Southern Christian University
Matthew, Mark,
Luke, & John
Class Session
14
James A.
Turner
We will begin with John chapter fourteen and verse
twenty‑one. Please remember that
these chapters thirteen through sixteen consist of the long discourse that
Jesus gave his apostles after he had kept that last supper with them. And then chapter seventeen is a long prayer
that he prayed after he had given them this long discourse. So please turn to John 14:21. "He that hath my
commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me:
And he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and
will manifest myself unto him. Judas
saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, what is come to pass that thou wilt
manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world? And Jesus answered and said unto him, If a
man love me, he will keep my words: And my Father will love him, and we will come
unto him, and make our abode with him." So
any person that keeps God's word, Jesus said, I and my Father will come unto
him and make our abode with him. "He
that loveth me keepeth not my words: And the words which ye hear is not mine, but
the Father's who sent me. These things
have I spoken unto you, while yet abiding with you."
Now, here is a very significant reference, and I
hope you will highlight it in your Bible.
John 14:26, "But the Comforter, even the Holy Spirit,
whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and
bring to your remembrance, all that I said unto you." Now, Jesus had not taught them all
things. But notice that the Holy Spirit
would teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said
unto you. Well, that would surely be a
lot to bring to their remembrance what the Lord had already spoken to them, but
the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Godhead, was going to do more than that. It was going to teach them all things. In other words, the Holy Spirit would guide
the apostles and those who they had laid their hands on and gave a gift of
prophecy, it was going to guide them into all truth. "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give
you: Not as the world giveth, give I unto
you. Let not your heart be troubled,
neither be fearful. Ye heard how I said
unto you, I go away, and I will come unto you.
If ye loved me, ye would have rejoiced, because I go unto the Father: For the Father is greater than I. And now I told you before it come to pass,
that, when it is come to pass, ye may believe."
And the apostles did not completely understand what Jesus told them
about his being put to death on the cross until after it had taken place and
after his resurrection from the dead. "I
will no more speak much with you: For the prince of this world cometh, and he
hath nothing in me. But that the world
may know that I love the Father; and as the Father gave me commandment, even so
I do. Arise, and let us go hence."
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter fifteen is his instruction about the true
vine. I am the vine and ye are the branches. Now, some have tried to use this passage to
get out of it branch/churches. But note
that a church is not mentioned in any way, and Jesus is talking to his twelve
apostles on this occasion. And, of
course, this passage is speaking to us today, and the emphasis is on the
individual that abides in Christ. "I
am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman."
Just like the husbandman prunes and keeps the vineyard free of briars,
grass, and all hindering plants from it being a good vineyard, God fits in that
category. And Jesus is the true vine in
his Father's vineyard. "I
am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman." And, of course, as we have studied from
Matthew 20:1-15, the church is the vineyard that Christians are to work in. "Every
branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: And every branch that beareth fruit,
he cleanseth it, that it may bear more fruit. Already ye are clean because of the word
which I have spoken unto you. Abide in
me, and I in you. As the branch
cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; so neither can
ye, except ye abide in me. I am the
vine, ye are the branches. He that
abideth in me, and I in him, the same beareth much fruit." Now, notice that statement, he that abideth
in me and I in him. Jesus is not speaking
of churches but individuals. "He
that abideth in me, and I in him, the same beareth much fruit:
For apart from me ye can do nothing. If
a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered, and
they gather them and cast them into fire, and they are burned. If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you,
ask whatsoever ye will, and it shall be done unto you. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye
bear much fruit; and so shall ye be my disciples."
Verse eight there ought to speak to each one of us
as Christians that just as surely as we abide in Christ in the vine, then we
can bear much fruit for the Lord. By abiding
in Christ and bearing fruit, then we glorify our heavenly Father. "Herein is my
Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit, and so shall ye be my
disciples. Even as the Father hath loved
me, I also have loved you: Abide ye in my love. If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide
in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his
love." So much emphasis is on abiding in Christ and
keeping his commandments. And just as surely as we keep his
commandments, we abide in him and we glorify God by bearing much fruit in the
name of Christ. "These
things have I spoken unto you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may
be made full." God and Christ want us to be a happy
people. Paul said, rejoice
in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice. Jesus is
speaking to his twelve apostles in that last discourse, and he says I have spoken these things that my joy may be in
you, and that your joy may be made full.
John 15:12, "This
is my commandment, That ye love one another, even as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a
man lay down his life for his friends.
