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Bro. Otis Fisher
Chapter 4, verse 8. Chapter 4, verse 8. Wherefore he saith, when he ascended on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. Now that he ascended, what is it but he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth?
He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above the heavens, that he might fill all things. All right, first of all, when he ascended on high, he led captivity captive. There were before the cross a place of the righteous and a place of the dead that were held in captivity.
For they, when you died, you would go here waiting to go to heaven. Now on the cross, somebody find on the cross where he spoke to the thief. Where is that? As the thief was dying, he told him to remember him when he came into his glory.
You got it, Virg? All right, read that. Where is it, B? All right. All right, Jesus tells us where he's going. First, he's going to paradise. This is the place that all of the saints were held. He went to paradise, and when he ascended up on high, that means what, Bill?
All right. He led captivity captive. The saints in this place were held captive. They couldn't get out of it. They were waiting on something and gave gifts unto men. Now, he led paradise to heaven, but she all he did not, the place of the damned.
They're still there. If you die outside of Christ today, that's where you go. It's a place of torment. We know because the rich man was in torment, you remember torments, not in the final resting place.
He led captivity captive and gave gifts unto men. Gifts unto men. When Christ ascended, he took paradise and all of those that were with him in heaven. He went to the cross, went to paradise from the cross.
Now, there are those that teach that Jesus went down into hell, preached to those people to give them a second chance. Well, that's wrong on several counts. They use 1 Peter 3 .8. Somebody look that up.
2 Peter 2 .14. Hebrews 9 .27. And John 6 .44. These are the verses they use to prove that. 1 Peter 3 .8, who has that? Anybody? That's 1 Peter 3 .8. Well, look at 2 Peter 2 .4.
All right, read it.
They say that proves that Christ went to hell and preached to the ones in prison. That does not prove that. That's talking about the days of Noah. He preached to the people in Noah by spirit. It was his spirit that was working in Noah.
Now, Hebrews 9 .27. So, those that get a second chance, don't get a second chance. John 6 .44. You ought to be able to quote that. Yes. All right. He did go to paradise because he told us that was where he was going.
In the 8th verse, he said that he led captivity, the place of the dead saints, captive. He took paradise to heaven with him. Today, when a saint dies, he goes straight to be with him. There's no holding place for them, but the dead seat of Satan does still go to Hades, the holding pen for them.
Luke 16 .23. Yes. Lazarus in his bosom, paradise. All right. They get it from here and a lot of other places, too. They misinterpret Scripture as though it was true, but it's not true. I don't know. I'm sure this is it.
Yes. Russell? Do you know, Greg? Russell? Greg, fill me in on what you're all talking about.
My question is, were the ascension centers, final ascension back to the Father, or are we talking about an ascension after he was dead on the cross, where he would have all of his blood and fruit, and had an excellent head?
I think this is referring to the first time he went back after the cross.
The first time. Dr. Ellington, when was his final ascension? He did. Was that before or after this? I think it was this one. Yes. There's another verse in the Gospels that says that Joseph had the saints of the years, the people in Jerusalem, and the saints that went to captivity for those reasons.
Where does it say that? I'm sorry? Where does it say that? In the Gospels.
That the saints…. Well, I'd have to study that in connection with this.
Participation, we're saying that after his death, the resurrection went back to all points, as we're saying, the captives were released.
Well, they were released, but not visibly.
I put it on the show that it refers to Acts 1, 9, 11, which says, now when he exposed these things, while they watched he was taken up, and clobbered his feet, and they went on their side, while they were taken up.
He went up a hole in the midst of the land and watched. That's when he ascended after the resurrection.
No, he ascended…. Well, yes, that's what this is talking about. Alright, what does 8 mean?
After that period before the resurrection.
Well, see if you can find out. You know, we need to be careful,.
Because if you read this up, if you read this verse, 1 Corinthians 6, when he ascended on high, he made captivity of the captives, he gave gifts to the men. That's not the original part. That's a quotation from Psalms.
If you go back and read the quotation from Psalms, that is from 68, 18, it says, Thou has ascended on high, Thou has made captivity of the captives, Thou has received gifts from men. He gave what we read as also, what the Lord God might will amongst us.
Then there's also, there's a passage in Judges 5, 12, that says, Awake, awake, therefore awake, awake, let our song arise up from the rock. He made captivity of the captives. All he's really saying here is that Christ has fallen in one battle with Satan.
