight and then back to the first one at 3am – then home between 5-6am – tired – but happy to be in the midst of such a wonderful move of God.After this, the revival began to spread to other towns and what had happened in Barvis began to happen in other places.Men and women throughout the island began to plead to God in desperate intercession and prayer for revival. The Spirit’s power began to increase.   God Visits Arnol – Arnol was a small community which came within the path of the spiritual tornado. Because of the spiritual indifference it was reckoned that hardly a young person darkened the doors of any house of God; the Sundays being given to drinking and poaching etc. News of the revival spread and an opposition meeting was held. Although the church was crowded, it was because many people came from various parts of the island – there were very few actually from Arnol. The little band of prayer warriors made their way to the farmhouse to plead the promises of God. Just after midnight Duncan Campbell asked John, the local blacksmith, to pray. John rose to his feet with his cap in hand and prayed a prayer that will never be forgotten by those who were present.  In the middle of his prayer he stopped and raised his right hand to heaven and continued, “Oh God, you made a promise to pour water on the dry ground, and Lord it’s not happening.” He paused again and then continued, “Lord, I don’t know how the others here stand in your Presence; I don’t know how these ministers stand, but Lord, if I know anything about my own heart, I stand before you as an empty vessel, thirsting for thee and for a manifestation of Thy power.” He halted again and after a moment of tense silence cried, “Oh God your honor is at stake; and I now challenge you to fulfil your covenant engagement and do what you promised to do.”  

Text: Galatians 2:15-21

Title: “Authentic Gospel Faith”

Introduction:

I’ve chosen the passage 15-21 to speak to you this morning. The context in chapter 2 is about the Truth of the Gospel, This prompted Paul’s visit to Jerusalem vs. 4 and vs. 5. It prompted Paul to oppose Peter to his face vs.14. And preserving the Truth of the Gospel is what prompts Paul to lay out in vs. 15-21. Let’s be encouraged this morning as we look at the heart of Authentic Gospel Faith.

Authentic Gospel Faith is centred in Christ and the Cross.  Vv16, vv20-21  (Hebrews 12:2;  John 3:18; John 9:35; John 11:27; John 20:31) 

Authentic Gospel Faith Justifies.

(It Is given by Grace and is obtained by Faith)

Vv16,  Rom 3:24; Acts 13:39; Romans 5:1:

Authentic Gospel Faith brings us into a new life and a new way of living. Vv20 and vv21;

Authentic Gospel Faith is ALL that is needed. Vv16 & vv18.

Conclusion:

All that has been accomplished by Jesus has been accomplished, there is no further work of redemption, no further work of cleansing, nothing else that can bring you into God’s presence, only faith in Christ.

Text: John10:11

Title: ‘HE IS COMMITTED TO YOU’

1. The Strength of his Commitment is seen in His Covenant.

# John 10:11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep”.

# Genesis 9:9-17 The Covenant with Noah.

# Genesis 17:7-8 The Covenant with Abram

# Luke 22:20 The New Covenant.

2. The Strength of His Commitment is seen in His Love.

# John 10:11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep”.

# John 3:16

# 1 John 3:16

# The hymn ‘Yes Jesus loves me’. (Karl Barth)

3. The Strength of His Commitment is seen in His Forgiveness.

# John 10:11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep”.

# The Cross is the extent that God will go to forgive.

# Ephesians 1:7-8

# Those who gathered at the cross what did they see?

4. The Strength of His Commitment is seen in His Humility.

# John 10:11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep”.

# Philippians 2:6-11

# The Gentle Saviour in the Gospels

# Willing surrender of the shepherds life, He gives it away freely and voluntarily, for the sake of the sheep; His life becomes a ransom, that the sheep might have eternal life.

‘one solitary life’ 

This is my story. It’s about me. It’s about one solitary life. It’s about my realisation that you cannot keep running away. Sometimes you have to face up to who you are. Sometimes you have to face up to what you have done. Sometimes you have to see things from a new perspective. It’s also intensely about how one solitary man could and did make a difference in this one solitary life.

In 1982 I was invited to go to a country house in the Lanarkshire hills owned by one of
Scotland’s foremost heart surgeons. Dr Jack Kelly. Jack was a man who was used to having people around him. He had taken early retirement from the medical profession and bought a large country house in the village of Auchenheath. Jack and his wife Eileen took in all kinds of people. Some with problems, some with none. I was one of a long line of people with problems that Jack encountered. He was a Christian and was an elder in the fellowship that met in his home.

I was introduced to Jack and Eileen in the winter of 1982. I was initially invited to stay as long as I liked. This was a good thing as the police for various offences had already put a warrant out for my arrest and for jumping bail. There were no other hiding places that could go I had nowhere to run to. This seemed a good place to lie low for a while. My past up to this point in time was filled with burglary and theft, drugs and alcohol, and of course rejection. I had tried to commit suicide a year earlier just after my 16^th birthday. The lying low did not last long as I took the opportunity of abusing Jack’s friendship one night by helping myself to the contents of his strong box that he kept in his office and hotwiring a car to get as far away as I could.

Having got as far as Northern France, I decided to live it up a bit and spent all that I had got from Jack’s house. Again I had nowhere to run. It was to the consulates office in Dunkirk that I went to and with a sob story managed to secure a room for the night and my travel back to
London.

Once in London in checked into one of London’s finest hostels in Dean Street right in the middle of
Soho. It took the police only 3 days to find me and after being taken to Bow Street nick I was flown back to Scotland accompanied by to Glasgow C.I.D. officers. 2 Warrants were now out for my arrest also was the charges of burglary and theft from Dr Jack Kelly’s house. I was not surprised at the sentence that was given to me ‘PRISON’ well with previous convictions for burglary and theft what could you expect. Again I had nowhere to run.

I did not take to prison and longed to be let out. Then the day came. I came back to Glasgow and decided to look up some people that I had been in contact with some time previously. The people who had introduced me initially to Jack and his wife Eileen. Within 24 hours, again I was face to face with Dr Jack Kelly. I again had nowhere to run to. Jack said to me ‘What you did to us was unforgivable’.  ‘We have been praying for you every day since you did what you did.’ Jack Said ‘Graeme we are not finished with you yet and neither is God’ what Jack said next was to revolutionise my whole life, ‘I would like you to come back and live with us in this family!’ I was blown away. ‘You must be mad’ I said.

3 Months later I was to a Gospel rally in Denniston Park in Glasgow. I heard for the first time in my life that Jesus loved me those words arrested me inside. I had nowhere to run. Here was I with bleached blonde hair kneeling on the grass opening my life up to the ministry of the Holy Spirit. The prodigal son indeed. I stayed with Jack and his family for 4 years after that. Not long after the Tent crusade Dr Kelly paid for me to go on a Christian conference at Cliff College in Calver, Derbyshire. At the conference I was baptised with lots of other people in the river Derwent. At the time of my baptism I heard the lord speak clearly to me through his word. The bible version I had read ‘I will use you to free men in the prison houses’ Isaiah 42.  I said to the Lord ‘I don’t know what this means but I’m going to trust you’.

Some years from that time passed without event but I never forgot the promise God made to me.

In 1991 I moved to Devon to take up working with a Christian firm in Exeter. At that time I felt led to join a prison fellowship group in Torquay and before long I was to make one of hundreds of Journeys back into prison. I began to make regular trips to the Prison Fellowship prayer meeting and the prison just outside Torquay HMP Channingswood.

After a year of doing this, the senior chaplain asked if I would like to become a chaplain and join his team. I filled in all the Home office documentation and sent it off. As one could imagine they said no. We repeated the exercise again and with the prayer backing of the Prison Fellowship group and my local church we sent in another copy. The reply was still the same ‘NO’ the governor of Channingswood became interested in the situation and I was asked to go and to see him. I related my story to him as forthrightly as I could. His reply to me was ‘Graeme do you really expect me to believe that Almighty God speaks with you ?’ I said ‘I know it sounds dodgy but It happens to be the truth’. His reply was to blow me away ‘Well Graeme I find myself believing you, I’m going to take your case to the Prison service headquarters at Cleland House in London. Later I was to find out that the Chaplain General had got involved as well. Three months later I received a letter from the Prison Service, which read  ‘Dear Mr Dodds we are pleased to inform you that the nomination has been successful for you to be appointed as the Baptist Chaplain to HMP Channingswood. You are reminded that you are at all times subject to the official secrets act 1989’God had opened the door that no man could close. He had been faithful to his promise.

