DR. A.R. Bernard 6 may 2012

Dr. A.R. Bernard 6 May 2012

Acts 1:7
7 And He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority.
Jesus has risen from the dead and shown Himself to many of His disciples, many witnesses of His resurrection according to Paul in 1 Corinthians 15.

Now He is giving closing remarks before He ascends up into heaven. He is basically giving brief instructions to His disciples who will then in turn take His mission and message out into the world. It is interesting because their question here in the case that although they have spent all of this time with Jesus they did not fully comprehend the meaning of His coming and His ministry and His message. But He assured them that once they experience this outpouring of the Holy Spirit which we call the day of Pentecost that the Holy Spirit would take them into a new realm of revelation and understanding.

6 Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?”

Now this question is consistent with their thinking because in the Jewish mind, when the Messiah comes He would restore the former glory Israel experienced, the Messiah would occupy the throne of His Father gave Him, the Messiah would usher in a time of peace and prosperity, the Messiah would free the nation of Israel from any oppression from any nation, the Messiah would establish in Jerusalem a capital from which He would rule not just the nation of Israel but the rest of the world. You could understand and those are just some of the things that the Jewish mind understood that Messiah would bring and this is why it is so difficult for the nation of Israel as a national entity to embrace Jesus.

It was 2 years ago that I was in Israel and I was speaking to one of the Israelis tour guide and I said to him “We Christians believe that Jesus fulfilled what was written in the law and the prophets and the psalms concerning the Messiah” and he responded by saying “That’s the problem we have with you Christians because Jesus did not fulfill those things that were written”. So in the Jewish minds since they are still oppressed, they’ve been 2 thousand years and before 1948 dispersed in all the nations of the earth until they were re-established as a state of Israel in 1948 so in the Jewish mind, Jesus couldn’t be the Messiah because there’s still things that were not fulfilled but the book of 1 Peter 1, Peter reveals that the prophets enquire to know and to understand the times and the seasons that the Spirit of Christ in them predicted the sufferings and the glory of Christ. They did not comprehend fully when Messiah would fulfill His sufferings. They only had the vision of the Messiah coming in power and in glory and this is why Jesus referred to the text that speak of His suffering when He was entering into Jerusalem triumphantly He gets on the back of a donkey and He says “Tell the daughter of Zion that her King comes riding on a back of a donkey”.

The donkey was a beast of burden and it was symbolically representing though literally fulfilled that He would take on the burden of the sins of the whole world but to the Jewish mind they could not embrace that. In fact when Jesus told His disciples He started to speak of His death and His resurrection. Peter said “Be it far from you Lord that such a thing would happen to you”. They reject the notion of the death on a cross not understanding that it was still part of the program so it’s no mystery here that they would ask this question after the resurrection and the demonstration of His victory over death as well as His power over life. Will you at this time restore to Israel the kingdom and Jesus responds very powerfully and with great depth and profundity here. He says in verse 7 to them “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by His own authority. That’s powerful because what they were asking about the restoration of the kingdom to Israel was already fixed for a particular time and season in Biblical history and the history of humanity and obviously that time had not come yet so Jesus’ response was if I would to tell you I would be communicating what the Father has kept within His own power. This is information that is not for you to know. And then He of cause refers them to waiting for the coming of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost which would be the birthing of the church of Christ and the beginning of a new phase of ministry of the Holy Spirit to gather out from both Jew and gentile a new body call the body of Christ. Jesus referred to it in Matthew 16 when He said speaking about something in the future on this rock I will build my church but to the Jewish mind they did not have the concept of the church that Jesus was talking about building. The ministry of the Holy Spirit would make that happen by gathering people out of both Jew and gentile to create this one body.

But what I want to point to today is the language that Jesus used. He used the language of times and seasons. There is another word that is also used when Jesus talked about the end of the age. He spoke of the word age or ages. Now the word age is critical. Now let’s start it this way because we are going to break down this word because I want you to understand.

The word times is the word chronos from where we get intervals of time. Seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, and years. So it is specific time measurement. The word seasons on the other words kairos means an opportune time. A time that is perfect and just right, favorable conditions, appropriate for a person, a purpose or a situation.

Aion is the Greek word which means age. An age is a period of time somewhere along the time continuum. Age is a period of time in history marked by notable events and particular characteristics so within each period there would be certain key events that takes place that identify that period. They will also be certain characteristics about that period that identify that period. The word aion is also translated in English in the word world and there are places where the word world can be oikoumene which means territory or land or could mean kosmos which mean social order or it could mean and age , a period.

