The Story of the Lamb of God

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The Story of the Lamb of God

• The Symphony Is Finished

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Introduction

• A clear focus is needed to become acquainted with
  the Lamb of God.
• The Old Testament ends as an unfinished symphony.
• Ceremonies of worship are unexplained.
• Purposes were expressed that are not achieved.

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• For much of this material I am indebted to J.
  Sidlow Baxter, Explore The Book, (Zondervan
  Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1964
  printing), Volume Five.

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• Purposes were expressed that are not achieved.
• Longings among the Hebrews are unanswered.
• Predictions are unfulfilled.
• Promises are unclaimed.

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• The four Gospels have a dominant theme of
  fulfillment.
• These four books give the answers to the Old
  Testament that are needed.
• Else, the Old Testament is like a river lost in
  the sand.

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Jesus is the answer to all these needs.

• He came to be on the throne Luke 131-33. He
  shall be great, and shall be called the Son of
  the Most High and the Lord God shall give unto
  him the throne of his father David and he shall
  reign over the house of Jacob for ever and of
  his kingdom there shall be no end.

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• He is the Lamb who takes away sins John 129.
• On the morrow he seeth Jesus coming unto him,
  and saith, Behold, the Lamb of God, that taketh
  away the sin of the world!

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• Is this a reference to Isa. 537?
• He was oppressed, yet when he was afflicted he
  opened not his mouth as a lamb that is led to
  the slaughter, and as a sheep that before its
  shearers is dumb, so he opened not his mouth.

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• Why a lamb?
• Lambs offered every day
• Symbol of meekness, gentleness
• Symbol of innocence
• Reminder of Egypt
• Jesus our Passover (1 Cor. 57)

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• Why the lamb of God?
• Provided by God
• Atonement in reality
• Sinless suffering One
• World, not just the Jews

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• He is the Savior Matt. 121
• The name Jesus (Old Testament similarity to
  Joshua) /Ihsouj means the same as Savior,
  being derived from the verb to save.

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• Jesus saves from sin
• Power of sin
• Pollution of sin
• Guilt of sin
• Note it is from sin, not in sin!

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• He is the way, truth, and life John 146
  (Notice here that one learns the way by knowing
  the truth, which in turn leads to life.)
• He claimed that all things about him were
  fulfilled Luke 2444.
• Therefore, Jesus invites all to come and take his
  yoke Matt. 1128-30.

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There are seven crises in the life of Jesus.

• Birth from a virgin
• Baptism by John and the coming of the Spirit
• Temptations
• Transfiguration

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• Crucifixion
• Resurrection
• Ascension and coronation

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The four gospels reveal all that is needed about
the Lamb

• Matthew, Mark, and Luke present the facts of his
  life.
• Two of the writers were apostles and the other
  two were companions of the apostles.

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• John, along with some of these facts, presents
  the doctrinal import.
• His birth is not mentioned.
• His baptism is not recorded.
• His temptations are not included.
• His transfiguration is not told.

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• His ascension is not described.
• Perhaps the key verse is 112.
• He came to his own people, the Hebrews, as it was
  promised.
• The Hebrews generally did not receive him.
• Some Hebrews did receive him.

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• Those who received him were given a right
  (e)cousi/an).
• That right had to be exercised.
• When exercised, that right made them spiritual
  sons of God.
• This right was given to even to them that
  believe on his name.

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• Therefore to receive him is the same as to
  believe in him.
• A necessary conclusion is that a believer is not
  yet a son of God, but must exercise the right
  given to him to become a son of God.

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• William F. Arndt and F. Wilbur Gingrich, A
  Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and
  Other Early Christian Literature, (The University
  of Chicago Press, Chicago, Illinois, Sixteenth
  Impression, 1974), p. 277 defines this use as to
  indicate the thing that one is able to do. This
  shows that the right given must be exercised.

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• There is something in addition to believing that
  makes one a son of God!
• The believer must still respond.

