gospel

Who’s the Real Imposter and Fraud?

/ Richard Bargas / Leave a comment

In September 2013 the Huffington Post reported:

“A New York art dealer admitted Monday she took part in a 15-year scam that fooled art enthusiasts into buying more than $80 million of counterfeits imitating famous artists like Jackson Pollock and Willem de Kooning.

Glafira Rosales, 57, of Sands Point, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Manhattan, telling Judge Katherine P. Failla that for parts of two decades she teamed with others to sell counterfeits of various expressionist artists including Pollock, Mark Rothko and Robert Motherwell.” [1]

My point in bringing up this old news story is to demonstrate the reality of fakes, and specifically how it relates to two groups of people in Matthew 27. The passage reads, “The next day, that is, after the day of Preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate and said, “Sir, we remember how that impostor said, while he was still alive, ‘After three days I will rise.’ Therefore order the tomb to be made secure until the third day, lest his disciples go and steal him away and tell the people, ‘He has risen from the dead,’ and the last fraud will be worse than the first.” Pilate said to them, “You have a guard of soldiers. Go, make it as secure as you can.” So they went and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone and setting a guard.” (Matthew 27:62–66, ESV)

Each one makes the claim to be true. The religious leaders set themselves up against Jesus and his disciples. Even in death these men are still slinging mud. But who is the fake? Who are the imposters? In this article I want to examine each one, the chief priests and the Pharisees versus Jesus. Each one claimed to speak for God. Each one claimed to be righteous. Each one desired to have the hearts of the people follow them. But who was truly worthy? Let’s investigate.

Who Had Righteous Courage? (v. 63)

“Sir, we remember how that impostor said, while he was still alive, ‘After three days I will rise.’” (Matthew 27:63, ESV)

Proverbs 28:1 says, “The wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are bold as a lion.”Jesus had been publicly humiliated, beaten, and crucified. His disciples hid themselves and were nowhere to protest his arrest or death. Then came a request by the chief priests and Pharisees that must have seemed humorous to Pontius Pilate. He knew these men were jealous of Jesus’ ministry. He knew that this was why they forced his hand to put him to death. And now he is dead. So why are they so fearful still? They may not be fearful of Jesus himself, but they are clearly still fearful that his teaching and influence has not died with him. They are fearful that he would be remembered and that his disciples would not scatter. And I think there is added fear here. I think that in the back of their minds they are fearful that Jesus just might truly rise from the dead. The disciples seem to have forgotten Jesus many words about his resurrection, but the religious leaders did not. And he had done so many miracles that clearly showed that he had power. They even claimed that it was power from the devil himself.

And then of course, there was Lazarus. Hadn’t he died in nearby Bethany? But now he was raised from the dead by Jesus. They had plans to kill him and put him back in the grave. But if Jesus had the power to raise him, could he possibly raise himself from the dead as well? They wouldn’t wait to see. Their fear drove them.

Compare the chief priests’ and scribes’ fear to the courage of Jesus who committed himself to the Father all the way to his death on that bloody cross. Look with me at his righteous courage in the Garden of Gethsemane:

“Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, “Sit here, while I go over there and pray.” And taking with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch with me.” And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.” And he came to the disciples and found them sleeping. And he said to Peter, “So, could you not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Again, for the second time, he went away and prayed, “My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done.” And again he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. So, leaving them again, he went away and prayed for the third time, saying the same words again. Then he came to the disciples and said to them, “Sleep and take your rest later on. See, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us be going; see, my betrayer is at hand.”” (Matthew 26:36–46, ESV).

Look at his boldness as he is being arrested in vv. 55-56 of this same chapter: “At that hour Jesus said to the crowds, “Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs to capture me? Day after day I sat in the temple teaching, and you did not seize me. But all this has taken place that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled.” Then all the disciples left him and fled.” (Matthew 26:55–56, ESV). Over and over again Jesus showed that he has nothing to hide. He committed himself to follow God the Father throughout his life.

So, who is the fraud? Who is the imposter? Is it Jesus or is it this gang of false teachers? You decide!

Who Spoke Unvarnished Truth? (vv. 63-64)

“Sir, we remember how that impostor said, while he was still alive, ‘After three days I will rise.’ Therefore order the tomb to be made secure until the third day, lest his disciples go and steal him away and tell the people, ‘He has risen from the dead,’ and the last fraud will be worse than the first.’” (Matthew 27:63–64, ESV)

This time, let us start with Jesus in this comparison. In verses 63-64, the chief priests and Pharisees refer to Jesus’ words. They call them lies. They call him an imposter and his disciples are thieves and liars–ready to steal his body to promote his lies.