Ye are my friends, if ye do the things which I command you. No longer do I call you servants; for the
servant knoweth not what his Lord doeth: But I have called you friends; for all
things that I have heard from my Father
I have made known unto you. Ye did not
choose me, but I chose you, and appointed you, that ye should go and
bear fruit, and that your fruit should abide: That whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in
my name, he may give it you. These
things I command, that ye may love one another.
If the world hated you, ye know that it hated
me before it hated you.
If ye were of the world, the world would love its own: But because ye are not of the world,
but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you." And that still holds true today, that the
world as a whole is ready to hate a lot of those that are faithful Christians. "Remember the word
that I said unto you, a servant is not greater than his Lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also
persecute you; if they kept my words, they will keep yours also." So Jesus is saying people are going to
receive you just like they received me.
Those that persecuted me, those kind of people will persecute you. And those kind of people that receive my
word, they will receive your word.
John 15:21, "But
all these things will they do unto you for my name's sake, because they know
not him that sent me. If I had not come
and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: But now they have no excuse for their
sin. He that hateth me hateth my Father
also. If I had not done among them the
works which none other did, they had not had sin: But now have they both seen and hated both me
and my Father." You remember going back to chapter eight, how
that he emphasized those facts, if you don't believe me because of my word,
believe me for my works' sake. No man
had done all the works that Jesus did during his personal ministry. His works had testified and confirmed that
the heavenly Father had sent him. "But
this cometh to pass, that the word may be fulfilled that is written in their
law, They hated me without a cause. But
when the Comforter." The Comforter is used
interchangeably back in verse twenty‑six with the Holy Spirit, and so we
can read Comforter or the Holy Spirit. "Whom
I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth." It is used interchangeably in this
verse too. "Which
proceedeth from the Father, he shall bear witness of me: And ye also bear witness, because ye have
been with me from the beginning.
Chapter Sixteen
These things have I
spoken unto you, that ye should not be caused to stumble." Now, notice Jesus is warning them that they
are going to be put out of the Jewish synagogues and that the hour would come
when those who killed the apostles would think that they were offering
service unto God. It is hard to
imagine such a thing, but evidently it came to pass. And the apostles according to tradition, I
believe all of them were put to death, maybe with the exception of the apostle
John. "They
shall put you out of the synagogues: Yea, the hour cometh, that whosoever killeth
ye shall think that he already offering service unto God. And these things will they do, because they
have not known the Father, nor me. But
these things have I spoken unto you, that when their hour is come." Now, what would be the meaning of that
statement? When their hour is come? When their hour is come to kill them, I
believe would be the meaning of it. Do
you remember how Jesus spoke on so many different occasions, my hour has not
come. His hour had not come, and he was
talking about his death upon the cross.
And so verse four must mean that for the apostles. "But these things have I
spoken unto you, that when their hour is come." When they are ready to put you to death. "Ye may remember how
that I told you." And so Jesus is telling the
apostles, I am telling you these things so that you won't be cause to
stumble. So that you will be armed as Peter
speaks of it in I Peter chapter four when he says, For
as much as Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same mind. And so here Jesus is giving specific
instruction that the day is coming when they will kill you, and those that will
kill you will think that they are offering service unto God. "And these things
I said not unto you from the beginning, because I was with you. But now I go unto him that sent me. And none of you asketh me, Whither goest
thou? But because I have spoken these
things unto you sorrow hath filled your hearts.
Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go
away: For if I go not away, the Comforter
will not come unto you; but if I go, I will send him unto you. And he." Now
notice what the Comforter or the Holy Spirit is going to do. Jesus says it is expedient that I go
away. If I do not go away, the Comforter
or the Holy Spirit will not come. But if
I go away, he will come. And here is
what he will do, beginning with verse eight.
John 16:8, "And
when he is come, will convict the world in respect of sin, and of
righteousness, and of judgment: Of sin, because they believe not on me; of
righteousness, because I go to the Father, and ye behold me no more; of
judgment, because the prince of this world hath been judged." Well, Jesus has not yet suffered upon the
cross, but he is going to enter into the strong man's house when he is put in
the grave. But on that third day, he is
going to be raised victorious over death in the grave. And that is what he is talking about. The prince of the world, this world hath been
judged. And do you remember going back
to John 12:31, "Now
is the judgment of this world:
now shall the prince of this world be cast out.