And those things that used to captivate us, that we used to be captive to, have been taken under the authority of Christ and no longer subject to. Now that seems to be a more straightforward...
Well, it may mean that, but it has to do with the captives in Paradise also, because the empty Paradise. Sometime, I don't know when.
I read it this way. He that ascended, what is it, but that he also descended first to the lower parts of the earth, he that descended is the same also that ascended thus far above all that, that he might fill all things.
But if you read what I kind of read, it seems like it's in a perfect order, the way it should be done.
Well, he is the one that came down to us. And he is the one that went back. All right. All right. Russell. Well, I'd still have to study it.
His resurrection was the power and the fervor that he bent to thank the Holy Spirit for their holiness.
All right. I want to get to gifts unto men. He gave gifts unto men. Who and what are these? All right. He gave gifts unto men. Are they for the man? Who are they for? For the church. He did go to paradise.
Satan still goes to Hades. He gave some apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors, some teachers. He did not give these to the individual for the individual. He gave to each church what it needed.
Some apostles, some pastors, and so forth. This verse does not refer to the gift given to men. He gives certain men to the church. Special notice. The purpose of the earthly church is to edify, educate the members, cause them to understand his holy word.
By this, the church grows spiritually, and each member can walk in a more Christ-like way. That's the reason you come to church, is to learn about Christ. The purpose of the earthly church is not to save the world.
It is not to change the morals of the community or the city. It is not to protest. It is not to march in a picket line. It is not to try to stop an execution. It is not to get involved in politics. It is to teach and cause the members to be well-founded in his holy word.
The church is to grow up. It's not to do all of these things that the church is doing today. Apostles. This is one who had personally seen the resurrected Christ and has been directly commissioned by him.
There's none of them today. Prophets. These were given peculiar insight into the doctrine of faith. There are none today. Evangelists. These are traveling preachers. They are to go into a new unchurched territory, to go alone, depending on the Holy Spirit to guide and provide.
They are not to have advanced men to organize advertising, arrange stopping, eating, and meeting accommodations. Neither are they to be pastors. Pastor. They are the shepherds of the flock. They are to care for, to feed, to see that they eat, to see to their health, physical and spiritual, but most of all to be sure that they're being taught the word.
While we are here discussing these offices, let me relate the reason for deacons in the church. Today the deacon board is run by the pastor on this church. While the duties of the deacon are to serve and administer and the working of the earthly church, the reason they came into existence is found in Acts 6, 1 -4.
It was so that the preacher could give more time to study the Holy Word. It was not so he could run the church through the deacon body. They would come into existence to satisfy a need, but to give the preachers more time to study.
Teachers, I believe these are the most important of all. The church is not to appear ignorant before the world. All these men are to prepare the church to do the work of building up the body of Christ.
A pastor has a special gift of teaching. Do not expect to find all of these qualifications in one person. For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come in the unity of faith and knowledge of the Son of God and to a perfect man unto the measure of the stature and fullness of Christ.
All gifted men are given to churches for only one reason. What is it? Building up the body of the elect. Would you get on board an airplane today if the pilot didn't know any more than the average church member does about his Bible?
You wouldn't go. That we henceforth be no more children tossed to and fro and carried about by every kind of doctrine, by the slight of men and cunning craftiness whereby they lie in wait to deceive. But speaking the truth in love may grow up unto him till all things, which is the head, even Christ, children.
We were all children once, physically and spiritually. Children are fond of novelty and change. They get tired of the same old thing. They walk their own way and they want to be in control. They envy and try to ignore what you have.
This definition fits most preachers and associates of most churches today. What can we do about it? Nothing but pray. You'd be surprised. Well, maybe you wouldn't. How many preachers are children in Christ, children in the Spirit, wanting their own way?
Every wind of doctrine. Wind. Only light substance can blow about by the wind. Slight. They are small manipulations of the truth for personal ends. Deceive. They are watching for an opportunity to promote their own program.
They scheme how to promote their own end and no regard for the truth or the feelings of others. Speaking love, this is not necessarily gentle love, but honestly, manfully, out of the love for souls of Christ, grow in knowledge and grace.
Things. These are all works, all experiences and all knowledge. False teachers deal with truth and men as playing with dice. So the number always turns up to suit their purpose. Just as a child is only excited about a new toy, so is a false leader, from whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in them, measure of every part, making increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love, from whom the whole body fitly joined together.
We had fitly the other day. What does it mean, fitly joined?
Debbie? It is precise and exact.
