CAN WE EXPECT ANOTHER PENTECOST?

Photo taken of Smith's garden 

 

21 – CAN WE EXPECT ANOTHER PENTECOST?

 September 18, 1960

Pastor Henry F. Kulp

 

Ephesians 5:18 “And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;”

We have been talking to you about the matter of being filled with the Spirit. We have taken two weeks so far in just this one thought, showing you folks that we need to be filled with the Spirit because we are completely corrupt, body, soul, and spirit. Instead of being spiritual beings, we are soulish beings, and our soul is incapable of getting us in right relationship with God. It is incapable of teaching us the things of God.

1/ We are not even capable of praying in ourselves. The Holy Spirit has to pray for us. This shows the utter depravity of man, and his need of the Holy Spirit indwelling him and directing him and taking charge of him.

2/ Then, last week, we showed you the two programs that God had—the kingdom program and the church program. This wonderful Person of the Godhead, the Holy Spirit, will be very active in both. He is spoken of as filling folks in the Kingdom program and filling folks in the church program, but the filling that He has in the two programs is entirely different. In the Kingdom program, He will fill folks and cause them to do His will. They will have to walk in God’s will, because the Holy Spirit will cause them to do that. However, in this mystery program, the Church program, He does come into our lives, and He fills us only when we permit Him and let Him. Even then, He does not cause us and make us to do His will. It is only when we meet God’s requirements that we are filled with the Spirit. It is an entirely different program from the Kingdom filling of the Holy Spirit.

3/ Some folks when they look at the church today say what we need is the Pentecostal power. We need the experience they had back there on the day of Pentecost. Is that being filled with the Spirit? The folks on Pentecost in the Bible are spoken of as having been “filled with the Spirit,” but is that synonymous with the filling that we have today? Let’s examine it and see.

4/ Acts 2: 16, 17 “But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel;  And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:”

Here Peter says that “this is that which is spoken of by the prophet, Joel, and it will come to pass, says God, in the last days I will pour out My Spirit upon all flesh...”

Now, Joel 2 is not to the Church which is His Body, Joel knew nothing about the church, it was a complete kingdom picture, and I believe, with all my heart, in the early part of Acts the Kingdom is again offered. Proof is that Peter says, “this is that which is spoken of by the prophet Joel.”

You will notice that it says, “all the Spirit shall be poured out.” And then we can go to Acts 2: 1 – 4 “And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” ...where it says that all on the day of Pentecost were filled with the Holy Spirit. Now notice there is no exhortation as we have in Ephesians 5: 18 ...”be filled with the Spirit” but they were filled, the language is entirely different from Ephesians 5: 18.

5/ All were filled, 120 strong, from the least to the greatest. Let us look at this. Peter boasted, Thomas doubted, James and John sought personal gain, and now they are all filled with the Spirit, and then you will also remember that when the Lord Jesus Christ was taken prisoner they all fled. Why this difference in their lives? Because now they are filled with the Spirit, they are captive of the Holy Spirit, He is causing them to do His will. They are not being exhorted to be filled with the Spirit, they have been filled. Do you know of any church, any assembly, any group of believers that are filled with the Spirit, from the least to the greatest?

6/ Did they all change because they prayed? Was it because they prayed long and earnestly? No, they had been instructed to go to Jerusalem, not to pray, but to wait—

Acts 1: 4. “And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me.”

Here is the answer why they were filled with the Spirit, not because they were godly or spiritual, or because they prayed long or earnestly, but because the time had arrived for the Holy Spirit to come in fulfillment of Joel 2 and they were all automatically filled.

7/ I want you to carefully notice the immediate things that took place in the behavior of those believers. The Holy Spirit came and took possession of them and not only did they speak with tongues and prophecy and work miracles, but they began living one for another.

Acts 2: 44, 45 “And all that believed were together, and had all things common; And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need.”

Acts 4: 32, 34, 35 “And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common. Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold, And laid them down at the apostles' feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need.”

8/ Notice, it says they were of one heart and one soul, it says the multitude of them which believed were this way. Never before had the disciples of Christ even approached such a spirit of love one for another. The twelve had never had anything like this in their past experience, and after this experience was over, the church never had anything like it since then.

