GRACE BIBLE CHURCH
03-23-2022
PASTOR ROBERT R. MCLAUGHLIN
GBIBLE.ORG
PDF: GBC03232022
Christian Soldier 59, Meet the “Only True Celebrity”.
PRO 3:1 My son, do not forget my teaching, But let your heart keep my commandments;
PRO 3:2 For length of days and years of life, And peace they will add to you.
PRO 3:3 Do not let kindness and truth leave you; Bind them around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart.
PRO 3:4 So you will find favor and good repute In the sight of God and man.
PRO 3:5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And do not lean on your own understanding.
PRO 3:6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.
Now go down to PRO 3:13 How blessed is the man who finds wisdom, And the man who gains understanding.
PRO 3:14 For its profit is better than the profit of silver, And its gain than fine gold.
PRO 3:15 She is more precious than jewels; And nothing you desire compares with her.
PRO 3:16 Long life is in her right hand; In her left hand are riches and honor.
PRO 3:17 Her ways are pleasant ways, And all her paths are peace.
PRO 3:18 She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her, And happy are all who hold her fast.
One of the most important principles concerning the Christian Soldier is to never become familiar with the Word of God and take it for granted.
You have heard me quote this passage many times but look at it.
AMO 8:11 "Behold, days are coming," declares the Lord God, "When I will send a famine on the land, Not a famine for bread or a thirst for water, But rather for hearing the words of the Lord.
AMO 8:12 "And people will stagger from sea to sea, And from the north even to the east; They will go to and fro to seek the word of the Lord, But they will not find it.
My point is where do you stand in relationship to those verses I read sometimes before the message.
Do you really believe that:
The Word of God is alive and alive and powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword,
piercing even to the dividing asunder of the soul and spirit and the joints and the marrow, and is a critic of the thoughts and the intents of the heart.
Do you really believe that:
All Scripture is God-breathed and is profitable for doctrine, for reprove, for correction, for instruction in righteousness that the man of God may be mature, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.
Study to shew yourselves approved unto God,
a workman that needeth not to be ashamed,
rightly dividing the word of Truth.
So, turn into the word of truth this morning to EPH 1:22.
I want to remind you that there are twelve chapters in our study of the Christian soldier and I would like to show you where we are in our study.
We already noted:
The Forward
- Introduction to the Christian Soldier
- The Art of War
- Paul’s Brand-Mark and The Vegetius’ Discourse.
- Chapter 4: More Military Metaphors
Right now, we are getting ready to make the transition from #3 to #4.
After that there is:
Chapter 5: Know the Adversary and His Deceptions.
Chapter 6: Putting on the Full Armor from God.
Chapter 7: The Belt of Truth.
Chapter 8: The Breastplate of Righteousness.
Chapter 9: The Combat Boots.
Chapter 10: The Shield of faith.
Chapter 11: The Helmet of Salvation.
Chapter 12: The Sword of the Spirit.
So, all that gives you some idea of where we are in our study and where we will be going.
Now,
As we are getting ready to go from #3, Paul’s Brand-Mark and The Vegetius’ Discourse, to # 4, more Military Metaphors, let me begin by making the transition this evening.
In our previous study on the Doctrine of the Ascension and Session we noted that:
With the resurrection of Jesus Christ, all angelic creatures including fallen angels, are subordinated to Him in His humanity.
That fact is very important.
In His deity, Jesus Christ is the creator of angels.
In His humanity, He was made lower than angels, Heb 2:7.
In His resurrection, He is higher than angels in His humanity.
In our resurrection body, we will share that same privilege experientially.
Being in union with Christ, we are already positionally higher than angels but in resurrection bodies, we will be experientially and physically higher than angels.
Look at EPH 1:22 And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church,
Let me show you why you must have a teacher that can interpret the original language for you and how this verse becomes even clearer.
Eph 1:22 "And He [God the Father] has subordinated all [angelic creatures] under His feet. Furthermore, He appointed Him [Jesus Christ] ruler over all things to the Church."
Right after the Rapture also known as the Resurrection of the Church and before the judgment seat of Christ, winners will be rewarded.
There is a period of time when the Lord Jesus Christ will be worshipped by all believers in their resurrection bodies.