So when in the gospels it speak about the end of the world, it’s not really the end of the planet it’s the end of a particular age, a particular period. The Bible says “heaven and earth will pass away before His words passes and His words will never fail”. There is a period in which God is going to deal with the physical earth but right now humanity is moving through certain periods and certain seasons and certain times.

The apostle Paul in Galatians 1:4 says that we are in a period that the Bible calls this present age. This present period in history he calls this present evil age and the word evil is the Greek word poneros which means that this period or age is characterized by forces that seeks to undermine humanity. Not only to undermine humanity but to undermine the work of God in human society. So it speaks specifically of forces and it make sense because in the prayer that you prayed this morning as you were preparing to receive communion the line and that prayer says “Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil or the evil one. So he is represented in poneros as that individual and forces that seek to undermine so Paul calls this, this present evil age. An age is a period of time in history that is marked by certain notable events and certain notable events have taken place in this period or this age. The most significant thing that relays Biblically most recently is the re-establishment of Israel as a national entity. But it will also be marked by certain characteristics now this age will end with the 2nd coming of Jesus Christ. There will be certain things going to happen before He returns, certain conditions that will exist on the earth before His return. And He was very specific through the apostle Paul, his writings to the church and young Timothy.

The Bible reveals a historical progression of an ongoing self-disclosure of God. In another words, God is moving through time and history revealing Himself little by little. The most glorious revelation of Himself was in Christ because remember Jesus was His expressed image of the Father. That’s why He said “If you’ve seen Me then you have seen the Father”. Throughout this period of cause, God is at work in creation, at work in time, at work in human, at work in human society.

Why do I say this? Because at the end of this age the prophetic words said there is going to be certain characteristics and certain things happening in Christendom. This is not synonymous with the church which is the body of Christ. Christendom is the entire grouping of people who have identified themselves with Christ throughout history and till this present day. And why there is a distinction is because everyone who identifies themselves as a Christian is not necessarily a Christian by the Biblical definition of the word Christian. That’s why Jesus said “Not everyone that says to Me Lord, Lord shall enter the kingdom of heaven, not everyone that calls Me Lord shall experience heaven.” So He was very clear that Christianity would grow and become this big religious system.
Jesus said when He talked about the mustard seed that the kingdom would began as a small mustard seed and then grow into a huge tree with many different branches. He also said that the fowl of the air will come and settle and nest in some of the branches. He was talking about the growth and the development of Christendom in terms of humanity’s response to the message of the gospel. So today between Catholicism and Protestantism there are over 330 branches of Christianity in the form of denominations. Therefor fulfilling what Jesus spoke when He talked about everything beginning as a mustard seed and then growing into a great tree.

Mustard seed naturally speaking only grows to about 12 feet and it’s a bush not a tree so the fact that it grew into a tree it turned into something other than what it was intended to be. So we are seeing this all coming to pass right before our eyes. And so this is Christendom and it would have certain characteristics. So this is what Jesus said and He communicated this through the epistles and the apostle Paul. In Paul’s letters to Timothy and I’m giving you a characteristic of this present age as we move towards the return of Jesus and base upon what is happening geopolitically on the earth and what’s happening in many other ways that are indicators and signs, I would say that we are very close.

But before He comes he said specifically in his writings to Timothy that there would be an experience of something called apostasy. An apostasy simply means a departure from, the moving away from certain things.
Timothy in his book 2 Timothy 4, the apostle Paul communicates to young Timothy that the time would come when men would no longer endure sound doctrine or sound teaching. The church has been preserved historically for the past 2000 years on certain core beliefs and certain core values. What some would call the essentials of the faith. Apostle Paul in his writing to young Timothy was telling him that the time would come when individuals who claim to identify as part of this system of Christianity or Christendom will move away from some of those very core teachings of the church.

We live in a day where pop culture has a heavy influence on the church instead of the other way around. We are to impact the culture, the culture should not change the church. The only influence the culture should have on the church is influencing the church to determine better methods of reaching the culture but not to move the church away from the essential doctrines of the faith. That’s why I believe we are now in the season where the Holy Spirit is bringing pastors and teachers back to the place of teaching the sound solid fundamental doctrines of the faith.
Some will depart, men will not endure sound doctrines. An interesting choice of word in the king James language. Endure sound doctrines. You don’t endure something that you like. When you have to endure something it means it tends to go against the grain of what you would like, what you would prefer. So the church will began to like other things because they are going to have their appetites and desires turned to a direction that says ‘Look, this is too much. Make it simple’.

2 Peter 2 and 3. Wonderful passage that talks about what the conditions and characteristics of 2 Peter 2.
These are some of the indicators.

