The Weekend Bible Study - with Ronald L. Dart

Some nineteen-hundred-and-seventy or so years ago today, the disciples of Jesus were still reeling from the events of the last week and a half. I imagine they were walking into things when they were paying attention because they were so stunned. When you consider all their hopes that had been dashed on the day of the crucifixion, and what had happened to them on the day of the resurrection of Jesus and their encounters with him on that day, they must have all been walking around in a fog for quite some time after that. It would have been just a few days ago that they were all together. The doors were shut where they were assembled out of fear of the Jews. Jesus appeared and stood in the middle of them. He said: [...] Peace be unto you. And when he had so said, he showed unto them his hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord. Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father has sent me, even so send I you. And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and said unto them, Receive you the Holy Spirit: Whosoever's sins you remit, they are remitted unto them; and whosoever's sins you retain, they are retained. John 19:20–23 KJ2000 That is a heavy commission and an enormous responsibility, to say the least. To understand it, we must begin by first looking at two other scriptures—the first in Matthew, chapter 16. Simon Peter said unto them, I am going fishing. They said unto him, We also go with thee. They went forth and entered into a boat immediately; and that night they caught nothing. But when the morning had now come, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples knew not that it was Jesus. Then Jesus said unto them, Children, have ye any meat? And they answered Him, No. And He said unto them, Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and ye shall find. They cast therefore, and now they were not able to draw it in for the multitude of fishes. Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved said unto Peter, It is the Lord! John 21:3–7 Hello everyone and welcome to the Christian Educational Ministries Weekend Bible Study. It is good to be with you and we thank you for being there, which allows us to make this weekly service possible. Tonight (after we conclude his series on the Passover, we'll join Ronald L. Dart as he chronicles the events that took place in the seven weeks after the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus with a presentation from the CEM Vault titled, From Passover to Pentecost.

Before I get too involved in the study, there’s something I want us all to think about. The technical discussions about the Passover will never have an end. What’s important is that we do not let them distract from what is important. When we come to partake of the symbols of Jesus’ shed blood and broken body, it’s important that our hearts and minds are focused—not on some novelty or argument—but on Jesus Christ and what he has done for us. With that said, grab a glass of milk and a cookie, open your Bible, and let’s take a look at what John has to say about the Passover. 5 After that he poured water into a basin, and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which he was girded. 6 Then came he to Simon Peter: and Peter said unto him, Lord, do you wash my feet? 7 Jesus answered and said unto him, What I do you know not now; but you shall know hereafter. 8 Peter said unto him, You shall never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I wash you not, you have no part with me. 9 Simon Peter said unto him, Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head. 10 Jesus said to him, He that is washed needs not except to wash his feet, but is clean completely: and you are clean, but not all. 11 For he knew who should betray him; therefore said he, You are not all clean. 12 So after he had washed their feet, and had taken his garments, and was seated again, he said unto them, Know you what I have done to you? 13 You call me Teacher and Lord: and you say rightly; for so I am. 14 If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet; you also ought to wash one another’s feet. 15 For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you. John 13:5–14 KJ2000

And he said unto them, Behold, when you are entered into the city, there shall a man meet you, bearing a pitcher of water; follow him into the house where he enters in. And you shall say unto the owner of the house, The Master says unto you, Where is the guest room, where I shall eat the passover with my disciples? And he shall show you a large upper room furnished: there make ready. And they went, and found as he had said unto them: and they made ready the passover. And when the hour came, he sat down, and the twelve apostles with him. Luke 22:10–14 KJ2000 Hello everyone, and welcome to the Christian Educational Ministries Weekend Bible Study. We are glad to be with you and thank you for allowing us to make this weekly service possible. We continue with Ronald L. Dart’s timely series on one of the most sacred and widely-observed religious holidays—the Passover. Tonight, the Passover according the Luke.

And it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these sayings, he said unto his disciples, You know that after two days is the feast of the passover, and the Son of man is betrayed to be crucified. Then assembled together the chief priests, and the scribes, and the elders of the people, unto the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas, And consulted that they might take Jesus by subtlety, and kill him. But they said, Not on the feast day, lest there be an uproar among the people. Matthew 26:1–5 KJ2000 This is important as to intent and circumstances, because there is a theory that Jesus was indeed killed on the 15th, which was the Feast day. They wanted it out of the way before the Feast. But above all, this speaks to the decay of the religion of the Temple elite, that they would contemplate murder. Here is a question for discussion: They knew the commandment, Thou shalt not kill. How do you think they justified killing Jesus?

And the Lord spoke unto Moses in the Wilderness of Sinai, in the first month of the second year after they had come out of the land of Egypt, saying, Let the children of Israel also keep the Passover at his appointed season. In the fourteenth day of this month at evening ye shall keep it in his appointed season. According to all the rites of it and according to all the ceremonies thereof shall ye keep it. And Moses spoke unto the children of Israel that they should keep the Passover. And they kept the Passover on the fourteenth day of the first month at evening in the Wilderness of Sinai. According to all that the Lord commanded Moses, so did the children of Israel. Numbers 9:1-5 Hello everyone and welcome to the Christian Educational Ministries Weekend Bible Study. Tonight we continue our timely presentation by Ronald L. Dart on the liberation of the Israelites from Egyptian slavery, and one of the most sacred and widely observed religious holidays, the Passover.

