Guest Speaker: Pastor Joe Sugrue
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
I’m the perfect One and I have humbled Myself under the plan of God. How much more should you, who are imperfect, do the same?
None are lost, none can lose their salvation. There is no unpardonable sin after salvation.
There is the Father’s plan. He is going to take everyone who has entered the plan of God through faith in Christ all of the way to eternity.
Ex 16:2
And the whole congregation of the sons of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness.
The Jews were murmuring in the Exodus generation, the Jews were murmuring on the steps of the synagogue of Capernaum.
They can’t understand something that is clearly taught in the Old Testament, the doctrine of the hypostatic union: that Jesus Christ is God and also true humanity.
This is during the principle ministry of Jesus in Galilee, winter A.D. 27 – spring A.D. 29. This ministry was interrupted by one trip to Jerusalem (John 5:1 ff.)
“No man” — oudeis, means mankind in general. It means ‘no one,’ human race.
“can” is a present active indicative from the Greek verb dunamai which means to be able. “No one is able” is the literal translation.
“come” is an aorist active infinitive of erchomai used sometimes for salvation as well as a simple coming or going, entering. Here it has to do with salvation. It is an aorist tense: in a point of time.
Matt 11:28
Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.
“to me” is pros plus the accusative which means face to face with. This means a personal relationship. This is an idiomatic phrase which means salvation, personal relationship.
‘unless’ means that man does not have the ability to approach God on the basis of his own works, his own human good, his own activity, his morality. “No man is able to come to me unless …”
“the Father who sent Me draws him” — the word ‘draw’ is helkuo. This word was used in the Greek for drawing a sword out of a scabbard, for a fisherman drawing a net through the water. It was also used for a public speaker drawing or attracting a crowd by his message or by some other means.
Here it means to be attracted to, to be drawn to something. The word as used here refers to positive volition at the point of God-consciousness [the age of accountability].
At the point of God-consciousness when a person goes on positive volition God is therefore responsible to provide gospel information for that person — John 7:17; Acts 17:27; Jeremiah 29:13.
Acts 17:27
that they should seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us;
In resurrection you never die again, you are not subject to death. Why? Because Jesus Christ is the firstfruits and until He is resurrected no one is resurrected. The last day here refers to the last day in a dispensation.
ISA 54:13
And all your sons will be taught of the Lord;
And the well-being of your sons will be great.
“all” – every member of the human race gets a chance, from Adam right down to the end of the Millennium, at the point of God-consciousness and at the point of gospel hearing.
Christ is from the source of the Father and so He carries the message of the Father. Christ has seen the Father in the past and continues to see Him, except for three hours on the cross.
The doctrine of manna
1.Manna came down every day, but it didn’t – Sunday through Friday with no manna on Saturday, the Sabbath, Exodus 16:4,5,22-27.
In other words, it pays to believe the Word, the divine instructions. Some doctrine is used daily, like rebound and promises. There are some doctrines we use only when we are under special pressure.
2. Those who gathered a lot did not have any more than those who gathered a little. Exodus 16:16-18. People only gathered what they could eat. Each person had a different capacity for eating.
We as believers have different capacities. Capacity is developed through learning doctrine, through orientation to the plan of God, orientation to the grace of God.
3. Manna spoiled, but it didn’t spoil. Exodus 16:19,20. The Jews had to learn to obey the Word. That which they didn’t eat was spoiled.
But that doctrine is no good unless you take it out and put it in your human spirit by exposing yourself to Bible teaching. The doctrine in the Bible doesn’t help you, it is the doctrine in your soul that does.
4. Manna spoiled if kept over night, but it was preserved for hundreds of years. How? Exodus 16:19,20. They took manna and put it in a golden pot and placed it in the ark. It stayed there generation after generation and was never spoiled.
If we let the doctrine sit in the Word then we have a miserable life. But we wipe that out by transferring doctrine from the Word to our human spirit. The Word of God is preserved.
5. Manna melted, but it didn’t melt. Exodus 16:21. Only manna gathered withstood the rays of the sun.
The sun rising speaks of the pressures of life, the tragedies of life, the difficulties of life, the frustrations of life, and if we are minus doctrine we are going to melt in panic, anxiety, and fear and act like any unbeliever.
6. Manna tasted good to some and bad to others. Exodus 16:31 cf. Numbers 21:5. What is the difference? Mental attitude. There are two attitudes toward doctrine on the part of the believer.
7. While manna was free to those who received it (grace), it was expensive to those who rejected it. For those who accepted Christ, eternal life. For those who rejected Him, eternal condemnation. Salvation is free, but for those who reject it it is very expensive, it is eternity in the lake of fire — John 3:36.
8. Regardless of how the Jewish believers sinned and failed in the Exodus generation God gave them manna every day as promised. Exodus 16:35.
Just like manna sustained the Jews in the desert for 40 years so Christ provides eternal life to those who will eat of it [believe].
Most of the Bible is to be interpreted literally, but here is a place that is to be spiritually interpreted. Naturally He is not asking them to literally eat His flesh.
Grace Bible Church
Basic Training in Doctrine