No. 1 there will be those who will deny the atoning work of Christ on the cross. See when you recited that apostle’s creed you are reaffirming that the way of salvation and the true gospel is a message that Jesus died on the cross for our sins, that He was buried and He rose again the third day. That’s the gospel. But the Bible says that the time will come when those who claimed to be Christians will then deny the atoning work of Christ on the cross, they will also deny the deity of Jesus. They will also begin to deny what is essential to our faith and that is Biblical authority, the authority of the Bible and the divine inspiration which is it’s transmission from generation to generation and it’s preservation. So when you start questioning whether the Bible is true or not our faith begins to fall apart.

An apostasy or a departure from moral responsibility which is the movement away from moral standards. So we get to a place we start practicing situational ethics. The scriptures teaches specifically in 2 Peter 2 and 3 that “there will be a mass departure from moral standards” as expressed by popular culture. And popular culture right now has no standards. Our children, our young people will watch these things and get influenced by these things. And then you say ‘Well it’s ok’, ‘It’s ok to engage in sexual activity if you are not married’. We begin to rationalize and reason. I’ve heard this story “Well I’m engaged so we’re about to get married and we’re going to do it anyway so why not start now”. The answer is no.

Children been born out of wedlock is ok and the Hollywood celebrities flaunt that and they are on the cover of magazines but that’s pop culture and it begins to influence and when the church begins to embrace this and agrees with it, it becomes problematic.

If you are an unbeliever and have moral standards, I’m pleasantly surprise but if you are a believer and you lack moral standards then that is the problem.

Apostle Paul said that there will be those who no longer want to have that responsibility so we can get off into an abuse of this present period which is about the grace of God, the Holy Spirit is administering grace to the world. Pulling by faith through grace, gentiles and Jews into the body of Christ and there is this graciousness that God is delivering and presenting to us.

John 8
New King James Version (NKJV)
8 But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.
2 Now early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people came to Him; and He sat down and taught them. 3 Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst, 4 they said to Him, “Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act. 5 Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?” 6 This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear.
7 So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.” 8 And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. 9 Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.
And that is interesting because the older one had more time to sin so the younger ones left last.
10 When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, “Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?”
11 She said, “No one, Lord.”
And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you;

I want to stop there for a reason and I want to reflect on what took place here.

No.1 Jesus did not dispute the charges against this woman so we have to conclude that what she has been accused of happened. The interesting thing is the law not only says that the woman should be stoned but the man who is engaged in adultery with her should also be stoned. And the question is where was he? Another question is how did they know at what time and what place she would be committing adultery? I think she was set up. Were they watching her? How did they know? But they found her and they brought her to Jesus.

Now look at Jesus’s response and it very powerful. This is an expression of God’s grace.

No.1 He gave her protection from the crowd that was waiting to stone her. Gave her protection, didn’t rebuke her. He dealt with her accusers.

No.2 He gave her dignity by pointing out the sins of those accusing her and in doing He was pointing out that she was no worse a sinner than her accusers. So He gave her protection and He gave her dignity. Then He offers her forgiveness from her sin. He says “where are your accusers, neither do I condemn you”. When He says “neither do I condemn you” He’s also releasing her from condemnation.

This is what grace does. Grace brings you under the protection of God’s love and care in Christ. Grace gives you forgiveness for your sins. Grace removes the condemnation. The scriptures says “if any man be in Christ he is a new creature but there is now also no condemnation to those who are in Christ” because grace removes the condemnation, gives you protection, issues forgiveness, gives you dignity by raising you up and cleansing you and calling you a new creation, a chosen child of God.

But then Jesus does something and it’s critical here, Jesus does something that runs against the grain of what pop culture and unfortunately some churches want Jesus and grace to be like.

This is what He says “Now go and sin no more”. He didn’t just offer her protection, forgiveness and dignity and remove the condemnation He also made a demand on her lifestyle. I’ve talked to many celebrities in pop culture and this is the problem they have with Jesus. They want a Jesus who gives them all the love and affection, removes the guilt and condemnation. They want a Jesus that will give them all the benefits of prosperity and healing and everything but they don’t want a Jesus who makes a demand on their lifestyles.

The song that you sang earlier on “Your sacrifice demands my life and I live to honor You” to honor what You’ve done. I’m not going to live a life to dishonor what You’ve done because that is going to frustrate the work of Your grace in my life. So He told the woman go and sin no more.

See people don’t want that. ‘Jesus come into my life make me a Christian and I want Your prosperity, I want all of that but don’t tell me how to live my life because now You are trespassing, Jesus You are butting in’
Now let me adjust something for the scholars in here because this 8 chapter here in the gospel of John does not appear in some of the early manuscripts so they are those who discredit this story. Well there is another story about a man who is crippled for 38 years and is also in the gospel of John and also found in the early manuscript and Jesus told this man the same thing after He healed him and ran into him later in the day on a Sabbath at the temple “you’ve been healed and now go and sin no more”

Ephesians 1:11
11 In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will,
We have been predestined. Another words God’s love and compassion has come to us. He continues to say “walk worthy of your calling.