And the Lord spoke unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel and say unto them: Concerning the feasts of the Lord, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even these are My feasts. Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of rest, a holy convocation. Ye shall do no work therein; it is the Sabbath of the Lord in all your dwellings. These are the feasts of the Lord, even holy convocations, which ye shall proclaim in their seasons. On the fourteenth day of the first month at evening is the Lord’s Passover. And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the Feast of Unleavened Bread unto the Lord; seven days ye must eat unleavened bread. On the first day ye shall have a holy convocation; ye shall do no servile work therein. But ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord seven days. On the seventh day is a holy convocation; ye shall do no servile work therein. Leviticus 23:1–8 Hello everyone, and welcome to the Christian Educational Ministries Weekend Bible Study. Join us tonight as we continue our special and timely presentation by Ronald L. Dart on the liberation of the Israelites from Egyptian slavery, and one of the most sacred and widely observed religious holidays, the Passover. In studying the Passover, I am reminded there is an illusion that people have a hard time shedding. It is that all questions of faith and practice are covered in detail in Scripture. It should be obvious that is not true. Why aren’t they? Because there isn’t enough paper in the world to print the law books that would require. And God is not a nit picker. He is the shepherd of our souls. Life is too complicated to run with a set of rules. So what are we supposed to do? How can we know what is right? One approach is legalism. Everything is governed by the letter of the law. It doesn’t work and leads to all manner of misery. Another approach is authoritarianism. It keeps people together, but it destroys freedom, which is a fundamental biblical value. So how did God design things so we would know what to do? God established, in Israel and in the church an authority structure to decide doubtful matters. It is the only way we can be held together on these things. What was the authority in the Old Testament? If there arise a matter too hard for you in judgment, between bloodsheds, between legal rights, and between assaults, being matters of controversy within your gates: then shall you arise, and get you up into the place which the Lord your God shall choose; And you shall come unto the priests the Levites, and unto the judge that shall be in those days, and inquire; and they shall show you the sentence of judgment: And you shall do according to the sentence, which they of that place which the Lord shall choose shall show you; and you shall observe to do according to all that they inform you: According to the sentence of the law which they shall teach you, and according to the judgment which they shall tell you, you shall do: you shall not decline from the sentence which they shall show you, to the right hand, nor to the left. And the man that will act presumptuously, and will not hearken unto the priest that stands to minister there before the Lord your God, or unto the judge, even that man shall die: and you shall put away the evil from Israel. Deuteronomy 17:8–12 KJ2000

And you shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and strike the lintel and the two side posts with the blood that is in the basin; and none of you shall go out at the door of his house until the morning. For the Lord will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when he sees the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side posts, the Lord will pass over the door, and will not allow the destroyer to come in unto your houses to slay you. And you shall observe this thing for an ordinance to you and to your sons forever. Hello everyone, and welcome to the Christian Educational Ministries Weekend Bible Study. As Spring approaches, and the season of Christ’ last days before his death & resurrection draws near, we reprise Ronald L. Dart’s series of studies on the Passover—in both the Old Testament and New. And you shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and strike the lintel and the two side posts with the blood that is in the basin; and none of you shall go out at the door of his house until the morning. For the Lord will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when he sees the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side posts, the Lord will pass over the door, and will not allow the destroyer to come in unto your houses to slay you. And you shall observe this thing for an ordinance to you and to your sons forever. Exodus 12:22–24 KJ2000

In Romans, Paul speaks of our inexorable duty toward God, as well as duty toward the church. But he also develops a concept of duty towards civil government. The 13th chapter of Romans is fairly familiar to most of us, and today I’d like us to take a look at this particular concept. It is very important, and to really understand it—to really grasp what Paul is saying—we have to understand the historical background in which these words were written. 1 Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. 2 Whosoever therefore resists the power, resists the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves judgment. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Will you then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and you shall have praise of the same: 4 For he is the minister of God to you for good. But if you do that which is evil, be afraid; for he bears not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, an avenger to execute wrath upon him that does evil. 5 Therefore you must be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience’s sake. 6 For, for this cause pay you tribute also: for they are God’s ministers, attending continually upon this very thing. 7 Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor. Romans 13:1–7 KJ2000 That is a fascinating scripture even taken in our modern context. What should this mean to us? What obligations goes this lay upon us today? What is our relationship to the civil government in our time? Even before asking these questions, however, I’d like to take us back to the time when Paul wrote this… (This message is a direct continuation of Romans: The Heart of the Gospel.)

Romans is easily the most important of all the New Testament epistles. I am sometimes hesitant to say the most or the greatest or the best, as superlatives are sometimes a little hard to support. But in the case of the Book of Romans, it is easy to support—and for a deceptively simple reason… My perspective has changed on the Book of Romans. It’s not that I didn’t understand it before, but there are a lot of different ways of looking at this book. There are a lot of historical concepts that one might not be aware of, leaving some things left unseen. In the process of studying it, I began to ask myself a lot of questions about this book. One thing has become very clear to me: It is easily the most important of all the New Testament epistles. I am sometimes hesitant to say the most or the greatest or the best, as superlatives are sometimes a little hard to support. But in the case of the Book of Romans, it is easy to support—and for a deceptively simple reason…

Can there be such a thing as true spirituality? If so, that implies a spirituality which is not true. So how is the Christian able to discern the signs of an authentic Christian spirituality? Many of the outward expressions of spirituality we see in life aren’t found anywhere in the Bible. It makes it seem as though, when it comes to spirituality, maybe the Bible isn’t good enough. Maybe the Bible just doesn’t cover these things. Paul deals with these questions in terms of opposites. So, today I’d like for us to turn together to Romans 8 and as he contrasts spirit and flesh, life and death, liberty and bondage.