He is not here: for he is risen (Matt.28:6)

2

A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit. Mathew 7:18

In this month’s issue: 3. Need Determines Supply Edwin & Lillian Harvey (USA)

4. It is Finished Mathew Bartlett (UK)

5. Pontius Pilate: Behold the Man! Mathew Bartlett (UK)

9. Five Secrets To Discovering God's Will Daniel Kolenda (CfaN)

10. Revelation 13 - The Rise of Anti-Christ Mathew Bartlett (UK)

13. Faith-builders Bible Study Mark 6 Derek Williams (UK)

17. Happy Mother’s Day Mathew Bartlett (UK)

19. In Depth Study – 1 Cor. 13 Mathew Bartlett (UK)

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Living Word Magazine is published in the United Kingdom by Sharon Full Gospel Church, 7 Park View, Freeholdland Road, Pontnewynydd, Pontypool, NP4 8LP Editor: Mathew Bartlett

3

Faithbuilders Bible Study Guide – Mark

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4

Need Determines Supply

An extract from “Royal Insignia” by Edwin & Lillian Harvey

BUY ON KINDLE! £3.86

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Reproduced by kind permission of Harvey Publishers.

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Joy shall be in heaven over one

sinner that repenteth, more than

over ninety-and-nine just persons,

which need no repentance (Luke

15:7).

A MAN’S own need is the measure

of his greatness. —Pascal.

“No need?” How tragic! The

Psalmist again and again speaks of

himself as being “poor and needy.”

That is why God speaks of David as

a man after His own heart. The full

Christ sends empty away, but the

hungry are satisfied, and the thirsty

are refreshed, and the needy take

of His fullness. Jesus had been

criticized by the Pharisees for eating

with publicans and sinners, and the

entire fifteenth chapter of Luke is

Christ’s answer to that criticism.

The sheep that was lost demanded

the Shepherd’s care so that He left

the ninety-nine who needed

nothing. The woman who had lost

her coin rejoiced when she found it.

The prodigal is but the story of

every soul who in fullness goes into

a far country. It is always a far

country when we leave the Father

and venture on our own. It is

always riotous living when we walk

after the flesh, living only for that

which is passing and thus missing

that which is eternal and enduring.

Like the prodigal, our true success

story begins when we first feel the

pinch and “begin to be in want”

when “no man gives unto us.” It is

only then we come to ourselves and

realize that in the Father’s house is

bread enough and to spare while

we perish with hunger amidst the

world’s seeming fullness. The elder

brother had no need. He lived in

the midst of His Father’s plenty, and

all that the Father had was his as

well, but his self-sufficiency and

self-righteousness blocked the

inflow of love to his flinty heart.

Blessed day, when those things in

which we trusted are snatched from

us. We call it tragedy. God calls it

blessedness. He makes His promises

to needy people—those who

hunger and thirst for righteousness

are filled. Christ uses the picture of

hunger and thirst for they are

universal, ever-recurring needs. No

wonder He could say they were

blessed, for they more often

partook of the Living Christ Who

was the Bread of Life. Eating His

flesh and drinking His blood were

the only means of LIFE. “He that

cometh to me shall never hunger,

and he that believeth on me shall

never thirst.”

Christ used the picture of the Vine

to illustrate to us the importance of

need. What is it that causes the

branch to receive sap from the

parent stem? Osmosis—need! The

branch’s need calls on the vine for a

supply of sap, and lo, it is supplied.

More need! More supply!

Blessed bereavement which casts

me for companionship upon Jesus.

Blessed bankruptcy which causes

me to rest on Eternal Resources

instead of the riches that have

wings and fly away. Blessed ill

health that flings me upon the

mighty virtue and healing that

comes from Jesus, the Great

Physician. Blessed failure in my

ministry which at last reveals to me

that my own efforts are unavailing

and my best works ephemeral.

Blessed collapse of all self-

confidence, for I now have the all-

sufficient One, Who came to be my

life, my wisdom, my sanctification,

my redemption, and most of all, my

righteousness. — J. R. Miller.

God lets us go our way alone, till we

are homesick and distressed, and

humbly then come back to own; His

way is best. He lets us thirst by

Horeb’s rock, and hunger in the

wilderness; yet, at our feeblest,

faintest knock, He waits to bless. He

lets us faint in far-off lands, and

feed on husks and feel the smart,

till we come home with empty

hands, and swelling heart. (Miller)

5

These were his dying words. To

some onlookers it sounded like this

was the end of Jesus from Nazareth.

As He was dying on a rugged

wooden cross between two

criminals, Jesus cried out “It is

finished!”

But a closer consideration of these

words reveals their true meaning.

Jesus did not cry “I am finished” but

“It is finished!” This was a cry of

triumph, not defeat – for Jesus had

successfully completed His mission

on earth.

What was this mission? Jesus came

to deal with the problem caused by

our sin. Sin had brought devastating

consequences to humanity - death

and separation from God. Every

person has sinned. Pride, jealousy,

hatred, lust, greed, anger and

despair all tell us that sin is still

present in the world. The problem

of sin affects all people of all ages.

Eternal death is the inevitable

consequence of sin – Jesus called it

‘the second death’ or separation

from God in torment forever. The

Bible says: “Do not be afraid of

those who kill the body but cannot

kill the soul. Instead, fear the one

who is able to destroy both soul and

body in hell.”1

“The soul that sins

shall die.”2

At the cross Jesus took our sin and

its consequences in His own body.

He willingly bore death and

separation from God on our behalf.

When he cried the words “It is

finished”, Jesus meant that he had

successfully provided a way for our

all sins to be forgiven. Three days

after his death, Jesus demonstrated

his success by rising again.

Sin and death continue to affect the

whole human race. But the

forgiveness of sin must be received

individually, one person at a time.

For although Jesus Christ died for

everyone, the benefits of what he

has done can only be experienced

by those who personally trust in

him. Jesus said, “He who believes in

the Son has everlasting life, but

whoever does not believe the Son

shall not see life, for the wrath of

God remains on him.”3

Do you believe that Jesus died and

rose again for you? Have you

confessed to God that you are a

sinner and asked him to forgive

you? If not, do so today, and trust

the Lord Jesus to cleanse and

forgive you.

Bible References: 1Matthew 10:28;

2Ezekiel 18:4;

3John 3:36 (NKJV)

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It is Finished

6

Introduction

The name of Pontius Pilate will

always be associated with the

crucifixion of the Lord Jesus Christ.

He was Roman governor in Judea at

that time of our Lord’s execution.

Historians tell us that he was a

capable man of shrewd judgment,

trained in Roman law and in the

giving of correct judgment. Like

Pilate, when Jesus Christ stands in

the judgment hall of our mind,

heart and will, we must all face:

I. An Inescapable Question

“What shall I do then with Jesus

which is called Christ?” (Matthew

27:22). As the Lord Jesus Christ was

brought before Pontius Pilate, Pilate

was faced with an inescapable

question. It is this very same

question that every man must

answer. God we see to it that at

some time in your life you will be

confronted with this question, and

your answer to this question will

affect your whole eternity. No one

can ever escape this question, for

put quite simply, “He who believes

on the Son has everlasting life, he

who does not believe the Son shall

not see life, for God’s wrath

remains on him.” John 3.36

God sent his only begotten Son into

the world to be the Saviour of men.

The one Pilate saw standing before

him is the One who came into the

world to save sinners. He is none

other than God of very God. He

created the world, and sustains it by

his power. Pilate was wrong to

suppose that he had power to

dispose of Jesus - but he was right

to recognize that he could not avoid

this question, neither can you or I,

for:

1) Jesus has the Foremost Place in

History

“What shall I do then with Jesus?”

(Matthew 27:22). Some have been

foolish enough to question the

actual existence of a man named

Jesus of Nazareth. But when Pilate

asked this question, Jesus himself

was standing in front of him in

person; he could neither ignore nor

avoid him.

