Jesus Christ traveled to different cities of Israel, and everywhere many people gathered around Him. They came to Jesus to be healed of their illnesses and to listen to what He taught. What did Jesus teach? The main theme of His teaching is formulated in the Gospel in the following words:
“From that time Jesus began to preach and say: Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”[1]
The main themes of the teachings of Jesus Christ were: repentance of sins and the approach of the Kingdom of Heaven.
Christ's teaching on repentance for sins.
Jesus Christ taught: “Unless you repent, you will perish.”[2] Many people did not like these words. They considered themselves completely respectable people, at least in comparison with others, and therefore, in their opinion, they had nothing to repent of before God.
But Jesus taught that God sees things differently. God does not evaluate a person's life by comparing it with the lives of other people. There is no one who is completely sinless before God, and therefore every person needs to realize his sins and repent.
To explain this truth more clearly, Jesus told the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector. These two people came to the temple to pray. The Pharisee was a deeply religious man, and he prayed to God like this:
"God! I thank You that I am not like other people, robbers, offenders, adulterers, or like this tax collector: I fast twice a week, I give a tenth of everything I acquire...” [3]
Unlike the Pharisee, the publican led a very bad lifestyle. But he was tired of living like this, and so that day he came to the temple to repent before God. He stood in the temple, looking down, not knowing what to say. He was very ashamed of his life. He simply began to hit himself in the chest with his fist and, with difficulty holding back tears, said: God! be merciful to me, a sinner!
At the end of this story, Christ said that this publican left the temple forgiven by God. But the Pharisee remained far from God, although a deeply religious man. With this parable, Jesus wanted to teach people that every person needs to realize that he is a sinner before God and sincerely repent of his sins before Him. This is where the real life of a believer begins.
What Jesus Taught Us About People
Chapter 11
Photo by: Justine Shachar
In previous chapters we have covered many important topics. We questioned what Jesus taught us about sin, the Bible, the future, heaven, and more.
I always try to discuss what people want to know. I think the topic “What Jesus Taught Us About People” is of particular interest.
Finally, our Lord said that strait is the gate and narrow is the way, and few find it. The wide path is extremely popular. But “there is a way that seems right to a man; BUT THEIR END is the path to death.”
Jesus warned that faith is not for everyone. If faith is considered to be confidence in a God who has proven himself trustworthy, then this is a tragedy!
This tells me that those we consider intelligent people do not know how to ask the right questions.
Of course, everyone must believe. Faith comes from hearing the Word of God. This means that people who do not have faith neglect the Word.
Jesus taught us that unbelief is not rational honesty. Skeptics who say otherwise are far from the truth. Unbelief is ignorance. That's all. You didn't ask the right questions.
Our Lord told us about a beggar who went to heaven and a rich man who went to hell. The rich man asked someone to rise again and warn his brothers so that they would get off the road to hell, but they answered him: “if they don’t listen to Moses and the prophets, then even if someone rose from the dead, they wouldn’t believe it.” Luke 16:31
So, DISBELIEF is NOT due to lack of evidence. This is simply an irrational and unscientific choice.
I like to think that I can gather all the evidence, all the proof that God is real and the Bible is true, that we all need a Savior. But I have a confession to make. We preachers make a mistake when we think that we can make anyone believe, even when our arguments are flawless.
We are mistaken.
Jesus said that people are not that honest. Or rather, people are looking for an excuse.
He said: “Light has come into the world; but people loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil; For everyone who does evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds be exposed, because they are evil.” John 3:19-20
Jesus experienced this personally one day.
He spoke of a rich man whose fields produced such a rich harvest that his barns were too small. He decided to demolish those barns and build new ones. He was unwilling to share his blessings with those in need. That night death knocked on his door and God said, “You fool! this night your soul will be taken from you; who will get what you have prepared?
A fool does not see the difference between the soul and the stomach. A fool hoards wealth on earth without caring about heaven. A fool does not prepare for death, although he knows that he will die.
Therefore, DISBELIEF IN GOD is a sign of stupidity.
This is not at all the result of either honesty or intelligent courage.
More than 15 years ago I went to Russia with Lawrence Trefford. Before converting to the Christian faith, Lawrence was one of the most wanted criminals in the world. Thanks to his background, he had the opportunity to preach in dozens of Russian penal colonies. Lawrence shared his testimony with hundreds of prisoners... and then I preached.
I remember now, we were in a huge prison. Lawrence talked about himself and then said that the criminals were cowards looking for an easy way to avoid responsibility. The huge guy, the leader of the gang, rose from his seat and angrily replied that he was not afraid of anything.
But I will tell you the truth. In order to face your sins, in order to be absolutely honest with God, you will need such courage that not even a hundred people combined can muster. In order to tell God the whole truth, you will need the highest degree of courage.
