RELIGIOUS THRILL SEEKERS

Photo taken by B Smith from the patio

 

 

275 – RELIGIOUS THRILL SEEKERS

June 21, 1964

Pastor Henry F. Kulp

 

 

Romans 5: 1 - 9 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.

We are living in a day of revival of religion, and most people are out for religious thrills. Rather than exercise their hearts and minds in the things of the Bible—true things—and give attendance to reading and exhortation—to doctrine, they are seeking to do something for God, and when they do it, they expect to have all the thrills in the world. 

Religion is man trying to do something for God, and of course, trying to do something for God leaves man in a pitiful condition, for deep down in his heart he knows he cannot make himself right with God, and then to bolster up this empty religion, he brings in healing, speaking in tongues, and various things that appease and appeal to the flesh.

1/  But God’s program does not appeal to the flesh. God’s program says that the flesh is valueless, corrupt, filthy, and can do nothing for God. 

Notice, Romans 5: 6 For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. 

Notice the part of the verse that says, yet without strength. Without strength in the Greek comes from one word—two words in the English, but one word in the Greek, and the thought is of the basic word of strength, and the word, alpha, is in front of it, and it means absolutely no strength whatsoever. So it means helpless. The word here is a noun, but if you were to look this word up in the Greek and look at this verb form of it, it means diseased. So this is the position of all religion. Religious people are without strength, having none whatsoever, they are helpless and they are diseased, and therefore, it was necessary for Christ to die for them to be saved. 

2/  Remember, that doesn’t say weak. It means you haven’t any strength at all—it means you can’t do one thing to save yourself. Remember, the law came along with a ladder of ten steps and put it down here on earth, and religion tells us if we take those ten steps, we will be put out of the pit, but we are not able to lift our arms, let alone our bodies, we are powerless, without strength to climb the ladder of the law. So the thing that is important here is the sacrifice, the suffering, the death of the Lord Jesus Christ. All this happened when we couldn’t help ourselves.

3/  The basis of this message is that the Holy Spirit is showing us the death of Christ. This Holy Spirit who is the breath of God reveals that we are without strength and that Christ is the answer to our diseased helpless condition.

4/  It is necessary to understand the Holy Spirit, the breath of God. 

John 16: 13 And there we read, Howbeit when He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth, for He shall speak of Himself and whatsoever He shall hear He shall speak, and He will show you things to come, He shall glorify Me, for He shall receive of Mine and shall show it unto you. 

That is what the Holy Spirit has been doing since we have been saved. He has been taking the things of Christ and showing them to us. This is so important that Christ repeats it. It isn’t often that anything like this is repeated in the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ, but in the next verse, all things that the Father hath are Mine, therefore saith I, He shall take of Mine and show it unto you. Jesus Christ felt it was so important for you to understand that He repeated it, that the Holy Spirit when He comes into your life does not talk of Himself but He talks of Jesus Christ.

5/  So this passage shows us that the Holy Spirit is showing us first of all, the glory of the death of Christ. I believe that is the chief teaching of the Christian life. I believe first and foremost above all else that the Holy Spirit shows us Calvary. The more you know of Calvary, the more you will love Calvary. The crucifixion of Christ is the wonder of eternity, it is the wonder of the universe, and the Holy Spirit is showing us the cross of Christ, our weakened condition, and the answer to our weakened condition, the cross of Calvary.

6/  Notice, something here in the 6^th verse Christ died for the ungodly. Then notice the 8^th verse—while we were yet sinners, and then the 10^th verse—when we were enemies. The Lord Jesus Christ died for us, when we were ungodly, while we were sinners, while we were enemies.  

7/  Now notice the 8^th verse—God commendeth His love.  God has proved His love—I can translate it this way. God has proved His love for us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 

Let us go back to the 7^th verse—For scarcely for a righteous man would one die, peradventure for a good man some would even dare die. 

There is no way to illustrate God’s love by human love. Human love is so limited. There is no limit to God’s love. A man might die for a friend, he might die for a righteous man, he might die for a man he thinks is good, but he would never die for an enemy. 

Jeremiah 31: 3 The Lord has appeared  of old unto me saying, Yes, I have loved thee with an everlasting love. 

