An Exposition

Luke 18:27-34: “Whom Do You Serve? Part 2”

“But He said, ‘The things impossible with men are possible with God.’ And Peter said, ‘Behold, we have left our own homes, and followed You.’ And He said to them, ‘Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or wife or brothers or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God, who shall not receive many times as much at this time and in the age to come, eternal life.”

“And He took the Twelve aside and said to them, ‘Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and all things which are written through the prophets about the Son of Man will be accomplished. For He will be delivered to the Gentiles, and will be mocked and mistreated and spit upon, and after they have scourged Him, they will kill Him, and the third day He will rise again. And they understood none of these things, and this saying was hidden from them, and they did not comprehend the things that were said” (Luke 18:27-34, NASB).

Jesus and the apostles have watched the young ruler, having been confronted with his self-centered attempts to justify himself before the LORD. He has walked away from the potential gift of not just authentic peace with God, but an opportunity to witness and proclaim the truth and mission of the Lord Jesus for the remainder of his days. However, by walking away, he has now become the sorrowful and miserable example of wasted potential and probable loss of his soul, all because he would not tear down the idol that his wealth had become and give all to Jesus, who did not go after him to have a further discussion about the issue.

This young man was not ready in any way to surrender anything nor himself to Jesus’ call and would end up as a waste of time and effort to do otherwise. The lesson here is that sometimes you need to let the issue drop when talking to someone about Jesus and they do not want to listen or submit to His terms. We need to walk away and focus on the next phase of our own walk with the LORD. They are without excuse.

Jesus says that salvation and attempts on our part to redeem ourselves, no matter how noble the attempt might be, can never be accomplished in our sinful, reprehensible state. The fact that most of humanity tries to settle the issue of religious contentment without the need for God’s intervention shows that we are His enemies and foes, fighting against His terms He has put into place by the sacrificial work of Jesus Christ on the cross and surrendering our lives and all we have to His Sovereign Lordship, trusting Him to cleanse us from our wicked nature.

If we think that some kind of “religious path” apart from a real relationship with God is possible, all we need to do is look at the apostle Paul and his life before Jesus met him on the Damascus Road (Acts 9:1-6). He was religious, seeing the newly formed believers in Jesus as a blasphemous threat against the sanctity of God and needed to be eradicated quickly. He had all the drive, hatred, and rage towards Jesus Christ and His followers that a member of ISIS would have against anyone who did not bow to their fanaticism and bloody rampage today. After his encounter with the risen Christ, this proud, arrogant fanatic became the great lion of God who would spread the gospel throughout the Roman Empire for the rest of his life, writing most of what would become the New Testament.

Paul, and the apostles who followed Jesus willingly and without question at this time, gave up everything they had considered of worth and value, along with the lives they had in order to take up Jesus’ call to follow Him. So far, all had gone well in this journey, but troubles were starting to come up to the surface as the religious officials, their followers, and many in the court of Herod and his toadies began to see Jesus as a troublemaker, insurrectionist, a viable threat to their established corrupt practices and beliefs, and a blasphemer worthy of death. This did not go unnoticed, and Peter said that they had given up their lives in order to follow Him.

This statement uncovered a concern that had gone unmentioned up to now, and that was whether it was worth the effort and trouble to stay with Him and wonder if they would get anything out of it in the end. It shows that the apostles were not blindly following some self-delusional sage as if he were the head of a cult demanding total obedience without question or discussion. These men were not a bunch of backwater bumpkins susceptible to anything that sounded like a fantasy or dreamland.

The apostles were real, rugged, hard-working, rough, ordinary men with a range of feelings, beliefs, ideas, opinions, and doubts. Scripture tells us that (Matthew 28:16-17; John 20:19-29), and I am glad it is recorded for us. Put yourself in their situation. These men are all devout Jews, growing up being taught and believing that the LORD is God, the LORD is One (Duet.6:1-9), and had been in the synagogue every Sabbath hearing the rabbis read the Scriptures, hearing about the history of their land, their relationship with God, the promise of a Messiah and what He would do for Israel, and learning the details of living a life pleasing to God.

Along comes a thirty-year-old master carpenter from a little town off the beaten path with a bad reputation (John 1:46), the son of a poor carpenter and a mother who has had to endure the rumors that the first son she had was illegitimate.  This carpenter’s son has now turned over the family business to His brothers who did not believe what He was saying or teaching about Himself, thinking that He had lost His mind (Matt. 13:55-56; Mark 3:21; John 7:5). He is now making the claim that He is the fulfillment of the messianic Scriptures by performing undeniable miracles, is seen as an extraordinary teacher, and is casting out demons who scream that He is the Holy One of God.

