Book of Luke - Ch. 9, Vs. 49-62 (08/03/2003)

This afternoon we have, beginning in Luke 9 .49, a question.

First of all, how many ways are there in the world,

Joy? Well, if you are not going the right way, which is

God's way, what are you doing? So there are only two.

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.

There is no in between. I know we hear the statement,

God's way and the flesh and the devil, well the flesh and the devil are the same.

And in Luke 9 .49, John poses a question. John answered and said,

Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name, and we forbade him because he followeth not with us.

David, what's the first thing in that verse that strikes you?

Alright, that's what was happening, but he said something in that verse,

Russell, what is it? What did

John say? Alright, but they were casting out devils.

That tells me right away that the man was right in casting out a devil.

The devil doesn't cast out his own. So the man was doing alright, and Jesus said unto him,

Forbid him not, for he that is not against us is for us, one way or the other.

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.

That's right. They were, you hear he was not casting out devils, we ought to be in charge of them.

That's right. Well, John, as well as the rest of them, were thinking in earthly terms.

If you're not doing as I'm doing, then you're doing wrong. We still have that today.

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.

I'm captivated by the fact that he knew when he was going to be received up.

What does that mean, received up, David? Alright, he knew when that was.

Now, he steadfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem.

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.

And he set his face to go to Jerusalem. Yes. Yes.

No. For the joy that followed the cross is why he went to the cross.

He steadfastly, no deterring. Set his face, no conversation except that.

Sent his messengers before his face, and they went and entered into a village of Samaria to make ready for him.

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.

So, he was going to a city in Samaria, but they did not receive him.

They did not receive him because his face was as though he would go to Jerusalem.

Again, we have his face. And when his disciples, James and John, saw this, they said,

Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven and consume them even as Elias did?

John and James, I think they would have gotten a little bit of joy out of fire falling on them.

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

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.

And here, James and John want to have fire fall on them from heaven because they would not receive them.

So, Jesus turned and rebuked them and said, Ye know not what manner of spirits you are.

Now, Russell, what manner of spirits you are. What were they exhibiting?

Did what? They were exhibiting the spirit of death. Yes, it wasn't

God's spirit. For the Son of Man is not come to destroy men's lives.

Now, he didn't say he couldn't do that, but he didn't come for that purpose.

But to save them, and they went to another village. Well, John didn't understand his coming to earth.

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,

Lord, I will follow thee wherever thou goest.

That's a bold statement, Bill. That's a statement made out of ignorance.

The man might have been sincere like Peter, but he didn't know what he was talking about.

And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, birds of the air have nests, but the

Son of Man hath not where to lay his head. And he said unto another,

Follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father.

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.

I'm sure that's not what it meant. He was saying, I must first take care of my father.

He's old, he's crippled, and when he's dead, then

I'll come follow you. David, do we hear that excuse today?

Well, when there's a conflict between human affection and Jesus, what should you do,

Russell? Yes.

Now, the two may not always conflict, but if they do, you must follow

Jesus. Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead, but go thou and preach the kingdom of God.

Bill, what did he mean, let the dead bury their dead? That's right.

And another also said, Lord, I will follow thee, but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at my home.

I want to go and have a big party, and then I'll come follow you. Excuses, excuses.

Jesus said to him, No man, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.

No man putting his hand to the plow. What did he mean, David? No man had thought of that.

I have told you before, but I'll tell you again as though I haven't told you before.

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

Depression. And Dad had a little one -wheeled implement that you could work in the garden.

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.

And it was about a quarter of a block to the other end. And I would pick out something at the other end.

And I would plow, keeping my eye on that. But every time

I stopped to look back, even if I never touched the plow,

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.

Then I would start up again. Every time there was a wiggle in it.

I could not prevent a wiggle in the path. And I always think of that when

I read this. Every man putting his hand to the plow, you cannot look back.

The cost of discipleship is high. It demands all that we have to offer.

Turn to Philippians 3 .13. The one that gets there first read it.

3 .13 and 14.

Brethren, I count not myself to apprehended. What's that mean,

Brother Russell? That's right.

But this one thing that I do. Forgetting those things which are behind.

Don't turn around. Look down the road to see if you're going right.

You keep your eye on the goal at the far end. And you go to that.

Never mind behind you. Anything from anybody.

That's exactly right. We waste so much time going back.

I've got him almost persuaded now. If I can just get him over the line. Boy, that doesn't work.

Yes, it is. That's not all.

Well, he stopped on the cross. Well, we will go.

We will go. And I hope it's because we want to. Where God wants us to go.

We'll say what we are supposed to say. And go on.