God’s love is an everlasting love. God’s love for you never began—it has always been in existence. This is wonderful to know. There was never a time when God’s time was set upon you, and it is set upon you now. There will never be a time in eternity future, but God’s love will be set upon you. That is the difference between human love and  divine love. We often use in the marriage ceremony that the ring is used as an outward symbol has neither a beginning nor end, it is round, and this pictures the eternal love of God. You know, that is hard to believe—that God’s love has no beginning because I had a beginning, but God looked down through eternity past and He said there was going to be one called Henry Kulp, and I love him with an everlasting love and I have sent my Son to die for him. And it is hard to conceive that His love will be set upon me throughout all eternity.  

8/  Romans 5: 6 For when we were yet without strength, in due time, Christ died for the ungodly. 

In due time, what does that mean? I think the best translation is at the appointed time. Christ died at the set time. Everything was according to plan and occurred at the proper time.

9/  On the day of Pentecost, Peter referred to this truth. 

Acts 2: 22, 23 Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know:  Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain:

Here where he says, Him, meaning Christ, being delivered by the determined council, that means the definite plan and foreknowledge of God. In past ages, God had a definite plan. His Son was to die, and when the time came, this plan was carried out.   

10/  Daniel 9: 24 Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.

Here God sent the angel Gabriel to Danial and gave him a divine revelation to set down for future generation. The angel said to Daniel, seventy weeks are determined upon the people. The word, here translated, weeks, is a time word. Here is a word that is used for a period of seven years. If we use this passage, and make weeks become seven years, it will be very simple.

11/  Seventy weeks are decreed upon thy people, and thy people means Israel, and upon thy holy city, and that is Jerusalem, to finish the transgression and to make an end to sins to make reconciliation for iniquity and to bring to everlasting righteousness and to seal up the vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy. 

Here is announced a period of seventy times seven years, or 490 years. It might be well if we understand the 9^th chapter of the Book of Daniel that contains first, the prayer of Daniel to the Lord in regard to his people Israel who were in captivity, away from the land, away from the city of the Lord—Jerusalem. And the second part of the chapter, contains the answer of God to the prayer of confession. Israel was in captivity, because she had neglected God’s Sabbath’s, and Daniel knew that the time of captivity was about up.

12/  Daniel 9: 24 Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.

This is a prophecy concerning something that is coming to pass that cannot be changed. The weeks are determined, they are all set and fixed by Almighty God, and therefore there can be no changes. Remember, it was customary for the children of Israel to speak of seven years as a week. We find in other passages of Scripture that a period of seven years is called a week. The most noticeable among these passages is one that is found in Genesis 29: 26, 27 And Laban said, It must not be so done in our country, to give the younger before the firstborn. Fulfil her week, and we will give thee this also for the service which thou shalt serve with me yet seven other years.

In this chapter, you will recall that Jacob, who had been working for Laban, his uncle, falls in love with Rachel, the daughter of Laban. He made a bargain with Laban that he was to work for seven years, at the end of seven years, he was to receive Rachel as his wife. And the scheming Laban had other plans, other ideas. So when the day came, he gave Leah, the sister of Rachel to be the wife of Jacob instead of Rachel, for whom he had been laboring. This was a clever plan, because Laban knew that Jacob loved Rachel more than anything else, and so then, he makes a bargain with Jacob and says why don’t you just continue to work another seven years for me here and I will give Rachel immediately to be your wife. 

Notice, verse 26 And Laban said, It must not be so done in our country, to give the younger before the firstborn. And so he was given the first born. Then he says, fulfill her week, seven years, and we will give thee also for service, which thou shalt serve me yet another seven years. So notice, a week is seven years. So Gabriel reveals to Daniel that seventy weeks—seventy periods of seven years are going to be needed to fulfill God’s program with His people Israel. That makes it exactly 480 years. Remember that figure. From the time of the return from captivity to the decree to build the temple in Jerusalem, unto the setting up of the Millennial kingdom, God’s dealings with the nation will cover a period of 490 years.  

13/  We notice that the is divided into three periods. Two of these periods are 7 times 7’s or 49 years. Sixty-two times 7 are 434 years. These two figures together make sixty times 7 or 434 years. But thus leaves 7 years to be accounted for, and so we see immediately that some prophecy has not yet been fulfilled. God does not count time while the Jews are not in full possession of the Holy Land including the city, Jerusalem. When Christ died, 483 years had been accomplished, and God, as it were, stopped Israel’s clock, and He has not started it again.  

