The Sure Mercies of David
a sequel to last week’s
Christmas
Lesson
Luke 1:23-38
December 29, 2024
The following ideas and statements are coming from
the
Pulpit Commentary on the Gospel of Mark.
I am going to attempt to dove-tail them, splice, nail together, these
thoughts to last weeks lesson, taking
a second week off from
Non-Inclusion into the
to the Christmas lesson.
It is no more unreasonable to attribute the fruits of the
gospel to the Spirit of
God, than it is to attribute human purposes to the spirit of
man. It is a
spiritual universe, and things
material and outward actions are nothing but
the garb and utterance of what is spiritual. If there be truth declared,
revealed, and if there be a nature
capable of receiving, feeling, responding
to truth, there is one all-sufficient
explanation of this wonderful and
beneficent correspondence, and that is, the presence and the action of the
Holy
Spirit of God. The birth,
the life, and ascension of Christ changed the
lives of the apostles, and through
them, the history of the world.
Ø
Now and henceforth there was an express theme for them to
publish.
This was the gospel, the good tidings, which only now was complete, and
so divinely perfected by all that Jesus had done and suffered, that it was
adapted to fulfill the purposes of Divine wisdom. Before, the disciples had
directed attention to what was to come; now, to what had occurred
actually and reality. Christ had
died for men’s sins, according to the
Scriptures; He had arisen from the dead for
their justification and salvation.
Around the great central facts of Christ’s birth, crucifixion, and
resurrection gathered ALL THE DIVINE TRUTHS WHICH
CONSTITUTED THE GOSPEL! Accordingly, in the first place, the
facts were related as facts abundantly attested, and as facts of interest and
precious moment to all mankind. And, when these facts were believed,
then they were explained, and (under the guidance of the Holy
Spirit
given from above) the inspired apostles taught their bearing upon the
position and prospects of the sinful race of man. It should never be forgotten
that our religion consists in something more than laws of life, sentiments
of
virtue, promises of help, hopes of immortality. In accordance with the
constitution of things, all these depend upon and flow from the great central
facts relating to the Lord Jesus Christ.
Ø
Besides having a theme, the apostles of our Lord
now had a
commission
which authorized them. They did not go unbidden, nor without instructions,
nor without authority, upon this errand of mercy and blessing to mankind.
He who had all power in heaven and in earth had
given them their commission.
He had said “Go!” and they
went; not in their own strength and wisdom,
BUT IN HIS! The same warrant and authentication abides with the
were, as the name implies, those who were sent; in this respect, as
distinguished from personal endowment and equipment, an apostolic mission
is entrusted to the whole body of Christ’s followers to
the end of time.
Ø
The sphere within which this
commission was to be executed was
world-wide. (I think it noteworthy that I have
opportunities, providing
God’s blessings on ir, that the apostles and
those in earlier ages, have
never experienced [the worldwide web].“Go
ye into all the world,” Jesus
had .said, “and preach
the,gospel to the whole creation.” (Matthew 28:20)
“Make
disciples of all nations.” “...and
lo, I am with you alway, even
unto the end of the world.” (Matthew 28:19-20) A grand and noble
design, worthy of the source whence it emanated, in the heart of Him
who is “the Savior
of all men, specially of them that believe.” (I Timothy
4:10) The habitable globe is the field in which
the Christian missionary
is called to work; for the human race is:
·
the object of Divine compassion,
·
the destined participant in the bounty of the
Divine beneficence.
None, however hardened nor illogical can complain that the operations
of mercy and benevolence are restricted and restrained.
Ø In fulfilling this commission, the heralds of Christ’s
gospel were assured
that they should enjoy, not only personal assistance, but the
assistance
involved in undoubted credentials, by which they and their message should
be commended to the attention of men.
o
The Lord wrought with them. They were workers,
but they were
fellow-workers with Him. What was to be done in the renewal of human
hearts, and the transformation of human character, was not to be done by
the exercise of merely human power. A Divine energy and operation were
alone adequate to secure results so difficult, so glorious.
Not by
might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD
of hosts.” (Zechariah 4:6)
-______________________________________________________________--
o
Signs followed. Signs,
i.e. of a Divine presence and energy. There were
such in abundance, as is evident from the record in the Acts of the
Apostles. Signs outward, manifest, obvious to every eye, as in the case of
those miracles of healing which accompanied the ministrations of the first
Christian
preachers. Signs of a less obtrusive, but of an even more
convincing character, as in the case of those Jews who were delivered from
formalism, those Gentiles who were emancipated from idolatry, those
flagrant transgressors of the moral law who
were turned from darkness
unto light, and from the service of Satan
unto God.
o
11 “And such
were some of you: but ye are washed, but
ye are
sanctified, but ye
are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus,
and by the Spirit if our God.”
