Pod Prep 7-27-18
Christ Did Not Come to Start a New Religion
JESUS CHRIST CAME AS THE PROPHESIED MESSIAH FOR ISRAEL
Jesus came as the prophesied Messiah the Jewish nation was awaiting. However his first coming was misunderstood. But Jesus was the Messiah the Jewish nations was seeking. He was predicted to come and save Israel and be 'God with us'. Messianic Judaism is a growing phenomenon in world today.
Isa 7:14 "Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel. (NKJV)
Immanuel means God is with us. The word Christ means Messiah. He was predicted in the Old Testament. He came to live with us and to deliver us and ultimately to be our king, the conquering Messiah. All the Jewish nation was waiting for him. Jesus came and threw out the money changers in the Temple. He cleaned it out and gained the reproach of the religious leaders who profited from such corruptions.
Ps 69:7 Because for Your sake I have borne reproach; Shame has covered my face. 8 I have become a stranger to my brothers, And an alien to my mother's children; 9 Because zeal for Your house has eaten me up, And the reproaches of those who reproach You have fallen on me.
Jesus came fulfilling many Old Testament verses. He did not come to start something new, but to complete prophesied roles given by the Bible. Jesus did not come promoting a new religion with a new creed but came with salvation using a seamless continuation of the prescription of salvation found from Genesis through Malachi. Jesus confirmed all the existing scriptures of that time, the Old Testament. If God was mistaken in a lot of what he had done in the past then many nations and people were punished unfairly. This is an outrageous premise regarding the righteous supreme creator God.
GOD DOES NOT MAKE MISTAKES THEREFORE A NEW RELIGION WAS NOT NECESSARY
A young Jewish teacher who had previously been, the God of creation and Israel, did not come to start a new religion. He came as the prophesied Messiah to save Israel and bring light to the darkened world. He came to rebuke the misguided leaders of Judaism but not to state that the God of the Bible had made mistakes that must be corrected with a new religion.
Heb 13:8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. (NKJV)
Note how Paul viewed gentiles who were coming into the worship of the true God. He viewed them as being grafted into Israel or the pure worship of the God of Israel the real creator God.
Ro 11:17 And if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive tree, were grafted in among them, and with them became a partaker of the root and fatness of the olive tree, 18 do not boast against the branches. But if you do boast, remember that you do not support the root, but the root supports you.
Jesus did NOT come along and create a new religion outside of the worship of the God of Israel. Gentiles were grafted into true worship of the true God that was known only to the Israelites. The gentiles became spiritual Israelites. The Jewish people were the only Israelites active in the holy lands at the time since the northern ten tribes were in captivity.
The truth is we serve one God who has not changed. He is the same yesterday today and tomorrow. Jesus the Messiah is the God of the Old Testament the only Bible that existed during the ministry of Christ. Christ vigorously defended the word of God the Bible.
Mal 3:6 "For I am the LORD, I do not change; Therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob. (NKJV)
Joh 14:15 "If you love Me, keep My commandments.
Mt 5:17 "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. 18 "For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. 19 "Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
Our Christian world does not know that Jesus came in support of the Old Testament (the law and the Prophets). Otherwise the God of the past made terrible mistakes that now had to be nullified and rectified by a new prophet. That Jesus is the correction is the false belief of mainstream churches. The problem with this approach is that Jesus is the God of the past who is supposedly being corrected.
Eph 3:9 and to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ; (NKJV)
John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. 14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
Jesus did not come to start a new religion he came to save the world from sin. Sin is breaking of the laws given in the Old Testament. Serving the true God is still the same. The New Testament as delivered by the Apostles of Christ, came to clarify a few things as needed but stands on the same base as in the past. Note that when Paul was on a major missionary journey in the pagan world he started preaching at the synagogue where God's word was read.
Acts 17:10 Then the brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea. When they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. 11 These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so.
Paul compliments the Berean Synagogue for checking the message that he is preaching with the only Bible in existence at the time. None of what Paul taught was a problem. Christ and the gospel were preached from the Old Testament (OT). Paul was NOT helping to start a new religion but only expanding it.
WHY DID THE RELIGIOUS LEADERS OF JESUS DAY GO ASTRAY?
They still had the Bible (OT) and some basic truths. However they had developed a large number of extra laws and administrative rules to help enforce the law. It is no surprise that without the Holy Spirit of God for guidance they went astray. The Bible says all nations have been deceived by the devil in this age. That would include the Jewish nation.
Re 12:9 So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. (NKJV)
The Israelites often missed correctly worshiping the true God. It is the narrow, difficult path. During Elijah's day he thought that the people had all gone astray, but God told him that Jehovah had reserved seven thousand who had not bowed the knee to Baal. Note I kings 19:18. Paul saw the same pattern in his day.
Ro 11:5 Even so then, at this present time there is a remnant according to the election of grace. 6 And if by grace, then it is no longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace. But if it is of works, it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work. 7 What then? Israel has not obtained what it seeks; but the elect have obtained it, and the rest were blinded. 8 Just as it is written: "God has given them a spirit of stupor, Eyes that they should not see And ears that they should not hear, To this very day."
The same pattern existed in days of the Apostles as in the days of the OT prophets. Only a small percentage were given the insight to see the full truth. All Israel will be saved someday but for now many are allowed to fail. All of Jesus' early followers and leaders were Jewish. They never doubted that the Jews had the oracles of God and preserved them accurately. This was the true worship of the true God even if many did not fully understand it.
Joh 4:22 "You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews. 23 "But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.
Ac 13:26 "Men and brethren, sons of the family of Abraham, and those among you who fear God, to you the word of this salvation has been sent. 27 "For those who dwell in Jerusalem, and their rulers, because they did not know Him, nor even the voices of the Prophets which are read every Sabbath, have fulfilled them in condemning Him.
Gentiles who came to the synagogues to learn of the true God not paganism were called 'God fearers'. They were also addressed by Paul. The spirit led them to conclude that gentiles need only circumcise their hearts not just their flesh however the gentiles were instructed to learn every Sabbath at the synagogues about all the other laws of God.
Ac 15:19 "Therefore I judge that we should not trouble those from among the Gentiles who are turning to God, 20 "but that we write to them to abstain from things polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from things strangled, and from blood. 21 "For Moses has had throughout many generations those who preach him in every city, being READ in the synagogues EVERY SABBATH."
What were gentile believers taught? Were they taught that it was a new religion? No! The answer is clear they were taught to go to the synagogues where the Bible OT was read and taught every week. Christians did not leave Judaism they were eventually pushed out. The pure truth was a problem for those who still followed the deceived leadership of the scribes and Pharisees.
Mr 7:7 And in vain they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.' 8 "For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men--the washing of pitchers and cups, and many other such things you do." 9 He said to them, "All too well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition.
Jesus heavily criticized the false leaders of his nation but he clearly did not come to start a completely new religion. Some followed Christ and his disciples into fully worshiping the true God as Moses had done.