14/  God said to Daniel, start counting years from the issuance of the decree to begin rebuilding Jerusalem and after 49 years of trouble the street and the walls will be rebuilt, and continue counting. After 483 years, the Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself. What a statement that is! Here is a clear declaration of God that the Messiah would die, and His death would be for others, not for Himself. His was to be a vicarious, substitutionary atonement. He would be cut off from the sins of His people, and thereby He would make an end of sins, and make a reconciliation for iniquity.

15/  Evidence is shown this decree was issued in Babylon one springtime, then you can check and you can see that the Lord Jesus Christ died on the cross 483 years later, 483 years to the very time marked down by the decree. The prophecy was fulfilled to the last detail. I believe the Lord Jesus Christ died in the fullness of time according to Daniel’s prophecy. 

16/  Remember, first we had  7 / 7’s or 49 years. This is a time in which the city and the walls of Jerusalem were rebuilt, the second part of the cycle consists of 62 weeks or 434 years, after which the Messiah was to be cut off and have nothing. This leaves one week, or seven years yet to be fulfilled, and that can never be fulfilled until there is a remnant of Judah in the city of Jerusalem, owned by God as His people.   

17/  Notice Romans 5: 8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

God commandeth His love.  God has proved His love. I can translate it that way. But then God goes on to say, Christ died for us, much more being now justified by His blood, now the Holy Spirit is going to teach us about the blood, that is the cross. 

Every time the Holy Spirit has a great lesson to teach you, He takes you first to the cross. Every truth is found at the cross. 

Mr. Spurgeon, the great teacher of days gone by used to say to his students, Build your studio at Calvary, and there survey all the horizon of truth. 

Notice what it tells us in Hebrews 9: 14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the Eternal Spirit, offered Himself without spot to God. 

Jesus Christ offered Himself through the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit enabled Him to do it.

18/  Hebrews 10: 19 Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus. 

We have the right to enter into Heaven, into the holiest place, but it is only by the blood. So it must be that the blood did everything. If we were justified by the blood, then the blood accomplished everything. If you are trusting in the blood of Christ, you don’t have to be afraid. Here it says, that by the blood we enter into the holiest. If you are trusting in the blood of Jesus Christ, you can be sure of going into the presence of God in Heaven.    

19/  It is a wonderful thing to be allowed into the holiest. In the Old Testament, even Aaron was not allowed in. Aaron could not even take Moses into the holiest place. Moses had to stand without, but Aaron, God’s chosen priest could go into the very presence of God by the blood.

20/  Romans 5: 9 We shall be saved from wrath through Him. That is glorious, for we ought to praise God forever for this, for we are children of wrath. This is true that we are no longer under wrath, because God’s wrath struck at Calvary, God’s wrath struck Him in judgement, and that is why you and I are saved by His blood.

21/  The wrath of God on sin is a terrible thing, it is the most terrible thing in the universe. You ask me why? Because it killed the Son of God. Oh, that you might know this Christ.

AMEN

Ref: 06/21/1964 / 275 - RELIGIOUS THRILL SEEKERS / 07/24/2020

THE BETTER HOPE / THE BLESSED HOPE

Photo taken from the Smith's patio

 

 

289 - THE BETTER HOPE / THE BLESSED HOPE

March 7, 1965

Pastor Henry F. Kulp

 

Romans 8: 14 - 17 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father the Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. 

On March 4,1965 in the local newspaper there was an article on the coming controversy in Protestant churches. And they quoted three leading theologians in Protestant life today, and they all, even though they have different ideas are in agreement with one thing--that we are going to have to discard some things from the Bible because they are relevant to modern day thinking--the modern man will not accept certain parts of the Bible. And, of course, this is Satanic. Before I start this morning I just want you to see how important this Bible is. We are getting some wonderful truths out of the 8th chapter of Romans, but they are valueless unless the Bible is the Word of God. 

 

1/ In the past years out of our seminaries in Protestantism, we have had a doctrine called Neo-orthodoxy. Perhaps you have heard about it, but maybe you haven’t heard about it, but our seminaries are full of it. The doctrine is this--that the Word of God and Christ are not the same. That we can trust Christ but we must not trust the Word. That our faith is to be centered in Christ instead of the Word. Let me ask you--how are you going to trust Christ apart from the Word? They make a difference between the Word made flesh and the written Word. But there is no difference between the Word made flesh and the written Word. There is absolutely no difference. 

