Sermon Tone Analysis

! Dispensationalism

 

!!

The Two-Fold Aspect of the Mystery

* *

*/Mr.

Stam tells us: \\ The Greek word musterion, rendered mystery in the Authorized Version, has a two-fold meaning.

It may mean merely what is kept hidden, or it may mean something understood only by the initiated.

It may also mean both at the same time.

/*

*/The original word is perhaps closer in meaning to our word secret than it is to mystery in its modern usage.

We may speak of keeping a thing a secret, i.e., not telling it out, or we may speak of the secret of a man's success, i.e., the key, the clue to his success.

/*

*/The great mystery revealed through Paul is spoken of in both ways--sometimes both together: /*

*/1.

The mystery is a truth which was intentionally kept hidden until revealed to and through the Apostle Paul: He says it was "kept secret since the world began" (Rom.

16:25), "in other ages . . .

not made known," "from the beginning of the world . . .

hid in God" (Eph.

3:5,9), "hid from ages and from generations" (Col.

1:26).

/*

*According to what the writer says, Paul alone revealed the mystery of the gospel.

In reading the scriptures he gave, I can see nowhere where Paul states that he was the sole possessor and deliverer of this gospel.

In fact Paul states in Rom.

16:25 that it was preached by Christ, In Eph.3:5

He states it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets, NOT BY PAUL, but by the Holy Spirit.

In verse 7 Paul says "Whereof I was made A minister, not THE minister.

In verse 8 He proclaims only that he was made a minister of this grace to the Gentiles so that all men, Vs.9, not just the Jews would see what is the fellowship of the mystery.

And in Col.1:26 Paul tells the church /"but now is made manifest to his saints"/, NOT JUST TO PAUL, again in verse 23 he calls himself a minister not the minister.*

*/Mr.

Stam tells us: \\ All this was gospel, or good news, but what was "the mystery of the gospel;" what was the secret of the good news?

How could a holy and righteous God proclaim good news to sinners?

How could He justly offer them good things to come when, as sinners, they deserved His wrath?

/*

*/The answer to this is found in the epistles of Paul.

/*

*The answer to this is also found in many other sections of the Bible.

The only way this could be possible was through the sacrificial, substitutionary, death of Christ.

Isa.53:4-6+10, John 1:29; 3:14-16; 6:53-59; 10:11-18; 12:23-27, Luke 18:31-33.

The disciples did not understand at this time vs. 34, because the Spirit of God had not yet revealed it unto them, but the Holy Spirit gave them understanding later, as we see promised in John 16:13-16 and Acts 1:4+5.

This promise came to pass at Pentecost (Acts 2:1), and preached as the way of salvation by the disciples from that time on.

(Acts: 2:36-38; 4:10-12; 5:30-32; 8:31-35; I Pet.1:1-4, 18-23; 2:21-25, Rev.5:5-9.)/

\\  /*

*/Mr.

Stam tells us: \\ Some suppose that Satan sought to prevent the crucifixion, but we must not presume that Satan understood how the cross would accomplish his defeat and our redemption.

We read distinctly that "Satan entered into" Judas (John 13:27).

Satan thought that the crucifixion of Christ would destroy Him.

How he must have congratulated himself on his success as our Lord died in shame and disgrace on Calvary's cross!

/*

*The author has as little scriptural evidence for his conviction as those who believe that Satan knew of the significance of the cross.

We do know that Satan understands the scriptures better than any man.

He remembered the promise God made to Adam and Eve in the Garden.

He watched as the children of Israel time and time again offered up the innocent lamb as a type of the coming Savior.

He knew the scriptures David wrote depicting the suffering of Christ on the cross in Psalm 22, he understood the 53rd chapter of Isaiah.

Sure he entered Judas's body, he had no choice, scripture had to be fulfilled, (John 17:12).*

*This is one of the aspects of God's sovereignty- Although the writer, as well as many other theologians, believe God knows but does not control, a careful study of the scriptures will prove to any student that God is omnipotent, He not only knows, He alone plans and carries out His plan, using any part of His creation He deems fit to use.

THE BETRAYAL OF CHRIST WAS NOT SATAN'S IDEA IT WAS GOD'S IDEA, LOOK AT MATT.17:22; 20:18; 26:2; ALL OF THESE STATEMENTS WERE MADE PRIOR TO CHRIST'S BETRAYAL, SATAN KNEW THE PLAN OF GOD AND HE HAD TO DO HIS PART IN IT BECAUSE HIS CREATOR COMMANDED HIM TO!!!*

*There is also scriptural evidence that Satan did not want Christ to go to the cross because it spelled his defeat.

