On Predestination (Acts 13:48)

When the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord; and as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed, Acts 13:48.

Does this mean that only those appointed (predestined) beforehand may be saved?

1. Christ was foreknown (foreordained) before the foundation of the world, “For He was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but has appeared in these last times for the sake of you who through Him are believers in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God,” 1 Peter 1:20-21.  Christ, being God, is eternal; so certainly God the Father and God the Son know each other from eternity, for at the foundation of the world it is said, “Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness…’” Genesis 1:26, and again, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being,” John 1:1-3.  So this is not what is being spoken of, that they know each other from before the world; rather, what is being said is that the office which He would fulfill, the role He would take, was foreknown from before the world, that is, that salvation in Christ was determined before the world was created.

2. Now that salvation in Christ has been foreordained (or predestined), it remains therefore that some must partake of it.  And whoever it is that partakes of it is saved, therefore it is rightly said that they were predestined to salvation, for they partook of the salvation that was predestined.  For it is said, “He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God,” John 1:11-13.  Here he speaks of the difference between the men who are born of the world and who are born of God; for we are all born of the world, but to be in Christ we must be born again, that is, born of God.  As many of us who are willing to receive the call of Christ, these are born again, and it is these who are predestined to salvation, that is, it is these who partake of the salvation that was foreordained in Christ before the world began.  For this is predestined: that all who are in Christ shall be saved, and that all who are outside of Christ are lost; this situation is predestined, foreordained.  Therefore, those who partake of the salvation in Christ are predestined to salvation.  The individual person was not predestined, but the situation was predestined.

3. If individual men were predestined to salvation, and individual men to condemnation, God would be defeating His own purpose.  For why do we have free will, free will to believe, or free will to disbelieve and follow our own path?  That our love to Him might be real.  For he says, “Therefore bear fruits in keeping with repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham for our father,’ for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children to Abraham,” Luke 3:8.  If God so desired, He could have made sons according to His will, sons who could not sin against Him.  But then their love would not have been proven to be real.  I can make a robot to say to me, “I love you,” but would it mean anything?  But when our spouse or our children say to us, “I love you,” it is everything, because it comes from the free will of the person saying it.

Therefore, if God predestined individuals to salvation and individuals to condemnation, would the love of those predestined to salvation be real?  Would it not have been accomplished in complete disregard of their own will?  And would the condemnation of those predestined to condemnation be just, seeing as they had no choice in the matter, as to whether to believe or not?  And if God is able to raise children of Abraham from the stones, why did He not just do that; why also raise children to destruction, that they might suffer forever?  Would this not be cruel?

His purpose is to raise children who walk with Him according to their own free will, whom He will afterwards make like Him, “Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is,” 1John 3:2.

For what is the testimony of God regarding Enoch?  “Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him,” Genesis 5:24.  And what does the writer of Hebrews say of this?  “By faith Enoch was taken up so that he would not see death; AND HE WAS NOT FOUND BECAUSE GOD TOOK HIM UP; for he obtained the witness that before his being taken up he was pleasing to God. And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him,” Hebrews 11:5-6.

Enoch is unique in a sense among the children of men; he did not see death (nor did Elijah).  The example of Enoch though shows us what is pleasing to God; that we walk alongside of Him.  And what does the scripture say?  “Can two walk together, unless they are agreed?” Amos 3:3.  God will not adjust His way to agree with ours, but we must adjust our way to conform with His; and this Enoch did.  But if Enoch had no free will in this, it was a fruitless exercise; he only did what it was not his free will to do, the robot only said, “I love you.”

Who Is the One Whom the Lord Teaches?

“Blessed is the man whom You chasten, O LORD, And whom You teach out of Your law,” Psalm 94:12.

Who is the one whom the Lord will teach out of His law?  Who is this blessed man?

The law of God can be known by any man who walks upon the earth.  The Bible is available to every man to pick up, to read, and to be instructed out of.  There is no man on the earth who cannot do this (it’s availability may be limited in some places, due to various reasons, but there is no man who may not find it if he is so inclined).

The explanation the Lord gives for the parable of the sower is this: “’Therefore hear the parable of the sower: When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart.  This is he who received seed by the wayside.  But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while.  For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles.  Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful.  But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.’”

The man who comes to the word of God, his reaction to it comes from his own heart; if he is inclined to believe it, then believe it he does, if he is inclined to reject it, then reject it he does.  But the one who comes to it from belief is then willing to be instructed out of it, and is then taught by the Lord how he ought to live.  And as we draw near to God, He draws near to us, “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded,” James 4:8.  And he chastens His sons, that they might draw nearer still, “Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit,” John 15:2.

Speaking of the rebellious, the Lord says, “She heeded no voice, She accepted no instruction. She did not trust in the LORD, She did not draw near to her God. Her princes within her are roaring lions, Her judges are wolves at evening; They leave nothing for the morning. Her prophets are reckless, treacherous men; Her priests have profaned the sanctuary. They have done violence to the law. The LORD is righteous within her; He will do no injustice. Every morning He brings His justice to light; He does not fail. But the unjust knows no shame,” Zephaniah 3:2-5.