2 Peter 2:9
9 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;

Ephesians 5:8
8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light 9 (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), 10 finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. 11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them.

2 Timothy 1:9
9 who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus

Ephesians 4:1
4 I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling
How you live your life is supposed to demonstrate that you are salt and light because you carry yourself in a manner that is worthy of your calling. You’ve been called out of darkness into the light of God.

Colossians 1:9-10
9 And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10 so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord,
Worthy means showing, demonstrating by how you live the qualities of character and lifestyle that deserve respect, honor, and recognition as a redeemed child of God. To walk worthy of your calling and you’ve been called out of darkness not to any longer live and engage works of darkness. It means you no longer engage in activities that demonstrate spiritual and moral ignorance. Jesus loves you and He will supply all of your needs according to His riches and glory and you can do all things through Christ which strengthens you, whatsoever born of God overcomes the world and this is the victory that overcomes the world even our faith you are more than conquerors in this life and you are persuaded that nothing can separate you from the love of God neither height nor depth, no matter how low you go, nor angels nor principalities, nor power, nor things in the past, nor things in the present, nor things in the future. You are just blessed. However you have a responsibility to walk worthy of your calling. What does worthy mean again? It means showing the qualities of character and lifestyle that deserve, that commands respect, honor and recognition as a child of God. So your lifestyle should allow people to look at you and say ‘That is a redeemed, born again Christian’ not ‘I’m not sure if they are Christians, look at the way they act’. When you walk in a manner worthy of your calling you walk in dignity, you walk in a way people respect who you are because I’m going to tell you that respect gives you power to speak into their lives. You walk in a way that people can honor you.
The cultural mandate is being taken to a world where everybody is suspect, where everybody sort of have something in their closet so when there’s a Christian that comes in as salt and light, the first thing they are going to check is that Christian’s lifestyle. And when that lifestyle, their manner of carrying themselves is one of dignity and respect and brings honor to the Lord and to His kingdom and to His church then their hearts open for that person to influence them because all of a sudden they feel a certain trust for you and they feel the authority of God’s words in your life.

When a Christian carries himself as carnal and carnal Christians simply means a Christian who continues to allow the appetite of their human nature to dominate their lifestyle. So when you conduct yourself in a lifestyle that is contrary to the word of God and contrary to your confession, you undermine the authority of Christ in those people who know you who are not saved.

Apostle Paul wrote about how the word of God and the honor of God is blasphemed because of how Christians were conducting themselves. We live in a time where we want to use the scripture to celebrate all the benefits of the gospel in our lives but we don’t want the same scripture to make any demands on how we live. And yet this is a marriage relationship with Jesus and my wife is married to me and I’m married to her and guess what when we got married we drew boundaries of respect and honor and dignity. We would never no matter how angry we got we would never argue in front of people, we will never raise our hands to each other, will never use profanity to each other. That’s why we stayed married 40 years. Because we set boundaries of dignity, respect and honor. Did we get upset with each other? Yes.

Can Jesus look down from heaven and say to the devil ‘have you noticed, observed my servant?’ can He say your name. Can He present you as a model of how a Christian carries himself.

I’m not talking about legalism. I’m not talking about a life that is filled with laws and don’t do this, don’t do that. No, that should never be your motivation to live a life worthy of your calling. I’m going to tell you what should always be your motivation to live holy to walk right, to carry yourself with dignity, honor and respect. I’m going to give you one word and that is-gratitude.

You live right because you are grateful for what God has done in your life. You live right because of what God delivered you from. You live right because you are grateful for God’s protection over your life, His guidance over your life, blessings over your life. Your life should be one big thank you.
The scripture says “that time will come when people move away from moral standards, move away from God’s call to holiness and take advantage of God’s grace, it frustrates that grace”.

I serve God out of a grateful heart, I live for God out of a grateful heart. I’m not doing these things to gain His favor. No. I live in His favor, I walk in His favor, in His favor I live, move and have my existence. I don’t wake up in the morning and wonder if He loves me. I know He loves me, I know His grace is upon me. Every day I look for favor, I look for doors to be opened, I look for favor with people and I live a life of gratitude. I walk with an attitude of gratitude because my whole life, every day, every situation, every moment is to say thank you Jesus, for saving me, for healing me, for delivering me and I don’t want to do anything that displeases you. So I watch my words, my thoughts, my actions, my motivations. I want to walk worthy of the call upon my life.