Words of Jesus Podcast - My Words Are Spirit and They Are Life

Episode Date: April 29, 2022

The result of false doctrines (i.e., God sits at the end of time knowing all things; waiting for everything to turn out the way He always knew they would) and abundant Bibles creates a sense of familiarity. We overlook the incredible wisdom and instruction of Jesus to our peril.  The Sermon on the Mount is literally the musings, the teachings of the Son of God - endorsed by YHVH from the heavens at the event of the transfiguration. Paul was taught indispensable doctrine by Jesus at Mt. Sinai (Elijah's cave). Paul a Pharisee and a member of the Sanhedrin knew the Scriptures; still he went to the source of the law-giving.  He understood education is not the answer. ***Chapter 19: The Sermon on the MountTHE FAME of Jesus spread so widely that great numbers came to see him from all over the countryside. Seeing the multitudes, Jesus went up into a mountain. There he sat down; and when his disciples came to him, he taught them, saying: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of God. Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek: for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God. Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you." Salt is good. You are the salt of the earth: but if the salt has lost his savor, with what will it be salted? It is hereafter good for nothing, It is neither fit for the land nor yet for the dunghill, but to be cast out and to be trodden under foot of men. Have salt in yourselves and have peace with one another. You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. Men do not light a candle, and put it under a basket, or under a bed, but on a candlestick; and it gives light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father, which is in heaven. Think not that I am come to destroy the law or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle will in no wise pass from the law, till all is fulfilled. Whoever therefore will break one of these least commandments, and will teach men so, he will be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whoever will do and teach them, the same will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I say unto you, Except your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven. You have heard that it was said to them of old time, You will not kill; and whoever will kill will be in danger of the judgment: But I say unto you That whoever is angry with his brother without a cause will be in danger of the judgment: whoever will say to his brother, Raca, will be in danger of the council: but whoever will say, You fool, will be in danger of hell fire. Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has anything against you, Leave there your gift before the altar, and go your way; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver you to the judge, and the judge deliver you to the officer, and you be cast into prison. Verily I say unto you, You will by no means come...

Think Red Ink Ministries presents The Words of Jesus Series with Don C. Harris Hello my friends, welcome once again to the Words of Jesus series. I'm Don Harris of Think Red, Inc. Ministries. My goal is to reinforce Christianity with the wisdom and the words of Jesus, which, incidentally, are recorded and read in many Bibles. Do you know what Jesus said? What Jesus did? What Jesus said to do? This series is based on Jesus, his life, his friends, his ministry, his relationship with his Father, as recorded in the four Gospels.

We have been talking about recently the Sermon on the Mount and we have been talking about, of course, the Beatitudes, which is how the Sermon on the Mount begins, talking about how Matthew seemed to have taken a positive approach to the Beatitudes in that these are these characteristics, if you have these characteristics in your life, that there is blessedness awaiting you. And as I was saying that Luke took a more negative approach and there's really not a Sermon on the Mount in the book of Luke, but there's a lot of the subjects that were preached in the Sermon on the Mount

are covered again in Luke in his everyday speech. I happen to believe that the Sermon on the Mount very well could have been a purposeful compilation of everything that Jesus taught in his everyday life. It was everything that he said in the Sermon on the Mount were the same down-to-earth things that he taught every day. And so after so much time spending with the Lord, of course Luke was not one of his disciples, but I think that in study of those things and in research of those things, Luke became very familiar with the sayings of Jesus.

As a matter of fact, there is a theory that there is a book called the sayings of Jesus. Now, this very well could be true. We don't know this. There's also another hypothetical book called The Q Document. These are things that were evidently recorded about the life of Jesus. The chronology and different things that he said and did. There's speculation and at least they had the honesty to call them hypothetical

because they are indeed hypothetical. But the three synoptic gospels, Matthew, Mark, and Luke, are all very, very similar. The arguments go back and forth as to who copied who and who was first and when certain things were written and how these things were compiled. But these are not necessarily facts for which we believe or falsities of history for which we should not believe what Jesus said. It's a mystery to people who do not live by faith, do not understand the faith of Christianity, that a person could believe something for which there is no facts. But what I have found is that when there is something presented to a person,

lost, saved, good, bad, doesn't matter, when there is an idea presented to them that requires some kind of uncomfortable change in their life, they do look for reasons not to believe whatever it is they believe. Now, conversely, I will also concede that there is an equal and opposite error which is very prevalent

in Christianity, in modern Christendom, that when there is something that we want to believe and there's something that we want to accept into our life we have a tendency to overlook facts to the opposite, contradictions, and inconsistencies in the scriptures or in history or whatever. And we decide, I don't believe that, I do believe this, and we kind of pick and choose. Well, that's a pretty poor way to develop a doctrine.

