Wednesday
Evening Bible Study
April 5, 2000
Introduction
Jesus had been up on a mountain to pray.
While on the mountain, He had called His disciples together and chose
twelve of them to be His apostles (Luke 6:13).
Now they come down from the mountain.
:17 And he came down with them, and stood in the plain, and the company of
his disciples, and a great multitude of people out of all Judaea and Jerusalem,
and from the sea coast of Tyre and Sidon, which came to hear him, and to be
healed of their diseases;
healed – iaomai – to cure,
heal; to make whole; to free from errors and sins, to bring about (one’s)
salvation
diseases – nosos –
disease, sickness
:18 And they that were vexed with unclean spirits: and they were healed.
vexed – ochleo (from ochlos
– a crowd) – to excite a mob against one; to disturb, roll away; to trouble,
molest; be in confusion, in an uproar; to be vexed, molested, troubled: by
demons
healed – therapeuo – to
serve, do service; to heal, cure, restore to health
:19 And the whole multitude sought to touch him: for there went virtue out
of him, and healed them all.
multitude – ochlos – a
crowd; a throng; a multitude
touch – haptomai – to
fasten one’s self to, adhere to, cling to; to touch; of carnal intercourse with
a women or cohabitation; of levitical practice of having no fellowship with
heathen practices. Things not to be touched appear to be both women and certain
kinds of food, so celibacy and abstinence of certain kinds of food and drink are
recommended.; to touch, assail anyone
virtue – dunamis –
strength power, ability; inherent power, power residing in a thing by virtue of
its nature, or which a person or thing exerts and puts forth; power for
performing miracles
went … out – exerchomai –
to go or come forth of; with mention of the place out of which one goes, or the
point from which he departs; metaph.; of things; to emanate, issue
healed – iaomai – to cure,
heal; to make whole; to free from errors and sins, to bring about (one’s) salvation
Jesus healed them. He still heals.
:20 And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said,
There are going to be parts of this that are going to sound very much like
the “Sermon on the Mount” (Matt. 5-7).
Yet Jesus gives this after coming down the mountain. What’s up?
I think that this is a different time and a different place. With the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus hadn’t
yet chosen His disciples (that happened in Matt. 10:1).
I think what this shows us is that Jesus probably said many of the same
things over and over again in all the various places He went to.
:20-26 True Happiness
:20 Blessed be ye poor: for yours
is the kingdom of God.
blessed – makarios –
blessed, happy
poor – ptochos – reduced
to beggary, begging, asking alms; destitute of wealth, influence, position,
honour; helpless, powerless to accomplish an end; poor, needy; lacking in
anything
kingdom of God – I think Jesus might be talking about heaven, He
could be talking about the “millennial kingdom”, but I think He’s talking about
all the things of God.
If you’re a needy person, you’re in the right place to receive the things
of God.
Lesson
Needy is good.
Feeling needy, empty, and poor is not a good feeling. It’s not something that we usually desire in
our life.
But it’s the needy person that is going to be seeking more. It’s the needy person who is going to be
looking to God for help.
And that’s what God is looking for.
Someone who will be looking to Him.
:21 Blessed are ye that hunger now: for ye shall be filled.
hunger – peinao – to
hunger, be hungry; to suffer want; to be needy; metaph. to crave ardently, to
seek with eager desire
now – nun – at this time,
the present, now
filled – chortazo – to
feed with herbs, grass, hay, to fill, satisfy with food, to fatten; of animals;
to fill or satisfy men; to fulfil or satisfy the desire of any one
Lesson
Not just pie in the sky
It is good to be comforted with the hope of heaven. But God wants to also do a work in you NOW.
God wants to satisfy you with good things NOW. He wants to fill you with His presence NOW.
Jesus said,
(John 7:37-38 KJV) …If any man thirst, let him come unto me,
and drink. {38} He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his
belly shall flow rivers of living water.
That’s not just a promise for the future in heaven, it’s a
promise to be fulfilled NOW.
:21 Blessed are ye that weep now:
for ye shall laugh.
weep – klaio – to mourn,
weep, lament
laugh – gelao – to laugh
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said it a little differently:
(Mat 5:4 KJV) Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall
be comforted (parakaleo).
Lesson
God gives us joy.
Some people have this idea that being a Christian means that you can’t have
fun.
Illustration
Even after Constantine had made Christianity the religion of the Roman
Empire, there came to the throne another Emperor called Julian, who wished to
put the clock back and to bring back the old gods. His complaint, as Ibsen puts it, was:
“Have you looked at these Christians closely? Hollow-eyed, pale- cheeked, flat-breasted
all; they brood their lives away, unspurred by ambition: the sun shines for
them, but they do not see it: the earth offers them its fullness, but they
desire it not; all their desire is to renounce and to suffer that they may come
to die.”
