Did Christ Descend Into Hell – Part II

Photo taken by B Smith from Patio

 

 

220 – Did Christ Descend Into Hell – Part II

May 1, 1960

Pastor Henry F. Kulp

 

Ephesians 4: 7 - 11 But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.) And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;

Last week as we talked on this portion of Scripture, we told you that in the so-called Apostle’s Creed, many folks tells us that Christ descended into Hades and that teaching concerning this that Christ had the Old Testament saints in Hades because the blood had not been shed as yet. As so when He finished His work upon Calvary, He went down into the saved portion of Hades, preached to the saints there, and then delivered them up and took them to Heaven. Of course, I believe this teaching is absolutely ridiculous. Because, in this portion of Scripture you cannot find anything like this at all. This Scripture is not talking about a physical descending or ascending, but it has to do with position, with power, with authority. 

1/  Christ, Who had been equal with God, He was part of the Triune Godhead, had put Himself in the place where He took orders from God the Father, when He came to do His will. He became obedient to the government, He became obedient to His parents, and He became a slave for mankind, and went to the Cross of Calvary and died, and was resurrected from the dead. Because He did this, the Bible teaches us He will be in an exalted position far above all Heaven – this cannot speak of a physical position, because one cannot get far above all Heaven – for Christ right now is seated in the Third Heaven – He is seated at the Right Hand of God, the Father. So this is speaking of position, not physical ascension – So this descending here is not speaking of physical descending, but the fact that He lowered Himself, became a man, became a slave; was made a curse when sin was put upon Him and He died upon the Cross of Calvary.

2/  When it tells us that He descended into the lower parts of the earth, that should be He descended to the lower parts, the earth. For in doing so, He became the slave of mankind. A position He had never known in eternity past, and will not know in Eternity future.

3/  John 13: 4, 5 He riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments; and took a towel, and girded himself. After that he poureth water into a bason, and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded.

Here we have a picture of Christ descending in this position. Here we have the Lord Jesus Christ washing the feet of the Twelve Disciples after walking along the road, where it had been dusty, and He had been invited to a supper, and He comes in for the meal, and of course, His host has a slave there to wash His feet, so that He will be comfortable when He sits down to the meal. Here we have Jesus Christ taking a towel, and girding Himself and washing the disciple’s feet, for Christ here is a slave, washing the feet of His disciples. It shows Him as a slave. He did what a slave would do, He took a towel, girded Himself, that is the picture of the garb of lowly service and that is what He took when He became a Man, He became a slave and He died on the Cross of Calvary for us.

4/  Then it tells us that He led captivity captive. To understand this portion of Scripture, we have to understand there is no reference to any leading at all in the Ephesians passage, and the Greek expression simply means HE MADE CAPTIVITY CAPTIVE. Then also, notice the mention of grace in Ephesians 4: 7 But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.

Every one of us is grace-given. Then it says therefore, and it could be, because of this very circumstance, He says, when He ascended up on High, He captured captivity. When Christ was exalted far above all principalities and power, and might and dominion and every name that is named, He took captive the very principle which had produced a bondage among the sons of men. It was His divine work to blot out the hostile hand-writing of the law that was against it, He nailed it to the cross, and thus captured the state of captivity and broke its back. Then ascending to the throne of God, He made this condition null and void. The law came from the Seat of God, the Throne of God, and by His ascension, He set it aside completely and now grace operates in our lives.

5/  You remember that we constantly speak of this age as being the age of all-grace. In other ages men were saved by grace, but it wasn’t all grace. Because we read in the book of Galatians, that the law was added alongside of Grace. And God broke the back of that law, He captured that which caused captivity, and now only grace reins in our lives. We are saved by grace, apart from anything that man can do. There are no ordinances against us, or law against us.

6/  Colossians 2: 14 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;

These were the things that held man in captivity, and Jesus Christ nailed it to His cross, and when He ascended to Heaven, He broke the back of all these ordinances, that were against us—only grace operates in our midst.

7/  Then you’ll notice, He gave gifts unto men. As the resurrected Christ, He gives these gifts unto us. What are these gifts? He gave some apostles, and some pastors, and some evangelists, and some teachers.

