A MATTER OF DEATH AND LIFE

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350 - 1 A MATTER OF DEATH AND LIFE

April 10, 1977 

Pastor Henry F. Kulp

 

Romans 4: 5 But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.

On this day in which we remember the resurrection of Jesus Christ, it is necessary for us to see that Christ Jesus arose bodily from the grave. If you do not see the empty tomb as a vital relationship to the cross, the cross is useless without the resurrection. It is the resurrection that gives meaning to the cross. The empty tomb proves convincingly that the cross was more than just the physical death of a mere man.

1/ The matter of Christianity stands or falls upon the doctrine of the resurrection. How do we know that death didn’t conquer Jesus Christ? We know He came forth from the tomb.

2/ There are those who say Jesus Christ didn’t rise from the dead, and they have an answer for the empty tomb. The enemies of Jesus Christ have certain man-made theories to account for the empty tomb.

3/ There is the theory that Jesus merely fainted or swooned away and afterwards recovered Himself and walked out of the tomb. Men have been known to do that very thing, but each of the four Gospels say that He did die. As we study the Scriptures, we find that the soldiers did not break His legs, which was the general custom, because He was already dead. They did it to hurry up the death of the victim. But they found Jesus Christ already dead. Suppose He was not dead—the embalming process which was carried on by Joseph of Armithea was enough to suffocate Him. One hundred pounds of myrrh and aloes were rubbed into His body and then the bandages were wrapped tightly upon His limbs. His body, His head and His legs. He was then placed in a sealed tomb and guarded for three days according to Pontus Pilate’s instructions. To deny the fact that He was a dead Man is impossible.

4/ Then there is another theory called the vision theory. This theory makes the resurrection of Jesus Christ the creation of love. Because of their love for Jesus Christ, it is claimed that Mary and the other disciples saw what they wanted to see, and overwrought people are often prone to do. They said this is what they wanted to believe, and so they believed it. And told it forth. This is not an honest evaluation under any circumstance.

5/ Then there is the theory that the body was stolen out of the tomb, and of course, this isn’t any more valid than the other two ideas.

6/ THE PROOF OF THE RESURRECTION

The disciples were not expecting Him to rise from the dead. They had heard Him say something about it, but really they never understood Him. And their faith in the resurrection was very vague. The death of Jesus Christ was really a great disappointment to them.

7/ They had expected that He was the One Who would redeem Israel. They were amazed when they found the empty tomb. They had embalmed His body and went back to the tomb to complete the embalming process immediately when the Sabbath Day was over. Why would they go to all this trouble if they really believed that He would come again from the dead? In three days? It is evident that they didn’t believe He would be resurrected and then, of course, you know about Thomas who said, Unless I see and thrust my hands into the wounds, I will not believe.

8/ But, of course, it all comes down to believing the Bible. The Bible is God’s Word, it is infallible, it is perfect in every way, and my great belief in the resurrection stems from the fact that God said so in His Word. There can be no question that the Bible teaches the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ from the tomb.

9/ Now let me show you what the death of Jesus Christ and the resurrection of Jesus Christ accomplished.

II Timothy 1: 10 But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel:

Here we read, But now is made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour, Jesus Christ. What is this appearing? This is the first advent of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is when He was born of the Virgin and lived upon this earth, went to the cross of Calvary and died and was resurrected from the dead. The word, appearing, is interesting in the Greek EPPE - FAW - NAY - AH. And it means the glorious manifestation—a shining forth. It means A MAGNIFICENT APPEARING. Here was the God-Man Who never sinned, Who never did one thing that was wrong, lived a perfect life, performed all sorts of miracles, even made the dead to rise up, and in this manifestation which He appeared He abolished—the word abolished, KOT - R - GET - O, to cancel, to render powerless. It is hard to express the meaning of this Greek word. If we had a word exactly the opposite of energize then we might be able to understand what Paul was talking about. Paul says Jesus Christ has rendered death powerless, or he has de-energized death. He has taken the heart and the sustenance out of death. He has robbed death of its power. He has brought death from the thing to be feared to a nothing. Death is still here but its force, its energy, its power, its sting is no more.

10/ How can we say this? When death is still as busy as ever, working over the lives of men. Therefore we have to understand the Word Abolish— what it means to render de-energize—powerless.

11/ We can understand this and we will use an illustration to prove it. If you have ever read the story of the death of Socrates. I am sure you have studied in school. Compare it with the story of the death of Stephen. Immediately you will see what I mean when I say Jesus Christ has de- energized death. We in the flesh can admire Socrates, His death is a marvel of courage. He girt his loins about him and with great courage he died. But he died. That is all you can say about him. But Stephen when he died, he died a horrible death, but he met it smiling, his face set like the face of an angel, and he said, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.

