PASSOVER PREPARATION # 5

Fred R. Coulter – March 22, 2003

This is number five in preparation for the Passover. What we are doing, we are covering the words of the New Covenant as found in John 14, 15, 16, and 17. And you can also look at this, as we have seen, as a letter from Christ. You can put another way, this is a “love letter” from Christ, as well as instructions to us on how we are to live. Because once we are baptized and receive the Holy Spirit, then we are to develop through prayer, study, and living – a direct, living, relationship with God. And as we have seen in the first part of John 15 (FV), that this is hope and love. He tells you to, verse 9: “ ‘…Live in My love. If you keep My commandments you shall live [or that is abide, and remain] in My love…’ ” And that’s something you have to do. And you have to work at it. Love is not natural to the carnal mind. That’s why the fruits of the Holy Spirit – let’s go back to Galatians 5 and let’s see. Yes, people can have a carnal love of family, of nation and so forth, but not the kind of spiritual love that God wants us to have; and we are to live in that love. What comes naturally, and the love that comes from the world then is all the things which come out of human nature.

And so in Galatians 5:19 it talks about the works of the flesh, which are the things then we are to overcome in this living relationship with God the Father and Jesus Christ. “Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.” And we need to understand that we cannot produce in our lives without the Spirit of God, and without a direct living relationship, we cannot produce the love of God, unless we are constantly going to God, constantly yielding to Him, constantly repenting and changing and growing.

Verse 22: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love...” So that can only come from God. That true love, love of the Father and so forth, love of each other, can only come from God. And as I mentioned last time, there are four categories of love: 1) Love toward God. You love Him with all your heart and mind and soul and being. 2) Love toward the brethren, that you are to love them as Christ has loved them, which requires an awful lot of forbearance. Because from the different backgrounds, and the fact that we are the weak of the world, it is difficult for us to have love period, let alone love each other. Because in the world it is more natural to judge, to criticize, and all these things; as Jesus said, “Judge not, lest you be judged. For with what judgment you judge you’re going to be judged” (Matthew 7:1-2, paraphrased). And that is all carnality. God wants us to have forbearance. If God has called someone with a problem, does God know it? Well of course. That’s a silly question. How are we to handle it? We are to have forbearance.

So let’s finish the fruits of the Spirit here, and then we will amplify that a little bit more. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering…” And that’s part of forbearance. We are to forebear each other in love. “…Gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance [then which is self-control]: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.” And that’s a daily thing we need to do. And human nature is going to be there, and it’s going to rear its ugly head, and so forth, and it’s going to keep coming. But we need to keep going to God in repentance and yieldedness to God; acknowledge our faults and our mistakes, and confess to God. He forgives them, and we need to do likewise with each other.

Now notice verse 25: “If we live in the Spirit [that’s how we are to live], let us also walk in the Spirit.” (Galatians 5:19-25, KJV) That’s why the relationship with God cannot be just study and prayer, but it has to be living. And in the living comes the difficulty, the mental difficulties, because we all live between our ears in growing and overcoming, in bringing every thought into captivity to Christ, and having the Word of God written in our hearts and our minds.

Now let’s come back to John 15 (FV) and let’s come down to verse 17: “ ‘These things I command you…’ ” Now you go back and you can read the rest of it there what we have covered on number four. “ ‘These things I command you, that you love one another.’ ” Now that’s a command. If you think the Sabbath is a command, try this one on. This is greater, is it not? If you think we ought to keep the holy days, this is greater, isn’t it? Yes. So what do we need to do when we see someone who is a brother or sister in Christ that has a fault or a problem? Let’s come to I John 5. Let’s look at that. Here’s what we are to do. Sometimes it will take a lot of prayer. Sometimes it will take quite a while to do it. Things are not accomplished overnight. Everyone that God has called is a work in progress, in varying degrees or other. But God still loves us, because Jesus said that He loves us, and He said the Father loves us, and so that is where we retain our faith and our hope and our love, because it comes from God and is of God, and that’s the whole purpose of our covenant, which the Passover pictures. This is why He gave these words on the Passover night.

“If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death…” Now that’s anything but the unpardonable sin. What are you to do? Judge them? Criticize them? Talk behind their back? Talk to each other about it? Complain about it? Criticize it? What are you to do? “...He shall ask...” That means he shall pray for the individual. Perhaps not even let the person know that you’re praying for them. Now if they come to you and say, “Hey, I’ve got this problem, will you pray for me?” Well by all means do so. And it’s the hardest thing in the world to admit problems, to admit difficulties. We’ll see that in just a minute here, and see what the unloving attitude really does.