8/  What is the evangelist? He is the bearer of glad tidings. The ministry of the evangelist is particularly to the world outside. If God gifts a man as evangelist He fills his heart with fervent love of the lost world, for the unsaved. Gives him the ability to proclaim the Gospel in freshness and power. What a marvelous gift it is to be an evangelist. But we do not all have this gift. His message has the message of conviction in it. You have met men who are just wonderful soul-winners. They have a desire to talk to men and women about Jesus Christ, and they have the ability of leading them to Jesus Christ. I have met some men like that. I can think of a pastor who had, I believe, the gift of evangelism (In Johnstown). My, how he could go out and win souls to Jesus Christ. His whole life was wrapped up in it. You would have a date to meet him someplace, and he would always be an hour or an hour and a half late, and he would explain that he met someone on the street, or in the barber shop, or someone there in the restaurant, and he never met them before, but he sat down and talked with them about Jesus Christ.

9/  Then we read, He gave some pastors. The word means, SHEPHERD The true pastor is a shepherd who has the heart for the sheep of his flock. When our Lord challenged Peter with the words, Lovest Thou Me, more then these? And after Peter earnestly confessed, I know I don’t have love in myself, then Jesus said, Feed my sheep – feed my lambs, shepherd my sheep. In other words, He made Peter a pastor of that flock.

10/  We realize that the evangelist finds the unconverted, brings them to Jesus Christ, and he should bring them into the flock. And then the Pastor seeks to lead them in the green pastures of the Word of God, to minister to them, to show them how to make the Word applicable to their lives, to help them in the problems of life.

11/ Then we come to the teacher. What is the difference between the pastor and a teacher? The teacher is someone who can open the Word of God and explain it to you. He can give you special insight into the Word of Gd. He has the ability to take a deep truth and explain it in such away that everyone can understand it. Many men may have the ability as evangelist, pastors and teachers, but usually every man will excel in one field or another. Even though he may have all three gifts, one will be stronger than another. He may be a better Bible teacher than he is a pastor, or an evangelist. Or he may be a better evangelist than he is pastor or teacher. So we can see that these groups are given to the church. 

Notice also that apostles and prophets are gifts of the risen Christ. Notice also the order of words. Apostles and prophets, Paul does not say here Prophets and Apostles, that is the Old Testament order.

II Peter 3: 2 That ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Saviour:

Peter there talks about Prophets and Apostles, that would mean the Old Testament saints. This does not mean the Twelve and the Old Testament prophets. Not at all. This is under the body. Of course, apostles means sent one—and a prophet means one who goes to tell forth. It does not have to have in it the ability to predict future events.

12/  There is a basic reason, for the gift of these folks to the body of Christ. As you folks know, the punctuation in our Bibles is not inspired. Sometimes it helps, sometimes it does not. In this case, it does not help. By striking out the comas in verse 12, we have the true meaning. 

And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:

There is the basic reason for the giving of these gifts to the church. The word, perfect, does not mean to make faultless, but rather, PREPARE OR EQUIP. 

13/  Thus these gifts are so that the people might be equipped, that is people of the local congregation who have believed on Christ might be equipped to do the work of the ministry.  

14/  So we have here these gifts are given to the church, the body of Christ for the purpose of perfecting or developing the saints in order that they might do the work of the ministry and thus edify the body of Christ. 

If we could only get the saint in the pew to really work. If you say you are a believer in Jesus Christ, and you are a do-nothing, you are certainly a puzzle to the angels of God and a delight to the demons of darkness. For the ministry has been given to all that we in Christ’s stead might plead with men that they might be reconciled to God. 

II Corinthians 5: 17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

15/  I had a young man who has been a member of our church and now has a pastorate. I was preaching in his church, when I was finished he came to me and said, Do you mind if I use that sermon? I said, No, I would be happy to have you use it. He said I am going to be speaking to a group of ministers this week, and I  want to use that sermon, and he said, By the way, I’ve used quite a few of your sermons here at the church, so I said, If something has gripped your soul that you can pass on to somebody else, and make it a blessing to them, I thank God for it. If you get a convert, you will be the father, and I will be the grandfather. But if a congregation is to go forth and do its job, and I am convinced that the local congregation is the most important thing in God’s sight, we must have everybody working at the ministry. No pastor can do it alone, no group of pastors can do it alone.