In the same way, Jesus in an

unavoidable figure in history. Let

me illustrate. What year is it? It is

2014 A.D. - A.D. Stands for Anno

Domini or year of our Lord, meaning

it is 2014 years, approximately since

our Lord Jesus Christ was born.

Prior to that, dates are given as

years B.C. or before Christ. We

cannot look at any event in history

without encountering Christ in the

date.

We cannot look at art or literature

through the ages without realizing

how profoundly Christ has

influenced artistic and literary

history Just look at the vast statue

of Christ the redeemer towering

Pontius Pilate: Behold the Man!

John 19:5 Images © Philcold

7

over Rio de Janero, or at Leonardo

Da Vinci’s painting of the Last

Supper. Consider classic books

written about him such as Paradise

Lost and Regained by Milton, Ben

Hur, a Tale of the Christ by Lew

Wallace or even Defoe’s Robinson

Crusoe, in which the man cast away

on a desert island is converted to

Christ.

We cannot consider the history of

civilization, without noticing His

stamp on culture and custom. For

example, my own land of Wales has

been mainly Christian, not pagan,

since the time of the Celts. St. David

lived in the 6th century, when

Christianity was already well

established. The fact that faith in

Christ remained a predominant

feature in Celtic life can be seen by

the Celtic crosses such as those at

Margam and Penally which are over

1200 years old. We could go on and

on, but wherever you look there is

no escaping Christ, for he has the

foremost place in history.

2) Jesus has the Foremost Place in

Eternity

“What shall I do then with Jesus

which is called Christ?” (Matthew

27:22). Whether or not Pilate

understood the full meaning of the

title “Christ” is not clear; but Jesus

endorsed His divine claims when He

told the governor that His “Kingdom

was not from this world.” (Matthew

27:11). Jesus is not of this world. He

had ever lived with God His Father

in heaven. When God sent his son

into the world, he put on flesh,

becoming a man like you and I, yet

without sin. Even in this state of

voluntary humiliation, one could

not help but notice that everywhere

Jesus went, he was King. Not merely

King of the Jews, but the king of

eternal ages; king of kings and Lord

of Lords. The one standing under

the judgment of ate that day was

the one who will One day appear to

judge the living and the dead. (Acts

10.42)

God has exalted His Son and given

Him the name that is above every

name, that at the name of Jesus

every knee will bow, of things in

heaven and on earth and under the

earth, and every tongue will confess

Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of

God the Father. Since Jesus has the

foremost place in eternity, we must

be careful how we answer the

question “What then shall I do with

Jesus who is called Christ.”

Did Pilate truly know who it was

who was standing before him?

There is some evidence which

suggests that Pilate knew more

than is generally supposed.

Alexander Whyte in his history of

Bible Characters claims that in one

of his reports to Caesar Tiberius,

Pilate had written: “Jesus the Christ,

as He is called, is worth more to my

administration than any legion of

my armed men. He is the most

peaceable and inoffensive of men…I

shall not lift a single finger against

this ‘King of the Jews,’ as His

disciples call Him, till I am

commanded by Caesar so to do”

II. An Important Question

“What shall I do then with Jesus

which is called Christ?” (Matthew

27:22). Since Jesus Christ is the

most important person in time and

eternity, this is the most important

question you will ever face,

Pilate realized that he had never

stood before anyone like Jesus

before. If we read just briefly the

account of his interview with Christ,

we get a feeling for the perplexity

Pilate faced. Even though he

claimed the power to release or

crucify Jesus, He ends up as he

stands before the Saviour,

trembling from head to foot.

Consider:

1) The Witness Analysed

"You have brought this Man to me,

as one who misleads the people.

And indeed, having examined Him in

your presence, I have found no fault

in this Man concerning those things

of which you accuse Him;” Luke

23:14 It was not the witness of His

disciples, nor of those who followed

Him, nor of the many who had been

healed during his ministry. It was

the witness of those who were

hounding Him to death. Pilate,

having analysed their evidence, had

to say, “I find in him no fault at all”

(John 18:38). Pilate was saying, in

effect, that every claim that Jesus

Christ had made, for which they

were accusing Him of blasphemy,

was absolutely true. He was

faultless. Christ had claimed to be

the son of God, and even Pilate

found no reason to refute him.

Have you ever faced the fact that

the One who stands in the

judgment hall of your mind, heart

and will is not merely a man of

history, not some Jew in a far-off

land, not some obscure name, but

God Himself, the Saviour of the

world, the King of kings, the Judge

of all? This is the most important

issue you will ever face.

2) The Warning Verbalized

Even as Pilate sat on the judgment

seat, weighing up the whole

situation, a message came to him

from his wife, “Have nothing to do

with that righteous man: for I have

suffered many things this day in a

dream because of him” (Matthew

27:19). We do not know the

contents of her dream, but one

8

thing is certain: it was God-sent,

because it upheld the absolute

innocence of God’s beloved Son—

“that righteous man.”

I wonder if the heavens were

opened and she saw a throne, and

one sat on it who looked like a son

of man, from whose face the whole

earth fled away. Could it be that she

recognized this figure to be Jesus of

Nazareth, who was now standing

before her husband? Did she hear

the wails and cries of those who

called for the mountains and rocks

to fall on them, and hide them from

the wrath of this lamb of God which

was about to fall on an unbelieving

world?

We read in the light of Christ’s

coming in judgment, the kings of

the earth, the great men, the rich

men, the commanders, the mighty

men, every slave and every free

man, hid themselves in the caves

and in the rocks of the mountains,

and said to the mountains and

rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from

the face of Him who sits on the

throne and from the wrath of the

Lamb! Rev 6:15-16

As Pilate stood before Christ, he

faced his most important decision.

The most important decision you

will ever face, is a decision you must

face tonight, “What will you do with

Jesus which is called Christ?”

The decision cannot be put off

forever, for “Today is the day of

salvation.” None of us knows if we

have tomorrow. It is a decision

which will determine our whole

eternity. how shall we escape if we

neglect so great a salvation, (Heb.

2:3)

III. An Individual Question

“What shall I do…?” (Matthew

27:22). You may be in a crowd, but

Jesus and you stand alone at this

moment, as Jesus and Pilate did on

the memorable day. Yet his attitude

was:

1) Marked by Carelessness

With an air of indifference he looks

out on the mob and says, “Take ye

him, and judge him according to

your law” (Matthew 18:31). He

thought he could rid himself of

Jesus with a snap of the finger and a

shrug of the shoulder, but it didn’t

work. It won’t work for you either.

You cannot ignore the claims of

Jesus. Your future meeting with him

is inevitable - you could be called

away to stand before him at any

moment. How will you stand then?

2) Marked by Cowardice

“As soon as he knew that was under

Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent him to

Herod” (Luke 23:7). Pilate sends the

pure and perfect Son of God to

Herod, a man totally unrestrained in

his sinful indulgence; a man to

whom Jesus never spoke, but whom

he called “that fox” (Luke 13:32).

Here is a man who proved that

there is a point in time when God

will cease to speak. The Lord said,

"My Spirit shall not strive with man

forever,” (Gen 6:3) But Herod sends

Jesus back to Pilate, and Pilate,

hearing the tramp, tramp of

marching feet, knows that he has to

face Jesus again. Fearing to face this

important issue did not get Pilate

off the hook, and it won’t do you

any good either. We must face up

to our solemn responsibility.

Christ's call is still repent and

believe the gospel.

3) Marked by Cleverness

"Which of the two do you want me

to release to you?" They said,

"Barabbas!" (Mat 27:21)

Knowing that at the time of the

Passover it was the custom to

release a prisoner to the people, he

reasons, “If I put Barabbas, the

robber, against Jesus, they will

certainly release Jesus. They would

not want to do less than stone

Barabbas to death.” But such is the

condition of the human heart that

they lift their voices and call for

Jesus to be crucified. So Pilate’s

cleverness fails. We cannot get out

of this decision by any amount of

cleverness. Bring out all the

arguments you can against

Christianity. Convince yourself if

you like, that there is no God, or

that evolutionary chance created

the world, but you will never avoid

your destiny. Let me read it to you.