As Julian saw it, Christianity took the vividness out of
life.
Oliver Wendell Holmes once said, “I might have entered the ministry if
certain clergymen I knew had not looked and acted so much like
undertakers.”
Robert Louis Stevenson once entered in his diary, as if he was recording an
extraordinary phenomenon, “I have been to Church today, and am not depressed.”
Illustration
On June 6, 1981, Doug Whitt and his bride, Sylvia, were escorted to their
hotel’s fancy bridal suite in the wee hours of the morning. In the suite they
saw a sofa, chairs, and table, but where was the bed? Then they discovered the
sofa was a hide-a-bed, with a lumpy mattress and sagging springs. They spent a
fitful night and woke up in the morning with sore backs.
The new husband went to the hotel desk and gave the management a
tongue-lashing. “Did you open the door in the room?” asked the clerk. Doug went
back to the room. He opened the door they had thought was a closet. There,
complete with fruit baskets and chocolates, was a beautiful bedroom!
• Cynthia Thomas, Glen Ellyn,
Illinois. Leadership, Vol. 15, no. 1.
For some people, they stop short of the things that God has for them. God has a life of joy for us.
David wrote,
(Psa 16:11 KJV) Thou wilt show me the path of life: in thy
presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.
God is the One who can take people that are beaten up, pressed down, and
lift them up and give them joy.
(Psa 30 KJV) A Psalm and Song at the dedication of the
house of David. I will extol thee, O LORD; for thou hast lifted me up,
and hast not made my foes to rejoice over me. {2} O LORD my God, I cried
unto thee, and thou hast healed me. {3} O LORD, thou hast brought up my
soul from the grave: thou hast kept me alive, that I should not go down to the
pit. {4} Sing unto the LORD, O ye saints of his, and give thanks at the
remembrance of his holiness. {5} For his anger endureth but a moment; in his
favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the
morning. {6} And in my prosperity I said, I shall never be moved. {7} LORD,
by thy favour thou hast made my mountain to stand strong: thou didst hide thy
face, and I was troubled. {8} I cried to thee, O LORD; and unto the LORD I made
supplication. {9} What profit is there in my blood, when I go down to the pit?
Shall the dust praise thee? shall it declare thy truth? {10} Hear, O LORD, and
have mercy upon me: LORD, be thou my helper. {11} Thou hast turned for me my
mourning into dancing: thou hast put off my sackcloth, and girded me with
gladness; {12} To the end that my glory may sing praise to thee, and not be
silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever.
:22 Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate
you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil,
hate – miseo – to hate,
pursue with hatred, detest
separate you from their company – aphorizo – to mark off from others by boundaries, to limit, to
separate; in a bad sense: to exclude as disreputable
Being excluded from the “in” crowd.
reproach – oneidizo – to
reproach, upbraid, revile
cast out – ekballo – to
cast out, drive out, to send out
:22 for the Son of man’s sake.
The “blessings” come when these are all done because of your relationship
with Jesus.
We shouldn’t be rejoicing when people are upset with us because we’ve
simply been a jerk.
(1 Pet 4:15-16 KJV) But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or
as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men's matters. {16}
Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him
glorify God on this behalf.
But if your rough times are coming solely because of your relationship with
Jesus, then Jesus says you are blessed!
:23 Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy: for, behold, your reward is
great in heaven: for in the like manner did their fathers unto the prophets.
leap for joy – skirtao –
to leap
reward – misthos – dues
paid for work; wages, hire; reward: used of the fruit naturally resulting from
toils and endeavors
This isn’t how we usually react when are given a tough time at work for
being a Christian. We usually get
depressed and want to quit or run away.
Keep in mind, others have been there ahead of you. You’re in good company.
Think of what happened to some of the early disciples: (Taken from Foxe’s
Book of Martyrs)
James – was beheaded with the sword in Jerusalem. Clemens Alexandrinus,
ought not to be overlooked; that, as James was led to the place of martyrdom,
his accuser was brought to repent of his conduct by the apostle’s extraordinary
courage and undauntedness, and fell down at his feet to request his pardon,
professing himself a Christian, and resolving that James should not receive the
crown of martyrdom alone. Hence they were both beheaded at the same time.
Matthew – being slain with a
halberd in the city of Nadabah, a.d.
60.
James the Less (author of James) –
At the age of ninety-four he was beat and stoned by the Jews; and finally had
his brains dashed out with a fuller’s club.
Andrew – He preached the gospel to
many Asiatic nations; but on his arrival at Edessa he was taken and crucified
on a cross
Mark (author of gospel of Mark) –
was dragged to pieces by the people of Alexandria, at the great solemnity of
Serapis their idol, ending his life under their merciless hands.
