APPENDIX A
APPENDIX A
With the exception of the Sermon on the Mount, the New Testament tells us of the Divinity and Lordship of Jesus Christ. Also, the mysteries of the Christian redemption, such as the born-again experience, the baptism with the Holy Spirit, the blood atonement, and so forth are set forth in the New Testament.
When the Christians have come to maturity in Christ, by responding correctly through Christ to the mysteries of the Divine redemption, they will be competent and eligible to perform the edicts of the Sermon on the Mount, and also the roles and tasks of the Kingdom of God.
APPENDIX B—THE ROLES AND TASKS </p> OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD </p> To be a member of the Bride of the Lamb (Revelation 21:9)
To be a member of the Body of Christ (I Corinthians 12:12)
To be a son of God (Revelation 21:7)
To be the light of the world (Matthew 5:14)
To be a part of the vehicle for the end-time revival (Isaiah 60:1,2)
To be a source of eternal life and healing for the nations (I Corinthians 15:45)
To be a member of the royal priesthood (I Peter 2:9)
To be a witness of God (Isaiah 43:10)
To be salt (Matthew 5:13)
To be an overcomer of the Accuser (Revelation 12:11)
To be a governor of the nations (Revelation 2:26,27)
To be a soldier in the army of the Lord (Joel 2:11)
To be a wall of defense around the Glory of God (Revelation 21:14)
To be the revelation of God in Christ (Revelation 3:12)
To be the house, resting place, and throne of the Father (Acts 7:49; Ephesians 2:22; Revelation 3:21)
APPENDIX C
The Sermon on the Mount is somewhat different from the remaining text of the New Testament in that it describes behaviors that can be taught to all people. These behaviors are made possible in the present hour to God's elect by the mysteries of the Christian redemption.
It is my opinion that after the victory of Armageddon, and after the cleansing of the earth by Christ and His saints, the saved people from the nations will be able to learn and practice the Sermon on the Mount.
From that point forward the Kingdom of Christ and of peace will expand for eternity.
Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this. (Isaiah 9:7)
APPENDIX D
And to whom did God swear that they would never enter his rest if not to those who disobeyed? So we see that they were not able to enter, because of their unbelief. (Hebrews 3:18,19)
In those days, the rest of God was Canaan, the land of promise.
In our time the rest of God is change into the image of the Lord Jesus, and untroubled rest in the Father's Person and will.
The stress in today's preaching is on "belief." "Belief" is being viewed as a virtue of its own, a mental posture that brings us into our inheritance.
However, as in the verses above, the factor that kept them out of Canaan was their disobedience. Their unbelief resulted in disobedience; and it was disobedience that prevented them from entering God's rest. They did not believe that God could or would bring them into Canaan, and so they retreated in fear and unbelief.
The Lord said to Moses, "How long will these people treat me with contempt? How long will they refuse to believe in me, in spite of all the signs I have performed among them? (Numbers 14:11)
It may be true, then, that if we do not obey the commands of the Lord Jesus, we really do not believe Him, or believe in Him, no matter what we profess.
Our conclusion, then, is that the test of true faith in Christ is obedience to His Words and those of His Apostles. Belief apart from obedience is, today, a mystique that appears to prevail in Christian theology. It promises to bring us into our Divine inheritance, but it is nothing more than disobedience with a theologic covering.
Belief apart from obedience neither will change us into Christ's image nor bring us into untroubled rest in God's Person and will, which are our primary goals.
APPENDIX E
If Christ already has finished everything in our personal redemption, and all we need do is believe in His finished work, why then was the Apostle Paul pressing forth so vigorously in order to grasp that for which he had been grasped?
Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:13,14)
"Straining toward what is ahead"!
I do not believe it all has been done for us. The Christian discipleship is one long battle in which we overcome or are overcome. We have to overcome as Christ also overcame.
To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne. (Revelation 3:21)
Does the verse above sound like Christ did all that was necessary to redeem us fully, and all we are obliged to do is believe that fact?