Acts 7: 54 - 59 When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth. But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God. Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord, And cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man's feet, whose name was Saul. And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.

Certainly in Stephen’s case, death had been de-energized. It has been made powerless. It is true it put the body in the grave, but the inward person was with the Lord Jesus Christ.

12/ Then notice, He brought to life and in the Greek FOE—TEED—ZOE and it means to put light on something that is already there. And what is already there? Life and immortality.

11/ Let us look at life. Go to the first verse of II Timothy 1: 1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, according to the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus,

He is our Life. We are born dead without life—spiritually dead. But through His death and resurrection, He has abolished death and brought life to light. This is the age of abiding life—life that has no end. It is real life.

John 14: 6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

John 11:25, 26 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?

Romans 8:2 For the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.

Philippians 1: 21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

12/ Then notice the next thing that is brought to light. Immortality, and this should be translated incorruptibility. There is a great deal of difference between mortality and incorruptibility.

I Corinthians 15: 53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

AMEN

Ref: 04/10/1977 / A MATTER OF DEATH AND LIFE / 09/02/2022

MAN'S FIRST INVENTION

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153 - MAN’S FIRST INVENTION

MAY 12, 1963

Pastor Henry F. Kulp

 

 

I Thessalonians 4: 11 - 14 And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you; That ye may walk honestly toward them that are without, and that ye may have lack of nothing. But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.

Paul brings out three things here that are important for us to see—we must learn to be quiet—we don’t know it by just a natural life, and to be quiet here means to put your complete trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, and secondly, he says to mind your own business—there are many who seem to have an ambition to mind every one else’s business but their own. And again this brings strife and discontentment and dissension.

1/ Then Paul says work with your own hands, my how man hates this thought—man is a pleasure-mad being. Work has always been an honorable thing, but man has not always wanted to work. When the Lord God put Adam in his innocency in the Garden of Eden, He told him to dress and to keep it. It has always been God’s program that man was to work. But then because of sin, man must work in the sweat of his face. Now labor is no longer a joy, but it is toil.

2/ God told Adam to get out of the garden because he had sinned. Before God told man that he was to live by the sweat of his face, the first invention of man was brought about because of sin. Do you know what the first invention of man really was? The first invention has been shown to us very clearly in the Bible.

Genesis 3: 7 And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.

After Adam and Eve sinned, both of them knew that they were naked. They didn’t realize it before—they were clothed in light. But this light was taken away, and they saw that they were naked, and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves aprons. In other words, the needle and the thread were the first invention of mankind, and these two inventions were brought about because of sin. And so man has ever gone on, trying to cover up his life by inventions and devising and, by planning. Have you ever wondered why man with his great inventions does no good to man, but always these inventions are used to the determent of society.

Take atomic energy—it was found because of the need to kill, and today rather than being a blessing, it is driving submarines and posing a great threat to mankind as a tremendous explosion that could destroy many nations.

Take the airplane, that should have been a great blessing, and it is up to a point. But in World War II it struck horror into the hearts of many people because it was used to rain fire down upon them.

3/ Paul is not ashamed to work, when Paul would administer the Gospel and run out of funds, he didn’t wring his hands and say, now, see God has been unfaithful to me. No, he didn’t blame God, he just went ahead and worked with his hands and made some tents. This was perfectly honorable.

Acts 18: 3 And because he was of the same craft, he abode with them, and wrought: for by their occupation they were tentmakers.

4/ We read, I Timothy 5: 8 But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.

He has denied the faith and worse than an unbeliever—one who has no faith. So work is honorable for the child or God.

5/ Now, starting with the 13th verse But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.

Paul talks about the translation of the church and we call it the Rapture of the Church, the catching up of the believers of this age to be with Jesus Christ. Now, many folks say, the word, Rapture, is not in the Bible, and they say that this truth of the Rapture is not a true Bible truth. And we must admit that the word, Rapture, does not appear in the Bible. The English word, Rapture, means to transport to a state of happiness, and this English word comes from the Latin word meaning, to seize quickly or suddenly or to snatch away. Now the word, Rapture, may not appear in the Bible, but it is a good word, for you will notice... I Thessalonians 4: 17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

Here, where it talks about being caught up, and it is the Greek word, Harpazo and it means literally, to carry off by force. So it has the same thought as the Latin word of Rapture—to be seized, to be caught up to be carried off by force. So the church, one of these days will be caught up to be with Jesus Christ.