The Essentials of Marriage, Divorce, and Remarriage

• Marriage is between a man and a woman, Matthew 19:4-6, Genesis 2:24

• Divorce is only allowed for unfaithfulness, Matthew 5:32, Matthew 19:9

• Remarriage is only for the innocent party, Matthew 5:32, Matthew 19:9

“And the Lord God said, ‘It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.’  Out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them.  And whatever Adam called each living creature, that was its name.  So Adam gave names to all cattle, to the birds of the air, and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper comparable to him.

“And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place.  Then the rib which the Lord God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man.

“And Adam said:
‘This is now bone of my bones
And flesh of my flesh;
She shall be called Woman,
Because she was taken out of Man.’

“Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh,” Genesis 2:18-24. 

What is marriage?  In our day, the very word and meaning has been turned on it’s head; man has forgotten God, and has taken his institutions and used them for his own designs.  But let us remember,  

“There are many plans in a man's heart,
Nevertheless the Lord's counsel - that will stand,” Proverbs 19:21. 

In looking back to the beginning, we may see the purpose and the wisdom of God’s creation of marriage. 

Woman was not created as a separate creature, that is, apart from the man, but she was taken out of the man.  The other creatures were created out of the ground, as Adam had been, but not so with the woman.  God took his rib, and returned it to him as the woman.  For Adam, she truly was the ‘flesh of my flesh’; for us, it isn’t as literal, but is nonetheless true.  When a man and woman are joined, they are joined.  The woman is truly as his own flesh, and the opposite is also true.  Are we not guilty of the body and the blood of Christ if we take the Lord’s Supper in an unworthy manner, even though it is only bread and the fruit of the vine?  Likewise, even though the man and wife are two separate persons, yet they are truly one flesh, joined until death separates them.  This then is the heart of the argument Paul makes in 1 Corinthians 6:15-17, “Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ?  Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a harlot?  Certainly not!  Or do you not know that he who is joined to a harlot is one body with her?  For ‘the two,’ He says, ‘shall become one flesh.’  But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him.”  The one who joins himself to a prostitute, this one is now one flesh with her, the one who gives her flesh over to immorality.  But we are the bride of Christ, and thus are one body with Him, or rather, one spirit. 

He created them as one to create the family unit, for the problem which the creation of the woman solved, was the problem of the man being alone.  Now, God created the world in a wise fashion, by wisdom, Proverbs 3:19.  When the man was alone, he did not create another man to be his companion, but he created the woman.  And how much more abundantly was the problem solved, in the bringing forth of children.  Man would spread out on the earth, each man to his make own way, each man with his wife at his side, and his children in tow.  The children would then grow, and be joined to their mate, and leave their mother and father.  Malachi 2:15 states, 

“But did He not make them one,
Having a remnant of the Spirit?
And why one?
He seeks godly offspring.
Therefore take heed to your spirit,
And let none deal treacherously with the wife of his youth.” 

He made us one, that we might bring up godly children, for how can this occur if they are not raised to be so?  Children need to be raised, taught, and nurtured.  True, many men come to the Lord later in life, but it is the intent of God for us to remain in him, have our marriage be based in him, and for us to raise children that fear him.  If he did not make a man and his wife one, then how would this end occur?  We have endless examples in the world of broken marriages, children born out of wedlock, endless single motherhood, and the havoc it wreaks on the children of such situations; even the world recognizes this.  It was in wisdom that he made the man and his wife one; otherwise, there would be no family unit.  And what does he say, 

 “Therefore you shall lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.  You shall teach them to your children, speaking of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up,” Deuteronomy 11:18-20, and again, 

“And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord,” Ephesians 6:4. 

We are to raise godly children. 

The man was given the rule of the family, and the woman to be under his rule; this would not work if there were two men.  For man is given to make his way, and with two men, there would have to be one subservient.  But this is not what God created the man to be.  Neither will children be brought forth from two men, or two women; but rather, from one man and one woman.  And what does He say? 

“But did He not make them one,
Having a remnant of the Spirit?
And why one?
He seeks godly offspring” 

He created marriage to create the family, with the end of having godly children.  This is the extent of what marriage is, for God originated it, and set its bounds, and showed its purpose. 

As for the man and wife, as one flesh, they are not to share their body with another, for, “The wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does; and likewise also the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does,” 1 Corinthians 7:4.  As my wife is now as my own flesh, she no longer has the rule over her own body, for it is under my authority; the reverse is also true.  I am not free to be joined with another, for God has joined her to me, and my body is now under her authority.  “Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled; but fornicators and adulterers God will judge,” Hebrews 13:4.  And we are not to refuse one another, 1 Corinthians 7:3,5; however, and by agreement only, they may set it aside for a season in order to devote themselves to prayer.  By saying that it is by concession, he means that it is allowed, but not commanded.  It is not necessary for a couple to do this, but they may if they wish.  But it isn’t meant to be but for a time, as desire will become present, and it will be an avenue for temptation if they don’t come together again. 

Now, we are joined to our wife by the Lord; we are not to separate. 

Divorce
“The Pharisees also came to Him, testing Him, and saying to Him, ‘Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for just any reason?’

“And He answered and said to them, ‘Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning “made them male and female,” and said, “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh”?  So then, they are no longer two but one flesh.  Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.’