John 1: 1 There we read, In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. Jesus Christ is the Word--the Word of God. Now, go down to 

John 1: 14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, and the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.—the Word was made flesh and that is Jesus Christ. But the written Word is just as much Christ as the Word that was made flesh. We only know that the Word became flesh by reading the written Word. How can you find out about Christ without a Bible? How can you learn more about Christ without the written Word? 

2/  I know this Book that I hold in my hand is a manufactured article. It will wear out. I wear out a Bible about every two years, and then I put it aside and go and buy a new one. The leaves just won’t hold up and the binding just will not hold up being used constantly. When you put that Bible aside, you haven’t discarded the Word of God, for you get another Bible. It is what is written in the Book that is important. Not the (leaves of paper--not the binding, the glue--it is the written Word. 

3/  II Timothy 3: 16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 

Everyone should memorize this Scripture. All Scripture is given by the inspiration of God. The word, Scripture, is a word that means writings. So, all the writings are given by the inspiration of God. Now let us look at the word, inspiration. In the English, it means to breathe in, and that is the English. It means to breathe in, and that is the only word they could find in the English language that could express the Greek word there. Actually, the word inspiration, to mean breathe in does not really adequately describe the word in the Greek. It means it is the breath of God. Whether breathing in or out, I cannot say. But, actually this verse means all the writings are the breath of God. The breath of God is the Word wherever it is used, and that means it is the Second Person of the Trinity--the Lord Jesus Christ, for He is the Word. Jesus Christ is God’s breath, and His Word is His breath. 

4/  Now, let us go back to Romans 8: 17 where we read, And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Jesus Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. 

This is something I am sure the average person does not appreciate. The average person who reads his Bible just passes over this thought, but he should not. We are joint-heirs with Jesus Christ. There is a vast difference between being an heir and a joint heir, and last week we gave you the distinction. We explained that if a man died leaving a large farm to four heirs--to four sons, the estate is divided evenly and each heir receives 25% of the whole--but if a man leaves a farm to four sons as joint-heirs, each man owns the whole farm. Each one can say, the house is mine, the barns are mine, the fields are mine, the bank account is mine. That wouldn’t work with man as he is today. But this will work when we are like the Lord Jesus Christ. So, I went you to see this vast difference. 

5/  We gave you a wonderful verse--one that thrills my heart. 

I Corinthians 3: 21 “Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are yours;”

How much is yours? Let me ask you a question. What would your answer be? All things are yours. You are wealthy beyond your fondest dreams you are rich beyond your wildest imagination. Notice, it says the world is mine. What belongs to Jesus Christ, and I am a joint-heir with Christ, it is mine. Life is mine, death is mine. 

6/  We have been talking to you about this matter of rightly dividing the Word of Truth. 

II Timothy 2: 15. Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. 

There are many distinctions between the nation Israel, the earthly kingdom, and the church, which is the body of Christ. To understand this inheritance that is ours, that we are joint-heirs, we need to see our relationship to Jesus Christ. 

Paul wrote (13) thirteen Epistles. That does not include Hebrews, for I do not think that Paul wrote Hebrews. But, Paul, in his (13) thirteen Epistles never says that Christ is our Shepherd. That is a great truth, and it is remarkable that Paul leaves it out, because the Shepherd and the Sheep is not a relationship of the Church of Christ. The relationship of the Church of Christ is that of Body and Head. Christ is the Head and we are the Body. So, Paul never says in his Epistles that Christ is our Shepherd. Neither does he say in the Pauline Epistles that we are sheep--not once. 

7/  Paul does not say in the Epistles that Christ is our King. He says that Christ is King of kings and Lord of lords, but he never says that Christ is King of the Church. If we are only earthly subjects of a king, we might be like it is in many lands where the lot of the subjects is never to see the king. They have no acquaintance with the king at all--but this is not our lot. 

8/  Paul never says that Christ is our Teacher. He never calls Him Rabbi--you will notice in the Gospels, constantly He is called Rabbi, Teacher, and Christ is not our Teacher in the Pauline Epistles. The Holy Spirit is our Teacher. He teaches us about Christ. He shows us Who Christ is, and He teaches us about the Lord Jesus Christ. So, you see, Teacher and student is not the proper relationship for us. A student will listen to a teacher and believe all that he teaches, and profit by all that he teaches, but it is possible he wouldn’t like his teacher at all. You have heard many students say, the teacher, I have is a good teacher, all right, but I don’t like him, as a person. So, Paul never says that Christ is our Teacher--the Holy Spirit teaches us about Christ in such a way that we like Him more and more. 