At the time of writing this article I’m now the Team Leader of Harehills Lane Baptist Church in Leeds I arrived here 8 Weeks ago before that I was Minister of Idle Baptist Church and Community Centre in
Bradford. Where I ministered for 3 Years. Before coming to Bradford we were in the East end of
London, where I was the Minister of Wood Lane Baptist Church and involved in the Chaplaincy team at HMP Chelmsford.

I Trained for the Ministry at Spurgeon’s Theological College in London. I’m Married to Rachel and have three children Abigail (6) and James (10) Thomas (1)

I have lived in 2 Christian communities and share a rhythm of life with the Celtic Saints.I owe all of this to One Solitary Life. The Man Dr Jack Kelly.

One solitary man can make such a difference in someone’s life. Jack was a wonderful man; He laid down his life for others and the consequences of that one action was mind blowing.

Salvation Doctrines

“At the moment of salvation …” 

      The Christian life begins the moment a person believes the Gospel, putting his com­plete confidence in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation.  At that moment, God provides the new believer with a great number of unique and permanent blessings.  “…and hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.”  (Eph. 1:3)  These blessings are a part of the inheritance of the believer, those useful doctrines and promises upon which the Christian may draw during the re­mainder of his lifetime on earth. 

      The following is a listing of Salvation Doctrines, a catalogue of the things God does for the believer at the moment of salvation.  These basic ideas are the underlying principles for the mechanics of Christian living, the techniques such as Faith-Rest and Occupation with Christ.  These doctrines are also founda­tion principles for all other Bible doctrine.

      This listing can provide you with hours of quality study and meditation.  You may well find other topics that could be added to the list.  It is valuable and important that a Christian understand thoroughly his relation­ship with the Lord; and a good knowledge of these doctrines can be of great help in Christian living.

      Use the items on this list with people who don’t believer in eternal security.  You see, in order for God to take salvation away from anyone, He would have to reverse every one of these processes.  Item #18, for example, shows that a Christian is a gift from God the Father to His Son.  Loss of salvation would mean that God would take back His gift to His own Son.  Or, in #35, we see that the believer receives a Human Spirit as part of the salva­tion package.  Losing salvation would mean that the Human Spirit would have to be killed, or removed in some way.  In a similar way you can argue in favor of eternal security from every one of these items.

      You can also use these topics in your per­sonal witness to novice Christians.  Remember, these are “Day One” doctrines.  So the new believer (or the “old baby” believer) cannot begin to mature until he begins to grasp the importance of these topics.  Advanced be­lievers are responsible to spoon feed basic teaching to untaught believers.

1.      A believer is in the Eternal Plan of God, sharing the destiny of the Lord Jesus Christ.  As such the believer is:

         Foreknown: Acts 2:23;
Rom. 8:29; 1 Pet. 1:2

         Elect:
Rom. 8:33; Col. 3:12; 1 Thess. 1:4; Titus 1:1; 1 Peter 1:2

         Predesigned:
Rom. 8:29,30; Eph. 1:5,11

         Chosen in Christ: Matt. 22:14; 1 Pet. 2:4

         Called: 1 Thess. 5:24

2.      The believer is Reconciled:

         By God, 2 Cor. 5:18; Col. 1:20

         To God,
Rom. 5:10; 2 Cor. 5:20; Eph. 2:14f.

3.      The believer is Redeemed (purchased from the slave market of sin):
Rom. 3:24; Col. 1:14; 1 Pet. 1:18; Eph. 1:7.

4.      The believer is Removed from Condemnation: John 3:18; 5:24;
Rom. 8:1.

5.      The believer is under Grace and not un­der Judgment (doctrine of Propitiation):
Rom. 3:24–28; 1 John 2:2.

6.      The believer’s sins are judged by the spiritual death of Christ on the Cross:
Rom. 4:25; Eph. 1:7; 1 Pet. 2:24.

7.      The believer is made dead to the old life and alive unto God.  He is:

         Crucified with Christ:
Rom. 6:6; Gal. 2:20

         Dead with Christ:
Rom. 6:8; Col. 3:3; 1 Pet. 2:24

         Buried with Christ:
Rom. 6:4; Col. 2:12

         Risen with Christ:
Rom. 6:4; Col. 3:1

8.      The believer is free from the law:
Rom. 6:14; 7:4,6; 2 Cor. 3:11; Gal. 3:25.

9.      The believer is adopted (placed as an adult heir in the family of God): 
Rom. 8:15; 8:23; Eph. 1:5.

10.    The believer is justified (declared righ­teous):
Rom. 3:24; 5:1,9; 8:30; 1 Cor. 6:11; Titus 3:7.

11.    The believer is regenerated (born spiri­tually into the family of God):  John 13:10; 1 Cor. 6:11; Titus 3:5.  In regen­eration the believers are:

         Born Again:  John 3:7; 1 Pet. 1:23

         Children of God: Gal. 3:26

         Sons of God: John 1:12; 2 Cor. 6:18; 1 John 3:2

         New Creations: 2 Cor. 5:17; Gal. 6:15; Eph. 2:10

12.    The believer is made acceptable to God: Eph. 1:6; 1 Pet. 2:5.  To make a believer acceptable to Himself, God sees to it that the believer is:

         Made righteous: 
Rom. 3:22; 1 Cor. 1:30; 2 Cor. 5:21; Phil. 3:9

         Sanctified positionally: 1 Cor. 1:30; 6:11

         Perfected forever: Heb. 10:14

         Made qualified:  Col. 1:12

13.    The believer is forgiven all trespasses:  Eph. 1:7; 4:32; Col. 1:14; 2:13; 3:13

14.    The believer is made nigh (heavenly citizenship based on Reconciliation):  Luke 10:20; Eph. 2:13,19; Phil. 3:20

15.    The believer is delivered from the king­dom of Satan:  Col. 1:13; 2:15

16.    The believer is transferred into God’s Kingdom:  Col. 1:13

17.    The believer is placed on a secure foun­dation:  1 Cor. 3:11; 10:4; Eph. 2:20

18.    The believer is a gift from God the Father to the Lord Jesus Christ:  John 10:20; 17:2,6,9,11,12,24

19.    The believer is delivered from the power of the Sin Nature; 
Rom. 2:29; Phil. 3:3; Col. 2:11

20.    The believer is appointed as a priest unto God:  1 Pet. 2:5,9; Rev. 1:6

21.    The believer is under the care of God as a chosen generation and a protected peo­ple:  Tit. 2:14; 1 Pet. 2:9

22.    The believer is given access to God: 
Rom. 5:2; Eph. 2:18; Heb. 4:14,16; 10:19,20

23.    The believer is within the much more care of God; as such we are:

         Objects of His love: Eph. 2:4; 5:2

         Objects of His Grace: for salvation, Eph. 2:8,9; for keeping,
Rom. 5:2; 1 Pet. 1:5; for service, John 17:18; Eph. 4:7; for instruction, Titus 2:12

         Objects of His power: Eph. 1:19; Phil. 2:13

         Objects of His faithfulness:  Phil. 1:6; Heb. 13:5

         Objects of His peace:  John 14:27

         Objects of His consolation:  2 Th. 2:16

         Objects of His intercession:
Rom. 8:34; 7:25; 9:24

24.    The believer is part of Christ’s inheri­tance:  Eph. 1:18

25.    The believer is a beneficiary of the in­heritance from God  (an heir of God and a joint-heir with the Lord Jesus Christ): 
Rom. 8:17; Eph. 1:14; Col. 3:24; Heb. 9:15; 1 Pet. 1:4

26.    The believer has a new position in Christ:  Eph. 2:6; Col. 3:4; 1 Cor. 1:9; 3:9; 2 Cor. 3:3,6; 5:20; 6:1,4  (See the section on Positional Truth following this listing.)