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• John 1 has many key words and concepts
• Word,
• life,
• light,
• Son,

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• Lamb,
• Messiah,
• Son of Man,
• King.

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Four Faces of the Lamb

• Why are the gospels in the order that is found in
  the New Testament?
• Why not place in this order Luke, Mark, John and
  Matthew?
• Is there any cogent reason for the order one sees
  in our New Testaments?

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• Matthew is placed first because of the links with
  the Old Testament.
• The phrase, that it might be fulfilled, is used
  12 times.
• He is obviously writing to the Jews who were
  expecting a Messiah.

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• This book bridges 400 years of silence.
• This book serves to show the credentials of the
  promised Messiah.

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• Mark writes to the Roman world.
• He gives no genealogy since his readers would
  neither need nor understand it.
• He uses fulfilled only twice.
• He emphasizes that Jesus was a worker of wonders.

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• Luke, as a Gentile himself, sends his letter out
  to the Gentile world.
• He emphasizes the humanity of the Lamb.
• He uses Son of Man more than the others.

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• John writes at the end of the century to the
  churches.
• He shows the deity of the Lamb.
• He portrays the Lamb as Jehovah, Messiah, and
  true God.

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• Long after the other 3 gospels have circulated
  John writes as the last living witness of the
  Lamb and his work.
• John puts the finale to the symphony of the life
  of our Lord.

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Endings to the books in this order seem to be
significant.

• Matthew ends with the resurrection.
• Mark ends with the ascension.
• Luke ends with the promise of the Spirit.
• John ends with the promise of the 2nd coming,
  tarry till I come.

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Each book has distinctive characteristics.

• Matthew was a tax collector writing to the Jews.
• He proved that the Lamb is the promised Messiah
  he gave the most links to the Old Testament,
  there are over 50 quotations from the Old
  Testament, 35 times he alone used Kingdom of
  heaven,

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MATTHEW

• 9 times he used son of David, and he detailed
  20 miracles.
• Only the Jews would have understood all these.
• He provided answers to the promise to Abraham and
  his seed

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• -he gave encouragement to the Jews to receive the
  Lamb, so that the new spiritual Israel could
  arise out of the ashes of the old physical
  Israel.

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• His genealogy recorded fulfillment of promises
  made to Abraham (Gen. 121-4),
• to King David (2 Sam. 712-13 1 Chron.
  1711-12),
• and to King Ahaz of a birth from a virgin (Isa.
  714 Matt. 118ff).

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MARK

• Mark was the son of Mary (Acts 1212),
• kinsman to Barnabas (Col. 410),
• and was a co-worker with Peter (1 Pet. 513).

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• His 683 verses were written to a Roman audience
  
• he explained Jewish traditions (72-4),
• conditions in Palestine (1113),
• and the coinage of the Jews (1242).

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• He has the shortest book but records the most
  number of miracles percentage wise (18).
• He related only one sermon (133-37), but
  detailed the deeds of the Lamb, portraying him as
  a wonder-worker.

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LUKE

• Luke was a Gentile physician (Col. 414) and
  his 1152 verses emphasize the Lambs humanity.
• His genealogy followed the blood line of Mary
  and goes back through Abraham to Seth and Adam
  (Matthews account starts with Abraham).

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• He gave special emphasis to the birth from a
  virgin, using 132 verses (2 chapters) to record
  it. As a trained scientist with a medical
  education, the proofs of the virgin birth must
  have been overwhelming for Luke to accept them.

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• He is the one who recorded the Lamb weeping
  (1941) and sweating (2244).
• He recorded 11 of the 14 recorded prayers that
  the Lamb prayed while on earth.

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• He mentioned 20 of the miracles that most list as
  a total of 34.
• He also introduced the Lamb as having
  cross-racial and international purposes (210,
  32), and his is the only account of the helpful
  Samaritan (1025-37).