He has now called a select group of seemingly irrelevant, ordinary bunch including fishermen, a former terrorist, a former tax collector, a student of the Scriptures, a skeptic, two hotheaded brothers who had the tendency to want anyone who challenged them to be destroyed by fire from heaven, and a zealot for the faith who ended up as the group’s treasurer and seemed to be on the level. These devout Jews, adhering to the belief of one God are now following, with some concern, a Man who claims to be the One who was written about by the prophets of Israel.

Scripture also tells us that His followers were egotistical, arrogant, slow to catch on to a teaching, continually trying to be His favorite, were often confused about a teaching, were prejudiced against other nationalities, and when Jesus needed them most, they all ran away like scared rabbits and hid in fear from the authorities while He was undergoing insufferable agony and death. They were not the ones to first see Jesus resurrected either but questioned the very sanity of one of his devoted followers who happened to be a woman when she proclaimed that she had seen Him and talked with Him.

Women in that day were considered unreliable in terms of providing eyewitness testimony of a crime or incident in a court of law as well as seen as second-class citizens. This one fact of Jewish society is a legitimate proof of the authenticity of the gospel accounts. This was an embarrassing detail that would have been left out or rewritten if the men had been the first to see the resurrected Jesus.

Each one of these men, save for Judas who had killed himself and was a fraud overall, spent the remainder of their lives testifying to the reality, mission, and saving grace of Jesus Christ at the cost of their lives, save for the apostle John who was the only one to die a natural death of old age (96 A.D.).

Each apostle died in ways that we cannot comprehend such as being skinned alive, killed with arrows, spears, crucifixion, hanged, killed by stoning, sawn in half, beheaded, and possibly one being boiled in oil. All these men had to do to keep from being killed was to deny Christ, or to confess that the whole thing had been made up, or to turn on other believers and be set free. None did, and a line of men, women, and children have carried on the story of Jesus Christ, lying in unknown graves, at the bottom of the seas, torn apart by wild animals and their remains burned, tortured to death, or working selflessly for the glory of God and passed away in an obscure part of the world, known only to Him.

There have been scores of tyrants, emperors, popes, sultans, kings, and dictators who wanted to boast that they had rid the world of the name and memory of Jesus Christ. He is remembered and exalted to this day, and his enemies are in the grave awaiting judgment. Too much blood has been spilt for all of this to be a fabrication or misguided zealotry in history or for the sake of the preservation of the Scriptures throughout the centuries. He is worth it, and He is worthy to be praised. His mission was accomplished, and He is LORD. What do you say?

donaldwhitchard@gmail.com

www.donaldwhitchard.com

1 Peter 1:16 “Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.”

Quest – a long or arduous search for something.

While singing a song about Jesus Christ at church this past Sunday, I could hear a little boy ‘gasp’ behind me while telling his Grandma, “Jesus Christ… that is a bad word!” His Grandma, sounding bewildered, says to him, “Jesus Christ is not a bad word… no… that is not a bad word,” then resumed singing. I could not help but think that this little boy must have heard the Lord’s Name being used in a ‘flippant way’ somewhere, and someone must have subsequently said that it was a ‘bad word’ or that they possibly meant it was used in such a way, and this boy obviously did not understand.

Apparently, they did not take the time to ‘fully explain’ to him that our Lord’s Name is Very Holy, and to use it in a ‘flippant or disrespectful way’ is partaking in the sin of ‘Taking His Name in Vain.’ Further, they should have explained that we are to revere our Lord Jesus Christ’s Name by using it in a ‘reverential and respectful’ manner in all our ways (word, thought, conduct, and deed) and at all times!

All children and ‘uninformed adults,’ for that matter, should be taught about this very important issue concerning our Lord God and His Holy Name!

Back in 2015, while interpreting at a big city church, there was a pastor whose mother came up to the front to pray over their plans to sell their current building and buy another. Unfortunately, that was the first time I heard an older woman in the church irreverently address God as if she was ‘scolding’ Him with the kind of authority as if He was her son!  Instead of respectfully ‘asking’ God for these requests and trusting in Him for the outcome, she stood there loudly, rudely, and defiantly ‘commanding’ Him to answer and provide their wishes! On our way home that day, I wondered if I was not the only one who was aghast at this woman’s lack of ‘reverence and respect’ to our Thrice Holy God!

2 Corinthians 13:14 “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen.”

Question: “What does it mean to take the Lord’s name in vain?”