And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto
myself." John 16:12, "I
have yet many things to say unto you, ye cannot bear them now." I guess all of us have been in such a
situation that we reasoned that this is all my little mind can take, that we
could not bear to hear and bear to understand or to profit by it anymore. And that was true here of the apostles, that
Jesus had taught them many things, but there is still much that they needed to
be taught. But the Lord is not going to
open their minds and pour it in. It will
have to come to you through the medium
of the Holy Spirit at later days. "Howbeit
when he." Now, you need to highlight at least verse
thirteen. "Howbeit
when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he shall guide you into all the truth: For he shall not speak from himself; but
whatsoever things he shall hear, these shall he speak: And he shall declare unto you the things that
are to come." And you would do well to put verse fourteen
with that. "He
shall glorify me: For he shall take of mine, and declare it
unto you." Some people still think that if
they have a read letter New Testament with the words of Jesus set apart in red
that they can profit more from the reading of that, because they think that is
more authoritative than the other instruction, and when they get to a passage
like I Corinthians chapter seven where Paul speaks of what the Lord gave and
then what he is giving, some are ready to discount there what Paul has to
say. But remember that what any of the
apostles said, according to this reading, it is just as authoritative as
anything that Jesus gave during his personal ministry. Let us read it again, verses thirteen and
fourteen. "Howbeit
when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he shall guide you into all the truth."
Now, remember that all the truth did not come at
once. Those apostles would not have
known what to do with it if it had. But
as problems developed among the brethren in those churches, then epistles went
forth from the apostles, giving them instruction whereby they could solve those
problems in the church. And when
churches today have like problems, all we have to do is turn to those epistles
where like problems are discussed, and we can find how we are to solve those
problems of today. "So
when the Spirit of truth is come, he shall guide you into all truth." Of course, that means the giving of the New
Testament. "For
he shall not speak from himself; but what things soever he shall hear, these
shall he speak: And he shall declare unto you the things that
are to come. He shall glorify me: For he shall take of mine, and shall
declare it unto you." What the Holy Spirit
gave the apostles, that is the word of Christ just like all that Jesus taught
during his personal ministry. "All
things whatsoever the Father hath are mine:
Therefore said I, that he taketh of mine, and shall declare it unto you. A little while, and ye behold me no more: And again, a little while, and ye shall
see me. Some of his disciples
therefore said one to another, What is this that he saith unto us, A little
while, and ye behold me not: And again, a little while, and ye shall see
me: Because I go to the Father?" You see the apostles do not begin to have
full understanding of what Jesus was talking about. "They said
therefore, What is this that he saith, A little while? We know not what he saith. Jesus perceived that they were desirous to
ask him, and he said unto them, do ye inquire among yourselves concerning this
that I said, A little while, and ye behold me not: And again, a little while, and ye shall see
me? Verily, verily, I say unto you, That
ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice." Now, notice that statement, when they put
Christ to death, the world would rejoice.
"But the world shall rejoice. Ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall
be turned into joy." And, of course, turned into joy
by his resurrection from the dead. "A
woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come: But when she is delivered of the child,
she remembereth no more the anguish for the joy that a man is born into the
world." Jesus is surely good at using examples. The woman forgets about that part of delivery
when that child is born and rejoices that a man or that a woman has been born
into the world.
John 16:22, "And
ye therefore now have sorrow: But I will see you again, and your heart
shall rejoice, and your joy no one taketh away from you. And in that day ye shall ask me no
questions. Verily, verily, I say unto
you, If ye shall ask anything of the Father he will give it you in my
name." So that is one of the rules that we are to
follow in praying to God, we are to ask for things in the name of Christ. Our prayers are to be directed unto our
heavenly Father, but they are to be given in the name of Christ. . "Hitherto
have ye asked nothing in my name: Ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may
be made full. These things have I spoken
unto you in dark sayings: The hour cometh when I shall no more speak
unto you in dark sayings, but shall tell you plainly of the Father. In that day ye shall ask in my name: And I say not unto you, that I will pray the
Father for you: For the Father himself loveth you, because ye
have loved me, and have believed that I came forth from the Father. I came out from the Father, and am come unto
the world: Again, I leave the world and go unto the
Father. His disciples say, Lo, now
speakest thou plainly, and speakest no dark sayings. Now know ye that thou knowest all things, and
needest not that any man should ask thee: By this we believe that thou camest forth
from God. Jesus answered them, Do ye now
believe? Behold, the hour cometh, yea,
is come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave me
alone." And remember that he told them that just
after he had instituted the Lord's Supper, it is written smite the
shepherd and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered. And so here, again, in this long discourse, he
reminds his apostles that they are going to turn away from him. "So behold the
hour cometh, yea, is come, that ye shall be scattered." And that was true of all of them. "Every man to his own,
and shall leave me alone: And yet I am not alone, because the Father
is with me. These things have I
spoken unto you, that in me ye may have peace.
In the world ye have tribulation: But be of good cheer; I have overcome the
world." I hope that you remember that Jesus said that to
his apostles on several occasions, it is I, be of good
cheer. And here in this last discourse, he ends it
with this statement. In this world, you
have tribulation. You are going to have
trouble as long as you are in this world.