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JOHN

• John was in the inner circle of the apostles
  who saw the transfiguration and was the brother
  of another apostle, James.
• Writing at the end of the century, he looks back
  across the century to encourage the church to
  stand steadfast.

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• He re-emphasizes the deity of the Lamb (11-3
  1030 2030-31) lest the early church falter
  amid all the terrible Roman persecutions.

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• John recorded the 7 times Jesus proclaimed I
  am, such claims as could refer only to his
  deity
• bread (635),
• light (812),
• door (107),

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• good shepherd (1014),
• resurrection and the life (1125),
• way, truth, and life (146),
• and the vine (151).

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• He gave proofs of such deity by recording only 7
  representative signs.
• Power over time turning water to wine (21-11)
• Power over space healing the noblemans son in
  absentia (446-54).

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• Power over infirmity the man at the pool
  (51-180.
• Power over matter feeding the loaves and fish
  (61-14).
• Power over gravity walking on the water
  (616-21).

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• Power over nature, congenital defects man born
  blind (91-41).
• Power over death raising of Lazarus (111-44).

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There is cogency to the order.

• Matthew wrote to the Jews about the Fulfiller.
• Mark wrote to the Romans about the Wonder-worker.
• Luke wrote to the Gentiles about the Man.
• John wrote to the church about Jesus as God.

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• The Four Gospels are like the Arc de Triomphe in
  Paris, France.
• That structure memorializes the triumphs of
  Napoleons conquests.
• It was built 1806-1836, 160 feet high.
• At the foot of the Arc de Triomphe is the Tomb of
  the Unknown Soldier from WW I.

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• Mark
• Matthew Luke
• John

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• Matthew on the left side.
• Mark at the top.
• Luke on the right side.
• John at the bottom.

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• Matthew, Mark, and Luke tell the historical
  events.
• John serves as the foundation of all of Jesus
  life, for He is true Deity.

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• Mark
• Matthew Luke
• John

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• Put them all together and believers have a
  triumphal Arch of Truth.
• This Arch has
• an empty tomb,
• but a Living Savior!

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Facts of Life for Faith

• Major Divisions in the life of Jesus Christ
• 1. The Thirty Years of Private Life From the
  birth of Jesus until the coming of John the
  Baptist.

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• The outlines and events listed here are from Wm.
  Arnold Stevens and Ernest Dewitt Burton, A
  Harmony of the Gospels For Historical Study,
  (Charles Scribners Sons, New York, New York,
  1904). This material was originally published in
  the Handbook of the Life of Christ, which is no
  longer in print.

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• 2. The Opening Events of Christs Ministry From
  the coming of John the Baptist until the public
  appearance of Jesus in Jerusalem.

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• 3. The Early Judean Ministry From the public
  appearance of Jesus in Jerusalem until his return
  to Galilee.

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• 4. First Period of the Galilean Ministry From
  the return to Galilee until the choosing of the
  twelve.
• 5. Second Period of the Galilean Ministry From
  the choosing of the twelve until the withdrawal
  into northern Galilee.

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• 6. Third Period of the Galilean Ministry From
  the withdrawal into northern Galilee until the
  final departure for Jerusalem.
• 7. The Perean Ministry From the final departure
  for Jerusalem until the final arrival in
  Jerusalem.

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• 8. The Passion Week From the final arrival in
  Jerusalem until the resurrection.
• 9. The Forty Days From the resurrection until
  the ascension.

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The Thirty Years of Private Life

• Birth of Jesus
• The angels and the shepherds visit
• Circumcision and presentation in the temple
• Wise men from the east.