9/  We are members of His body and Christ is the Head of that Body. 

10/  As we go on in this study, I want you to see the difference between being a member of the Body of Christ, and being a member of the earthly kingdom is that being a member of the Body of Christ, our inheritance is not divided. We are joint-heirs, and the important word here is the word, divided. He doesn’t divide unto us our inheritance we share in everything as we have in I Corinthians 3: 21 - 23. Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are yours; Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours; and ye are Christ’s; and Christ is God’s.

He is not going to parcel things out to us. And those who try to mix up the Kingdom and the Church, the Jew and the Body of Christ, fail to see this distinction. 

11/  Luke 19: 11-19 And as they heard these things, he added and spake a parable, because he was nigh to Jerusalem, and because they thought that the kingdom of God should immediately appear. He said, ”Therefore, A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return. And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, “Occupy till I come”. But his citizens hated him, and sent a message after him, saying, We will not have this man to reign over us. And it came to pass, that when he was returned, having received the kingdom, then he commanded these servants to be called unto him, to whom he had given the money, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading. Then came the first, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained ten pounds. And he said unto him, Well done, thou good servant: because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities. And the second came saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained five pounds. And he said likewise to him, be thou also over five cities.” 

Notice, this has to do with the earthly Kingdom--not with the Church, the Body of Christ, for the 11th vs. tells us that He spoke this parable because He was nigh to Jerusalem and because they thought that the Kingdom of God should immediately appear. And He tells this parable to show them why the Kingdom was not appearing immediately. And, so He likened Himself to a Nobleman who went into a far country--went to Heaven. He did this after He died, was resurrected, ascended into Heaven--but He has to return to receive this Kingdom, and He calls in servants and delivered to them (10) ten pounds, and said Occupy till I come. How did these servants occupy? Incidentally, we are not servants, we are members of His Body. 

Of course, His return is a picture of the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, not the Rapture of the Church. And, so, He called these servants to Him and wanted to know how much they had gained by trading. The first said, Thy pound hath gained (10) ten pounds. He said, “Thou hast been faithful in very little, have thou authority--now notice, over (10) ten cities. Then the second one--he said, I’ve gained five pounds. All right, have authority over (5) five cities. I want you to notice, that is not the church, God has not promised this to the Church--that belongs to Israel. Our inheritance with Christ will never be divided--we are joint-heirs with Him--whatever is His is ours, and we hold it with Him. God will not parcel out things as your inheritance--it is sure, it is wonderful, it is definite. 

12/  Remember a point here, Jesus Christ will never say, Occupy till I come. The Lord Jesus Christ will say, All this is ours, enjoy it with Me. This is the difference. 

13/  Matthew 19: 27, 28 Then answered Peter and said unto him, Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore? And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 

Notice, the (12) twelve tribes of Israel. It doesn’t say anything about the Gentilic nations. In other words, they will be ruling for Christ when He sits upon His throne, but this is not true of us as joint-heirs. It is true we will rule, but I believe we will rule from the Heavenlies, and we will rule with Him, not for Him. This is the difference between the Church which is His Body and the earthly kingdom. 

14/  Now, let us notice the last expression in this verse. It is this--if we suffer with Him that we may be also glorified together. This part of the verse immediately suggests that we have to suffer to be glorified with Him. But that is not what the Greek grammar brings out at all, for notice it does not say, suffer for Christ--but it says suffer with Christ, and the great truth that we have been studying in this part of Romans is the doctrine of identification with Christ. We suffer with Him, not for Him. 

15/  The three words, if so be, in the Greek is A-PEAR, and if you want to see a better rendering of that Greek word, -Pear. 

Go to II Thessalonians 1: 6 And ye became followers of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost:  Where it says seeing it is a righteous thing with God. And there again, seeing it is a translation of the Greek A-Pear--so it would be much better to translate it here--seeing it is that we suffer with Him, that we may be also glorified together. 

16/  These sufferings are not the ordinary sufferings of this life. Since we have been joined to Christ, we may expect the same treatment that our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ received. But this is not to concern us because we are going to be glorified together and dwell with Him forever. 