Romans 1 tells us that ingratitude and irreverence are the root of unbelief. People who do not want to preserve the knowledge of God become disrespectful and ungrateful. As a result, their foolish hearts become dark. Considering themselves wise men, they turn into fools. They serve and worship the creation rather than the Creator. This is what Jesus taught us. Unbelief cannot be a sign of a great mind. Unbelief strikes those who voluntarily close their eyes to the truth.
What did Jesus say about unbelievers?
The world is full of non-believers... but don't let that bother you. Let's say your father is an alcoholic and an atheist. Do you think you can use your love for him as an excuse to justify your own alcoholism and atheism?
Jesus also spoke about this: “Whoever loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and whoever loves a son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.” Matthew 10:37
Has anyone told you that you should give up Christ because all smart people shun the church? If yes, then you have fallen victim to the lies of the devil.
The truth is: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.”
Let me share what else Jesus taught us about unbelief. • The story of Lazarus and the rich man tells us that if we are separated from God HERE, we will be separated from Him LATER. • We will not be purified by fire unless we believe in His blood. • Death is not the final step, since there are two eternities: heaven and hell. • When the rich young ruler chose to serve gold (Luke 18:23), Jesus was very upset. • And the last thing He taught us is that those who live for pleasure or power, approval or fame will never get to heaven.
So Heaven is real. God is real. The Bible is real. Salvation is real. And Jesus is the ONLY WAY...
He said:
“NO ONE COMES TO THE FATHER BUT THROUGH ME.” John 14:6
Thank God... this is the truth... He said:
“AND HIM COMING TO ME I WILL NOT CAST OUT.” John 6:37
G.G. Barber
What Jesus Taught Us
translation by Alena Galtseva
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Jesus Christpastor G.G. Barber
The teaching of Christ about the Kingdom of Heaven.
Jesus Christ taught: Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. His listeners knew about the predictions recorded in the Old Testament of the Bible, which said that the Messiah (Christ) would establish His eternal Heavenly Kingdom. And so they were glad to hear that this Kingdom of Heaven was already at hand. But their idea of what it would be like was completely different from what Jesus had in mind.
People thought that the Messiah would probably lead a rebellion against the Roman occupiers, defeat them, then conquer other countries, and thus establish His powerful kingdom on Earth. That is, they imagined the Kingdom of Heaven as the kingdom of earth, but only on a larger scale.
But Jesus Christ taught that the Kingdom of Heaven will be completely different. He taught about what it would be like and what a person needs to do to enter it. Read more:
Kingdom of Heaven (Kingdom of God)
How do we know spiritual truths?
We learned most of the things we know in this life through practice. We watch our older brother tie his shoes and copy him. We see our father changing the tires and we quickly understand how to do it, much faster than if we spent hours reading the instructions. Becoming a carpenter is a process. A skilled craftsman repeatedly shows an apprentice how to do carpentry.
Almost everything we learn in our early years is learned this way. This is the fastest and easiest way and in many cases the only way. This principle is nowhere more relevant than in the knowledge of spiritual truths. Being a disciple means watching and learning from others as they follow Christ.
Studying Scripture, we see that there cannot be “lone” Christians. We play an extremely important role in each other's lives. The gospel cannot be effectively spread without an example at its core, nor can those who receive it reach maturity without this relationship (Matthew 28:19-20).
The Bible alone may be enough to understand the content of truth for a person, but in order to comprehend its power, we need to first read it in black and white (on paper), and then see it in black, white, red, yellow (people). Do you understand what I'm talking about? Apprenticeships have not been tested and determined to be ineffective; it was simply found difficult and often untried. However, when it is put into practice, lives change dramatically, and other people are attracted to these visible changes like a magnet. Following Jesus by example works! And that's the only thing that works. Without a doubt, this was and is Jesus' plan for the salvation of this world.
Jesus Christ and the Law of Moses
Third. All subsequent teaching of Jesus Christ in the Sermon on the Mount contrasts the law of Moses with life by faith.
It is still customary in the church to confuse the grace of Christ and the law of Moses. We hear it all the time: “We are saved by grace through faith, but... there are conditions.”
Where there are conditions, there is a law. And where there is law, there is no grace. Because the conditions or requirements of the law always imply curse, condemnation and punishment for failure to fulfill the commandments:
“After all, the one who fulfilled the entire Law, but stumbled in one thing, is guilty of violating the entire Law.” (James 2:10)
“And vice versa: those who rely on the works of the Law are in danger of being cursed, because “cursed is everyone who does not continually do all that is written in the book of the Law.” (Gal 3:10)
Pray.
Praying for people is an act of unconditional love. Especially when we pray for our enemies. This allows us to lift others up to God in a positive way, asking God to bless people and work with their hearts and lives according to His plan and purposes: “But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who mistreat you. and those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven, for He makes His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust” (Matthew 5:44,45).