16/  I Corinthians 1: 10 Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.

Here it shows us the folly of not working together, not being prepared. They were in trouble in Corinth, because they were busy working on each other, rather than doing the work of the ministry. Saints who are busy in the work of the Lord have no time to pick others apart. If you are disgruntled, critical saint of God, you can learn something from the late Billy Sunday, who was criticized for his method of preaching the Gospel by some holier-than-thou saint. He asked this saint, “If you don’t like the way I do it, how do you do it? How do you preach the Gospel?” “Oh, I don’t,” was the reply. Billy Sunday retorted, “Well, I like the way I do it, better than the way you do it.”

17/  It is important to see what  God expects of you. Your main duty in life is to give forth the ministry. You are not here to accumulate houses and lands and property. You are not here to accumulate a bank account. The thief demands your money or your life. But God demands even more, He says, your money AND your life. If you are not being used of God, perhaps it is because you will not allow Him to use you. Why was it that God could be used so mightily of the Macedonia churches? I will tell you why, because they first gave themselves to Him. 

I Corinthians 8: 5  For though there be that are called gods, whether in heaven or in earth, (as there be gods many, and lords many,)

18/  How long will this go on? I can tell you. 

Ephesians 4: 13 Until we come into the unity of the faith, and the knowledge of the sons of God, into the perfect man, unto the fullness of Christ. 

What does that mean? It means at last the entire church will be gathered home to Heaven, and Christ will be fully revealed in all of us. For it all boils down—what is the fullness of Christ.

Ephesians 1: 23 

Where we read, Which is His body, the fullness of Him that filleth all in all. 

Christ is the Head up there in Glory, and we are the members of His body, and He is not complete without us, and we are not complete without Him. But when we have the fullness of Christ, we will be with Him in Heaven. 

AMEN

Ref: 05/01/1960 / 220 - DID CHRIST DESCEND INTO HELL? PART II / 08/01/2020

DID CHRIST DESCEND INTO HELL? PART I

Plumeria from Smith's garden

 

 

219 – DID CHRIST DESCEND INTO HELL? Part I

April 24, 1960

Pastor Henry F. Kulp

 

Ephesians 4: 7 - 11 But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.) And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;

Now in this portion of Scripture we have the gifts that Christ gives to His body, and these gifts are the direct outcome if His glorious victory that is here in verses 8 - 10 Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.)

Having triumphed over His foes and our foes, He gives gifts to men that they might share His victory. But before we can study these gifts that have been given to the Church, the body of Christ, let us notice His glorious victory that has been presented here. It is a wonderful truth, one that will thrill our hearts.

1/  Now before we start, we have a sad note to proclaim. Much of Christianity does not understand this portion that God is bringing out here. In the Apostle’s Creed some folks quote Sunday after Sunday, or at Communion time, they talk of Christ’s descending into hell, and many folks say this proves that Christ descended into hell, which is Hades or Paradise, He preached to the folks who were there, and then He took the Old Testament saints up to Heaven with Him when He ascended. Now this point of view is absolutely foreign to Scripture— this is not what is being brought out in Ephesians 4: 7 - 11 at all.

2/  It is well for us to notice, and it is important that because many people believe something that is not necessarily true, just because many people believe it, does not make it true. It has to stand up with a close study of the Word of God. We should not be interested in what the majority teach or state, but what does the Lord teach in His Word? So, let’s give a very close look at the victory of the Lord Jesus Christ as presented in verse 8 - 10 that He gives gifts to the church.  

3/  Let us look at the picture that is presented here. First of all, it says that when He ascended up on high, He led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. Then the One Who ascended, the Lord Jesus Christ, He descended first into the lower parts of the earth, and He that descended is the One Who has ascended far above all Heavens. Now what does that mean?

