The Rich Man in Hell 

I do not like to preach much about Hell.   I do not like to try and get people to heaven,  because they do not want to go to Hell.

Those that go to Heaven,  go there, not because they only wish to escape Hell,  but because Jesus Christ is there.  They go to Heaven to be with Him.

Hell is a real, horrible place.  Jesus told a story about a man that went there, and that is what we are preaching about:  the man in Hell.

Jesus had just been preaching about covetousness:

Luke 16:13 “No servant can serve two masters:  for either he will hate the one,  and love the other;  or else he will hold to the one,  and despise the other,  ye cannot serve God and mammon.”

The Pharisees did not like this kind of preaching, and “derided Him”.  They sneered at Him outright.  Many of them were rich, and they thought they could love their wealth,  and God, too.

So He told them this story:  “There was”,  so this man had been real,  and now was in Hell.

Luke 16:19-21 “There was a certain rich man,  which was clothed in purple and fine linen,  and fared sumptuously every day:  

                            And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus,  which was laid at his gate,  full of sores,  

                            And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table:  moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.”

He had been a rich man,  living well.  He had let Lazarus come and eat from the crumbs which fell from his table, with the dogs. (Lazarus, I believe, was a relative of this man,  for he came to his gate, and begged)

(I do not like this man,  but whether I like him or not,  it is God’s judgement that counts)

One day this rich man dies.  Prepared or not, it comes to all of us.  One day, our life here, with all it’s attending joys, and sorrows is over….and we are brought to our eternal “home” by belief or unbelief in God, and His Word.    (In the Old Testament, they were all looking forward to Christ, though the word of a Savior to come.  We now look back, because Christ Jesus has come)

Luke 16:23-24 “And in Hell he lifted up his eyes, being in torment,  and seeth Abraham afar off and Lazarus in his bosom.

                            And he cried and said,  Father Abraham,  have mercy on me,  and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue;  for I am tormented in this flame.”

This is a simple request:  he is not asking for a gallon of water…just a drop.

But no,  it could not happen.    The gulf was too wide.

Abraham points out that he (the rich man) had made his choices.   He had “received thy good things”:   simply,  all the goods of his wealth,  he had taken (received) for himself.

Lazarus had “received”,  taken unto himself,  with no murmuring,  the evil things which had come to him, leaving all (including himself) in God’s hands.

[By the way,   the law of Moses said, “If there be among you a poor man of one of thy brethren within any of thy gates in thy land which the Lord thy God giveth thee,  thou shalt not harden thy heart,  nor shut thine hand from thy poor brother:

But thou shalt open thy hand wide unto him,  and shall surely lend him sufficient for his need,…

Thou shalt surely give him,  and thine heart shall not be grieved when thou givest unto him:  because that for this thing the Lord thy God shall bless thee in all thy works,  and in all that thou puttest thy hand unto.”  (Deuteronomy 15:7-8,10)]

For this rich man the judgement was in.  There would be no mercy,  now.

Luke 16:27-28 “Then he said,  I pray thee therefore,  Father,  that thou wouldest  send him to my father’s house:  

                             For I have five brethren;  that he may testify unto them,  lest they also come into this place of torment.”

The rich man then asks that Lazarus be permitted to be raised from the dead, and go and preach unto the five remaining brothers he has alive,  so they might escape Hell.

Now I am going to ask the question:  did not this rich man have the “testimony” of the person of Lazarus day by day?

Wasn’t Lazarus and his acceptance of his situation seen by this rich man? 

Lazarus neither cursed him or flattered him for anything other than what the rich man allowed.    That was a testimony to the rich man.

What made him think his brothers would believe Lazarus?

Abraham says that they have the same Word of God all Israel has.  They should hear it,  and obey it;  then they would not come into Hell.

Luke 16:30 “And he said,  Nay, Father Abraham:  but if one went unto them from the dead,  they will repent.”

We think this way:  if some grand and unusual thing happened,  we would start really being more devoted to God and His Word.

Really?  Maybe for a while. 

It is the Word of God sunk deep into our hearts longings,  meeting the need, rebuking the sin, and bringing God’s claims upon us,  that leads us to Christ.

[this next verse is crucial]

Luke 16:31 “And he said unto him,  If they hear not Moses and the prophets,  neither will they be persuaded,  though one rose from the dead.”

Jesus would shortly rise from the dead.  And He was speaking directly to these puffed up Pharisees:  Hear the Word of God to you…let it sink in deep,  for when I am resurrected,  you will not believe that testimony to your own damnation, if you will not believe My Word to you now.

1 Peter 1:23 “being born again,  not of corruptible seed,  but of incorruptible,  by the Word of God,  which liveth and abideth forever.”

