785 - Les Feldick Bible Study - Lesson 2 Part 1 Book 66 - But God! (Confirming the Promises) - 1

https://lesfeldickbiblestudy.com Through the Bible with Les Feldick LESSON 2 * PART 1 * BOOK 66 BUT GOD! (Confirming the Promises) – Part 1 MATTHEW 16:15 – But whom say ye that I am? We want to welcome all of our studio people first. I’ve always said I could never do this without a live audience, and we appreciate the fact that you’re so faithful. For those of you joining us in television, in case this is the first time you’re catching us, we’re an informal Bible study. Hopefully we’re making some headway getting people to not only understand their Bible but to enjoy it! And that’s the only reason we teach. It is to make the Bible something that is accessible, understandable, and enjoyable. Okay, since this is a Bible study and time is precious, we’re going to jump right into our next series in the "But God or But When or But Now" and so forth. Today it’s going to be "But Whom." We’re going to go to Matthew chapter 16 and start at verse 13. Now, I read this on the program several, several programs back. It is a statement by a Bible scholar way back in the 16th century, the 1500’s, or about the time our King James Bible was coming about. In so many words, he said, "Whenever you open the Book, always determine to whom is it written? Who’s writing? What are the circumstances? What are the where’s, the when’s, the what for’s, and what have you’s. And then you’ll begin to get a good handle on some of these things." So, we’re going to emphasize, now, that this is at the end of Christ’s earthly ministry. They’re up in Northern Israel. They’re up there at the headwaters of the Jordan River. That’s what is referred to here as Caesarea Philippi. In short order they’ll be making their way south to Jerusalem and the crucifixion. So, after three years of earthly ministry, we have this setting of Jesus and the Twelve. That answers a couple of the questions listed above. What’s the circumstance? It’s the end of His ministry. They’re ready to head back to Jerusalem. He knows what’s going to happen, but the Twelve don’t have a clue. So, who’s writing? Well, of course, it’s the Gospel of Matthew, so Matthew is writing it, but it’s regarding a conversation between Christ and the Twelve, particularly Peter, who is always the spokesman of the Twelve. Matthew 16:13 "When Jesus came into the borders of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?" Now, I’ve got to always stop when things pop up that I hadn’t thought of before. We get questions every once in a while, "Why is Christ sometimes referred to as the Son of man and other times the Son of God?" Well, He was both. Luke uses the term Son of Man almost entirely, because Luke speaks of His humanity. On the other hand, John is going to usually use the term the Son of God, because he speaks of His Deity. Always remember that these terms are synonymous with the two roles that Christ played. He was Deity. He was God. He could control nature. He could raise people from the dead. But on the other hand, He was human and He suffered the various human frailties that we all do. He got hungry. He got tired. In this particular case, He says, "Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?" But it’s still speaking of God the Son or Jesus the Christ. Matthew 16:14 "And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elijah; and others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets." Now again, let’s stop and analyze this a minute. After three years of miracle after miracle after miracle, you want to remember the ones recorded are only just a sampling. In fact, let’s look at the last verse of John’s Gospel. I think that must be the clearest point on this, that we only get a sampling of His miracles and signs and wonders. The last verse of John’s Gospel, that would be John 21 verse 25. I would like to think that most people know this verse is here, but on the other hand maybe they don’t. This is what the Spirit led John to say, and so this must be true. John 21:25 "And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written." Now imagine! In other words, I have to think that almost constantly, every day, for three years, He was performing some sort of a sign, or wonder, or miracle. It was constant. And yet, now come back to Matthew, after three years of that, the rank and file of Israel didn’t have a clue as to who He was. They were trying to connect Him with some of the Old Testament prophets? Or maybe John the Baptist, who’d been beheaded some time back, maybe he’s come back to life? They were totally without a clue. #LesFeldick #BibleStudy #Bible