9 Know ye not that
the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom
of God? Be not deceived: neither
fornicators, nor idolaters,
nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of
themselves with
mankind,
10 Nor thieves,
nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor
extortioners, shall inherit the
(I Corinthians 6:11, 9-10)
ἀρσενοκοῖται - arsenokoitai - Male
Bed." αρσενος (male),
κοιτην (bed). Sexual connotation denoted, but whom the
male
is bedding is not specified
I Corinthians 6:9 translation from
the Septuagint
Ἢ οὐκ οἴδατε ὅτι ἄδικοι { βασιλείαν θεοῦ ⬪ θεοῦ βασιλείαν } οὐ κληρονομήσουσιν ;
Μὴ πλανᾶσθε · οὔτε πόρνοι , οὔτε εἰδωλολάτραι , οὔτε μοιχοί , οὔτε μαλακοί ,
οὔτε ἀρσενοκοῖται ,
Or don’t you know that the unrighteous will not inherit the
Don’t be deceived. Neither the sexually immoral, nor
idolaters, nor adulterers,
nor male prostitutes ,
nor homosexuals ,
———
μαλακοί - malakoi -
(literally) "soft" (see Matthew 11:8 and Luke 7:25 ).
Alternative Greek usages of this term in describing people were decadent,
debauched,
weak, effeminate, or corrupt. In some Greek writings it was used
to reference catamites (young boys or young adults kept by pederasts
for
sexual slavery or prostitution). (One
of the problems in our current society
is sex traffiking.
- CY - 2024) Latin equivalent of catamites was "cinaedi"
-
(a man who performs a lewd dance -
pervert - sodomite).
ἀρσενοκοῖται = (literally) "male
copulators" (see Perseus
Project Greek Lookup
Tool online). αρσενος
="males" κοιται = Latin "coitus"= intercourse. The
word
ἀρσενοκοῖται did not exist in the Greek
language or literature. Paul invented
it by combining two actual
Greek words. He probably was using two words
from the Greek Old Testament
(Leviticus 18:22 καὶ μετὰ ἄρσενος οὐ κοιμηθήσῃ
κοίτην γυναικός - kai meta arsenos
ou koimaethaesae koitaen gunaikos - The
Jews (especially the Pharisees, of which Paul once was)
interpreted this as
males having intercourse with
males (see related writings in the Talmud and
the writings of Philo). *
Also, See Nestle-Aland translations, the Syriac Peshitta,
and "The Source New
Testament" by Dr. Ann Nyland. Also, NRSV, and
most
modern translations.
The condition of mankind then, and towards which
we are headed
now with the apostasy that is in the world, is described in
Ephesians
2:12 - “....without
Christ, aliens
from the commonwealth
of
and without God in the world!”
ἀπηλλοτριωμένοι - apaellotriomenoi - having
been to
alienated - the root word meaning belonging to another,
foreign, strange, not of one’s own family, alien, an enemy.
from ἀλλοτρίος - allotrios - strange;
stranger
What do we live for, if it is not to prepare for a
hereafter life, and
for the day for which all days were made?
Last week I used Isaiah 55:3-9 for much of the Christmas
lesson,
as somewhat of an
introduction to today’s theme “The Sure Mercies of
David”
I want to repeat v. 3 and the first part of
v. 4 to start today.
3 Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear,
and your soul shall live;
and I will make an everlasting covenant with
you, even the sure
mercies of David.
4 Behold, I have given Him for a witness to
the people........
God speaking to Moses said,
“I will raise them up a prophet from among their brethren, like unto
thee,
and will put my words in His mouth, and He
shall speak unto them all that
I command Him. And it shall come
to pass, that whosoever will not hearken
unto my words which He shall speak in my name,
I will require it of him
(Deuteronomy 18:18-19)
Continuing to talk about Jesus Christ, the
Messiah, in
reference
to the “sure mercies of David” promised long ago by God.
Here are some other Bible passages
that relate to the "sure mercies of David":
a kingdom, and
that His mercy will not depart from Him.
12 And when
thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy
fathers; I
will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out
of thy
bowels, and I will establish His kingdom.