27.    The believer is the recipient of eternal life:  John 3:15; 10:28; 20:31; 1 John 5:11,12

28.    The believer is a member of the family of God:  Gal. 6:10; Eph. 2:19

29.    The believer is Light in the Lord:  Eph. 5:8; 1 Thess. 5:4

30.    The believer is united with the Father:  1 Thess. 1:1, cf. Eph. 4:6

            He is united with Christ: John 14:20, cf. Col. 1:27

         A member of His Body: 1 Cor. 12:13

         A Branch in the Vine: John 15:5

         A Stone in the Building: Eph. 2:21,22

         A Sheep in the Flock: Eph. 2:21,22

         A part of His Bride:  Eph. 5:25-27

         A Priest in His Kingdom: 1 Pet. 2:9

         A Saint of the new species: 2 Cor. 5:17

            He is united with the Holy Spirit
Rom. 8:9; 8:29

31.    The believer is the recipient of the min­istry of the Holy Spirit.

         Born of the Spirit: John 3:6

         Baptized by the Spirit: 1 Cor. 12:13

         Indwelt by the Spirit:  John 7:39;
Rom. 5:5; 8:9; 1 Cor. 3:16; 6:19; Gal. 4:6; 1 John 3:24

         Sealed by the Spirit: 2 Cor. 1:22; Eph. 4:30

         Recipient of Spiritual Gifts:  1 Cor. 12:11; 12:27-31; 13:1,2

32.    The believer is glorified in Christ: 
Rom. 3:20

33.    The believer is made complete in Christ:  Col. 2:10

34.    The believer is the possessor of every spiritual blessing:  Eph. 1:3

35.    The believer is the recipient of a human spirit: 
Rom. 8:16; 1 Cor. 2:12; 2 Cor. 7:13; 1 Thess. 5:23; Eph. 2:5

36.    The believer has access to all Bible truth through the Grace system for Bible un­derstanding and Christian growth: Col. 2 and Eph. 4

The Resurrection of Christ 

Introduction

      The death, burial, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ are the most important events in human history.  That Jesus Christ rose from the dead is an established historical fact verified by many eyewitnesses and by a great deal of corroborating evidence. 

      This paper provides a concise outline for studying this important topic, including the circumstances surrounding the resurrection of Christ, the various proofs of the resurrection as a historical event, the resurrection of Christian saints of different dispensations, and the importance of the Doctrine of Resurrection to the church age believer.

      In studying this topic, look up all of the scripture verses and read the complete context of each passage.  These notes are just a guide for studying the Bible; so the really important information is found in the Bible itself.

Resurrection Order of Events

•     After Christ is taken down from the Cross, Pontius Pilate orders His body turned over to Joseph of Arimathea for burial.  Matt. 27:57–60.

•     Pilate then orders a military guard to be placed at the tomb.  Matt. 27:62–66.

•     Jesus Christ has voluntarily laid aside the powers of His own deity, with respect to His human body.  Therefore, in accor­dance with the Divine Decrees, God the Father gave the orders for Christ’s resur­rection from the dead. 1 Cor. 15:15.

•     God the Holy Spirit was the agent of the resurrection in that He used his power to bring Christ to life.  1 Pet. 3:18

•     Jesus Christ leaves the grave under His own power.  John 10:18.

•     After Christ leaves the tomb, God sends an angel to roll away the stone to demonstrate to the world that Christ had risen.  This is accompanied by a great earthquake.  Matt. 28:1,2

•     It is at this point that Satan is once again made aware of the victory of Jesus Christ over death and the grave and His triumph in the angelic warfare.  1 Cor. 15:54–57.

•     Mary (the mother of James), Mary Magdalene, and Salomé come to the tomb.  Mark 16:1

•     Mary Magdalene, upon seeing the stone rolled away, runs to tell the disciples.  John 20:1,2

•     Mary and Salomé then see the angel who tells them that Jesus had risen.  Mark 16:5,6.

•     Peter and John come to the tomb after hearing Mary Magdalene’s report.

•     Peter is told that Jesus Christ had risen from the dead,he enters the tomb, and he wonders at what he had seen.  Luke 24:10-12.

•     Mary Magdalene, who had not heard the angel’s report, returns to the tomb, and does not recognize Christ when she sees Him.  John 20:11–18.

•     It is to Mary Magdalene that Christ first reveals Himself in resurrected power.  He starts by establishing that He is now op­erating on a higher level that she is, even though He has not yet been glorified at the Ascension.  John 20:17

A Description of the Resurrection

      Christ was physically dead before being taken down from the Cross; He was not merely unconscious, as some critics have claimed (the “swoon” theory). 

•     The soldiers declared Him dead!  They would have suffered severe punishment for not making sure that any prisoner was dead before being removed from the cross.  Mark 15:45;  John 19:33.

•     The blood and water flowing from His side is a medical indication of physical death.

•     After being taken from the Cross he was prepared for burial and locked in a tomb, eliminating all possibility of His receiving medical attention.

•     The women came to the tomb prepared to anoint a dead body.  Mark 16:1

•     If He had not died physically, He would not have been worthy to be a sin offering to God.  Matt. 26:12 with Lev. 2:1-16

      Christ’s body could not have been removed by His followers, as some have claimed.  There are too many contradictory facts against that conclusion.

•     The disciples of Christ were afraid and had already deserted Him.  Matt. 26:69–75; Mark 14:66-72; Luke 22:55-62; John 18:15-27.

•     Their boldest leader, Peter, had denied Him three times.

•     The tomb was sealed with the Imperial Seal of
Rome; to break it and enter the tomb would itself be punishable by death.

•     The tomb was guarded by
Roman soldiers.  To attack them would have been suicidal; such an attack was considered an act of in­surrection, to be punished by crucifixion.  Matt. 27:62-66

•     The followers who buried Christ, Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, would not have arranged to bury Him in such a prominent place if they had intended to hide His body. 

•     His followers believed that he was still in the tomb on resurrection morning, indicat­ing that there was no plot to steal His body.

      Christ’s resurrection was a bodily resurrec­tion.  He came out of the tomb, not as a wounded, crippled man, but as a mighty con­queror.  He showed no after-effects from the terrible ordeal He had gone through.

•     Christ had personally declared before His death that He would be resurrected bodily.  John 2:19-21; Matt. 12:40 with Rev. 1:18

•     The angels at the tomb declared that He had been resurrected.  Luke 24:6–8  The tomb was empty, and the grave clothes were folded and in order only minutes af­ter the tomb was opened.  Mark 16:6; John 20:5-7

•     Christ declared that He was flesh and bone, eliminating the “spirit” theory and the “vision” theory.  Luke 24:39-40

•     The five women to whom he appeared touched his feet and held him.  Matt. 28:9

•     Christ ate food after His resurrection.  This would have been impossible if it was just a vision or a psychological mass delusion.  Luke 24:41-45

•     His body was described in detail after the resurrection by various witnesses.  John 20:25,27,28; 21:7; Luke 24:34,37-40

•     It would be impossible to understand sev­eral other Bible passages except from the standpoint of a literal, bodily resurrection.  John 5:28,29; 1 Cor. 15:20; Eph. 1:19,20

      Several other individuals had been raised from the dead; but in each case the person died again.  Christ’s resurrection was thus unique in that He “ever lives to make inter­cession for us.”

•  The son of the widow of Zarephath, 1 Kings 17:17-24

•  The Shunammite’s son, 2 Kings 4:17–27

•  Jairus’s daughter, Mark 5:22-43

•  The young man of Nain, Luke 7:11-17

•  Lazarus, John 11

•  Tabitha, Acts 9:36-43

•  Eutychus, Acts 20:7-12

The Resurrection Body of Christ

•     The risen Christ had a real human body that was recognizable as such.  Luke 24; John 20:26–29

•     His body was composed of flesh and bones but had no blood.  Luke 24:39,40

•     His body could be handled and touched, therefore it had to have substance.  Matt. 28:9; John 20:27

•     However, His body was able to pass through solids (the tomb and closed doors, etc.).  John 20:19/26; Luke 24:36

•     His body was such that He was able to make Himself appear and disappear.  Luke 24:17

•     His skin showed scars and nail prints; His body retains the scar of the wound in his side and hands.  (The believer’s resurrec­tion body will not have any imperfec­tions!)  This was prophesied in Zech. 12:10 and Psa. 22:16; the fulfillment of the prophesies is recorded in John 20:25-27.

•     He breathed; but He did not necessarily need to breathe.  John 20:22

•     He carried on conversations, so He had to have vocal cords and the use of air.  His voice was immediately recognizable.  Luke 24; John 20:16, 26

•     He ate, so His body had a digestive sys­tem; but He did not have to eat to live eternally.  Luke 24:30

•     Christ is able, in His resurrection body, to travel through space.  Acts 1:9 with Heb. 1:3.

