College Press Bible Study Textbook Series

Luke 11:37-54

Butler's Comments

SECTION 4

37 While he was speaking, a Pharisee asked him to dine with him; so he went in and sat at table. 38The Pharisee was astonished to see, that he did not first wash before dinner. 39And the Lord said to him, Now you Pharisees cleanse the outside of. the cup and of the dish, but inside you are full of extortion and wickedness. 40You fools! Did not he who made the outside make the inside also? 41But give for alms those things which are within; and behold, everything is clean for you.

42 But woe to you Pharisees! for you tithe mint and rue and every herb, and neglect justice and the love of God; these you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. 43Woe to you Pharisees! for you love the best seat in the synagogues and salutations in the market places. 44Woe to you; for you are not seen, and men walk over them without knowing it.

45 One of the lawyers answered him, Teacher, in saying this you reproach us also. 46And he said, Woe to you lawyers also! for you load men with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers. 47Woe to you! for you build the tombs of the prophets whom your fathers killed. 48So you are witnesses and consent to the deeds of your fathers; for they killed them, and you build their tombs. 49Therefore also the Wisdom of God said, -I will send them prophets and apostles, some of whom they will kill and persecute,-' 50that the blood of all the prophets, shed from the foundation of the world, may be required of this generation, 51from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who perished between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, it shall be required of this generation. 52Woe to you lawyers! for you have taken away the key of knowledge; you did not enter yourselves, and you hindered those who were entering.

53 As he went away from there, the scribes and the Pharisees began to press him hard, and to provoke him to speak of many things, 54lying in wait for him, to catch at something he might say.

Luke 11:37-44 Hypocrisy: Jesus was invited to dine with a Pharisee while He was confronting His enemies. The extraordinary wisdom Jesus displayed in completely defeating the accusations against Him intrigued this Pharisee, so he wanted to see and listen to the Sage of Galilee firsthand. This Pharisee was totally unprepared for what he heard from the lips of Jesus. The Greek word aristese means break your fast or breakfast (see John 21:12; John 21:15) and originally referred to the first meal of the day. But it came to mean in the days of Jesus a sort of brunch or the meal eaten after morning prayers in the synagogue, at mid-morning. Jesus entered the Pharisee's house and went immediately to the couch and reclined (Gr. anepesen), without performing the traditional washing of the hands before the meal. The Hebrew language has three words most often used in the O.T. for ceremonial washing: kavas, rachatz, and taval. Taval means, to dip or immerse. The Greek word used in Luke 11:38 is ebaptisthe which means, to dip or immerse. Modern Hebrew has focused on the word taval to categorize all ceremonial ablutions (see Judaica Encyclopedia, Vol. 2, 82-86).

There were all kinds of purifications practiced in the Gospels: There were washings for lepers (Luke 17:12; Leviticus 13:45 ff.); washings after birth (Luke 2:22) and before wedding feasts (John 2:6). A Jew argued with John the Baptist's disciples about purification (John 3:25-30); Peter was always careful to observe laws of purification (Acts 10:14); Pharisees were meticulous about purification (Matthew 23:25; Luke 7:39; John 18:28); regulations about ablutions were a characteristic part of Judaism (Hebrews 9:9-10).

God made scores of laws demanding ceremonial washing in the O.T. (cf. Leviticus 5:2 ff; Leviticus 7:19-21; Leviticus 11:23-25; Leviticus 15:11; Leviticus 17:15 ff; Leviticus 18:1 ff; Leviticus 19:31; Leviticus 21:4 ff; Leviticus 22:1-9; Numbers 5:3; Numbers 6:9; Numbers 9:6 ff; Numbers 19:13-22; Deuteronomy 21:22 ff; Deuteronomy 14:3-21; Deuteronomy 23:10-14). All these had to do with ritual uncleanness. In many instances there was nothing physically or hygienically unclean involved. Everything created by God is good when properly used. God gave the commands to teach man that perfect spiritual cleanness by works of the Law was impossible, because man was unable to even keep the ceremonial aspect of the Law perfectly.

But Jesus did not violate Mosaic Law when He failed to baptize His hands before eating. Nowhere in the Law of Moses are Jews commanded to wash their hands before eating. The washing of hands is mentioned only once in the Torah (Leviticus 15:11) and that has nothing to do with meals. Washing of hands is rabbinical tradition pure and simple. According to the rabbis, washing of hands to be cleansed of impurity before meals was instituted by King Solomon; some think the tradition was instituted by the disciples of Hillel and Shammai, The washing of hands is either by immersion up to the wrist or by pouring about one-half a pint of water over both hands from a receptacle with a wide mouth, the lip of which must be undamaged. The water should be poured over the whole hand up to the wrist, but is acceptable as long as the fingers are washed up to the second joint. The hands must be clean and without anything adhering to them; rings must be removed so that the water can reach the entire surface area. The water should not be hot or discolored and it is customary to perform the act by pouring water over each hand three times. Superstition and racial prejudices were both in the background of this tradition. The Talmud refers at length to the tradition supposing that demons sat on unwashed hands just waiting to get into the person's body through the mouth. The Talmud also mentions that Rabbi Akibba, although personally opposed to the tradition, nevertheless used the limited water allowed him in prison for this ablution rather than for drinking and so died of thirst.

The word Pharisee comes from the Hebrew word pharashim which means separated ones. It was a Jewish sect which was originally known as the Chasidim, a Hebrew word meaning, pious ones. The Chasidim was formed from a group of old fashioned Jews who dedicated themselves to resist the paganization of their culture during the Seleucid (Greco-Syrian) domination of Palestine (350-175 B.C.). They denounced everything of Gentile practice, insisted on the absolute supremacy of the Torah, and often resisted to the death any attempt to Greekize their land and people. The tendency of the Hasmoneans (Jewish royal and priestly family descending from the Maccabeans) to compromise with certain aspects of paganism brought about an intense sectarian division in Judaism that lasted down into the days of Jesus in the sects of the Pharisees and Sadducees (see chart on Religious-Political Frame of First Century Judaism, pg. 88).