It's a poor way to develop theology by going into the scriptures and finding, well, the scripture says this, so this is the way it is. They say this, so this is the way it is. And people feel like they're taking their, or developing their faith in god by the scriptures when in reality it's pretty much the same thing as uh you know just gathering philosophies in a smorgasbord fashion uh in order to have feel like that they have some faith in God. The fact is that many Christian relationships

to God are not relationships to God at all. But they are relationships to Bibles, to denominations, to pastors, to ideas, to perhaps the newest in Jewish ideas of the Messianic community, the tongue talking and the healing and the miracle working of what used to be the Pentecostal variety, the prosperity and such of the

word of faith or whatever there happens to be their little pet doctrine when they find it they latch onto it. These are all poor ways to develop doctrine. Doctrine is something that the Apostle Paul found was awaiting him not in a seminary, not back in Jerusalem dealing with the disciples and getting their opinions about whatever it was that the Lord was calling him to do. But he found that

good solid doctrine and theology was awaiting him in the backside of the Arabian desert. I happen to believe that Paul spent his two years in this time of learning. I happen to believe that he spent that somewhere in the vicinity of the cave that Elijah occupied in those days, which is right there in the Sinai desert. When we

find that Paul spent this time in Sinai desert. When we find that Paul spent this time in Sinai there was a reason for him going to Sinai. I don't know if it ever occurred to you about the travels of the Apostle Paul, the discrepancies between Luke and Galatians and these kind of things. We talk about it and teach here at TRI about these particular things. And it was just an oddity that Paul, a resident of Jerusalem, a member of the Sanhedrin, and no doubt considered Jerusalem to be the center of his life and faith when he was approached by the Lord Jesus himself.

You remember the Damascus Road situation where Jesus appeared to him and said, why are you persecuting me? And he wasn't really even aware of who this person was that was glowing there in front of him. But I don't know if you ever felt it was odd. I did. That Paul would, at that particular point,

come to the realization that if Jesus Christ is indeed the Son of God, he is indeed, was then, and is now the Messiah, the anointed one of God that came to teach his people and to bring us into the place that the Lord wants us to be. Thus he was named Joshua, as Joshua brought the children of Israel into the promised land. So Jesus Christ the Savior of the world is bringing us into the kingdom of God. Which is the similarity I think that

prompted the Spirit of God to give him the name of Moses' successor Joshua. But Paul found that what doctrine he needed to learn, and mostly you have to understand that Paul was well-versed, well-educated in the scriptures. So he was not in Sinai to necessarily learn

the ways and the means of the Jewish people, nor doctrines or the study of the covenants with the Israeli people, or even learn of doctrine and theology, but he was there to rectify what he knew to be so as far as the Jewish faith and the appearance and installation of Jesus Christ as the Son of God and indeed another God altogether. This was very difficult for the Jews and still is today.

The idea that there even could be another God because from the time that they were children idea that there even could be another God. Because, you know, from the time that they were children, they recited the Shema, which although within the Shema is the idea of a plural God, it starts with hero Israel, the Lord is one God. The Lord is one. And so, this was a, this, there were many things, circumcision, you know, the covenants with Abraham and with Moses, the Noahic covenant,

and the beginning of mankind, and how all these things come together. how in the world can everything that I've ever understood as the Jewish faith be so with the addition and installation of Jesus Christ as Messiah? Well, that had to be worked out. And so Paul did something that I frankly just don't understand, but I assume he did it by the leadership of the Holy Spirit, that he left all of his brethren, all of his friends, all of his teachers, his city, and likely his family, and went to Sinai, which is a stark and barren land. I don't even know how he lived there. But nevertheless he went to Sinai. And I've often wondered

because within the Jewish faith there is an element of the Jewish faith that is as important as anything could be. And that is the law, the Ten Commandments. He went right back to where those commandments were given. This is the last time the Lord dealt with religion and perhaps if I'm there, he'll help me deal with these things. Well, he indeed did. And Paul is