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• Flight to Egypt and return to Nazareth
• Childhood in Nazareth, visit to the temple at age
  twelve

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The Opening Events of Christs Ministry

• Preparation of John the immerser
• Baptism of Jesus
• Temptations in the wilderness

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• Johns testimony before the priests and Levites,
  Jesus the Lamb of God
• The first three disciples, then Philip and
  Nathaniel
• First miracle water made into wine
• Sojourn in Capernaum

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The Early Judean Ministry

• First cleansing of the temple
• Discourse with Nicodemus
• Baptizing in Judea

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• Johns testimony to Christ at Aenon
• Departure from Judea, discourse with the woman of
  Samaria
• The gospel in Sychar

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First Period of the Galilean Ministry

• Beginning of the ministry, the noblemans son
• First rejection at Nazareth and removal to
  Capernaum
• Call of the four disciples
• Miracles at Capernaum

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• First preaching tour of Galilee
• The paralytic carried by four
• Call of Matthew, question of fasting at his house

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• Infirm man at Bethesda
• The disciples plucking grain
• The man with the withered hand

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Second Period of the Galilean Ministry

• Fame spreads widely, choosing of the twelve
• Sermon on the mountain
• The centurions servant
• John the Baptists last message
• Anointing of Jesus at the house of Simon

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• Warnings to scribes and Pharisees blasphemy of
  the Holy Spirit
• True kin of Christ and parables by the sea
• Stilling of the tempest
• Demoniacs in Gadara

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• Raising of the daughter of Jairus
• Two blind men and the dumb demoniac
• Second rejection at Nazareth
• Mission of the twelve

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• Death of John the Baptist
• Feeding of the five thousand
• Walking on the water
• Discourse of the bread of life and eating with
  unwashed hands

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Third Period of the Galilean Ministry

• Journey toward Tyre and Sidon, the daughter of
  the Syrophoenician woman
• Return through Decapolis, many miracles of
  healing
• Feeding of the four thousand
• Pharisees and Sadducees demand signs from heaven

80

• Blind man at Bethsaida healed
• Peters great confession, Christ foretells his
  death and resurrection
• The transfiguration
• The demoniac boy

81

• Further telling of his death and resurrection
• Paying taxes with the shekel from the mouth of
  the fish
• Discourse on humility and forgiveness

82

• Jesus visits Jerusalem at the Feast of
  Tabernacles
• The problem of the woman taken in adultery
• Discourse on the light of the world, spiritual
  freedom

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The Perean Ministry

• Final departure from Galilee
• The mission of the seventy
• The good Samaritan
• Visit to Martha and Mary
• Healing of the man born blind
• The Good Shepherd

84

• At the feast of dedication
• Discourse on prayer
• Warnings against the Pharisees
• Discourse on trust in God and the coming judgment
• Galileans slain by Pilate

85

• A woman healed on the sabbath
• Warning against Herod
• Discourses at the table of the Pharisee
• Three parables of grace for the lost, parables of
  warning, teachings on forgiveness and grave

86

• Raising of Lazarus and withdrawal to Ephraim
• The ten lepers
• The Pharisee and the publican
• Concerning divorce and remarriage
• Christ blesses little children

87

• The rich young ruler
• Ambition of James and John
• Blind men near Jericho
• Visit with Zacchaeus
• Anointing by Mary in Bethany

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The Passion Week

• Triumphal entry into Jerusalem
• Cursing of the fig tree
• Second cleansing of the temple
• Confrontations with the Jews, parables of
  warning, an unanswerable question

89

• The widows two mites
• Gentiles seek Jesus, Jews reject him
• The destruction of Jerusalem and the end of the
  world
• Conspiracy of the chief priests and Judas

90

• The last supper, farewell discourses,
  intercessory prayer
• The agony in Gethsemane, betrayal and arrest
• Trials before Jewish authorities and Pilate
• The crucifixion and burial
• The watch at the sepulchre

91
The Forty Days

• The resurrection morning
• Report of the watch
• Two on the road to Emmaus
• Appearance by Jesus to disciples in Jerusalem,
  Thomas being absent

92

• Appearance to disciples with Thomas present
• Appearance to seven disciples by the Sea of
  Galilee
• Appearance to the eleven disciples on mountain in
  Galilee
• Final appearance and ascension

93
The Force of This Person

• Jesus Christ is the one subject that fills the
  four gospels, and his deeds are the basis for all
  the rest of the New Testament.