The Pharisees were the most prominent and influential sect of Jesus-' day. Josephus says there were about 6000 Pharisees in the first century A.D. They were contemptuous of all who did not follow their traditions and violently opposed to anyone who would threaten their religious traditions whether Gentile or Jew. The fundamental feature of the sect was extreme legalism. They believed in Divine, providence, the free will of man, resurrection of the dead and judgment. They lived moderately (although many of them were rich), placed great store-in history and ethnic culture of the Jewish race. They eagerly anticipated the Golden Age of the Messiah (as they interpreted it). Rabbinical tradition was something about which the Pharisees were deadly serious. Rabbinical interpretations of the Torah were designed to protect the Law. To keep the unlearned and, common people from ignorantly disobeying the Law, the rabbis (with all their expertise) deemed it necessary to write out in minute detail every possible human action that might violate a commandment of the Torah. Soon after Malachi, the last prophet of God (400 B.C.), there arose in rabbinic Judaism the concept called, Bath Kol. These two Hebrew words mean, literally, Daughter of the Voice. The rabbinical meaning of the words is, The Divine Voice. According to this concept God whispered all the rabbinic traditions (interpretations) to Moses at the same time He gave Moses the Torah. Moses wrote the Torah down, but passed on the interpretations orally. These oral traditions were passed on from generation to generations through the rabbis until around 132-200 A.D. when they were produced in written form in the Mishnah, the Haggadah, the Halakah, and the Talmud (300-400 A.D.).

It is not difficult to understand now why the Pharisee was astonished (Gr. Ethaumasen, shocked) to see that Jesus did not first wash before He ate. The Pharisee considered Jesus-' action a violation of The Divine Voice. It is interesting that this Pharisee, living in Judea the hotbed of Pharisaic legalism, would invite Jesus to dine with him considering the attitudes of the Pharisees toward Jesus:

They considered Jesus-' claim to forgive sins blasphemy (Matthew 9:3 ff.; Mark 6:2 ff.; Luke 5:21)

They rankled at His social associations with publicans and sinners (Matthew 9:11; Mark 2:16; Luke 5:30; Luke 15:1)

They accused His disciples of non-observance of required feasts (Luke 5:33).

They tried to prove Jesus was in league with Satan (Matthew 9:34; Matthew 11:19; Matthew 12:24 ff.; Mark 3:22; Luke 11:14).

They attacked Him for violating Sabbath traditions (Matthew 12:2; Matthew 12:10; Mark 2:23; Mark 3:2; Luke 6:5-7; Luke 13:14 ff.; John 5:10-18; John 9:13).

They compromised their convictions to join with the Herodians to kill Jesus (Mark 3:6).

They also joined with the hated Sadducees to trap Him (Matthew 15:1; Matthew 22:1 ff.), and kill Him (Matthew 27:62; John 18:3).

They accused Him of planning to destroy the Temple (John 2:19; Matthew 26:59-61; Matthew 27:39-40).

They accused Him of being a deceiver (John 7:12; Matthew 27:62 ff.).

They ridiculed Him (John 7:48) and tried to slander Him by calling Him a Samaritan (John 8:48) and demon possessed.

They charged Him with sedition against the Roman empire (Luke 23:1-2).

They mocked Him in His death on the cross (Matthew 27:41 ff.).

Evidently the Pharisee said something to Jesus about violation of rabbinic tradition for Jesus replied with a lengthy and scathing rebuke of Pharisaic hypocrisy. What He said here, Jesus repeated about a year later in greater detail in the midst of His last week on earth (Matthew 23:1 ff.).

The Lord's first admonition to the Pharisees is that they clean up the inner man. They were very orthodox on the outside. They kept all the ceremonies and rituals. They attended all the feasts and fasts without fail. They appeared to be very pious. But inwardly they were full of extortion and wickedness. They even made religious traditions by which they could circumvent moral and financial responsibility to their aged parents (Matthew 15:3-6) and all the while appear to be very pious by declaring their money Corban (devoted to God). But God looks on the heart and not on the outward appearance. No man can fool GodHe looks at motives. Alms-giving is an abomination before God if it is done with a resentful or unwilling heart. The Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 6:1-18) plainly teaches that why we do any religious deed is more important than the deed itself! Doing one's piety before men, to be seen of them, indicates an unclean heart, no matter how right the deed may be, If the Pharisees would clean up their hearts and give those to the world, they would be giving the kind of alms God wants the world to have. More than coins given out of self-righteous, and resentful hypocrisy, the world needs love, purity, truth and kindness. While love can only be expressed by giving, and giving material things to the poor can come from a pure heart (James 1:27; James 2:14-17; 1 John 3:16-18), giving alms does not necessarily equal piety. It is only when the heart is right with God that everything then becomes clean (cf. Matthew 15:10-11; Mark 7:14-23; 1 Timothy 4:1-5).

Jesus next points out the Pharisaic tendency to major in minors. The Pharisees meticulously counted every dill seed, setting aside every tenth one, to insure legal correctness. The Talmud even suggests that the pious Jew ought to cut up every dill-plant stalk into ten parts and give one-tenth to the Temple. While they were unimpeachably precise in these outward regulations and spent most of their time trying to make others so, they were unconcerned about fairness, the rights of others and love of God. Jesus called these latter things the weightier matters of the law in Matthew 23:23. Jesus does not say they should quit tithing to the Lord as the Law of Moses required, but He insists that scrupulosity in setting aside every tenth dill seed is not the essence of God's law. The real purpose behind every Law, even of the tithe, is grace, mercifulness and redemption for the soul of man. A man may be very accurate in religious ritual and doctrine but if he has no sensitivity to justice for his fellow man nor love for God he has a perverted sense of values and his orthodoxy is probably motivated by a hope in self-righteousness. Financial support for the work of God's kingdom must have the right motives (cf. 2 Corinthians 9:5-8).

