Jesus Christ, the Last Adam, the Second Man - Perfected Through Suffering – Part 7 by Pastor Doug Riggs

by John Mark on 05/15/24

This message was originally recorded January 12, 2014, the seventh in a series of 8 messages.

My notes:

“Preach the gospel at all times, and if necessary, use words.” Speaking is not only that which we say, but we speak volumes by what we do. As "a picture is worth a thousand words", so also is that which people see in us in our actions and living. God spoke through His Son not only in words, but in and through His life. His life expressed the Word of God as He was and is the Word of God, "God's speaking with finality with the abiding results of that speaking in the person of His Son. So, the Son is the final speaking of God."

"The law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ. Not 'truth and grace'; 'grace and truth'. We can't know truth unless we've experienced grace; we can't experience grace until we know how utterly wretched we are apart from God."

"So what is coming; there is no way we can grasp what the final shaking of Christianity is going to be... that which is called 'Christianity' is shaken down to the very foundation to see if it's built upon Christ - if it's according to Christ, or if it's the accretions* of man and tradition and denominations... It's ‘the day of visitation’." [I had to look up the definition of "accretion": the process of growth or increase, typically by the gradual accumulation of additional layers.]

Doug explains in detail the fact that Christianity is incompatible with Judaism, and those who want to go back to those types and shadows were not only facing God's consuming fire and judgment coming soon (70 A.D.), but we are facing it today in the coming day of visitation. Christians be warned. Ezekiel 33 speaks of God's appointment of watchmen who see judgment coming and are tasked with warning the people. "But there is one who hears the sound of the trumpet yet does not heed the warning. Then the sword comes and sweeps him away. He will be responsible for his own death... If he had heeded the warning, he would have saved his life." (Ezekiel 33:4) Doug also applies this to those clinging to their "denominational doctrine that defines them as a denomination that is extraneous to Christ is going to be shaken."

"'God wouldn't judge America! We're friends of the Jews!' And we have been a haven to the Jews, but there's this entitlement that Christians in America are something special and separate from that which would represent what God has done in other nations, like China to purge His people from anything other than that which is according to Christ." Judging from what we are currently seeing on the news, being 'a friend of Israel' seems to be waning. If that continues, and it will, it will seal the doom of America. "God will not spare America!" "Hebrews 12:25 says that (judgment) that happened then (70 A.D.) is a harbinger of a final global shaking that's going to confront so-called 'Christianity' in preparation for the Lord to come."

So, what is the destiny of man? Jesus in His humiliation as Son of Man was crowned with glory and honor in His resurrection. We, in union with Him as the Second Man will attain to that same destiny when we one day (soon) will be crowned with glory and honor. "The fact of man's obvious failure is contrasted with the accomplishment of Christ's work which is the potential fulfillment of man's destiny through humiliation, exaltation, and now the redemption of man."

As I'm listening to Doug reading extensively from this theological treatise, I'm hearing how he is so excited in what is presented and how much it was ministering to him in his understanding of the letter to the Hebrews. This may be a real stretch for some of us, especially me, but I'm reminded of the early days under Doug's pastoral teaching - at least I'm getting 5% of what he's teaching. That's better than 0% and no teaching at all. After reading a passage, Doug comments, "That's loaded! That's gold right there!" ... reminding me of Revelation 3:18: "buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich." Much of this is about the sufferings of Christ that were required of Him to learn obedience. We require the same. "The discipline (child training) through which Christ reached perfection is that through which He brings His people. That which is appointed for them He also accepts, for both He and they are of one Father." When it comes to suffering, we should remember that "in all of our afflictions, He was afflicted." (Isaiah 63:9)

Resource Mentioned: Paul Hattaway: Back to Jerusalem 

Link to today's audio: https://dougriggs.s3.amazonaws.com/Assemblies/1-12-14+Sunday+Assembly.mp3

 

Maranatha!

John Mark

...hereby committing this unto the providential care of the enthroned Head of the Church; whose Name is blessed forevermore, Yeshua Mashiach - Jesus Christ!

 

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