And I saw the dead, small and great,

standing before God, and books

were opened. And another book

was opened, which is the Book of

Life. And the dead were judged

according to their works, by the

things which were written in the

books. (Rev 20:12)

4) Marked by Compromise

So then Pilate took Jesus and

scourged Him. And the soldiers

twisted a crown of thorns and put it

on His head, and they put on Him a

purple robe. Then they said, "Hail,

King of the Jews!" And they struck

Him with their hands. Pilate then

went out again, and said to them,

"Behold, I am bringing Him out to

you, that you may know that I find

no fault in Him." (John 19:1-4)

Pilate stepped out on Gabbatha to

declare the absolute innocence of

Jesus Christ and then dares to turn

around and order that He should be

scourged. Then taking the bleeding

Christ of God, he sets Him forth as a

spectacle of innocent suffering,

thinking that this would satisfy their

9

thirst for blood; but the people cry

out for His crucifixion.

So Pilate finds that carelessness,

cowardice, cleverness and

compromise have not worked. You

cannot escape from Jesus. You may

hide in your room but Jesus, will

look down on you. You may throw

yourself into your work, but Jesus

will be there. You may drink

yourself stupid, but when you wake

up with an aching head you will still

hear those words, “What will you

do with Jesus?” And when you

plunge into the river of death you

will emerge to meet Him—no

longer as Saviour, but as Judge.

What, then, will you do with Jesus?

The issue is important, individual

and inescapable. You must either

crucify Him or crown Him. Ask Him

to come into your life as Saviour,

Lord and King.

Jesus is standing in Pilate’s hall, Friendless, forsaken, betrayed by all; Hearken! what meaneth the sudden call? What will you do with Jesus? Refrain: What will you do with Jesus? Neutral you cannot be; Someday your heart will be asking, “What will He do with me?” Jesus is standing on trial still, You can be false to Him if you will, You can be faithful through good or ill: What will you do with Jesus?

Will you evade Him as Pilate tried? Or will you choose Him, whate’er betide? Vainly you struggle from Him to hide: What will you do with Jesus? Will you, like Peter, your Lord deny? Or will you scorn from His foes to fly, Daring for Jesus to live or die

What will you do with Jesus? “Jesus, I give Thee my heart today! Jesus, I’ll follow Thee all the way, Gladly obeying Thee!” will you say: “This I will do with Jesus!” A Hymn by Albert B. Simpson (Public Domain)

10

The imperative of seeking God’s kingdom is not only relevant in the context of highly spiritual ministry issues. Jesus says that if we seek the kingdom first, all these things will be added to us. This is one of the most powerful secrets to discovering God’s will for your life. If you will set your sights on His kingdom and make that your priority, as you move toward it you will automatically come across everything else you need!

Once after I had finished preaching about the kingdom of God, an elder in the church approached me and said, “You know, all these lofty ideas are wonderful, but most of the people in the church are just trying to figure out how to pay their bills and get along with their spouse and raise their kids and do a good job at work.” I realized that in many ways this dear friend was right. Most Christians consider the kingdom of God to be something so lofty that it is best left to pastors and evangelists.

The famous psychologist Abraham Maslow espoused a similar view. He constructed a pyramid that he titled the “Hierarchy of Needs.” It was his opinion that before someone could “self-actualize,” he first needed to meet the baser needs of human nature such as food, shelter, and companionship. Maslow believed that before one could reach the lofty ideals at the top of the pyramid, he would need to climb

from the bottom, meeting the basic needs first.

This seems to be the most intuitive approach to life. Many people think the kingdom of God is an ethereal and irrelevant topic, and they prefer to be “down to earth.” They have decided to first concentrate on putting food on the table and paying the bills. This seems to be the responsible and practical thing to do.

But what Jesus taught is quite the opposite. Jesus said, “Don’t worry about what you will eat or what you will wear. Your Father in heaven knows you need these things, and He will take care of you. Instead seek first the kingdom of God, and all these things will be added to you.” (See Matthew 6:25-33.)

What Jesus was teaching was Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs in reverse. Jesus turns Maslow’s pyramid upside down! Jesus teaches us to start at the pinnacle of the pyramid, the highest and loftiest place. Put the kingdom of God first, and everything else will be taken care of—physical, mental, and emotional needs included.

If you want to know what job God has for you— seek His kingdom, and you’ll find your occupational calling! If you want to know whom you should marry—seek His kingdom, and you’ll find your spouse! If you want to know where you should go to college— seek His

kingdom, and you’ll land in the right school!

If you want to know where you should live—seek His kingdom, and He’ll lead you to the right geographical location! Can it really be that simple? Could this one command really be the secret to finding out God’s will? My friend, these are not my words. These are not the words of a philosopher or a preacher. These are the words of the Son of God Himself; “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you” (Matt. 6:33, NKJV, emphasis added).

Many people have put education first in their lives. When all is said and done, they will be highly intelligent fools, missing the greatest wisdom of all in their endless search for knowledge. Many people have put money first in their lives. When all is said and done, they will know the truth of Matthew 6:24 “You cannot serve both God and Money” (NIV). Many people put family first in their lives. When all is said and done, it is their family who will pay the price for their misdirected priorities. When we put anything ahead of Christ and His kingdom in our lives, not only will we miss God’s kingdom, but we will also miss all the other treasures as well.

Five Secrets To Discovering God's Will (pt. 5)

A Bible Study by Daniel Kolenda (CfaN) Photo: © Sebastian Grecu

An extract from Daniel’s new book- Live before you die. £9.99 BUY NOW.

Repentance is such an often-

misunderstood concept. Contrary

to what many people think,

repentance is not a dirty word. It’s

not just for the sinner who wants

to get saved, nor is it just for those

who are committing gross sins and

living in blatant immorality. For the

child of God repentance should be

a lifestyle. To repent means to

“turn,” to change one’s mind and

direction.

But here is where many people

misunderstand. We tend to think

of repentance as primarily turning

away from something, as in turning

away from sin and making a one-

hundred-eighty-degree change to

the opposite direction. But this is

missing the real point. For

example, a sinner could turn away

from a sin and still be lost. In fact,

there are many religions that teach

morals and abstinence from

various sins, but that in and of

itself does not save anyone.

Therefore, from the Christian

perspective, what you turn away

from is not really the issue. It is

what you turn to that makes the

difference.

11

The Cosmic Scope of the

Conflict

In this chapter we see what could

be described as a Coup d’ etat of

evil, for we are permitted to

observe the bringing into being of

Satan’s brief world dominion.

The Beast from the Sea

1. “Then I stood on the sand of the

sea. And I saw a beast rising up out

of the sea, having seven heads and

ten horns, and on his horns ten

crowns, and on his heads a

blasphemous name.”

We have already seen Satan

depicted as having seven heads and

ten horns, and seven diadems on

his heads. Now Satan raises up a

man to represent him on earth. For

since Satan is an angel, he cannot

rule among men by himself. He

needs a viceroy, a man referred to

as the Beast or anti-Christ, to whom

he gives all his authority that he

might rule his earthly kingdom on

his behalf. If Satan gives all his

authority to him, v2, in return it is

reasonable to suppose, that this

man has utterly surrendered his

soul to the devil. No wonder John

describes him as “the embodiment

of all blasphemy.” If Satan has

seven crowns on his heads, the

Beast has ten crowns on his horns,

for these ten horns represent a

confederation of ten kingdoms and

the ten crowns are ten regents who

rule these kingdoms by

appointment of and under the

control of the Beast.

2. “Now the beast which I saw was

like a leopard, his feet were like the

feet of a bear, and his mouth like

the mouth of a lion. The dragon

gave him his power, his throne, and

great authority.”

It is not unusual for such visions to

refer to world rulers and their

empires. Daniel received similar

visions about Nebuchadnezzar and

the Babylonian empire, followed by

the Persian, the Grecian then

Roman empires. (Daniel 7) Each

vision conveyed certain

characteristics of the empire and its

rulers.