4/  The Scripture tells us that He descended before He descended before He ascended. What does that mean? First of all, when it says He descended into the lower part of the earth, It does not mean it quite as the King James version brings it out to us. He descended to the lower parts, that is to say the earth, for the earth itself is the lower part as viewed from Heaven. Actually, Paul is not speaking of physical descending and a physical ascending, for that is not what this portion of Scripture bring out at all.  How is it   possible for Him to ascend far above the Heavens? Right now He is on the right hand of God in Heaven. 

5/  You’ll notice that verse 10 says He ascended far above all Heavens—so that it is not talking about a physical ascension at all. The words far above in the Greek are HOOP – ER – ONNA and it does not mean a physical ascension it means a position, rank, or power or authority.

6/  So if the ascension, does not mean physical ascension, how can it mean when all it says He descended, that it means a physical descending—it is not sensible at all—it is talking about Jesus Christ Who is God, leaving Heaven’s glory, coming down to this earth, and placing Himself in the place of subjugation. Making Himself a slave of man.

7/  Let us just think about this phrase that we have had here in Ephesians – ascending far above all Heaven. Let us compare it with Hebrews 7: 26 For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens;

Here we notice, that He has been made higher then the Heavens. The first word is “made” implying that He was not always in this exalted position, He was made it—then also, He has already been exalted—He has been made higher than the Heavens, and this is not again talking about physical space, but about position, and rank, because Jesus Christ was willing to become Man, come down to this earth and die on the cross of Calvary for us, He has been exalted after His resurrection to this wonderful place of rank and position in the universe.

8/  This same thing is brought out to us in Philippians 2: 5 - 11 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

First of all, I want you to notice, verse 7 made Himself of no reputation—it means He took the place of subjugation, He laid aside the position He had, the rank He had. For notice, He took upon Him the form of a servant—means a slave, and He was made in the likeness of men. In days gone by He was on equal footing with God the Father, and God the Holy Spirit.  No one ever ordered Him about—no one ever told Him what to do—He was never in the place of subjection—but now suddenly He is placed in the place of subjugation—He takes this position, He became a Man, and in becoming a Man, He became a slave.

9/  At this point let’s contrast, in verse 6 – in the form of God, with verse 7 He was found in the form of a slave. In eternity past, He was in the form of God, and no one could order Him about. No one could tell Him what to do, He was the Creator of the universe—He was the One who brought it into existence, but now He not only becomes a Man, He becomes a slave. Under the laws of that day, a man who had a slave could kill him if he wanted to, and he would not have to answer to the government. The government did not consider him a murderer—a slave had no rights—so when Jesus Christ came to this earth, He laid aside all His rights, His position and His rank. He descended to this awful position.

10/  Notice His life on earth—He was subject to His parents, He did what they told Him to do. He was subject to the government. When they told Him to pay taxes, He did—He made a fish bring the money to Him so He could pay the taxes. When He was told to carry the cross, He picked up the cross and bare it. Oh, how He descended in rank and position and authority.

11/  If you want a picture of Jesus Christ being a slave, laying aside His authority, His position, His rank you have it very clearly presented in the Word of God. 

John 13: 4, 5 He riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments; and took a towel, and girded himself. After that he poureth water into a bason, and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded.

Here we have Jesus Christ washing the disciple’s feet. It says He took a towel and  washed  the disciple’s feet. The picture is that of coming in from the road where it has been dusty, so if He would come in for a meal, He would be a guest, of course, and His host would have a slave there to wash His feet. So what happened? At the Last Supper, here, Jesus Christ as a slave, washes the feet of the disciples. This showed His position as a Slave.  

12/  He did what a slave would do—He took a towel, and girded Himself—that is the picture of the garb of lowly service, and that is what He took when He became a Man—He became a slave, He descended upon the face of this earth.

13/  Truly, the descending of Christ on earth is a picture of the humiliation of God Almighty. We do not realize how God was humbled to become a man. That is because we have a false idea of the dignity of the human race—we do not see the human race in its true picture. Depraved—filthy—foul—dirty individuals, and God had to stoop—not only to become a man, but to become a slave to redeem man.

