THE FIVE COMINGS

            The gospel according to Matthew chapter sixteen can be summed up in the various COMINGS that are mentioned. The COMING of the Pharisees and Sadducees, the COMING OF APOSTLES, the COMING of Jesus to the parts of Caesarea Philippi, the SECOND COMING of Jesus and then the COMING in His Kingdom.

THE COMING OF THE PHARISEES AND SADDUCEES

The Pharisees and Sadducees came ... they came trying Him by asking Him to show them a sign from Heaven. People are always asking for signs. Every time we have a cold day in the summer time, or a hot day in the winter time, someone will call and ask where does it say in the Bible that the days will come when you will not be able to tell winter from summer except by the leaves on the calendar. Every time a leader in the Mideast sneezes this is looked upon as a sign predicted somewhere in the Bible. Jesus told them that the people who look for the signs are evil. His words were, "An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign and no sign shall be given unto it, but the sign of Jonah."

They had asked for a sign from heaven as Moses gave them bread out of heaven to eat. Jesus told them in John chapter six that Moses did not give them bread out of heaven, it was the Father who gave bread out of heaven and they ate and died. He was the true bread that had came down out of heaven, and he that eateth this bread shall live forever.

 If people insists on a sign there are several that can't be missed. How about the existence of the Lord's Day? This is a sign that Jesus arose from the dead. How about the existence of the New Testament? That is a sign that Jesus came once and will come again. What about the sign of the existence of the Lord's Supper? That is a sign that Jesus died on the cross and that He is coming again. What about the sign of the existence of the Church? What more of a sign could we want than that? What about the sign of His effect on humanity?

Edward Gibbon in his Decline and fall of the Roman Empire has a chapter on the rise of Christianity and gives five reasons for the rise of Christianity. One of the reasons was the godly life of the saints. People of that day saw some of the most godless reprobates come into the Church and become transformed into the greatest saints and that made an impression on the ancient world. These are signs that can't be missed. But suffice it to say these signs are not enough. People who look for signs will never be satisfied. It is with relief that I read in this story and He left them and departed. The Pharisees and the Sadducees came...

THE COMING OF THE DISCIPLES

Next in line is the coming of the Apostles to the other side of the lake. When they came to the other side they forgot to take bread. As they discussed this problem, Jesus told them to take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees. They thought He was talking about forgetting bread. Jesus reprimanded them for their lack of faith by reminding them of the feeding of the five thousand and the four thousand. The Apostles had no trouble believing that the Lord could feed five thousand men besides a few women and children, they had no trouble believing that He could feed four thousand men besides a few women and children, but it was hard for them to believe that He could feed twelve men and no women and children. He said, "Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees." Then they got the message. It was the teaching of these people that they were being warned about. We have preachers today whose beliefs are similar to the Sadducees. The Sadducees subtracted from the word of God and the Pharisees added to God’s word. Take heed and beware.

The Sadducees were the liberals of that day. They did not believe in the resurrection or in the Old Testament’s scriptures except for the first five books. We have them with us today. Take heed and beware. Beware of the Pharisees also. The Pharisees were basically good people. They sprang up during the period between the Old Testament and the time of the Lord. They wanted to bring people back to the standards of God's laws, but they went to the extreme of making their opinions binding on others as matters of faith. Take heed and beware they are still here.

I went to a revival one time and as I was eating with the preacher he asked me if I had noticed the Church on the way to his house that was called the non‑hand‑shaking Church. I said that I had not seen it. He said they did not believe in shaking hands in the Church service. The Bible speaks of greeting one another with a holy kiss in several places and since that is a specific kind of greeting, no other greeting is permitted in their service. They may shake hands outside and on the street or even at home. They point out that there are a lot of things you do at home that should not be done in Church. Take heed and beware.