“...And He [that is, God] shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it.” No, that’s the unpardonable sin. “All unrighteousness is sin: and there is a sin not unto death. We know that whosoever is [as it should read ‘is begotten’] born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one touches him not” (I John 5:16-18, KJV). Now we will talk about the wicked one here in a little bit and how that affects us. But it means the wicked one cannot take you away from God. It doesn’t mean that there will not be problems and difficulties coming from Satan’s side, because there will. But we’ll cover that in just a bit. So that is what we are to do.

Now let’s go to Luke 18 and let’s answer the question: Why is self-righteousness so hard to see, and why is it so destructive to love? Let’s pick it up in Luke 18:11. And it is. It is destructive to love. “The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank Thee, that I am not as other men are...” First of all, there’s the comparison: “I’m better than the other person,” look down on the other person. “...I am not as other men are, extortioners…” Of course you shouldn’t do that. You can read the newspaper and condemn every one in the world for all the things that they do, can’t you? Sure you can. “...Unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.” So there’s a comparison. And it is a self-righteous thing in criticizing, condemning, and putting down, because that’s what this is. Christ wants us to overcome that. That’s why He has commanded us to love one another. And that’s very profound and important. And also in that, He makes it also very clear that in loving you are also to forgive. Because He makes forgiveness of your sin contingent upon your forgiving others their sins. That’s very important, and it’s easy to forget.

Now look, here is this Pharisee. He pretty well figures that he’s doing right. Notice then, in comparing himself he says: “I fast twice in the week...” Boy, that’s a great religious sacrifice, isn’t it? “...I give tithes of all that I possess.” Now what is so important here is this, is that you can be right without love. You can be right without love, and that is self-righteous hate when you come to understand that. Now the publican, obviously to be condemned, and even he himself knew it. And what this tells you is this – you can never read another person’s mind. And that is where we do get into trouble and difficulties, isn’t it? Yes, we do. “And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself [and we could just put in there, ‘over the criticized dead bodies of others’] shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted” (Luke 18:11-14, KJV). So in our direct living relationship with God, love ought to bring us humility and loving each other rather than condemnation and all the other things that come out of human nature. So that is a command. So as we come in preparing for the Passover we need to ask ourselves, are we loving each other?

Now let’s come back to John 15 (FV). We should be able to make pretty good progress from here. Verses 18 and 19 – here are two more “if’s”: “ ‘If the world hates you...’ ” And the world will. You can’t please the world. “ ‘...You know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own’ ” That’s why we’re not to be part of the world. That’s why it’s an impossibility, as we see with the experience of several of the churches in Revelation 2 and 3, it’s an impossibility to marry Satan’s way to God’s way; in the case of Pergamos and eating things sacrificed to idols, and the Nicolaitans. And also it’s impossible to have one foot in the world as the Laodiceans do and one foot in the church. So we need to understand that. The world, when it gets down to it, will hate us. And if we are of the world, the world would love its own. “ ‘However, because you are not of the world, but I have personally chosen you out of the world, the world hates you for this.’ ”

Right now we live in a time when it’s not as manifest is it will be. But you can be guaranteed that it will be. And of course the apostles and disciples lived it immediately, didn’t they? Yes, they did. “ ‘Remember the word that I spoke to you: a servant is not greater than his master.’ ” And He said that a servant is not greater than his master, neither a messenger greater than he who sent him. Now I hope you’re circling all these “if’s” as we go through here. “ ‘If they persecuted Me, they will persecute you also.’ ” That will happen. Now on the other hand, we cannot go out and be carnally instigating this kind of thing because He also said we need to be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. That’s true. But the persecution will come. But here’s the other side of the coin: “ ‘If they kept My word, they will keep your word also,’ ” in talking to the apostles, meaning “what you would be teaching and preaching.” And of course we now have that in the Scriptures so we know what we are doing.

“ ‘But they will do all things to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know Him Who sent Me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have had sin; but now they have nothing to cover their sin.’ ” In other words, they have no excuse because Christ came, and particularly to that generation, and in particularly to those that were promised to receive Christ first. Then they have no excuse for what they did. Now likewise with us, once we have Christ our “cover” is with Christ. We do have that.

Now verse 23: “ ‘The one who hates Me hates My Father also [because you can’t have one without the other]. If I had not done among them the works that no other man has done...’ ” In which John said at the very last that if everything that Jesus ever did were written in books, he said, “I suppose that even the whole world couldn’t contain it.” “ ‘...They would not have had sin; but now they have both seen and hated both Me and My Father. But this has happened so that the saying might be fulfilled which is written in their law, “They hated me without a cause.” ’ ” So what we find here is, hatred is of the world, and hatred is against God, because you cannot love God and hate your brother. You are to grow in faith and hope and in love. And so He makes it very clear here.

