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- This afternoon we have, beginning in Luke 9 .49, a question.
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- First of all, how many ways are there in the world,
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- Joy? Well, if you are not going the right way, which is
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- God's way, what are you doing? So there are only two.
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- Those are secondary. You either worship God and you belong to him, or you worship the one you belong to, and that's the devil.
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- There is no in between. I know we hear the statement,
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- God's way and the flesh and the devil, well the flesh and the devil are the same.
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- And in Luke 9 .49, John poses a question. John answered and said,
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- Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name, and we forbade him because he followeth not with us.
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- David, what's the first thing in that verse that strikes you?
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- Alright, that's what was happening, but he said something in that verse,
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- Russell, what is it? What did
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- John say? Alright, but they were casting out devils.
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- That tells me right away that the man was right in casting out a devil.
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- The devil doesn't cast out his own. So the man was doing alright, and Jesus said unto him,
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- Forbid him not, for he that is not against us is for us, one way or the other.
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- There is no third way. You have no time to yourself. Yes. If you look back, they're talking about one thing, and Jesus is talking about something else.
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- That's right. They were, you hear he was not casting out devils, we ought to be in charge of them.
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- That's right. Well, John, as well as the rest of them, were thinking in earthly terms.
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- If you're not doing as I'm doing, then you're doing wrong. We still have that today.
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- And it came to pass, when the time was come that he should be received up, he steadfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem.
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- I'm captivated by the fact that he knew when he was going to be received up.
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- What does that mean, received up, David? Alright, he knew when that was.
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- Now, he steadfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem.
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- Bill, how would you set your face? What? Alright, he set his face toward Jerusalem, everything he did was toward Jerusalem, and there was no deterring him.
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- And he set his face to go to Jerusalem. Yes. Yes.
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- No. For the joy that followed the cross is why he went to the cross.
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- He steadfastly, no deterring. Set his face, no conversation except that.
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- Sent his messengers before his face, and they went and entered into a village of Samaria to make ready for him.
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- David, what's he doing going into Samaria? I thought he was going to Jerusalem. Yeah, we'd have to look at a map, but Samaria lie between him and Jerusalem.
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- So, he was going to a city in Samaria, but they did not receive him.
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- They did not receive him because his face was as though he would go to Jerusalem.
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- Again, we have his face. And when his disciples, James and John, saw this, they said,
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- Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven and consume them even as Elias did?
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- John and James, I think they would have gotten a little bit of joy out of fire falling on them.
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- You know, we're sitting here nearly 2 ,000 years after the event, and we cannot, we do not know the animosity that existed between the
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- Jews and the Samaritans. Especially on the Jews' part, they would not even drink as much as Samaritans water, let alone anything else to do with them.
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- And here, James and John want to have fire fall on them from heaven because they would not receive them.
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- So, Jesus turned and rebuked them and said, Ye know not what manner of spirits you are.
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- Now, Russell, what manner of spirits you are. What were they exhibiting?
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- Did what? They were exhibiting the spirit of death. Yes, it wasn't
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- God's spirit. For the Son of Man is not come to destroy men's lives.
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- Now, he didn't say he couldn't do that, but he didn't come for that purpose.
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- But to save them, and they went to another village. Well, John didn't understand his coming to earth.
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- Thank goodness he did by the time he got to Revelation. And it came to pass that as they went in the way, a certain man said unto him,
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- Lord, I will follow thee wherever thou goest.
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- That's a bold statement, Bill. That's a statement made out of ignorance.
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- The man might have been sincere like Peter, but he didn't know what he was talking about.
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- And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, birds of the air have nests, but the
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- Son of Man hath not where to lay his head. And he said unto another,
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- Follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father.
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- Now, there's nothing wrong with him burying his father. It sounds as though his father was dead, just laying and waiting on him to come bury him.
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- I'm sure that's not what it meant. He was saying, I must first take care of my father.
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- He's old, he's crippled, and when he's dead, then
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- I'll come follow you. David, do we hear that excuse today?
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- Well, when there's a conflict between human affection and Jesus, what should you do,
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- Russell? Yes.
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- Now, the two may not always conflict, but if they do, you must follow
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- Jesus. Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead, but go thou and preach the kingdom of God.
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- Bill, what did he mean, let the dead bury their dead? That's right.
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- And another also said, Lord, I will follow thee, but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at my home.
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- I want to go and have a big party, and then I'll come follow you. Excuses, excuses.
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- Jesus said to him, No man, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.
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- No man putting his hand to the plow. What did he mean, David? No man had thought of that.
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- I have told you before, but I'll tell you again as though I haven't told you before.
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- And if I have told you before, act like I haven't. When I was a kid at home, we always had a big garden during the
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- Depression. And Dad had a little one -wheeled implement that you could work in the garden.
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- And you could put a shoe on it that would turn the dirt one way. And I had to plow a furrow to plant the potatoes or onions or something in.
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- And it was about a quarter of a block to the other end. And I would pick out something at the other end.
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- And I would plow, keeping my eye on that. But every time
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- I stopped to look back, even if I never touched the plow,
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- I just stopped and it stayed there. And I looked back to see if I was plowing a straight row to get him to brag on me.
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- Then I would start up again. Every time there was a wiggle in it.
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- I could not prevent a wiggle in the path. And I always think of that when
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- I read this. Every man putting his hand to the plow, you cannot look back.
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- The cost of discipleship is high. It demands all that we have to offer.
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- Turn to Philippians 3 .13. The one that gets there first read it.
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- 3 .13 and 14.
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- Brethren, I count not myself to apprehended. What's that mean,
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- Brother Russell? That's right.
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- But this one thing that I do. Forgetting those things which are behind.
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- Don't turn around. Look down the road to see if you're going right.
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- You keep your eye on the goal at the far end. And you go to that.
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- Never mind behind you. Anything from anybody.
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- That's exactly right. We waste so much time going back.
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- I've got him almost persuaded now. If I can just get him over the line. Boy, that doesn't work.
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- Yes, it is. That's not all.
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- Well, he stopped on the cross. Well, we will go.
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- We will go. And I hope it's because we want to. Where God wants us to go.
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- We'll say what we are supposed to say. And go on.
