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We are
still in the north with Yeshua and the disciples.
He will clarify who He is, and what we must do
to be His disciple, and enter into eternal life.
8:27 Yeshua went out, along with His disciples,
to the villages of Caesarea Philippi (about
25 miles north of the Kinneret); and on the
way He questioned His disciples, saying to them,
"Who do people say that I am?" The King had
been powerfully teaching the Word of God, and
doing great signs and wonders, and boldly going
against Jewish traditions that crowded out the
Word of God. He was making a tremendous impact
on the entire nation of Israel. Everyone was talking
about Him, and had an opinion why these great
things were happening through Yeshua. They
told Him, saying, "John the Baptist; and others
say Elijah; but others, one of the prophets."
Notice that all the comparisons were to prophets:
John the Baptist, the great prophet who just died,
and Elijah, the great prophet who never died,
and the other prophets. It was obvious that most
of the Jewish people considered Yeshua to be in
the same category as Israel’s great prophets –
which He is. But He is also much more, as Yeshua’s
next question will elicit. And He continued
by questioning them, "But who do you say that
I am?" Peter (the bold spokesman for the apostolic
group) answered and said to Him, "You are the
Messiah."
Peter,
under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, boldly
and accurately asserts that Yeshua is the long
awaited Messiah. He is the Anointed One, the special
human being sent by God, on whom God would pour
out His Holy Spirit and fill with His Divine Presence.
He is the One who would fulfill the three offices
in Israel which lesser men were anointed for –
the offices of prophet, priest and king.
Yeshua
is the anointed Prophet, and the greatest of all
the prophets, who speaks most clearly about God,
and gives the ultimate and final revelation about
God. He us the supreme revealer of who God is.
Yeshua is the Anointed Priest, the Highest of
all High Priests, who brings a new priesthood
that is better than the priesthood of sons of
Aaron, the who brings us closer to God, and brings
God closer to us. He brings the blessings of God
to us. Yeshua is the Anointed King, the final
and ultimate ruler over Israel and the nations
from David’s family, endowed with salvation, girded
with righteousness and faithfulness, who will
rule over us with justice, and bring peace and
prosperity to Earth.
You
are the Messiah! And Peter was right. But,
the Jewish people had an incomplete understanding
of the work that the Messiah would accomplish.
We didn’t understand that the Messiah would come
twice. The first time He would come to die to
make atonement for our sins, so that we could
be forgiven and reconciled to this infinitely
holy God from whom the whole world is estranged.
Then, after His death, He would rise from the
dead, and be resurrected, and ascend, and return
to Heaven, from where He came. Then He would come
a second time, as a great victorious King, bringing
the fullness of salvation. But the Jewish people
in the First Century didn’t understand the two
comings of the Messiah, especially the need for
the Messiah to suffer and die. We only focused
on the victorious and conquering Messiah. And,
it seems that Yeshua didn’t want the Jewish people
to have that wrong conception about the Messiah
reinforced in our thinking, and He warned them
to tell no one about Him – that He was the
Messiah.
But, He
did begin to teach His disciples the truth about
His two comings, and His death and resurrection.
And He began to teach them that the Son of
Man must suffer many things and be rejected by
the elders and the chief priests and the scribes
(the Torah-teachers), and be killed and after
three days rise again. These are the religious
leaders and experts of the Chosen People. Out
of all of humanity, they supposedly understood
the God of Israel, and His divinely inspired Book,
the best of all. If they could be so terribly
wrong about something so important, and not recognize
the Messiah when He came according to the prophecies,
along with great signs and wonders, dare we automatically
trust our religious leaders without comparing
what they teach to the Bible; without double-checking
in the Word of God that what they are telling
us agrees with the Holy Scriptures?
Yeshua
clearly predicts His own rejection by the leaders
of the nation, and His suffering, murder, and
resurrection. And He was stating the matter
plainly. He predicted the future to His disciples
not using parables, but prophesying clearly what
the majority of Israel’s religious leaders would
do to Him, the wonderful King Messiah.
But Peter,
who had just spoken so accurately and so insightfully,
with God-given inspiration, so quickly loses his
God-given inspiration, and operates under another
influence – the deceiving power of the demonic!
And Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke
Him. Ah, Peter! What arrogance, thinking that
you know better than the Messiah sent by God!
And yet, before we belittle Peter, think how often
we do the same thing? We think that we are wiser
than God, and even though He has spoken plainly,
we try to correct Him using our superior wisdom!
How foolish to depend on our limited understanding,
and place it above the inspired and clear words
of the all-wise God!
Even though
Peter took Yeshua aside and tried to speak to
Him privately, the other disciples must have seen
or overheard what was going on, and when something
is said or done publically that is wrong, it needs
to be addressed publically. But turning around
and seeing His disciples, He rebuked Peter and
said, "Get behind Me, Satan; for you are not setting
your mind on God's interests, but man's." How
quickly those who are not filled with the Holy
Spirit can go from godly insight to demonic delusion!
How quickly Israel turned from God and the 10
Commandants, and worshiped the golden calf! How
soon, after Paul’s departure from Ephesus, did
the savage wolves and evil leaders come in among
God’s people, teaching perverse things, thereby
corrupting and destroying members of the community!
How do
we become so confused that they advance the Adversary’s
agenda instead of God’s plan? By setting our minds
on man’s interests, and placing those interests
above God’s interests. And how do we yield to
man’s interests? Let’s look at what happened to
Peter. He did not fully understand what the Scriptures
taught about the two comings of the Messiah. His
understanding was fuzzy. He did not fully understand
God’s plan. His fallen human nature wanted a Second
Coming Messiah. He wanted a Messiah accepted by
Israel’s leaders. He wanted a Messiah acknowledged
and loved by the world. He wanted a Messiah who
would make his life easier here on Earth, now,
in this world, in this life. He did not want a
First Coming Messiah, a Messiah rejected by the
world, and persecuted by the religious leaders.
That would mean that Peter would be rejected too,
and his life made more difficult, and that is
not what he wanted.
So, we
are yielding to man’s interests and Satan’s schemes
when:
We misunderstand
the Word of God.
We yield to our comfort.
We compromise with the world.
It is
only as Peter, or any other religious leader,
knows God’s interests, and speaks the full truth,
is he to be listened to. Otherwise, Peter, or
any other leader, is to be publically rebuked.
Therefore we must have a basic grasp of what the
Word of God teaches for ourselves, so we can compare
what our religious leaders are teaching – if they
are being faithful to the Holy Scriptures and
giving us the full counsel of God, and advancing
God’s interests, or man’s interests and the Adversary’s
agenda.
This lesson
is not for Peter, but for all of us. 8:34 And
He summoned the crowd with His disciples, and
said to them, "If anyone wishes to come after
Me (I can imagine so many thinking to themselves,
“O yes Yeshua. You are a great prophet. You are
fantastic! You are exciting and interesting! Life
with You is fun! I definitely want to follow You!”
But the Lord continues, he must deny himself,
and take up his cross and follow Me. Now I
can imagine them thinking, “Deny myself? What
else is there? What else do I have, if not myself?
Take up my cross? That doesn’t sound fun, exciting
or interesting. It sounds horrible and painful.
I don’t want to add pain to my life. I don’t want
to suffer. I don’t want to die! Follow You, Yeshua?
I’m not so sure about that anymore, Yeshua, if
it means denying myself, and what I have planed
for my life – a nice, comfortable life, a life
where I am loved and accepted by my friends, respected
by my family and community.”
The Messiah
continues telling us the truth. It’s hard truth,
but it is the truth nonetheless. For whoever
wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever
loses his life for My sake and the Gospel's (the
Good News about God’s willingness to save us)
will save it. Yeshua presents us with a choice.
There are two ways to go, two roads you can travel.
It’s one or the other. You can’t go both ways.
You can’t travel both roads. If you make a choice
to pursue your own interests, your own agenda,
based on your comforts and pleasures, you will
lose out on eternal life – real life, glorious,
unending, blessed, everlasting life. But if you
make a choice to sacrifice your life, your self,
your interests, your comforts, your pleasures,
your agenda for you life, in order to serve God,
and advance His agenda, and make all the necessary
sacrifices to accomplish His agenda, your life
on Earth will probably be harder, more difficult,
more painful, more persecuted, less popular, with
probably less money and fewer comforts, but your
life will be an eternal success.