"But be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter seventeen, all of it consists of the prayer
that Jesus prayed just shortly before he was betrayed by Judas Iscariot. Think how that people still refer to the
occasion when Jesus was teaching his apostles how to pray and giving them a
model prayer. Many still speak of it as
the Lord's prayer. Well, the Lord prayed
often and he did not have just one prayer, and if we were going to refer to
just one as his prayer John seventeen would be a good one, wouldn't it? "These things
spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, he said, Father, the hour is
come; glorify thy Son, that the Son may glorify thee." And so Jesus first prays in behalf of
himself. Then he prays in behalf of his
apostles, and then thirdly he prays in behalf of those who would believe on him
through the teaching and preaching of the gospel. So he asked the Father to give him the same
glory that he had before he came to earth. "Lifting up his
eyes to heaven he said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son." The hour is come for him to die. "And glorify thy
Son, that thy Son may glorify thee:
Even as thou gavest him authority over all flesh, and to all whom thou hast
given him, he should give eternal life." And so
let us keep in mind that God wants every child of God to receive eternal life
at the end of the way, that absolutely there is conditional security in Christ.
Remember we read from John 6:37, he
that cometh to me, I shall in no wise cast out. And
he stated there that it was his heavenly Father's will that he would not lose a
single one. "And
this is life eternal that they should know thee, the only true God, and him
whom thou did sent, even me to do. And
now, Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had
with thee before the world was." And this
reminds me of the words of Paul in II Corinthians chapter eight when he says
that you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, how
that he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty
might become rich. So Paul was reminding them about how Christ
left the riches and the glories of heaven and came to earth, that we through
him might become rich, and that being rich has reference to our obeying Christ
and being citizens of that heavenly kingdom.
A person just cannot be any richer than to be a child of the King. Remember that good song entitled, The Child
Of The King. And in the eighth
chapter of the book of Romans, he says that, his Spirit bears
witness with our spirit that we are the children of God, and if children, then
heirs of God and joint‑heirs with Christ. So
a person cannot be any richer than just to be a faithful child of God.
John 17:6, "I manifested thy
name unto men whom thou gavest me out of the world: Thine they are, and thou gavest them to me;
and they have kept thy word. Now they
know that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are from thee. For the words which thou gavest me; I have
given unto them and they received them and they knew of the truth that I came
forth from thee, and they believed that thou didst send me. I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for those whom
thou hast given me; for they are thine and all things that are mine are thine,
and thine are mine; and I am glorified
in them. And I am no more in the world,
and these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep them in thine name,
which thou hast given me, that they maybe one, even as we are While I
was with them, I kept them in thy name: Which thou hast given me, and I guarded them,
and not one of them perished, but the be fulfilled. But now I come to thee; and these things I
speak in the world, that they may have my joy made full in themselves." So the Lord wants his joy to be made full in
us today. "I have
given them thy word; and the world hated them, because they are not of the
world, even as I am not of the world."
It looks like that some of our churches in recent
years are trying to do some to appeal to worldly minded people. We need to
remember that Jesus said, that the world hates the true disciples of the Lord,
because they are not of the world, and we are not to be out trying to please
the world. Our primary goal is to please
the Lord. This does not mean that we are
to try to make enemies. When Jesus sent forth the apostles under the limited
commission he said, Behold I sand you forth as sheep in the
midst of wolves; be ye therefore wise as serpents; but harmless as doves. We are in the world, and
the Lord wants us to stay in the world. Ten
righteous people in Sodom and Gomorrah, would have saved those
cities and the area around them from destruction. "I
pray not that thou shouldest take them from the world, but thou shouldest keep
them from the evil one." And, of course, that is
the old devil Satan. "So
I pray not that thou shouldest take them from the world." Sometimes there are brethren who reason If
we could just move over here to ourselves and get away from the world, then we
could really be the kind of people that God
wants us to be. No, that is not
the case. The Lord says they are in the
world, and I do not want them taken out of the world, but I just want you to
keep them from the devil. I do not want
to lose any of them, keep them from the evil one. "They are not of
the world, even as I am not of the world.
Sanctify them in the truth, thy word is truth." And in order for us to stay holy and
sanctified before the Lord, we need to be reading and finding out what God's
truth is and then walking in the way of the truth. And thus we are set apart and sanctified by
his truth. Brethren who are suffering
from spiritual malnutrition have much more trouble in keeping themselves from
the devil consistent and sincere Bible study and prayer will aid in that sanctifying
process. "Sanctify them in the truth, thy word is
truth. As thou didst send me into the
world, even so I have sent them into the world.