The beast, as in Daniel’s vision, rises

from the sea, which is taken by

commentators to be a reference to

the Gentile nations, as it was in

Daniel’s visions. I wonder if this is

why faithful Jews recognize him as

an impostor. Moses said “The Lord

your God shall raise up a prophet

like me from among your brothers”

DRW “The creature dominantly

resembled a panther, that is with

the grace, slyness and swiftness of

that animal. His feet are like a

bear’s, powerful and deadly, for

unlike a cat, bears are unable to

retract their claws and so are

always ready to attack. The lion’s

mouth depicts the cruelty of the

creature and the way it tears its

prey apart with its teeth.”

3,4. “And I saw one of his heads as if

it had been mortally wounded, and

his deadly wound was healed. And

all the world marvelled and

followed the beast. So they

worshiped the dragon who gave

authority to the beast; and they

worshiped the beast, saying, "Who

is like the beast? Who is able to

make war with him?”

Throughout the vision, the beast is

taken as being synonymous with his

empire - since he is the empire - its

sole and absolute dictator. The

wounded head is Anti-Christ himself

who is apparently killed and raised

from death by satanic power in a

mocking parody of the death and

resurrection of the Lord Jesus

Christ. In this way Satan catapults

his chosen puppet into the public

Revelation 13

The Rise of Anti-

Christ

Truth for Today

A brief extract from our forthcoming book.

By Mathew Bartlett

Photo © Pidiyath100

12

light - he may not necessarily have

been a world leader before this

time. But because of his seeming

invincibility, the whole world will

follow him with wonder and

amazement, giving homage to him.

They also worship the Devil, for

they know that he has given this

authority to Anti- Christ. It should

therefore be clearly understood

that the last religion to dominate

the world before Christ’s coming

not be Catholicism, Islam nor any

mishmash of these- but Satanism in

its most direct form.

5. “And he was given a mouth

speaking great things and

blasphemies, and he was given

authority to continue for forty-two

months.”

The beast is given, as DRW says “the

eloquence to propound (in a

surprisingly impressive, stunning or

overwhelming way) astounding and

blasphemous things” and was

allowed to exercise his authority for

three and a half years.

6. “Then he opened his mouth in

blasphemy against God, to

blaspheme His name, His

tabernacle, and those who dwell in

heaven.”

The Beast continually blasphemes

God, speaking against His person,

His dwelling place and all who dwell

in heaven. Paul instructed the

converts at Thessalonica about this

man when he said the man of sin

will be revealed, the son of

perdition, who opposes and exalts

himself above all that is called God

or that is worshiped, so that he sits

as God in the temple of God,

showing himself that he is God. 2Th

2:3-4.

We see from this that the antichrist

does not rule from Rome or

Brussels, but from Jerusalem - his

headquarters being either a fully or

partly restored Jewish temple.

7. “It was granted to him to make

war with the saints and to

overcome them. And authority was

given him over every tribe, tongue,

and nation.”

I have been asked whether the

European Union corresponds with

the kingdom of the Anti-Christ. The

answer is an obvious no. For

although the existence of the EU

and the moral and spiritual decline

across the continent shows that

Satan is preparing people of Europe

to receive the beast, notice that his

empire stretches over the whole

earth, not a single continent. Power

is given him to rule all nations of the

world. This is why in my

introduction I called it a coup d’ etat

- a complete takeover of the whole

world. Notice that is Rev 17.12,13

"The ten horns which you saw are

ten kings who have received no

kingdom as yet, but they receive

authority for one hour as kings with

the beast. These are of one mind,

and they will give their power and

authority to the beast.

This makes it very clear that the

world rulers of the end time have

never been world leaders before.

They are not elected, but imposed

upon the people as they are

appointed personally by antichrist

on the basis of their complete

submission to the will of Satan.

The Devil’s regent is granted to

make war against the faithful Jewish

remnant and to overcome them.

This presents a difficulty, a point of

great disagreement among

commentators. For we have seen in

Rev. 12 Israel being protected by

God in the wilderness. Could it be

that the Jews who had read the

New Testament, heeded Christ’s

words about what to do

IMMEDIATELY they saw this man

proclaim himself God in the temple,

are the ones protected by God in

this way, for Christ said let those

who live in Judea flee to the

mountains. Will some Jews are left

behind in Jerusalem and seal their

faith with their blood? Clearly,

many faithful Jews will die. By the

way, the reason I do not believe

these saints to be Christians is that

we will already have been removed

from the earth with the Holy Spirit,

for according to Paul’s words, the

antichrist cannot be revealed until

the Holy Spirit is removed from the

world, and hence the church. And

now you know what is restraining,

that he may be revealed in his own

time. For the mystery of lawlessness

is already at work; only He who now

restrains will do so until He is taken

out of the way. 2Th 2:6-7

8. “All who dwell on the earth will

worship him, whose names have not

been written in the Book of Life of

the Lamb slain from the foundation

of the world.”

Every inhabitant of the earth will

pay homage to him “bow down, in

voluntary, inward veneration of

soul, to him as their god” (Tatford).

Except those whose names are

written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.

9,10. “If anyone has an ear, let him

hear. He who leads into captivity

shall go into captivity; he who kills

with the sword must be killed with

the sword. Here is the patience and

the faith of the saints.”

Here is a warning for all who will

hear, a reminder that vengeance

belongs only to God (Deut. 32:35;

Rom. 12:19). Whoever takes people

into captivity will themselves be

taken. Whoever kills with the sword

13

will be killed with the sword. As

God’s sealed people are persecuted

by the Beast they are called to

exercise faith and endurance, and

are not to take up arms against him,

for any such attempt would be

futile.

The Beast from the Land

11. “Then I saw another beast

coming up out of the earth, and he

had two horns like a lamb and

spoke like a dragon.”

John saw another beast coming out

of the earth. If rising from the sea

was a reference to the beast being

from the Gentile nations, we may

regard the beast rising from the

earth to be from Israel. His

appearance is very different to the

first, but they have one aim. This

false prophet pretends to be as

gentle as a lamb, being very

plausible and smooth tongued. He

does not appear to be as vicious as

the first beast - but he is - for the

words that he speaks are, just as

those spoken by the first beast,

uttered with authority of the Devil.

12,13. “And he exercises all the

authority of the first beast in his

presence, and causes the earth and

those who dwell in it to worship the

first beast, whose deadly wound

was healed. He performs great

signs, so that he even makes fire

come down from heaven on the

earth in the sight of men.”

The false prophet acts under the

authority of Anti-Christ, making all

the inhabitants of the world

worship the Anti-Christ who had

apparently died and risen again, by

reason of the Satanic miracles he is

able to perform even to making fire

come from the sky to the earth in

the sight of all the people. (2

Thessalonians 2:9-10)

14. “And he deceives those who

dwell on the earth by those signs

which he was granted to do in the

sight of the beast, telling those who

dwell on the earth to make an

image to the beast who was

wounded by the sword and lived.”

In addition to the veneration of the

beast, he deceives the people of the

world to make a statue in the

likeness of the Anti-Christ and

worship this as well - probably for

no other reason than it is a further

breaking of God’s commandments.

15. “He was granted power to give

breath to the image of the beast,

that the image of the beast should

both speak and cause as many as

would not worship the image of the

beast to be killed.”

So great was the power given to the

false prophet by Satan that he is

able to impart life to the image so

that it could speak. This will not be

affected by trickery, robotics, or

televised media, but by an appalling

manifestation of satanic power,

imparting demonic life to the statue

of the beast. Those who refused to

bow down and worship the statue

he caused to be put to death.

16,17. “He causes all, both small

and great, rich and poor, free and

slave, to receive a mark on their

right hand or on their foreheads,

And that no one may buy or sell

except one who has the mark or the

name of the beast, or the number of

his name.”