THE COMING OF JESUS TO CAESEREA PHILIPPI

   Next is the coming of the Lord to the parts of Caeserea Phil­ippi. He asked the Apostles, "Who do men say that I the Son of man am?" They gave Him all kinds of answers. There are some today who say that Jesus was the best of men but not the Son of God. John the Apostles speaks to them when he says in First John in the second chapter: “Who is the liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ. This is the anti-christ even he that denieth the Father and the Son.”  ­

Then He said, "But who say ye that I am?" Peter said, "Thou art the Christ the Son of the living God." Jesus said, "Blessed art thou Simon Barjonah, for flesh and blood hath not revealed this unto thee, but my Father who is in Heaven, and I say unto thee that thou art Peter and upon this rock I will build My Church and the gates of Hades shall no prevail against it. I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth I will bind in heaven and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth I will loose in heaven.”

The Lord’s Church is built on the Rock that Peter confessed. Paul in first Corinthians in the third chapter said it for us when he declared, "Other foundation can no man lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ." Peter who made the great confession ought to know what the rock was and he tells us in his first epistle in the second chapter: “If ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious: unto to whom coming a living stone, rejected in deed of men, but with God elect precious, ye also as living stones are built up a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” Upon that rock that Jesus has built His church.

Then remember what Jesus said regarding that confession that flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee. There are all kinds of flesh and blood answers today. What do men say about the Lord and His memorial Supper? Some say observe the Lord's Supper once every three months, some say once every month. These are flesh and blood answers. What is the Heavenly answer? The Heavenly answer is found in Acts 20:7, “Upon the first day of the week when we were gathered together to break bread ...” Some might point out that this is only an example. If it is only an example, it is a heavenly example. For those who like flesh and blood answers take the Lord's Supper anytime you will, but for those who like to have a Heavenly answer BLESSED ART THOU!

Most people prefer blood answers to Heavenly answers. In John twelve we read that many believed on Him, but they did not confess it because of the Pharisees, because they loved the glory of men more than the glory of God. There is always more glory in a flesh and blood answer than there in a Heavenly answer.

People today equate truth with the size of the denomination or the size of the individual congregation. It does not make any difference what they preach they are right because that much flesh and that much blood can't be wrong.

Our people today worship in the temple of the great goddess sincerity. Nobody is wrong on anything. Everybody is right and nobody is wrong. Common sense ought to tell us that everybody can't be right. There is glory in flesh and blood answers.

At this point, Jesus told about His coming death on the cross. He spoke of going up to Jerusalem and of what would be done and how He would arise from the dead. Peter said, "Lord, this shall never be unto thee, be it far from thee." This would not be the last time that the Devil would try to speak to the human race through the lips of a preacher. Many a preacher has advised those who hear them not to go to Jerusalem. Don't go to Jerusalem for the sermon that Peter would preach on the Day of Pentecost.

Paul said that evil men and imposters shall wax worse and worse deceiving and being deceived. A preacher may be sincere and yet be deceived himself. Remember Jesus said if the blind lead the blind both shall fall into the ditch.

God did not subpoena any of us to be the judge of the human race. We cannot sit on the throne and say this person and that person is going to hell, but neither can we sit on that throne and say they are going to heaven. It is a two way street. If the Lord wants everybody to get into Heaven that should be all right with us, but until that day all we have to go on is the Book. We have been subpoenaed to be a witness of what the Word of God has to say.

THE SECOND COMING OF JESUS

The fourth coming that is mentioned in Matthew chapter six­teen is the Second Coming of Jesus. The Son of man shall come in His glory and of His Father with His Angels and then shall He render unto every man according to his works. Jesus is coming again. In the context of what He is talking about here the judgment is mentioned.

Just before this promise to return and judge the world is this warning, “He that saveth his life shall lose it.” How can you lose your life by saving it? Here are three ways.

Number One: A person seeks to gain his life by exercising, taking vitamins, proper diet, getting a check up from the doctor every year, in an effort to increase his life span and while doing this ignore Christ and reject Him as the Savior then loses his life eternally.

Number Two: Fulfill the dream of many to own a home, always have a new car, get every gadget that has been invented to make life comfortable, and spend nothing or very little in time or money in the service of Christ; he saves his life and loses his soul.