•     His resurrection body is indestructible and eternal.  Rev. 19:11-21; John 14:6

The Appearances of Jesus Christ After His Resurrection

•     To Mary Magdalene – John 20:15-17; Mark 16:9-11

•     To five other women – Matt. 28:9-10

•     To Peter (the afternoon of the resurrection) – 1 Cor. 15:5

•     To two Christians on the road to Emmaus (Cleophas and Mary) – Luke 24:13–33; Mark 16:12

•     To ten disciples – John 20:19-25

•     To eleven disciples (including Thomas) – John 20:26-29; Mark 16:14

•     To seven disciples by the Sea of Galilee – John 21:1,2

•     To five hundred Christians – 1 Cor. 15:6

•     To Jesus’ half-brother James, who had been an unbeliever until the resurrection – 1 Cor. 15:7; John 7:3; Acts 1:14

•     To eleven disciples on a mountain near Galilee – Matt. 28:16-20

•     To the believers at the Ascension – Acts 1:3-11

•     To Stephen (after the Ascension) – Acts 7:55,56

•     To the Apostle Paul on several occasions after the Ascension – Acts 9:1-8; 18:9; 22:17; 23:11; 27:23; 1 Cor. 15:8; Gal. 1:12-17.

•     To John on the Island of Patmos – Rev. 1:12-20; 22:20.

Proofs of Facts Surrounding the Resurrection of Jesus Christ

      The proof that the resurrection of Jesus Christ actually occurred as a historical event is established by numerous supporting facts or evidences.  Two of the best study sources for extensive historical information about the res­urrection are two books by Josh MacDowall entitled Evidence That Demands a Verdict and More Evidence That Demands a Verdict.  These books are available at Christian book­stores and are highly recommended.

      The most important proof is that of the testimony of the people who were actual eyewitnesses to the resurrection of Christ.  It is important to note that the following people would be qualified eyewitnesses in any court of law, either in
Roman or Hebrew courts of the time or in modern American courts.  To qualify formally to give eyewitness testimony, the witness must be shown to be mentally competent as well as having been competent at the time the events occurred.  The witness must also be able to withstand an examination of his own character as a basis for accepting his testimony.

•     The
Roman soldiers assigned to guard the tomb were objective witnesses to the res­urrection, even though they did not believe in the deity of Christ.  Matt. 28:12-15

•     The unbelieving chief priest and the elders of the Sanhedrin were eyewitnesses to the empty tomb.  Matt. 28:11-12

•     Mary Magdalene, Matt. 28:1,6; John 20:15-17; Mark 16:9-11

•     Five other women, including Mary (the wife of Cleopas), and Salomé, Matt. 28:9-10; Mark 16:1-6

•     Peter, Luke 14:12

•     Matthew, by written testimony, Matt. 28:6.

•     John, by written testimony, John 20:1-8

•     The written testimony of facts as given by witnesses, Mark 16:1-8; Luke 24:3.  All people, in fact, mentioned in the previous section, to whom Christ appeared after His resurrection, were eyewitnesses.

•     The fact of the resurrection of Christ may also be inferred from a number of other sources.  For example, Josephus, in his Antiquities of the Jews, chapter 3:3, states that Jesus Christ was resurrected and had made appearances on the earth.

•     The Word of God is the written testimony that Christ was resurrected from the dead.  1 Cor. 15:3,4. 

•     God Himself is a witness to the resurrec­tion.    1 Cor. 15:15; John 10:18; 1 Peter 3:18. 

•     Christ’s resurrection is testified to by an­gels.  Matt. 28:5,6; Mark 16:6; Luke 24:5,6; Acts 1:10,11

•     The resurrection was a fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy.  Job 19:25–27; Psalm 16:10 (David); Isaiah 52:13-15; Zech. 12:10

Importance of the Doctrine of the Resurrection of Christ

•     The facts of Christ’s resurrection are part of a full presentation of the gospel to un­believers, 1 Cor. 15:1-4.  Christ died for our sins, was buried, and rose again.

•     An understanding of the resurrection is necessary as a believer begins to learn ba­sic doctrines, especially those related to salvation. 
Rom. 10:9,10

•     The doctrine of the resurrection supports all of Christian faith, so much so that ev­ery aspect of  Christianity depends on the fact of the resurrection.  1 Cor. 15:12–19.  Apostolic preaching is worthless without it.  Without the resurrection the believer’s faith is without substance and his hope is in vain.  Without the resurrection, no man can be reconciled to God (
Rom. 5:8–10).

            In application, the doctrine of the resurrec­tion supports many of the features of the Christian life.  The resurrected Christ is the head of the Church (Eph. 1:19–23).  His resurrection must predate the Baptism of the Holy Spirit and the beginning of the Church Age (John 1:33; Acts 2:32,33 with John 15:26 and 16:7).  Without Christ’s resurrection there would be no spiritual gifts (Eph. 4:8-13).  Without resurrection, He cannot be the Prince and the Saviour of­fered to the nation of Israel.  Acts 5:31 with Daniel 12:1-3.

Redemption

“In Whom We Have Redemption Through His Blood” 

      Redemption is a comprehensive term used in the Bible to refer to the special intervention of God for the salvation of mankind.  This use of the word deals with the work of Jesus Christ on the Cross in which He paid the price to “purchase” human beings and set them free from their slavery to sin.  On account of Christ’s substitutionary atonement, He is called the Redeemer.

      There are other ideas closely related to the primary concept of redemption which relate to the necessity for redemption and its various aspects  and to the effects of the ministry of God’s grace in the life of the Christian be­liever.

Old Testament Background and Typology

Redemption of Firstborn Sons, Firstlings of the Flock, Firstfruits

      The word “redemption” in the Old Testament is the translation of the Hebrew word pädäh, meaning “to deliver” or “to sever”.  It was continuously stressed to the Israelites that they belonged to Jehovah be­cause He had redeemed them (severed them from bondage) and had provided them with the land of Canaan for them to use as a gift from God and for His glory.  For this reason, all Israel owed their lives and their service to God, in effect making the whole nation a kingdom of priests, at least in spirit.

      However, only Levi and the descendants of his tribe, who became known as the priestly tribe, were actually set apart for the service of the tabernacle.  Everyone else from the eleven other tribes was to be redeemed, or purchased, from service by redeeming the firstborn of both men and animals.

      A son was considered “firstborn” if he was the first son born to his mother.  If a man had more than one wife, each wife could have a firstborn son.  Each firstborn son was pre­sented to the Lord on the 40th day after his birth and redeemed by a payment of five shekels to the priests (Num. 18:16: Ex. 13:15; Luke 2:27).

      The firstlings of oxen, sheep, and goats were to be brought to the sanctuary within a year and eight days after their birth, and sacri­ficed (Num. 18:17).  The firstborn of an ass, which was an unclean animal, was redeemed by sacrificing a sheep in its place; or, if not redeemed in this manner, was put to death it­self (Ex. 13:12 ff; 34:20). Later, the law pro­vided that the ass could be redeemed with money, the amount to be determined by the market value of the ass plus 20%, according to the priest’s valuation (Lev. 27:27; Num. 18:15). 

      The firstfruits of the harvest were sacred to Jehovah because He is the Lord of the soil (Ex. 23:19).  These were given to the priest to be presented in offering.  The whole congre­gation was required to offer an annual thanks­giving offering at harvest time by presenting a firstfruits sheaf at the Passover.  These were not to be burned but were to be given to the priests for their use, with the provision that only those priests who were ceremonially clean could eat the firstfruits.  The amount of offering of firstfruits was not specified by the Law but was left to each person’s discretion.

      Later in Jewish history, the children of Israel began to be called the Redeemed of the Lord, after they had been set free from the Babylonian captivity (Isa. 35:9; 51:11; 62:12).

The Kinsman-Redeemer

      According to the laws regarding punish­ment and retribution for crime, when a person was assaulted, robbed or murdered, it fell to the nearest kinsman to bring the criminal to justice and to protect the lives and property of relatives.  This obligation was called “redeem­ing”, and the man who was responsible for ful­filling this duty was known as a “redeemer” (Heb. go-el).  The job of redeemer would fall to full brothers first, then to uncles who were the father’s brothers, then to full cousins, and finally to the other blood relatives of the fam­ily (Lev. 25:48).  The kinsman-redeemer of the Old Testament was a type of the Lord Jesus Christ as Redeemer.  There were four requirements for the redeemer, both in the type and in Christ:

1.   The redeemer must be a near kinsman.  To fulfill this Christ took on human form.

2.   The redeemer must be able to redeem.  The price of man’s redemption was the blood of Christ (Acts 20:28; 1 Pet. 1:18-19).