In resurrection body, the entire royal family will identify the Head of the family, Jesus Christ, to the glory of God the Father.
In our moment of great happiness, we will be talking and singing about the Lord Jesus Christ.
This brings us to the importance of our next doctrine that is coming up in our detailed study of what it means to be a Christian soldier and that is what we call the Doctrine of the Big Genuflex.
Let’s begin in PHI 2:9 Therefore also God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name,
PHI 2:10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those who are in heaven, and on earth, and under the earth,
PHI 2:11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Now, something very interesting is said about our Lord in Phi 2:10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those who are in heaven, and on earth, and under the earth,
The phrase that "every knee should bow" is the recognition of the Celebrityship of Christ by both believers and unbelievers.
This is a reference to unbelievers and fallen angels who did not do it the easy way.
The easy way is through the communication of doctrine by the pastor-teacher to his congregation, so that they can reach super-grace and occupation with the Person of Christ, our unique Celebrity.
The hard way is described as the unbeliever on his knees at the end of time.
He has rejected Jesus Christ.
He has used the Name of Christ in profanity and when it’s convenient derision.
He has ridiculed Him or has been passive and indifferent toward Him.
But the time will come when the Celebrityship of Christ will be manifest to all creatures in the universe.
And there are three areas specified as of right now.
(1) In heaven—angels and believers;
(2) On earth — unbelievers;
(3) Under the earth —unbelievers in Torments, as well as fallen angels in Tartarus.
PHI 2:11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
God the Father has a Plan made billions and billions of years ago—sometime in eternity past.
And the epitome of the expression of God's Plan is the God-Man-Savior.
Prn: A perfect Plan from a perfect Father glorifies a perfect Son.
His Plan was that all creatures would come to recognize the Celebrityship of Christ.
And before we note the Doctrine of the Big Genuflex where we will be on our knees in awe of Him, we must understand His true Celebrityship.
Where does this leave believers who are ignorant of doctrine and who do not recognize the Celebrityship of Christ?
They are completely missing the Plan of God for their lives, and thus they are losing out on the greatest and most wonderful blessing life can offer.
And this need not be the case in any believer's life.
Christ CAN become a reality NOW through doctrine.
COL 3:9 Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its {evil} practices,
This is not a command for believers to stop lying to one another, though they shouldn’t,
This is a reference to “the lie” referring to the lies of the cosmic systems that comes from the greatest liar of all time, Satan himself; JOH 8:44.
The reason why I believe this is because:
The word lie is pseudomai which refers to pseudo truth or to utter an untruth or attempt to deceive by falsehood which is referred to as the “Lie” from Satan.
Satan’s Cosmic system is always ready for recruits.
Whether it is Cosmic 1 or Cosmic 2, he doesn’t care.
He just wants more ambassadors for him because of his on-going battle with the Lord.
COL 3:9 Do not live in the lie with one another, since you laid aside the old self with its {evil} practices,
COL 3:10 and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him
COL 3:11 {a renewal} in which there is no {distinction between} Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and freeman, but (Here’s the issue) Christ is all, and in all.
This is part of the Celebrityship of the Lord Jesus Christ.
What does the Bible teach about it?
It teaches us:
There are many super-grace heroes in Christianity, but there is only ONE CELEBRITY.
Every super-grace hero recognizes the Celebrityship of Jesus Christ.
He is our Savior and our High Priest, as well as the King who will one day rule the entire earth.
He is the “Only True Celebrity” this world has ever nor will ever see again.
Everything we have and everything we will ever be is directly related to the Lord Jesus Christ.
If you have made the greatest of all decisions in life which is to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, you became the possessor of eternal salvation.
This, however, does not indicate that you love Christ or that you even have the capacity to love Him.
How do we know that?
We know that because of passages with warnings that:
We will experience divine discipline if we do not love the Lord; 1CO 16:22.
1CO 16:22 If anyone does not love the Lord, let him be accursed. Maranatha.
When you were born again, you began your Christian life as a spiritual baby and had no way of appreciating who and what Christ is.
The capacity to love Him depends upon the amount of doctrine you have in your soul.
How many times have we noted the importance of loving God being revealed by our love for His Word?
No person can love the Lord apart from the consistent intake of Bible doctrine.