We are to hear it,  and recieve Christ;   then we will be saved by Christ Jesus our Lord.  (John 1:12)

The Path to Reality

Matthew 16:24-25 “Then said Jesus unto His disciples,  If any man will come after Me,  let him deny himself,  and take up his cross,  and follow me.

                                    For whosoever will save his life shall lose it:  and whosoever will lose his life for My sake shall find it.”

To hear and answer the call of Christ is nothing unless somewhere along the line you have this reality.

The claims of Jesus, saying, “Deny yourself, pick up your cross—those things I allow into your life which cuts across your natural way of doing, of thinking, and acting.  This is to “follow Me”,  for I walked this way here on earth, too.  Doing only My Father’s Will…and nothing else.”

So many say they have surrendered to the Lord’s Will for their lives,  yet constantly fight against the “way” His Will is to be brought to pass, for their lives.

When the reality of it all is,  His Will includes doing it His Way.

The whole objective of denying yourself and bearing your cross,  is that you might lose your life in yourself (You say “no” to what you want to do, and “yes” to the Lord),

That you might find reality,  which is your life in Christ.

In Christ is the freedom from sin, self, and the world.  In Christ there is the liberty of walking in the light, which manifests God’s love, joy, and peace to us.

But in ourselves there is the shadows of bitterness,  anger,    distress,   ungratefulness,  and desire.

Let’s face it,  we are often overcome by one of these things within us.   

Yes, they are brought out by circumstances of our lives,  but the power of the Holy Spirit is in us,  will we not yield to Him, and deny our self-life?  

Letting His Life shine through ours?

We can either go back, and make ourselves of no account in the kingdom of God, 

Or we can truly lose all these things that make up our old life:  our way,  our rights (what right do we really have, if we belong to Christ?), and our preferences;  and let Jesus bring another child into the glory of God.

You can not have both your life, and Christ’s life being manifest through you.

One will be seen,  the other will be denied.  Which will it be, Christian?

This is a process, and it is one where every area of your life is touched: your past, your future, your plans, the way you think, your way of doing things.

But, I must stress,  and this is important:  This is between you and your Lord.

No one can intrude here.  

It comes down to:  “Not my will,  but thine”, everyday.

If you do,  you will come to the place in your experience with God,  where you are no longer resisting His Will in anything.   Therefore God’s power is flowing through you, unhindered.

Are you ready for Christ to lead you into a closer relationship with Him?

He said, “ If” any man will come after Me.

So it is not forced.   It must be a love relationship.  Nothing will make the way easier, than the growing knowledge of His love to you.

The question is:  will you come after Christ Jesus, by denying yourself, picking up your cross and following Him?

It’s your life,  what will you do with it?  Keep it for yourself?  Or Follow Him?

Let Us Lay Aside Every Weight

Hebrews 12:1 “Wherefore, seeing we are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses,  let us lay aside every weight, and the sin that doth so easily beset us,  and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,”

If we were running in a race,  and wanted to finish it, that we might win;    we would remove every weight from our pockets, every backpack, every jacket;  all that would catch the air, or hinder our running.

This is a long distance race which is being spoken of here in Hebrews;  and we need all patience and endurance to finish it.  Therefore,  we are called upon to remove what would weight us down.

Just what are these weights?

These weights are anything and everything that hinders us spiritually.

They are external things that we can drop or “lay aside”. (Certain relationships are weights, going to certain places can hinder us,  and past failures and thinking of them all the time.  These are weights,  which slow us down.).

To run well you should not be burdened with anything.            And we are called to run the race laid before us.

We are called to walk with God. (Colossians 2:6).   

And run our race. (Philippians 2:16)

The two are different:

The walking speaks of the quiet conversation you have as you walk with a friend, day by day.   This is our Christian life.

The running speaks of our work,  which we are all called to finish.           If you’re a Christian,  you are in the race.   God has given you a “work, or calling” to do.  

(There are many callings:  as a witness of Jesus Christ, as a prayer warrior, as a preacher of the Word,  as a teacher of the Word, etc.)

Finish it, and you have the reward and honor He has waiting for you, for being devoted to Him. (Well done, thou good and faithful servant.  Matthew 25:21)

But God does not save us, without giving us the Holy Spirit to enable us for anything He calls us to.  

It is not:  You are saved,  now do something for Me.

But:  You are saved,  now let me do through you.        I in you, and you in Me.  That is the way we will finish…together.

Paul spoke to the Galatians about this very thing:

Galatians 5:7 “Ye did run well;  who did hinder you that you should not obey the truth?”