3.   The redeemer must be willing to redeem (Heb. 10:4-10).  Christ was willing to be our Redeemer.

4.   The redeemer must be free from that which caused the need for redemption; that is, the redeemer cannot redeem himself.  This was true of Christ, because He needed no redemption.

READ Ruth 3:9-13; 4:1-11.

      The nation of Israel as a whole required a Redeemer to redeem the lands which had been taken over by foreign powers, so they looked to Jehovah to become their go-el.  The period of exile gave an even greater force and mean­ing to the term “redeemer” than it  had before; and the book of Isaiah contains nineteen of the thirty-three Old Testament references to God as Israel’s covenant redeemer.

Redemption in the New Testament

Slavery to Sin

      In the New Testament we see that all peo­ple are slaves because all are sold under sin and in spiritual bondage.

Rom. 7:14,  “For we know that the law is spiritual; but I am carnal, sold under sin.”

Acts 8:23 uses the phrase “the bond of iniq­uity”.

READ John 8:31-36

READ
Romans 6:12-18

See also
Rom. 7:23; 2 Tim. 2:26; 2 Pet. 2:19.

      Furthermore, all people are helplessly condemned to die.

Ezek. 18:4, “Behold, all souls are mine, saith the Lord.  As the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine.  The soul that sins, it shall die.”1 Cor. 15:22, “As in Adam all die…”

See also John 3:18, 36;
Rom. 3:19; Gal. 3:10.

The Principle of Redemption

      The principle of redemption, then, is the concept of bondage to the slavery of sin and freedom from its domination (John 8:31-36).  To be redeemed means to be “purchased from slavery”.

      The Greek word lutrow (lutroo), means “to release for ransom; to liberate; to redeem”.  It comes from the word luw (luo) meaning “to loosen; to unbind; to set at liberty”.  It is used in -

1 Pet. 1:18,19,  “Forasmuch as you know that you were not redeemed (lutroo) with cor­ruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradi­tion from your fathers; but with the pre­cious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.”Titus 2:14,  “Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem (lutroo) us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.”

      The noun lutron (lutron) means “the price paid; the ransom”, as in -

Matt. 20:28, “Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom (lutron) for many.”

      Jesus Christ purchased our freedom; and His blood is the payment for the redemption.  Psalm 34:22; 1 Peter 1:18,19; Gal. 3:13; Eph. 1:7; 1 John 1:7.

      Therefore, Jesus Christ is man’s Redeemer, and as such He is divinely appointed.  The re­demption that He brought represents both His own love and that of the Father for the whole world.

      The word agorazw (agoradzo) means “to buy; to redeem; to acquire by paying ransom”.  Derived from agora, “marketplace”.

1 Cor. 6:20,  “For you are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in you spirit, which are God’s.”  This is anal­ogous to the OT idea in which the Israelites owed their very existence to God.Rev. 5:9,  “And they sang a new song, saying, You are worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for you were slain, and have redeemed us to God by your blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation.”

See also 2 Pet. 2:1; Rev. 14:3.

      The word exagorazw (exagoradzo) means “to buy out of the hands of a person; to redeem; to set free”.

Gal. 3:13,  “Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangs on a tree.”

      The word apolutrosiV (apolutrosis) means “to dismiss for ransom paid; redemp­tion”.

1 Cor. 1:30,  “But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wis­dom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption.”
Rom. 3:23,24,  “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God; being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.”Eph. 1:7,  “In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of his grace.”Heb. 9:15,  “And for this cause he is the medi­ator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgres­sions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.”
Rom. 8:22,23,  “For we know that the whole creation groans and travails in pain to­gether until not.  And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, the re­demption of our body.”  Eph. 1:13,14,  “In whom you also trusted, af­ter that you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom after you believed, you were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the re­demption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.” 

Some Implications of the Doctrine of Redemption

Redemption is the basis of our eternal inheri­tance.  See Eph. 1:13,14 and Heb. 9:15 above.

Redemption is the basis of justification. 
Rom. 3:23, 24 (above).

Redemption includes the total forgiveness of sins; Eph. 1:7; Col. 1:14.

Redemption results in adoption. 

Gal. 4:4–6,  “But when the fullness of time was come, God sent forth His Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To re­deem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.  And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.”

The doctrine of redemption is used to orient believers in time of stress. 

Job 19:25,  “I know that my Redeemer liveth…”

At the point of redemption we can have peace of mind, stability, a relaxed mental attitude by knowing the doctrine and that God has paid for and provided for ev­erything.

Reconciliation 

      The word reconciliation refers to the pro­cess of changing something thoroughly and adjusting it to something else that is a stan­dard.  For example, when you adjust your watch to a time signal, you are reconciling the watch to a time standard.  Or when you recon­cile your checkbook, the standard to which you match it is the bank’s record of your ac­count.  On rare occasions the bank must rec­oncile its accounts to yours.

      In the Bible, reconciliation is the word used to refer to the process by which God changes human beings and adjusts them to the standard of His perfect character. 
Rom. 11:15 refers to the “reconciling of the world”.  The Greek word used here is the noun katallagh (katallagei).  This word is also used in
Rom. 5:11, “…but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the reconciliation.”  Note that man is not active in reconciliation and provides nothing toward reconciliation.  Read also 2 Cor. 5:17-21.

      Reconciliation also appears in the verb form katallassw (katallasso), meaning “to reconcile”.  It is used in the active voice in 2 Cor. 5:18 with the meaning of “reconciling someone to someone else.”  In this case, God reconciles us to Himself, through the Lord Jesus Christ.  This verb in the passive voice means “to be reconciled”  or “to become rec­onciled”, and it is used in the case of man’s re­lationship to God in
Rom. 5:10 and 2 Cor. 5:20.  The passive voice is also used in cases of reconciliation between people, as in 1 Cor. 7:11 and Matt. 5:24.

      Another Greek word translated “to rec­oncile” is ilaskomai   (hilaskomai), meaning “to reconcile” in the sense of providing propi­tiation, as in Luke 18:13.  It is used of the ac­tivity of the Lord Jesus Christ as High Priest in making reconciliation for His people, Heb. 2:17.

     
Rom. 5:6-11 points out that the whole world needs to be reconciled to God.  Note the adjectives in this passage which stress this need:  “ungodly”, “without strength”, “sin­ners”, “enemies”. 

      Reconciliation is an important considera­tion in the study of the doctrine of The Barrier.  By the death of Christ on the Cross, the world is thoroughly changed in its relationship to God, Eph. 2:14-18 and Col. 1:20-22.  That is, through the Cross of Christ the world is so al­tered in its position respecting the character and judgment of God that God does not now impute sin to human beings.  The world is therefore rendered savable!

      Because the position of the world before God is completely changed through the substi­tutionary atonement of Christ, God’s attitude toward man can no longer be the same.  God can now deal with souls in the light of Christ’s work.

      Notice that God is never said to be recon­ciled to man.  God is immutable, so He does not change.  Reconciliation is only possible in one direction.  What sometimes seems to be a change in God is actually an unchanged atti­tude of God viewing a reconciled man.  God, having how accepted Christ’s work, is able to continue to be just toward man.  He can now offer salvation. 

      A person profits from reconciliation by faith in the Gospel.  Once he becomes a be­liever, a person can partake in all of the blessings which accompany his position in Christ, including the privileges accruing from reconciliation.

      The believer, in turn, has the responsibility of becoming a minister of reconciliation, 2 Cor. 5:18–19.  The truth of reconciliation is one of the key salvation doctrines to be used in witnessing to those without Christ.

Servants and Slaves in Palestine 

      Some people, called “hirelings”, were employed for wages in ancient Palestine (Job 7:1; 14:6; Mark 1:20).  But most of the servants of the Israelites, as well as those of other eastern peoples of Old Testament times, were slaves or indentured servants – men and women who were held as property for various reasons and for various lengths of time.  Some slaves were bought from neighboring nations or from foreign residents of Canaan.  Some were captives taken in war.  Some were children of slaves who were born in the house of the master.  A slave might himself be a Hebrew who, through poverty, sold himself into servitude until he got back on his feet. 

      Slavery among the Hebrews was usually a mild and merciful system.  The Bible, while it recognizes that slavery exists, does not approve or disapprove of the practice.  Numerous standards were set up in the Law for the regulation of slavery and servitude, with laws which regulated both the conditions and the duration of the bondage. 

      One source of slavery was absolutely forbidden.  It was punishable by death to steal or kidnap a human being for the purpose of making him a slave or to sell him to someone else as a slave.  This regulation applied to Israelite and foreigner alike.