9/ Just to show you that they did not have anything like this after this program changed with the advent of Paul, Acts 15: 39 “And the contention was so sharp between them, that they departed asunder one from the other: and so Barnabas took Mark, and sailed unto Cyprus;”

Here we find Paul and Barnabas, and there is much contention between them, it was so sharp that they departed one from the other. What a difference from the day of Pentecost. Oh, that you might see the difference in these two programs.

10/ If we can see the difference in this program, we can understand what John the Baptist said before the ministry of Jesus Christ blossomed into its fullness.

11/ Luke 3: 16 “John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire:”

Here it says that Jesus Christ was to baptize them in the Holy Spirit. It is not the Holy Spirit that does the baptizing, but rather Christ that does the baptizing and He baptizes in the Holy Ghost. This He did on the Day of Pentecost. He baptized 120 in the Holy Spirit, filled them with the Holy Spirit, and then we have the natural reaction of signs, miracles and wonders and the strict obedience to the will of God. But that is not so today, Christ does not baptize us in the Holy Spirit today. Rather, if we go to Galatians 3: 27, 28 we read “For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.” Not baptized into the Holy Spirit, but baptized into Christ, have been made members of Christ’s Body.

Then notice, the 28th verse, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female, for ye are all one—and the next part is important—in Christ Jesus.”

So, you can see on the Day of Pentecost we have the fulfillment of Luke 3: 16 and other promises that Jesus Christ made. They were baptized in the Spirit and all these wonderful things took place, but we today are baptized into Christ, which is far better. We are baptized into Christ. We receive the Holy Spirit and He fills us. Not to cause us to do His will, only as we yield to Him.

12/ Then we turn to Ephesians 4: 5 “One Lord, one faith, one baptism,” and we read of the one baptism—we are baptized into Christ, not into the Holy Spirit, so that baptism has not taken place today, it is yet future, and the Holy Spirit baptism is not for us today. That is a kingdom experience and they had it on the Day of Pentecost and for a short season thereafter, but today we have one baptism, we are baptized into Christ.

13/ But what does it mean to be filled with the Spirit? Every child of God, everyone who is saved possesses the Holy Spirit, and this Holy Spirit wants to fill him. Now it is not something to be worked up or prayed down, it is not that we are exhorted to fill ourselves with the Spirit, but rather, be filled with the Spirit. You cannot fill yourself with the Spirit, you must meet God’s conditions and then the Holy Spirit can fill you.

14/ Being filled with the Spirit means to be filled with the Word.

Colossians 3: 16 “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.”

One who is not filled with the Word cannot be filled with the Spirit. The next step we must see is that a newly saved babe in Christ is not a Spirit-filled individual. A babe in Christ is not spiritual or carnal, but he may be spiritually minded, or carnally-minded.

Romans 8: 6. “For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. If he is carnally-minded, he will wither up and not grow, and not have any strength. When it says to be carnally-minded is death, it does not mean that he will lose his salvation and not be saved and have to be saved agian, but as far as the Christian experience is concerned, carnally-minded brings death—there is no growth there whatsoever.

Peter told this same thing, I Peter 2: 2 “As new-born babes desire the sincere, (that is the pure) milk of the Word that they may grow thereby.”

So, when you are first saved, you need to grow, and the way to grow is to be spiritually- minded, is to keep your mind in the Word of God. A new-born babe cannot understand the will of God as yet, he has to study the Word so that he may grow and become spiritually minded.

15/ Notice what Paul says in Ephesians 4: 13 – 15 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:

Here he tells us that we come unto a perfect man. That means a full-grown man, and therefore we will be no more children tossed to and fro and carried about by every wind of doctrine.

Everyone loves a baby. What a joy there is in a household when a baby enters into it. What joy to play and fondle a baby, but that joy will soon turn to sorrow and disappointment if that baby doesn’t grow. The same thing is true with the child of God.

16/ The child of God should grow and become a man. That is what we have in

II Timothy 3: 16, 17 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.

That the man of God, (not the babe in Christ) but the man of God may be perfect, complete, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.