Then Yeshua
tells us to consider these two choices in a very
practical way. He tells us to analyze the costs
and the benefits. What are the costs, and what
are the benefits? We should do due diligence before
you make our final choice. For what does it
profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit
his soul? For what will a man give in exchange
for his soul? We are dealing with profit and
loss. What choice brings us better value, better
profit? What is the better deal?
Let’s
examine the first choice. Gaining the whole world
would be something! Think of the wealth that would
accrue to you, and the comforts and pleasures
you would enjoy, if you controlled just one city!
Looks like the mayor of Detroit is trying to do
just that! Envision the wealth you could enjoy
if you owned a nation. Now imagine the wealth
and the comforts and the pleasures, and what a
great life you could have, if you gained the whole
world. Quite a few men have tried to conquer the
whole world, and some have come close. But the
problem is, even if you were successful, and gained
the whole world, and experienced the best of health,
you could only enjoy your pleasures for 50 or
60 years, and then all the pleasures are gone
forever. For in choosing a life of materialism,
wealth and comfort, you have forfeited eternal
life. That’s the first choice we can make.
Then there
is the second choice – choosing to live forever.
And you can live forever! Eternal life is very
real. It’s possible to experience everlasting
life and unending riches, wealth, pleasures and
fullness of joy and eternal bliss with God the
Father, and with Yeshua, our wonderful Kinsman
Redeemer, filled with the Holy Spirit, enjoying
the good angels and the souls of the other righteous
people, living in the New Jerusalem which is a
real city, on the New Earth, which is a real planet,
in the New Heavens, which will be a new universe,
forever and ever!
So, here
are your two choices: 50 or 60 years of pleasure
in this world, this world which seems so real,
so tangible, so solid, or everlasting bliss in
the World To Come, that world which seems less
real, less tangible, less solid – unless you have
the eyes of faith, unless you have faith in the
invisible and living and eternal God and His Word
– and then you know that what seems so real and
solid and lasting, really isn’t, and what you
can’t see, is real and solid and true, and will
last forever.
Therefore,
after you do your cost analysis, and consider
the profits and losses of the two choices offered,
and have done your due diligence, I suggest that
the only logical choice is to choose the way of
the cross and the path of suffering, and the way
of denial of life in this world. We must choose
the path of suffering, not ease; the way of the
cross, not comfort; rejection by the world, not
acceptance, total comittment and service to God,
not service of self. Isn’t this the way Yeshua
Himself took? But, as He showed us, the way of
suffering is also the way of resurrection and
honor and glory and sure and lasting life!
Do you
believe that it is possible to live forever? Enjoy
eternal life? Then show it by your choices, and
prove it by your words, and by your actions, and
by your bold and close identification with the
Messiah and His teachings! For whoever is ashamed
of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful
generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed
of him when He comes in the glory of His Father
with the holy angels."
Yeshua’s
generation, and every other generation, is full
of warped, twisted values, attitudes and ungodly
behaviors. The whole world of human beings is
corrupt and unfaithful to the infinitely holy
and pure God. And you want to stay on the world’s
side, and enjoy the approval of this world? You
want to be a member in good standing of your generation?
You want to be accepted and loved by the majority?
You won’t speak up for the King? You don’t want
to offend? You don’t want to rock the boat? You
want to keep silent? You won’t tell everyone you
know and everyone that you have contact with that
Yeshua is real, and alive, and the Holy Messiah
sent by the Living God, and the only Savior, and
the only way of salvation, and mankind’s only
hope? And He has risen from the dead, and has
conquered sin and death, and is the soon-returning
glorious and victorious King? You want to be a
secret believer, a silent believer? You won’t
strongly and boldly and clearly and unashamedly
identify with Him and talk about Him and proclaim
Him?
And, Yeshua
tells us, it’s not only with Him that we must
closely identify with, but also with His words
– with His teachings. And what are His teachings?
The Lord
talked about Hell. Are you ashamed to tell people
about the Day of Judgment, and the reality of
Hell, and that the whole world is perishing, and
going to Hell if they are not born-again by placing
their faith in God and Messiah?