Deut. 24:7,  “If a man be found stealing any of his brethren of the children of Israel, and makes merchandise of him, or sells him; then that thief shall die; and you shall put evil away from among you.”Exo. 21:16,  “And he that steals a man, and sells him, or if he be found in his hand, he shall be surely put to death.”

The Treatment of Servants

      Each Israelite was considered to be a servant of God.  Therefore, he was not to be treated as a bondservant but as a hired worker; and his master was to rule over him with kindness .

Lev. 25:39-41,  “And if thy brother that dwells by thee be waxen poor, and be sold unto thee; thou shalt not compel him to serve as a bondservant; But as a hired servant, and as a sojourner, he shall be with thee, and shall serve thee unto the year of jubilee: And  then shall he depart from thee, both he and his children with him, and shall return unto his own family, and unto the possession of his fathers shall he return.”

      There were several ways that a Hebrew could become the servant of his brethren:

•     The Israelite, through poverty, might become unable to manage his own affairs or to maintain himself as an independent citizen.  In this case he might pass by sale under the power of another.  The passage in Lev. 25:39 ff, which lays down the law in these matters, does not imply that such a sale was compulsory.  It is understood to mean that the individual sold himself (or rather, he sold the rights to his labor) to another Jew, so that he might be able to earn subsistence for himself and his family.

•     A Hebrew who had been convicted of theft was required to make restitution to the extent of at least double the value of the amount stolen if the stolen property itself was recovered).  In other cases he was to pay four or five times as much as he stole (Note the case of Zacchaeus).  If the thief could not make the required restitution, he was sold for his theft and he made restitution by his labor.

      Exod. 22:1-3, “If a man shall steal …If the sun be risen upon him, there shall be blood shed for him; for he should make full restitution; if he have nothing, then he shall be sold for his theft.”

•     Children of a Hebrew servant became, by condition of their birth, the servants of the master (Exod. 21:4).

•     When a man was claimed personally by a creditor, his children were usually sold into bondage with him.  While the impoverished man might sell himself into servitude, it was only to work off his debt until the jubilee year.  2 Kings 4:1; Neh. 5:5; Isa. 50:1; Job 24:9.

      Every Israelite, male or female, who had become a slave, might be redeemed at any time by relatives or friends by the payment of what was owed.  In any case, even if he were not redeemed, he was to be released after six years of service; and he was to be given a present of food and cattle (Exod. 21:2; Deut. 15:12-15).  If he brought a wife into service with him, she was to be freed with him.  However, if his master had provided him with a wife, the master could require the wife to stay when the man left.  And the children of such a marriage stayed with the master (Exod. 21:3; Jer. 34:8 ff).

      If the Hebrew servant, for love of his wife and children or other reason, preferred not to accept freedom in the seventh year (or when his obligation was completed), he was brought before the elders of the community and had his ear pierced as a token of his willingness to give lifelong servitude to his master (Exod. 21:6; Deut. 15:17).

      If a Jew were to become the slave of a Gentile, the servitude could be terminated in two ways.  First, it could be terminated by the arrival of the year of jubilee.  Second, the servant could be released by payment to the master of the purchase price LESS the value of the services rendered, based upon the pay scale of a hired laborer (Lev. 25:47-55).

      During the time that the slave was “possessed” by his master, the master had certain power of disposing of him as he would other articles of personal property.  He could, for example, leave the servant to his heirs.  The servant was said to have a certain monetary value, that is, his labor had a money value; but he was not supposed to be thought of as chattel.

      A slave could be freed in one of four ways:

•     By redemption through the payment of money or goods.

•     By manumission, a bill or ticket of freedom issued by the master.

•     By testamentary disposition; the master could specify that the slave was to be freed upon the master’s death, for example.

•     By any act that implied that the slave was a free citizen, such as making an heir of one’s slave.

            The Law had several means for the protection of slaves or servants.  A servant was entitled to full religious privilege and access to all religious functions and practices, such as sacrifices, Passover and other feasts, circumcision, etc.  He was to be given a day of rest on the Sabbath.  He was to receive his liberty if the case of some grievous injury such as loss of eye or limb.  See other passages:  Gen. 17:12; Exod. 12:44; 20:11; 21:20,26,27; Lev. 24:17,22; Deut. 5:14 ff; 12:12,18.

SHEPHERDS OF THE FLOCK OF GOD

1 Peter 5:1,2  “The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed: FEED THE FLOCK of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind:”

Deuteronomy 8:3, “And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord doth man live.”

We live by God’s Word, that which proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord. “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus”.

And it is our shepherds who have the duty to provide us with this nourishment, lest we waste away in spiritual malnutrition!

My aim in this article is to provide a thorough introduction to the Bible concept of shepherding, from Jehovah and the Lord Jesus Christ as Shepherd, to the Christian believer who feeds and cares for the “sheep of His pasture.”

Pastors and elders are shepherds. The Greek word (poimeinos), used a single time in the New Testament in Ephesians 4:11, is translated “pastor”. On other occasions, such as in 1 Peter 5:2, the verb form (poimeinw) is translated “to feed”. So pastors and elders are “feeders”, and Christians are the “flock” which are to be fed.

I intend in this article to develop a full description of what a Christian spiritual shepherd is, including a shepherd’s qualifications and duties. This description will be derived from a study of what the whole Bible says about shepherds, by examining the following:

•     Jehovah as Shepherd

•     The Lord Jesus Christ as the Good Shepherd

•     King David as shepherd of his people. He was both a shepherd-boy and the shepherd of the kingdom of Israel

•     Pastors and elders, including all those who “feed the flock of God”

I think that the Bible passages I cite in this study will demonstrate that there are well laid out Bible standards for the function of shepherd, and that when one is known a true shepherd of the sheep, certain objective criteria have been met.

Titus was given the task of choosing shepherds (elders) for the local congregations on the island of Crete. When choosing a shepherd, it’s important to have a good idea of what God intends a shepherd to be.

To illustrate:

•     A good shepherd puts the needs of the sheep first, and has an abiding sense of obligation toward them. One who does not know how to care for sheep, or who neglects sheep, is not a good shepherd.

•     A good shepherd leads sheep to good pasture and water. A person who does not provide food and water for sheep is not a good shepherd.

•     A good shepherd protects the sheep and sets up defenses against those who would harm the sheep. An individual who deliberately harms or frightens sheep is not a good shepherd.

Jehovah as Shepherd

There is a chain of command in Christian affairs. In a chain of command, such as in a military organization, when one level of command fails to function properly, the responsibility is taken over by the next higher level of command.

God the Father, Jehovah, is always watching His sheep; and He is always ready to take over when the sheep are not being well handled by their appointed shepherds..

READ Jeremiah 10:19-22

[ I will show scripture passages to illustrate these ideas, but it’s up to you to examine the whole context of the discussion in any passage I cite. Be aware that the verses I indicate are only pointers to a broader portion of the Bible that needs to be reviewed in context. ]

Suggestion: read the whole book of Jeremiah from the standpoint of shepherds, good and bad, and their duties toward their “sheep.” But especially read:

      Jeremiah 23:1-6

      Jeremiah 50:4-19

      Psalm 23

      Isaiah 44:24-28

Even a heathen king, Cyrus, was named shepherd, to fulfill a specific function, to contribute to the rebuilding of Jerusalem.

READ Ezekiel 34.

From C. F. Keil, Commentary on Ezekiel

The shepherds of Israel, namely, the political and religious leaders, have been feeding themselves and neglecting the flock. The flock has been scattered and has become a prey to wild beasts. The Lord will remove the bad shepherds from their office.

The Lord will take charge of His own flock, gather it together from where it is scattered, and feed and tend it on good pasture in the land of Israel. He will sift the flock by getting rid of the “fat” and “violent” ones.

He will appoint His servant David shepherd over His flock, make a covenant of peace with His people, and bless the land with fruitfulness, so that Israel may dwell there in security, and no more suffer by internal strife and famine or be carried off by their enemies.

This chapter (Eze. 34)  is a repetition and expansion of the prophecy of Jeremiah 23:1-8. Both prophecies deal with the salvation of Israel and the fact that the sheep will be gathered and tended by the Lord and His servant David.

Rev. 7:17,  “For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of water: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.”

Rev. 12:6,  “And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand, two hundred, and threescore days.”