17/ Do not forget Psalms 138: 2 “Thou has magnified Thy Word above all Thy Name.”

The Word of God stands out so important, you cannot be filled with the Spirit unless you are filled with the Word. Again, we come back to this thought of those who place far more emphasis upon prayer than they do upon the Word. Let me ask you one simple question. What is more important? What we have to say to God, or what He has to say to us? There can be but one answer to this question because what God has to say to us is infinitely more important than anything we might say to Him. To obey God means the Bible, the Word, must have a central part in your life.

18/ Luke 10: 38 - 42 Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house.  And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet, and heard his word. But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me. And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.

19/ Every time I think of being filled with the Spirit, I think of being filled with the Word. I always think of Mary and Martha. Commentaries on this passage generally point out that both Mary and Martha had their good points. This, of course, is true. But when we just think about that, we rob the account of its intended lesson, for our Lord did not commend both sisters for their good points. He reproved Martha and defended and commended Mary with regard to one particular matter. What exactly was Mary commended for? Well, how often she has been portrayed as an example of those who spend more time with the Lord in prayer—but this is missing the point of the passage, again. Mary was not praying. She sat at Jesus’ feet and heard His Word. She just sat there drinking in all He had to say. This was the one essential thing which Mary had chosen which our Lord had said was not to be taken away from her. Hearing the Word, studying the Word of God hiding the Word of God in our hearts is the one essential thing above all others.

18/ May we stress again it is studying, not praying. Praying that is a result of studying is fine, but how Satan tries to trick us into thinking we are quite spiritual just because we are a talkative person. You meet someone who can talk all the time, and you can never get a word in edge-wise. They do all the talking you do all the listening. What do you think about God? Do you think God is interested in you when you do all the talking, and God does all the listening? Oh, how much emphasis Satan wants us to put upon this

aspect, but not upon the studying of the Word of God. Praying, yes, by all means being in the attitude of prayer, but above all, studying the Word, being filled with the Word. That is the only way we can be filled with the Spirit.

19/ Being filled with the Spirit will produce certain results and we have here in Ephesians what will happen when we are Spirit-filled. Let us go back now and study the results of being filled with the Spirit.

Ephesians 5: 19, 20. “Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;”

This should be translated, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, rather than, speaking to yourselves. It refers to the communication of believing people. Thus, we are to communicate with one another in spiritual songs. Oh, what a great part singing should have in the believer’s life—in the life of the Body of Christ, the assembly here on earth. I am always careful of someone who doesn’t care to sing. Who doesn’t love to burst forth in song, perhaps he doesn’t have any ability as a singer, but he can sing.

20/ James 5: 13 “Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms.”

Is any merry? Let him sing songs. I am sure it is clear that a great part of the early church in worship consisted of singing. In like manner, the Lord Jesus Christ and His disciples sang a hymn at the Last Supper.

21/ Matthew 26: 30. “And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives.”

Christian music is the only music which is predominately in the major key. Which depicts joy, freedom, life, happiness instead of sorrow, gloom, hopelessness. Listen to most of the songs of today, the silly rock’n’roll, and how it is filled with a mournful note. In England, they had to ban a song because the teenagers were rollicking in it, and thriving in it—it was a song that glorified a youngster that died a violent death in a flaming automobile accident. Oh, yes, our singing should fill our hearts, and if we are filled with the Spirit, we will be a singing people.

AMEN

Ref: 09/18/1960 / 21 - CAN WE EXPECT ANOTHER PENTECOST? 08/08/20

THE GOSPEL OF EASTER

 

52 - THE GOSPEL OF EASTER

April 2, 1961

Pastor Henry F. Kulp

 

Galatians 1: 1 – 12 “Paul, an apostle, (not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead;) ² And all the brethren which are with me, unto the churches of Galatia: ³ Grace be to you and peace from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ, ⁴ Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father: ⁵ To whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. ⁶ I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: ⁷ Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. ⁸ But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. ⁹ As we said before, so say I now again, if any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed. ¹⁰ For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ. ¹¹ But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man. ¹² For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.”