94

• Everything written in the Old Testament prior to
  him pointed forward to him everything written
  after his death pointed backward to him, his
  deeds, his promises, his teachings, and the
  effect that his death and resurrection had upon
  the entire scope of humanity.

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Just who is this person?

• Consider
• His names
• His uniqueness
• His teachings
• His solitary stance

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Look at a few of his names

• Son of Man. This is the name used most often by
  the Lord himself. In ordinary usage, it simply
  means the man. In the use that Jesus employed
  it meant much more.

97

• Herbert F. Stevenson, Titles of the Triune God,
  (Fleming H. Revell Company, Westwood, New Jersey,
  1956), pp. 95-96

98

• He often used it as a substitute for the pronoun
  I (Luke 733-34).
• He used it to emphasize his human suffering (Mark
  831 912 1421).

99

• He used this name to portray himself as a person
  completely involved in humanity (Luke 958).
• He used it to show exceptional authority, the
  only man who was given such.

100

• He has authority to forgive sins (Mark 210).
• He has authority over Gods laws (Mark 228).
• He has authority in the coming judgment (Mark
  1326 1462).

101

• It obviously refers to deity since Stephen saw
  the Son of Man at the right hand of God
  (Acts756).
• Jesus was not merely a man, but representative
  man, the last Adam (1 Cor. 1545).

102

• Messiah.
• His genealogy records that he was the Christ,
  Messiah (Matt. 116).
• When he was asked by the high priest about being
  the Christ, he answered I am (Mark 1461-62),
  or Thou hast said (Matt. 2664).

103

• Peter confessed that he was the Christ, the New
  Testament Greek word (xristo\j), is a counterpart
  of the Hebrew word Messiah (Matt. 1616).
  Jesus accepted this, said it was revealed from
  heaven, but he wanted the apostles to delay
  teaching it at that time.

104

• He accepted Andrews use of the name (John 1
  41), and directly declared to the woman at the
  well that he was the Messiah (John 425-26).
• Peter declared that he was made to be Christ, the
  New Testament word for Messiah (Acts 236).

105

• Jesus never called himself the Christ, but he
  accepted the name.

106

• Lord
• The word lord (ku/rioj) has numerous meanings.
• Title of courtesy
• Owner of slaves or property

107

• Respect toward a superior
• Simply a master
• In regard to Jesus it refers to his divine title.

108

• The Septuagint uses the Greek ku/rioj, Lord,
  to translate two divine names Adonai and
  Jehovah.
• An angel announced to the shepherds that the babe
  was the Lord (Luke 211).

109

• Do you know import of LORD vs. Lord in KJV?
• It tells when the sacred name, JHVH (usually
  pronounced Yahweh) is used in the Old
  Testament.
• The ASV uses Jehovah.

110

• John preached the coming of the Lord (Luke 34).
• Jesus claimed to be Lord of the Sabbath (Mark
  228).
• He implied that he was Davids Lord (Matt.
  2241-46).
• He directly told his disciples he was their Lord
  (John 1313).

111

• Thomas worshipped him as my Lord and my God
  (John 2028).
• Truly this use of Lord included all the
  significance of Jehovah.
• For in the last day all will confess him as Lord
  (Phil. 211).

112

• Son of God
• Gabriel announced the babe was to be Son of the
  Most HighSon of God (Luke 132, 35).
• At his baptism the testimony came from heaven
  (Mark 111).

113

• The devil chided and challenged his Sonship (Luke
  43, 9).
• At the transfiguration the disciples heard the
  truth that he was the Son of God (Mark 97).
• He used Father in a special sense even at age
  12 (Luke 249).

114

• He taught repeatedly to the Jews about his Father
  (John 519-47).
• As a result, since they understood the term Son
  and Father to mean deity, they wanted to kill
  him (John 1022-39).