Now here is how it’s to be done: “ ‘But when the Comforter has come, which I will send to you from the Father, even the Spirit of the truth…’ ” And that’s what we will have when we receive God’s Spirit. That’s what we have. “ ‘...Which proceeds from the Father...’ ” And I’ve already covered concerning the facets of the Holy Spirit on previous tapes leading up to this. But this means that you have direct connection with God the Father and Jesus Christ in heaven above, as we’ve been going through in the series in Hebrews. “ ‘...That one shall bear witness of Me. Then you shall also bear witness, because you have been with Me from the beginning’ ” (John 15:18-27, FV). So what did they do? They went out and they preached, and their writings were preserved. So they are bearing witness according to what Jesus said there, “unto the ends of the earth,” still to this day. Isn’t that an amazing thing? That’s why we have the Word of God.

Now let’s come to John 16:1 (FV). And here we’re going to find part of this continues on hope, but you could put there, “in the midst of trouble.” “ ‘I have spoken these things to you so that you will not be offended [because now it’s going to get rough]. They shall cast you out of the synagogues; furthermore, the time is coming that everyone who kills you will think that he is rendering service to God.’ ” (John 16:1-2, FV). And of course, the highest mass in the Roman Catholic Church is the Inquisition mass and the death of heretics, thinking they’re doing service to God. Question: When Saul was persecuting the church, did he think he was doing service to God? Yes. When he killed them did he think he was doing service to God? Yes. There is a prophecy of this in Isaiah 66:5. Let’s go ahead and turn there, and let’s see how that happens. And it will even happen to those – let’s put it this way – those who claim to serve God will do it to you because they do not know God. And either that, or they have been so compromised with the truth that they count you as an enemy.

“Hear the word of the LORD, ye that tremble at His word; your brethren that hated you, that cast you out for My name’s sake, said, Let the LORD be glorified: but He shall appear to your joy, and they shall be ashamed” (Isaiah 66:5, KJV). So it shows that not only is the world going to hate you, but those who claim they know God are going to go even further. So here you have the viciousness of religious persecution, if we could put it that way, unto death.

Now let’s come back to John 16:3: “ ‘And they shall do these things to you because they do not know the Father, nor Me. But I have told you these things so that when the time comes, you may remember that I said them to you. However, I did not say these things to you at the beginning because I was with you.’ ” So now the whole thing is going to change. Verse 5: “ ‘But now I am going to Him Who sent Me; and none of you asks Me, “Where are you going?” But because I have spoken these things to you, grief has filled your hearts. But I am telling you the truth. It is profitable for you that I go away; because if I do not go away, the Comforter will not come to you. However, if I go, I will send it to you.’ ”

Now this is the operation of the Holy Spirit. It does it in two ways: to the world, to the church, and so forth. Verse 8 is the key: “ ‘And when that one has come, it will convict the world concerning sin, and righteousness, and judgment: concerning sin...’ ” So there are three phases to this – sin, righteousness and judgment. “ ‘…Concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me…’ ” So you know that’s quite astounding isn’t it, that if you don’t believe in Christ, that is a sin, is it not? Never thought of it that way, but it is. “ ‘…Concerning righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you no longer will see Me...’ ” As we have covered and will cover on the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, that we receive the blessing of this righteousness, which is right-standing with God the Father in heaven above. Not just law-keeping in the world, or the laws of the world, but this is the righteousness of God, and the Holy Spirit has to bring that conviction. And 3: “ ‘And concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged’ ” (John 16:3-11, FV). And we know that he will be removed.

Now let’s see the final act of this judgment coming. Let’s go to Revelation 12, and we will see that Satan is there to try and bother us and cause us difficulties and so forth. And what we need to realize is that since we are not of the world, how we overcome the world, how we overcome Satan the devil even in spite of his accusations against us. And here’s the final act of Satan the devil. He’ll do the things of the great tribulation, but this is the final act as far as the final judgment coming upon him. “And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels [that is, the demons] were cast out with him. And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down...” Now remember we said that the wicked one doesn’t touch you. Doesn’t say he can’t bother you. But he can’t take you away from God, even though he accuses you. “...Which accused them before our God day and night. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb [that is, through repentance and justification and righteousness that comes from God], and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death” (Revelation 12:9-11, KJV). And so that ties right in with what Jesus was saying here on the Passover night.