As we have been studying the book of Galatians, we have found that first of all, evil teachers have gone into the province of Galatia to the different churches there and they have taught legalism rather than grace, and of course to do this they had to tear down the Apostle Paul and the gospel that he had taught to these folks.

First of all, they said Paul is not an Apostle, and Paul sets out to prove that he is an Apostle. He is one sent from God, and he has been commissioned by God and he has the credentials to prove that he is of God. Then Paul goes on to prove that the Gospel he teaches is the only Gospel—that is the all-sufficient Gospel.

1/  You will notice he pronounces a curse upon any who do not accept this Gospel, or preach any other Gospel. Notice, Paul says, let him be anathema. That is strong language, but it is God-breathed. Notice, it is a double curse, because he repeats it. It is necessary for us to see that it is not an utterance of profanity but rather it is the curse of God upon this individual. So it is a serious thing to preach—it is a serious thing to say, this is the Gospel. We must be careful that we know what we are speaking about.

2/  What is the Gospel? It is given to us in I Corinthians 15: 1-8 It is Christ crucified for our sins, buried, resurrected the third day. ”Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. ³ For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; ⁴ And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: ⁵ And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: ⁶ After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep ⁷ After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles. ⁸ And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time.” 

3/  Galatians 1: 11, 12 “But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man. 12 For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.” Notice, it is not a Gospel of man—not after man, but it is a heavenly Gospel—Paul received it from Heaven.

4/  What has this Gospel done? It is a marvelous Gospel. But what does this Gospel do?Let us turn to Revelations 1: 18 “I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.” Christ is speaking now mark you—Christ is the Speaker, and He said, I am He that liveth and was dead, and behold, I am alive forever more. I have the key to death and hell. We are sinners on our way to death, and beyond death is hell, and these are powers. And Christ Jesus died, and when He came forth He said, I have the key, I have the keys of hell—hell has no more danger to the follower of the Lord Jesus Christ who believes in His death and resurrection. He says, I have the key of death. Death has been broken. The powers of hell are broken.

5/  We have mighty enemies all about us which have to be defeated—Sin and death and hell. And I say to you this morning that you have to have a salvation, a Gospel that delivers you from sin and from death and hell, for they are your enemies, and the Bible shows us that Jesus Christ took over every enemy, and when He was through and went back to Heaven, He had broken the power of death, the power of sin, the power of hell, and we are free. That is salvation and nothing else is. Men can formulate a religion but religion doesn’t save. Beware of religion, what we as sinners need is deliverance.

6/  And the deliverance is ours as far as death and hell is concerned, because Christ has the keys and the keys are the symbol of authority and control—it means undisputed authority, and Christ because of His death and resurrection has undisputed authority over death and hell, and in the original language, death goes before hell because that would be the natural order.

7/  I Corinthians 15: 17 “And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins.” I am sorry for the liberal, modernistic preacher who does not believe in the literal resurrection of Christ, because, according to this verse, whatever faith he may have, and he has faith, do not forget that—his faith is vain, it is empty, he is yet in his sins. Here, again is proof that faith is a dangerous thing. Unless you have faith in this Gospel that Paul preached you have anathema pronounced upon you, a curse upon you—the curse of God, because you must believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. 

Romans 10: 9, 10 “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. ¹⁰ For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” No one can be saved unless he believes the literal resurrection of Christ.

8/  But now what does this Gospel do for us? The Gospel of Christ Jesus crucified and resurrected from the dead? He delivers us from death and from hell, but He does even more than that. In this very book that we are studying—in the Book of Galatians we have a wonderful truth because of this Gospel—Galatians 2: 20 “I am crucified with Christ, never the less I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me.” Yes, this is the heart, the center, and the core of Christianity. Christianity is not what you can do, but what Christ can do living in you. That makes Christianity different from religion, doesn’t it? Religion is man doing something, Christianity is Christ doing everything.

9/  Colossians 1: 27 “To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: This verse says the same thing that Galatians does. Christ in you the hope of Glory. Christ Jesus is living. Christ in the believer. This wonderful Gospel says that Christ now lives in us.