And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they themselves also may be
sanctified in truth."
John 17:20, Now, notice that he
prays for those who would believe on him through the teaching of the
apostles. "Neither
for these only do I pray, but for them also that believe on me through their
word." That includes all of the New Testament, what
the Lord gave during his personal ministry and then what they gave in the rest
of the New Testament. "That
they may all be one; even as thou Father, art in me, and I in thee, that
they also may be one in us. That the
world may believe that thou didst send me." Jesus knew that one of the largest deterrents to the
progress of the gospel would be by division among those who claim to be his
followers. Jesus is praying for those
who would believe on him through the teaching of the word by the apostles.
Jesus prayed for unity on the part of believers. Would it not be wonderful if people could get
away from denominational doctrine and denominational names and just be members
of the church that we read about in the Bible?
We do not read of a single denominational church in the word of
God, and Jesus told Peter, upon
this rock, I will build my church, and
the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. The
Lord has not built all these denominational churches that we have in our land
and that are in other lands. I wish and
pray that all could come to that understanding and sincerely turn away from denominationalism
and just try to become members of the Lord's church and do as the Lord has
instructed us to do. Think how powerful that would be. Instead of one religious group, you might
say, warring against another religious group, all would be united in teaching
the same doctrine, and worshiping God in the same way according to the instruction
that he has given. That would surely be
a powerful message to all sincere people. One of the worst
sources of unbelief and a real deterrent to true Christianity unity is that
spirit of Join a church of your choice, and there are Christians in all
denominations. In
Ephesians 4:1-7 Paul exhorted the brethren to give diligence to keep the
unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace, and then he lists those unities: There
is one body
and the church is the spiritual body of Christ (Ephesians 1:22-23; Colossians 1:18; I Corinthians 12:13) and
one Spirit even as also ye were called in one hope of your
calling one Lord, one Faith, one baptism, one God and
Father of all, who is over all and through all, and in all. Would it not be over all as
logical, but wrong to affirm that there are many Holy Spirits, and many Christs
and many Gods and heavenly Fathers as it is to affirm that Jesus has built many
churches with different names and different doctrines?
The nearest thing to denominationalism in all of the
New Testament is recorded in chapter one of I Corinthians. The brethren were
divided into groups or parties. The individuals in one party were saying :I am of Paul and those of
another I of Apollos and those of another and I of Cepas and Paul shamed
them for their divisive party spirit. They were divided in their preferences to
those who had taught them. Paul admonished them through
the name (authority)
of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing
and that there be no divisions among you; but that you be perfected
together in the same mind and in the same judgment. (I Corinthians 1:10).
He also asked, Is
Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you, or were you baptized into the names
of Paul (1:13)?
Verse seventeen of this passage has been used to try
to prove that baptism is not essential to salvation. The first part of the
verse reads, For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach
the gospel:
and then they
make their various quibbles as though Paul was not interested in baptizing
believers, and in the process of their quibbling they have Paul contradicting
himself in Galatians 3:26-27 and Romans 6:3-7, 6:17-18, and also in this
passage. In verse fourteen he states that He was glad
that he did not baptize many of the Corinthians, but he tells why, in verse fifteen, lest any man should
say that ye were baptized into my name . He is rebuking them again.
Instead of this being a passage as some want to make
it a passage to discount the importance of baptism, it is to the contrary, that
teaches that one does not have the right to wear the name of Christ unless
he/she has been baptized into Christ. In verse thirteen he reasons that you do
not have the right to wear my name because I was not crucified for you and you
were not baptizes into my name which shows that in order for any person to have
the right to wear the name of Christ that two things are essential, Christ must
be crucified for you, and you must be baptized in the name of Christ. Notice
the reading, Is Christ divided? (no) was
Paul crucified for you? (no) or were ye baptized into the name of Paul?
(no)
Do you see how Paul is condemning their wanting to
call themselves after Paul and the other preachers, but his questions are also
saying, Christ was crucified for you, and you were baptized into the name of
Christ. Do you see the harmony of this passage with Pauls teaching in
Galatians 3:26 and Romans 6:3-7, 6:17-18? When scriptures are
correctly interpreted they are always in harmony with all other references. In
I Corinthians 14:33 Paul affirms that, God
is not a God of confusion but of peace. If this passage is contrary to, as some want to make
it, Mark 16:16, Acts 2:38, 8:36-40, 9:18, 10:47-48, 16:30-34, 18:8, 22:16; Romans 6:3-7, 6:17-18; Galatians 3:26-27; I Peter 3:21 then God is absolutely a
God of confusion, but Paul affirms that, God is not a God of
confusion. Who
are you going to believe, the plain teaching of the Bible or what some preacher
tells you that is contrary to the plain teaching of the word of God? This is a
serious question that each person needs to give a sincere answer to! We need to
keep in mind Romans 3:4 which reads, God
forbid:
yes, let God be found true, but every man a liar ; as
it is written, that thou mightest be justified in thy works, and mightest
prevail when thou comest into judgment.