115

• The Pharisees, of course, realized the
  implications of it, and charged him with
  blasphemy, making Himself equal with God (John
  518).

116

• This term referred not to his earthly birth, as
  he is the eternal Son of God.
• God sent a son (John 316 Gal. 44). God did
  not send a person to become a son, He sent his
  own son in the likeness of sinful flesh (Rom.
  83).

117

• Jesus used Father in a special sense.
• How could there be an eternal Father if there
  were no eternal Son?
• Was God not a father prior to the earthly birth
  of Jesus?

118

• Then, the conception of Jesus was by the Holy
  Spirit, not the Father (Matt. 120 Luke 135).
• This adds to the concept that Jesus did not
  become the Son due to his earthly conception.

119

• The world was created by the Son (Heb. 12).
• John used the term Word as the creator, and no
  one denies that refers to the eternal state prior
  to the existence of the world (John 11-3).

120

• Why then deny the same for the writers use of
  Son in Hebrews 11-2?
• God, having of old time spoken unto the fathers
  in the prophets by divers portions and in divers
  manners, hath at the end of these days spoken
  unto us in (his) Son, whom he appointed heir of
  all things, through whom also he made the
  worlds

121

• According to flesh he was the seed of David, but
  according to eternity he was declared to be the
  Son of God (Rom. 13-4).
• When Jesus asked what men were saying about the
  Son of Man, Peter replied that he was the Son
  of the living God (Matt. 16 13, 16).

122

• Peter understood the transfiguration declaration
  to refer to special honor and glory as a Son (2
  Pet. 116-18).
• It is interesting that the demons never referred
  to him as Christ, but they referred to him as
  the Son of God (Luke 441 828).

123
Consider the uniqueness of Jesus

• He was unique in his birth.
• And the Word become flesh and dwelt among us
  (John 114).
• Mary was found with child of the Holy
  Spiritthat which is conceived in her is of the
  Holy Spirit (Matt. 118, 20).

124

• In answer to Marys question, the angel Gabriel
  said, The Holy Spirit shall come upon thee, and
  the power of the Most High shall overshadow thee
  (Luke 135).

125

• The shepherds were told a babe was born in the
  city of David who would be a Saviour, and
  Christ the Lord (Luke 211-12).
• Wise men from the east worshipped the baby they
  were looking for the King of the Jews (Matt.
  21-2, 11).

126

• The Son of God shared flesh and blood with all
  mankind in order to defeat the powers of the
  devil (Heb. 214-15).
• The Son of God emptied himself, taking the form
  of a servant, being made in likeness of men
  (Phil. 27).

127

• This incarnation was God becoming man, not God
  entering a man.
• Jesus did not have a mind of a man plus a Divine
  mind, he had one mind.
• He was one person.
• Yet he was the God-man.

128

• He was unique in his life.
• At age 12 he knew and stated his relation to
  heaven (Luke 249).
• He did no sin, neither was guile found in his
  mouth (1 Pet. 222), and he was willing to
  challenge his questioners to find sin in him
  (John 846).

129

• The one who knew no sin he made to be sin on our
  behalf (2 Cor. 521), even Pilate confessed he
  was a righteous man (Matt. 2724), and Judas
  admitted he had betrayed innocent blood (Matt.
  274).

130

• He endured all the temptations of life (Luke
  41-13), such temptations as continued to be with
  him throughout his life.
• In all his prayers he never confessed sin, though
  he taught the disciples to pray for forgiveness
  (Matt. 612).

131

• Critics have never charged Jesus with teaching
  anything that was wrong.
• Neither have the scholars of the world ever found
  anything good for mankind that Jesus omitted.

132

• In a short 33 years of lifetime, his influence on
  all civilizations has been stupendous.
• No one else has had the impact that Jesus has.
• This fact alone confounds skeptics who deny his
  deity.

133

• He was unique in his death.
• His death was not just a martyrs death, it was
• vicarious,
• redemptive,
• and substitutionary.