10/  The truth of Christ in you is something new for this age in which we live. The Old Testament Saints did not have this. If we turn to the Gospel of John, we will find this glorious truth. John 14: 17 “Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.” David, you know, got to a very great height. The Sweet Psalmist of the Old Testament. But you ought to know, and I ought to know more than David. We ought to be better than David—we ought to stand on higher ground than David did. We ought to see things better than David ever saw them, for David did not have the indwelling Christ. Notice what he says in this verse. Christ made the promise that the time would come when the Holy Spirit would be in them, but at that present time, He was just with them—but now at this present age, we have Christ in us, the Nation Israel shall have Christ in them in some future day.

11/  As I follow this thought through, there is a wonderful verse in the book of Ephesians 3: 19 “And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.” That we might be filled with all the fullness of God. Christianity is not emptiness. If you find Christianity a bore you haven’t the real thing, for Christianity is fullness. God does take some things out of your life. People say, I can’t live without certain things in my life. You don’t give things up to be saved, but if you want to know the fullness of God, God wants to take some things out of your life that should not be there. The only reason He takes things out is that He might pour something in. He takes things out to make room for Himself and for His fullness.

12/  Solomon in his prayer said that Heaven and earth could not contain God, but you know, right here we can be filled with His fullness. That is how wonderful it is, that is what this glorious Gospel does for us, it can fill us with the fullness of Christ.

13/  But this glorious Gospel not only saves us, but it does other wonderful things for us. The resurrection of Christ means our resurrection. Romans 8:11 “For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.” Notice, the Spirit of Him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you. He that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by His Spirit that dwelleth in you. The body of the Believer the Christian is in the care of the Holy Spirit that is a wonderful thought. Because of the resurrection of Christ, the Spirit that raised Jesus Christ from the dead is taking care of our physical bodies. If the believer dies and his body is buried, that body is still in the care of the Holy Spirit. If you are saved God has given you the Spirit and the Spirit dwells in your body, and these bodies are the temples of the Holy Spirit, and if you die and that body is laid in the ground, that body is still in the care of the Holy Spirit, and that body will be brought back again.

14/  So many folks ask the question—what about the resurrection from the dead? Will it be the bodies that go into the grave? The Holy Spirit has care of that body, and the Holy Spirit will bring that body back, because it is His body, He lives in it, it has been His temple, and He cares for it and He will bring it back. There is an illustration I heard many years ago that I think makes this very real. You can take a paper bag and crumple it in your hand, and you can take that paper bag and breathe into it and it will come back again into its former shape. That is the body. The crumpled body that is in the ground, and all the Holy Spirit has to do at the resurrection is breathe into that crumpled body and it will come back again, the same body raised with more glory than ever.

15/  How wonderful it is to know this Christ Who will make us like unto Himself, Who, has guaranteed our resurrection from the dead by His resurrection, Who now liveth in the believer by His death and resurrection. It is a sad thing when men do not see the all-sufficiency of the work of Christ. I read of Dr. Tom Dooley, who was the world-renowned jungle doctor of Laos. With tears in my heart I read that on December 2, 1960, as he lay dying of cancer, he wrote to a college president and he said, whenever my cancer acts up, I turn inward a bit—less do I think of my hospitals around the world, of the 94 doctors, the fundraising and the like. More do I think of one Divine Doctor and of my own personal fund of grace—is it enough? Here is one who had no hope for the future. Here is one who had religion, and he lived a sacrificial life, giving his life for others. He died because he expended himself so others might have it better upon this earth, but think of the sadness of his death. He was a religionist—one who added works to the grace of God. He did not believe in the all-sufficiency of the death and resurrection of Christ, and thus as Mr. Dooley faced death, he did not write of resting and rejoicing in the accomplished redemption wrought by Christ, but he said of turning inward and wondering if his own personal fund of grace was enough. We know there is no such thing as a personal fund of grace. It is not a matter of our works; it is a matter of the work of Jesus Christ. He has done it all. O, that we might face death unafraid with no fear, because we know that Christ liveth in us, and because of Him we shall live forever more.