The meaning is that any person who teaches contrary
to what God has said is lying. Some fit in the categry of being liars because
they have not studied enough, but they are still responsible for wrong
teaching. Others are willful false teachers who are in an accursed condition
(Galatians 1:6-9; II Corinthians 11:13-15). We can stop some false
teaching on the part of those who are sincere, but wrong in their
teaching, that what they are teaching is
contrary to other scriptures. Willful false teachers need to be branded as false
teachers (Romans 3:4, 16:17-19; Galatians 1:6-9,2:4-5, 3:1, 5:8-9)
"And the glory
which thou hast given me I have given unto them; that they may be one, even
as we are one: I in them, and thou in
me, that they may be perfected into one; that the world may know that
thou hast sent me, and lovest them, as thou lovest me. Father, I desire that they also, whom thou
hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou
hast given me." Now, notice the Lord Jesus wants his
disciples to be with him, where I am. Very
soo after his death and resurrection Jesus
ascend back to his Father, and he wants them to be in heaven with
him.
John 17:24, "Father,
I desire that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that
they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: For thou lovest me before the foundation of
the world. O righteous Father, the world
knew thee not: But I knew thee, and these knew that thou did
sent me. And I made known unto them thy
name, and will make it known."
He will
make it known through his word given to the apostles by the Holy Spirit (John
14:26, 16:7-14; I Corinthians 2:10-13; II Corinthians 3:4-6). "That the love wherewith
thou lovest me may be in them, and I in them." And I
believe we have already read the rest of the gospel of John.
So we are now ready to turn to the book of Luke and
read some of the parables that are peculiar to Luke's gospel. If I remember correctly we have already read
and discussed the parables in Matthew. First let us read that little short
parable that Jesus gave Simon the Pharisee from seven beginning with verse thirty‑six. One of the Pharisees desired Jesus to eat
with him. When Jesus sat down to eat a
sinful woman came in, and standing behind him, her tears fell on his feet and
she began to wet his feet with her tears and wipe them with the hair of her
head and anointed his feet with anointment.
Luke 7:39, "Now when the Pharisee that had bidden him
saw it, he spake within himself, saying, This man, if he were a prophet, would
have perceived who and what manner of woman this is that toucheth him. That she is a sinner." So he is reasoning why we are not supposed to
have anything to do with sinners. If he
is a prophet like people are claiming that he is, he would not have anything to
do with her. And there are still some
that have that holier than thou attitude and reason I am not going to have anything
to do with that sinner. But that is
absolutely the wrong spirit, and Jesus received the publicans and the sinners. "And Jesus answered and
said unto him, Simon." Now this is not the supper that
was served at Simon's house for Jesus during the last week of his
ministry. He was spoken of as Simon the
leper.
Luke 7:40, "And
Jesus answering, said unto him, Simon, I have somewhat to say to thee. And he said, Teacher, say on. And Jesus said a certain lender had two
debtors: The one owed him five hundred shillings, and
the other fifty." According to this short
parable, the sinful woman is represented by the five hundred shillings and
Simon the Pharisee is represented by the fifty shillings. So the woman, according to the reading, has
been ten times more sinful than Simon.
But notice that neither one of them could pay their debt, and the burden
of sin is an unpayable debt. Salvation
is a gift of God. Romans 6:23, the wages of sin is death. But the free gift of
God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord.
"When they had not wherewith to pay, he forgave them both." "Which of them therefore
will love him most?
And Simon answered and
said, he I suppose, to whom he forgave the most. And he said unto him, Thou
hast rightly judged.
And turning to the woman, he said unto Simon, seest thou this
woman? I entered into thine house, thou
gavest me no water for my feet." Well, it was common courtesy
of that day that the host was to supply water and further it was in order for
them to wash the feet of those coming to his house. But Simon had not even giving them any water
to wash his feet. He not even showed common courtesy to Jesus. "But she hath wetteth my
feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. Thou gavest me no kiss: But she since the time I came in hath not
ceased to kiss my feet." So Simon had not even
been a good friendly host. He had not
greeted him according to the greeting custom of the day. "My head with oil thou
didst not anoint: But she hath anointed my feet with
ointment. Wherewith I say unto thee, Her
sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much:
But to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little. And he said unto her, Thy sins are
forgiven. And they that sat at meat with
him began to say within themselves, Who is this that forgiveth sins also? And he said to the woman, Thy faith hath
saved thee; go in peace." (A brief was recess taken.) We are ready to begin.