“They said to Him, ‘Why then did Moses command to give a certificate of divorce, and to put her away?’

“He said to them, ‘Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, permitted you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so.  And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultery,’” Matthew 19:3-9. 

From the beginning, divorce was not allowed.  It was permitted under the law of Moses, and this only for the Israelite; the Gentile was never given permission to divorce.  This doesn’t mean that they didn’t, I imagine they still did; but it wasn’t with God’s permission. 

As God does the joining, it is only he who can do the severing.  Death severs the bond always; and at the very first, this was the only means of severing allowed. 

So what is allowed under Christ?  “And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultery,” Matthew 19:9.  There is only one reason for which divorce and subsequent remarriage is allowed, the unfaithfulness of one’s mate.  There is no other reason.  It is God who does the joining, and it is only he who can do the severing, and this is the only way short of death that he will sever the bond. 

Whoever then divorces and remarries, for any reason other than being cheated on, is guilty of adultery.  Now, adultery can only occur when one is married.  Therefore, the bond has not been severed by God, but only by the state; when unfaithfulness has not occurred, the new marriage is not a new marriage, but an adulterous situation.  The state recognizes it, but not God, hence, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her,” Mark 10:11.  The new marriage is not a new marriage, but adultery against their original mate. 

We also become guilty of causing our mate to commit adultery if we divorce them for any other reason, for, “I say to you that whoever divorces his wife for any reason except sexual immorality causes her to commit adultery,” Matthew 5:32. 

We also see in this is that the innocent party may remarry, but the guilty party may not.  For “except for sexual immorality “ gives the exception for one who divorces for unfaithfulness.  They may then remarry with God’s approval.  The other side of the coin, the unfaithful party, may not remarry without guilt, for, “whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultery.”  They may repent of their sin, and be right with God again, but they must remain single until a death occurs, either their ex’s, or their own. 

Of Christ and the church
“’For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.’  This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church,” Ephesians 5:31-33. 

The becoming of one flesh with our mate is a type of the relationship between the church, it’s members, and the Lord.  As the husband and wife literally become one before God, so the Christian is one with the Lord, “But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him,” 1 Corinthians 6:17.  As the bond between man and wife is permanent, so the bond between the Christian and the Lord is permanent.  In each case, it is only by adultery that the bond can be prematurely severed with God’s approval.  For if we are not faithful to our Lord, both in doctrine and in conduct, we are adulterers.  As he gave Israel a bill of divorcement, and sent her away, Jeremiah 3:8 & Isaiah 50:1, so we may also be divorced by him if we don’t remain faithful. 

And what was the adultery of which Israel was guilty?

“Then those of you who escape will remember Me among the nations where they are carried captive, because I was crushed by their adulterous heart which has departed from Me, and by their eyes which play the harlot after their idols; they will loathe themselves for the evils which they committed in all their abominations,” Ezekiel 6:9-10. 

And what does the Word say to us?

“Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.  Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, ‘The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously’?, James 4:4-5. 

We must remain faithful to our Lord, for continual rebellion can lead to Him giving us up. 

1 Corinthians 7:10-15
If it becomes necessary that a woman must leave her husband, she may.  But she is not free to be joined to another.  She must either remain alone, or she can reconcile with her husband. 

If we are joined to an unbeliever, and they, because of our belief, don’t wish to remain with us, we are not bound to remain with them no matter the cost.  Remember, a husband and wife are not to divorce (however it is allowed for adultery).  This passage here is addressing the situation were one partner becomes a Christian, and the other doesn’t.  If the unbeliever still consents to remain with them, well and good.  But if they don’t wish to be with them because they have become a Christian, and the believer has done all they could to keep the marriage together, then they bear no guilt if their mate divorces them.  If the only thing that could have kept the marriage together was for the Christian to give up their belief, then being faithful to Christ takes precedent over remaining in the marriage; we are not in bondage to the marriage to the expense of giving up Christ.

The Lord’s Supper

“For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, ‘Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.’  In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.’

“For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death till He comes.”
1 Corinthians 11:23-26

The Lord’s Supper has been instituted by Jesus, as the means by which we are to remember Him, in dying for the sins of the world.  It is variously called communion (from 1 Corinthians 10:15-22), the breaking of bread (from Acts 20:7), and the Lord’s Supper (1 Corinthians 11:20). 

The Institution
The Lord’s Supper was instituted on the night Jesus was betrayed, during the Passover feast.  There is a correlation between the the Passover and the Lord’s Supper (discussed below), but they are not one and the same.

The account in Matthew reads,
“And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, ‘Take, eat; this is My body.’

“Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink from it, all of you.  For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.  But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father's kingdom,’” Matthew 26:26-29. 

Paul’s account from above gives us additional information, that it’s done as a remembrance. 

The Bread and the Cup
The Supper consists of two elements, the bread and the fruit of the vine.  The bread is unleavened; as they were eating the Passover when the Lord instituted it, it was unleavened bread that Jesus used.  The fruit of the vine is the juice of the grape, whether fermented or unfermented.

The bread is taken first, and is broken off by each person as they partake of it.  This is because, “He broke it and said, ‘Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you,’” and, “The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?” 1 Cor 11:24, 1 Cor 10:16.  Then the cup is partaken of. 