The false prophet compels

everyone, irrespective of their

station in life, to receive a mark

engraved on either their right hands

or in their foreheads.

Let us be very clear about this. This

mark will not be introduced

surreptitiously. People will know

exactly what it is and means. It will

not be a form of ID or silicon chip

technology to replace the VISA card.

Rather it is a mark of allegiance to

Satan, a sign that they are devotees

of the antichrist. All who refuse this

mark will be killed or left to starve.

18. “Here is wisdom. Let him who

has understanding calculate the

number of the beast, for it is the

number of a man: his number is

666.”

Throughout church history there

has been endless speculation about

what this number of the beast

signifies. Personally, I have no idea

at all. But please note that it is not

six, six, six; but six hundred and

sixty and six, and was written in full

in the earlier manuscripts. John says

that it requires the wisdom of God

to interpret its meaning. The

number is the number of a certain

man whose number is six hundred

and sixty and six.

Receiving of this mark signifies

complete and knowing rejection of

and rebellion against Christ. Those

who receive it will be Satan’s

servants and Christ’s sworn

enemies, even gathering, as we see

in later chapters, to make war with

him. Of the mark itself, Tatford says,

“Whatever the interpretation of the

symbol, identification of the

individual referred to will doubtless

be impossible until the particular

period in which he lives”.

Conclusion

Here is wisdom for you. Don’t you

think with all that is surely about to

happen, you would be wise to put

your trust in Christ now, and live a

holy life as you wait for his coming?

Don’t leave it till it’s too late.

14

The ‘Faith-builders Bible study series’ has been

developed a useful resource for today’s students of God’s Word and their busy lifestyles.

Pastors, home or study group leaders and indeed for

anyone wishing to study the Bible for themselves will benefit from using Faith-builders studies.

Each volume is the result of many years of group Bible study, and has been revised again and again to be relevant, challenging and faith building whilst remaining

clear and easy to understand.

Each chapter had thought provoking questions to aid study and sample answers are provided.

Below are the study notes for Mark chapter 6.

Buy paperback now for £5.20

Kindle Edition only £2.01

The ‘Faith-builders Bible study series’ has been developed a useful resource for today’s students of

God’s Word and their busy lifestyles.

Pastors, home or study group leaders and indeed for anyone wishing to study the Bible for themselves will

benefit from using Faith-builders studies.

Each volume is the result of many years of group Bible

study, and has been revised again and again to be relevant, challenging and faith building whilst remaining clear and easy to understand.

Each chapter had thought provoking questions to aid study and sample answers are provided.

Below are the study notes for chapter 2.

Buy paperback now for £7.99

Kindle Edition only £2.01

A Form of Godliness

7:1 Now the Pharisees and some of

the experts in the law who came

from Jerusalem gathered around

him.

The fame of Jesus had spread as far

as Jerusalem and the reports of his

teaching, more than his miracles

disturbed the chief priest and the

religious rulers. So they sent a

contingent of Pharisees, who

represented the Law and laid great

stress not on the righteousness of

an action, but upon its formal

correction, and the Scribes who

were teachers of the Law, to find

out exactly what was happening.

They did not come with open hearts

or minds they had already judged

the Lord and came with a criticising

spirit, which can be an hindrance to

the church and the work of God and

the downfall of many a righteous

man (2 Cor. 8:20; Acts 11:2 NIV).

7:2 And they saw that some of

Jesus' disciples ate their bread with

unclean hands, that is, unwashed.

That is why these spies, for that is

what they were, when they saw

Jesus' disciples eating without

washing their hands they criticized

them in order to get at Jesus. For if

he allowed them to do this kind of

thing as their master then he must

do the same.

7:3-4 (For the Pharisees and all the

Jews do not eat unless they perform

a ritual washing, holding fast to the

tradition of the elders. And when

they come from the marketplace,

they do not eat unless they wash.

They hold fast to many other

traditions: the washing of cups,

pots, kettles, and dining couches.)

They expected everybody to do the

same as they did, according to the

rules and regulations which were

additions to the Law of God that

had been handed down by their

forefathers. It was not for hygienic

reasons they washed their hands or

the other items mentioned for it

had to be done in a special way with

ceremony, and that is all it was

ceremonial.

7:5 The Pharisees and the experts in

the law asked him, ‘Why do your

disciples not live according to the

tradition of the elders, but eat with

unwashed hands?’

The Faith-builders Bible study series

Mark Chapter 7 (an abstract) By Derek Williams & Mathew Bartlett (UK) Image © Rorem

Mark Chapter 2 (abstract) By Derek Williams & Mathew Bartlett (UK) Image © Rorem

15

So they kept on asking Jesus why his

disciples did not keep these

traditions.

7:6-7 He said to them, ‘Isaiah

prophesied correctly about you

hypocrites, as it is written: 'This

people honours me with their lips,

but their heart is far from me. They

worship me in vain, teaching as

doctrine the commandments of

men.'

He knew their hearts and that they

had a form of true religion but

denied and rejected the power of it

and thus he quotes to them from

Isaiah 29:13. If we are called to give

an answer to anyone it is far better

to quote from scripture (not

necessarily the actual words,

although it is better if we can, but

the correct meaning of them) than

to try to from our own knowledge

and our own words.

He called them pretenders and

hypocrites (playing at being

religious) for although outwardly

they honour, that is, esteem, praise,

exalt, God with their mouths their

hearts are hardened and they are in

truth far away from him (2 Tim.

3:5). Their worship of God was

useless because it was not

acceptable unto him for they do not

worship in spirit and truth (Phil.

3:3). Instead they went about

ordering and teaching the

commands of men.

7:8 Having no regard for the

command of God, you hold fast to

human tradition.

They despised the word of God and

in fact rejected it in preference for

that of men. By doing this they

were placing a heavy burden upon

the people, more than they could

bear and that God demanded. That

is why Jesus could say in Matt.

11:30 “my burden is light”, for he

did not come to place a burden

upon us but to take our burdens

away.

7:9 He also said to them, ‘You neatly

reject the commandment of God in

order to set up your tradition.

They rejected and discouraged

people from following God's word

in order to keep their own. In the

next few verses he gives an example

of this.

Honor Parents

7:10 For Moses said, 'Honor your

father and your mother,' and,

'Whoever insults his father or

mother must be put to death.'

He quotes from a number of

scriptures (Ex. 20:12; Ex. 21:17).

God considers it very important that

this command should be obeyed.

Honour, that is respect with

tenderness of feeling and

obedience (Col. 3:20) both parents

with equality, that is, without

having preference. (Note: If

obedience to parents would mean

disobeying the word of God - then

we must obey God rather than

man). There may be many reasons

that we may come up with as to

why we shouldn't obey this but God

has said that it should be so and for

a good reason, in order that we may

benefit. Any resentment or

bitterness on our part causes a

barrier between us and God (Heb.

12:14-15). Curse not - that is, do not

speak ill of or abusively against

either parent. Under the Old

Testament Law this was punishable

by death, and although under the

New Covenant this is not the case, it

may still result in great spiritual

loss.

7:11-13 But you say that if anyone

tells his father or mother, 'Whatever

help you would have received from

me is corban' (that is, a gift for

God), then you no longer permit him

to do anything for his father or

mother. Thus you nullify the word of

God by your tradition that you have

handed down. And you do many

things like this.’

They taught that if a son or

daughter told their parents that

whatever they may have received

from them or whatever they had

that would have been a help to

them, is given as an offering and gift

to the Temple instead. The result of

this was that there was no caring or

providing for the parents, which

was in contradiction to God's word

(1 Tim. 5:8).

Heart the Centre of Man's

Inward Life

7:14 Then he called the crowd again

and said to them, ‘Listen to me,

everyone, and understand.

Having dealt with the Pharisees and

scribes Jesus now turns his

attention to the crowds for what he

is about to say concerns everyone

both then and today. It is not

enough for people just to listen;

they need to understand what is

being said.