second to none when it comes to rectifying the Jewish faith with the Christian faith in that neither one has to deny one another. They don't have to mutually exclude one another as they do today. But Paul was trying to say that this is a continuation and a fulfillment of everything that I've ever learned. Well, those kind of things don't come from reading books or reading Bibles, of going to a seminary, or any of the rest of these kinds of education-type things

that we seek out when we're trying to learn. But these are the kind of things that come to a man's spirit when he's quiet before the Lord. And it took Paul, I mean we're talking about years that he put in to make all these things come together. And boy oh boy did he ever make it come together. This is why Paul is such a not only an interesting character in christianity but an indispensable one um i'm not really here to talk about paul although he's just one of my favorites um and we want to we want to talk about the sermon on the mountain i guess i

get it i get into these things because people have a tendency to believe that if I memorize the Sermon on the Mount, it'll do me some good. If I memorize the book of Proverbs, I'll be wise. If I memorize the Beatitudes, then I'll have all those attributes. No, no, no, not at and it's it's a huge mistake and i think a very disappointing mistake in many people's lives to pursue a relationship with god through education and paul when he got back testifies to what i'm telling you now when he says that these things that i'm telling you these are indispensable things anybody that comes to you and says that what i'm telling you is not true you ought not listen to them he says look if i change my mind and come back you know next year and tell you everything i told you wasn't true i'm'm lying. You know, this is a pretty direct and a powerful

statement. But he was very, very convinced that, first of all, he did not take his Jewishness lightly. He didn't take the Jewish, he didn't dump Judaism and become a Christian, as some people, you know people accuse him of having done. He put Judaism right where it belongs. He understands exactly its purpose and everything about it, more so than, I mean, he's incomparable as far as I'm concerned. I've read books by Jewish authors and Jewish rabbis and such that don't even come close to the Apostle Paul's understanding of these things. Well, this all comes by revelation. This is what we have to seek

is revelation. Now, the reason I say that is that as we read through the S sermon on the mount you're going to hear many things that are very familiar to you um and you've heard them before perhaps you've memorized them but um you have to understand that when you read something in the scriptures and as i was saying you know one of my hobbies is to find out who said it and who they said it to and when they said it and what was the man thinking that would make him answer the question that way or what was he thinking to make him ask that question um those are all nice mental exercises but the truth is is that everything that we read in scripture should be, first of all, made familiar to us by simply reading what we do read, being honest about what we do not understand, being honest in the fact that we're not willing

to change definitions of words in order to understand, or in order to make it match our presently held knowledge about whatever our theology happens to be. But that these kind of things would be revealed to us in time by the Father. We have a teacher. Jesus Christ claimed to be our only teacher, our only rabbi. And the reason that he did that is that he wanted to make it very, very clear, at least in my mind, that it isn't just a

good idea for you to listen to me. It is imperative that you listen to what I say. It's not something that you take what I say and mix it with what the prophets say, or mix it with what Moses says, or hold it in some mental scrutiny with how the law is interpreted, how the prophets are interpreted. I speak for myself.

I speak of my Father, and the words that I give you are spirit and they are life. He's very adamant about this. These are not things that are subject to some, you know, professor's opinions or his ideas. These things are very, very complete within themselves. My words are spirit and they are life. They need not be interpreted or translated. His purpose is to speak to us from the inside up. This is the way we are to learn. As a matter of fact the transfiguration, and we're going to be going into that. That's all part of this particular study. But the transfiguration

has a message with it that i think just goes unnoticed in many many cases um and that is that there were three entities upon this mountain or this this knoll this hill whatever where this transfiguration took place you remember who the three identities entities were on there it was moses and jesus and elijah and the message the overwhelming message here if you just stop and look at it was it is interpreted, it's brought to life, it's brought to fruition in our minds by the words that the Father spoke down through the heavens that day. And the subject

was set by the Lord God Himself. He says this, talking about Jesus Christ, this is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased. Hear ye him. Now, friend, he didn't say this in any unintelligible way. He made this very, very clear that this is my son, because Moses and Elijah, you remember, disappeared from view. And there was left standing only Jesus Christ. And he was trying to tell them that there was a time when you heard the prophets of God. Now this was symbolized and embodied by the body of the person of Elijah.

It's pretty obvious. Elijah, he just stands as a symbol of all the prophets. And there was a time when the children of Israel received their instruction through the prophets. Well, how does Hebrews begin? He says that there was a time when the Lord spoke to us by the prophets. Isn't that what it says? Now Moses, of course, being a prophet as well, but Moses embodied and symbolized the law of God, which is a very important part. It's not that it has disappeared.