17/  But there are sufferings which are common to all the human race, and the commonest of these sufferings are physical in nature. We have bruises and aches and pains, we suffer from disease and accident and catastrophe. All of us will die, our bodies are wearing out, and so we suffer physically, But, that is not what God is talking about here at all. 

18/  Then there is mental anguish, and the saved and the unsaved suffer in this mental anguish. We suffer from the tensions that are about us, from the cold war and from the pressures that are put upon us at work. The unreasonableness of man. 

19/  Then there is a common anguish that arises from seeing loved ones suffer--we may not have the pain, but as we see another suffer, grow weaker and die, we share in these sufferings. But that is not what God is talking about here. 

20/  He is talking about the sufferings we share with Him. Rejections, hatred, the despising--notice, II Corinthians 4: 18 While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal. 

Here we are told about the glory that is coming and the wonder of it--sometimes I realize we can hardly get a conception of what it is going to be like--we can’t understand this glory--it is away beyond our earthly comprehension. We are destined for glory and everything we suffer here is in no wise to be compared with the glory that God has reserved for you and for me. Notice, He says, I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed in us. This thrills my heart--I expect to see you glorified some day, I don’t know just what you will look like, but you will be glorified and I am going to be right there with you. 

21/  Notice, II Corinthians 4: 17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; 

Here we have a contrast between time and eternity. What we suffer here is just for a moment. If it lasts 12 1⁄2 years as it did with John Bunyan, or it lasts a whole lifetime, it doesn’t matter, it is nothing at all--time is just of the slightest interest, because someday we are going to have a weight of glory. Notice the contrast between lightness and the glory we are going to share will be heavy. 

AMEN

REF: 289 - THE BETTER HOPE / THE BLESSED HOPE / March 7, 1965

WHO NEEDS IT?

Photo taken from Smith's patio

 

 

281 - WHO NEEDS IT? 

September 27, 1964

Pastor Henry F. Kulp

 

Romans 5: 15 - 21 But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many! Nor can the gift of God be compared with the result of one man’s sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification. For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ! Consequently, just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act resulted in justification and life for all people. For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous. The law was brought in so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more, so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Romans 5 is very important, especially this last part that we have been studying from the 12^th verse there are three things that I want you to see that we have brought out in the past weeks—DEATH IS UNIVERSAL.

Romans 5: 12 -14 Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned—

13 To be sure, sin was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not charged against anyone’s account where there is no law. Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who is a pattern of the one to come.

All men die, sinless infants, good moral people, righteous people, all die, because death is universal, it effects everyone. The cause of this, we recognize there must be a cause. And it is a universal cause.

1/  THIS IS THE SECOND THING I WANT YOU TO SEE. 

Romans 5: 12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:

BY ONE MAN SIN ENTERED INTO THE WORLD. 

This is the cause for universal death. Sin is the cause for universal death, and it is Adam’s sin, not personal sins. It is because Adam is the first man, we have all come from Adam and because of his sin, all must die, and it is true that because of Adam, and we are the seed of Adam, we also inherit sin. The important point here is that Adam sinned, and he passed sin unto us, but mainly he passed death unto us, and all are dead. We do not want to just talk about physical death. All sinners are dead to God spiritually. 

Ephesians 2: 1 And you hath He quickened who were dead in trespasses and sin.

2/ If Jesus Christ does not appear in a short season, I will one day die physically. The reason I will die? Because my father died, the reason my father died, because his father died, and so we could go on back to Adam. But I do not die because my father died, my father doesn’t die because his father died, we die because Adam died when he partook of the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil. Adam brought the curse of death and sin upon the whole human race.     

3/  But now, I WANT YOU TO SEE THE THIRD THING THAT IS SO IMPORTANT IN THIS PASSAGE. 

Romans 5: 15 But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.

I want you to notice he talks about a gift—but not as the offence, so also is the free gift. 

The word, free, isn’t needed here, for a gift is always free. But God finds He has to emphasize some things in order that we might understand, so he puts in the word, free. This is the free gift, and God emphasizes that. Everything that God has is free, Notice, in this same verse—and the gift by grace. Of course, He had to bring grace into this chapter. This free gift is ours by the grace of God, and grace is God giving everything for nothing.  

4/  The word, grace, and the word, gift, go hand in hand. 

I’d like to have you turn to Ephesians 3: 2 If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God. 