Right. It exactly fits only one position. This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk in the vanity of their mind. Each person is placed in Christ in the right place so that the working of one benefits the whole.
Compacted is like a tamping pole when you set a fence post. How many know what a tamping pole is? The church is a growing body. Christ is the source of the life-giving power for growth. Is this a growing body?
This church, is it a growing body? That's right. It's not in number. It's in body. It is faith that connects us all together under one head. The entire body is composed of individual saints constantly coming more and more closely joined together, constantly growing together into a union through the life of the head.
This does so according to the measure of every part. The degree to which this life of Christ flows in the member is determined by the individual saints' fellowship with the Lord and his fellow believers.
What if we had all of the members and there was one of them that refused to grow? What would it do to the group? Every member is to be in their place growing as they can for Christ. Is that right, Russell?
It is in our mind that we love, walk, exercise, pray, and worship. Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them because of the blindness of their heart, who being past feeling have given themselves over into lasciviousness to work all uncleanliness and greediness.
Darkened. Darkened is a perfect participle. It speaks of a precise process completed in past time having present results. Do you see that in the word darkened? The translation reads, being those who have been permanently blinded with respect to the mind.
They are ignorant of divine things, morally blind. Blindness. Blindness is hardness. Their lack of understanding is due to an alienated life brought on by the hardening of their heart. All people that are not his, he has blinded to the truth.
Do you believe that? Who, the meaning of this, who of such a nature, being past feeling, this is a participle in the perfect tense. The word means to cease and to feel pain or grief, to become callous, insensible to pain.
It is a moral insensibility. Their heart cannot be stimulated by conscience to work. This means to a working of all unclean greediness. The hardening of the heart is of God, but the willingness is of man.
Therefore, man's held responsible. But you have not so learned Christ, if so that since you have heard him and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus. Ye, this is singular. It means each one of us as an individual saint.
Christ, the word Christ does not stand for the doctrine of Christ, but Christ is the subject of his own message. Neither does it mean learn to know Christ. Christ must be taken as the object of the teaching that he put off concerning the former conversations, the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lust and be renewed in the spirit of your mind.
You put off the old man. Diane, what are we talking about the old man? Now, we put him off. How do we do that? All right. We're taught that you had the old man, the unsaved person dominated by a totally depraved nature, killed by Jesus on the cross.
Romans 6 and 3. Does that make sense to you? You had the old man totally killed on the cross when Christ was crucified. We were placed into him at his death, Romans tells us. Well, we do most of the time.
We have the shovel on our back. We go dig him up. Be renewed. This is present passive. Think on things that are holy and that you put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.
Wherefore, put in a way lying, speak every man true with his neighbor, for we are all members one of another. Lying. Is it ever all right to lie? In that day, even those in the church did not condemn lying.
Some of the beliefs of the day concerning lies. A lie is better than a hurtful truth. Is that true? When telling a lie will be profitable, let it be told. These are things that they believe. Yes. That's right.
He may lie who knows how to do it. Do not try it if you do not know how. There is nothing good in truth, but when it is profitable, sometimes truth is hurtful and lying profitable to men. So you can see why Paul tells them to stop lying.
Be angry and sin not. Oh my goodness. Get angry, but do not sin. How are you going to do that? Bill, how do you do that? Debbie, how are you going to do it? It depends on why it is not right. Jesse wants to say something.
That's right. Russell. If you are angry, you are not supposed to be serious. If you do that, that is a good thing. If you are angry, you are serious. If you have a high confidence, you are serious. If you are angry, you are not serious.
If you had something in your praise, then you should pray.
I am saying you should make an attempt to correct it. That's true. And sometimes you can't. So in praying, you are still making an attempt to pardon the Lord,.
To correct that. That's true, but you are praying to start with. Start praying and then go. Yes, yes. Do not go first and then resort to prayer. Pray first. Pray as you go. Under certain circumstances, it is a righteous passion to have when guarded by reason, anger is in a right affection, Scripture permits it, and on said occasions, one must be angry with sin in order to be loving in truth.
While angry, we should be sure that no element of sin is mingled with it. We must dismiss at once the irritation toward an individual. Neither give place, this is such an opportunity, this is such an as-opportunity, power, occasion in the devil.
We're going to stop here, and we'll start again next week. No, David will have it next week. So, two weeks will be what? What's two weeks from today? What? Alrighty. Let's stand and we'll be dismissed.
Bill, dismiss us please.