The Lord
spoke about the reality of angels and demons and
Satan, and you are embarrassed to discuss these
realities?
The Lord
taught the need for repentance, and you won’t
tell people to repent of the sins, and their corrupt
values and independence from God, and their ungodly
ways?
The Lord
taught us about His Second Coming, and you are
too ashamed to speak about it?
The Messiah
taught us that every word of the Holy Scriptures
is accurate, faithful, reliable and true, and
you won’t tell others that?
The Lord
advocated Creation, not evolution, and you won’t
tell others about that?
The Lord
called upon us to be righteous and holy, and you
won’t talk about the same thing?
I’ve made
a decision to identify boldly with the Lord and
with His words – not to be silent, and not to
remain quiet, and not be ashamed of the Lord and
His teachings.
I want
to read an article by Pastor Chuck Baldwin, published
May 11, 2005. It’s entitled “America's Basic Problem
Is A Pastor Problem.” It reflects many of my thoughts.
Pastor Chuck starts off:
This column
is especially difficult for me to write. Being
a pastor for thirty years, I have come to know,
love, and appreciate hundreds of fellow ministers.
In fact, some of the dearest friends I have on
earth are pastors. Beyond that, since I am a veteran
pastor, I know firsthand the trials and afflictions
that beset every pastor. I doubt that there is
a tougher, more demanding profession than that
of local church pastor.
A pastor
is never "off duty." He is literally on the job
"twenty-four seven." For example, I cannot remember
the last time my wife and I took a real vacation.
It is even hard for me to remember the last time
that I had a single day away from work, much less
an entire week (thank God for associate Rabbis,
especially the one I am honored to work with –
Rabbi Glenn, so that I can take a much-needed
vacation!).
In addition,
a pastor's work is, for the most part, vastly
under-estimated and under-appreciated. And on
the whole, his pay is barely adequate. His wife
and children live under microscopes and virtually
everyone lays claim to his time.
Furthermore,
pastors are some of the most criticized and denigrated
people on the planet! They constantly find themselves
at the butt end of jokes and sarcasm from unbelievers
and are even castigated and harangued by people
within the church.
Therefore,
it is no wonder that pastors are leaving the ranks
at record numbers and are wandering from church
to church like gypsies. No wonder so many pastors'
children turn out bad, and no wonder so many pastors
are having stress-induced heart attacks.
With all
of that said, however, it still behooves me to
very frankly say that America's basic problem
today is a pastor problem! Our nation is collapsing
from within because pastors are sitting idly on
the sidelines, refusing to be trumpets for truth!
With all of the duties and responsibilities associated
with the pastor's job description, no duty or
responsibility is any greater than that of being
God's watchman! Unlike any other, the pastor stands
as a voice for truth in the midst of a cacophony
of lies and distortions...
Upon close
examination, one can clearly see that one of the
most important of all the preacher's duties is
that duty which God gave to Isaiah: "Cry aloud,
spare not, lift up your voice like a trumpet,
and show My people their transgression" (Isaiah
58:1). Furthermore, Isaiah was not the only under-shepherd
to receive such a charge. God told Jeremiah, "See,
I have this day set you over the nations, and
over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down,
and to destroy, and to throw down, to build and
to plant" (Jeremiah 1:10).
Remember,
too, that John the Baptist went to prison and
eventually lost his head, not for preaching the
Gospel, but for boldly denouncing Herod's adulterous
relationship with his brother's wife. Furthermore,
the boldness of men such as Isaiah, Jeremiah,
and John the Baptist has been the pattern of genuine
preachers throughout history.
Men of
God throughout the ages have possessed the same
sort of grit and character as was found in Moses,
Elijah, Jeremiah, John the Baptist, Simon Peter,
and the Apostle Paul. They were courageous, uncompromising
men! They feared no man, be he politician or potentate!
They attempted to please no man or group of men!
They were untouchable, incorruptible, indefatigable
proclaimers of truth!
When Germany
and Switzerland needed reformation, there was
Luther and Zwingli... When England needed someone
to help rid it of slavery, there was Wilberforce
and his band of committed clergymen.