6/ But let us understand this Scripture, why it was written and the occasion for its writing. Paul had been in Thessalonica a short time, but it is quite clear that he taught the Thessalonian Christians the truth of the Rapture— the catching up of the Church to be with Jesus Christ.

Then as this Epistle makes plain, there had been doubts as to the truth of the coming of Jesus Christ for them. But there is a problem that Paul had not made clear to them, and that they didn’t understand. They expected Christ to come back in their lifetime, to catch them up and have their bodies changed like unto the body of Jesus Christ. But Christ did not come and here and there an individual died, perhaps a sister, a brother, a mother, a father, a son or a daughter, and they took the body out to the cemetery and buried them, and they wondered, now what is going to happen to these people who are dead—what is going to happen to them when Jesus Christ comes, they will not be alive to be caught up and changed like the Lord Jesus Christ, and so this is all changed from the 15th verse. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.

Paul says that we which are alive and remain until the coming, the Appearing of Jesus Christ, shall not prevent them which are asleep—in other words, proceed them—we shall not go up ahead of them—they shall rise first—in other words, the bodies of those who are dead in Jesus Christ shall be caught up first, then those who are alive and remain, shall be caught up together with them in clouds to meet the Lord in the air.

7/ It is an interesting thing that we can see here—in verse 16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:

Here where it said the dead in Christ shall rise first, that word, first in the Greek is protose—it means file—file leader—it was the same word that we have in 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.

Paul says that he is the file leader of all sinners. So again you can see that this word does not mean worse, but it means the leader—the one who is first, the leader of a regiment. So the regiment of resurrection when Jesus Christ descends from Heaven, will be that the dead bodies shall rise first as file leaders, then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together and meet them in the air, and there in the air will be this great rendezvous, and then we shall go up with the Lord Jesus Christ unto the third Heaven.

8/ I can remember when James McGinley was alive, and of course you remember him—he came to Altoona many times for the Bible Conference and taught, he was a very witty Scotsman, and he told of the day that he was in a Bible Conference, and a lady came up to him and said, Why is it that the Bible says the dead shall rise first? He thought it was a stupid question and trying to be funny, he said, It is because they are six feet deeper than the rest of us, they have a longer way to go, and this woman was quite pleased and happy with the answer that he gave, when all the time he meant it for a joke. That is the way some people study the Bible. The thought is that the dead are first of all to have preference here. They are the file leaders. As their bodies are caught up, and then just a shade after that, those who are alive and remain shall be caught up to meet the Lord in the air. This is the fact that Paul is talking about, driving home to these Thessalonian believers. They are not to sorrow, they are not to weep because folks have died in Jesus Christ, they are still going to take part in this glorious Rapture of the Church.

9/ There is one thing we must bring out very clearly here, and that is that this is not the second coming of Christ. The Rapture and the second coming of Christ are two different events. As we told you, there are two programs in the Bible—one earthly, and one heavenly. This is the climax, the conclusion of the second program, which is the heavenly program, which has to do with the Church which is the Body of Jesus Christ. The Rapture ends this episode in God’s program, and it is finished. We are then caught up to be with Jesus Christ.

And now the second coming of Christ is just one phase in this earthly program. When Christ shall come back with the angelic armies of Heaven, sit upon the Throne of His Father, David, and rule the world for (1,000) one thousand years—called the Millennial Reign of Christ.

10/ Also another thing that would be worth bringing out, is the fact that when one church practically held sway over the world until the time of the Dark Ages, the Middle Ages, this truth was completely lost. People knew nothing whatsoever of it. Then came the glorious Reformation and the Protestant Movement, and men saw salvation by Grace, but they didn’t see this truth.

You can go to my study and read many writings of the older men of that age, and you will not find them talking about the Rapture of the Church. But at the turn of this Century, the great truth of the Rapture was brought to our hearts again. It was rediscovered by men, and they brought forth this truth that is known as the Blessed Hope or the Appearing of Jesus Christ. But the thing that disturbs me today, is that I believe there is a possibility it will be lost again, because men are so mixing it up with the Second Coming. But the Joy of it can be lost, the truth of it can be hidden once again.

11/ Now it is necessary for us to see that this Rapture, the snatching away of the Church which will end the earthly program of God as far as the Church which is His Body is concerned, is described in the Bible as a mystery.