134

• The sinless Son of God took the weight of the
  worlds sins (2 Cor. 521).
• He suffered through six trials, three each by the
  Jews and the Romans, and he died as an innocent
  man, un-convicted of any wrong.

135

• He had often foretold his own death (John
  219-22) and he knew the proper time for it (John
  76 Matt. 2618).
• He endured the cross for the joy that was set
  before him (Heb. 122).

136

• He offered himself once for all, not for his own
  sins, but for the sins of the world (Heb. 727).
• No one took his life from him, he laid down his
  life that he might take it again (John 1017-18).

137

• He was unique in his resurrection.
• The empty tomb stands through time as the rock
  against rationalism.
• The angel said, He is not here for he is risen,
  even as he said, Come see the place where the
  Lord lay (Matt. 286).

138

• The only ones denying the resurrection in the
  first century were those who were paid to lie
  about it (Matt. 2811-15).
• Jesus was declared to be the Son of God by the
  resurrection from the dead (Rom. 14).

139

• No other major religion in history makes such a
  bold claim, not the Hindus, Islam, or any other
  has any desire to try to prove a resurrection of
  their founder.

140

• The prevailing problem in modern thought is to
  try to fit the disappearance and reappearance of
  Jesus into the scientific atmosphere of our day.

141

• Such thought assumes that all things are shut up
  to the rigid and irrefutable rule of natural law.
  
• Natural law, however, is not a body of rules that
  forces compliance, but it is simply the
  observation of how things have been known to
  occur in our time-space universe.

142

• Natural law, as known accurately today, is merely
  the knowledge of events that can be observed.
• Scientists are confined to observe known
  phenomena in the natural realm the truth of
  Jesus resurrection is in the spiritual realm.

143

• His life, death, and resurrection span both time
  and eternity.
• An adequate view of natural law does not preclude
  Divine intervention.

144

• Too many proofs were offered by more than 500
  eyewitnesses that Jesus was alive after his
  crucifixion (1 Cor. 153-8).
• Jesus was brought again from the dead with the
  blood of the eternal covenant (Heb. 1320).

145

• The tomb is still empty!

146

• He is unique in redemption.
• Jesus stands alone in being an offering for the
  sins of the world (Tit. 211-14).
• He freely offered up himself (Heb. 726-28
  911-12).

147

• He alone could make purification for all sin
  (Heb. 13).
• Not only does he serve as Prophet, Priest, and
  King, but he is the once-offered, complete, and
  final sin-bearer (2 Cor. 521 Heb. 1010-14).

148

• He came that we might have life, and have it more
  abundantly (John 1010).

149
The teachings of Jesus stand alone as unique to
all of history.

• The death, resurrection, ascension, and the
  bestowal of the Holy Spirit to the apostles
  unleashed the kingdom in all of its power and
  activity.
• Peter and the apostles preached the kingdom and
  the coronation (Acts 2).

150

• From this time onward, the kingdom was preached
  regularly by the apostles.
• Peter continued to preach the kingdom (Acts
  314-15 411, 27 531 2 Pet. 111).
• Paul preached the kingdom (Acts 1422 19.8
  2025 2823, 31).

151

• John the Baptist preached the coming of the
  kingdom, as did also Jesus (Matt. 32 935 John
  35 41-2 Acts 13).
• This recalled to the mind of the Jews the visions
  of Daniel (Dan. 244 713-14).

152

• Jesus taught his disciples to pray for the
  fulfillment of Gods eternal purpose in the
  coming of the kingdom (Matt. 610).
• Jesus taught that this kingdom would come during
  the lifetime of some of his hearers, and it would
  be with power (Mark 91).

153

• He also taught that the power was to come when
  the apostles received the Holy Spirit (Acts 18).
• Since the Holy Spirit came upon them on that
  first Pentecost following his ascension, they
  received power to accomplish the work of apostles
  (Acts 21-4).