The Lord Jesus Christ as the Good Shepherd

Jesus Christ is presented as the “Good Shepherd” in that He lays down His life for His sheep. This refers to Christ’s saving work on the cross, the atonement.

In Hebrews 13:20,21, He is called the “great shepherd,” a title that refers to divine blessing to advanced believers.

In 1 Peter 5:4, the title “Chief Shepherd” is the title for Christ as we face Him after death.

The Lord Jesus provides for His sheep in many ways.

•     The believer, like a sheep, is helpless and has no sense of direction; a sheep must be guided by a shepherd. We need Bible truth as our guide in life.

•     A sheep cannot clean itself; this a reminder of our Lord’s provision of cleansing, as shown in 1 John 1:9.

•     A sheep is helpless when injured. So, when we are injured by the various problems in life, only the Lord can provide the necessary therapy.

•     A sheep is defenseless; he depends on the shepherd for protection. The Lord provide the armor of God for protection.

•     A sheep can’t find food or water for itself. A sheep must depend on the shepherd to lead it to water.

•     A sheep is easily frightened or panicked. The shepherd calms the sheep with songs in the night; i.e. Bible truth in the soul.

•     When the sheep produces wool, it belong to the owner of the flock. It does not belong to the sheep.

Every Christian is supposed to be “like Christ.” Pastors and elders, in particular, must have the qualities of good shepherd that the Lord Jesus embodies.

An elder must have the “mind of Christ.” This means that, as he grows into his job as elder, he will become more like Christ in his thinking and shepherding. If he does not, he will be a bad shepherd.

Matthew 9:35-38

Matthew 25:31-34

Luke 15:4-7

John 10:1-18

John 21:15-17

Keep in mind as we study – the sheep belong to the Lord Jesus Christ. All through the scriptures that we are studying, the flocks belong to God. They do not belong to the human shepherd. By illustration, David was the shepherd for sheep that belonged to his father, Jesse.

In Heb. 13:20, Christ is called “the great Shepherd of the sheep.”

1 Peter 2:21-25, “For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously. Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. For ye were as sheep going astray, but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.”

Matthew 18:10-24

Psalm 78:51-54, “He smote all the firstborn in Egypt; the chief of their strength in the tabernacles of Ham: But made his own people to go forth like sheep, and guided them in the wilderness like a flock.  And he led them on safely, so that they feared not: but the sea overwhelmed their enemies. And he brought them to the border of his sanctuary, even to this mountain, which his right hand had purchased.”

Psalm 79:13, “So we thy people and sheep of thy pasture will give thee thanks forever: we will show forth thy praise to all generations.”

Isaiah 40:10,11, “Behold, the Lord God will come with strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him: behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him. He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.”

If an elder has the mind of Christ, he will have the attitude of Christ toward his flock and toward his job as shepherd. This is the attitude and motivation to look for in anyone who aspires to the office of pastor or elder.

David as the Shepherd of Israel

1 Chronicles 17:3-9

1 Chronicles 21:16,17

In this passage, David takes the responsibility for the poor handling of his human flock when he numbered the people.

Spiritual Qualifications for an Elder (Shepherd)

The most important function in a church – and the most important activity that a Christian can engage in – is the study and teaching of the Word of God. Bible truth is the theoretical and practical support for every other feature of Christian life, including worship, prayer, evangelism, missionary service, discipling, and fellowship. Without a solid foundation in Bible principle and doctrine, a Christian can spend his life flailing around trying to serve the Lord while never understanding the basic plan of God for his life and ministry.

In a local church, someone has to teach, to organize things, to arrange for the activities of the organization, no matter how small. If no hierarchy is imposed on a community of people, leaders will emerge anyway, either chosen by the group to take charge, or, by default, to move into a leadership void.

In the Bible, Christian leaders are not chosen politically, or by seniority, or by submitting a résumé. An “eldership” is a battlefield commission; a person tested and proved in battle is seen to be the natural choice for a position as a bishop or elder.

The most highly decorated American soldier of World War II, Audie Murphy, received a battlefield commission to 2nd Lieutenant, after he had proved himself in battle. His leaders had seen in him the qualities of leadership and proven ability that made him eligible for that honor. (He was prevented by his physical disability from wounds from attending the U. S. Military Academy after the war.)

In the Epistle to Titus, the task given to Titus was to observe which individuals were qualified to be appointed, according to the criteria Paul outlined.

Chief among these qualifications was that the elder was to “hold to the faithful word as he had been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine to refute and to convince the gainsayers.” An elder is primarily a teacher of the Word of God. If he does not teach his flock what the Bible says, his sheep will perish of malnourishment!

The qualifications of elders (pastors, bishops, overseers, presbyters, deacons) are given in such passages as 1 Peter 5, Titus 1 and 2, 1 Timothy, and Acts 7.

Think about Titus’s job of selecting elders on Crete.

He had to observe men in the communities on Crete and decide whom to appoint as elder. Maybe he interviewed likely candidates. Maybe he asked other believers to describe the qualities they say in various people.

It’s possible to fake many things in the Christian life. A person can smile, talk the language of the church he attends, refrain from certain taboos, and generally fool most of the people most of the time. After all, we don’t go around questioning people to their face about the genuineness of their profession or claims.  If a person claims to love the Lord and be devoted to Christian service, how can you tell if the claim is genuine?

Well, there are two things in which it is extremely difficult to fool an experienced person like Titus. First, it is hard to give the appearance of having a great love for the Word of God. And second, it is hard to fool a discerning Christian into believing that one has the fruit of the Holy Spirit.

Love for the Word of God

When a person genuinely loves the Lord, a love for the Word of God naturally accompanies that love. That person will give evidence every day of immersion in the Bible. After all, the Bible is the communication of the Lord Jesus, the One loved. A desire to know the Word, to meditate in it, and to talk about it, will be just as natural as a young person’s total captivation with romance.

In fact, this characteristic can be used to discern the true merits of any candidate for Christian office.  A person can attend church, engage in worship and Christian service, and use Christian vocabulary. But there may be some ulterior motive in this.

A young man who is interested in a young woman can readily adapt himself to her surroundings and seem to be something that he is not. People are chameleons when trying to impress others. But it is very difficult over a period of time for a person to establish a reputation as one who is absorbed by the Word of God, unless the Bible is the center of  attention and devotion.

A Christian who is motivated by a desire for recognition, a lust for power, or an ambition to have a religious career, can adopt almost any appearance or conform to any program or set of standards. One of the most difficult things to fake, however, is an occupation with the Lord Jesus Christ and His Word.

The Fruit of the Holy Spirit

The other thing that is hard to cover up is a lack of the fruit of the Holy Spirit.  But how can you tell when a person is filled with the Holy Spirit?

The people in Acts 7 were expected to do just that when they selected the first seven deacons. They were expected to select men to handle this job, based on just this one qualification. If you had been in that church, how would you have known whom to vote for?

Would you believe that a man is Spirit-filled because he tells you he is, or because he says he has had a spiritual experience? Would you be impressed by a person who is sweet, smiles, and uses spiritual vocabulary? The outward appearance is easy to counterfeit. When one person exhibits some genuine spiritual power or ability, it’s quite natural that others will envy that and want to fake it, or buy it (Simon the Sorcerer)!

But Titus was looking for some very objective evidence of genuine Christian character in the men he was considering for positions of responsibility on Crete.

LOVE – The first fruit of the Holy Spirit mentioned in Galatians 5 is Love.

Titus 1:8 states that an elder is to be “a lover of hospitality”:  (philozenos); he is to have a love for strangers. This word carries the connotation of hospitality, of doing something for someone who does not earn or deserve the good treatment, because there has been no previous acquaintance.  This word reflects a Grace attitude toward people who have not yet earned one’s consideration.

This is a word of impersonal love – the type of attitude that is free of arrogance, envy, hatred, or even disdain for other people, even if there is sharp disagreement about doctrine or practice. This is the type of love that permits a Christian to love even his enemies or people that he doesn’t like.

There is no envy, self-righteousness, or sinful judging accompanying this love. There will be no hatred, maligning, or malicious gossip involved in this love.

This is the type of love that is the fruit of the Holy Spirit. It does not come from emotion, although it may cause emotion. This is the “professional” love of the mature Christian believer, analogous to the Love of God, the quality of which does not depend on the behavior or character of the one being loved, but on the character of the one who loves.

JOY – Joy is the happiness which God provides, a happiness that does not depend on people, circumstances, or things to maintain it. Joy is the relaxed mental attitude that comes from casting one’s cares on Christ, knowing that He cares for us. A person who does not possess spiritual joy will chase after the world’s attractions and provisions because there is no satisfaction in the things of the Lord.

