He’s No Angel: Jesus and His Disciples

Introduction

Here me, hear us, dear ministers: you to whom we are speaking to, today. I do not believe in religion, I believe in Christ. Amen? I believe… we, here at the S.A.L.T., the Savior’s Ambassadors Laboring Together, believe… in Christ, not religion. But you might say, “Isn’t Christianity a religion?” Christianity, in what it has become, here in the western world, is a thing, is a mockery, is a business. It is not what our Lord intended.

Jesus said, in Revelation 3:17,

“Thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked.” (Revelation 3:17)

You are “wretched!” You are “miserable!” You are “poor!” You are “blind!” You! You… are… “naked!”

Well, perhaps some find this reading, our reading and application of truth from the Bible, from the Word of God to be a bit too harsh. Maybe we could tone it down just a bit, but why? Dear listeners, dear ministers of the Lord Jesus Christ, dear Christians, members of the body of Christ, dear friends, we must admit, we must acknowledge that many of us still have something within us that craves religion instead of Jesus, our Savior, ourLord… himself. And so, knowing this, God gave (the Bible gives) it to you. Here it is: religion, summarized very  briefly and then stated clearly in James 1:27, as follows.

“Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.” (James 1:27)

And to leave no doubt of what was meant in this biblical definition of “religion”, here is what our Lord said.

“Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, ‘Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: for I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.” (Matthew 25:41-43)

There. There! There it is. Let us rise to do that! But let it not become a replacement for Him, for Jesus Christ, our Savior, our wonderful loving Savior and Lord. 

Come then, dear brothers and sisters in Christ. Today, right now, let us take a moment to look at what our Lord intended for us. Then, in the next few weeks, let us allow ourselves to be looked in the face, eye to eye; the truth versus our lie; what we instead, and after our Lord ascended have gradually become, and then… what we and “whosoever will” are doing to return to our Lord; Jesus who calls us all back… to him, with these eternal word, 

“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.” (Matthew 11:28-29)

I. Where is Jesus?

Jesus said, 

“And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” (Matthew 16:18) 

Do not allow yourself, like others, to sidestep the greatness of this sentence uttered from the mouth of God, Jesus Christ, the triune Son God. It is with a man, one man, that our Lord takes and builds what he called and states was to be his “church”: “my church”, our Savior said: “my ekklisía”: “my called out ones.”

“The ecclesia or ekklesia (Greek: ἐκκλησία) was the assembly of the citizens in the democratic city-states of ancient Greece.” (source) Jesus, oh our Lord Jesus, would and did build his own sacred divine “assembly … of the citizens in the” Kingdom of God upon… one man. One man! 

You must do the same. One man! Find one human, one man or woman and allow Jesus to use you, yes today and always, to build what our Lord so happily called “my church!”

But when you find him, when you find them – how will you grow them, and where will you grow them at? 

The Jewish Middle Eastern garden is a thing of natural beauty and charm. The works of art, the trees, the plants, the flowers and the fruit are allowed to grow as they were intended: in their natural environment; free and lively; as God wanted, and yet – they are tended by a loving and wise gardner. So too ought it to be (and as it was meant to be), so too our Lord’s work was begun and did flourish in a natural holy normal happy way.

In the Bible, there is one history book of the Church of Jesus Christ. Found in the New Testament, and placed directly after the four Gospels which present our Lord’s life, we find “The Acts of the Apostles” (more commonly and simply known as “Acts”). After our Lord’s ascension back into Heaven, we find Peter (that one man) and the rest of the remaining called out ones, all of “about and hundred and twenty” of them, in a house. As it says,

“And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.” (Acts 2:2)

All throughout this history book of the New Testament, and at the very end of the book of Acts, we find the people of God, our original Christian ancestors who “turned the world upside down” (Acts 17:6) multiplying themselves through meetings that naturally took place in the normal habitat of those for whom Christ died: in a “house.” 

And so find that the history book of the New Testament, begin, and yes, ends, with the church of Jesus Christ meeting… in a “house.”

The beginning…

“And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.” (Acts 2:2)

The end (and subsequent continuing history)…

“And Paul dwelt two whole years in his own hired house, and received all that came in unto him, preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence, no man forbidding him.” (Acts 28:30-31: the last sentence of the book of the Acts of the Apostles)

Yes, they met in homes; not boxes, not manufactured meeting places. Not that but this… in a “house.” The people of God grew where the Son of God, our great gardner, had showed them to grow. Yes, as he had exemplified during his life and in his ministry, he sometimes met with his people and those others who attended – out in a field, or upon a mountain, or more commonly, and most intimately – in a “house.”