Answer: Although many people believe taking the Lord’s name in vain refers to using the Lord’s name as a swear word, there is much more involved with a vain use of God’s name. To understand the severity of taking the Lord’s name in vain, we must first see the Lord’s name from His perspective as outlined in Scripture. The God of Israel was known by many names and titles, but the concept embodied in God’s name plays an important and unique role in the Bible. God’s nature and attributes, the totality of His being, and especially His glory are reflected in His name (Psalm 8:1). Psalm 111:9 tells us His name is “holy and awesome,” and the Lord’s prayer begins by addressing God with the phrase “hallowed be your name” (Matthew 6:9), an indication that a reverence for God and His name should be foremost in our prayers.

Because of the greatness of the name of God, any use of God’s name that brings dishonor on Him or on His character is taking His name in vain. The third of the Ten Commandments forbids taking or using the Lord’s name in an irreverent manner because that would indicate a lack of respect for God Himself. A person who misuses God’s name will not be held “guiltless” by the Lord (Exodus 20:7).

There is a larger sense in which people today take the Lord’s name in vain. Those who name the name of Christ, who pray in His name, and who take His name as part of their identity, but who deliberately and continually disobey His commands, are taking His name in vain. Jesus Christ has been given the name above all names, at which every knee shall bow (Philippians 2:9-10), and when we take the name “Christian” upon ourselves, we must do so with an understanding of all that signifies.

If we profess to be Christians, but act, think, and speak in a worldly or profane manner, we take His name in vain. When we misrepresent Christ, either intentionally or through ignorance of the Christian faith as proclaimed in Scripture, we take the Lord’s name in vain. When we say we love Him, but do not do what He commands (Luke 6:46), we take His name in vain and are possibly identifying ourselves to be among those to whom Christ will say, “I never knew you. Away from me” in the day of judgment (Matthew 7:21-23).

The name of the Lord is holy, as He is holy. The name of the Lord is a representation of His glory, His majesty, and His supreme deity. We are to esteem and honor His name as we revere and glorify God Himself. To do any less is to take His name in vain. – Source

So, the Never-Ending ‘Quest’ for Holiness Continues! This includes the ongoing search for an ‘Uncompromised Church,’ for there to be a separation from the ways of the World, the Occult, and Paganism, and for a True Body of Believers to be called our ‘Church Family.’

As stated in previous articles, I tend to listen to a lot of Ministry Channels on YouTube for most of my alone waking hours. Over the past 5 years, I have listened to ‘countless hours on end’ of various Ministries and have ‘learned and gleaned’ so much information from them!

Throughout that time, though, I have had to ‘weed out and narrow down’ who I could continue to listen to, due to finding out certain Doctrinal, Biblical, or Ethical Errors within these outfits. In these Last Days, it has become more difficult to find ‘True to the Word’ and Doctrinally Sound Ministers and Ministries. The only way to know for sure which one is ‘Biblically Sound’ or not is for one to know their Bible and to rely on the Holy Spirit for their Wisdom and Discernment.

Talk about Discernment, down the street from us, there is a ‘Non-Denominational’ Church with a pastor in his late 50s who currently sings in a ‘Christian Heavy Metal Rock Band.’ This is the same pastor I wrote about before who addresses the Devil while in prayer before every service on Sundays by saying, “Devil, you’re a liar, and you’re not welcome here!” Last I looked, those who talk to the Devil ‘while praying’ amounts to being a worshipper of such! Not surprisingly, the songs he writes and sings in this Heavy Metal Band are once again about ‘addressing the Devil’ by saying, “Devil get behind me!” Words cannot describe the incredulous feeling of seeing a pastor who has an ‘obsession with talking to the Devil’ and who thinks he has the ‘authority’ to rebuke him, when the Bible clearly says that only God has that kind of authority!

Like I wrote before, those who know their Bible know that we are not to ‘talk to the Devil,’ much less take it upon ourselves to ‘rebuke’ him. The only person in the Bible that has that kind of authority is Jesus. Even Michael the Archangel dared not to bring a ‘railing accusation’ against Satan. Instead, he said, “The Lord rebuke you.” The fact that this ‘Apostate Preacher’ is teaching his congregants to ‘address Satan while in prayer’ every Sunday during worship is beyond mortifying, to put it mildly!

Question: “Do Christians have the authority to rebuke the devil?”

Answer: There are some Christians who believe they not only have the authority to rebuke the devil, but that they also must be about the business of continually rebuking him. There is no biblical basis for such a belief. Satan, unlike God, is not omnipresent. He can only be in one place at a time, and the likelihood of his personally harassing individual Christians is miniscule.