I Corinthians 15: 51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,

Now, the word, mystery, means a truth that up to this point has been kept secret. It does not mean something that cannot be understood, but something that has been withheld as a secret until the time of its revelation.

Until the Apostle Paul came, this truth was not known—it was a secret, it was withheld. But God gave it to Paul, and Paul has given it to us.

12/ In the Old Testament and the Gospels we have much about the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, but we have nothing concerning the Rapture of the Church of Jesus Christ. For example, as I read about David as he draws his fingers across the golden harp strings, we can hear him sing as he lifts his voice.

Psalms 96: 13 Before the Lord: for he cometh, for he cometh to judge the earth: he shall judge the world with righteousness, and the people with his truth.

And there we are told, He cometh, He cometh to judge the earth. This is the Second Coming. This is not the Rapture of the Church.

13/ Then as the Old Testament comes to a close, in the very last chapter, we have the Lord’s Second Coming, not His Appearing for the Church, the Rapture.

Malachi 4: 2 But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.

An example of what the folks knew during the time of the ministry of Jesus Christ, is brought out to us in John 11: 23, 24 Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again. Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day.

Here we have Martha answering Jesus Christ by saying, I know that my brother shall rise again in the resurrection of the last day.

This is all she knew about was the revelation of Jesus Christ, the second coming, she did not know about the Rapture of the Church. And Jesus Christ did not correct her, and say, Well, now, that is not true, I am going to come in the air for the Church which is My Body. She didn’t know anything about the Rapture.

14/ Then notice, Verse 13 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.

Paul does not rebuke these believers for sorrowing when they lost a loved one in Christ Jesus. There is bound to be sorrow with death, it is hard to lose a loved one and to know that you will not see a loved one on this earth again, but He says they are not to sorrow as others who have no hope—in other words there will be no reunion here, but there is not one reason for us to sorrow for those who have died. Oh yes, our sorrow is usually a selfish thing. But our sorrow should never be for those who have died in Jesus Christ.

15/ The believer loses absolutely nothing when he dies.

16/ Then you will notice in this 13th verse But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.

The believer is described as being asleep, and there is one thing you should know is this term asleep, is never used in connection with the unbeliever. You cannot find the Bible speaking of the unbeliever as being asleep. The term, asleep has only reference to the believer. The one who has died outside of Jesus Christ is dead and eternally separated from God —Beyond any hope of salvation. We know that this term, sleep, has to do only with the physical body, and so the physical body has been put to sleep until the time when it will be awakened.

17/ Paul has a very unique way of talking about the body in its manner of sleeping in death.

I Corinthians 15: 42 So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption:

Here the believer’s body is spoken of as sown—it is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption. It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory.

Did you notice the word that God uses here to describe our action with the body of the believer when it dies? He does not say we bury it—we do, of course, but he doesn’t say, we put it in the ground. He says we sow it as seed. And from the sowing of the seed there is going to be a harvest—a harvest that is as different as the bulb is from the flower when it finally is grown. As different as the tulip is from that dead looking thing that we bury in the ground. So the dead body of the believer is going to be transformed like unto the body of Jesus Christ, and so the believer’s body is planted, not buried. So therefore, being planted, he is put to sleep. What a wonderful figure we have here for the body of the child of God.

18/ In verse 14 we have the basis for this hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.

For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again—if we are Christians, we do believe that. In other words, we are not Christians, we are unsaved if we do not believe this as this is the very foundation truth of Christianity.

19/ When Paul says, we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep, we recognize that the English word, prevent, has changed its meaning in the last 380 years or more. When the Bible was translated in 1611, to prevent meant to go before. A good example of this may be found in Psalms 119: 147 where David said, I prevented the dawning of the morning, and cried: I hoped in thy word.

He did not mean He prevented the sun from rising, but that He was up and praying before the sun arose. The word, prevent now means hinder, but it did not mean it when this word was translated from the Greek.

Nothing will hinder the Lord Jesus Christ from snatching away His children —the Rapture of His Body the Church before the Tribulation begins. We will be delivered—snatched away—before the WRATH OF GOD is poured out on this sin-cursed earth.

Are you ready?

AMEN

Ref: 05/12/1963/ 153 - MAN’S FIRST INVENTION / 08/28/2022

THE WRATH TO COME

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10 - THE WRATH TO COME

February 3, 1963

Pastor Henry F. Kulp

 

I Thessalonians 1: 9, 10 For they themselves shew of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God; And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.

We said in these two verses we have two words which cover the whole Christian life— serve and wait. Notice their connection. These people served the living and true God while they waited for His Son from Heaven.