America,
especially, has enjoyed a plethora of firebrand
preachers. In fact, the American revolution would
never have taken place but for the preaching of
Jonathan Edwards, John Witherspoon, John Leland,
and hundreds like them.
So, what
has happened to the current generation of preachers?
How is it that there is such a dearth of leadership
from America's pulpits? Where is the loud, clarion
call for truth? Where are the preachers who are
willing "to root out, and to pull down, and to
destroy, and to throw down"? Where are the courageous,
fearless, undaunted men who would rather die than
compromise?
Instead
of championing truth, today's pastors champion
political parties. They cater to wealthy contributors.
They wiggle around controversy and grovel before
government bureaucrats. With an all-consuming
passion to "succeed," they avoid preaching "negative"
sermons. They take great pains to never be confrontational.
Their current pastorate is merely a "stepping
stone" to the next big opportunity. They read
all the latest and greatest "how to" books. Their
messages are more noted for what they do not say,
and they don't mind talking about sin as long
as they don't have to name it.
Of course,
it doesn't take a brain surgeon to figure out
that today's avant garde preachers are being cheered
on by a host of friends and supporters. After
all, look at the "big" churches in America today.
What do you see? Do you see "big" pastors marching
in pro-life rallies? Do you see them carrying
placards outside of abortion clinics?
Do you
hear them challenging President Bush when he refuses
to assist Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore or when
he increases federal spending for abortion providers...
Make no
mistake about it, the actions and inactions of
"big-name" pastors are meticulously calculated.
They have been well-schooled in the art of what
is socially and politically acceptable and what
is not. And they are rewarded, are they not, with
bigger and bigger congregations and greater and
greater notoriety? So, where is the incentive
for the "little" preacher to speak out?
For example,
I could not count the numbers of people who have
privately told me how much they appreciate my
public stand for this issue or that. They have
slapped me on the back and said, "Go get 'em."
But, where do they attend church? Where do they
give their financial contributions? At the "big"
church where the pastor won't say "boo" to the
devil. Whether they attend my church or not is
not the point, of course. I'm only attempting
to point out that the American people have chosen
with their feet and with their wallets what kind
of pastors they want!
However,
is not the man of God instructed to be faithful
"in season and out of season"? I would further
argue that when truth is unfashionable, the true
prophet can be counted on to preach it with even
more conviction and clarity! As Martin Luther
said, "If I profess with the loudest voice and
clearest exposition every portion the truth of
God except precisely that little point which the
world and the devil are at the moment attacking,
I am not confessing Christ, however boldly I may
be professing Christ. Where the battle rages there
the loyalty of the soldier is proved. And to be
steady on all the battle fields besides is merely
flight and disgrace if he flinches at that point."
In addition,
has it ever been popular to be God's man? Did
not the prophets and preachers in Bible days sometimes
pay a horrific price to be faithful? In fact,
try to name a Bible preacher that wasn't thrown
in jail at least once! I submit that it has never
been easy or popular to be a man of God, but what
I want to know is, when did men of God decide
that it should be?
I truly
believe that if enough preachers would decide
to be the courageous proponents of truth, as were
our ancestors, and would determine to preach the
truth without fear or favor regarding any person
or political party, they could turn our ship of
state around post-haste! I further believe that
if they don't do it soon, it will be (if it's
not already) too late.
Furthermore,
if and when the funeral wreath is hung on the
door of America, historians will correctly record
that it was our pastors who let her die. Solve
the pastor problem and America's basic problem
is solved.
With God’s
help, and your support, but even without your
support, that’s the kind of rabbi I aspire to
be. I intend to fight boldly in this cosmic battle,
and speak the truth, and identify with the Lord
and His words. And, as I do, I believe that Paul’s
words to Timothy will apply: “Pay close attention
to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in
these things, for as you do this you will ensure
salvation both for yourself and for those who
hear you.” May all of us make that better choice
– not to take the path of compromise, the path
of acceptance by the world, the easy way, the
comfortable way, but rather let us take the harder
way, the way of truth and faithfulness and identification
with Messiah and His words, but also the way of
lasting honor and glory and everlasting life!
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