The Ministry of Christ (Part 2)

Proclaiming The Kingdom - Matthew 12:9-21

In our previous study, we saw that Christ was an OLD TESTAMENT personality. He was "MADE UNDER THE LAW" (Galatians4:4), and He lived under and kept the Law all His earthly life. We also saw that Christ came into this world as a man, born a Jew, to fulfill Prophesy. Everything Jesus Christ said or did during His earthly ministry was according to the words of the Prophets.

We find that Christ DID NOT come to SAVE THE WORLD, but rather to "REDEEM THEM THAT WERE UNDER THE LAW" (Galatians4:5). Because Christ's ministry was ONLY to those "UNDER THE LAW," He commanded His Disciples to "GO NOT IN THE WAY OF THE GENTILES, AND INTO ANY CITY OF THE SAMARITANS ENTER YE NOT: BUT GO RATHER TO THE LOST SHEEP OF THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL" (Matthew 10:5-6).

Christ's message to those "UNDER THE LAW" was not even a message of salvation, but rather a message that the "THE KINGDOM OF (or from) HEAVEN IS AT HAND" (Matthew 10:7). Nowhere do we find either Christ or His Disciples offering forgiveness of sins to anyone on the basis of their faith in the finished work of Christ on the Cross of Calvary. This offer could not have been made at that time because Christ had not as yet died to pay the sin debt that every man owes to God.

During Christ's earthly ministry, He was presenting Himself as Israel's King and instructing this nation concerning the specifics of the Kingdom He would establish for Israel. Christ's whole earthly ministry was one of presenting a preview of the Kingdom. He did this by demonstrating the blessings of the
Kingdom. Because there will be NO SICKNESS in the Kingdom, Christ healed many in Israel. Because there will be NO DEATH during the one thousand year reign of Christ, He raised the dead. Because there will be NO LACK OF MATERIAL NEEDS in the Kingdom, Christ fed the multitudes.Yet, NEVER ONCE did Christ offer this Kingdom to this nation during His earthly ministry. It was ONLY presented as being "AT HAND" (This phrase means that the Kingdom was right at their finger-tips; almost within their grasp).

There are TWO REASONS the Kingdom COULD NOT have been offered before the Crucifixion of Christ. Reason number one is that Christ could not offer the Kingdom to Israel because the Kingdoms of the earth were not His, they belonged to Satan because he is the "GOD OF THIS WORLD" (Second Corinthians 4:4) and the Kingdoms of this world were Satan's to do with as he pleases.

One of the goals Christ came to obtain was to get the Kingdoms of this world under His authority. Satan knew this and tempted Christ with these Kingdoms. In Matthew 4:8-9, we have the record of Satan's temptation of Christ. Satan offered to GIVE Christ the Kingdoms of this world if He would only bow down and worship him. Christ did not deny that Satan had these Kingdoms and that he had the authority to give them to whom-so-ever he pleased.

Christ knew that were He to take this easy way of getting the Kingdoms of the world for Himself, there would be no redemption for creation. Another purpose in Christ's coming to earth was to"SEEK AND SAVE THAT WHICH WAS LOST" (Luke 19:10). Not only was man lost when Adam sinned, but the whole creation fell with Adam and Christ came to redeem His creation. (Note Romans 8:21-23
concern-ing the travail of all creation until the resurrection). Christ rejected Satan's offer of the Kingdoms and chose to follow the path His Father had outlined for Him, which led to Calvary, for only in the Cross could there be redemption for His creation.

Reason number two is that Christ could not offer the Kingdom to Israel until He had first received it from His Father. We see the truth of this in the parable of the Ten Pounds, in Luke 19:11-27. Christ is the "NOBLEMAN" of this parable and we see from the twelfth verse that He had to go "INTO A FAR
COUNTRY TO RECEIVE FOR HIMSELF A KINGDOM, AND TO RETURN." To get to this "FAR COUNTRY," Christ had to travel through Satan's domain for this "FAR COUNTRY" is Heaven and as the "PRINCE OF THE POWER OF THE AIR" (Ephesians 2:2) Satan rules the Heavenlies, as we see in Ephesians 6:12. Just dying and being raised from the tomb was not sufficient to provide Redemption for the
creation. There was another part to the ministry of Christ. After His death, He had to ASCEND into Heaven to present Himself to the Father and as the High Priest after the order of Melchisedec, enter the Heavenly Temple to offer His Blood on the Altar for the redemption of creation. Had Satan been able to keep Christ from this ministry in the Heavenly Temple, there would have been no salvation for man and the Kingdoms of this world would remain in Satan's control. We learn of this Heavenly ministry of Christ in Hebrews 6:19­20; 9:11-12; and 9:24.