It's not that it's gone away. But when it comes time for us to hear the voice of God, for us to become better, to have a communicative relationship with the Father, Moses is not to be a part of it elijah is not to be a part of it and when this doesn't mean that you're going to grab your bible and and tear it where it says new testament and throw the old testament away that's not what he's saying at all he's saying that there's a new communication i know you used to get your information from the prophets, Elijah, and from the law, Moses.

I understand that this is the way you lived your life. This is how you got your answers. This is how you developed your life, or at least some of them, and at least the ones that tried did. But he said, that's not the way it's going to be anymore. Now, how can you say that, Don? You know, all those words aren't in the scriptures. Well, they are. When Jesus,

when the Father said, when he was talking about Jesus, this is my beloved Son, he didn't say believe on him. He didn't say worship him. He didn't say kiss his feet or wash his clothes for him or make him something to eat or take him into your house and give him a place to stay. This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased. Hear him.

The subject of the sentence is, who do we listen to? What do we do here? Do we follow the prophets? Do we follow the law? What do we do here? Do we follow the prophets? Do we follow the law? What do we do? No, this is my beloved son in whom I'm well pleased. Hear him, listen to him, do what he says to do. Friend, that is the whole purpose in what we're doing on this particular series, the words of Jesus. And it's the whole crux of the matter. It's the heart of everything we do at TRI Ministries to think red ink, to consider what did Jesus say? What did he do? What did he tell us to

do? Because we are under a mandate from his father. This is my beloved son. Hear him. Now, there were no seminaries to point at to say, go listen to them. There wasn't any international preachers in nice suits and big expensive TV cameras to point at and say, hear him. He pointed at his son and said, hear him. Well, you got a problem. We murdered him. He's a problem we murdered him he's gone we killed him

well here there's some bad news you want some good news he's alive and he's at the he's sitting at the right hand of the father okay anthropomorphism granted however he is within the authority, granted authority of his father as the ruler and the God of the whole earth. He is our creator, the Bible says. He was the one that created mankind. He's the one that built the worlds. And now he is our God. This was a very difficult thing for Paul to deal with.

Very difficult. But we find him saying, he talks about the Godhead. Well, who is the Godhead? The Father and the Son. It's throughout Paul's writings. As a matter of fact, if you have a computer and you like to do word searches, see how many times you find the word Father, Son, and Holy Ghost in the same verse? You're going to be shocked. But then look at Paul's writings and see how many times he mentions the Father and the Son, God and Jesus Christ. And he talks about the Godhead is obviously the Father Jehovah and his Son Jesus Christ.

It's just obvious that that is the Godhead. And anything other than that, I'm afraid, might be just made up. And so we have to understand that there is a Godhead. Paul had to understand that there is a Godhead. But if there was and if there there is today a godhead and our father is a not disembodied but a non-embodied spirit jesus said no man seen the father at any time or heard his voice does that does that surprise you well whose voice did they hear? Moses was known as a man who spoke to God face to face. Well, who was he talking to? You see, we're left with only understanding that Jesus Christ, the Word of God, we understand that by the Word of God, the worlds were formed.

Well, that doesn't mean the Bible created the world. What does it mean? The Word of God created the world. Who's the Word of God? Jesus Christ. So, I guess as we start into this Sermon on the Mount, what I'm trying to get across to you and me is that this isn't just the musings of some really smart guy.

This is not the pontification of a prophet of God. This is not somebody just reading inspired and automatic writing of Moses. This is the Son of God. It's almost frightening when we realize that, oh, my goodness, I thought I was just ignoring someone's opinion, and in reality that, oh, my goodness, I thought I was just ignoring someone's opinion, and in reality, I was ignoring my God.

We were ignoring God himself. Time's already gone for today. I'm so sorry about the time constraints. Hey, listen, I want to hear from you. Can I do that? Sure, I can. All you got to do is go to your computer, set up an email, send it to Don

at thinkredinc.com. I'd like to know if you're enjoying the broadcast. You probably have questions. You're welcome to send me your questions and comments. I try to take time to answer them on our radio station or on the TV station, or perhaps we'll deal with them on this show. But I'd love to hear from you, so write to me if you would. All right, it's time for us to go. Until then, think red ink. Bye-bye. you've been listening to don c harris of think red ink ministries ThinkRedInc.com. That's ThinkRedInc.com. Join us again for the next episode in the Words of Jesus series. you