What lesson should we learn from this short parable
that Jesus gave to Simon the Pharisee?
When Simon answered that the one that had been forgiven the most would
appreciate it more, Jesus said you have rightly judged. And then he went ahead to show how this woman
had been so sorry for her sins, but Simon had not even shown Jesus common
courtesy. What lesson are we to get from
it? I believe the lesson is this, that
those who never did become or go the way of, say, strong drink or drugs or any
kind of criminal activity and no sexual immorality are inclined, to have this spirit that this Pharisee Simon
had. After all, why my debt is not very
big. The lesson that we need to learn
is, as Jesus taught in that short parable in Luke seventeen, after we have done
all that is bidden us to do, we are still unprofitable servants. And as given in the reading, sin is an
unpayable debt that Simon like the woman had to be forgiven of. All of us need to keep in mind Romans 3:23, For
all haved sinned and come short of the glory of God, and keep before us that we
are to be humble before God and not have any proud holier than thou attitudes
and that sin is an unpayable debt. If you have your sheet on the parables, you
might want to turn to that second sheet where we have listed the parables in
the gospel of Luke. And remember that
when you want to study the parables, you need to turn especially to Matthew and
Luke's gospels. Mark records only a very
few that are peculiar to his book. And
some would say there is not a parable in the gospel of John, but some would
count John ten and John fifteen that we have read as parables.
Let us turn next to the parable of the good
Samaritan as recorded in Luke ten, beginning with verse twenty‑five. And remember this parable was given in
response to the lawyer's question as to who is my neighbor? He wanted to justify himself by asking that
question. And notice that Jesus turned
things around to the question who is a good neighbor, as given in verse thirty‑six. "And behold, a certain
lawyer stood up and made trial of him saying." And a lawyer of that day was one that had been
copying the law and was supposed to know the law of God well. So it is one of them that makes trial of
Jesus. He is not asking wanting to
learn, but he is trying to justify himself.
"Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal
life? And he said unto him, what is
written in the law, how readest thou?
And he answered and said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy
heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind;
and thy neighbor as thyself." Notice now
that this lawyer does have a lot of good understanding. He knew as Jesus had taught that those are
the two most important commandments, as Jesus said, the whole law and the
prophets hang on these two. "And
he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: This do, and thou shalt live." You will stay in a saved condition if you
abide by these two major commandments.
"But he desiring to justify himself, said
unto Jesus, And who is my neighbor?" In substance he is saying I do not know how
to obey this commandment, because I do not know who my neighbor is.
And Jesus turns it around to what are the characteristics of a good neighbor. "Jesus made answer and
said, A certain man was going down from Jerusalem
to Jericho,
and he fell among robbers." I have read that there
were robbers in that area and they would be ready to harm those who went
through the area. "And
he fell among robbers, who both stripped him, and beat him, and departed,
leaving him half dead." So they robbed him, and in the
process of robbing him, they beat him, and they departed, as Jesus said,
leaving him half dead. "And
by chance a priest was going down that way: And when he saw him, he passed by on the
other side." I guess that priest reasoned, why I don't
have any time to bother with that man, and he passed by on the other side. "And in like
manner a Levite, also when he came to the place, and saw him, passed by on the
other side." Neither the priest or the Levite wanted to
get near the suffering man. And sometimes Christian people can reason that they
are just so busy and do not have time to help those who are in tragic
circumstances. "But
a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: And when he saw him, he was moved
compassion." Now, the Jews hated the Samaritans. Some of the Samarians may have ended up being
somewhat of a mixed breed. They had built
a rival temple, and there was a lot of hatred on the part of the Jews toward
the Samaritans and Samaritans toward the Jews.
But this Samaritan has compassion
for all human beings. "And
as he journeyed, he came where he was: And when he saw him, he was moved with
compassion. And came to him, and bound
up his wounds, pouring on them oil and wine." Those were two of the major home remedies of
that day. "And
set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him." So he stayed with him that day. "And on the morrow
he took two shillings, and gave them to the host, and said, Take care of him,
and whatsoever thou spendest more, I when I come back again, I will
repay thee. Which of those three, thinkest
thou, proved neighbor unto him that fell among robbers?" Do you see how wisely Jesus just turns that
around. And if you want to know what the
command means, you just learn to be a good neighbor. "And he has him to
answer the question, Which of these thinkest thou prove
neighbor unto him that fell among the robbers?