14/  Every time I think of this truth of Ephesians 4 and Philippians 2 I think of something I read in the Pittsburgh Post a while back. A man who was bank president—He had luxurious surroundings there at the bank, and he lived in a mansion, and his family had the best of everything—but he was found guilty of a crime. A doctor had come to him and said, I want to borrow $15,000. He said, All right, I’ll see that you get the $15,000 but you will have to give a kick-back, or a payola of $2,000 under the table, and I’ll see that you get the loan. And so the loan went through that way. The man was sent to jail—and can you picture that? He will live in jail while his family is in a luxurious home. They will live in the mansion, while he will live in a cold, damp cell, they will have every enjoyment of freedom, while he will live with 1,000 criminals. He is humiliated. But that is nothing compared to the humiliation of Christ when He became a man. O, appreciate it. It was through this humiliation that we have salvation.

15/  Suppose you should come upon a very small pygmy race. They are tiny, and very beggarly, and in all their ways, they are unclean, and their moral conditions are terrible. They are mean, and they kill and they slaughter. They have language that other folks cannot understand, but suppose by some process you are reduced in size, so you can minister unto them. You tell them about God, and you willingly die for them there in the form of a pygmy—you say I’ll die for you. That is just exactly what God did. He went amongst man, He came from His exalted position and became a slave for man.

16/  How far did He descend upon the face of this earth? 

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.

Can you imagine Jesus Christ, God Almighty dying? It just wasn’t a matter that He died, it is the fact that He didn’t die a normal death—He died an accursed death. He didn’t die quietly among friends, He didn’t die a heroic death upon the field of battle. He was literally hanged. The death of the cross in that day was the death of the gallows, or the electric chair—the cross was the death of shame. 

Let us go back to Deuteronomy 21: 23  His body shall not remain all night upon the tree, but thou shalt in any wise bury him that day; (for he that is hanged is accursed of God;) that thy land be not defiled, which the Lord thy God giveth thee for an inheritance.

Here it talks about the disobedient son who is to be stoned, and the body is to be hung upon a tree, and to be hung upon a tree is to be accursed, of God. That is the death that Jesus Christ died—that is how far He descended. 

Galatians 3: 13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:

Galatians tells us the same fact. He descended all right, from the position of rank and authority, to the place of a slave and the death of a criminal.

17/  But God has raised Him up. Then He tells us in Ephesians 4: 10 He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.)

He ascended far above all heavens, what does that mean? Again this portion of Scripture is explained in Philippians 2 – Philippians 2: 9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:

Philippians tells us the story. God highly exalted Him, and here in Philippians 2: 9 it says therefore can be translated for this reason—why was the Son of God highly honored? Because He was willing to descend and be made a slave.

18/  Why is God highly honored? Because He is the Creator of all things? No. Because He is the sustainer and upholder of all things? No, not at all. He has been highly exalted because He was willing to take the place of subjection, because He was willing to put others ahead of Himself.

19/  This point of being highly exalted ahead of everyone is an answer, of course, to part of the Lord’s Prayer—John 17: 5 And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.

He says, glorify Thou Me with the Glory which I had in Thee, before the world was. His original position.

20/  This should be in the beginning in verse 8. Here it is brought out to us, when He ascended up on high He led captivity, and gave gifts unto men. Our blessed Lord chose Apostles when He was here on earth, but in the time of regeneration, that is in the millennial age, they shall sit on twelve thrones, judging the tribes of Israel. As the ascended Christ, He has given Apostles and Prophets to His church, but they are given from Heaven.

21/  Then notice, the phrase—He led captivity captive. Now what does that mean? We can get a help from the Old Testament. 

Judges 5: 12 Awake, awake, Deborah: awake, awake, utter a song: arise, Barak, and lead thy captivity captive, thou son of Abinoam.

Here we have the same expression. Deborah is praising the Lord for the great victory over Canaan, and here in the 12th verse we read—Awake, awake, Deborah—awake, utter a song—arouse Barak and lead thy captivity captive. What does the expression mean here? It can mean only one thing—lead captive him who held you captive.

22/  Then in Isaiah 14: 2 And the people shall take them, and bring them to their place: and the house of Israel shall possess them in the land of the Lord for servants and handmaids: and they shall take them captives, whose captives they were; and they shall rule over their oppressors.