1/ And this Son from Heaven has delivered us from the wrath to come. But the message that the church has for this unbelieving world is wrath and grace. Wrath and grace comprise the message that we have for society in its sinful condition. We want the world to know it is living under the wrath of God, but grace is the answer to this condition.

2/ Some people are disturbed by the idea of a God of love possessing wrath, but do you realize any god who does not have wrath is a monstrosity? He is a crippled God. God’s attributes are balanced by His perfection. Do you know that one of the proofs of the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ as set forth in the first chapter of the Epistle to the Hebrews is that He knew how to hate.

Hebrews 1: 9 Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.

3/ Romans 1: 16 - 18 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith. For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;

And here we see two revelations, it has to do with the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Christ dying for our sins. First of all, the Gospel reveals God’s righteousness. It is a revelation of this—that you who have no righteousness can have righteousness through the Gospel, the cross. He is ready to bestow it by faith. But the Gospel is also another revelation, for the wrath of God is revealed.

I do not believe that any such revelation of God’s wrath has ever been given as the revelation of the cross. Where Jesus Christ was crucified and made sin for us. Where God let His wrath out against His Son that we might be saved. This is given to us in II Corinthians 5: 21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

I do not believe we are really able to fathom the depths of this verse, but you listen to it. But He hath made Him to be sin for us Who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God.

There you will notice the two revelations. Christ feeling the wrath of God, and man being enabled to have the righteousness of God through the Son of God being made wrath for us.

4/ Let me illustrate what I mean. You have that sweet, dear little girl in your home, running about as a little ray of sunshine that you love, and actually you would be willing to die for that child. But what would ever induce you to place upon that little girl some dread disease that would paralyze her, that would put her in a place of agony, that would spoil her life and put her in excruciating pain. You say, nothing could induce you to do that. But, suppose you know that if you would have this disease put upon that little girl, a thousand other children would be spared? Would you still be willing to do it? No, I doubt very much whether even this fact would induce you to have the dreaded thing placed upon that little one you love so much. That is God’s problem. That is exactly what God did. God did what no human father would ever be willing to do. He put the wrath of sin upon His Son, so that we might have the righteousness of God as a gift.

5/ But now let’s take this a step further and notice Romans 2: 5 But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God;

Here He talks about the day of wrath. There is a day of wrath coming. When is this day of wrath? So let us read Romans 2: 3, 4 And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God? Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?

Here it talks about, O, man, do you think you will escape thee judgment of God? When you despise the riches of His goodness, and forbearance and longsuffering?

And here we have God talking about common grace. You might ask, Pastor, what is common grace? The highest manifestation of Grace is found in Jesus Christ in the cross of Calvary, when God gave Himself for sinners and now gives us everything for nothing through His death.

But then there is a common grace—we have to see that God does not owe anything at all to any of His creatures. If God had taken Adam and Eve after the fall and sent them into the Lake of Fire immediately, He would have been just. Or if He had permitted the race to come from Adam and Eve just to live out in sin, not providing any plan of salvation at all, and all of this race go to hell, He still would have been just, and the angels would have been able to sing, Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty, all the earth is full of Thy Glory. But this is not what God has done. Even though God does not owe a thing to any man, He has manifested His common grace toward unsaved man. For example, if you are not a believer in Jesus Christ, you are still alive on this earth, and you are still not in hell. That is the grace of God. Here you are on this earth in good health, and more than likely in prosperity, that is the common grace of God. The vast majority of those who listen to my voice this morning live in comfortable homes or apartments. That is common grace, you don’t deserve it but God has permitted it. You come home from your job and your child rushes to meet you in good health and high spirits. That is common grace. You are able to put your hand into your pocket and give the child a quarter or a half a dollar for an allowance—that is common grace. You go into your house and you sit down to a good meal, and enjoy it. That is common grace. And you know the thought is this, man takes this common grace, God giving him all this, when He should be giving him nothing but wrath and pain and tribulation and suffering, and man turns his back upon all of it and he just ignores it, and ignores Jesus Christ and His glorious Gospel.

Romans 2: 5 But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasures up unto thyself wrath unto the day of wrath?

What is man doing? Man, as he ignores this common grace of God, accepting it and rejecting God’s Son and His glorious Gospel, He is treasuring up wrath against the day of wrath.

6/ Notice, Romans 2: 4 Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?

Do you? The answer, of course, is that you do. Man is by nature filled with ingratitude toward God. The English word despise, has a literal meaning of looking down upon. Man believes he has reached such a high summit that he can look down upon God and all that God has given him by His grace. And all the while man forgets that he is treasuring up wrath.