Christ makes a statement to Peter which shows that Satan was trying to prevent the cross in Mark 8:31-33- /"And he began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.

And HE SPAKE THAT SAYING OPENLY.

And Peter took him and began to rebuke him.

But when he turned about and looked on His disciples, he rebuked Peter, saying,/ /"Get thee behind me, Satan: for thou savorest not the things that be of God, but the things that be of man."/*

*Even the demon's knew that they were defeated, in fact, the scriptures even imply that they knew the time of their defeat.

(Matt.8:29)

If such is the case, would not the prince of demons know?*

*This is the one thing that is hard for the sinful pride of man to handle, the fact that he does not control his destiny, it has already been set down and foreordained by his creator, man is but clay in the master's hand molded for one purpose and that is to glorify God.

And all actions which take place in the universe whether good or evil work toward that end.

Prov.16:4.*

*Lets look at this in three aspects:*

*1.

In light of nature:*

*2.

In light of the world*

*3.

In light of the believer*

*Most believers will agree that God controls nature, He causes it to rain then stops the rain and drought ensues.

Being the creator, He knows exactly what actions will produce what results, and they are at His command to bring about whatever action in nature He desires.*

*I disagree with the writers belief that the storm on Galilee was an action of Satan, (page 73 first paragraph), I believe it was an action of God to show the disciples that Christ was the creator and had control over His creation.

Matt.

8:26+|27, Psa.

107: 25-31.

Its amazing that even the stones, the most inanimate objects known to man, would have cried out to Christ as he entered Jerusalem had not the people proclaimed His kingship, (Luke 19:40).

Our pride as humans has placed us in such a state of mind that we believe we should be equal to our creator, that we are special enough by our own merit to be called the children of God.

The Pharisees had this same problem and John the Baptist told them that God had the ability to raise up children to Abraham even from the stones laying on the ground, (Matt.3:9,

Luke 3:8).*

*We need to understand, especially as believers, that all men have been created and live toward one end, the glorification of our creator, (Rom.9:17-23)*

*Christ being the creator lights every single soul that comes into the world (John 1:9).

He knows our every part while we are still in our mother's wombs (Psa.

139:14-16).

He separates us from our mother's womb and causes us to breathe on our own.

(Psa.71:6;

22:10).

He grants each and every breath that we take for the continuation of our lives (Psa.104:29).

He knows at our very conception whether we will be a part of His kingdom or the kingdom of the world and throughout our lives, whether saved or unsaved, he directs us towards the ultimate glorification of His Name as we saw in Rom.9.*

*2.

He uses sinful man toward this aim.

In order to understand this more fully we need to grasp the work of the Holy Spirit in the world, concerning the lost.

We know from scripture that due to man's disobedience in Adam, he has completely lost the ability to please God, in fact our sin places us in the position where we cannot even seek out or desire to know our creator, (Psa.14:1-3,

Rom.3:10-18).

If left on our own we will continue to get progressively more evil until we wipe ourselves completely off the face of the earth.

Such was the case in the days of Noah (Gen.6:5-7,

12-13).

Because of this tendency God, through His Holy Spirit, controls men in different degrees and through the pricking of their conscience keeps them under reign, so-to-speak, not allowing their sin nature to draw them to the depths of depravity that it would bring them to if left unchecked, unless He so desires (Rom.1:26-32,

Neh.9:20, Psa.

139:1-13, Zech.4:6).*

*Thus we see God placing the sinful men of the world in positions where they will be used to further His kingdom, which will ultimately bring glory to His name.*

*Some examples: Pharaoh: Ex.7:2-5, Rom.9:17, Sennecherib: Isa.

37: 21-35, Nebuchadnezzar: Dan.4,

King Ahasuerus: Esther, Haman: Esther*

*Some of these people meant evil for God's people but in the end their actions always brought glory to the Lord.

As we look through history we see men whom God has placed in strategic places, men who have seemingly degenerated to the lowest possible state of sin.

They have plunged the world into war, denying God, and persecuting His people, yet out of these ashes of a seemingly destroyed church rose children of God, who rather than being destroyed were purged by the tribulation which came upon them, and the church, the body of Christ was stronger because of it.

God's people coming to the full realization that Christ alone, through them, would win the victory.*

*3.

We also see God's children used by God to bring glory to His name.

First He calls us out of every tribe and nation of the world.

(Matt.28:18-20;

Acts 1:7+8), He calls us to Himself (Rom.1:6;

8:28+29; 9:|23+24; I Cor.1:9,24, Gal.

1:6).

Sanctifies us and makes us a new creation in Christ (II Cor.