Here we have a similar expression which I think gives adequate interpretation of what we have in Ephesians, it says here—and the people shall take them and bring them to their place, and the house of Israel shall possess them in the land of the Lord for servants and hand maidens, and they shall take them captive whose captive they were, and they shall rule over their oppressors. 

Surely this makes the meaning clear, and in our present passage the meaning is this—our Blessed Lord in His triumph over death, led captive him who had the power of death up to that time, that He might deliver those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. 

Hebrews 2: 15 And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

In other words, our mighty enemy Satan is now a conquered foe. He has been led captive at the chariot wheels of Christ.

23/  Now as we view this portion of Scripture we have a wonderful thought. I can’t help but be reminded as I read this potion of Scripture, that He the Lord Jesus Christ Who has gone up higher than ant other man ever went, once for our redemption went down lower than any other man has ever gone. He laid aside all He had and became a slave to man, and has now been exalted–ascended, He is now the man of the universe.

24/  I wonder if our souls really take in the fact that He is a man like ourselves, only, of course, glorified, sinless, and holy, sitting upon the throne of God. And that Man sits there, living to make intercession for His needy people as they go through this worldly scene.

AMEN

Ref: 04/24/1960 / 219 - DID CHRIST DESCEND INTO HELL? PART I / 07/31/2020

TO HEAVEN WITH LOVE

Photo taken by B Smith from the Patio

 

 

329 -1 TO HEAVEN WITH LOVE (Special 73) 

December 19, 1976

PASTOR HENRY F KULP 

 

John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth on Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 

God so love that He gave His son, Jesus Christ. And he loves the world, all of mankind. you, me, and all who inhabit this earth—past, present and future. Christmas is God giving the best that He had to man in his son. 

1/ Yet the story of Christmas is not only a story of love, it is a story of faith. Christmas embodies love and faith. Very few in this world understand the story of Christmas. 

2/ God’s giving started with the Virgin Birth.

 

3/ Luke 1: 19 And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to shew thee these glad tidings. 

This is the story of John the Baptist and His birth. To understand his birth and the birth of Jesus Christ you must understand a fact that is very important. To appreciate these two births, we must see the interval of 400 years between the book of Malachi—the last book of the Old Testament, and the birth of John the Baptist and Jesus Christ. 

4/ Some call them the 400 silent years. For in those years, we have no record of God speaking to man. He did not speak to man audibly, in a vision, nor did He send any angel with a message to man. 

5/ Some have the Apocrypha and some of these books speak of this period. But there is no question they are not inspired. They do not belong in the Bible. 

6/ They were 400 years of waiting. The people of Israel had returned from captivity in Babylon about 445 BC. And God had given Daniel a prophecy. At the end of the 483 years or 69 periods of 7 years, the Messiah, for the time had just expired. 

7/ Year after year they went up to Jerusalem to keep the feast of the Lord, hoping that Messiah would come, but nothing had happened until this very special day comes. And Zacharias was in the temple in the holy place, burning incense at the golden altar. 

8/ We need to look at him for a second. Zacharias, and Elizabeth, his wife, were childless. Elizabeth was barren and well past the time of having children. It was a great reproach in Israel for a married woman not to give birth to a child, and I am sure many people thought God was displeased with this couple, and as a matter of fact, Zacharias was very bitter. He wanted a son. 

9/ As he stood at the altar and sprinkled incense upon the fire that was ever burning there, outside the multitudes of people were gathered in prayer before God. As he stood at the altar suddenly the silence of four centuries was broken. 

Luke 1: 19 And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to shew thee these glad tidings. 

It was a startling experience. No living Israelite had ever seen an angel—they had heard and read of angels appearing in years gone by, but none of them had ever seen an angel. 

10/ Luke 1: 12 He was troubled the Scripture says, and fear fell upon him. 

And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him. 

It was the custom of that time for the Jews to think that it meant death to look upon either God or any heavenly representative. I am sure you will remember that in the Old Testament that when angels appeared to various ones they were filled with dread and thought that they were about to die. 

11/ Luke 1: 13 But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John.