The Bible does not give Christians the authority to rebuke the devil, but to resist him. James 4:7 says to “submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” Zechariah 3:2 tells us that it is the Lord who rebukes Satan. Even Michael, one of the most powerful of the angels, did not dare to accuse Satan, but rather said, “The Lord rebuke you” (Jude 1:9). In response to Satan’s attacks, a Christian should appeal to Christ. Instead of focusing on defeating the devil, we should focus on following Christ (Hebrews 12:2) and trust that He will defeat the forces of evil. – Source

Let us continue this ‘Test of Discernment’ by driving a little further down the road, shall we? Onto the next town, we will find a Mega Church that ‘inconspicuously dropped’ the name Baptist from its title years ago. As if that was not ‘red flag’ enough, they have since hired a new Social Justice/ Hipster/ Progressive Pastor to lead its Congregation. To be flat-out honest, this man has ‘no concept’ of Holiness by his ‘constant promotion’ of Harry Potter (blatant witchcraft), Secular Movies and TV Shows, Social Justice Causes, and his testimony of sending a ‘bottle of wine’ to a lost person in hopes of ‘bringing them to Christ’! Say what?

Not to mention the T-shirt this ‘Man of God’ had made that says… and I quote, “Skubala Happens,” which is to ‘insinuate’ that the Apostle Paul said such a vulgar statement, Skubala (Greek definition for Dung) Happens” somehow, somewhere in the Bible! Talk about ‘reaching’ in his Progressivism… talk about a ‘Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing’… talk about being a major ‘Unholy Example,’ especially to kids by making profanity a ‘lighthearted matter’ by seeing their pastor sport such a T-shirt and post it for all to see! I’m Thankful that we did not just walk, skip, or jump out of that Apostate place… instead we ran and ‘at warp speed,’ so to speak too!

Ecumenicalism – Of worldwide scope or applicability; universal. Of or relating to the worldwide Christian church. Concerned with establishing or promoting unity among churches or religions. 

For the past several weeks, I have thankfully discovered the Ministry of Missionary Pastor Spencer Smith on YouTube. His Channel has been a huge blessing to me and my husband! Spencer’s clear teaching on ‘Holiness’ by separating oneself from the ways of the World and even among Mainline Denominations who mix Darkness with Light through Worldliness and by endorsing Ecumenicalism, has been eye- opening! One thing that I learned and did not know is that there are ‘distinctions’ within the Baptist circle, such as a Baptist line known as the Independent Fundamental Baptist Church. Living in the South and being a longtime member of the ‘Southern Baptist’ Church was somehow always ‘synonymous’ to me, and I was truly not aware that there were any other kind of Baptist churches out there! Thanks to Pastor Spencer Smith’s Ministry Channel and his clear explanations and outlines, now I do.

Through his videos, Pastor Spencer has taught me that there is a church that teaches straight from the KJV and that adheres to the ‘Fundamentals of the Faith’ called Independent Fundamental Baptist. It is funny because I think I have been an IFB for a while now and did not even realize or know it. For example, I have always wanted to find a church that sticks mainly to teaching from the KJV Bible but did not know where to start. Also, I have wanted to find a place that is as ‘least compromised’ in the ways of the World and Paganism as possible, which has seemed to be hard to find in this Laodicean Church Age. Apparently IFB churches offer an atmosphere that is void of Worldly Music by singing Gospel Hymns, a focus on straight preaching from God’s Word, and a traditional setting with congregants in respectful and modest apparel.

John 17:17 “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.”

To explain further, I know there are those who try to attack, discredit, and devalue the KJV Bible. Some try to say it is full of errors, translated by Masons, that King James was a Sodomite and a Mason, and that it is no more accurate than any other version. The truth is that none of these insinuations and attacks are valid. David Daniels (Author, Bible Researcher of 20 years and trained in Linguistics) of Chick.com has done numerous in-depth studies and research on this topic and has proven with side-by- side texts how the KJV excels in its authenticity and interpretations time after time. For more information on his books, research, and studies, here is the website: https://chick.com/authors/about?author=david+w+daniels

Therefore, my stance and opinion on the King James Version Bible is that it is the ‘preserved’ Word of God. Other versions can be used but keep in mind that many such as the NIV have removed hundreds of verses and thousands of words stating the Deity of Christ! To me, by removing, concealing, and denying the Godhood and Deity of Jesus throughout so many versions, it is not only teaching error and being deceptive; it is ‘blasphemous,’ to say the least! For that reason, I have chosen to stand by the version that has stood the test of time, saved countless souls and lives, and is as close to the Original Text as possible.