Ego-tripping was another favorite endeavor of the Pharisees. They loved the best seat in the synagogues and salutations in the market places. The Greek word protokathedrian is a compound of proto (first or chief) and kathedra (throne or seat); kathedra is the word from which the English word cathedral comes. Kathedra is sometimes used in classical Greek to mean a teacher's seat, or a judge's seat. Jesus denounced them later for loving to be called rabbi (teacher or master) (cf. Matthew 23:7-8). This mania still persists in religious circles today where men not only love but insist on being called, Doctor, Pastor, Reverend, Father or some other title. Bigshotism corrupts! The inordinate self-seeking egotism that feeds on competitiveness is Pharisaic! The urge to constantly class or compare ourselves with some of those who commend themselves and measure ourselves by one another (2 Corinthians 10:12) leads to a complacent and destructive superiority. Beware of the intoxication of eruditionnever think you have learned all there is to know. Beware of flattering compliments (2 Peter 2:18; Jude 1:16)never seriously believe you are as great as others say you are! Bigshots are like graves; full of corruption themselves and dangerous to others who associate with them because people are fooled by their outward appearances. Hanging around self-proclaimed bigshots will corrupt you like the uncleanness the Jews incurred by walking over a grave.

Luke 11:45-54 Hate: There is an old adage which says, if you throw a stone at a pack of dogs the one that is hit will yelp. One of the lawyers (Gr. nomikois; also called grammateis or scribes) yelped! What Jesus had been saying about the hypocrisy of the Pharisees reproached the scribes or lawyers also. Lawyers and scribes were the data processors of the Jewish religion. They were closely associated with the Pharisees. Their origins go even farther back in the history of Judaism than that of the Phariseesback to pre-exilic days. They were the public recorders, governmental secretaries, legal experts, charged with passing on the rabbinical teachings in writing, They also taught and interpreted the traditions. All public education of the Jewish populace was in their control. They were charged with making civil judgments; they were members of the Sanhedrin, loved the title of rabbi, wore long robes, and sought public adoration. They were the most watchful and determined opponents of Jesus (cf. Mark 2:16; Luke 5:30; Luke 15:2).

Jesus-' first denouncement of the lawyers was that they were totally insensitive to other men's burdens. In fact, Jesus accused them of loading men with burdens hard to bear and then refusing to help at all in relieving the burdens. These burdens they placed on men were their unbiblical (and in some cases, antibiblical) traditions. Here are some of them:

A Jew was forbidden by scribal tradition from eating eggs on the Sabbath because the hen had to work to lay the egg and that breaks the Sabbath tradition.

It was forbidden to slaughter animals on the Sabbath unless it was a louse. (Conservative rabbis forbade even that while liberal ones allowed people to pull the legs off a louse on the Sabbath).

If a wheat-offering portion had been stored in a granary, no other wheat could be stored there unless the Jew swept the granary with a certain number of broom strokes.

It was questionable whether a Nazarite, with a vow to abstain from mashed food was permitted to eat an onion crushed accidentally.

Volume after volume of scribal traditions were forced upon the common people, until life was almost unbearably regimented and stifled. But Pharisees and scribes made sure they freed themselves of such burdens by adding traditions that only they were privy to:

The tradition of Corban (already mentioned, Luke 11:37-44).

The tradition of Fictitious Domicile where a scribe, if he had an important rabbinical journey to make could pretend he had a domicile every 7/8ths of a mile and travel that far, pretend to take up lodging for a few moments and then travel on another 7/8ths of a mile.

The tradition called Prosbol which was a document designed (much like Corban) to circumvent cancellation of debts.

The tradition about swearing by the altar vs. swearing by the gift on the altar (cf. Matthew 23:16-22).

This is the way the lawyers of Jesus-' day kept themselves aloof from the burdensome traditions they demanded of everyone else. Most societies, including our own, have an elite group of law-makers who burden the masses with an unbearable multitude of statutes while they find ways to keep themselves above the laws. Lawyers, judges, legislators and religious teachers should practice what they preach!

Next Jesus took occasion to expose the murderous hatefulness in the hearts of some of these lawyers. Outwardly the lawyers and scribes built fancy and ornate tombs for the old prophets (cf. Matthew 23:29-36), but inwardly they hated and wanted to murder The Prophet, Jesus. Outwardly they gave the impression they revered God's prophets, but in their open hatred of Jesus they showed a wicked heart that would have, like their forefathers, killed the prophets had they lived in that ancient generation. Outwardly they pretended to hold life sacred; inwardly they were the worst killers of all time for they killed the Son of God! The Wisdom of God (Luke 11:49) is apparently a Messianic title Jesus applies to Himself since in the passage in Matthew 23:34, the later, similar denouncement of the Pharisees, Jesus says, Therefore I send you prophets. Wisdom is personified in the book of Proverbs (Luke 8:1 ff.) which may be a Messianic prophecy in itself.

Because these lawyers wanted to (and did) succeed in murdering the innocent Son of God, they will be held responsible for all the murdering of God's prophets and messengers in the Old Testament. The blood of Abel was the first to be shed because of the truth of God (Genesis 4:10); the blood of Zechariah (2 Chronicles 24:22) was the last. But the death of The Prophet, The Messiah, will be the ultimate murder, the crowning act of all such hatred against God's sovereignty. Daniel, the prophet, predicted that near the end of the 490 years (70 weeks of years), which would begin with the restoration of the Jewish commonwealth, the Jewish people would fill the cup of their rebellion to the brim and cut off the Prince, (cf. Daniel 9:24-27; see comments in Daniel, by Butler, College Press, pgs. 344-353 and 363-366), (See also Matthew 23:32-36; 1 Thessalonians 2:15-16; Matthew 21:33-43; John 15:22-27; Acts 2:22-23; Acts 3:13-15; Acts 7:51-53; Acts 4:25-28). The killing of God's Son was the ultimate sin; it was what Daniel called, finish the transgression (Daniel 9:24). The murder of God's Son resulted in God's destruction of the Jewish commonwealth in 70 A.D. (cf. Luke 19:41-44; Matthew 22:1-10; 1 Thessalonians 2:16; Daniel 9:26-27).