But the angel immediately quieted his mind by saying Fear not. Did you ever notice how the angel always said, Fear not. 

Luke 1: 30 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.

Here the angel said Fear not, to Mary. 

Luke 2: 10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. 

The angelic host appeared to the shepherds who were attending their flocks on the hillside and again the angel said, “Fear not”. 

12/ Verse 13 But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John. 

He was to call his name, John. God told Abraham he was to name his son, Isaac. John means the grace of Jehovah. He was to prepare the way for the coming King. He was to baptize the King and then present the King to Israel. 

13/ Here we see the priest, Zacharias, was very bitter. And he said, What sign are you going to vie me? He is filled with unbelief. 

14/ Luke 1: 19 Gabriel actually says, have you failed to realize that I am Gabriel. And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to shew thee these glad tidings. I am the one who appeared to Daniel. You should accept my word. 

I will give you a sign, that you will not enjoy verse 20 And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season. 

15/ Luke 1: 21 And the people waited for Zacharias, and marvelled that he tarried so long in the temple. 

The people waited and realized he was in there longer than he should have been and they become anxious. And when he came out he could not speak. 

Luke 1: 22 And when he came out, he could not speak unto them: and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple: for he beckoned unto them, and remained speechless. 

This was to be the time when the priest should have blessed the people through the blessing that is found in Numbers 6: 23 – 26. Speak unto Aaron and unto his sons, saying, On this wise ye shall bless the children of Israel, saying unto them, The Lord bless thee, and keep thee: The Lord make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace. But he could not speak. So, he speaks of unbelief at this Christmas season. 

16/ The angel and Mary – Luke 1: 30 – 33 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. 

Mary’s response to the angel is very touching. She was well-prepared, for the message. She had child-like faith. Luke 1: 38 And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her. 

17/ And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. 

It would be well to recognize at this point that she was a sinner. Many say she had no inbred sin, but they are wrong, for here she acknowledges that God is her Saviour. She was just a sinner saved by grace and used by God. But she was a woman of faith. She believed the message of God. 

18/ We then have her going to the house of Elizabeth, the future mother of John the Baptist, and a cousin of Mary. 

19/ Now notice the difference. The priest Zacharias does not believe and he is struck dumb, and cannot speak. 

In Luke 1: 46 – 49 And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for, 

behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name. 

Mary speaks and her heart overflows with joy. Of all the sweet psalms and hymns recorded in the Bible, none is more touching or beautiful than Mary’s song of praise to God. This is the difference between unbelief and faith. 

20/ At this Christmas season if you believe God’s Word, concerning His Son, you too, can have a song in your heart. Belief allows one to break forth into song. 

Romans 15: 13 Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost. 

Matthew 1: 18, 19 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost. Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily. 

Here we come to Joseph, and he, of course is troubled. The Scripture says she was espoused to Joseph, yet, Verse 20 calls her Joseph’s wife. The espousal of that day was much different then our modern engagement. A man and woman had agreed to enter into marriage. It was just as binding as a marriage contract, even though they did not live together. I am sure he was troubled, for why did Mary go away and stay so long? She had been here about three months. So, he thought to put her away privately, not making a public example of her. 

21/ Verses 20, 21 But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins. 

The angel of the Lord again appears and explains what has happened to Mary, and it must have relieved Joseph’s troubled mind. 

22/ Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife: 

Here again we see faith in action. He did not doubt as Zacharias did. And he, too, had reason to rejoice. Faith is always rewarded. 

23/ Do you believe the story of Christmas as it is recorded in the Bible? It is not the Baby of Christmas that can save you. It is the Man Who went to the cross of Calvary and was made sin for us that will save you and make you a child of God. 

24/ II Corinthians 8: 9 For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich. 

If you believe in Jesus Christ, you must believe that He was virgin born, He lived a sinless life, paid the price of sin, and was resurrected for the dead. 

I Timothy 1: 15 This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief. 

His birth without His death means nothing. 

Matthew 20: 28 Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many. 

I Timothy 2: 6 Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time. 

AMEN 

Ref: 12/19/1976 / 329-1 TO HEAVEN WITH LOVE (Special 73) / 07/29/2020