It must also be taken of with sober reverence, for if it is done carelessly with no thought as to what we’re doing, or the state of our heart, there is a heavy price, 

“For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death till He comes.  Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.  But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup.  For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord's body,” 1 Cor 11:26-30. 

This is not to say we should fear doing it, only that we need to be sure that our heart and attitude are right when we do partake of it. 

The Frequency
We partake of it every first day of the week, every Sunday.  The two relevant verses are 1 Cor 11:25, “This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me,” indicating that it is to be taken on a continuing basis, and Acts 20:7, “Now on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread,” showing that it was on the Lord’s Day (the first day of the week) when they partook of it.

The Passover and the Lord’s Supper
“For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us,” 1 Cor 5:7. 

There is a correlation between the Passover and the Lord’s Supper, but they are not the same thing.  The Passover is the type, the shadow, and the Lord’s Supper is the antitype, the substance. 

The Passover was instituted on the night the Jews left Egypt, when the firstborn of Egypt were killed, but the firstborn of the Jews were “passed over.”  It was kept as a remembrance year by year, to remember the freeing of Israel from the land of bondage. 

The Lord’s Supper is a remembrance that is kept week by week, to remember our being freed from the bondage of sin.  In the day of judgment, we will be passed over, spared the destruction of the unrepentant world.

The Essentials of Worship

“Hold fast the pattern of sound words which you have heard from me, in faith and love which are in Christ Jesus,” 2 Tim 1:13-14.

The New Testament doesn’t spell out explicitly when, where, and how we are to worship, but this doesn’t mean we aren’t told when and how to worship.  As Moses was shown a pattern on the mountain for how he was to construct the tabernacle, in that he was told, “And you shall raise up the tabernacle according to its pattern which you were shown on the mountain,” Exodus 26:30, so we have been shown a pattern in the New Testament for how we are to worship.

The day of the week
There is but one day given prominence in the New Testament, and that is the first day of the week:

• It is the day on which Christ arose, Mark 16:9, “Now when He rose early on the first day of the week…”

• It is called the Lord’s Day, Rev 1:10, “I was in the Spirit on the Lord's Day…”

• It is the day on which we are to give of our means, 1 Cor 16:2, “On the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper, that there be no collections when I come.”

• Lastly, and most importantly, it is when the disciples came together for the purpose of breaking bread, that is, to take of the Lord’s Supper, Acts 20:7, “Now on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread…”

The example we are shown is to meet on the first day of the week.

What is to be done

• We take of the Lord’s Supper, Acts 20:7, “Now on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread…”

  Paul in giving his account of the instituting of it, says, “For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death till He comes,” 1 Cor 11:26.  In saying, “As often as you eat this bread and drink this cup,” he implies it is to be done on an ongoing basis.  As the disciples came together on the first day of the week to partake of it, so it is to be done on every first day of the week.

• We give, 1 Cor 16:2, “On the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper, that there be no collections when I come.”

• We give a message from God’s word, Acts 20:7, “Now on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul, ready to depart the next day, spoke to them and continued his message until midnight.”

• We sing, Eph 5:19, “speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord…”

• We pray, 1 Tim 2:8, “I desire therefore that the men pray everywhere…”

• It is the men who are to conduct the service, 1 Tim 2:8, 11-12, “I desire therefore that the men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting…Let a woman learn in silence with all submission.  And I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man, but to be in silence,” and again, 1 Cor 14:34-35, “Let your women keep silent in the churches, for they are not permitted to speak; but they are to be submissive, as the law also says.  And if they want to learn something, let them ask their own husbands at home; for it is shameful for women to speak in church.”

The Essentials of Biblical Authority

“And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth,’” Matt 28:18-19.

• Jesus is the authority in the church and in the world, as all authority has been given to him by the Father.

“I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.   However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.  He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you.  All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you,” John 16:12-15.

• Jesus plainly states that the New Testament is written on his authority, as the Spirit did not teach from himself, but from Christ.

“Hold fast the pattern of sound words which you have heard from me, in faith and love which are in Christ Jesus,” 2 Tim 1:13.

• We are instructed to hold fast to the pattern we have heard from Christ (obviously what Paul taught is from Christ).

“Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.  For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven,” Matt 5:19-20.

• Jesus states that if we don’t teach as he taught us, we will not enter heaven.

“But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed.  As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed,” Gal 1:8-9.

• Paul plainly states that there is no other doctrine in the kingdom of Christ other than what we have in the inspired writings of the New Testament.

“Anyone who goes too far and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God; the one who abides in the teaching, he has both the Father and the Son.  If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house, and do not give him a greeting; for the one who gives him a greeting participates in his evil deeds,” 2 John 9-11.

• John agrees with Paul, stating that anyone who does not abide in the doctrine in the New Testament does not have God, but rather works evil.

"And the Lord said to me: 'What they have spoken is good.  I will raise up for them a Prophet like you from among their brethren, and will put My words in His mouth, and He shall speak to them all that I command Him.  And it shall be that whoever will not hear My words, which He speaks in My name, I will require it of him,” Deut 18:17-19.