7/ Verse 5 But after thy hardness and impenitent heart...

Here is the reason why man does that. Do you know what the Greek word that is translated hardness is the one that doctors have adopted to describe the disease of the hardening of the arteries. And, of course, you realize that the hardening of the arteries my take you to an early grave. But, there is a far worse disease—the hardening of the heart, spiritually, will take you to this day of wrath.

8/ Why is God showering His common grace upon man? The end of the 4th verse says, not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance.

In other words, to mend your ways and to receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour. But man doesn’t realize this common grace is doing this. But do you realize the common grace that God is showering upon you is bringing you to that terrible day of the wrath of God?

Every doctor knows there are medicines that will cure some people and kill others. For example, the sulfa drug—it will work wonders with certain types of pneumonia, yet there are certain human bodies that are allergic to these drugs, and when this drug enters the blood stream it will destroy the one type of white blood cells, and it will bring death to the patient. It will destroy the one thing that helps to cure infection. And so, it actually destroys the defender against the infection. And so, it is with the common grace of God. The Lord pours out His grace upon mankind. If you receive it, your sins are removed, but if you reject it, then that grace will become the wrath of God and destroy you, and cast you into the Lake of Fire.

9/ But let us go back to I Thessalonians 1: 10 And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.

Now, what is the wrath to come in this Scripture? It is hell, it is the day of wrath when men will be cast into hell? Oh, no, not at all. You will notice that Paul is talking about the Appearing of Jesus Christ, the Rapture of His Church, they lived day by day in the expectation of Christ’s Appearing for them. And so Paul is not talking here about eternal judgment, but rather they look for the Lord, they know that they will be delivered from the wrath that is coming upon this world. This is not the day of wrath, the judgment, this is another time, which will be wrath upon this earth.

10/ Isaiah 28: 21 For the Lord shall rise up as in mount Perazim, he shall be wroth as in the valley of Gibeon, that he may do his work, his strange work; and bring to pass his act, his strange act.

Here is God talking about this day. In other words, strange means to vary from the usual, or ordinary. God’s work right now is saving souls, He is still trying to get men and women to turn to Him in Jesus Christ, but a day is coming when He is going to stop doing His usual work, and He will speak to man in wrath, and He will pour out His wrath upon this earth.

Isn’t it wonderful to know that the church will not go through this wrath? We have been delivered from it.

11/ Isaiah 66: 15, 16 And here is another picture, For, behold, the Lord will come with fire, and with his chariots like a whirlwind, to render his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire. For by fire and by his sword will the Lord plead with all flesh: and the slain of the Lord shall be many.

Notice, this next part—And the slain of the Lord shall be many. That is not talking about eternal hell, this is talking about the time when God will pour out His wrath upon this sin-sick, sin-weary world that is in rebellion against Him, treasuring up, and misering up wrath by rejection of the common grace of God.

12/ Now let us go back to the book of Proverbs.

Proverbs 1: 24 - 29 Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded; But ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof: I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh; When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you. Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me: For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the Lord:

And here God says, because I have called and you have refused. In other words, they refused what God has presented, I have stretched out My hand and none hath regarded it. But ye have set at naught all My counsel and would none of My reproof.

Notice this, I will laugh at your calamity, I will mock when your fear cometh. Does this sound like 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.

Does this sound like God presenting common grace to man? No, this is the day when the common grace of God will be withdrawn, and it will be a day of wrath upon this earth. Then, He says in the 27th verse, When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind, when distress and anguish come upon you, then notice, men shall call upon Me, but I will not answer, they shall seek me early, and they shall not find Me.

Here we have the strange work of God which has to do with the wrath of God. 

13/ Let us go to another Scripture.

Zachariah 14: 12 And this shall be the plague wherewith the Lord will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth.

Here is another description of this awful day of wrath. And then he says, Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet. In other words, flesh shall melt on their bones. This is not hell, this is the day of wrath. Then He says their eyes shall consume away in their holes. Eyes shall melt and run out of their sockets. Man shall have liquid eyeballs, and their tongues shall consume away in their mouths, their tongues shall melt in their mouths. What an awful day of wrath is coming upon this earth!