We also have another proof of Christ's need to go "INTO A FAR COUNTRY TO RECEIVE FOR HIMSELF A KINGDOM, AND TO RETURN" by the event recorded in John 20:17. Here we have Christ, after His Resurrection, speaking to Mary. He tells her, "TOUCH ME NOT; FOR I AM NOT YET ASCENDED TO MY FATHER." His ministry was not yet completed and He could not be defiled by sin in any form. Mary was still a sinner and could not touch Christ at that time. Yet, just a few days later we find Christ talking to Thomas (also a sinner) who had said he would not believe Christ was alive unless he touched the nail prints in His hands and thrust his hand into the wound in His side. Now that
Christ had ascended unto the Father and presented His blood on the altar in the Temple in Heaven; has received His Kingdom and has returned to earth, He says to Thomas, "REACH HITHER THY FINGER, AND BEHOLD MY HANDS: AND REACH HITHER THY HAND, AND THRUST IT INTO MYSIDE" (John 20:27).

We know that Christ DID receive His Kingdom from His Father, for after his resurrection, He spent forty days teaching His Apostles and instructing them to OFFER the Kingdom to the nation of Israel. This they did in their Pentecostal ministry. The first real OFFER of the Kingdom is found in Acts
3:19-21, where we read: "REPENT (change your mind about Christ) ... AND BE CONVERTED, THAT YOUR SINS MAY BE BLOTTED OUT, WHEN THE TIMES OF REFRESHING SHALL COME FROM THE PRESENCE OF THE LORD; AND HE (the Father) WILL SEND JESUS CHRIST, WHICH BEFORE WAS PREACHED UNTO YOU: WHOM THE HEAVENS MUST RECEIVE UNTIL THE TIMES OF RESTITUTION ... WHICH GOD HAS SPOKEN BY THE MOUTH OF ALL HIS HOLY PROPHETS, SINCE THE WORLD BEGAN."

Because of these TWO REASONS, Christ COULD NOT offer the Kingdom to Israel during His earthly ministry but could only present it as being "AT HAND."

The Turning Point In Christ's Ministry

We have been taught, or at least we have assumed, that Christ spent the entire three years of His earthly ministry going about the nation of Israel presenting Himself as King and offering acceptance into His Kingdom to anyone who would believe He was truly their King and their Messiah. THIS IS NOT TRUE. Christ had a very short PUBLIC ministry. The record is clear that shortly after He began His ministry to Israel, during His first year of this ministry, the leaders of this nation rejected Him and His message, even wanting to kill Him. We see this in Matthew 12:14.

This attitude and action of the Pharisees marks the TURNING POINT in Christ's earthly ministry. From this time on, Christ with draws Himself from a PUBLIC ministry and even forbids anyone to tell that He is the Christ (Matthew 12:6).

Even His Disciples are commanded that they are to "TELL NO MAN THAT HE WAS JESUS THE CHRIST" (Matthew 16:20).

a. You will find that, historically, between Matthew 12:14 and Acts chapter two, no pronouncement of the Kingdom is made; no offer of repentance nor of baptism was made, and no one was identified into the Kingdom program.

The ONLY ministry Christ had during His last TWO YEARS on earth was to instruct His Disciples, preparing them to be His witnesses after His Death, Resurrection, and Ascension into Heaven to await Israel's repentance and acceptance of Him and His Kingdom. We see this fact in Matthew 16:21.

You would think that with an Instructor like Christ teachings these men about God's Program for the Kingdom and about Himself as their Messiah, they would have a ready answer for any question or situation that would arise, but the record shows that after THREE YEARS of being with Christ and having Him tell them of what was in store concerning Himself, the Apostles did not understand any of these things. Luke 18:31-34 shows that Christ made it clear that He was to suffer and die, but on the third day He would be raised. Yet, notice verse 34,"THEY UNDERSTOOD NONE OF THESE THINGS."

You would think that even if they didn't understand what Christ was saying at that time, surely, AFTER these events had taken place they would have remembered what He had told them and would have then believed, but even after the women had seen the empty tomb and reported it to the Apostles, their attitude was still one of unbelief. "AND THESE WORDS SEEMED TO THEM AS IDLE
TALES, AND THEY BELIEVED THEM (the women) NOT" (Luke 24:11).

Conclusion

As we have seen once again, the PROPHETIC PROGRAM had the EARTH in view and the nation of Israel was the central object of God's dealings. As Gentiles, we would be excluded from God's blessings were that same program in effect today. Because Israel rejected the offer of the King and His Kingdom when it was offered to them in the early part of the Book of Acts, God stopped His clock of PROPHECY and inserted a parenthetical age which had been "KEPT SECRET SINCE THE WORD BEGAN" (Romans 16:25). After Israel had refused their promised Kingdom, God made known to the Apostle Paul His SECRET PROGRAM which had to do with the HEAVENLIES and the calling out of an assembly made up of both, JEWS and GENTILES on an equal basis.

The ONLY requirement for salvation today is to acknowledge that you are the sinner for whom Christ died and receive Him as your Lord and Savior. When we, by FAITH, accept Christ's death as payment for our sins, God will forgive us of our sins and make us JOINT-HEIRS with Christ (Romans 8:17). Our HOPE is in the HEAVEN-LIES, not on earth. The Christian today will spend eternity seated
with Christ as a TROPHY of God's Grace (Ephesians 2:6-7). As Gentiles, we should be exceeding grateful that God DID change His program for the earth and made known the dispensation of HIS GRACE.

Pastor Marvin Duncan
Bible Treasures, 1820Drollinger Street, Wichita, Kansas 67218

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