“He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him — the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day.  For I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak.  And I know that His command is everlasting life.  Therefore, whatever I speak, just as the Father has told Me, so I speak,” John 12:48-50.

• Moses prophesied, and Jesus confirmed, that we will be judged by the words that Jesus has spoken, both when he was on earth, speaking by the authority of the Father, and by the New Testament, authored by the Spirit by the authority of Christ.

The Essentials of Baptism

What is baptism?
Baptism is an immersion in water, and is the point at which a repentant believer is forgiven of his sins.

The Mode
The act of baptism is to immerse the person fully under water, and then raise them up again.  This is the only method which we have in the New Testament, and is the meaning of the word itself. 

Our English word baptism is not a translation of the underlying Greek word, baptizo, which means immerse, but a transliteration, where the sound of the word in the original language is carried over into the English, creating a new word.  Why was this done, and the word not translated?  The practice dates back at least as far as Jerome’s Latin translation, the Vulgate (390 - 405 AD), where he transliterated the Greek into the Latin.  The reason he did this, or whether the practice preceded him, is not known to me.  It is easy to see that the act of baptism carries with it a far greater significance than simply the immersion itself, and that this may be the reason Jerome transliterated the word instead of translating it.  Whatever the reason may have been, the practice persists to this day. 

The definition of the Greek word baptizo is:
Arndt & Gingrich - “…dip, immerse, dip oneself, wash”[1]
Thayer - “To dip repeatedly, to immerge, submerge”[2]
Liddell & Scott - “to dip in or under water”[3]
Abbot-Smith - “…to dip, immerse, sink”[4]
Bullinger - “…to make a thing dipped or dyed.  To immerse…”[5]

This definition of baptizo correlates with the examples we have in the New Testament.  Mark 1:9-10a states, “And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And immediately coming up out of the water…,” and like it, Acts 8:38-39a states, “And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him. And when they were come up out of the water…”  In both examples, they were in a body of water when the baptism took place, and they came up out of it when they were through.  If we were to translate the passage from Acts instead of transliterating it, the meaning is very clear, “And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he immersed him. And when they were come up out of the water…”  To baptize, is to immerse.

This definition also correlates with the figure it stands for, a burial with Christ.  Romans 6:3-5 states, “Know you not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that just as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection.”  We are buried with him when we are baptized, and are raised to a new life.  As a body is put under the ground when it is buried, so we are put under the water when we are baptized. 

What is the result?
The result of baptism is our salvation.  This is not because of the washing of the body, 1Peter 3:21, but because it is the point at which we are washed in the blood of Christ, which is what saves us. 

Revelation 1:5 states, “To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood,” and again, Hebrews 13:12 says, “Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people with His own blood...”  It is the blood of Christ which saves us; but in order for us to be saved, there has to be a point at which we are washed in it, for it is evident that not all are saved, but only those who are in Christ.  And this point we are shown in the baptism of Paul, “And now why are you waiting?  Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord,” Acts 22:16.  It is in baptism that we are washed in the blood of Christ.

[1] Walter Bauer, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1996), p. 131, translated by William F. Arndt and F. Wilbur Gingrich, revised and augmented by F. Wilbur Gingrich and Frederick W. Danker
[2] Joseph Henry Thayer, A Greek-English Lexicon Of The New Testament (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1995), pg. 94.  This edition was prepared using the fourth edition published by T. and T. Clark in 1901
[3] Liddell & Scott, An Intermediate Greek-English Lexicon (Oxford: at the Clarendon Press, 1975), pg. 146
[4] G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament (Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, 1973), pg. 74
[5] , E. W. Bullinger, A Critical Lexicon and Concordance to the English and Greek New Testament (Grand Rapids: Kregel, 1999), pg. 80

The Prodigal Son

Luke 15:11-32
The Parable
“Then He said: ‘A certain man had two sons.  And the younger of them said to his father, “Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me.”  So he divided to them his livelihood.  And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living.  But when he had spent all, there arose a severe famine in that land, and he began to be in want.  Then he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.  And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything.

“’But when he came to himself, he said, “How many of my father's hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!  I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.’”

“’And he arose and came to his father.  But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him.  And the son said to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.”

“’But the father said to his servants, “Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet.  And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.”  And they began to be merry.

“’Now his older son was in the field.  And as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing.  So he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant.  And he said to him, “Your brother has come, and because he has received him safe and sound, your father has killed the fatted calf.”

“’But he was angry and would not go in.  Therefore his father came out and pleaded with him.  So he answered and said to his father, “Lo, these many years I have been serving you; I never transgressed your commandment at any time; and yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might make merry with my friends.  But as soon as this son of yours came, who has devoured your livelihood with harlots, you killed the fatted calf for him.”

“’And he said to him, “Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours.  It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found.”’”

Lesson
If you are of a mind to return to God, go!  For He is looking for you to return, He is watching to see if you are coming down the road to home; how He longs to see you return!

His brother was angry that their father made such a big celebration over the return of the lost brother.  His complaint was that never such a banquet was thrown for him, even though he had been faithful through the years.  But the father replied that he is always with him, and everything he has is his, but that it was good to celebrate, because his brother had been lost, and now he is found.