7:15 There is nothing outside of a

person that can defile him by going

into him. Rather, it is what comes

out of a person that defiles him.

(7:16) (TEXT OMITTED)

What he says here in parable form

is that it is not the things round

about us or the things we say or do

that corrupt but it is the things that

come out of a sinful heart that

defiles and makes unclean.

16

7:17-18 Now when Jesus had left

the crowd and entered the house,

his disciples asked him about the

parable. He said to them, ‘Are you

so foolish? Don't you understand

that whatever goes into a person

from outside cannot defile him?

His disciples are still dull and hard of

hearing for by now they should

have understood what he was

saying, but they did not. How

patient the Lord is with us! So he

rebukes them. They could not

understand the simple truth and so

he explains it to them in such a way

that they cannot fail to do so.

7:19-20 For it does not enter his

heart but his stomach, and then

goes out into the sewer.’ (This

means all foods are clean.) He said,

‘What comes out of a person defiles

him.

The food that we eat goes into the

stomach not into the heart. Then

travels through the digestive system

where the goodness is extracted

and feeds the body, while the

poisons or wastes are passed out of

the body and it is this that comes

out that contaminates.

7:21-23 For from within, out of the

human heart, come evil ideas,

sexual immorality, theft, murder,

adultery, greed, evil, deceit,

debauchery, envy, slander, pride,

and folly. All these evils come from

within and defile a person.

Jesus makes it quite clear that we

sin because we are sinners not, we

are sinners because we sin. It comes

from within the heart (Rom. 7:17)

Paul refers to it as the Law of Sin

(Rom. 7:23). He gives a list of the

acts of sin that come from a sinful

heart and heads it with evil

thoughts for that is where they

grow until they become acts of sin.

Persistent Asking

7:24 After Jesus left there, he went

to the region of Tyre. When he went

into a house, he did not want

anyone to know, but he was not

able to escape notice.

Jesus departs from those to whom

he was sent, the Jews, and goes into

Syria which was a Gentile country,

to the area of Tyre and Sidon. Tyre

was a very important seaport and is

in fact an island just off the shore.

Sidon was about twenty miles away

from there. Because this was

Gentile country it would seem that

Jesus for a while needed a time of

rest from the people he was sent to

minister to (Matt. 15:24). The end

of the verse suggests this for he did

not want anyone to know that he

was there but this was not possible

for one person at least had heard

that Jesus was in the area and she

had such a desperate need that

made her determined that no one

and nothing was going to stop her

from taking this need to the Lord.

7:25-26 Instead, a woman whose

young daughter had an unclean

spirit immediately heard about him

and came and fell at his feet. The

woman was a Greek, of

Syrophoenician origin. She asked

him to cast the demon out of her

daughter.

This woman by nationality was a

Syrophoenician, that is, she was a

Phoenician living in Syria and by

religion as opposed to a Jew was a

Gentile. The fame of Jesus and the

miracles that he had done had gone

over the border into a foreign

country and this woman having

heard all about it sought him out.

She did not come to him for herself

but for the desperate need of her

daughter who was possessed by a

demon. Such was the love that this

woman had for her daughter that

she was prepared to go to whatever

lengths necessary to help her. And

yet not even a mother's love

exceeds the love that God has

(Isaiah 49:15). Although this woman

had nothing in her favour in being

excepted or heard by Jesus, and the

chances of her request being

granted nil, yet on seeing Jesus she,

a Gentile of all things, falls at his

feet in all humility and begs him to

deliver her daughter. In Matthew

15:22-23 we are told that she cried

to him using his title that only the

Jews would use of the Messiah “O

Lord, thou Son of David”. (A title

that she had no rights to call him)

and that Jesus completely ignored

her and that when she persisted in

spite of this snub, the disciples

begged him to send her away. But

the woman would not be put off by

anything. Was the Lord being

completely ignorant and inattentive

to this woman's need? Did he have

no compassion for her daughter? Or

was he testing her faith, or showing

her that he had come as Messiah to

the Jew and not the Gentiles?

7:27 He said to her, ‘Let the children

be satisfied first, for it is not right to

take the children's bread and to

throw it to the dogs.’

He turns and, in fact, says to her

that he has come to the Jew first -

that it was their day of opportunity

to receive from him all that he had

come to give from the Father and

that it was not right to take that

which belongs to the children

(bread) and give it to those who had

no claims to it (the dogs - the

Gentiles [the Jews referred to the

Gentiles in an insulting manner as

dogs - although the Lord does not

use it to this woman in this way as

the correct reading here would be

“little dogs” meaning the house

17

dog]). The Jews were God's chosen

people (Deut. 14:2) and he had

separated them to himself that

through them the Saviour of the

world may come. The time of the

Gentiles had not yet come, but God

had never planned to exclude them

from obtaining salvation (Isaiah

42:6; Luke 2:32). In his

foreknowledge God knew that Israel

as a nation would reject the

Messiah (Christ) and this would

open the door for the Gentiles to

accept him (Acts 14:27; Rom.

11:11).

7:28 She answered, ‘Yes, Lord, but

even the dogs under the table eat

the children's crumbs.’

The woman was not offended or

discouraged by this remark but

accepted that what he had said was

quite true but pointed out that the

dogs under the table that waited for

the crumbs received and eat of

them. She accepted that as a

Gentile she had no claims to the

promises made to the children of

Israel but appealed to the mercy of

God to receive whatever the

children rejected.

7:29 Then he said to her, ‘Because

you said this, you may go. The

demon has left your daughter.’

Here it is recorded that for this

saying the Lord cast out the demon

from her daughter. In Matthew

15:28 it records that Jesus said

“great is thy faith; be it unto thee

even as thou wilt” Jesus saw in what

this woman had said the greatness

of the faith that she had in him and

so she received what she came for.

7:30 She went home and found the

child lying on the bed, and the

demon gone.

And when she arrived home she

found her daughter delivered even

as Jesus said. This is the only

recording of Jesus having delivered

someone from demon possession

from a distance. This was also the

first healing of a Gentile.

The Faith of Faithful Friends

7:31 Then Jesus went out again

from the region of Tyre and came

through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee

in the region of the Decapolis.

Jesus did not prolong his stay in

Syria, perhaps, like the woman he

met at the well of Sychar where it

states that “He needs go through

Samaria” (John 4:4) for the purpose

of meeting her, that he also needed

to go to Syria to meet with and

deliver the woman's daughter.

7:32 They brought to him a deaf

man who had difficulty speaking,

and they asked him to place his

hands on him.

The friends of the deaf and dumb

man prove to be friends indeed,

those who could be trusted and

depended on (Prov. 17:17 and Prov.

18:24). It is in their faithfulness to

him that they bring him to Jesus

and it is their faith in Jesus that

brings the man his healing.

7:33 After Jesus took him aside

privately, away from the crowd, he

put his fingers in the man's ears,

and after spitting, he touched his

tongue.

The Lord handles this man in a

special way and as he always does,

as an individual. He considered the

man's condition, being deaf he

would not be able to hear what

Jesus said to him and so the Lord

uses a type of sign language that

the man could understand what he

was going to do. He puts his fingers

in his ears, to show that he was

going to heal his deafness, the

touch of the tongue to enable him

to speak.

7:34-35 Then he looked up to

heaven and said with a sigh,

‘Ephphatha’ (that is, ‘Be opened’).

And immediately the man's ears

were opened, his tongue loosened,

and he spoke plainly.

The looking up to heaven would tell

the man that Jesus was praying for

him. At the command “Ephphatha,

be opened” he immediately hears

and is able to speak without any

impediment in his speech at all, a

complete healing.

7:36 Jesus ordered them not to tell

anything. But as much as he

ordered them not to do this, they

proclaimed it all the more.

Again Jesus commands the people

not to say anything about what has

happened but they disobey and do

so all the more.

7:37 People were completely

astounded and said, ‘He has done

everything well. He even makes the

deaf hear and the mute speak.’