Finally, Jesus accused the scribes and lawyers of taking away from men the key of knowledge. These lawyers pretended to be guardians and proclaimers of the knowledge of God, but in reality they were destroyers. Instead of teaching the people the will of God as God revealed it in the Old Testament, they cluttered and obscured and hid under a blanket of human traditions the real revelation of God. They opposed Christ and poisoned the minds of the people against Him in the very face of His miracles and goodness and purity. They threatened harm to anyone who made any effort to follow Jesus and learn of God from Him. Christ was the Word of God incarnate. He is the key to all wisdom (cf. Colossians 2:3; Colossians 2:17; John 14:6), He attempted to cut through the veneer of scribal tradition and teach the people the true revelation of God. That is why the lawyers opposed Him so vehemently. Deinos is a Greek adverb meaning terribly, fearfully, hatefully; enechein means, to hold in, to entangle, to entrap. These lawyers and Pharisees were consumed with their hatred and desire to entangle Jesus. They were going to try to apostomatizein (provoke or, literally, draw out of Jesus-' mouth) many things from Jesus and trap Him in some error. The phrase that they might accuse him in the KJV is not found in the best manuscripts (such as Sinaiticus, Vaticanus, Codex Regius Parisiensis, the Syriac Curetonian, the Boharic), but that is what is certainly inferred. They certainly were not lying in wait to learn some truth from Jesus they could put to practice in their lives. They kept badgering Him like vicious dogs barking at their prey hoping to catch Him off-guard so they could rush in for the kill.

Jesus met every hostile attack and subtle deception with truth and devastating logic. He did not do it to wound His attackers and destroy any hope of their salvationHe did it to arrest their self-destroying plunges into vicious falsehood and hatred. Some went wilfully on in their hatred, intensifying their efforts to kill Him; others undoubtedly were rescued. There were a few Pharisees and influential Jewish leaders who did become disciples (e.g. Nicodemus, Joseph of Arimathea, and others). The world is still filled with Pharisees and lawyers, pretending to love God but all the while studying His word only to try to destroy it.

STUDY STIMULATORS:

What do you think about formal prayers? Should people read prayers from manuscripts? Did Jesus advocate a certain form of prayer? Is it all right to repeat the Lord's Prayer in unison?

Can we get God to change His mind by praying long enough for the same thing? If not, why did Jesus talk about the friend at midnight who was heard for his persistence?

Is the Holy Spirit given when all one does is pray? When was the Holy Spirit given to men?

Do you think Christians should try to be logical in their presentation of the Gospel? Didn-'t the apostle Paul go into Jewish synagogues and reason with Jews from the scriptures about the Christ?

When was the devil bound?

Is the whole world of mankind actually divided into only two segmentssaved and lost? Who are the saved? Who are the lost?

How did the Jews let seven demons worse than the first inhabit their swept-clean house? Is their plight a possibility for believers today?

Why did the woman think the mother of Jesus was so blessed? What do you think of Jesus-' answer?

When is it wrong to ask the Lord for signs? Is it ever right? Are religious people today wrong in clamoring for miraculous signs?

10.

From the study of Jesus-' exposure of the Pharisees and lawyers, do you see any parallels of hypocrisy in the modern church?

BLESSING OF BEING SEALED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT

(Ephesians 1:13-14)

By Paul T. ButlerOBC Chapel, 10-23-73
INTRODUCTION

CONTEXTUALLY

These two verses combine to form one of the great spiritual blessings God has blessed us with in Christ.

Paul lays two huge sentences on the Ephesian church in chapter one.

The first sentence Luke 1:3-14 is a catalog of all the ways in which God has blessed Christians in Christ.

The second sentence Luke 1:15-23 is Paul's prayer that these Christians may know (understand and experience) those blessings.

Paul did not place all this breathtaking stress upon spiritual blessings without reason.

Spiritual blessings are not contingent upon favorable physical circumstances and are available to all believers alike.

Spiritual blessings thus have to do with the abiding realities, not the temporary trappings of the flesh.

Spiritual blessings supply man's most desperate needto be remade into the person God intended him to bethis will be the thrust of these two verses.

II.

EXEGETICALLY

Reading these two verses in the Greek text is an interesting experience.

Literally it would read something like this:

In Him also, you, the ones having heard the word, that one of the truth, the gospel of your salvation, in Him also, you, the ones having believed, were sealed (passive) with Spirit, the promised one, the holy one, who is the down-payment of our inheritance until the redemption which will give complete possession unto the praise of His glory.

The Berkeley Version is also interesting here;

In Him you also, after listening to the message of the truth, the Gospel of our salvation, have as believers in Him been stamp marked with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the pledge-deposit of our legacy for the releasing of our deed of purchase, and all to the praise of His glory.

III.

ETYMOLOGICALLY

Seal - literal sense: A device bearing a design, a name or some other words so made that it can impart an impression in relief upon a soft substance like clay or wax. When the clay or wax hardens, it permanently bears the impression of the seal.

Archaeologists find them being used 4000 B.C.

Originally they took the form of a cylinder, gradually superseded by the scarab (beetle-shaped)

Some carried on cords around neck like necklace; some cone-shaped in boxes; most in form of finger-rings

Seal - uses:

As an authentication

As a mark of ratification of a covenant

As a means of protecting documents to seal against tampering

As a deputation of authority

As an official mark of ownership

IV.

APPLICABILITY - Three areas of blessing for the Christian in having been sealed with the promised Holy Spirit.

He Etches the Image of God and His Son Upon our Being

He Gives Us the Earnest-Payment of Our Inheritance

He Empowers Us As Emissaries of our Great God

DISCUSSION

ETCHES THE IMAGE OF GOD UPON OUR BEING

Authenticates our genuineness as belonging to Him

The Spirit himself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are children of God.. (Romans 8:16).