The Wineskins

Matthew 9:14-17, Mark 2:18-22, Luke 5:33-39
The Parable
Matthew 9:14-17
“Then the disciples of John came to Him, saying, ‘Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but Your disciples do not fast?’

“And Jesus said to them, ‘Can the friends of the bridegroom mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them?  But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast.  No one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; for the patch pulls away from the garment, and the tear is made worse.  Nor do they put new wine into old wineskins, or else the wineskins break, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But they put new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.’”

Lesson
The Pharisees fasted ritualistically, but it would not be so under Christ.  The disciples had no reason to fast when He was here, for they were with Him.  But now, the truth having been revealed, we are able to fast after the proper fashion; not after the old, ritualistic ways of the Pharisees, but in truth.

Christianity could not be fitted into the Old Testament law, it isn’t a patch on it.  The Old Testament pointed to Christ, and now that Christ is here, the Old Testament has been fulfilled.  We are now under the Law of Christ, and the tenets thereof.

The Nobleman to a Far Country

Luke 19:11-27
The Parable
“Now as they heard these things, He spoke another parable, because He was near Jerusalem and because they thought the kingdom of God would appear immediately.  Therefore He said: ‘A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and to return.  So he called ten of his servants, delivered to them ten minas, and said to them, “Do business till I come.”  But his citizens hated him, and sent a delegation after him, saying, “We will not have this man to reign over us.”

“’And so it was that when he returned, having received the kingdom, he then commanded these servants, to whom he had given the money, to be called to him, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading.  Then came the first, saying, “Master, your mina has earned ten minas.”  And he said to him, “Well done, good servant; because you were faithful in a very little, have authority over ten cities.”  And the second came, saying, “Master, your mina has earned five minas.”  Likewise he said to him, “You also be over five cities.”

“’Then another came, saying, “Master, here is your mina, which I have kept put away in a handkerchief.  For I feared you, because you are an austere man.  You collect what you did not deposit, and reap what you did not sow.”  And he said to him, “Out of your own mouth I will judge you, you wicked servant.  You knew that I was an austere man, collecting what I did not deposit and reaping what I did not sow.  Why then did you not put my money in the bank, that at my coming I might have collected it with interest?”

“’And he said to those who stood by, “Take the mina from him, and give it to him who has ten minas.”  (But they said to him, “Master, he has ten minas.”)  “For I say to you, that to everyone who has will be given; and from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.  But bring here those enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, and slay them before me.”’”

Lesson
The Lord has given us abilities, and expects us to use them in His kingdom.  If we sit on our hands and do nothing, we will be unacceptable to Him.  He expects gain from us, whether in converting others, or in working within the church in some capacity for the enrichment of the saints.

I’ve always taken the first two persons, the five talent and two talent, to be those who have converted others into the church, while the one talent did nothing with his faith, but just kept in inside of himself, doing literally nothing with it.  In being told he should have at least put it in the bank, I’ve taken that to mean he should have at least worked in the church, that he might have enriched others, and the Lord have had gain that way.

See “The Talents”

The Rich Man and Lazarus

Luke 16:19-31
The Parable
“’There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day.  But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate, desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table.  Moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.  So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham's bosom.  The rich man also died and was buried.  And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.

“’Then 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.”  But Abraham said, “Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented.  And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us.”

“’Then he said, “I beg you therefore, father, that you would send him to my father's house, for I have five brothers, that he may testify to them, lest they also come to this place of torment.”  Abraham said to him, “They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.”  And he said, “No, father Abraham; but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.”  But he said to him, “If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.”’”

Lesson
The Word of God is sufficient to turn a man to salvation.  If a man does not have a heart to listen to the Word, neither will he listen if someone were even to return to him from the dead to teach him of these things.  He might listen for a while, but because he isn’t of a heart to love God, he won’t persevere.

There is a good lesson in this any time there is a major catastrophic event.  After 9/11, there were those who turned to religion, those who said there was a spiritual change in the nation.  But after a few months, most returned to how they were before the event.  Unless the man is of a heart to follow the Lord, nothing external can cause him to; he might for a time, but he will return to who he was.

Our character is the same whether we are presented with a great or a small lesson.  If we are inclined to listen to the truth, we will recognize and believe it no matter how it comes to us, while if we are not inclined to listen, then like the rich man’s brothers, we will neither listen to Moses and the Prophets, nor the risen dead.

Judas has always puzzled me to a degree.  How could he have seen what he saw, and heard what he heard, and yet betrayed Him?  We are given the answer in John 12:4-6,

“But Judas Iscariot, one of His disciples, who was intending to betray Him, said, ‘Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and given to poor people?’ Now he said this, not because he was concerned about the poor, but because he was a thief, and as he had the money box, he used to pilfer what was put into it.”

During the time he was with Jesus, the word never met with belief in his heart, and so did not profit him.  Judas walked alongside God, but was only concerned with earthly gain, to the extent that he stole from God.

It comes down to the character of the hearer, not the delivery method of the lesson.

It is also a lesson that we ought to help the poor.

The Unfaithful Steward

Luke 16:1-13
The Parable
“He also said to His disciples: ‘There was a certain rich man who had a steward, and an accusation was brought to him that this man was wasting his goods.  So he called him and said to him, “What is this I hear about you?  Give an account of your stewardship, for you can no longer be steward.”