So the ruler of this world has been judged. Satan was defeated when he tempted Christ, as we see in Matthew 4 and Luke 4, overcame him completely. And he has been judged, and his judgment is going to be finished when Christ returns.

Now let’s come back to John 16:12: “ ‘I have yet many things to tell you, but you are not able to bear them now. However, when that one has come, even the Spirit of the truth, it will lead you into all truth...’ ” (John 16:12-13, FV). So what do we have revealed here in these chapters? First of all in John 14:6 – and you just put this in your notes right there – Christ is the way, the life, and the truth. He is the truth. Then we have right here, it says, “even the Spirit of truth.” Then we have John 17:17, “Your word is the truth.” Now therefore, you combine all of these things together and this gives you the understanding, not only of the Word of God, but the power of God, your relationship with God. You can believe God, you can trust God, you can hope in His promises continuously. “Will lead you into all things.”

Let’s come to Romans 8:14. Not only is it to just lead the apostles, but it is to lead us and all things in our lives, isn’t it? Yes, it is. And also it is a proof, an internal proof having the Spirit of God, as the Spirit of God leads you. Now that doesn’t mean you’re not going to make mistakes. That doesn’t mean that your human nature is not going to rise up against you from time to time, which is all part of overcoming. But here, Romans 8:14, “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.” So not only will the Spirit lead you into all truth, it will lead you into all the truth that is necessary for you to be saved and to enter into the kingdom of God. It led the apostles into the truth that needed to be preached and taught and written. And it is a fantastic thing to be able to have the Spirit of God.

Now verse 15 says: “For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear...”, because that’s the spirit of the world. To bind you in fear, and bind you in superstition, and hatred, and malice, and wickedness, and all the things of the fruit of the flesh. But contrariwise: “...you have received the Spirit of adoption…” (Rom. 8:14-15, KJV), which should read “sonship.” And that is the whole goal and key that we need to keep our minds focused on. If we have received the Holy Spirit and are led by the Holy Spirit, we are the begotten sons of God. And in this life there can be absolutely nothing greater than that. And so what Paul brings out here in the rest of the chapter – which we won’t go through now, that’s for another time – is to never let that get out of your thoughts. Let that inspire you, give you faith, give you hope, give you understanding, give you endurance in trial, and all of these things. If you are led of the Holy Spirit because you are and have received the Spirit of sonship and are the son of God.

Now let’s come back here to John 16, let’s continue on. So we have the Spirit of truth, the Word is truth, and Christ is true. Now when He says the Holy Spirit, John 16:13: “ ‘...because it shall not speak from itself...’ ” because we know it’s the power of God. So whatever it does is the power of God. It’s going to convey to you what God wants done. “ ‘...But whatever it shall hear, shall it speak.’ ” And as we have mentioned, just like sound going out, that’s what it is. “ ‘And it shall disclose to you the things to come.’ ” Which it did. And in particularly concerning the apostle John with the book of Revelation. “ ‘That one shall glorify Me, because it shall disclose to you the things that it receives from Me.’ ” So this is why a continuous, constant, living relationship with God and the covenant that we are in, which we renew every Passover, is so very important.

Now let’s continue on. We can finish here, and I think we’ll be able to get through everything today. Let’s hope so. John 16:15: “ ‘Everything that the Father has is Mine; for this reason, I said that it shall receive from Me and shall disclose these things to you.’ ” Now that’s necessary, because Christ would not be there any longer. So He begins to explain that to them. And He says, verse 16: “ ‘A little while, and you shall not see Me; and again a little while, and you shall see Me, because I am going to the Father.’ Then some of His disciples said to one another, ‘What is this that He is saying to us, “A little while, and you shall not see Me; and again a little while, and you shall see Me,” and, “because I am going to the Father”?’ Therefore they said, ‘What is this that He is saying, the “little while”? We do not understand what He is saying.’ Then Jesus, knowing that they desired to ask Him, said to them, ‘Why are you inquiring among one another about this that I said, “A little while, and you shall not see Me; and again A little while, and you shall see Me”?’ ” They didn’t understand about the resurrection that was going to come.

Now verse 20: “ ‘Truly, truly I tell you, you shall weep and lament [that is, when He’s crucified and died], but the world shall rejoice; and you shall be grieved, but your grief shall be turned into joy.’ ” And I imagine so. Because they were to be the witnesses of the resurrection that He did in fact rise from the dead. Now then He explains this joy: “ ‘A woman when she is giving birth has grief, because her time of travail has come; but after she gives birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish because of the joy that a child has been born into the world. And likewise, you indeed have grief now; but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and no one shall take your joy from you’ ” (John 16:13-22, FV).