154

• The only proper conclusion is that since the Holy
  Spirit came and brought the power, the kingdom
  must also have come.
• This Pentecost day fits perfectly the claim of
  Jesus that such would happen during the lifetime
  of some of his hearers.

155

• The ethical teaching of Jesus about the conduct
  of those in his kingdom was a major part of the
  Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5-7).

156

• Jesus compared the kingdom to the sower, the
  tares, the mustard seed, leaven, a treasure, a
  pearl of great price, a net, and a householder
  (Matt. 13).

157

• The great judgment teachings of Jesus (ten
  virgins, distribution of talents, and the
  judgment scene) portrayed truths about the
  kingdom (Matt. 25).

158

• Thus the apostles could later preach and write
  about the kingdom (Rom. 1417 Col. 113 411 1
  Thess. 212 Heb. 1228 Rev. 16, 9).

159

• The first recorded sermon of the Lord startled
  the Jewish world by its principles, and these
  principles continue to amaze all humanity.

160

• Jesus taught that the meek will inherit the
  earth, that is, the meek will find the greatest
  fulfillment of all joy and happiness in this life
  (Matt. 55). The Jews expected that their
  Messiah to be a world conqueror, a mighty king
  waging triumphant warfare, and to make the Jews
  the rulers of the world.

161

• How this must have upset the ones looking for a
  physical world conquest, and how this continues
  to be a counter-culture correct principle!

162

• Jesus taught that mercy is the highest quality in
  ones relationships with other human beings
  (Matt. 57). Such concern for others and their
  mistakes startled a culture that was aggressive
  in revenge and the claim of ones rights.

163

• Jesus taught purity in heart (Matt. 58). Rather
  than brooding on ugly things, feeding on filth,
  ranting on revenge, Jesus described the true
  inner person as being more and more like God.

164

• Jesus taught that the better way is to be a
  peacemaker (Matt. 59). In a world torn apart by
  successive wars and conquests, Jesus announced
  the best way is to seek peace. In all the horrors
  of wars in our own lifetime, the principle is
  surely different even today.

165

• Jesus taught the control of anger (Matt.
  522-26). The only way to cease growing the
  trees of adversity is to cut the root at the
  source.

166

• Jesus reinforced Gods wish about morality vs.
  adultery in placing emphasis on lust in the heart
  (Matt. 528). He gave a new meaning to
  self-control, that of the inner man.

167

• Jesus taught non-resistance (Matt. 538-40).
  Flight from violence only feeds the fires of the
  violent. If one turns the other cheek, the
  unprepared enemy is disarmed.

168

• Crowning the teaching about treatment between
  persons, Jesus taught the love of enemies (Matt.
  543-45). This was unheard of prior to Jesus,
  and it still calls for the highest of motives and
  actions in persons seeking to do the will of God.

169

• The crown of all his teachings is the fact that
  Jesus taught total trust in God (Matt. 625-34).
  If God cares for all of His creatures, He will
  surely care for those made in His image.

170
Jesus Christ stands alone in all the history of
the world.

• There is no gospel without Jesus Christ.
• The gospel centers in Christ.
• The gospel is Christ.
• No other person in all of history has had the
  impact and force of Jesus of Nazareth.

171

• Without the humble man of Galilee Christianity is
  only an empty shell, a mere corpse overlaid with
  elaborate ritual and extravagant trappings, and
  spiritually meaningless.
• Jesus Christ is the very heart and life of
  salvation.

172

• His claim is unanswerable I am the way, and the
  truth, and the life no one cometh unto the
  Father, but by me (John 146).

173

• Jesus has provided the way to heaven, he has
  revealed it in the truth of the gospel, and when
  men put those two things together, they can find
  life eternal.

174

• There is a way,
• there is the truth,
• and eternal life can be the reward!

175

• One stands is absolute awe!
• One can only conclude with Thomas
• My Lord and my God ! (John 2028)