14/ But in this same book, Zachariah 9: 12 we have another picture of this day of wrath. There will be a time when man will be given a chance to turn to God, but not those who have already heard the Gospel during this present day and age, but those who have not heard it. Notice what God says here. Turn you to the strong hold, ye prisoners of hope: even to day do I declare that I will render double unto thee;

There it is, double or nothing. In other words, if the folks of that day will flee from their false hope and turn to the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, He will pour out a double blessing upon them. If they refuse, they will have nothing of mercy, and double of wrath. You cannot win unless you play by God’s rules. If you are stubborn and refuse His Word, all that can come upon you is wrath. But, if you know Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, if you will turn to Him, you will be delivered from the wrath to come upon this earth, and delivered from the day of wrath when men and women who turn their backs upon God will be turned into a hell of fire and brimstone.

15/ Notice, Paul speaks of Jesus which delivered us. He is the only One that can deliver you. There is no other way to escape the wrath of God.

Acts 16: 31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.

AMEN

Ref: 02/03/1963 / THE WRATH TO COME / 08/27/2022

NOT NOW, BUT AFTERWARD

Photo by B Smith from the Patio

 

 

253 – NOT NOW, BUT AFTERWARD 

November 25, 1962

Pastor Henry F. Kulp

 

The word wait has a large place in the Christian life. We are to wait for this to happen. What we have right now is an earnest of our possession and an earnest in the olden days was just a handful. A man might buy 100,000 bushels of wheat and take home with him a handful to see that when the bulk is delivered it is the same.

I can remember a while back—a few years back, my father, when I was in Philadelphia told me to go to his tailor and he would pay that I could have a tailor-made suit. So, I went to see the tailor and my wife wasn’t along at that time, and she as back home in Altoona. So, I picked a bolt of clothe and the tailor took my measurements, and I said, I am going back to Altoona, and I would like my family to see what type of suit I’m getting. So, what did he do, but he took his scissors, and he cut a piece of material, just maybe an inch by an inch and a half, and he gave it to me and he said, “Here, you can show them what you are getting.” That literally was a piece of the suit I was getting. All I had when I came back to Altoona, because he mailed the suite to me later, was just that little piece of clothe, but it showed me what I was getting, and I could make sure the suit was of that same clothe when it came.

The word, wait, is here. We have the earnest at this present time.

Romans 8: 17 - 19 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. For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.

Many folks look at the Christian life and they say, “If that is the Christian life, I don’t want it.” They see the suffering that many Christians go through. They see that folks many times shun them—they see that many folks are maligned because they love the Lord Jesus Christ, and they say—I don’t want that type of life. Many children of Godly parents have said this very thing, for they have seen that their parents have paid a price for loving and serving the Lord Jesus Christ. But there is one thing you must recognize —you cannot judge the Christian life by what Christians have here and now. You cannot judge the Christian life by the things that many Christians suffer—it is true that we have been promised suffering, but the life that the Christian lives here is not the life that you judge Christianity by.

1/ When we look at this passage of Scripture that we want to study this morning, one word shouts out to us, it is the word, wait. Waiting has a large place in the Christian life—just notice what Paul says to us in Romans 8: 18. Notice, we may also be glorified together—The suffering of this present time is not worthy to be compared to that which will be revealed in us. This is all future, and the Christian is waiting for all this to come to pass.

2/ I remember there was a preacher I used to love to listen to by the name of James McGinley. He had a sermon entitled, “Not Now, but Afterward,” and I heard him preach it quite a few times—and I used to thrill to it as he would bring it forth in his Scottish manner. He would tell us about the time that he would get a new suit of cloths--as soon as the box was delivered to the house, he said he would cut the string, tear off the paper, and remove the lid, and then he would say to his mother, may I put the suit on now, and she would reply, “Not now, but afterward.” And then he pointed out that before meals, he had a very strong boyish appetite. He craved food, and one look at him would show that he did—and he would say, “Mother may I have a slice of bread and jam now, and, of course, he was raised in a home where the folks were very poor, and she would answer, “Not now, but afterward” and then, the parents would promise to take him on a picnic, and he would say, "Are we going on the picnic today?" And every morning when He would wake up he would say, “Is this the day?” And his mother would say, “Not now, but afterward.” Life is a good bit like that for all of us—the things we want to do, we can’t do just now. That word, wait—not now, but afterward is ever before us.

3/ Let us look at the 17th verse. 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.

I am so glad that God is not governed in His actions as man is governed. Notice, if children, then heir.

A human father can disinherit a son for many reasons—he can cut off his child without an inheritance because he thinks the child is unworthy—or perhaps he has been insulted by something that the child has said or done, and then he can disinherit a son because of just some simple whim of his own—but the heavenly Father can do none of these things—He is bound by the character of His nature. The reasoning that Paul sets forth here is purely divine. If children, then notice, then heirs.