People can say they love God.
They can do things for Him.
They can give graciously.
They can serve.....but,
Without a consistent intake of doctrine, it is totally useless.
Prin: If Bible doctrine or the words of Christ are not abiding in you, you do not have love for God, this is according to JOH 5:38-42.
JOH 5:38 "And you do not have His word abiding in you, for you do not believe Him whom He sent.
JOH 5:39 "You search the Scriptures, because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is these that bear witness of Me;
JOH 5:40 and you are unwilling to come to Me, that you may have life.
JOH 5:41 "I do not receive glory from men;
JOH 5:42 but I know you, that you do not have the love of God in yourselves.
Notice very carefully what He said.
In verse 38 you do not have "His word" abiding in you.
In verse 42, therefore, you do not have the love for God "in" yourselves.
So, if a believer really loves God, it will be manifested by his desire to hear God's doctrines, JOH 8:47.
JOH 8:47 "He who is of God hears the words of God; for this reason you do not hear them, because you are not of God."
"hears" is the pres-act-ind of akouo which is akouei meaning to hear in an audience, to listen, to concentrate, to understand, to learn, to give a hearing.
Not only will you hear doctrine but "if you love the Lord" you will keep His doctrines, JOH 14:15.
JOH 14:15 "If you love Me, you will keep My commands."
"keep" is the aor-act-imp of tereo which is teresate which means to guard something that belongs to you, to watch over carefully, to keep, to hold, to preserve and to pay attention to, therefore to guard and retain.
And this is something that you should do and you should never take the communication of doctrine for granted.
And…..
This is a constantive aorist tense which means that you guard or keep His word by making continual decisions to hear doctrine and not quit.
And…
It is doctrine abiding in Christians, not works, that reveals to the Father how much we love God.
JOH 14:21 "He who has My commands and guards them, he it is who loves Me; and he who loves Me shall be loved by My Father, and I will love him, and will disclose Myself to him."
JOH 14:22 Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, "Lord, what then has happened that You are going to disclose Yourself to us, and not to the world?"
JOH 14:23 Jesus answered and said to him, "If anyone loves Me, he will guard My doctrine; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him, and make Our abode with him.
Your capacity to love depends on your intake of doctrine.
The super-grace status, which is the objective of the Christian life, is the place where you really begin to love Christ and where you have the normal function of your priesthood.
Super-grace is characterized by occupation with Christ, or the recognition of His Celebrityship.
No believer has truly reached maturity in the Christian way of life until he functions under the concept of the Celebrityship of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The Celebrity of Christianity demands the attention of every believer!
He is so wonderful and so marvelous that occupation with Him changes the entire picture of our life.
Many believers are petty, bitter, jealous, vindictive, implacable and full of gossip and maligning because they have no concept of the Celebrityship of Christ.
If they did they would no fall into the apostasy of the average believer,
The reason so many “Madison Avenue” substitutes and ridiculous practices and programs have crept into the church is that we have lost sight of Jesus Christ as the only true Celebrity.
The reason so many “Dog and pony shows” exist today is because we have lost sight of Jesus Christ as the only true Celebrity.
This condition exists primarily because pastors are not teaching Bible doctrine.
Occupation with Christ means that you harbor no mental attitude sins toward others.
Whether or not they deserve your respect is NOT the issue; just put them in the Lord’s hands and move on!
We build our happiness on Who and what Christ is — not on who and what people are.
There is no shortcut to this relaxed mental attitude.
It requires the daily function of the “PMA of doctrine” under the pastor-teacher consistently communicating doctrine and the believer learning doctrine on a daily basis.
The only purpose for the worship service and for the existence of a pastor-teacher is to enable believers to advance to the highest stage of super-grace.
Living in the sphere of the recognition of the Celebrityship of Jesus Christ.
Now, PHI 2 is probably the greatest chapter in the Bible that reveals the Celebrityship of our Lord Jesus Christ.
PHI 2:5 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus,
Keep on having this mental attitude in you which also in Christ Jesus.
The Greek word for attitude is phroneo which means “to think objectively or to think of others.”
When our mental attitude” meets the standards of this word, we have arrived at the highest and noblest point in the Christian life.