Peter – Nero sought matter against Peter to put him to death; which, when
the people perceived, they entreated Peter with much ado that he would fly the
city. Peter, through their importunity at length persuaded, prepared himself to
avoid. But, coming to the gate, he saw the Lord Christ come to meet him, to
whom he, worshipping, said, “Lord, whither dost Thou go?” To whom He answered
and said, “I am come again to be crucified.” By this, Peter, perceiving his
suffering to be understood, returned into the city. Jerome saith that he was
crucified, his head being down and his feet upward, himself so requiring,
because he was (he said) unworthy to be crucified after the same form and
manner as the Lord was.
Paul – Nero sent two of his
esquires, Ferega and Parthemius, to bring him word of his death. They, coming
to Paul instructing the people, desired him to pray for them, that they might
believe; who told them that shortly after they should believe and be baptised
at His sepulcher. This done, the soldiers came and led him out of the city to
the place of execution, where he, after his prayers made, gave his neck to the
sword.
Bartholomew – Preached in several countries, and having translated the
Gospel of Matthew into the language of India, he propagated it in that country.
He was at length cruelly beaten and then crucified by the impatient idolaters.
Thomas – preached the Gospel in
Parthia and India, where exciting the rage of the pagan priests, he was
martyred by being thrust through with a spear.
Simon the Zealot – preached the
Gospel in Mauritania, Africa, and even in Britain, in which latter country he
was crucified, a.d. 74.
Luke – is supposed to have been
hanged on an olive tree, by the idolatrous priests of Greece.
:24 But woe unto you that are rich! for ye have received your consolation.
woe – ouai – alas, woe (is
this like “Oi vey”??)
consolation – paraklesis –
a calling near, summons, (esp. for help); exhortation, admonition,
encouragement; consolation, comfort, solace; that which affords comfort or
refreshment
The problem with “riches” is not that wealth is wrong, but it’s the idea of
feeling like you’re arrived, that you have no need for God.
To the “lukewarm” church of Laodicea, Jesus wrote,
(Rev 3:17 KJV) Because 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:
:25 Woe unto you that are full! for ye shall hunger. Woe unto you that
laugh now! for ye shall mourn and weep.
are full – empiplemi – to
fill up, fill full; to take one’s fill of, glut one’s desire for, satisfy,
satiate
Lesson
True happiness?
True happiness comes knowing Jesus, not having a lot of money.
Illustration
Solomon was the wealthiest man of his day.
He was the wisest man of his day.
He also seems to have been one of the most miserable men of his
day. He writes in the book of Ecclesiastes
about his search for happiness. He
tried to overdose on everything he could, in hope of finding meaning and
happiness. Part of his search was
trying to become as wealthy as possible.
Then he writes,
(Eccl 2:11
KJV) Then I looked on all the works
that my hands had wrought, and on the labour that I had laboured to do: and,
behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under
the sun.
We often look at movie stars and famous people as if they have achieved
something that we want. But I’m not
sure they are happy people.
What are you looking to for your “happiness”?
Until you look to Jesus for your happiness, you’re never
going to be satisfied. As Jesus said to
the woman at the well,
(John
4:13-14 KJV) …Whosoever drinketh of
this water shall thirst again: {14} But whosoever drinketh of the water that I
shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be
in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.
:26 Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their
fathers to the false prophets.
False prophets tend to tell people what they want to hear.
People love that.
(2 Tim 4:3 NLT) For a time is coming when people will no
longer listen to right teaching. They will follow their own desires and will
look for teachers who will tell them whatever they want to hear.
You, on the other hand are going to rub the people in the world the wrong
way.
You are an “alien” from another country.
You don’t belong here. You come
from a different culture that doesn’t mix real well with this world’s.
(2 Tim 3:12 KJV) Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ
Jesus shall suffer persecution.
This doesn’t mean we have to go out of our way to get people to hate
us. Just the very presence of the Holy
Spirit in our lives will rub some people the wrong way because the Holy Spirit
will be convicting them of sin.
Illustration
Billy Graham playing golf.
A well-known professional golfer was playing in a tournament with President
Gerald Ford, fellow pro Jack Nicklaus, and Billy Graham. After the round was
over, one of the other pros on the tour asked, "Hey, what was it like
playing with the President and Billy Graham?" The pro said with disgust,
"I don't need Billy Graham stuffing religion down my throat!" With that he headed for the practice tee.
His friend followed, and after the golfer had pounded out his fury on a bucket
of golf balls, he asked, "Was Billy a little rough on you out
there?" The pro sighed and said
with embarrassment, "No, he didn't even mention religion."
Take heart if people are uneasy around you. Be concerned though if everyone considers you their best
buddy.