But Jesus’ words are only lies and deceit if they don’t prove to be true. Jesus would be a liar and a deceiver if he didn’t rise from the dead as he claimed he would. He would be a false prophet. He would not be all that he claimed. And notice the reference to his first fraud in verse 64? What was that? It was his claim to be the Messiah! The chief priests and scribes are telling Pilate that Jesus claimed to be the Messiah and he actually was able to fool people into believing him. But to them, his death proved that it was a lie. Now, if the disciples stole the body the people would be fooled again. They would think he had actually risen from the dead.

But Jesus had never been shown to be anything but 100% truthful. He was never shown to have lied, ever. He was never shown in any way to have sinned, ever. And you know that they checked with everyone to dig up some dirt. But nothing. Jesus was always truthful. Look at their claim a little closer. Notice that they have heard of Jesus’ claim to rise from the dead. If you go back and check all of the times that Jesus spoke of his death and resurrection, he did it secretly, only before his disciples. When he did speak of it openly, he did so with veiled references.

For example, look at Matt 26:61 where it says, “This man said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to rebuild it in three days.’” (Matthew 26:61, ESV). Notice the claim. Did the chief priests and scribes know he was referring to his death and resurrection? If they did, they didn’t say anything at the trial. And the only other times Jesus spoke to these men about his resurrection was when they asked for a sign to prove he was the Messiah. Do you remember his answer? The only sign they would receive was the sign of Jonah, three days in the belly of the fish. That’s a veiled reference to his death and resurrection.

Perhaps Judas told them. Judas, the one they had bribed to betray Jesus. You see, everywhere we turn we find evidence of their deception and duplicity. What had Jesus said of them? Look at John 8:39-47. Again Jesus’ truthfulness shines against the darkness of their souls. He called them out not only as liars, but as murderers. And he connected them to their father–Satan.

Who was the imposter and fraud? Was it the Son of Man who has never been proven to ever have sinned or spoken any lies, or these religious leaders who are implicated in bribery, lying, murder, coercion and blasphemy?

Who Demonstrated Heavenly Power? (vv. 65-66)

“Pilate said to them, ‘You have a guard of soldiers. Go, make it as secure as you can.’ So they went and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone and setting a guard.” (Matthew 27:65–66, ESV)

Once again, let’s begin with the chief priests and Pharisees in our comparison to find out who is the fraud and who is genuine. The chief priests and Pharisees are the most powerful men in Judaism at the time. But notice that they need to go before Pilate to ask for soldiers and permission. They must have hated doing this because they hated Rome. Pilate was a constant reminder to the Jews that they were not truly a free people, but were subjects of Caesar. And they needed his permission for any military action, as we see here. And we also see their weakness in what they are doing. In John 20:19 we find the disciples hiding behind locked doors for fear of their lives. But the Jews put up Roman soldiers and a seal of Rome in addition to the large stone door, to stop these supposed grave-robbers.

There is no hint that they are trusting God in this. As a matter of fact, these men never seem to seek for power from God to accomplish their goals. They only know human force. Which isn’t surprising since they are carnal in their thinking. So, they do their human best. “Go make it as secure as you can” are Pilate’s words. And they do. They put a seal on the door of the tomb. They set Roman guards on a rotation. How would Galilean peasants get through that?

Like thread exposed to fire, that’s what this was to Jesus. A Roman seal and a couple of guards? Was this a joke? Every human being on earth could have pressed against that rock and it wouldn’t have made a difference. If Jesus was sent from God as the Messiah-King, and if he could conquer death by rising again from the dead, how could a sword or spear stop him? Jesus can’t be stopped. Not then and not now!!

Who had righteous courage, who spoke unvarnished truth and who demonstrated heavenly power? The chief priests and Pharisees claimed to have these virtues, but they didn’t.

Jesus does. He is righteously courageous like the Lion of Judah, the Lamb of God who has taken away the sin of the world. He is unvarnished truth. Jesus is the TRUTH. HE embodies truth. Heavenly power. The grave could not stop him. He conquered sin on that cross. And he did it for us. So, who is the imposter and fraud? Clearly it was not Jesus! Rejoice, rejoice, O saints! Rejoice in Jesus our risen Lord!