Does not say that the Holy Spirit bears witness to our spirit but with our spiritsummarturei; the Holy Spirit bears witnessand our own spirit bears witness.

If my spirit says I am a child of God, and the testimony of the Holy Spirit shows that I am not a child of God, then I am not a child no matter what my spirit says. The two witnesses must agree. My spirit must agree with the testimony of the Holy Spirit.

This co-witness of the Spirit of God with our spirit, whereby we are assured that we are children of God, is a very important and blessed reality. BUT IT HAS BEEN SO OFTEN MISUNDERSTOOD AND MISINTERPRETED.

How does the Spirit bear witness with our spirit? A still small voice? A feeling? emotion? impulse? The Bible nowhere affirms such leadings! All people and religious denominations who claim such subjective witness of the Holy Spirit not only contradict one anotherthey contradict the Bible. The Bible claims to be the witness of the Spirit. The Spirit of God does not contradict Himself.

Since there are no inspired men living todayand those who claim to be such contradict the word of God in what is His witness about who are the children of Godthe only witness which we have of the Spirit to us is found in His written Word. No one knows the Spirit's will on any subject unless he has learned it from the written Word. Anything that claims to be the Holy Spirit's teaching must not contradict this!

The Spirit of God lays down the terms by which we become a child of God, and when we believe and obey these terms then both the Holy Spirit and our own spirits testify that we are the sons of God.

WHAT A BLESSING TO HAVE SUCH A SEAL PUT UPON OUR MINDS AND HEARTS.. WE DON-'T HAVE TO DEPEND UPON FICKLE AND VACILLATING EMOTIONS AND FEELINGS. NOR UPON THE WHIMS AND OPINIONS OF MEN. OUR SALVATION IS AUTHENTICATED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT HIMSELF IN HIS UNCHANGING, ONCE-FOR-ALL WORD. NO GUESSING, NO ANXIETY.

These things have I written unto you, that ye may know that ye have eternal life, even unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God (1 John 5:13). THIS IS THE EMPHATIC WORD OF JOHN'S WRITINGS.. THAT YE MAY KNOW..

Glorifies (The Holy Spirit transfers some of the glory of God to our nature.)

But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord the Spirit (2 Corinthians 3:18).

Alexander Campbell said it this way in his Christian System, The word of redemption is a system of works, or deeds, on the part of God, which constitutes the most splendid series of moral facts men or angel ever saw.. When these facts are understood or brought into immediate contact with the mind of man, as a moral seal, they delineate the image of God upon the human soul. All the means of grace are, therefore, only the means of impressing this seal upon the heart, of bringing these moral facts to make their full impression on the soul of man. The testimony of the Holy Spirit through the apostles and the faith of those who believe and obey this testimony are the channel through which these facts, or the hand of God, draws the image on the heart and character of man. He went on to say. all the moral facts which can form moral character after the divine model, or which can effect a moral or religious change in man, are found in the testimony of God.

What is this image of God. this glory of God which is impressed or sealed upon our being? The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness and self-control.

I submit these as characteristics of God which we can enjoy as blessings if we will allow the Holy Spirit to impress them upon our natures: honesty; goodness; creativeness; humor; appreciativeness; enjoyment; giving-ness.

Carol King has a phrase in her song, Way Over Yonder, And the sweet-tasting good life is so easily found. way over yonder, that's where I-'m bound. Let's appropriate that here. THE SWEET-TASTING GOOD LIFE OF GOD IS SO EASILY FOUND.. IF WE JUST LET THE SPIRIT ETCH IT UPON OUR BEING BY KNOWING AND DOING WHERE THE SPIRIT LEADS IN THE SPIRIT'S WORD.

You see, this is the work of the Spirit. God the Father is the creative source of blessing; the Son is the revealer of the possibility of such blessedness and obtainer of it in the flesh; the Holy Spirit is the agent by which this blessing may be impressed or sealed upon the nature of man!

HOW MIND STAGGERING! GOD CREATES THE BLESSING, THE SON WINS IT FOR US, THE HOLY SPIRIT TRANSFERS AND SEALS IT UPON THOSE WHO WILL ACCEPT IT BY FAITH!

Secures and protects us against being defrauded by the thief of souls.

When we are sealed by the Holy Spirit we can live confidently that there is no power in this world or the other capable of robbing us of our souls, our life, our being.

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me; and I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish, and no one shall snatch them out of my hand (John 10:27-28).

Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears my word and believes him who sent me, has eternal life; he does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life (John 5:24).

Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hid with Christ in God (Colossians 3:2-3).

Little children, you are of God, and have overcome them; for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world (1 John 4:4).

We know that any one born of God does not sin, but He who was born of God keeps him, and the evil one does not touch him (1 John 5:18).

The book of Revelation pictorializes a great host which no man can number sealed by Godprotected from the dragon and the beasts not able to be overcome by the great spiritual battle that rages between God and His enemies.

WHAT A TREMENDOUS BLESSING TO KNOW THAT WE HAVE HAD THE SEAL OF GOD PUT UPON US, NO MATTER THE WORLD WANTS TO ERADICATE US.. NO MATTER THAT IT MAY APPEAR AS IF THE FORCES OF UNGODLINESS WILL WIN THE STRUGGLE. GOD KNOWS WHO HIS ARE, HE HAS THEM MARKED AND SEALED, AND THEY ARE SECURE!

II.

HE GIVES US AN EARNEST OF OUR INHERITANCE

Holiness

What is the legacy left us by that Son of man who came to earth, born in a stable, who had not where to lay his head?

He brought us word from our Father that holiness is our legacy. The most needful, most enjoyable treasure God could will to us is holiness.

What is the deepest longing of the human soul? To be clean, to be good, to be pure, to be true, to be a beautiful-person.