This time the people were

overwhelmed with amazement as

they saw that the Lord Jesus Christ

is able to make the deaf to hear and

the dumb to speak and declare that

he has done everything excellently

well. This remark echoes the words

spoken by the Creator in Genesis 1,

for after every act of creation “God

saw all that he had made and

behold it was very good.”

In the same way, all that Jesus does

is good!

18

In the United Kingdom this year,

Mother’s Day is celebrated on 30th

March. But don’t worry if you live in

Australia, Canada, New Zealand or

the USA, you’ve still got time – it is

celebrated in your countries on 11th

May. In fact, the only other

countries to share the UK date are

Ireland and Nigeria!

But whatever country you live in

(and Living Word is read on almost

every continent on earth—just no

readers in Antarctica yet!)—it’s

never the case that we should only

honor our mothers once a year.

When God created humanity in the

beginning he ‘created them male

and female, and told them to ‘be

fruitful and multiply’ (Genesis 1:27-

28). Since the time God created

Adam and Eve (the mother of all

living) every human being has had a

mother; without whom we would

not have come into existence (1

Corinthians 11:11).

That is why the word of God says:

"Honor your father and mother,"

which is the first commandment

accompanied by a promise, namely,

"that it may go well with you and

that you will live a long time on the

earth." (Ephesians 6:2-3)

If we keep this particular command

of God, then we can expect the

blessing of a good and long life

without some of the problems we

might otherwise face.

And let’s face it—we’ve only got

one mother, and they won’t be with

us here in this life forever. So let’s

make the best of them now.

By the way, the word ‘honor’ in the

original text carries the idea of

practical help and also financial

support. Our moms were their

when we needed them – can they

count on us to return the kindness

and be there for them?

To be honest, I don’t think I really

appreciated my mother until I

became a parent myself and

understood just what goes into the

parenting role.

Some of our mothers are already in

heaven with the Lord and Saviour.

This Mother’s Day in our church, we

are placing flowers in a simple table

‘garden’ to remember each and

every one of them – until we see

them again when Jesus comes!

So happy Mother’s Day to all

Mothers, it’s not just once a year!

Image © Ruth Black

19

The Superiority of Love

The way beyond comparison, or the more excellent way referred to in 12:31 is the way of love. Although he has not finished with the subject of spiritual gifts, Paul pauses in his treatise to show that the central theme of Christian life is not to be gifts but love.

The word used for love is agape, which is always the word employed in the New Testament to denote the love of God. Christians recognize this love as that which motivated God to give His only Son and as that which was perfectly displayed by Christ in His death for us on the cross. Morris says, ‘It is a love for the utterly unworthy, a love which proceeds from the God who is love’.

Paul’s aim is not so much to demonstrate the superiority of love over gifts, but to show how the usefulness of all spiritual gifts is directly related to the spirit in which they are used. True Christian love is to motivate all Christian ministries. If spiritual gifts are employed as the servants of love, then they can accomplish much good within the church. But if they are used without

love, perhaps for show or for other self-serving reasons, then although they remain divinely authored, yet they have lost something of the credentials which their giver intended them to have – for spiritual gifts are meant to be evidences of the divine love.

13:1 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but I do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.

Morris insists that if I speak in the tongues of men and of angels is as far reaching as a statement as there can possibly be, for ‘no language in earth or heaven is to be compared with the practice of love’. Therefore, the use of the gift of tongues without the practice of Christian love is of no value. In fact, Paul's argument is general enough to include all kinds of speech. Whilst some at Corinth were taken up with the importance of spiritual gifts and others with the eloquence of certain preachers, the fact is that if all a person does is talk, and not love, then he or she is nothing.

What would be the good of speaking in tongues if it were not for the purpose of building up our

brothers or sisters in Christian love? The sound would be little different in its effect than that of a bronze gong, or a clashing cymbal. Both these instruments produce plenty of noise as they resound (vibrate), but are good for nothing else.

13:2 And if I have prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith so that I can remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.

As with tongues (an inspired utterance which does not inform the speaker's understanding), so with prophecy (an inspired utterance where the speaker understands what is said). Paul rates prophecy as the greatest spiritual gift in terms of its usefulness to the church. Yet if through this gift I could pass on the sum total of wisdom and knowledge, but did not love those whom I sought to instruct, I would be nothing. (Note: whilst knowledge refers to that which men may know or discover, mysteries refers to truth that can only be revealed by divine revelation).

If I possessed the kind of faith which could accomplish miracles, the phrase that can move mountains

Our In Depth Study

1 Corinthians 12:12-31

By Mathew Bartlett

Photo © Xxknightwolf Scripture taken from the NET Bible®.

Our In Depth Study. 1 Corinthians 9:1-27 By Mathew Bartlett Photo © Godfer

Scripture taken from the NET Bible®.

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being a Jewish proverb for something impossible, yet without the exercise of Christian love my ministry would utterly fail to build up the body of Christ. Love is the nature of God, and is therefore eternal; miracles are gifts of God which are, in the main, temporal. The possession of spectacular gifts was not as important as the Corinthians had supposed, indeed, someone who possesses the greatest gifts, yet who lacks love, is inconsequential; of no account.

13:3 If I give away everything I own, and if I give over my body in order to boast, but do not have love, I receive no benefit.

Paul next considers acts of devotion and charity. A person may sell all their possessions to feed the poor, or give themselves up to the most painful of deaths - being burned by fire - but if their sacrifice is not motivated by genuine love then nothing could actually be achieved by their death. Indeed, no extravagant action can make up for a basic lack of love. For example, many parents have discovered that paying thousands of dollars for Christmas presents is, in their children’s eyes, no substitute for their being present at their kindergarten graduation or at their first football game. Paul is making a very similar point in these verses. Far more good may be achieved by simple acts done in genuine love than by the greatest empty demonstrations which lack love.

What might others think of the person who spends a huge effort to raise money to help the poor in Central Africa, but who has not spoken to his or her closest relative for years because of a family feud? To such a person the application of Paul’s words might be ‘get things rights at home first, and then your gift will really mean something’.

The Nature of Love

13:4-5 Love is patient, love is kind, it is not envious. Love does not brag, it

is not puffed up. It is not rude, it is not self-serving, it is not easily angered or resentful.

Having shown that even the greatest gifts or deeds achieve nothing without love, Paul goes on to show loves' qualities. What is love like?

Love is long suffering. Morris observes that ‘love has an infinite capacity for endurance’ and cites Barclay who points out that the word patient or longsuffering means patience with people rather than patience with circumstances; in other words, love is self-restrained.

Love is kind and does well even to those who ill-treat it (Matt. 5:44). Love selflessly gives itself in the service of others (1 John 3:16) and is not jealously displeased with the success of others.

Love is not proud. It does not show off or assert its rights. The Corinthian church certainly had a problem with pride, even relative to the use of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Paul recognized that the root cause of this problem was a lack of clear appreciation of Jesus’ command to love one another. Indeed, Jesus Himself ‘never seemed at all interested in gaining recognition, let alone in demanding his rights’.

Love does not behave unseemly. It will avoid anything that is disgraceful, dishonourable, or indecent. Love is the very opposite of selfishness. Love is always asking ‘what can I do for the one I love?’ rather than ‘what can they do for me?’ Love is not easily provoked; that is, it is not quickly irritated or offended. It thinks no evil and so is always prepared to see the virtues of others more readily than their faults. When love looks into the heart of its object, it sees itself reflected, whether or not it is requited. In this way it is ready to overlook offenses and keep no record of wrongs done (1 Pet. 4:8).

13:6 It is not glad about injustice, but rejoices in the truth.

Many people seem to relish the ill fortune of others, as the popularity of television murder mysteries illustrates. Love, however, takes no joy in seeing wrong done to others; rather it delights in truth, righteousness and equity. Only when truth is victorious can love be victorious and vice versa. Only when truth rejoices does love rejoice. Love and truth are inseparable partners, for truth, like love, is at the very heart of Christianity (John 14:6) and stands in direct opposition to cold-hearted falsehood and iniquity.

