Rainbow Lake Bible

Category: Gospel Messages

“For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:” 1 Corinthians 15:3-4

  • Be careful what you call heresy

    In simple terms, heresy is a belief or opinion that goes against the established and official doctrines of a particular religion. Anymore these days, it is thrown around with ease because someone likes Culver’s hamburgers over McDonald’s. It involves rejecting core tenets and is often seen as a serious error, though it can also refer to any belief that is contrary to established theory. The term originally meant “choice” or “sect” but came to be used by the church to mean a division or departure from its official beliefs. 

    It easy to see how this evolved from just an acknowledgement of differences in choice into a departure from the faith when we consider Paul’s orders in Galatians:

    Galatians 1:6-10 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.

    With using words such as “pervert” (G3344: to transmute or corrupt) and “accursed” (G331: anathema, meaning without hope of being redeemed, excommunicated), how could one think it be so light a thing to simply have differing opinions on what the scriptures say? As if it weren’t already serious enough for him to say once in verse 8 to let them be accursed, but he doubles down in verse 9, emphasizing the seriousness with repetition. 

    Certain theologians and scholars have gone on the record saying that the only heresy that truly exists is that of preterism, whether it be partial preterism or full (also known as hyper) preterism. Without getting to deep off topic, preterism is simple an eschatological view of when prophecies were supposedly fulfilled. However, given the scope of definition of the word heresy, I would peradventure say that the only true doctrine that could be construed as heretical would be a departing from the truth of the salvific doctrines. As Paul so pointedly stated, “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.”

    So, what is a salvific doctrine? Salvific is defined as leading to salvation: “the salvific power of the Lord”. This is the very message of the gospel of which Paul speaks of in the above passage from Galatians. Paul delivers this gospel message perhaps most prominently in the first letter to the Corinthians and to the Romans when he says the following: 

    1 Corinthians 15:1-4 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; 2 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:

    And in Romans, by which some call it the “Golden Road to Rome”:

    Romans 3:10-12 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: 11 There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. 12 They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.

    Romans 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

    Romans 5:12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:

    Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

    Romans 5:8 But God commandeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

    Romans 10:9-10, 13 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. 13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

    If you have read these passages and your eyes have been newly enlightened to their meaning, please reach out and let us know! We would love to discuss further what this means for you and where to go from here.

  • The Way of the Exiled, Pt 3

    Part 1: Jeremiah prophesied it. Jeremiah 24-29
    Part 2: Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego lived it. Daniel 3-4
    Part 3: Jesus died for it. Matthew 22:17-22; 27:11-14; John 18:28-20:29

    (Isaiah 53:1-12) “Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed?  {2} For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.  {3} He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. 

    {4} Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.  {5} But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.  {6} All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.  {7} He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.  {8} He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.  {9} And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth. 

    {10} Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.  {11} He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.  {12} Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.”

    LIVING BETWEEN LOYALTY AND SUBVERSION

    Jesus died for it.

    (John 18:36) “Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence.”

    Today we conclude this series and hopefully we all have a clearer picture of God’s sovereignty, His love for us, how patient He is toward us, and how His plans unfold to show us those things (and more). We will be able to practically apply God-honoring, Christian living in our own symbolic Babylon.

    • We have learned about the prophecy that Jeremiah delivered by reading through several chapters of the book of Jeremiah. (Part 1)
    • We have read an account of exactly how Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego aligned themselves with the prophecy, thus leading to their salvation. (Part 2)
    • We will read how Jesus taught by example the first century Israelites how to live by this way of life, realizing yet how we are all still in exile. (Part 3)
    • Each week, we will discuss further how this applies to our current lives and how we should live amongst a crooked and perverse nation (Phil 2:15). 

    The Kingdom of Heaven is in the devil’s possession, he took it from Adam when in the Garden of Eden, putting humanity in exile:

    (Matthew 11:12) “And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.”

    (John 14:30) “Hereafter I will not talk much with you: for the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me.”

    (2 Corinthians 4:4) “In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.”

    Which is why the devil tries to tempt Jesus with giving it to Him, he knew that Jesus was here to take it back:

    (Matthew 4:8-11) “Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;  {9} And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.  {10} Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.  {11} Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.”

    And the enemy remains in this world until the Messiah comes in glory to reclaim it as depicted in Revelation 19-22, following the rescuing of us all from exile.

    (1 Peter 5:8) “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:”

    And now, our King and LORD, Jesus Christ sets the ultimate example of living in exile, teaching it openly all the way to the cross.

    (Matthew 22:20-21) “And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription?  {21} They say unto him, Cæsar’s. Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Cæsar the things which are Cæsar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s.”

    So, we know well what we are to render unto Caesar. But what things are God’s and how do we render that unto Him?

    (Matthew 22:37-39) “Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.  {38} This is the first and great commandment.  {39} And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.”

    Jesus lived out His teaching of loving our neighbors as ourselves when He declared this:

    (John 15:13) “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”

    And as He hang on the cross dying for us, He pled with the Father:

    (Luke 23:34) “Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.  And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.”

    Peter declares the fulfillment of Isaiah 53:7 in this passage: 

    (1 Peter 2:21-25) “For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:  {22} Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth:  {23} Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously:  {24} Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.  {25} For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.”

    How do we love the Lord our God with such a love? 