Number three: Have a goal to seek every pleasure in life, attend, every sporting event, be able to quote all number of yards gained, batting averages, slam dunks, and what ever, and not be able to quote five verses of scripture on salvation if their life depended on it and this is a pretty good indication that someone has gained his life and lost it eternally. I saw a man who had a message on his T-shirt that expressed the philosophy of many. The message read; “Life is short play hard.”

Then this further warning of Jesus: “What shall a man be profited if he gain the whole world and lose his own soul or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” And then remember these sobering words in Hebrews chapter nine, "It is appointed unto men once to die and then cometh the Judgment." Jesus is coming again to render unto every man according to his works.           

 In view of the coming judgment every­ one should ponder the Second Coming of Jesus. Someone has expressed it well in these lines:            

If you make your goal in riches, what then?

If you dress in pinstripe britches, what then?

If your checkbook has six figgers,

And your boss a dozen riggers,

When the reaper calls by jiggers, what then?

When your glory is diminished, what then?

When the doctor says you're finished, what then?

When the passing moments tell

Like the echo of a bell,

That you are headed straight for hell, what then?

Remember Jesus is coming.

COMING IN HIS KINGDOM

The fifth and last coming that is mentioned in Matthew chapter sixteen is the coming of Jesus in His Kingdom. He said, "Verily I say unto you there are some of you that stand here that shall in no wise taste of death until they see the Son of man coming in His Kingdom."

This coming of Jesus would be His mystical coming when the Church was established on the Day of Pentecost. Judas would be dead, Jesus would die and be raised, others perhaps would be dead in that crowd that was there that day, but most would be alive. Whatever Jesus was talking about had to happen before that generation passed away. The Church is His Bride. That prophecy was fulfilled when Jesus came in His Kingdom on that day.

Right before He ascended the Apostles asked if the Kingdom of God was to appear? He said it is not for you to know the times and seasons, which the Father hath set within His own authority. Ten days later the Kingdom was established. Peter preached the first gospel sermon and when they asked what to do he told them to repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

As Peter preached this sermon the Lord was sitting at the right hand of the Father. He turned to God and said, "It looks like Peter is binding this command on earth we will have to make it binding up here. It looks like Peter is loosing people from their sins by this means on earth we will have to do it up here.” Perhaps

You may ask, “How do you know that?” Remember a few moments ago how the Lord said to Peter, "I will give unto thee the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven whatever you bind on earth will be bound in Heaven, whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in Heaven." About seven years later, Peter would open the doors of the Church to the Gentiles and after that no one has had any use for the Keys of the Kingdom. For all I know Peter threw them away. The Keys of the Kingdom are nothing more and nothing less than the terms by which the Lord will allow you to be a part of His Church and to come into His Kingdom. The prophecy was fulfilled that Jesus made. There are some of them here that shall in no wise taste of death until they see the Son of man coming in His Kingdom.

Up in Pittsburgh the Ohio River is formed when the Allegheny and the Monogehela Rivers join together. Years ago, I had a revival meeting back up at the headwaters of the Allegheny. I stayed on a farm that week that lay by the banks of that river. I asked the farmer if he had ever drunk that water right out of the river? He said he often drank of that water right out of the river years before while plowing. It is possible to drink from the river where it is clear, but if you come down to Cincinnati and drink of that river it will kill you. Somebody has polluted the river. Somebody has thrown in the sewage and the chemicals and the waste from many cities along the way and the water is no longer pure.

As we think of the water of life, the only way to be sure you are getting a drink of the pure water of life, is to go back to the head waters where the water first gushed clear as crystal out of the rock on the Day of Pentecost. If you wait until now the water has been polluted. Someone has thrown in the sewage of denominationalism, and some have thrown in the chemicals of unbelief in the Holy Spirit inspired word of God. The water of life is no longer fit to drink. To say that it will kill you is putting it mildly. Go back, go back, go back to the Day of Pentecost and drink freely. Pass it on to others until that day when we shall all drink from that river that John talks about in the book of Revelation—The River of the water of life that flows from the throne of God.