There are two parts to the phrase—two nouns—children and heirs. There is an if associated with the first of these two words, but there is no if attached to the second word. It is true that He has to set forth a doubt in connection with sonship, because there are many of His creatures who are not His children—but once one is saved and believes in the Lord Jesus Christ, he becomes a child of God then by necessity, he is an heir of God.

What does it mean to be joint-heir with Christ? A joint-heirship is something that is left and is divided. To be joint-heir is to hold whatever is left jointly and never to have it divided. What Christ has we come into the possession of, and we shall always possess it with Him, and the Lord Jesus Christ will say to us—this much is yours, and this much is mine. We will have all things together—all that is the Father’s is Christ’s, and all that is Christ’s is ours. Never to be divided.

4/ When you stop to think about this point of waiting for this—what if one doesn’t have too much on this earth—what is there on this earth that can compare with that which we will have in the future? We might compare the fortunes of men to anthills. Here is an ant who builds a little bigger hill than the other fellows. But it is still just an anthill. Compare that with the houses and the buildings and the mansions in which men still live here. What is an anthill? Not very desirable is it? Well, actually what men have down here on earth—all their fortunes, their houses and their cars. They are merely anthills when compared with what God has for those who love Him. Yes, one may get a little more than another, but he just has a little larger anthill and that is all, and it will mean nothing in eternity, and it will be just an anthill compared to what the child of God will have in eternity.

5/ It might be well if we understand that in law there is a large difference between an heir and a joint-heir. The distinction can be explained as follows. If a man dies, leaving a large farm to four sons who are four heirs—the estate is divided equally and each heir receives 25% of the whole. But if a man leaves his estate to four of his sons as joint-heirs, then each one own the whole farm, each one can say, the house is mine, the barn is mine, the fields are mine. In human division, such a procedure might be undesirable, because it would be possible for the brothers to fight over the inheritance, but in divine procedure it is perfect, for we shall all be like the Lord Jesus Christ, and each will be seeking the good of others before his own good—so this is a perfect setup. What God owns, we own, and we will share it with Him jointly—through all eternity. Certainly the suffering of this life cannot be compared with what we will have in eternity.

6/ Every time I read this Scripture, my mind goes to II Timothy 4: 7 where Paul says, I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.

You remember Paul was about to go and be with the Lord. He was ready to be martyred for the Lord Jesus Christ.

But notice the first word of II Timothy 4: 8 Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.

Henceforth—it is wonderful to have a henceforth in your life. Do you have a henceforth in your life? That is what we have that makes the future so wonderful. Do you have just a NOW in your life, or do you have a henceforth? Yes, we look at life now, and it is nothing compared to what we will have henceforth.

7/ When we go back to Romans 8: 17 where it says, If it shall be that we suffer with Him, it may also be that we shall be glorified together.

So, it would seem that unless we suffer, we are not going to be glorified together, but that is not what the Greek language teaches us at all. This is not a matter that is conditional, that if we do something, God will do something. That is not the thought here at all. So, let us notice three things in our text--the meaning of the phrase, if so be that—and the meaning of the phrase suffering with Christ and the meaning of our being glorified together with Him.

8/ Now let us look at the phrase—if so be that. It is a single word in the Greek, and it is pronounced A-PEAR and if we look at the word, we will find that it is not a phrase implying doubt at all. Let us notice how it is used elsewhere in the Bible.

II Thessalonians 1: 6 Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you;

Paul is speaking of the tribulation through which the believers were passing in that Macedonian town, and of the judgment that shall ultimately come upon their persecutors. We read that, ye may be counted worthy of the Kingdom of God, for which ye also suffer.

Suffering is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you. The three words SEEING IT IS, are used to translate our word, A-PEAR, and the idea of any doubt is alien to the phrase. Actually, it could be translated, Because it is a righteous thing with God. So we may translate this, then seeing it is that we suffer with Him that we may be also glorified together. Or, because it is that we suffer with Him, that we may be glorified together.

9/ A Christian is one who suffers with Christ, for notice, Philippians 1: 29 For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake.

The Apostle here enters into a discussion as to the degrees of suffering through which a Christian may pass. Some may suffer more than others, but there is appointed a ministry of suffering which the believer cannot fully escape, even if he would.

Additional verses of interest:

I Corinthians 15: 41 There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory.

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.

Romans 8: 19 For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.

Colossians 3: 4 When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.

AMEN

Ref: 11/25/1962 / 253 - NOT NOW BUT AFTERWARD / 08/25/2021