Dr. Terry Threadwell's Blog

For if by the trespasses of the one death reigned through that one, how much more will those who receive the abundance of grace, and of the gift of covenant membership, of “being in the right,” reign in life through the one man Jesus the Messiah. (Rom 5:17 KT)

For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.” For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man– and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.

Read Romans chapter 1, and you might get the wrong impression.  No, Paul’s focus is not on specific sins such as homosexuality, but idolatry. Clearly, God is revealed in his creation and can be seen all around us, but when we worship created things rather than worshiping God we exchange life for death. We give our position and power over to whatever we worship.  The sin of idolatry produces godlessness and godlessness produce injustice.  So, when we worship God, we take up our position as part of the ‘Royal Priesthood, reflecting the light and the image of God into the darkness that surrounds us.

The priest would lift their hands to God, and with their fingers form the Hebrew letter s or shin, believing that they were calling down the Shekinah glory.

Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. (2Co 5:18-19 NKJ)

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; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy. (1Pe 2:9-10 NKJ)

And have redeemed us to God by Your blood Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, And have made us kings and priests to our God; And we shall reign on the earth.”  (Rev 5:9-10 NKJ)

God reconciled us to himself, not the other way around, though when you look at some aspects of Christianity today, one might be led to believe that the God – Man relationship is on man’s terms. Neither does this reconciliation put us on equal terms with God.  You know as a child that one day you might inherit the family jewels, but that in no way made you a co-equal with your parents. A reality you soon discovered should you think otherwise.

This ministry and word of reconciliation restores us back to the position of being priests, a royal priesthood, and a holy nation. Paul says in 2 Cor 5:20, “so we  are ambassadors, speaking on behalf of Messiah, as though God were making his appeal trough us.” (NKT) We’re a foretaste of the Kingdom to come, here and now on this earth, light bearers, reflecting his glory, bringing the light into the darkness.  As John tells us in Rev 5:10, “Then you made them a Kingdom, Priests for our God, Priest-kings to rule over the earth.” He did it all.

“Hark the herald angels sing, “Glory to the newborn King! Peace on earth and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled.” Joyful, all ye nations rise, Join the triumph of the skies. With the angelic host proclaim: “Christ is born in Bethlehem.” Hark! The herald angels sing “Glory to the newborn King!”

God, reconciled us to Himself through the Messiah, and he gave us the ministry of reconciliation, God was reconciling the world to Himself in the Messiah, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting us with the message of reconciliation….The Messiah did not know sin, but God made him to be sin on our behalf so that in him we might embody God’s faithfulness to the covenant. (2Co 5:18-19; 21 CT)

Sometimes at Christmas we allow the fuzziness of the season to mask to the actual meaning of Christ’s birth, death, and resurrection. Hark the Herald Angels Sing was composed by Charles Wesley in 1739. The opening line was, “Hark! how all the welkin rings.” Welkin is an old English term for heavens.  George Whitfield later changed the wording to the version we know today. The words say, “Peace on earth and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled.  The three verse of 2 Corinthians tells us three things Christ has done for us. 

1. God, reconciled us to Himself
2. God was reconciling the world to Himself
3. God made him to be sin on our behalf so that in him we might embody God’s faithfulness to the covenant

God did it all for us; it really is a work of grace. In return, we received:

1. Ministry of reconciliation
2. Message of reconciliation
3. That we might embody God’s faithfulness to the covenant.  In others words, the curse of sin and the law having been removed, the blessings of Abraham become ours.

When Paul wrote these words, his spirit knew he was on the verge of a paradigm that was bigger than anyone had ever known.

Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him, saying, “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented.” And Jesus said to him, “I will come and heal him.” The centurion answered and said, “Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed. “For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, `Go,’ an…d he goes; and to another, `Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, `Do this,’ and he does it.” When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, “Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel! “And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. “But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you.” And his servant was healed that same hour. (Mat 8:5-13 NKJ)

There are some issues with this text that I will deal with later in the blog. Here we want to keep it simple. The centurion comes to Jesus pleading with him to heal his servant. Jesus responds by offering to come to the house and pray for the servant. The centurion responds, in faith, by telling Jesus that all he needs to do is speak the word. Recognizing Jesus’ authority, he knows that the word has power and doesn’t doubt or question.

Jesus is immediately struck by his faith and compares it to the Children of Israel. They question, doubt, and believe that they have a right to be in God’s presence based on Abraham’s righteousness. They are in for a shock.

When He had come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed Him. And behold, a leper came and worshiped Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” Immediately his leprosy was cleansed. And Jesus said to him, “See that you tell no one; but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.” (Mat 8:1-4 NKJ)

“And on the eighth day he shall take two male lambs without blemish, one ewe lamb of the first year without blemish, three-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering, and one log of oil. “Then the priest who makes him clean shall present the man who is to be made clean, and those things, before the LORD, at the door of the tabernacle of meeting. “And the priest shall take one male lamb and offer it as a trespass offering, and the log of oil, and wave them as a wave offering before the LORD. “Then he shall kill the lamb in the place where he kills the sin offering and the burnt offering, in a holy place; for as the sin offering is the priest’s, so is the trespass offering. It is most holy. “The priest shall take some of the blood of the trespass offering, and the priest shall put it on the tip of the right ear of him who is to be cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot. “And the priest shall take some of the log of oil, and pour it into the palm of his own left hand. “Then the priest shall dip his right finger in the oil that is in his left hand, and shall sprinkle some of the oil with his finger seven times before the LORD. “And of the rest of the oil in his hand, the priest shall put some on the tip of the right ear of him who is to be cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot, on the blood of the trespass offering. “The rest of the oil that is in the priest’s hand he shall put on the head of him who is to be cleansed. So the priest shall make atonement for him before the LORD. (Lev 14:10-18 NKJ)

Though Leviticus gives us the prescribed manner in which a person may be declared clean from leprosy, in reality, it never happened. Leprosy, also known as Hansen’s disease attacked the individual causing a thickening of the skin around the ears and eyes as well as the extremities of the hands and feet. Loss of feeling and the inability to feel pain were also signs of this disease.