13 He shall
build an house for my name, and I will establish the throne
of His
kingdom for ever.
16 And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever
before
thee: thy throne shall be established
for ever. (II Samuel 7:12-13, 16)
1 Now these be the
last words of David. David the son of Jesse said,
and the man who was raised up on high, the
anointed of the God of
Jacob,
and the sweet psalmist of Israel, said,
2 The Spirit of the LORD spake by me, and His word was in my
tongue.
3 The God of
ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear
of God.
4 And He shall be as the light of the
morning, when the sun riseth,
even a morning without clouds; as the tender
grass springing out of
the earth by clear shining after rain.
5 Although my house be not so with God; yet
He hath made with me
an everlasting covenant, ordered in all
things, and sure: for this is
all my salvation, and all my desire, although
He make it not to
grow. (II Samuel 23:1-5)
6 “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the
government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name
shall be
called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The
everlasting
Father,
The Prince of Peace.
7 Of the increase
of his government and peace there shall be no end,
upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom,
to order it, and to
establish it with judgment and with justice from
henceforth even
for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will
perform this.”
(Isaiah 9:6-7)
“The zeal of the Lord of Hosts will perform
this!” (Isaiah 9:6-7)
Inter-biblical
period - Church Age
Thus
Luke 1:26 - Here - the angel
Gabriel is sent to start
the process
that God planned from the beginning
of the world.
Revelation 14 is
tied in to my 24 lessons on The Danger of Being
Dissatisfied with One’s Lot in Life and the four so far on Non-inclusion
in the
Revelation 7
Revelation 14:6 And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the
everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and
to every
nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people,
1 And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the
Him an
hundred forty and four thousand, having His Father’s name
written in their foreheads.
2 And I heard a voice from heaven, as the
voice of many waters, and
as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard
the voice of harpers
harping with their harps:
3 And they sung as it were a new song before
the throne, and before
the four beasts, and the elders: and no man
could learn that song
but the hundred and forty and four thousand,
which were redeemed
from the earth.
4 These are they which were not defiled with
women; for they are
virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb
whithersoever he
goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being
the firstfruits
unto God and to the Lamb.
5 And in their mouth was found no guile: for
they are without fault
before the throne of God.
6 And I saw another angel fly in the
midst of heaven, having the
everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth,
and
to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people,
7 Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and
give glory to Him; for the
hour of His judgment is come: and worship Him
that made heaven,
and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of
waters.
8 And there followed another angel, saying,
fallen, that great city, because she made all
nations drink of the
wine of the wrath of her fornication.
9 And the third angel followed them, saying
with a loud voice, If any
man worship the beast and his image, and
receive his mark in his
forehead, or in his hand,
10 The same shall drink of the wine of the
wrath of God, which is
poured out without mixture into the cup of his
indignation; and he
shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in
the presence of the
holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:
11 And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and
they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his
image, and whosoever receiveth
the mark of his name.
12 Here is the patience of the saints:
here are they that keep the
commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.
13 And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are
the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the
Spirit,
that they
may rest from their labors, and their works do follow them.
See Rev. 13:8 mentions “....the Lamb slain from the
foundation of the world.”
The previous seven verses are associated
with the beast (anti-christ)
and the first part of this eighth verse tells of those
whose names are not
written in that Book of Life of this Lamb, worship the anti-christ!
Gabriel
sent. Christ, the Sent of God! You/me are sent.
Whose side are you
on? ch. 11:23
Nazareth, a city of Galilee,
hidden in the hills. A rendez-
vous for the
worst of people, a proverbial place out of
which no good
thing was expected. John 1:46
Gal. 4:4-5 - "....when
the fullness of time was come, God sent forth His Son,
made of a woman, made under the
law, To redeem them that were under
the law, that we might receive
the adoption of sons." -
Rev. 3:14 - Christ, "the
Beginning of the creation of God"
A deeper interest should gather
around Jesus coming into
the world to save mankind from
their sins, than that of
the beginning of the material
universe.
Genesis gives to us the
account of the mysterious origin
of the material world - Luke
gives us the account of the
mysterious origin of
the new creation and the salvation
of man!
vs. 27-28 - Warning against
worshipping Mary - the Lord
Jesus
is the one to be magnified - not Mary.
I would like to ask the women
folk, if you had lived in that
generation, would you
have qualified to be the mother of
the Son of God?