• “Jesus was come into Peter’s house.” (Matthew 8:14)
• “Jesus sat at meat in the house.” (Matthew 9:10)
• “Jesus came into the ruler’s house.” (Matthew 9:23)
• “And when he was come into the house, the blind men came to him.” (Matthew 9:28)
• “And when ye come into an house, salute it.” (Matthew 10:12)
• “The same day went Jesus out of the house, and sat by the sea side.” (Matthew 13:1)
• “And forthwith, when they were come out of the synagogue, they entered into the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John.” (Mark 1:29)
• “And again he entered into Capernaum after some days; and it was noised that he was in the house.” (Mark 2:1)
• “As Jesus sat at meat in his house, many publicans and sinners sat also together with Jesus and his disciples.” (Mark 2:15)
• “And they went into an house.” (Mark 3:19)
• “And he said unto them, In what place soever ye enter into an house, there abide till ye depart from that place.” (Mark 6:10)
• “And he taught, saying unto them, Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer?” (Mark 11:17)
• “Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house.” (Luke 10:38)
• “And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house.” (Luke 19:5)
• “Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met him: but Mary sat still in the house.” Luke 11:20)
• “In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.” (John 14:2)

And then… our wonderful Savior, sent the gift of his Holy Spirit when they were where he wanted them to be: in a “house.”

And there it is, my dear fellow ministers (servants of the Lord and of his people). Please, if you disagree with me, leave a comment by clicking at the top or bottom of this sermon post. Be fearless in defending your cause. Yes, please! But let us both be yeilding where we find it correctly stated in the Word of God. (2 Peter 3:16) Still, in the end, let not even this, if we disagree, break our fellowship. Let us continue to strengthen one another, as we serve our Lord. (Romans 14:13-23: please take a moment later to read the passage, and then, joyfully… stick around.) 

II. Where are the followers of Jesus?

“So that servant came, and shewed his lord these things. 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 hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind. And the servant said, Lord, it is done as thou hast commanded, and yet there is room. And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. For I say unto you, That none of those men which were bidden shall taste of my supper.” (Luke 14:21-24)

     A. They were out in the streets and lanes of the city

“Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind.” (Luke 14:21b)

     B. They were out in highways and hedges

“Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.” (Luke 14:23b)

     C. They were out in a house!

“And he could there do no mighty work, save that he laid his hands upon a few sick folk, and healed them. And he marvelled because of their unbelief. 

• “And he went round about the villages, teaching. And
• “He called unto him the twelve, and 
• “[He] began to send them forth by two and two; and 
• “[He] gave them power over unclean spirits; and 
• “[He] commanded them that they should take 
  • “nothing for their journey, 
  • “save a staff only; 
  • “no scrip, 
  • “no bread, 
  • “no money in their purse: but
  • “be shod with sandals; and 
  • “not put on two coats. And
• “He said unto them, In what place soever ye enter into an house, there abide till ye depart from that place.” (Mark 6:5-10)

After thought #1: Now, watch this…

“And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear you, when ye depart thence, shake off the dust under your feet for a testimony against them. Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city.” (Mark 6:11)

After thought #2: Watch this…

“And they went out, and preached that men should repent. And they cast out many devils, and anointed with oil many that were sick, and healed them. And king Herod heard of him; (for his name was spread abroad:) and he said, ‘That John the Baptist was risen from the dead, and therefore mighty works do shew forth themselves in him.’ Others said, ‘That it is Elias.’ And others said, ‘That it is a prophet, or as one of the prophets.’ But when Herod heard thereof, he said, ‘It is John, whom I beheaded: he is risen from the dead.” (Mark 6:12-16)

Yes, they knew they were there. How many people in your country, in your county, in your city, in your neighborhood know that you are there?

III. Where are the enemies of Jesus?

“The wicked plotteth against the just, and gnasheth upon him with his teeth.” (Psalm 27:12)

     A. Reasoning how to destroy our Lord’s effective ministry

“Then the Pharisees and scribes asked him, ‘Why walk not thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashen hands?’ He answered and said unto them, ‘Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, ‘This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.” (Mark 7:5-6)

     B. Reasoning how to destroy our Lord’s ministers 

“But the chief priests consulted that they might put Lazarus also to death; because that by reason of him many of the Jews went away, and believed on Jesus.” (John 12:10-11)

• “It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of his household?” (Matthew 10:25)
• “Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.” (John 15:20)

     C. Reasoning how to destroy our Lord

“If we let him thus alone, all men will believe on him: and the Romans shall come and take away both our place and nation.’ And one of them, named Caiaphas, being the high priest that same year, said unto them, ‘Ye know nothing at all, nor consider that it is expedient for us, that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not.” (John 11:48-50)

Conclusion

“Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord, and against his anointed, saying,’Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.’ He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision.” (Psalm 2:1-4)

In the next few weeks ahead…

Let us continue looking, with eyes wide open, at

• Where we are, now;
• Where we have come from, through the history of our past; and
• Where we should be, where we must be, going forward into our future.

Why? Because Jesus is coming again, soon! And, dear ministers, because we must now urgently prepare both our people and ourselves “to meet God!” (Amos 4:12)

OUTLINE:

He’s No Angel: Jesus and His Disciples

“I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet,saying,

“ I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea.” (Revelation 1:10-11)

Where is Jesus?

Where are the followers of Jesus?

Where are the enemies of Jesus?

“Fear not; I am the first and the last: I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.” (Revelation 1:17-18)

WORSHIP:

The Church’s One Foundation (316)

Opening:

The Church’s One Foundation (316)

Must Jesus Bear the Cross Alone? (486)

Middle:

The Old-Time Religion (533)

I’ll Go Where You Want Me to Go (352)

Message:

I’ll Go Where You Want Me to Go” (352)