Now then, let’s look at what happened here. Let’s come to Luke 24. We will see what happened. Now remember, after Jesus was crucified they were hiding for fear of the Jews. And they didn’t know what to do. And the only one who truly believed, when he saw the things at the tomb that Jesus had been raised from the dead, was John. The others didn’t. Even Mary Magdalene said, when she saw Jesus and thought He was the gardener, said, “Well where have you taken His body that we may get it?” Because never in the history of the world has anyone been resurrected from the dead to eternal life, except Christ. Now He previewed some of this by resurrecting and raising from the dead the son of a widow, and a daughter of a leader of the synagogue, and Lazarus. Then after His crucifixion and resurrection then many who recently had died rose out of their graves and went into the city. Now none of them received eternal life. They were just resurrected back to a physical life. But Jesus was raised to eternal life. And He could then, as one born of the Spirit, go wherever He desired. He could walk through walls, He could walk through doors, and all of that sort of thing.

Now let’s pick it up here in Luke 24:36. “And as they thus spake [that is, the two disciples that came back and said, ‘We’ve seen the Lord’], Jesus Himself stood in the midst of them...” “Now yet in a little while you shall not see Me, and yet in a little while you shall see Me.” Now here it is fulfilled right here. He died on the Passover day, was buried just right at sunset, and put in the tomb. He was in the tomb three days and three nights, resurrected at the end of the Sabbath, and ascended into heaven to be received of the Father [on the Wavesheaf Offering Day]. Then at the end of that day He came and appeared to the disciples who were assembled for fear the Jews. So here is the “little while” that they would see him.

“...And saith unto them, Peace be unto you. But they were terrified and affrighted, and suppose that they seen a spirit [that is, a demon]. And He said unto them, Why are ye troubled? and why do thoughts arise in your hearts? Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself: handle Me and see...” and so they did. Because John said, “That which was from the beginning, that which we have seen, that which we have handled...” So John and the apostles did handle Him. “...For a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see Me have.” So He was able to manifest Himself as He was, as a human being, to prove to them that He was Who He said He was. “And when He had thus spoken, He shewed them His hands and His feet.”

Now notice verse 41: “And while they yet believed not for joy...” Now didn’t Jesus say, “You’re going to grieve, but you’ll see Me again and your joy shall be full”? There He fulfilled it right there. “...Yet believe not for joy, and wondered [I guess so], He said unto them, Have ye here any meat [or that is, any food to eat]? And they gave Him a piece of a broiled fish, and of an honeycomb. And He took it, and did eat before them. And He said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning Me.” That shows the three divisions of the Old Testament, to this day, which we have. And I’m going to mention here that there is a big move to reinsert the Apocrypha books back into the Bible. As a matter fact, most of those that the American Bible Society are printing out now have the Apocrypha put back into it. So what you really are getting is now a Catholic Bible without the name “Catholic” on it. That is the ecumenical bible. But Jesus made it very clear that it was the Law, the Prophets, and the Psalms.

Now verse 45: “Then opened He their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures…” And that is the key thing of the working of the Holy Spirit, to open your mind to understand. And since Christ is directing it, when you read and study the Bible and you understand it, He is opening your mind. As we read before, it is the Father Who is teaching you. So these are very profound things, brethren, just tremendous.

“…And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behooved [or that is, it was obligatory for] Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day...” Why not the second day? Why not the first day? You can read in the Passover book why. “…And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.” And that’s what it’s all about, repentance and remission of sin, and your relationship with God – direct relationship. That’s what it’s all about. “And ye are witnesses of these things” (Luke 24:36-48, KJV).

Now let’s come to Acts 1 and see what happened. No, let’s come to I Corinthians 15, then Acts 1. So if you’re there, just go ahead and keep your place there. We’ll go to I Corinthians 15, because here in I Corinthians 15:3 we find out that more than just the apostles saw Christ. As a matter fact, it was really quite a contingent of people. “For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures [that’s both Old and New Testament at this point]; and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the scriptures: and that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve…” And remember He said, “Go into Galilee and meet Me there on the mountain that I appointed you.” “…After that, He was seen of above five hundred brethren at once…” Now that was an astonishing meeting. And this is the only place that we have it recorded that that meeting took place. “...Of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. After that, He was seen of James; then of all the apostles [that is, all the apostles again]. And last of all He was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time” or due season (I Corinthians 15:3-8, KJV).

Now let’s come to Acts 1, and let’s see not only this private meeting that He had with the apostles, and the public meeting He had with the five hundred, but He did other things too.