Isaiah 7:14
We are living in a very evil
age - we count God's
commandment as nothing
and commit fornication or adultery
as if eating a piece of bread or
taking a sip of water. Mary is
the original madonna
(a title of respect)- today you have a
cult star by the same name of
which she is not worthy. It is
alarming when more
young people know more about Madonna
than democracy.
v. 29 - Receive what is written - being assured that the
same
power of the Highest by which the crucified Jesus
was raised from the tomb where He had lain for three
days, was able to overshadow the virgin of Nazereth,
was able to cause to be born of her "that holy
thing"
which was called the Son of God!
vs. 32-33 - "house of
David" - a sure house - I Sam. 2:35
Isaiah 9:6-7
"He shall be called the
Son of the Highest" -
A new king - an everlasting
Monarch!
"the throne of his father
David"
Yet unfulfilled -
speaks of a restoration of
It has been 2000 years
since Gabriel spoke of a
kingdom that would have no end!
1948 -
This thing was not
done in a corner!
"This thing was not done in a
corner" is a phrase from the Bible, specifically
Acts 26:26, where the Apostle Paul
is telling King Agrippa that the Christian
message was not spread in secret or hidden away, but was openly
proclaimed
to many people; essentially meaning it was not done in a
secluded place,
but was widely known. (Google)
Today the Jews are looking in all
the wrong places -
It is Jesus, Jesus, Jesus and Him
Only!
The Jews have been
kept distinct even though
intermingled with the nations of the world and today
are waiting His coming - “Who hath herd such a thing?
Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one
day? Or shall
a nation be born at once? for as soon as
brought forth her children.” (Isaiah 66:8)
v. 33 - the dignity and power
that Christ shall attain -
its duration -
"forever" - its extent - "no end"
9 “Wherefore God also hath highly exalted Him, and given Him a name
which is above every name:
10 That at the name of Jesus every knee
should bow, of things in
heaven, and things in earth, and things under the
earth;
11 And that every tongue should confess that
Jesus Christ is Lord, to
the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:9-11)
That
in the dispensation of the fulness of times He might
gather
together in one all things in Christ, both which
are in heaven, and
which are on earth; even in him: (Ephesians
1:10)
11And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white
horse; and He that sat
upon him was called Faithful and True, and in
righteousness He
doth judge and make war.
12 His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on
His head were many
crowns; and He had a name written, that no man
knew, but He
Himself.
13 And He was clothed with a
vesture dipped in blood: and His name is
called The Word of God.
14 And the armies which were in heaven
followed Him upon white
horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.
15 And out of his mouth goeth
a sharp sword, that with it He should
smite the nations: and He shall rule them with a
rod of iron: and He
treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath
of Almighty God.
16 And He hath on His vesture and on His thigh a
name written, KING
OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS (Revelation 19:11-16)
v. 35 - In Christ we have the humanity
and the Divinity
in one, each perfect and complete. What ever can be
said of man, it can be said of Christ (except sin),
what can be said of God can be said of Him.
"I and my Father are
one"
Psalm
118:22-23 Matt.
21:42
"This is the Lord's
doing, it is marvelous in our eyes"
Reminds one of the opening
words of Genesis at the
dawn of creation - "The
Spirit moved (brooded) over
the face of the deep".
The Word was conceived in the
womb of a woman,
not after the manner of men, but
by the operation of
the Holy Ghost, whereby a virgin
was, beyond the law
of nature, enabled to conceive,
and that which was
conceived in her was
originally and completely
sanctified!
Holiness is not a mere
attainment, obedience to the
moral law - it
is a new supernatural being - "born of
the Spirit" - "not born
of blood, nor of the will of the
flesh, nor of
the will of man, but of God"
v. 37 - "with God nothing shall be impossible"
v. 38 - No demands made on Mary - just her consent.
Notice the
attitude of Mary - "Behold the hand-maiden
of the Lord, be
it unto me according to thy word"
She accepts the sacrifice -
she submitted herself of her
own free will to what she felt
was the will & wish of God!
Her innocence was vindicated -
Matt. 1:20
GOD IS THE SOURCE OF MARY'S
JOY!
Surely in all
the world's creation, His might had never
been shown as it was now about to
be manifest in her!
In the Incarnation, God was
sending real help to His
people. It
was the crowning act of mercy, and the
fulfillment of the
promises made to Abraham and his
seed. Mary thus began
with God's holiness and passed
in review His power, His
mercy, and finally His
faithfulness. All
these are illustrated eminently
in the Incarnation.
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