PEACE – Peace is the result of exercising Faith-Rest. Faith-Rest is the process of trusting God the Father to keep his promises, to make provision for every contingency and trial, and then enjoying the tranquillity that abiding in Christ provides. A person without godly peace will fret and stew, try to solve problems in flesh, and will generally exhibit the same anxieties as the unbeliever in the same position.

PATIENCE – the long view; the quality that results from having eternity’s value in view, of being occupied with Christ, of living in the Word of God, and of knowing what God’s plan is and how it is working out in the life. The impatient person wants things now and will avidly pursue “things”, not being willing to wait for the Lord to provide or promote.

The Elder’s Professional Qualifications

An elder must be an accomplished instructor of the Word of God. There are many other duties of elders, especially of those who are overseers, such as priests, pastors, bishops; but the underlying basic responsibility is that of teaching – feeding the flock.

To the spiritual character and personal integrity described above must be added the training and growth in “knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” that allows the elder, as the chief among edified believers, to serve as an effective shepherd.

A local church needs at least one person who teaches the Bible with sufficient quality, and in sufficient quantity, to provide nourishing spiritual food for the congregation. The teacher needs to have a thorough knowledge of the Word and the ability to correlate the facts and doctrines of scripture and make application of those principles to Christian living.

A Christian needs to know what the Bible says and what it means. A Christian is supposed to live “by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.” There is no substitute in any believers’ life for a thorough overall knowledge of the facts, the doctrines, and the spiritual principles of the Word. A pastor must be willing and able to spend the hours studying and teaching that are required.

If there is no shepherd to teach these things, the people will be hungry.

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Servants of God 

God commands Christians to be faithful and obedient servants.

Deut. 10:12  “And now, Israel, what doth the Lord thy God require of thee, but to fear the Lord thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the Lord with all thy heart and with all thy soul.”Micah 6:8  “He hath shown thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord required of thee, but to do justly and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?”Psalm 100:2  “Serve the Lord with gladness; come before his presence with singing.”

      Josh. 24:14,15

Service is to be rendered as unto the Lord Jesus Christ.

      John 12:23-26

Col. 3:24  “Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.”

The believer’s service is to be rendered to people.

Christian service makes life noble.

Mark 10:43,44  “But so shall it not be among you: but whosoever will be great among you, shall be your minister: and whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all.  For even the Son of Man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister.”

Christian service exemplifies neighborliness.

      Luke 10:36,37

Christian service is Christ-like.

      John 13:1-17

Christian service demonstrates love.

      John 21:15-17

Christian service lightens life’s burdens.

Gal. 5:13-15

Gal. 6:1-10

Acts 20:17-20

Heb. 10:23-25 

      The place of worship and the place of ser­vice.  We also “assemble” for service.  The Body functions as a congregation.

As God’s servants, believers have specific responsibilities.

Christians are to leave all to follow Christ.

Phil. 3:7,8  “But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.  Yea, doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus, my Lord; for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but refuse, that I may win Christ.”

Believers are to render undivided service.

      1 Chron. 15:10-15

1 Sam. 7:3  “And Samuel spoke unto all the house of Israel, saying, If ye do return unto the Lord with all your hearts, then put away the foreign gods and Ashtaroth from among you, and prepare your hearts unto the Lord, and serve him only; and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.  Then the children of Israel did put away Baalim and Ashtaroth, and served the Lord only.”

Believers are to serve with humility.

      Acts 20:18,19

Believers are to serve with courage.

Deut. 1:17  “Ye shall not respect persons in judgment, but ye shall hear the small as well as the great; ye shall not be afraid of the face of man, for the judgment is God’s; and the cause that is too hard for you, bring it unto me [Moses], and I will hear it.”Prov. 29:25  “The fear of man bringeth a snare; but whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe.”

Examples of faithful service

The Lord Jesus Christ served men.

Phil. 2:7  “But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men.”

Godly men served the Lord by serving other men.

•     Peter and Andrew, Mark 1:17,18

•     Zaccheus, Luke 19:6 ff

•     Paul, Acts 9:20

The rewards of faithful service

The faithful servant gains spiritual knowledge.

Hos. 6:3  “Then shall we know, Lord; his gome unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth.”

The faithful servant gains divine viewpoint.

John 8:12  “Then spoke Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world; he that followeth me shall not walk  darkness, but shall have the light of life.”

The faithful servant has spiritual guidance.

John 10:27  “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them and they follow me.”

The faithful servant receives honor from God.

John 12:26  “If any man serve me, let him fol­low me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honor.”

The faithful servant has a life of joy.

Psalm 40:8  “I delight to do thy will, O my  God; yea, thy law is within my heart.”John 4:36  “And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal, that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together.”

Text: Isaiah 9:6-7

Theme: Hope in  atime of Hoplessness

Title:  Fix your eyes on this King

Introduction:

The Context:  

            The Reign of the Kings and Ahaz.  - A Catalogue of Evil

Scripture Passages:

                                    2 Kings 16:1-4

                                    2 Chronicles 28:1-4

                                    Isaiah 7:1-17

                                    Isaiah 9:6-7

Ahaz – No heart after God:  Ahaz was one of a whole line of apostate and evil kings of
Judah. Out of twenty kings only 6 had a heart after God – Asa, Jehoshaphat, Uzziah, Jotham, Hezekiah and Josiah. Ahaz became King at 20 yrs and gave
Judah a 16 year reign of evil.

Ahaz – No Righteous Conscience  He forsook the right way, He substituted God’s commands, He plundered the temple. He set up heathen altar in all the cities of
Judah, He rejected all attempts to repent and turn to Yahweh. He sacrificed his two sons to Molech.

Isaiah in chapter  7 has dealings with Ahaz himself. And in the midst of this Chapter 9: his gaze is diverted to another thing, his attention is drawn away to something else.

Isaiah’s Revelation

Most of Isaiah’s gaze seems to have been on the battles, conflicts, sieges, dimness, and thick darkness of the situation, but in the midst of this his eyes were fixed on something else, his attention was snatched away to something wonderful, his attention was arrested, he could not let go of this vision. In the midst of despair he saw Hope.

His Eye’s were fixed. – He Saw Light in the Darkness:

It was the light that he saw rising in the distant and darkened
Galilee.

His Eye’s were fixed. – He saw the joy of the people;

The armour of war laid aside; the image of peace succeeding; the light expanding and becoming more intense as the darkness retired,

His Eye’s were fixed. – He saw in this the Prince of Peace — the Sun of Righteousness himself. The eyes of the prophet gazed , and were fixed

His Eye’s were fixed. – He sees the Messiah in his office, and describes him as already come, and as born unto the nation.  

His eyes are fixed on a NEW KING, He gazes with wonder and awe on this new king.

1.         His Eye’s are fixed on His WISDOM                        “Wonderful Counsellor”

A “New King”  who has wisdom, not like the wisdom of the previous kings. Unfailing wisdom, Wonderful wisdom.

A “New King who brings the message of reconciliation and freedom from the heart of God

He See’s Jesus

2.        His Eye’s are fixed on His AUTHORITY                “Mighty God”

Meaning – “A Great Hero”

God’s might and authority resting on him.

Divine, Divinity it’self.

He See’s Jesus

3.        His Eye’s are fixed on His FATHERHOOD           “Everlasting Father”

Fatherhood that would Go to the end of the world for his chidren.

Fatherhood that endures the problem of the nation’s rebellion / Prodigal Son.

Fatherhood that holds his children in Love and Mercy.

He See’s Jesus

4.        His Eye’s are fixed on His RECONCILLIATION              “Prince of Peace”

One of comes In peace

One who offers no brutal defence, one who does not squash defiance.

One who makes peace in vulnerability (A Child) and who renders evil to no effect.

One who brings reconciliation through vulnerability and not war.

One whose peace will not be succeeded.

One whose peace will last into eternity

He See’s Jesus

5.        His Eye’s are fixed on His FULFILMENT                      “There will be no end”

Not a king like other kings.

This new king comes because of God’s Passion for his people.

God will not rest till this is all fulfilled.

He See’s Jesus

Conclusion

This is a message of hope, Fix your eyes on this new king, Fix your eyes on this King.

John the Baptist and the Author of Hebrews put it better than I can

John 1:29 “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (BEHOLD)

Hebrews 12:1 and 2  “let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.”