This is what I want when I get to God. Bags full or banks full of gold and diamonds are not what my soul cries out for. Ivory palaces and mansions are not what I want for my eternal inheritance. I WANT, I NEED, I MUST HAVE HOLINESS!

I know that nothing good dwells within me, that is, in my flesh. I can will what is right but I cannot do it. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do.. Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?. There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 7:18 to Romans 8:1).

Now God has taken care of my problem. He has provided me a cleansing, a goodness, a purity, a freedom from guilt, a holiness by the death of His Son. And when He comes for us this is what our great inheritance shall bewe shall be like Him.

But when we are sealed by the Holy Spiritwhen His spirit bears witness with our spirit that we are a child of God, we have a down payment on this holiness already. WE CAN NOW ENJOY GOODNESS, FREEDOM FROM GUILT, PURITY, HOLINESSA TASTE OF WHAT THE FULL INHERITANCE WILL BE!

Rest

Another aspect of the legacy left to us is rest. Jesus came and said, Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28).

What makes work into labor? The frustration of seeing the fruits of one's work dissipatedthe agony of knowing that one has spent himself laboring in something whose fruits are only temporary and ultimately useless. THIS IS WHAT MAKES WORK INTO TIRING, FRUSTRATING, DEADENING LABOR!

If the results of our work could find completion or perfectionif we could have confirmed to us that our work was eternally useful and abiding, that it wouldn-'t just disappear with timewe could find perfect rest. REST IS NOT JUST THE ABSENCE OF WORK!

God has laid up for us an inheritance of rest. Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord henceforth, says the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them (Revelation 14:13).

But those sealed by the Holy Spirit may now have a down-payment, a taste of that rest. Paul wrote the Hebrew Christians and said, For we who are believing, are entering that rest. (Hebrews 4:3).

Jesus said, Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of man will give to you; for on him has God the Father set his seal (John 6:27).

Paul wrote the Corinthians, Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain (1 Corinthians 15:58).

Friend, if you-'re sealed by the Holy Spirit, you-'ll never get weary. Bone-tired and muscle-weak; yesbut soul-tired and spirit-weary, never!

Dominion

Man was made to have dominion. Then God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth (Genesis 1:26).

God has promised that one day His saints shall reign with His Christ forever and ever (Revelation 22:5, etc.).

But the blessing of being sealed by the Holy Spirit is that we may now enjoy a taste of that dominion.

The exciting second chapter of Hebrews asks, What is man that thou art mindful of him? and answers by showing that while man was created to have dominion, because of sin he does not now have it, but Christ came in flesh and blood and won back man's dominion for him. HE DEFEATED THE INVADER, SATAN!

Christ, if we believe and trust Him, has set us free from being dominated by circumstances, by earthly things, by ego, by fears, by falsehoods, by others, by even Satan. IN FACT, IN CHRIST, WE HAVE DOMINION OVER CIRCUMSTANCES, OVER THINGS, OVER EVERYTHING AND MAY ENJOY AND USE EVERYTHING TO GLORIFY GOD! Mind you, I did not say we can selfishly take anything we want and use it in a way to bring shame upon God.

Whatever circumstances God sees fit to give us here, whatever talents, whatever worldly things, whatever associations, WE ARE RULERS-OVER TO GLORIFY GOD AND REJOICE IN..

For all things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future, all are yours; and you are Christ'S; and Christ is God's (1 Corinthians 3:21-22).

... in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us (Romans 8:37).

ALL THINGS ARE YOURSMORE THAN CONQUERORS! What blessednesswhat happinesswhat glory. Friend, if you-'ve been sealed with the imprint of God's Holy Spirit, you have been certified and authorized to be a joint heir with His Son, and to have dominion with Him.

III.

EMPOWERS US AS EMISSARIES OF OUR GREAT GOD

Certifies us as authentic representatives of Almighty God

When the Spirit of the Holy God is etched upon our hearts. when we are sealed with the Spirit of Christ. it is an announcement to the world that we are on business for the King.

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another (John 13:34-35).

J. B. Phillips on 2 Corinthians 3:3 You are an open letter (epistle) about Christ which we ourselves have written, not with pen and ink but with the Spirit of the living God. Our message has been engraved not in stone, but in living men and women.

Many false prophets have gone out into the world (1 John 4:1-6). The world desperately needs some authenticating mark upon the true prophets. That mark is the seal of the Holy Spirit, one who preaches the true apostolic message and one who lives the true apostolic message.

If you abide in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine (John 8:31). IF YOU ARE SEALED BY HIS SPIRIT THROUGH HIS WORD, THEN YOU ARE A CERTIFIED DISCIPLE OF HIS, AND THE WHOLE WORLD WILL KNOW.. YOU WILL BE HAPPY AND BLESSED AND SO WILL OTHERS!

Certifies the authority of our message

When the image of God is stamped upon us by the Holy Spirit, we will proclaim and live the truth and the power of His truth preached and lived will be vindicated in the world.

The work of the Holy Spirit is to convince the world of sin, righteousness and the judgment. The only agency by which the Spirit works in doing this is the written, preached and lived Word of God.

But in the midst of all the failures and inadequacies of men's philosophical, political and ethical systems, THOSE SEALED BY THE SPIRIT ARE CONDUCTORS OF THE GREATEST POWER IN THE UNIVERSE.

The power to convert men and change their eternal destinies is more awesome than the power to create this universe!

His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, that through these you may escape from the corruption that is in the world because of passion, and become partakers of the divine nature (2 Peter 1:3-4).

For though we live in the world we are not carrying on a worldly war, for the weapons of our warfare are not worldly but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every proud obstacle to the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ. (2 Corinthians 10:3-5).

WHAT A BLESSING TO KNOW THAT WE ARE SEALED BY HIS SPIRIT TO BECOME CHANNELS THROUGH WHICH THE AWESOME POWER OF HIS WORD WORKS.. AND IT SHALL NEVER RETURN UNTO HIM VOID!