Men had come to Galatia, to the church there,  saying that being Christians was O.K.,    but if you really want to be somebody to God,  you have to follow the Mosaic Law, as well. 

Then you will be super-great Christians.  (Not true)

No, Paul says.  You are being weighed down with old traditions,  which were laid aside in Christ’s crucifixion, and resurrection.

Don’t be hindered in the race.  But finish your course. 

Doing the good works that  God has ordained or made full provision for;  for you.  (Ephesians 2:10)

We should all seek the Lord that He might show us,  what are the weights which hinder our running.   And as He does, let us lay them aside, and go on to “finish our race”.

Hebrews 12:1-2 “Wherefore, seeing we are also compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses,  let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us,  and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,

                              Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith:  Who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross,  despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

Anything from the Holy Spirit will not burden you down, for “where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty”.  (2 Corinthians 3:17)

Let us lay aside our weights which hinder us;  and look to Jesus, Who began a good work in us, and Who will finish it. 

Life

Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death;  but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Eternal life is a condition of life now,  and for all eternity.  It is not just heaven,  though that is our home.  

It is freedom from the guilt of sin, and the power of sin.  It is Christ’s life (His will and character) being lived out in our life now, and for eternity.

Moses, in his last message to Israel, stressed to them where their blessings came from:  the Lord thy God.  He is called life, because by loving and obeying Him, they have what true life consists of: love, duty, honor, and blessings.  These are in Him, and no where else.

Deuteronomy 30:19-20 “I call heaven and earth to record this day against you,  that I have set before you life and death,  blessing and cursing:  therefore choose life,  that both thou and thy seed may live:

                                           That thou mayest love the Lord thy God,  and that thou mayest obey His voice,  and that thou mayest cleave unto Him:  for He is thy life,  and the length of thy days:…”

Even in Old Testament times, under the law, many found that nearness to the Lord, was where true happiness lies.   

Psalm 36:7, 9 “How excellent is Thy lovingkindness,  O God! Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Thy wings.

                           For with Thee is the fountain of life:  in Thy light shall we see light.”

Proverbs 8:35 “For whoso findeth Me findeth life,  and shall obtain favor of the Lord.”

Near God, there is life,  light, and favor.

All that makes life worth living, is in God.

Luke 12:15 “And He said unto them,  Take heed,  and beware of covetousness:  for man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.”

When Jesus Christ, the Son of God, came to earth, He warned men that the “abundance of things” which we possess do not make real life.

We can make them the focus of our lives,  and be hindered from entering into real life;  or we can find our lives in Him. 

Mark 10:24 “…But Jesus answereth again,  and saith unto them,   Children, how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God!”

When we are born of our parents, we are given time.      Our heart beats and pumps blood to all the parts of our body, and we are set on a path of growth and development.

When we are born again, by the Holy Spirit of God, by grace through faith, not of works (Ephesians 2:8-9);  but by the marvelous working of His power within us (Titus 3:5-7):      The same heart beats within us, and the same blood flows through our veins;  but the motive of our life is changed.  

We are, in fact, given life….Christ’s life within us.

John 17:3 “And this is life eternal, that they may know Thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, Whom Thou hast sent.”

John 1:4 “In Him was life; and the life was the light of men.”

Eternal Life is a condition of life.  For us, it begins the moment we are born again, and never ends.  

It fills the time we have here on earth with joy, and peace in believing.

It fills our days with fellowship with Christ.

It gives us purpose, and a duty to fulfill.

It makes us enjoy the days we have here, and look forward to the everlasting, beyond.

Are there trials, and troubles?  Yes,  for we are still learning and growing in grace;  we are still in the world of woe.

(I am a cancer survivor.  There is pain,  there is worry,  there is the questions which plague us:  Why me?    But up against all of these;  There is Jesus, the King.   He conquerors all.  

I may have my cancer come back.  But I will not die until He says,  “Come up hither.”

With Jesus,  it is not a bandage;  it is life….real life which is in us,  now;  and forever)

And it is overcoming life;  which is what we are to do:   Overcome by faith.

John 16:33 “These things I have spoken unto you,  that in me ye might have peace.  In the world ye shall have tribulation:  but be of good cheer,  I have overcome the world.”

This “good cheer” here,  is boldness.  We are to boldly trust Jesus.  

Boldly live the life He has for us.  

Boldly speak His Word.  

 And (mostly) boldly hang on to Him,  who is our life….though the whole world pulls against us.

The Battle of Ai, and Achan

Joshua 7:1 “But the children of Israel committed a trespass in the accursed thing:  for Achan the son of Carmi,….of the tribe of Judah, took of the accursed thing:  and the anger of the Lord was kindled against the children of Israel.