Mental attitude divine viewpoint is having the mind of Christ which is the objective and command for every believer.
The only way you can obey this command is to have doctrine IN YOU in the right lobe.
In verse 6, we read:
PHI 2:6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped,
This speaks of the Celebrityship of Jesus Christ in the preincarnate Christ,
Preincarnate means before our Lord became true humanity.
This is the corrected translation:
PHI 2:6 Who [Jesus Christ] preexisting in the essence of God in grace-thinking thought it [deity] not a treasure retained being equal with God.
This is the doctrine of Kenosis which refers to the fact that the Lord denied Himself of the proper function of His deity to live as true humanity.
God doesn’t have needs.
God doesn’t get hungry!
God doesn’t get thirsty.
God cannot sit down at His right hand, only true humanity can do that.
You cannot nail God to the cross, because He cannot die.
PHI 2:6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped,
Huparcho means that Jesus Christ always existed; there never was a time when He was not God and there is never a time that He will be anything less.
He is eternal; He never grows old.
Now, what is a “celebrity”?
Is a celebrity someone who is glamorous, someone who has status in life, someone with great ability or talent?
What happens to celebrities in the human realm?
They deteriorate; they lose their ability and their popularity; they grow old; their glamor fades; they die. Did you ever see a football celebrity ten years after he was washed up as a professional?
Three hundred pounds of flab!
Have you ever seen a movie queen after her heyday?
If she is working, she is playing character roles!
A true celebrity is perfect and a believer with any knowledge of doctrine would never make a celebrity of another human being!
PSA 39:5 "Behold, Thou hast made my days as handbreadths, And my lifetime as nothing in Thy sight, Surely every man at his best is a mere breath. Selah.
Our true Celebrity is perfect; He has neither a beginning nor an end.
REV 22:13 "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end."
As the beginning and the end:
HEB 13:8 Jesus Christ {is} the same yesterday and today, {yes} and forever.
So, in PHI 2:6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped,
The word translated “form” is morphe which does not refer to outward shape but to inner character or essence.
From eternity past, Jesus Christ possessed sovereignty, righteousness, justice, love, eternal life, omniscience, omnipotence, omnipresence, immutability and veracity.
He has never changed His essence for anyone or anything.
His character remains intact and will continue to do so throughout time and eternity.
The true Celebrity of Christianity knew every person in the world from eternity past.
He has always known every need, every problem, every heartache, every frustration in your life.
He has empowered us through the entire angelic conflict without being inconsistent or unstable in any way.
That’s our Celebrity!
And when PHI 2:6 who, although He existed in the form of God,
“Of God” calls attention to the deity of Christ. He is and was and always will be God — coequal and coeternal with the Father and the Holy Spirit.
No one can enter into occupation with Christ or appreciate His character until he understands that Jesus Christ is God.
Therefore, the Doctrine of the Deity of Christ is necessary at this point but that is not our study.
However, there are some principles I would like to give you concerning His deity as it relates to His true Celebrityship.
For example;
- Christ is a member of the Trinity (MAT 28:19; 2CO 13:14; 1PE 1:2.
- The preincarnate work of Christ necessitates His pre- existence and deity: Christ created the universe (JOH 1:3; COL 1:16; HEB 1:10).
- The Theophanies of Christ, which is the appearance of TLJC as the angel of Jehovah in the O.T., indicates His preexistence; therefore, His eternity.
- As the Angel of Jehovah He is identified as Jehovah (GEN 16:7-13; 22:11-18; 31:11-13; 48:15-16.
Now, back to Philippians 2:6: our Celebrity did some thinking.
“Thinking” was used in verse 3 of this passage for “grace-thinking.”
Here we learn something else about Jesus Christ: not only are His thoughts infinite, but He thinks about you and me in terms of GRACE.
This means that there never was or ever will be one believer who has earned or deserved anything from God.
His grace-thinking toward us indicates that He is the only source of blessing.
If you have anything that is wonderful, worthwhile or valuable, it is because your true Celebrity Jesus Christ is ultimately the source, no matter what intermediate agency may be involved.
By intermediate agency I mean anyone who may be involved.
This gives Him all the honor and glory.