“’Then the steward said within himself, “What shall I do?  For my master is taking the stewardship away from me.  I cannot dig; I am ashamed to beg.  I have resolved what to do, that when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses.”

“’So he called every one of his master's debtors to him, and said to the first, “How much do you owe my master?”  And he said, “A hundred measures of oil.”  So he said to him, “Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.”  Then he said to another, “And how much do you owe?”  So he said, “A hundred measures of wheat.”  And he said to him, “Take your bill, and write eighty.”  So the master commended the unjust steward because he had dealt shrewdly.  For the sons of this world are more shrewd in their generation than the sons of light.

“’And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by unrighteous mammon, that when you fail, they may receive you into an everlasting home.  He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much.  Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?  And if you have not been faithful in what is another man’s, who will give you what is your own?

“’No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other.  You cannot serve God and mammon.’”

Lesson
This parable illustrates two points, that we are to be faithful to the Lord in unrighteous mammon, and that the men of the world are wiser in their ways than the children of God are in theirs.

Unrighteous mammon has no further meaning than the wealth, the money, of the world.  A love of money and a godly walk that is pleasing to God are at odds with one another; they cannot both be accomplished at the same time.  A man who loves and serves wealth cannot serve God, and a man who serves God cannot serve wealth.

We have been given whatever measure of wealth we have been given during our time here; but it isn’t ours, per se, for, “Who has given to Me that I should repay him?  Whatever is under the whole heaven is Mine,” Job 41:11.  The earth and it’s fulness belongs to God, hence He says in the explanation, “And if you have not been faithful in what is another man’s, who will give you what is your own?”  We have been given the use of these things while we are here; the counsel of the Lord is that we use them in a godly way.

But as Christians we are not as wise in our use of these worldly things as the worldly are in their pursuit of their goals with these things.  They are more diligent in their earthly pursuits than Christians are in pursuit of the kingdom.

The Lost Sheep

Matthew 18:11-14, Luke 15:4-7
Summary
Christ has come to save the lost.

The Parable
Matthew 18:11-14
“’For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost.

“’What do you think?  If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine and go to the mountains to seek the one that is straying?  And if he should find it, assuredly, I say to you, he rejoices more over that sheep than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray.  Even so it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.’”

Lesson
If we drift away from the truth, the Lord does look for us, to attempt to turn us back; He doesn’t desire for any of us to be lost, and as the Shepherd of the sheep, He isn’t derelict in His duty.

We have the example in Israel; how often God sought after them, speaking kindly to them to bring them to repentance.  For as often as He declared tot hem their sin, yet He almost always held out His hand to them.

The House Built on the Rock

Matthew 7:24-27, Luke 6:46-7:1
Summary
A life built on the Lord is the only one that will endure.

The Parable
Matt 7:24-27
“’Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.

“’But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell.  And great was its fall.’”

Lesson
The only life that survives, is the life built on Christ.  We will be judged in the last day on what we’ve done in this life; if we’ve built our life on Christ, we will be blessed.  But if we haven’t, we will go to punishment.

The Christian will have storms in his life, the same as any other man in the world.  Even so, when great trouble comes in our life, if our hope and stay is the Lord, we will be able to endure, knowing that our troubles here are but for a time, and that nothing here can overcome us.

The Pharisee and the Tax Collector

Luke 18:9-14
The Parable
“Also He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: ‘Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.  The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, “God, I thank You that I am not like other men - extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector.  I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.”  And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, “God, be merciful to me a sinner!”  I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.’”

Lesson
If we exalt ourselves above other men, we have missed the point.  If we think other men are not as righteous as us, we miss the point.  If we think we are righteous, and look upon the sins of the rest of the world, and think ourselves above them, we have missed the point.  Of Moses it is written, “Now the man Moses was very humble, more than any man who was on the face of the earth,” Numbers 12:3.  And God exalts him very highly, much higher than any of us.

In Numbers 12:1-16, Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses; the Lord heard it, and called the three of them to the tabernacle of meeting.  There the Lord humbled Aaron and Miriam, but He spoke up for and exalted Moses, holding him as an example of faithfulness.  As Peter says,“Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for 

‘God resists the proud,
But gives grace to the humble.’”
1 Peter 5:5

Let us then be very humble.

The Unprofitable Servants

Luke 17:5-10
The Parable
“And the apostles said to the Lord, ‘Increase our faith.’

“So the Lord said, ‘If you have faith as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, “Be pulled up by the roots and be planted in the sea,” and it would obey you.  And which of you, having a servant plowing or tending sheep, will say to him when he has come in from the field, “Come at once and sit down to eat”?  But will he not rather say to him, “Prepare something for my supper, and gird yourself and serve me till I have eaten and drunk, and afterward you will eat and drink”?  Does he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him?  I think not.  So likewise you, when you have done all those things which you are commanded, say, “We are unprofitable servants.  We have done what was our duty to do.”’”

Lesson
The disciples asked Jesus to increase their faith; he shows that increasing our humility, realizing our true state in this life, that of being an unprofitable servant, is an increase in our faith.