[1] http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/17/glafira-rosales_n_3940559.html; accessed Nov. 29, 2013

Thus Sayeth the Lord: Why We Preach the Bible (weekend repost)

/ Richard Bargas / Leave a comment

When stripped down to our historical foundation, IFCA International is a Bible movement. Our churches and ministries exist to preach Christ crucified (1 Cor. 1:23), a prospect that has never been acceptable to the world and is rejected by the apostate church. Like the Apostle Paul, we do not shrink from declaring the whole counsel of God (Acts 20:27). We believe that God has spoken without error and that His Word has never failed. We believe that the Word of God rules over the Church and God’s people, and that this authority extends to all humanity whether it accepts it or not. We believe the Bible, and this should have a direct impact upon how we minister in the preaching of the Word.

Read the rest here: Thus Sayeth the Lord: Why We Preach the Bible

Examining the Fallacy that Being Like the World Will Attract the Worldly to Christ (weekend repost)

/ Richard Bargas / Leave a comment

“Our Lord attracted sinners because He was different. They drew near to Him because they felt that there was something different about Him. And the world should see us to be different. This idea that you are going to win people to the Christian faith by showing them that after-all you are remarkably like them, is theologically and psychologically a profound blunder.”—D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

Read the rest here: Examining the Fallacy that Being Like the World Will Attract The Worldly to Christ

Praying for True Revival

/ Richard Bargas / Leave a comment

“Restore us, O God of our salvation, And cause Your indignation toward us to cease. Will You be angry with us forever? Will You prolong Your anger to all generations? Will You not Yourself revive us again, That Your people may rejoice in You? Show us Your lovingkindness, O Lord, And grant us Your salvation.”

(Psalm 85:4–7, NASB95) 

What is true biblical revival? Where does revival come from and what needs to precede true revival in order for heartfelt change to occur in each person? And what about the broader culture? How does a revival in the Church spread to a revival in society? All of these questions are answered in these verses, leading us to seek the only true source of life–God Himself! 

Although verse 4 is a cry for restoration, restoration was not enough for Israel. They knew that their disobedience betrayed an ugly truth about their spiritual state. They were spiritually dead. They needed to be brought back to life; they needed revival.

When the Bible refers to “revival” we need to know that it is not simply whipping up some experience in the church. It’s not a tent meeting. It isn’t where the Holy Spirit shows up with a special outpouring in a new and fresh way like being slain in the Spirit, or some other ecstatic experience. These aren’t even biblical practices. So, what is a revival?

Walter Chantry helps us to understand it a little better when he writes, 

“There have been outstanding periods in the history of the church when the intensified activity of the Holy Spirit has amazed her. Such times are known as revivals. True revivals do not result from some special work of the Spirit of God different from his normal gracious influences! Rather they are the effect of an increased measure of precisely the same power and grace which operate at every time and in every place that the church has been found since Pentecost. In revival times the Spirit’s work remains what it has ever been since Pentecost, namely, the work of inwardly convincing the unconverted by the Word, inwardly regenerating sinners by the Word, inwardly teaching and sanctifying saints by the Word, and inwardly prompting worship of Father and Son by the Word.”[i]

What I want you to see in Chantry’s definition and as seen in Psalm 85:4-7 is that revival, as biblically defined, is a mighty work of God, and not of man. Just like forgiveness, which must come from God’s mercy, so too revival is a result of the mercy of God, or else we would never have it.

Secondly, I want you to see that revival is an inward work of God that results in soul-work—reviving of a person who is dead in their trespasses and sins, bringing them to new life. They are vivified, they are born again. So, when a church wants to see revival, it must recognize that it is speaking of two related but different matters—either it recognizes that it is spiritually dead and filled with many unbelievers who think that they are believers and need new life, or it is speaking of evangelism outside of the church. Often true revival of the church will have the effect of spreading out to the community around it when those newborn Christians begin to live and speak for the glory of God.

With these things in mind, let us turn tour attention to Psalm 85:6-7. Again, “revive” refers to being made alive, to recover life. This verb in Hebrew is in the piel form, which means that God must put into action what the psalmist is asking. To say it differently, just like normal human life finds its origins in God, so too God must bring revival. If God does not bring it about, it will not happen.

There is an amazing picture of revival found in Ezekiel 37:1-14. I’ll leave you to read the passage for yourself. But in it the prophet Ezekiel is shown an old battlefield where there are probably hundreds of human skeletons lying about on the ground. These bones have been here for a long time because they no longer have flesh on them and are bleached out from being exposed to the sun. The Lord asks Ezekiel if these bones can once again become alive. The prophet wisely says that it depends upon God, who alone knows. After all, unless God raises dead bones, they will remain dead. 

Then God tells the prophet to speak to the bones….