13:7 It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Love bears all things, or literally covers over all things. It not only puts up with problems, but is prepared to deliberately overlook whatever is unpleasant in another person. Love believes all things since it is always prepared to make allowances for others and to notice their virtues (however few). Love hopes all things, a trait which Morris describes as ‘a refusal to take failure as final’ but which confidently looks forward to the ultimate victory which has been secured for us by God's grace.

Since

love endures all things, it never loses heart. Hence the one who loves will be unwavering in their love; for love is never overwhelmed by any difficulty it might face (Song 8:7).

The Eternity of Love

13:8-10. Love never ends. But if there are prophecies, they will be set aside; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be set aside. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part, but when what is perfect comes, the partial will be set aside.

Paul firstly emphasizes the stability of love, for love will never end or fail; it will never collapse under

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strain. This love is evidently the love of God shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit; a love that nothing can separate us from (Rom. 8:39). By contrast, the spiritual gifts which the Corinthians made so much of were temporary in nature. As Carson says, ‘[this] too demonstrates love’s intrinsic superiority’.

Some debate has arisen concerning what Paul means when he says when what is perfect comes. Some have supposed that it is a reference to the church’s reaching an age of spiritual maturity, or to the completion of the New Testament; but even a ‘non-charismatic’ scholar such as Carson is convinced (as was Calvin) that the reference is to coming of Christ (the parousia), or more specifically the eternal state which the coming of Christ will introduce. Indeed, as Carson goes on to affirm:

To argue that the spiritual experience and maturity of the early church before the canon’s completion are to the experience of maturity of the post canonical church just what the experience of an infant’s talk and understanding is to that of an adult is historical nonsense.

That which we know of God is as yet imperfect and incomplete. Consequently, even though truth may be revealed to us by prophecy, we still are only in part possession of the whole truth, for God reveals only a glimpse of Himself to each prophet on each occasion that the gift is used. The words used for vanish, cease and fail in the Authorised Version (rendered set aside and cease in the New English Translation, above) all mean the same thing. Spiritual gifts and the imperfect knowledge of Christian teaching will be no more because they will be no longer needed.

When we see Christ face to face, our knowledge of Him will be complete; a full revelation of who God is. The partial knowledge which

we had had up till that point will forever be forgotten swallowed up in the completeness of heavenly revelation.

13:11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. But when I became an adult, I set aside childish ways.

That which shall happen when we see the Lord can be best understood with the aid of an illustration from human life. Since we have all been children, none of us can doubt the truth of Paul's words here. When I was a child I understood and reasoned as a child does, without the full understanding that an adult has. A child's faculties are not fully developed, as an adult’s are. A child does not possess the same experience or knowledge of life as an adult. When the child has become an adult, they may look back and realise that all that which was imperfect or childish in their attitude and understanding has been left behind.

At the present time, we are like children, growing a little at a time in our understanding of the things of God. But one day we shall be adults, with a perfect knowledge and understanding. This perfect comprehension of God’s nature will not be developed as the result of our study but will be the outcome of a change in our natures which shall be effected by God; a change which is compared with the change from childhood to adulthood. It will be the change from the mortal to immortal, from the temporal to the eternal, and from imperfection to perfection. We shall only at that time receive a fullness of understanding, for only then, being changed in this manner, shall we be able to receive such revelation.

13:12 For now we see in a mirror indirectly, but then we will see face to face. Now I know in part, but then I will know fully, just as I have been fully known.

Paul compares our experience as Christians looking into the immensity of God with that of someone looking in a mirror of polished metal. Since good mirrors were very expensive, the Corinthians would realize that Paul was referring to a cheaper, rather dull mirror when he says that in a mirror we see darkly; that is, not with full clarity. Morris says ‘while we live our life on earth, our sight of things eternal is at best indistinct’. The time when we will see face to face is at the coming of Christ; and when we see Christ we shall and be changed into His likeness (1 John 3:2). Paul has more to say about the nature of this change in 1 Corinthians 15. When it is completed, our knowledge of God shall be perfect and complete, even as God's knowledge of us is complete.

13:13 And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.

As we wait for the blissful moment of change, the most important features to be cultivated within the Christian church are not great gifts which shall one day pass away, but those great qualities of character which each of us shall carry into eternity (for our characters are the one thing of earth which we shall retain in eternity) – particularly those of faith, hope and love - the most important being love, which is an expression of the very nature of God (1 John 4:8).

Paul’s thought is not that faith and hope will disappear completely in eternity, for as Carson writes, Our hope is in God, in Christ; and as such, hope continues forever… Consider faith:… Will there be any time… during which the very basis of my presence in the celestial courts will be something other than faith in the grace of God?

It appears, then, that faith, hope, and love, these three, all remain. They are eternal, permanent virtues.

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O give thanks unto the LORD; call upon his name: make known his deeds among the people. Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him: talk ye of all his wondrous works. Glory ye in his holy name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek the LORD. Seek the LORD, and his strength: seek his face evermore. Remember his marvellous works that he hath done; his wonders, and the judgments of his mouth;

(Psalm 105:1-5 AV)

Pastor? Preacher? Looking for a sermon outline this week? Here is a brief but excellent outline for Psalm 105:1-5 which you can make your very own!

By Derek Williams Image © Tracy Moore

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1. Give Thanks.

a) For who He is.

1. God of gods (Ps. 136:2)

2. Lord of Lords (Ps 136: 3)

3. God of Heaven (Ps. 136: 26) 4. Lord Almighty (Jer. 33: 11)

b) For His Goodness.

Declared all through scripture.

c) Jesus gave thanks.

1. For the bread (His body)

2. For the wine (His Blood)

(Luke 22: 19) (Luke 22: 17)

d) Let us give thanks.

(note it is give thanks not merely say thanks)

For His unspeakable gift

2 Cor. 9:15 Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!

For the victory

1 Cor. 15:57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

For all things

1 Thess. 5:18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

For one another

1 Thess. 1:2 We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers.

2. Call on His Name.

a) Pray

Shall be saved.

Acts 2:21 That whoever calls on the name of the LORD Shall be saved.

Shall be delivered

Joel 2:32 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered:

b) His Name.

His Name is His nature, His character, who He is

3. Make Him known.

a) His Attributes.

1) His Faithfulness Ps. 89:1

2) His Mighty Power Ps. 106: 8

3) His Truth Isa. 38:19

4) His Riches Rom 9:23

b) The Gospel.

Eph. 6:19 and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel.

4. Sing to Him.

a) Sing Aloud.

Psalms 59:16 But I will sing of Your power; Yes, I will sing aloud of Your mercy in the morning; For You have been my defence And refuge in the day of my trouble.

b) Sing Together

Isaiah 52:8 Your watchmen shall lift up their voices, With their voices they shall sing together; For they shall see eye to eye When the LORD brings back Zion.

c) Sing In the Spirit and with understanding

1 Cor. 14: 15 I will sing with the spirit, and I will also sing with the understanding.

5. Seek Him.

a) Seek Him early.

Isaiah 26: 9 Yes, by my spirit within me I will seek You early;

b) Seek Him wholeheartedly.

Jer. 29:13 And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.

c) Seek His Kingdom First - the things of Heaven.

Luke 12:31 "But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you.

Col 3: 1 seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God.

6. Glory in Him.

The word glory used here means boast.

a) Boast in the Lord only.

2 Cor. 10:17 But "he who glories, let him glory in the LORD. '

b) In the Cross.

Gal 6:14 But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ,

7. Remember what He has Done

a) Remember His Word

John 15:20 Jesus said to His disciples "Remember the word that"

b) Remember the Lord.

Luke 22:19 And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me."

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Contact Us Editor: Mathew Bartlett

Living Word Magazine and Bible Studies

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Buy Tracts Now – choose from 15 titles Available now for £1.99 per pack of 50 (includes UK postage) Rest of world,

contact for shipping price. Request samples.