Certifies the power of His divine providence on our behalf

When the nature of God is etched upon our minds through the Holy Spirit's agent, the Word of God, we know God as our beneficent, loving, acting, Father who is ready to use all His creation on our behalf.

We know that God works everything for good for those who love him, and are called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28).

Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us. (Ephesians 3:20).

For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. (2 Corinthians 4:17).

Even angels are ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation (Hebrews 1:14).

The Old Testament gives us a vivid account of God's providential power being used for those with His mark upon them. Ezekiel chapter 9 pictures God's faithful ones being marked with His seal upon them. Then the book of Daniel shows God using kings, kingdoms, circumstances and creation to provide exactly and abundantly what those marked by Him must have to fulfill His purpose in their lives.

He is the same God today to those with His seal upon them. THE BOOK OF REVELATION IS HIS MESSAGE THAT HE IS EVEN NOW USING KINGS AND KINGDOMS, CIRCUMSTANCES AND CREATION TO SERVE HIS SEALED ONES! WHAT POWER AND WHAT POWERS ARE OURS!

CONCLUSION

SO THE BLESSING OF BEING SEALED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT

Etches the Image of God Upon Our Being

Gives Us the Earnest-Payment of Our Inheritance

Empowers Us as Emissaries of our Great God

II.

A WARNING

You are either sealed by the Holy Spirit or marked with the mark of the beast.

The great division of mankind in the book of Revelation is between only two kinds of humanity. those with the mark of God upon their foreheads, and those with the mark of the beast.

Satan puts his mark upon all those not sealed by the Holy Spirit.

Jesus told the Jews in John 8:1-59 who wanted to kill Him because He told them the truth, You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires.

The seal or mark of Satan is the mark of the beast in Revelation and is given to those who worship the beast, political and military power; those who worship the false prophet, false religion and doctrine; those who worship the harlot, worldliness, carnal-mindedness.

Satan can even counterfeit the seal of the Holy Spirit

The beast and the false prophet are able to work signs (false signs) that will deceive men and women if they do not know what the true sealing of the Holy Spirit is.

Satan is able to change himself into an angel of light to deceive the ignorant.

He will try to deceive us into thinking that the immature, temporary miracles of the Holy Spirit are the seal of God.

He will try to deceive us into thinking that Pharisaic attitudes toward works and self-righteousness are the seal of God.

III.

BUT WHAT IS THE SEAL?

How do we know we are sealed by the Holy Spirit?

How do we know others are sealed by the Holy Spirit?

As we said at the beginning, When the Holy Spirit bears witness with our spirits

But what does the Holy Spirit witness?

Very simply, He bears witness in His Word that those Believing, Repenting and Obeying God are sealed by God as His B.R.O.

IV.

NOW WILL YOU JOIN ME IN THIS SONG AS A PRAYER TO GOD FOR HIS SEALING

O to be like Thee! blessed Redeemer:
This is my constant longing and prayer;
Gladly I-'ll forfeit all of earth's treasures,
Jesus, Thy perfect likeness to wear.
O to be like Thee! O to be like Thee!
Blessed Redeemer, pure as Thou art;
Come in Thy sweetness, come in Thy fullness;
Stamp Thine own image deep on my heart.

Applebury's Comments

Christ Criticized by Pharisees and Lawyers
Scripture

Luke 11:37-54 Now as he spake, a Pharisee asketh him to dine with him: and he went in, and sat down to meat. 38 And when the Pharisee saw it, he marvelled that he had not first bathed himself before dinner. 39 And the Lord said unto him, Now ye the Pharisees cleanse the outside of the cup and of the platter; but your inward part is full of extortion and wickedness, 40 Ye foolish ones, did not he that made the outside make the inside also? 41 But give for alms those things which are within; and behold, all things are clean unto you.

42 But woe unto you Pharisees! for ye tithe mint and rue and every herb, and pass over justice and the love of God: but these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. 43 Woe unto you Pharisees! for ye love the chief seats in the synagogues, and the salutations in the marketplaces. 44 Woe unto you! for ye are as the tombs which appear not, and the men that walk over them know it not.
45 And one of the lawyers answering saith unto him, Teacher, in saying this thou reproachest us also. 46 And he said, Woe unto you lawyers also! for ye load men with burdens grievous to be borne, and ye yourselves touch not the burdens with one of your fingers. 47 Woe unto you! for ye build the tombs of the prophets, and your fathers killed them. 48 So ye are witnesses and consent unto the works of your fathers: for they killed them, and ye build their tombs. 49 Therefore also said the wisdom of God, I will send unto them prophets and apostles; and some of them they shall kill and persecute; 50 that the blood of all the prophets, which was shed from the foundation of the world, may be required of this generation; 51 from the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zachariah, who perished between the altar and the sanctuary: yea, I say unto you, it shall be required of this generation. 52 Woe unto you lawyers! for ye took away the key of knowledge: ye entered not in yourselves, and them that were entering in ye hindered.
53 And when he was come out from thence, the scribes and the Pharisees began to press upon him vehemently, and to provoke him to speak of many things; 54 laying wait for him, to catch something out of his mouth.

Comments

a Pharisee asketh him to dine with him.This was not the earliest meal of the day nor the latest. Luke makes a difference between the two in Luke 14:12. The Pharisee had probably invited Jesus to have lunch with him. Why did they continue to invite Him to their homes, since they used the occasions to criticize Him?

had not first bathed himself.See Mark 7:3-4 for the customs of the Jews. Jesus did not observe this ceremonial washing. He was criticized for His failure to conform. The Pharisees also criticized His disciples for the same thing (Matthew 15:1-20). In neither case was it a matter of sanitation. The Jews were offended because He did not observe their traditions. He condemned them because they made God's word void by their traditions.

