Friday, October 10, 2014

"That Which is Born of the Spirit" # 7

"The Heavens Do Rule" (continued)

Daniel 4:26

The Gospels bring in four aspects of the rule of the Heavens; Matthew introduces the King and the Kingdom of the Sovereignty: "The genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David" (Matthew 1:1). And it is most striking and worthy of note how Matthew finishes his Gospel "And Jesus came to them... saying all authority hath been given unto Me in heaven and on earth, go ye therefore and make disciples of (out of) all nations ..." (Matthew 28:18-20). Matthew's Gospel finishes with "All nations."

Mark's Gospel ends with the whole creation: "He was manifested as they sat at meat... and He said unto them, go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to the whole creation" (Mark 16:14, 15). Hence servant and service.

Luke - had the "race of men" in view the context clearly shows this. The key word of this Gospel is "Son of Man." He is writing to the race of men. "... all tings must be fulfilled which are written in the law of Moses and the prophets and psalms concerning Me ... Ye are witnesses of these things" (Luke 24:44-48). Hence the grace of God to all men.

And in John's Gospel, it is not all nations, neither is it the whole creation, nor the race of men, but it is the testimony to the "world." "God so loved the world that He gave His only Son" (John 3:16). "For God sent the Son ... that the world might be saved through Him". "This is indeed the Saviour of the world". Hence the message of love.

Each of these four Gospels have their own great importance, a vital rich and significant importance to the ONE GOSPEL in its fourfold aspect.

For real adequate effectiveness in the preaching of the Gospel the first supreme need is the absolute assurance of the sovereignty of the Lord in government: that is basic. If you have not got that you have not got your foundation; you must know that the sovereignty is in the hands of the Lord Jesus now. It is the Gospel of His Son - "For God is my witness whom I serve in my spirit in the gospel of His Son" (Romans 1:9). And to serve in the Gospel of His Son you have got to have full assurance of the sovereignty of that Son in the matter of government. He HIMSELF has declared "All authority ... have been given unto ME" - it is now in the hands of the Lord Jesus.

In Matthew's Gospel the Church is introduced in the New Testament, and introduced in relation to the sovereignty of the heavens; - Jesus asked - "Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am? Who say ye that I am?... Thou art the Christ the Son of the Living God! ... Blessed art thou Simon ... for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee but My Father who is in heaven ... and upon this rock I will build My church and the gates of hades shall not prevail against it ... whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven" (Matthew 16:15-19).

~T. Austin-Sparks~

(continued with # 8)

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