16/  Romans 14: 9 “ For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living.” Notice something else about the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ–for to this end Christ both died and rose and revived that He might be Lord both of the dead and the living. There was no one among all the sons of man who could master the situation down here on this earth. What is the matter with the human race? Not war, that is just an incident in the history of man. Men hate one another—men want power, they want dominion, and so they want war. But war is just an incident. What is the trouble with mankind? The trouble is the race dies. You don’t plant bulbs for them to die, you don’t plant seeds for them to stay in the ground and never come up. The trouble with the human race is that it is dead, dead in sins, yet they walk upon earth, but they are dead in physical sins. The human race hasn’t produced a man who could pay the price of sin and be conqueror over death—there wasn’t anyone who could do it, but God became a Man so that He could overcome death, that He might be the Lord of the dead and the living. 

AMEN

Ref: 04/02/1961/ 52 - THE GOSPEL OF EASTER / 08/07/2020 

(Harold and Barbara Smith joined the Altoona Bible Church the day Pastor Kulp preached this sermon. We were 19 and 21 as new born believers in Christ.)

WHAT THIS CHURCH OF ROME BELIEVED

 

WHAT THIS CHURCH OF ROME BELIEVED

September 8, 1963

Pastor Henry F. Kulp 

 

Romans 1: 1 - 5 PAUL, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of god, (Which he had promised afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures,) Concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David, according to the flesh; And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead: By whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for his name:

This Book of Romans is a very important portion of Scripture—we should all understand it, we should all read it and re-read it and re-read it. I am glad that in the early part of my ministry, the man who led me to the Lord, Mickey Walsh, told me as he was holding a week of meetings for us in the church we had in Brooklyn, to re-read and re-read the book of Romans. It has been one of the greatest blessings in my spiritual life.

1/  It was in this Book that Luther found the great truths with which he carried on the Reformation. He wrote a commentary on Romans, and a little company of people in England were reading Luther’s commentary on Romans, and a man by the name of John Wesley was listening, and he was saved by hearing this document on Romans. So what does Romans mean to us today? It means the Reformation—it means Luther and Wesley—two men who stirred the world for God.

2/  Now the main teaching in the Book of Romans is justification by faith. In other words, that we are saved by faith alone. And, of course, as Paul brings out—justification by faith, that we are saved by faith alone—he shows the utter ruin of man. Paul actually shows that man is a sinner in a two-fold way. First of all, he shows he is a sinner positively and negatively. Positively, because he has an abundance of sin.

3/  I wonder if you realize that the complete transformation in the life of Luther when he read, Romans 1: 17 “the just shall live by faith.” For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.

Now, Paul, of course, is the author of this epistle, and it was addressed to the little church, which had been established in imperial Rome. Paul had never been to the capitol of the empire, and he had a great desire to go there. He wanted to go there because he wanted to teach them the great truths that God had revealed to him.

4/  No one knows how the church at Rome had become established. Certainly none of the twelve disciples had been there—and Paul tells us this, in no uncertain terms in the closing portion of this Scripture as we shall study later on, and, of course, this disposes of the idea that Peter had been to Rome and founded a church there. For Paul tells us for many years he had a desire to come to Rome to preach where no disciple had been before him. Now, Peter was not the important man in Rome, for Paul was. Paul was the one who sent forth this glorious truth that is in the epistle of Romans.

5/  Romans 1: 1 Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God,

You will remember that all the epistles of Paul begin with his own name, and in Romans he does not link any other name with his own. In some epistles he says, Paul and Timotheos, or Paul and Silas, but Paul is alone in the Book of Romans. This is the truth he got directly from God by revelation. This proves to me that Hebrews is not a book written by Paul. For Paul always identified himself in the very beginning. He always began with his own man.

6/  Then, you’ll notice, that Paul calls himself a servant of Jesus Christ. In the original language, there is a figure of speech, hidden in the word that is brought forth here. Paul calls himself more than a servant—he calls himself a bond slave of Jesus Christ—the phrase goes back to a ceremony described in the Book of Moses. 