They had just come through the Jordan River at flood time, on dry ground; by a miracle of God.

They had their first convert to the God of Israel, in Rahab.

Then they fought their first battle at Jericho.  By faith the walls came down, and they went in and won.

Now, at little proud, and self-confident, Joshua sends men to Ai, a small city close to Jericho, to spy it out.    But he does not ask God what to do next. (Big mistake!)

They were to possess the land God had given them,  so his thinking was right;  but there was a problem within the ranks of Israel,  which stopped all blessings to them,   till it was dealt with.

Which he would have known,    if he had asked.

When we begin to lean on our own understanding;  then we are lighting our path with our own spark,  expecting God to honor our own plans.

Joshua 7:5-6 “And the men of Ai smote of them about thirty and six men:  for they chased them before the gate…, wherefore the hearts of the people melted,  and became as water.

                         And Joshua rent his clothes,  and fell to the earth upon his face before the Ark of the Lord until the evening,  he and the elders of Israel, put dust upon their heads.”

All of a sudden, coming before the Lord was very important! 

But notice that the Lord makes Joshua wait.  It was not till eventide,  the time of the evening sacrifice, that Joshua’s prayer was answered.

Joshua 7:7-9 “And Joshua said,  Alas,  O Lord God,  wherefore hast Thou at all brought this people over Jordan, to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites,  to destroy us?  Would to God we had been content, and dwelt on the other side Jordan!

                         O Lord, what shall I say,  when Israel turneth their backs before their enemies!

                          For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land shall hear of it,  and shall environ us round, and cut off our name from the earth:  and what wilt Thou do unto Thy great name?”

Here is Joshua, before the Lord, complaining.  

Why had He had brought them over Jordan?

Should they have been content to stay out of the Promised Land?  

Did the Lord mean to kill them?   

What would happen when the other cities that they were suppose to conquer hear about this defeat?     Oh no,  Oh no!

Joshua 7:10-12 “And the Lord said unto Joshua,   Get thee up;  wherefore liest thou upon thy face?

                             Israel hath sinned,  and they have also transgressed my covenant which I have commanded them:  for they have even taken of the accursed thing,  and have also stolen,  and dissembled also, and they have put it even among their own stuff.

                             Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies,  but turned their backs before their enemies,  because they were accursed:  neither will I be with you anymore,  except ye destroy the accursed from among you.”

(Joshua could have seen to this before going against Ai,  if he had simply asked the Lord for guidance.  

How often, our own self-confidence gets us into difficulties we never should have been in….but we did not wait for God’s direction.)

But the Lord paid no attention to Joshua’s whining.   No,  He got right to the point:  Get up off your face Joshua, and see to the problem.

I have brought you here,  but I will not be with you in battle,  till you see to the person who stole from the treasury devoted to My Tabernacle.           He stole it, and hid it in his stuff.

His family saw him, hiding it; yet said nothing.       Deal with it.

So he did as the Lord said:

Tribe by tribe came before the Tabernacle and the Lord showed him the tribe of Judah.

Family by family of Judah came before the Lord, till at last Achan was shown to be the thief, his family knowing it.

Joshua 7:19-21 “And Joshua said unto Achan,   My son give, I pray thee,  glory to the Lord God of Israel,  and make confession unto Him;  and tell me now what thou hast done;  hide it not from me.

                              And Achan answered Joshua,  and said,  Indeed I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel,  and thus and thus have I done:  

                              When I saw among the spoils a goodly Babylonian garment,  and two hundred shekels of silver,  and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight,  then I coveted them,  and took them;  and behold they are hid in the earth in the midst of my tent,  and the silver under it.”

Confession was made,  but sadly it did no good.  Men had died for his sin.  He had not confessed because of love to God,  but because he was already found out. 

Achan and the gold and the Babylonian garment, and the silver,  and all that he had was to be killed.  Notice,  The Lord did not take back the gold, silver or garment…it was destroyed with the thief.

(I believe, if Achan had just repented sooner,  taking the stolen stuff to Joshua, and the priest;  he could have saved his family.    

Lust of this world is a terrible thing.       Lust is:  I want this, and I want it now.   What ever “it” is.)

The wedge of gold represents opulent wealth.

The Babylonian garment represents vanity: how we look before others.

The silver represents spending money.  Lots of spending money.

Each was a temptation.

And Achan found himself overcome by greed, and pride;  instead of being in his place in the battle, and overcoming in faith.

After Joshua and Israel remove the accursed thing;  They went on to win at Ai.

Joshua did not rely on his own judgement,  but only did what the Lord said, and won.