In this case, God was already at work before Jesus did anything. The leper prostrated himself, pleading for his healing. He heard and saw the crowd following Jesus and came seeking. Breaking the law he knew this was his only chance. Jesus heals him and requires that he go to the priest and show himself. The priest would see the healing and know Messiah had come.

Today, it is easy for a person to have dull spiritual hearing and sight that they no longer feel the pain of the poor and needy. Unable to touch and our walk lame, such ‘leprosy’ needs the master’s touch. It starts with our worship and a desire to be all that God wants us to be. “Lord if you are willing?” “I am willing, be cleansed.”

“Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: “and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. “But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: “and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds b…lew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.” And so it was, when Jesus had ended these sayings, that the people were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. (Mat 7:24-29 NKJ)

Jesus finishes his teaching on the Sermon on the Mount by again comparing the person that hears and applies the Word to their life, as being a person that builds the house on a strong foundation, on solid rock. When the trials of life come, they’re not shaken or moved. The foolish person who having heard the Word does nothing and is like the person that builds their home on sand. Rains, floods, and winds soon mean that the house is gone.

So Jesus’ final words to those listening to his sermon and to those reading the Word throughout history, is to be not just a hearer of the Word but a doer, and there’s a lot to do.

“Not everyone who says to Me,`Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. “Many will say to Me in that day, `Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ “And then I will declare to them, `I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’ (Mat 7:21-23 NKJ)

Some are probably thinking that surely this is a contra…diction to the ‘who so ever’? You mean that I might not get to heaven? Let me change one word to help it make sense of this passage, “And then I will declare to them, I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice ‘Wordlessness.”

So you’re driving down the road, and the sign reads ’35 mph, but you decide to drive 50 mph. The sign reads ‘no entry, ’ but you drive through anyway. At the end of the road, the sign reads STOP, but you drive straight through almost causing a crash, but it’s okay because you’re driving to church. Life as a Christian requires that we not only read the Word but that we make application of what we read to our lives because of the Word, empowered by the Spirit, contains the will of the Father. Life is not just about getting to the final destination, its about the journey.

But what about all the external manifestations? “Many will say to Me in that day, `Lord, Lord, have we ‘not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name.” They are just that, external manifestations. Even king Saul, who was not a godly man, when he comes into the presence of the prophets, starts to prophesy.
1. Get into the Word for yourself
2. Make sure you’re being taught the Word correctly—check it out for yourself, don’t just say Amen!
3. Make sure the Word is being taught in its context. Taking the Word out of context just because it makes for a good sermon makes the preacher a ‘false prophet.’

The Christian life is all about being accountable, and the Word will get you through that narrow gate and on that straight path.

“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. “You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? “Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. “A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. “Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. “Therefore by their fruits you will know them. (Mat 7:15-20 NKJ)

Jesus has just finished teaching about the narrow gate, the highway of holiness.  Now he warns his hearers to beware of false prophets.  The warning here is not so much about the heretic, but the hypocrites.  The Pharisees were the primary focus of this sermon, with all their false teaching and hypocrisy.  Jesus knew that they would try to persuade the people with their interpretation of Jesus’ teaching.  Outwardly they appear godly (sheep), but inwardly they’re wolves.

Anybody can look as though they are Christian, but their fruit will be the proof.  The fruit is determined by the root, and only the person that has deep roots in Jesus Christ can produce the fruit that Jesus expects.

“Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. “Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it. (Mat 7:13-14 NKJ)

Most theologians would say that verse 12 ends the Sermon on the Mount and in the verses that follow Jesus makes application of the sermon. When we look back, it is easy to focus on one or two points, but that is not the intention of Jesus. He wants us to look at the whole sermon and make application in our lives of the whole and not just part. It’s a lot to take onboard, which is why he makes the statement we will be considering today, that the gate is narrow—few want to go through.

I’ve heard sermons preached on the Matthew 7:13-14 text, linking it to John 14:6, “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” Preaching that the Jesus way is the way of exclusivity and that all that are outside are going to hell. This kind of preaching shows little regard or attention to the Sermon on the Mount and is practicing the very things Jesus warns against—judgment with condemnation.

Isaiah talks about, “A highway shall be there, and a road, And it shall be called the Highway of Holiness. The unclean shall not pass over it, but it shall be for others. Whoever walks the road, although a fool, shall not go astray. (Isa 35:8 NKJ) Several years ago, Ann took a trip with some friends and visited California. She recounts one journey on Route 1. The road was just two lanes with rocks on one side and a drop into the ocean on the other. Perhaps the entrance onto Isaiah’s highway is through the narrow gate and like Route 1 in California, there is little room for error. The text is not referring to heaven and hell, but about the standard of holiness expected by the Lord today, here on earth. In Pilgrims Progress, Christian was okay if he stayed on the road. Like most Christians, we only get in trouble when we get sidetracked, then we are in danger of destruction, trusting in a self-righteous religion rather than a living faith. Following Jesus’s manifesto for living is not easy, according to Jesus, there are few who find that place in God, in this life, and enjoy that abundant life.