This right now, this present time, is the dispensation of the grace of God. There has never been an age likes this. People do not understand the Old Testament because they do not understand it was not the age of grace. Immediately you say, didn’t the Lord Jesus Christ save them by faith, and wasn’t that by grace? Yes, Abraham was saved by faith, but it was not the age of grace it was the age when God was raising up the seed of Abraham to be a special nation to be under the law. As you go back in the Old Testament, you will find that David was famous for the number of men he killed—David’s mighty men were famous for the number of men they killed. Do you ever stop to think about this? So many people say the Old Testament is just filled with killing, and we must agree, it is. Remember, David to get his wife, had to go and kill 2,000 Philistines, and then he boasted about it. But that is not the New Testament. The New Testament is about how men can get saved, and this is the difference. In the Old Testament God had a nation, and God was protecting that nation, in order that we might have salvation by grace, because through that nation, He was to bring the seed of the woman, the Lord Jesus. And God took that nation and He protected that nation. He said, don’t you dare touch my nation, Israel, if you touch Israel, I’ll wipe you out of existence. When a nation did harm to God’s nation, God brought terrific judgment upon them. God actually said, don’t you dare touch Israel. Did you ever see a vehicle coming down the street with its sirens blaring, and its lights flashing, and everybody gets out of the way. Why? This is a warning—don’t you dare touch me, get out of the way. This is either a police car or perhaps a fire engine, or an ambulance, and they have special privileges. You have to get aside and let them go down the road. This is exactly what God said to the Gentile nations, stand to one side, My nation is coming. They have the covenants, they have my word, and the seed is to come through this nation. And so God had many Gentiles killed because they did touch that nation. God was protecting that nation.

5/  But today God does not have a special nation. Today it is the age of grace, there is neither Jew nor Gentile—all may come to God by the free grace, by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. 

6/  Now look at Ephesians 1: 6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.

This is a description of you, and I pray, of me. To the praise of the glory of His grace. Can we say our life is that? We are to the praise of the glory of His grace. He has saved us by grace. 

7/  As you go through the rest of the 5^th chapter you find that the gift of God goes all the way through the 5^th chapter from this point on. I don’t know how many times you have it, but you have it in the 16^th verse—the free gift. You have it in the 17^th verse 16^th verse you have it twice, and then of course in the 17^th verse.

  

8/  What is God’s gift of grace? It is the gift of righteousness—His righteousness and not human righteousness. God’s righteousness is given to you. Notice, verse 17,  the gift of righteousness. 

9/  God takes you, a poor lost sinner, clothed with sin and shame, and He gives you His righteousness. He gave the blood of Jesus Christ to wash you clean, and then He puts His righteousness in you, and it is a gift. Everyone who is saved this morning has a righteousness that is of God, and it is just as pure and holy as God is pure and holy Himself, and that is salvation.

 

10/  Romans 5: 19 Let us see about this gift. For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.

The important thing to see here is the obedience of Christ. Obedience is what? This is easy to understand. 

Philippians 2: 8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

Philippians tells us He became obedient unto death even the death of the cross. The obedience of Jesus Christ to His Father during His earthly life is very, very interesting, and I thought I would just point out a few verses to you this morning. 

John 8: 42 Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me.

And here is a remarkable thing that Jesus Christ said – He said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love Me, for I proceed forth and came from God, neither came I of Myself, but notice He sent Me. Jesus said, I did not come of Myself, my Father told me to come, and I obeyed. Actually, I believe it would pay to go through the Book of John and find the places where Jesus Christ said He was the Sent One. 

Let me give you another sample of what I mean. 

John 6: 38 For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.

Here He says, I came not to do my own will, but the will of Him that sent me. But notice, verse 39 And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.

And this is the Father’s will which hath sent Me. Why do you think He would repeat it so many times? Notice the 40^th verse  And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.

And this is the will of Him that sent me. Three times He said, the will of Him that sent me. Christ was in obedience to the Father. 

11/  Remember in the Garden of Gethesame, Matthew 26: 39 And he went a little farther, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.

If it be possible, let this cup pass from me, nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt, then in the 42^nd verse He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done.

Thy will be done, and of course, He is talking about His death on the cross of Calvary. He was an obedient Son all His life, but the obedience that was the important one, was the one when He went to the cross of Calvary and died.

12/  There is a portion of Scripture in the Old Testament that may help you understand what I am driving at. 