Joshua 8:1-2 “And the Lord said unto Joshua,  Fear not, neither be thou dismayed:  take all the people of war with thee,  and arise,  go up to Ai: see, I have given unto thy hand the king of Ai,  and his people,  and his city,  and his land:

                         And thou shalt do to Ai and her king as thou didst unto to Jericho and her king:  only the spoil thereof,  and the cattle thereof,  shall ye take for a prey unto yourselves:…”

The spoil from Jericho,  their first battle, was to be given to the Lord completely.      (We should always put the Lord first)

But the spoil from the second battle:  gold, cattle, silver, etc.  was to be divided up between all Israel.  

If Achan had only trusted God and waited;  all that he stole, he could have had with blessing.

When we mistrust God,  and begin to think that He is not giving us what we want;  we need to remember:  He should always be first,  for He loved us first (1 John 4:19)

And that when it is time,  He will see to giving us everything, He has for us.

Use it or Lose it?

1Corinthians 4:2 “Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.”

Opening Prayer:  Lord Jesus,  we ask that You would give us what we should receive from this message.  To Your glory, in Jesus Name Amen.

Matthew 25:14-30 

Here is the parable of the man traveling into a far country.  So he delivers to his servants his goods, to use while he was gone to gain with.

To begin this, it would seem that to stress the most important fact; we should deal with “ability”.   “Each to his several ability”.

Matthew 25:15  “And unto one he gave five talents, to another, two; and to another, one.  To every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey”

“Several ability”, the plain teaching of this Parable is that even the one talent person could have gained something;    in as much as each had a several ability.  Which means there is more than one thing they could have done.

Matthew 25:29 “For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath.”

But from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath?   In other words, that which he had,  but made no use of.

Luke 19:12-14 “He said therefore,  A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return.  And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds,  and said unto them,   Occupy till I come.     But his citizens hated him, and sent a message after him, saying,  We will not have this man to reign over us.”

Here in this parable we see two groups:   Servants, and citizens.

Those that say they are His servants,  who are entrusted with the part of the nobleman’s wealth to gain for him while he is gone.

And the citizens of the country are those of the world which hate him, outright.

When the nobleman returns (as Christ will one day, having been given His Kingdom here on earth [Revelation 11:15]). Then he calls for an account of his servants.

The Parable in Matthew 25 uses “talents”.   Each receiving an amount to use.

But here in Luke, they each receive one pound and are told to “Occupy till I come”.  This is a merchandise term , used in the day of Christ.  It means to use it and gain with it. (The “pound”, which is the power of God in our lives by the Holy Spirit.)

Luke 19:16-17 “Then came the first, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained ten pounds. 

And he said unto him,  Well done, thou good servant: because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities.”

Faithfulness to God in what He has given you, much or little,  is what He rewards.

Luke 19:18 “And the second came, saying,  Lord, thy pound hath gained five pounds.”

And so He did gave the man who had been faithful; authority over five cities.  He had not gained as much as the first servant,  but had been faithful and gained;  and so, was rewarded.

Now to the one who hid his talent, for selfish fear.  He feared what the Master would say if he did not do well.  So he thought he would hide his talent,  to protect himself.  He would give back what he was given, and be done with it.  The Nobleman couldn’t complain, he thought, because He had back, what He had given.

But that is not what the Nobleman wanted.  He wanted His servants to use what He had given them, out of honor for Him.

We have been given the Holy Spirit, to help us.  Are we taking the help?

We have been given gifts and callings (ability).   Are we using them to His glory?

Luke19:23 “Wherefore than gavest not thou my money into the bank, that at my coming I might have required mine own with usury?” (Interest)

He was responsible for his one talent,  but he did nothing with it.  

That one talent, he was given, was the gift of Eternal Life.  He had been given faith, should he not improve on that, by growing in grace?

What about us?  Are we using what we have been given, as faithful stewards of Christ Jesus?

We can,  and gain by it.  Let us do what we can,  with the help of the Holy Spirit, and be blessed.

The Lord’s Personal Prayer for His Believers

John 17:6 “I have manifested Thy name unto the men Thou gavest Me out of the world:  Thine they were,  and Thou gavest them to Me;  and they have kept Thy word.”

They were still in the upper room where they had the Last Supper.  

Before they left to go to Gethsemane, Jesus “lifted up His eyes” and prayed to the Father for these gathered here.

He prays for them to be “kept” (How much we need this;  we are so weak and helpless against sin, self, the malice and temptations of the world, and the devil.):

First,  they would be kept through the word that He had spoken to them when He was on earth.

John 17:8 “For I have given unto them the words which Thou gavest Me;  and they have received them, and have known surely that I have come out from Thee, and they have believed that Thou didst send Me.”