Exodus 21: 1 - 5 Now these are the judgments which thou shalt set before them. If thou buy an Hebrew servant, six years he shall serve: and in the seventh he shall go out free for nothing. If he came in by himself, he shall go out by himself: if he were married, then his wife shall go out with him. If his master have given him a wife, and she have born him sons or daughters; the wife and her children shall be her master's, and he shall go out by himself. And if the servant shall plainly say, I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free:

Now in the law of Moses, there were laws governing about a man who got into debt. When he got into debt, he became the property of his creditor, in fact, he became his slave. But this slavery had an end in view—it wasn’t for all time. When the seventh year rolled around, all the slaves were liberated and could go free once more as their own masters. Some of them, however, realized certain things about heir own lack of ability to maintain themselves in the rugged economy of a cruel world. They remembered when they had been their own free men, they just hadn’t eaten too well, they didn’t always have a good shelter over their heads, but now they had a kind master, and they were well-housed and well-fed. They looked forward to their future freedom with some fear and trembling, and they realized that they might soon again be living a life of hunger and cold. Now, no doubt, there were some who sought to escape the bondage of masters who were unkind, who were cruel, but there were others who treated their slaves with kindness, and as a matter of fact, the slave would come to love his master, and he would realize was much better off as a slave tooth’s man. This one could go to his owner and tell him that he desire to remain a slave. He would then be taken to the tabernacle, where the priest would lead him to the door posts and bore a hole in the lobe of his ear with an awl. From that time on, he was a slave of his master—he was known as a bond slave. Remember, he could have been free, but he chose to remain a slave of his master, because he loved him. Wherever he walked his ear proclaimed the character of his master. It said, I love my master—that hole in the lobe of the ear, shouted forth the praises fo the master—a slave-owner.

8/  Men talk about the freedom of worship. There is no such thing outside of Jesus Christ. There is no way to get to God the Father, except through the Lord Jesus Christ. God has not given you a choice of freedom of worship. It is either Jesus Christ or nothing. Bt maybe I had better add in here, and add it very clearly, I do not believe, and God has never taught, that w are to force people to worship the Lord Jesus Christ. Men do have a freedom of choice—do they want Christ, or don’t they want Christ? My mind always goes back to Luke 13: 34 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not!

Christ never thought of forcing men to worship HIm. Remember, He came to Jerusalem, and He cried out—Thou that killest the prophets, and stones them that are sent unto thee—how oft would I have gathered thee to my bosom, as a hen gathers her chicks, but ye would not. 

He wept, but He would not force them to believe on Him. And He will always weep as long as men remain away from Him, but He will not force them to come to Him. I do not believer in forcing people to worship the Lord Jesus Christ, they must of their own free choice chose Jesus Christ and become a slave to Him.

9/  Then notice, Paul was called an apostle. It is not called to be an apostle. The words “to be” are in italics. Now Paul was an apostle, and as such he was not one of the Twelve. He had a special apostleship—he used the de3finite article “the” before his apostleship many times in the Word of God, but before I show you that, I want to show you something about the word, apostle. 

Turn with me to Hebrews 3: 1 and there we read, Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the holy calling, consider the apostle and high-priest of our confession, Jesus Christ.

Yes, Christ was the apostle, the word means, one who is sent. It emphasizes the fact of being sent on a mission. When God calls a prophet, He gives him a message, but He possibly had that man stay right where he is and deliver that message, but the word, apostle, emphasizes the matter of being sent. 

You remember, that Jesus Christ was sent from Heaven to this earth. 

Notice, John 4: 34 where He says, My meat is to dot the will of Him that sent Me. Jesus Christ is the apostle, He is the sent One of the Father.

Then notice, John 6: 38 For I came down from Heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of Him that sent Me. 

Christ was the apostle sent from the Father. He had a special ministry. With this thought in mind, let us go to Romans 11: 13 where he say, I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch, as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office: 

He was the one who was sent to the Gentiles. Now it must not be concluded from what I am saying here that we consider Paul to be nearly as great as Christ or place him on the same level as Christ. Of course, that is not true—Paul was a sinner, saved by grace. We know that Paul was nothing in himself, while Christ was everything. But it is not the person we are interested in, but the position that God gave him as an apostle of the Gentiles. He said, I do not glorify myself, but I glorify or exalt my position—mine office.