And the Lord said unto him.He had an answer for their criticism. He said that the Pharisees were more interested in outer cleanliness than in inward purity. He left no chance for them to misunderstand; He was talking about their impure hearts. He was aware of their motives in inviting Him to dine with them. He knew that they were full of extortion and wickedness. His judgment was severe. He said, You foolish ones, don-'t you know that he that made the outside of the cup made the inside also? They were not using good sense. It was just as important to keep the inside clean as the outside. This was a blow against their hypocritical display of righteousness.

But give for alms those things which are within.When you give something to help the poor, give what is within and all things are clean unto you. This was His answer to the issue of cleanliness. What He was giving was out of a pure heart. His motives were pure in helping such as the man with the dumb demon. If they had invited Him from a pure motive, they would not have been critical about ceremonial cleanliness. But their purpose was to condemn; it came out of an inward part that was full of extortion and wickedness.

But woe unto you Pharisees.The three woes condemn the Pharisees for (1) abuses in the matter of tithing, (2) pride expressed in the desire to have the chief seats in the synagogue, and (3) their contaminating influence over the people.

They were careful to give a tithe of those things that were relatively insignificant, but passed over such matters as justice and love of God. They loved the exalted places in the synagogues and the salutations in the market places that showed their power over the people. But the worst criticism was the last, for they were like tombs that men walk over without realizing that the tombs were there. But they were ceremonially contaminated even though they were unaware of it. They had come in contact with death, and were unclean. In the same way, they were being contaminated by the Pharisees without realizing what was happening to them.

And one of the lawyers.Teacher, when you say this about the Pharisees, you are condemning us too. Jesus didn-'t hesitate to accept the challenge; He pronounced three woes on the lawyers also. They were loading burdens on men that were hard to bear, but refused to touch them with a finger. See also Matthew 23:4. They were building the tombs of the prophets. This is slightly different from the charge against the Pharisees whom He likened to hidden tombs. The lawyers were building the tombs of the prophets ostensibly in their honor, but they were joining with the Pharisees who were seeking a cause to kill The Prophet. Their hypocritical display simply proved that they were true children of those who had been guilty of murdering the prophets of God. The responsibility for shedding innocent blood, from Abel to Zachariah, was to fall on that generation which was soon to crucify the Son of God.

for ye took away the key of knowledge.They had taken away the key to salvation which is the knowledge of the Scriptures. They had done it by their traditions, teachings, and practices. They had not entered the door of salvation that God had opened for His people, and they were hindering others who wanted to do so.

the scribes and Pharisees began to press upon him vehemently.They were waiting for the opportunity to condemn Him. Their anger had been aroused by the rebuke He had administered. They were waiting to get even. Their provocative attack was designed to cause Him to say something that would give them cause to condemn Him.

Summary

The lessons which Jesus taught stimulated His disciples and the crowds to ask questions. The disciples wanted Him to teach them how to pray. He answered with an example, an illustration, and some additional explanatory remarks. The Lord's Prayer showed them how to use the elements of prayer; the story of the Friend at Midnight showed them the right approach to make; the remarks that followed showed that prayer is like the requests of a son for his father to give him the things he needs.
Not everyone was interested in learning from the Teacher; many only watched for an opportunity to criticize Him. The miracle of casting out the dumb demon caused some to say that He had performed it by the power of Beelzebub. But others ignored it and demanded a sign from heaven.
Jesus answered their false charge by a three-fold argument: (1) the divided kingdom, (2) the work of Jewish exorcists, and (3) the story of the strong man. His devastating rebuttal led to the verdict: He that is not with me is against me, and he that gathereth not with me scattereth. Indeed, they were like the empty house occupied by a demon and seven others worse than himself; their last state would be worse than the first. Rejecting Him would lead to their destruction.
Their demand for a sign was to be answered in the sign of Jonah. The resurrection would establish His claims, for by it He was to be designated the Son of God.
A Pharisee had invited Him to have lunch with him. Jesus did not observe the ceremonies of these self-appointed leaders. He answered their criticism by showing the need for purity within, something they so evidently lacked.
The lawyers who were present took up the debate and accused Him of condemning them also. Jesus answered with a list of hypocritical practices of which they were guilty. By their example and by their teaching, they had taken away the knowledge of God's Word which is the key to salvation.
As He left the Pharisees house, the scribes and Pharisees continued to harass Him, hoping to find some excuse to condemn Him.

Questions

What led the disciples to ask Jesus to teach them to pray?

How did He teach them?

Where else may we find information on this important subject?

What is known about the prayer life of John the Baptist?

What may we learn from the contrast between the prayers of the prophets of Baal and the prayer of Elijah?

What are some of the things Jesus taught the disciples to say when they prayed?

Why pray for forgiveness?

What is the point of the parable of the Friend at Midnight?

Why did Jesus say, Ask, seek, knock?

10.

What does the reference to a son's requests to his father teach about prayer?

11.

What part does the Holy Spirit have in answering prayer?

12.

Why did some charge that Jesus was casting out demons by Beelzebub?

13.

What were the three answers Jesus gave to this false charge? What is meant by each of them?

14.

Why did He say, He that is not with me is against me?

15.

What is the lesson of the unclean spirit?

16.

Why did the woman from the crowd speak words of praise about His mother?

17.

Why did Jesus answer her by speaking about those who hear the word of God?

18.

What kind of a sign were some seeking?

19.

What is meant by the sign of Jonah?

20.

Why is the resurrection of vital importance to us?

21.

What did Jesus mean by saying that something greater than Solomon is here?

22.

How does the parable of the Lamp explain Jesus-' answer to their request for signs?

23.

Why did the Pharisee invite Jesus to dine with him?

24.

Why did he criticize Jesus?

25.

How did Jesus meet the criticism?

26.

What did He mean by giving those things for alms that are within?

27.

On what issues did He condemn the Pharisees?

28.

What was the reaction of the lawyers to His criticism of the Pharisees?

29.

What did He say to the lawyers?

30.

What was the key of knowledge?

31.

How had they taken it away?

32.

What did the Pharisees and scribes do as Jesus left the house?

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Luke 11:37-54

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