Deuteromny 32: 49 Get thee up into this mountain Abarim, unto mount Nebo, which is in the land of Moab, that is over against Jericho; and behold the land of Canaan, which I give unto the children of Israel for a possession:

I am sure this Scripture will be interesting to you. God said to Moses get thee up into the Mountain Abarim, which is in the land of Moab, which is over against Jericho, and He said, and die in the mount. You go into the mountain and die there. I don’t think it is said anywhere else in the Bible that a man was told to go and die, but Moses was. 

Then notice, Deuteromny 34: 5 Moses, the servant of the Lord died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the Lord. 

He went up into the mountain there and died, but look at verse 7 of this same chapter. Moses was 120 years old when he died. His eyes were not dimmed nor his natural force abated. He didn’t have to die, he was well, he was strong. There wasn’t any part of his body that was decayed, even his eyes were not dimmed at 120. His natural force was not abated. He walked just as fast as he ever did. He didn’t have to slow down for his heart. He didn’t have to die, but he went there and died. This is a type of Jesus Christ. Christ didn’t have to die, but God told Him to die, and so He did. He was obedient unto death. The obedient God is spoken about through Paul in Romans 5 is the obedience of death. It was the one special act. We are saved by the last Adam doing one thing, and that one thing, is to die for us.   

13/  Paul is very sure to make it clear that all the blessings we have in Christianity have come to us by the death of Christ. Paul’s doctrine begins at the cross. Paul’s doctrine does not begin at Bethlehem. He never mentions Bethlehem. He never mentions Christ in the  wilderness, he never mentions His parables, His miracles. Did you ever notice how the Modernists love to dwell on this part if the life of Christ, but they very seldom talk on the Cross? 

Notice what Paul said about this I Corinthians 1:18 For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.

The preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness. The preaching that we have in this age of grace must be the preaching of the cross. 

Than notice, I Corinthians 1: 23 But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness;

We preach Christ crucified—that is the cross. When Paul went to Corinth, it was his determination to preach the cross. Paul was a highly educated man. He probably had  all the education that the Rabbis could give him in that day. He even sat at the feet of Gamaliel, and he was a member of the Sanhedrin. He was an educated man. When he went to Corinth, Paul was not afraid to speak in that city of learning, even though Corinth and Athens were the two leading cities of the Greek world. In that day these two cities had reached the very summit of human learning, we still study the Greek poets of that day. But Paul said, I am not afraid to go to Corinth, when I come to Corinth, I’m going to know only one thing. 

I Corinthians 2: 2 I am determined not to know anything among you save Jesus Christ and Him crucified. He may have been concerned that his great learning would lead him off the subject of Christ crucified into some other fields, and he would not discuss other subjects with them.

14/  Romans 5:17 For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)

Now let us notice another thing here that is important. The word, reign. That is the power of the king. It is a royal word. Death reigned. Certainly as you read this verse and you think of the human race, you know that death has reigned over the human race. Does not man still follow their dear ones to the grave? Has the world ever found any power to overcome the power of death? Death is a king, death reigns, death demands your life. Then notice, the rest of the verse. The gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one. Someone has translated that rather freely in this way—they who have the gift of righteousness shall live as kings by Christ. Live as a king—that is the way we will live in eternity. We shall live as a king  Not that we will actually be kings, but this will be the manner of our reigning, as a king has everything ministered unto him, and he has all his wants and needs met, just so will we be in Christ Jesus. We will reign in Christ, because we have received this gift of righteousness. 

15/  Then notice something else that is wonderful in this verse, they which receive abundance of grace. There is an abundance of grace. All that we need. Grace isn’t skimpy. God doesn’t give grace out in small pieces as many people seem to think. This word, abundance is in the Greek, PER – SI – SIGH – AH. And it means super abundance. It is not just a matter of abundance of grace, but it is superabundance. No matter how deep down in sin you may be. No matter how you have lived, what you have done, God says, I have a superabundance of grace. 

Notice verse 20 Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound:

Grace did much more abound. Here you have this word, superabundance, and in front of it you have HOOP – PEAR, and it means much more. Super-abundance, upon superabundance, upon superabundance, upon superabundance of grace. This is available through the obedience of Christ.

AMEN

 

Ref: 09/27/1964/ 281- WHO NEEDS IT? / 0/23/2020