    Be ready, v12  —>  2 Timothy 3:1-5

    (1 Peter 4:12)  “Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:”

    Be glad, v13-14 —>  Colossians 3:16 —> Psalm 100

    (1 Peter 4:13-14)  “But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.  {14} If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified.”

    Be Steadfast and suffer, v15-16  —> 2 Timothy 2:3

    (1 Peter 4:15-16)  “But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men’s matters.  {16} Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.”

    Be humble, v17-18  —> 2 Thessalonians 1:4-10, Romans 14:10, 2 Corinthians 5:10 —> Revelation 20:12

    (1 Peter 4:17-18)  “For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?  {18} And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?”

    Be faithful, v19  —>  2 Timothy 2:4-5, 2 Timothy 4:6-8

    (1 Peter 4:19)  “Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator.”

    Sermon Scriptures:

    Psalm 78

    Malachi 4:1-6

    1 Peter 4:16

    John 18:36

    Matthew 11:12

    John 14:30

    2 Corinthians 4:4

    Matthew 4:8-11

    Revelation 19-22

    1 Peter 5:8

    Matthew 22:20-21

    Matthew 22:37-39

    John 15:13

    Luke 23:34

    1 Peter 2:21-25

    1 Peter 4:12

    2 Timothy 3:1-5

    1 Peter 4:13-14

    Colossians 3:16

    Psalm 100

    1 Peter 4:15-16

    2 Timothy 2:3

    1 Peter 4:17-18

    Romans 14:10

    2 Corinthians 5:10

    Revelation 20:12

    1 Peter 4:19

    2 Timothy 2:4-5

    2 Timothy 4:6-8

  • Faith Without Works is Dead, a Familiar Phrase

    The Great Debate of Paul and James.

    Paul taught:

    (Ephesians 2:8-10) “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: {9} Not of works, lest any man should boast. {10} For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”

    v10 says that we are HIS workmanship – meaning the ‘works’ you receive of a Christian are works of God given through that person. If I perform a baptism, or preach a message that is given from inspiration of the Holy Spirit and you marvel at that, don’t marvel at me, but of God, because it is He that did the work. A violin alone is not so impressive until the musician plays the tune of Mozart or Beethoven. And even then, the musician is not accredited for the music they play, but the composer. The musician is like the clay pot, the Potter is the composer of the piece, and the music that is produced are the works held in the clay pot at the behest of the Potter. In other words, without the composer, the musician could not play the piece and make music. Therefore, the faith (practice) must come first.

    James taught:

    (James 2:14-18) “What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?  {15} If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food,  {16} And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?  {17} Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.  {18} Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.”

    v15 gives an example of a musician who has an audience to perform their work for, yet they do not perform it well. While they claim to practice faith, the faith is dead because they are not producing the music for which they claim to have practiced. Therefore, the question begs; do they even have faith? For the works that they would perform would come only from God, according to the passage we read above. And if God does not give unto them the works to perform, logic would deduce that there is no relationship between the composer and the musician.

    So, which is it? These passages are often misunderstood and used to show contradictions within the Word of God, but let it not be so! They actually agree with each other, they are not a matter of “the chicken or the egg”, but rather that of “which produces which”. Some see the passage (incorrectly) from James as being, “Do works and you will have faith,” and Paul’s point being, “Have faith, works do not save.” The complimentary understanding of them lies in knowing first, A.) what true works are, understanding that this passage states that one produces the other, and B.) whether works save or faith saves. It’s a comparison of apples to oranges.

    Without the Holy Spirit, you are unable:

    (Romans 3:10-18) “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:  {11} There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.  {12} They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.  {13} Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips:  {14} Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness:  {15} Their feet are swift to shed blood:  {16} Destruction and misery are in their ways:  {17} And the way of peace have they not known:  {18} There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

    Why can’t we do good (according to God’s standard of good) works?

    (Romans 3:23) “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;”

    (Romans 5:12) “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:”

    Because we are in our sin, we will be eternally separated from God:

    (Romans 6:23) “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

    But God…

    (Romans 5:8) “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

    Therefore, believe and confess:

    (Romans 10:9-10, 13) “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.  {13} For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

    And so, in believing in one’s heart, one will profess with their mouth and therefore be baptized in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

    (Acts 8:26-39) “And the angel of the Lord spake unto Philip, saying, Arise, and go toward the south unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is desert.  {27} And he arose and went: and, behold, a man of Ethiopia, an eunuch of great authority under Candace queen of the Ethiopians, who had the charge of all her treasure, and had come to Jerusalem for to worship,  {28} Was returning, and sitting in his chariot read Esaias the prophet.  {29} Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot.  {30} And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest?  {31} And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him.  {32} The place of the scripture which he read was this, He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth:  {33} In his humiliation his judgment was taken away: and who shall declare his generation? for his life is taken from the earth.  {34} And the eunuch answered Philip, and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? of himself, or of some other man?  {35} Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus.  {36} And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?  {37} And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.  {38} And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him.  {39} And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way rejoicing.”

    (v35, faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. Rom 10:17)

    Sermon Scriptures:

    Ephesians 2:8-10

    James 2:14-18

    Romans 3:10-18

    Romans 3:23

    Romans 5:12

    Romans 6:23

    Romans 5:8

    Acts 8:26-39

    Romans 10:17