Notice that they had “received” it.  This is truly an amazing statement about these unlearned men.   

Thousands had heard Jesus.     But these men had received the words and message that He had given. 

They received that He was the Son of God (Matthew 16:15–17).

They received the call that He gave them: Peter, Andrew, James and John from fishing boats;  Matthew from collecting taxes; others from the lives they were living.

They received His corrections for their unbelief in the storm (Luke 8:23-25), and when they sought prestige (Mark 10:35-37).

They had received His Words and by these Words of knowledge and guidance, they could be kept safe;   when Jesus went back to heaven.

Second, they would be “kept” by God’s Name. 

John 17:11 “And now I am no more in the world,  but these are in the world,  and I come to Thee.   Holy Father,  keep through Thine own name those whom Thou hast given to Me,  that they may be as one,  as we are.”

When we are said to be under the Name of God,  that means that He has declared that we are His, and by His authority, we are under His protection.

“That they may be one, as we are.”

That we may be one with The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit;  in love.

John 17:26 “And I have declared unto them Thy name,  and will declare it;  that the love wherewith Thou hast loved Me may be in them,  and I in them.”

What stronger band, surrounding us in strength, can we have, then that of love?   

And that is the band that Jesus prayed to the Father that they have.  God’s band of love would keep them.  

Praise God,  Jesus did not leave us out of this prayer:  

John 17:20 “Neither pray I for these alone,  but for them also which shall believe on Me through their word;”

He prayed for all who would believe the word that was preached and written by these disciples.

He prayed for us.  

Next, Jesus would go to Gethsemane, and pray for Himself : “Father, not my will, but Thine be done.”   That He might finish the work.  And He did, “It is finished.”

And it was:  His atonement for all who come to Him.

But, first He prayed for those who believed in Him.  What a Savior we have!

 

Guidance

James 3:3 “Behold, we put bits in the horses mouth, that they may obey us;  and we turn about their whole body.”

There are two ways to break a horse.  Gently, over time, getting the horse to accept you, and your weight on him;  till the horse and you become partners.

He is mastered,  but by love.

Or severely, which makes the horse accept you and your weight—now,   by wearing down it’s resistance.

He is mastered, but by force of circumstances.

How would you like to receive your guidance from the Lord?

We can be brought to the place that we are directed by the force of circumstances;  which is like the bit and bridle.

We must do,  because we have no choice in the matter.  

But this is not what the Lord Jesus Christ would have for us. 

Psalm 32:8 “I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way that thou shalt go:  I will guide thee with Mine eye.”

This is gentle guidance.  Remember one look from the Lord sent Peter out weeping.

The Lord would have us all look to Him for our guidance,  if we would just see Him as He is.  The Creator, and Sustainer of the Universe is our Lord and Savior.

He loves us, and wants us to enter into—with Him—all the joys of service to Him.  For in Him is glorious liberty of spirit!

True freedom is freedom from the power of our sin, and self.  

The bondage of I have to do this (which can be any addiction),  and the bondage of I want to do this (how many “things” we want:  no contentment,  just want).

We can be free from these, by the liberty of the Holy Spirit’s control.

The closer to God we get,  the more freedom we have.

I will instruct and teach you, in the way that you shall go.

What this means, is that He will go with you in each step, showing you what to do, and helping you do it.

So often, we refuse the gentle way, for one reason or another.  We fight with Him, even though we want what He is leading us into.

What is the problem?  We do not understand that the Lord must lead us(or we will surely go the wrong way).  But how will He lead us?

Psalm 32:9 “Be not as the horse,  or as the mule,  which have no understanding: whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, lest they come near unto thee (or trample thee).”

The “something” which hinders, is our unbroken will.   Like the horse, or mule;  we must be broken or mastered, to be usable.

It is the method of the breaking which is spoken of here.  

He wants us to yield to Him,  which is what we do when we “look to Him” 

(Isaiah 45:22 “Look unto Me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth:  for I am God,  and there is none else.”)

For the look of faith and trust in Christ Jesus our Lord,  is yielding.

If we are looking to Him,  we are looking away from other things.   Choosing Him.

And when we look?

Ephesians 1:18 “The eyes of your understanding being enlightened;  that ye may know the hope of His calling, and what the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints.

                            And what is the exceeding greatness of His power to us-ward who believe,  according to the working of His mighty power,”

We need this mighty power in our everyday walk;   instructing us and teaching us in the way we must go.

I want that gentle instruction of His eye.    

How do you want to be guided?

The Lost Sheep

Luke 15:4 “What man of you, having an hundred sheep,  if he lose one of them,  doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness,  and go after that which is lost,  until he find it?”