Psalm 12:6 “The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.”

Yes, I believe the KJV to be the inerrant and infallible Word of God. If we cannot say that we have the ‘very words of God’ in our hands, then what do we have, what can we stand on, and where do we get our backing to our Faith?! If all the versions are corrupt, then what is absolute truth? No, I believe Abba Father God is more than capable of preserving His Word throughout the span of time and that the KJV Bible is that version. And no, I do not worship the Bible; I worship the Lord Jesus Christ who is God! No, KJV adherents are not in a cult either.

These are accusation tactics that the Enemy of our Souls uses to discredit and to take attention away from the inerrancy and truth of God’s Word. Just like everything else spiritual, if it is the ‘real deal,’ it will be under intense persecution and attack. That is something to keep in mind when other versions that deny the Deity of Christ are heavily pushed, encouraged, and promoted while the one that does not deny His Deity is slandered, lied about, and denied its authenticity.

Recently, I unsubscribed from a reputable pastor on YouTube for ‘casting doubt’ on the KJV by teaching that one verse was ‘compromised,’ but he quickly reassured that the rest of it is still ‘really good.’ The problem with that kind of teaching is that in the minds of most people, if one part of the Word is compromised, then who is to say that the other parts of it are not compromised as well?! Once again, we have to be on guard for heresy, deception, and doubt about God’s Holy Word from creeping in! Stay away from those who want to ‘discredit or cast doubt’ on our Faith in God’s Holy Word! The Truth of God’s Holy Word is such a serious matter, so much so that our Lord has even gone as far as magnifying His Holy Word even above all His Holy Name!

Psalm 138:2 “I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.”  

The past month and a half, we have been attending the Southern Baptist church that we left 2 years ago due to their ‘adamant celebration’ of Halloween. Apparently, Halloween is still a ‘stronghold’ for them, and their congregants have no problem ‘enthusiastically participating’ in this wicked holiday, all in the name of ‘fun’! Not only that, there seems to be ‘no discernment’ concerning Bible Studies with known Heretical Celebrities and their teachings. Even their workbooks have overtly Pagan symbols on them! Also, their ‘acceptance and proud affiliations’ with Utterly Corrupt and Nefarious Organizations is just simply hard to overlook. Therefore, we have decided that we can no longer in ‘Good Faith and Conscience’ continue attending and supporting this place of ‘gross compromised worship.’

Frankly, I am tired of being ‘snowed, duped, shilled, and being a part of some place that has no problem blending Darkness with Light’! We are in the last of the Last Days, and we do not have much time to finish and run our race for the Lord. Therefore, it is important to me to do so in the most ‘respectful and reverent’ manner by living a life of Holiness as our Lord instructed us to do. We do this by being the Ekklesia, the Church, the Called-Out Ones who are to be ‘called out and separate’ from the ways of the World! Not to acclimate, go back into, and thereby look, live, and act like those who pay homage to the Enemy of our Souls, Satan, the Deceiver, the Accuser of the Brethren!

What is the definition of ekklesia?

It is important that the church today understand the definition of ekklesia. The church needs to see itself as being “called out” by God. If the church wants to make a difference in the world, it must be different from the world. Salt is different from the food it flavors. God has called the church to be separate from sin (1 Peter 1:16), to embrace fellowship with other believers (Acts 2:42), and to be a light to the world (Matthew 5:14). God has graciously called us unto Himself: “‘Come out from them and be separate,’ says the Lord. ‘Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you’” (2 Corinthians 6:17). – Source

As of this writing, we are planning to visit a local IFB Church. I am not saying that this Independent Fundamental Baptist Church will be ‘perfect’ or that it will be the answer to all of our struggles in finding a church Home. All I know is that we have been on this never-ending ‘Quest’ because that is our plight in these Last Days! Furthermore, we are commanded not to ‘forsake the fellowship.’ On that note, we will keep on trying to find a place of ‘least compromised worship’ to call our ‘Church Home’ even if it is a ‘monumental task’ to do so. This is, in essence, all a part of our running our race, our growing in Holiness, our striving to enter in at the straight gate, and our finally being able to see our Lord and Savior face to face! Therefore, keep up the good fight of Faith, Brethren, for we are almost Home!

Until next time… Maranatha!

JESUS = THE WAY, THE TRUTH, & THE LIFE!

Jesus Will Come!