One fact that characterizes the believer who has the capacity to appreciate the Celebrityship of Christ is that to him the honor and glory of the Lord Jesus Christ is more important than anything else in the world.
“In grace-thinking, He thought making His deity known was not a treasure or a prize to be retained.”
The treasure is Christ’s deity His equality with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit.
Think about it!
There is nothing greater or more valuable than the essence of deity; yet He did not consider His deity MORE IMPORTANT than our souls.
The very nature of deity precluded the fact that any member of the Trinity could be judged for sin.
Eternal life can neither be born nor die.
Holiness cannot have anything to do with sin.
Omnipresence cannot be reduced to one point, the Cross.
Immutability cannot change.
Therefore, since nothing can be subtracted from deity, something must be added.
To be able to go to the Cross and pay the penalty for sin, deity must also become true humanity.
Jesus Christ was so occupied with us in eternity past that He did not consider His equality with the other Members of the Trinity a treasure to be clutched and retained so as to hinder the Father’s Plan.
This means that there never was a time when Christ was not occupied with you.
You were “the joy” (HEB 12:2) that occasioned His Incarnation and His substitutionary death on the Cross with all its shame and pain.
You were in His thoughts when all the grace blessings were provided in eternity past.
It is important for you to realize that:
You now have the privilege of occupation with Him; COL 3:10-11.
COL 3:10 and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him
COL 3:11 {a renewal} in which there is no {distinction between} Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and freeman, but Christ is all, and in all.
Continuing in COL 3:12 And so, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience;
COL 3:13 bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you.
COL 3:14 And beyond all these things {put on} love, which is the perfect bond of unity.
COL 3:15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful.
COL 3:16 Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms {and} hymns {and} spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
COL 3:17 And whatever you do in word or deed, {do} all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.
COL 3:18 Wives, be subject to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.
COL 3:19 Husbands, love your wives, and do not be embittered against them.
COL 3:20 Children, be obedient to your parents in all things, for this is well pleasing to the Lord.
COL 3:21 Fathers, do not exasperate your children, that they may not lose heart.
COL 3:22 Slaves, in all things obey those who are your masters on earth, not with external service, as those who {merely} please men, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord.
COL 3:23 Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men;
COL 3:24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve.
COL 3:25 For he who does wrong will receive the consequences of the wrong which he has done, and that without partiality.
Then note COL 4:1 Masters, grant to your slaves justice and fairness, knowing that you too have a Master in heaven.
Notice what we have which is divine viewpoint in the different categories.
We had Believers; Wives; Husbands; Children; Parents; Slaves.
Believers = COL 3:17 And whatever you do in word or deed, {do} all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.
Wives = COL 3:18 Be subject to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.
Husbands = COL 3:19 love your wives, and do not be bitter against them.
Children = COL 3:20 be obedient to your parents in all things, for this is well pleasing to the Lord.
Parents = COL 3:21 do not exasperate your children, that they may not lose heart or become discouraged.
Employees = COL 3:22 in all things obey those who are your employers on earth, not with external service, as those who {merely} please men, but with sincerity of heart, respecting the Lord.
Result = COL 3:23 Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men;
COL 3:24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve.
Employers = COL 4:1 grant to your slaves justice and fairness, knowing that you too have a Master in heaven.
When you reach this stage, the Celebrityship of Jesus Christ will be a reality in your life.
Although you will have tremendous capacity to enjoy all the blessings that God will pour into your “cup,” they will seem insignificant compared to the One who gave them.
We are associates with God, and our vocation is full-time Christian service.
Therefore,
We are to be occupied with Him, our true and only Celebrity TLJC, so that our vocation becomes a reality.
But Christ as a Son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end (HEB 3:6).
Moses, in HEB 3:5, was a hero in his house (dispensation), but Christ is OVER the house.
Christ is the epitome of God’s plan” — the Chief Cornerstone, the Head of the Body, the only Celebrity of the Church-age.
All believers are “in the house,” but how we “live in the house” depends on whether we “hold fast,” or maintain our course toward the super-grace life through “confidence”
That is, through the authority of doctrine.
Our purpose in the Christian life is to enter super-grace, to function to the maximum under our priesthood, and to stay “firm” (stabilized) in super-grace till the end of our life.