And he said, He that showed mercy on him. Then Jesus said unto him, Go, and do thou
likewise."
And so it is a wonderful short parable that we
are to be good neighbors to all that are in need of our help. And in this day in time, of course, we know
that we need to be careful. But there
are times when it might be better if we even endanger ourselves a little when
we think that somebody is really in trouble and needs our help. Surely it would be a shame if we should do
like the priest and the Levite and pass by on the other side when a person
really needs our help. And we are to be
a compassionate people as this good Samaritan was here.
Next let us turn to Luke chapter eleven about the
short parable about the friend at midnight. Jesus gave this short parable, because one of
his disciples had asked him to teach us to pray. We begin reading with 11:1, "And
it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, that when he
ceased one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, even
as John also taught his disciples. And
he said unto them." And here Jesus, again, is
giving a model prayer. "When
ye pray, say, Father, Hallowed be thy name, Thy kingdom come. Give us day by day our daily bread. And forgive us of our sins; for
we ourselves also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And bring us not into temptation.
And he said unto them, Which of you have a
friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me
three loaves; for a friend of mine is come to me from a journey, and I have
nothing to set before him? And he from
within shall answer and say, Trouble me not: The door is now shut, and my children are
with me in the bed; I cannot rise and give thee." So at first the man is not ready to rise up
and give him any bread. The door is
shut, and we have gone to bed for the night, and my children are with me in the
bed. A lot of the families of that day,
lay down in their outer garment that they wore, on the floor, and with some the
floor was the ground. And you can
imagine a man getting up, why if I get up I will step on my children. "I cannot rise and give
thee. I say unto you, Though he will not
rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity
he will rise and give him as many as he needeth." He sees the emergency of the situation that
the man is in, and so he does rise up and give him what he needs so that he
will have food for those that have come to his house. They are on a journey and they have come to
his house, and he doesn't have anything to feed them.
What is the primary lesson from this short
parable? The primary lesson is that we
are to be persistent in asking for the things that we believe that we need as
shown by the following verses. Verse
nine, "I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you;
seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you." You see the idea of becoming more persistent
and more persistent, ask, seek and knock.
"For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh
findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. And which of you that is a father, shall his
son ask a loaf, and will he give him a stone?
Or a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent? Or if he shall ask for an egg, will give him
a scorpion? If ye then, being evil, know
how to give good gifts unto your children: Now how much more shall your heavenly Father
give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?" And
so Jesus is telling us, be persistent in your prayers. The Lord is a gracious giver, but he wants you
to be persistent.
And while we are reading this one, let us turn to
Luke eighteen where we have another similar parable that teaches essentially
the same way. Luke eighteen, beginning
with verse one. "And
he spake a parable unto them to the end, that they ought always to pray, and not
to faint." In other words, again, to be
persistent and do not give up. Call upon
the Lord to do what you think he needs to do for you. "Saying, There was
in a city a judge, who feared not God, and regarded not man: And there was a widow
in that city; and she came often to him, saying, Avenge me of my
adversary." And you see, she did not give
up. She continued to go to that unjust
judge and say you are supposed to avenge me of my adversary. "And he went not for
a while: But afterward he said within himself, Though
I fear not God, nor regard man; yet because this widow troubleth me, I will
avenge her, lest she wear me out by her conditional coming." And sometimes that may be the way to collect a
debt is by that conditional coming.
"And the Lord said, Hear what the unrighteous
judge saith. And shall not God avenge
his elect, that cry to him day and night." And
so, again, pray to the Lord frequently, and be persistent in your prayers. "Cry to him day and night,
and yet he is longsuffering. Over them,
I say unto you, that he will avenge them speedily."
Now, God is not like that wicked judge that will just avenge her because
he did not want continual coming. God
will speedily avenge his children, but he does want us to pray and not to faint
or give up. He wants us to pray day and
night as stated here. "I
say unto you, that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh,
shall he find faith on the earth?" So
when Christ comes in that second advent, will he find faith on the earth? Will he find men calling upon him in that
sincere manner that he is instructed us to do?
Let us turn back now to chapter twelve, to the
parable concerning the rich farmer. Luke
chapter twelve, beginning with verse thirteen, a man wanted Jesus to divide the
inheritance. "One
out of the multitude, said unto him, Teacher, bid my brother, divide the
inheritance with me." He must have been a
younger brother. The oldest brother,
according to the law, got a larger portion of the inheritance. It maybe that it was not time to divide the
inheritance or maybe it was time, and the elder brother had not divided it. "Teacher