This man has one hundred sheep.  But one has left the flock and gone seeking something apart from the rest.  

(Perhaps a distant patch of grass.  Or following a butterfly.  Or just wanting to be away from everyone else.  

But he left to pursue an illusion.  For there was nothing out there, that would have been good for him;  that the shepherd would not have led him into.)

Still,  ninety-nine sheep is pretty good.  You’re bound to lose one or two;  but the Shepherd does not see it that way.

He sees it,  as the lost one feels:  lost, unable by itself to come home.  Exposed to the weather, and other animals.  Away from the Shepherd’s care.

Perhaps the sheep had taken the care for granted:  it would always be there. 

At first, maybe, it was fine.  The sun was shining, there were new things to explore.  But he turns and does not see the flock anymore.       Oh, well, he thinks.

But then he feels alone: he does not know where water is,  or a safe place.  He is lost.   It wanders around, now, not knowing where he is, or where he should go.  

So the man does for the lost sheep,  what the sheep can not do for himself.

The man goes after that sheep.

And how does he do it?  He leaves the ninety-nine in the wilderness grazing together;  and retraces his steps, till he finds it.

The Shepherd finds it too weary to walk back to the flock, and rest.  So he picks it up, and carries it.

And then leads the flock home.

Luke 15:5-6 “When he hath found it,  he layeth it upon his shoulders, rejoicing.

                        And when he cometh home,  he calleth together his friends and neighbors, saying unto them,  Rejoice with me,  for I have found my sheep which was lost.”

Rejoicing is a word which describes a calm, peaceful happiness.  I have found what was lost.  I have not lost any!   (Everything is safe in the fold, as it should be.)

And the Shepherd calls His friends and neighbors to rejoice with Him.

Of course, we know that the Lord Jesus Christ is the Good Shepherd,  for He gave His life for the sheep. (John 10:11)

1 Peter 2:24-25 “Who His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree,  that we,  being dead to sins, should live unto His righteousness:  by whose stripes ye are healed.                                                                                                                                                                       For ye were as sheep going astray;  but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.”

John 10:28 “And I give unto them eternal life;  they shall never perish,  neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand.”

And He is still seeking and shepherding us,  as Christians, today. 

Christians go astray, and we are in need of His seeking us again, and again.

Isaiah 40:11 “He shall feed His flock like a Shepherd:  He shall gather the lambs with His arm,  and carry them in His bosom,  and shall gently lead those that are with young.”

Christ Jesus is now our Great Shepherd.  He is now “making us perfect” or complete in Himself.  (Lambs grow into sheep)

Hebrews 13:20-21 “Now the God of peace,  that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus,  that Great Shepherd of the sheep,  through the blood of the everlasting covenant,

                                   Make you perfect in every good work to do His will,  working in you that which is well pleasing in His sight,  through Jesus Christ;  to Whom be glory forever and ever.  Amen.”

He is leading us into all the places that are good for us (green pastures),  

He is protecting us from all our enemies (wolves in sheeps clothing, things which “devour” 1 Peter 5:7-8)

He is “preparing a table before us, in the presence of our enemies”  by giving Himself as an example,  leading us.  “Follow Me, and I will hedge you about in your everyday trials, meeting your needs by My grace.”

Maybe we are the lost sheep,  or we have been the lost sheep.   

Praise God,  He has sent His Son to seek and save us (Luke 19:10)!

Whether we are Christians or not, if we have gone astray:  Christ is seeking you,  to save you…even now.

Romans 10:13 “For whosoever will call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

The Temptation of Christ Jesus 

Matthew 4:1 “Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.”

Jesus was “led up of the Spirit”.   This temptation, then, was God’s Plan and Purpose for His Son.

He was in all points tempted, like as we are, the writer to the Hebrews revealed. (Hebrews 4:15)

So this temptation shows us how to act when we, too, are tempted.

First, notice that our hardest temptations come after we have gotten more Spiritual power and grace.   

Jesus had just been baptized by John the Baptist, and the Holy Spirit had come down upon Him without measure,  as He came up from the water.  A Voice had announced that Jesus was  God’s Beloved Son!  And that He was well pleasing in God’s sight!

But then He was tempted.

Matthew 4:2-4 “And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights,  he was afterward an hungered.

And when the tempter came to him,  he said,  If thou  be the Son of God,  command these stones to be made bread.

But he answered and said,    It is written,  Man shall not live be bread alone,  but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.”

Jesus was hungry.  He had been fasting for forty days, and nights;  so when He could, He wanted to break the fast by food.

But when tempted by the devil to change stones into bread, so He could satisfy His hunger,  and prove that He was the Son of God;  Jesus refused.