10/  II Timothy 1: 11 where he says, Whereunto I am appointed a preacher, and an apostle and a teacher of the Gentiles. Paul had this unique ministry of going to the Gentiles. He is an apostle of the Gentiles.

11/  Galatians 1: 11, 12 And here Paul says, But I certify you brethren, that the Gospel which was preached of me, is not after man—for I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it but by the revelation of Jesus Christ. 

Notice clearly, he did not receive this message by a revelation from Christ merely, but by revelation from God the Father. It was the same way with Moses as it was with Paul. The Lord revealed Himself to Moses and spoke with him fave to face and mouth to mouth. And so it was with Paul. 

Notice what it says about Moses. Exodus 33: 11 And the Lord spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend. And he turned again into the camp: but his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, departed not out of the tabernacle.

12/  Numbers 12: 6 - 9 And he said, Hear now my words: If there be a prophet among you, I the Lord will make myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream. My servant Moses is not so, who is faithful in all mine house. With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches; and the similitude of the Lord shall he behold: wherefore then were ye not afraid to speak against my servant Moses? And the anger of the Lord was kindled against them; and he departed.

And I will speak mouth to mouth, even apparently—and that means plainly.

13/  Acts 26: 16 But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee;

And here Paul tells us about the Lord saying to him I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness. 

So Paul saw Christ face to face, and Christ talked with him. And then also notice 

Acts 22: 17, 18 And it came to pass, that, when I was come again to Jerusalem, even while I prayed in the temple, I was in a trance; And saw him saying unto me, Make haste, and get thee quickly out of Jerusalem: for they will not receive thy testimony concerning me.

And I saw him saying unto me, make haste and get thee quickly out of Jerusalem. So the Lord appeared to Paul again and again and spoke to him face to face and mouth to mouth and made him the apostle of the Gentiles.

14/  The apostle in II Corinthians 13: 2, 3 I told you before, and foretell you, as if I were present, the second time; and being absent now I write to them which heretofore have sinned, and to all other, that, if I come again, I will not spare: Since ye seek a proof of Christ speaking in me, which to you-ward is not weak, but is mighty in you.

 Paul wrote to the carnal Christians who had belittled his apostolic authority—the fact that he was the apostle to the Gentiles. They compared him with Apollos, Cephas and Christ, and he says, I will not spare, since you seek a proof of Christ speaking in me. In other swords these folks minimized the office of Paul.

15/  I spent time with this, because I want you to recognize this Book of Romans is so important, that it is for the Gentiles in this day and age, and it is the plan of salvation. It is the Word whereby we are made wise unto salvation.

16/  Notice, Paul was separated unto the Gospel of God. Here you have a God-given separation. The Gospel, of course, means good news. God’s good news is about Jesus  Christ, for notice, II Corinthians 13: 3 Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh;  The second verse is in parenthesis, so it should read, the Gospel of God concerning His Son.

17/  Now God’s good news is about Jesus Christ. As I sit down and meditate on those things and think of the world, and what men have done, I don’t think the world has any other good news but this. Let your mind go over human history. What has man done? What has anybody done? Aside form the cross of Jesus Christ, there has not been any good in tis world. Man may call it good, but in its final analysis, it is not good.

18/  God has nothing good to say to any man except, Christ died for you, and praise God it is for every member of the race—no one is left out. This is the best news under the sun—Christ Jesus has died for you and purchased salvation for you.

19/  Oh, you say, we do have good news, and I admit that perhaps you have good news that is for a moment. Perhaps somebody will say, I just got a new dress—a group of girls together—and the other girls say, that’s good news, you got a new dress. But that new dress wears out and has to be discarded. Some days it is used to polish the furniture, or perhaps to wash the windows on the car, it was only good news for a moment. Or you say, it is good news, so and so was healed of this sickness, he was on his death bed, and the Lord saw fit to raise him up. You say, that is good news. But wait a minute. If Jesus Christ tarries, that person is still going to die one of these days, so it is only good news for a moment—it doesn’t last. But the good news of Jesus Christ dying for us on the cross of Calvary, will be good news throughout all eternity.

AMEN

Ref: 09/08/1963 / WHAT THIS CHURCH OF ROME BELIEVED / 08/07/2020