There isn’t anything in the church which he hasn’t created for us to do, Ephesians 2:10; therefore, we can’t go above or beyond anything in our service.  Whatever we do, it is only our duty to do; it is our duty as a Christian to serve Him.

But none of us has the faith to move a tree.

The Woman and the Coins

Luke 15:8-10
The Parable
“’Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it?  And when she has found it, she calls her friends and neighbors together, saying, “Rejoice with me, for I have found the piece which I lost!”  Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.’”

Lesson
We are of value to God; He takes great care to try to bring us back to Him; it’s not His will that one of us be lost, “’Do I have any pleasure in the death of the wicked,’ declares the Lord GOD, ‘rather than that he should turn from his ways and live?’...’For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone who dies,’ declares the Lord GOD. ‘Therefore, repent and live.’” Ezekiel 18:23, 32.  And when that man is reconciled to Him, the angels rejoice.

The Great Supper

Luke 14:16-24
The Parable
“Then He said to him, ‘A certain man gave a great supper and invited many, and sent his servant at supper time to say to those who were invited, “Come, for all things are now ready.”  But they all with one accord began to make excuses.  The first said to him, “I have bought a piece of ground, and I must go and see it.  I ask you to have me excused.”  And another said, “I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to test them. I ask you to have me excused.”  Still another said, “I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.”  So that servant came and reported these things to his master.  Then the master of the house, being angry, said to his servant, “Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in here the poor and the maimed and the lame and the blind.”  And the servant said, “Master, it is done as you commanded, and still there is room.”  Then the master said to the servant, “Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.  For I say to you that none of those men who were invited shall taste my supper.”’”

Lesson
There are two ways in which this parable may be applied, either to the Jews and the church.

The first is that the Jews were God’s people; He had given them the privilege of being his sons, and had entrusted them with the Old Testament.  They knew his will, and the Christ came from them.  But when Christ came, they rejected Him.  With Israel being found unworthy, the kingdom is given to the church.  The second application is to us in the church; we need to be prepared for our salvation, and not let the things of the world draw us away from the Lord.

The reasons which the men had for not coming to the feast on the surface may seem to be solid.  The first two asked to be excused for reasons of business.  But the parable is about coming to the feast, the marriage supper of the lamb, which is attended by those who prepared themselves for eternity.  These men who asked to be excused, it indicates those who always let the cares of the world encroach and crowd out the Lord.  They always have something more pressing to do, and so neglect to prepare their souls for eternity.

The last said he couldn’t come, for he had married a wife (the implication being, he had just married her, and so wanted to go on his honeymoon).  Under the law, there were provisions for this, that he was exempted from battle for a year, Deut 20:7 and Deut 24:5, but again, this isn’t a one time thing, but a failure to prepare for eternity by letting earthly pleasures get in the way.

As to those who were compelled to come to the feast, they were not brought in against their will; it simply means that there is always room for more in the church, and that even if one rejects the gospel at first, keep trying with them.

The Fourth Year

Luke 13:6-9
Summary
We must bear fruit in God.

The Parable
“He also spoke this parable: ‘A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none.  Then he said to the keeper of his vineyard, “Look, for three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree and find none.  Cut it down; why does it use up the ground?”  But he answered and said to him, “Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it.  And if it bears fruit, well.  But if not, after that you can cut it down.”’”

Lesson
This verse goes well with the passage in Job 33:22-30; there it is said that three times with a man will God restore him from going down to the pit, three times He will restore him to life.

Our parable here regards one whom God has come to three times looking for fruit; a return on his investment, as it were.  Finding none, he tells the keeper of the vineyard to cut it down, for it is only a waste of resources, without giving any return.  The lesson is that we cannot just sit in the church and do nothing; we cannot once have turned to the Lord and make no advancement in our spiritual life.  He expects of us to grow and to work.

But Christ gives us another chance, and not only that, even greater care (the fertilizer).  He gives us a greater opportunity to grow, and we need to see to it that we do.

The Unfaithful Servant

Luke 12:35-48
The Parable
“’Let your waist be girded and your lamps burning; and you yourselves be like men who wait for their master, when he will return from the wedding, that when he comes and knocks they may open to him immediately.  Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes, will find watching.  Assuredly, I say to you that he will gird himself and have them sit down to eat, and will come and serve them.  And if he should come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants.  But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into.  Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.’

“Then Peter said to Him, ‘Lord, do You speak this parable only to us, or to all people?’

“And the Lord said, ‘Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his master will make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of food in due season?  Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes.  Truly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all that he has.  But if that servant says in his heart, “My master is delaying his coming,” and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and be drunk, the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.  And that servant who knew his master’s will, and did not prepare himself or do according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.  But he who did not know, yet committed things deserving of stripes, shall be beaten with few.  For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more.’”

Lesson
We don’t know at which day or hour the Lord is returning; the lesson here is to persevere.  For if we begin to think we have time yet, His return is not until the future, or if we think to ourselves, “I have time yet, I’ll just relax here for a time,” then His return may catch us unawares, and unprepared.

He has appointed to us a work to be done, and we will be blessed if we are doing it when he returns, or until our times ends here.  But woe to the man whom he finds doing otherwise.