Notice a few things about this biblical illustration:

  • The question of whether the bones could be made alive again was not dependent upon the response of the bones, but God-v. 3.
  • Although it was ridiculous, the means that God chose to “activate” these dry bones was the Word of God as spoken by his servant Ezekiel-vv. 4-10.
  • Also notice in those words of prophecy that the power for life comes not from the bones, nor from the prophet, but from God alone who can cause these dry bones to live-v. 5.
  • Finally note that this whole scenario was set by God to show Ezekiel that God alone revives the spiritually dead.

Every time that God saves a person, he revives their dead souls. But that isn’t what we mean by revival—a soul saved here and there. That happens all the time. Revival is the accelerated work of God, whereby a small stream of people saved join together to become a torrent of saved souls. When this happens, the work of God is the same, but He acts in a wider and broader way with more people.

But with an increasing work of God in revival, there is more than just increased activity of the Spirit bringing about saving faith—there is a sudden influx of new Christians whose changed hearts are producing changed lives and then changing society around them. 

We need to keep ever before us that when the gospel message changes a heart, it will change a life, and that means changed actions. This makes sense because our allegiances and loyalties are radically altered from darkness to light and from the evil one to Christ. When God changes a heart, he changes a whole life.

In the New Testament, as the gospel swept through the world, people were changed. These changes weren’t a fad, or even popular among unbelievers. These new Christians were despised and rejected of men, like their Savior. They had to survive wave after wave of persecution from the unbelieving world around them.

But they did it. 

And as Psalm 85:6 says, if God will bring about revival, it will bring about the result that his people will rejoice in him. You see, rejoicing will not come until revival in the heart has occurred. Revival will not happen until God does his cleansing and saving work in us. 

[i] Chantry, Walter, Signs of the Apostles: Observations on Pentacostalism Old and New. Banner of Truth, 1976, 129-30. Italics in the original.

How Do You See Yourself?

/ Richard Bargas / Leave a comment

“As Jesus went on from there, He saw a man called Matthew, sitting in the tax collector’s booth; and He said to him, “Follow Me!” And he got up and followed Him.Then it happened that as Jesus was reclining at the table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were dining with Jesus and His disciples.When the Pharisees saw this, they said to His disciples, “Why is your Teacher eating with the tax collectors and sinners?”But when Jesus heard this, He said, “It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick.“But go and learn what this means: ‘I desirecompassion, and not sacrifice,’ for I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.””

(Matthew 9:9–13, NASB95)

How do you view yourself? Pop culture feeds us many answers that you might find coming out of your mouth. But, for those who call themselves children of the living God, how do you see yourself?

Listen to great and godly people describe themselves, and you compare your answer with theirs:

  • The Great Augustine, bishop of Hippo wrote, “Lord, save me from that wicked man, myself.”
  • John Knox, the greatest preacher of the Scottish reformation, “In youth, in middle age, and now after many battles, I find nothing in me but corruption.”
  • John Wesley, the great Methodist preacher wrote, “I am fallen short of the glory of God, my whole heart is altogether corrupt and abominable, and consequently my whole life being an evil tree cannot bring forth good fruit.”
  • Augustus Toplady, the writer of the hymn “Rock of Ages” wrote, “Oh, that such a wretch as I should ever be tempted to think highly of himself. I am myself nothing but sin and weakness, in whose flesh naturally dwells no good thing.”
  • And finally, the Apostle Paul wrote of himself in 1 Timothy 1:15, “The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.”

Now, I know that Dr. Phil and Oprah, and our schools, and psychologists and lots of preachers even, tell us that we need to have a high self-esteem about our worth. We need to think positively and love ourselves before we can love anything or anyone else….How’s that working for us? We have more crime and more selfishness and more laziness and self-indulgence than ever before, and people are not more happy with more stuff, but less so.

No, we need to turn to the Bible for a correct view of ourselves. Romans 3:10-12 says, “as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.”

You see, the truth is, that people will not seek healing if they don’t know that they are sick. So, the first step in preaching the gospel to others and even ourselves is to declare this truth–Man is sinful and desperately wicked and spiritually dead. If we can grasp this and confess it before God, we can move on to respond to the good news of the gospel.

The Bible acts like a mirror revealing what our soul looks like to God. The world acts like a mirror too, but more like a fun-house mirror that distorts the truth and gives us a wrong impression about what we really look like. Don’t settle for the phony idea of who you are by looking to this world for answers. Instead open up the Bible and read about who God says you really are–both as a person who has rebelled against Him, and after being saved by Jesus Christ, as a person who has been forgiven and adopted by Him and is now His child forever. The truth matters and for the one who is willing to face the truth, heaven awaits.