But He did not just say “No”,  but rebuked the suggestion by quoting “It is written”.

What the Scriptures say,  help us to live right, and know what to do.

The suggestion of the devil, was that because Jesus was the Son of God, He could do what ever He wanted,  have whatever He wanted,  whenever He wanted, by simply  commanding it to be so. 

Of course Jesus could,  but that was not why He became man.  It was ever to do the Father’s Will, that He came, and that was what He lived and died by.

So should we do the Father’s Will for us.  It puts us in the wonderful position of being able to stand back from suggestions and plans, and seeking His Will in everything.

That puts temptations in a new light.  It is not:  “You want this, it is not too awful, why not do it?”

It is:  “Is this what the Lord would have me to do, now?”

Notice this first temptation was for bodily wants.

Matthew 4:5-7 “And the devil taketh him up into the holy city,  and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple.  

And saith unto him,  If thou be the Son of God,  cast thyself down:  for it is written,  He shall give his angels charge concerning thee:  and in their hands they shall bear thee up,  lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.

Jesus said unto him,  It is written again,  Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.”

Jesus had quoted Scripture, so now the devil quotes it.  Again he says, “If thou be the Son of God”.

Here the temptation is for public announcement.  Cast yourself down from the pinnacle of the temple.  What a better way to prove the fact that You are the Son of God!  

And it is said in the Scriptures,  so God will have to do it.

Sneaky.  

For God would certainly do it, and those that saw it, might have been awed into following Jesus for awhile, because of it.  

But that is not true believing.  It would have been useless, for the heart will only follow what it loves.   

And awe is not love.

But Jesus refused it, for it was not the Father’s Way of announcement.  His Way was for Jesus to go about preaching, “the kingdom of heaven is at hand”.  He was to do good to all. (Matthew 4:17)

Certainly it was not as exciting as angels catching Him.   But it was what God wanted.

The devil’s suggestion was just tempting God; and Jesus refused it and quoted that Scripture:  “Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.”  

(To tempt God is to make  God prove Himself or His Word,  by demanding that He do something for us,  now.    Do this,  or we won’t trust You.)

This second temptation had been for Fame, and prestige.   He would be Famous,  everyone would know He was the Son of God!

How often we get trapped into “seeking” these.

Matthew 4:8-10 “Again,  the devil taketh him up unto an exceeding high mountain,  and showeth him all the kingdoms of the world,  and the glory of them:

And saith unto him;  All these things will I give thee,  if thou wilt fall down and worship me.

The saith Jesus unto him,  Get thee hence, Satan:  for it is written,   Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God,  and him only shalt thou serve.”

Some say that the devil had no right to offer the kingdoms of the world,  but he is the prince of this world:

Luke 4:5-7 “And the devil,  taking him up into a high mountain,  showed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.

And the devil said unto him,  All this power will I give thee,  and the glory of them:  for it is delivered unto me;  and whomsoever I will give it.

If thou therefore wilt worship me,  all shall be thine.”

The temptation here is:  Forget the path to the cross.   If You will fall down and worship me, You can have all the kingdoms and the power of them…now;  without the suffering and  shameful death of the cross.

This was the devil’s attempt to destroy Who Jesus was:   “I will  give you all I have, to make God finally submit to me, in the person of His Son.”

Of course Jesus refused this:

But after this final suggestion,  Jesus commands the devil to depart; quoting the verse, “Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.”

Jesus would do all the Father’s Will.   And He was confident that those kingdoms would be His,  God’s Way; and that was through the suffering of the cross, to resurrection and glory.

The third temptation was for personal power, and glory; without suffering.

And does not the devil tempt us in the same ways:

1)See to your needs  first.  Yes, your a Christian, but God has not “forbidden” you to do this,  so He probably doesn’t care.

2)If you are going to have a ministry for God,  make it flashy.   People will remember you.  They will admire you.  They will think you are great!  (There is a whole lot of “you” in that “ministry”)

3)If you  will just go along with the world,  you could skip a whole lot of trouble.   Sure, you can look like a Christian, but you don’t have to walk in that “narrow”way.  

In other words, “Go ahead, lose your Christ’s Life, to have your self life”. (Matthew 16:25)

These, and others like them, are the things the devil tempts us with (For he tempted our Lord the same way.)

Looking to the Father’s Will, Jesus went through these temptations, standing on the Word of God.  Jesus left the place of temptation by placing Himself in the Father’s hands by the Word of God.   

He did all the work the Father had for Him, and finished it.

So we need to look to Jesus, and go through all He has purposed for us,  with Him.  

He will empower us, to the measure of our devotion and obedience, by the Holy Spirit to know and to do His Will.