Four characters that our LORD used to illustrate Doctrinal Believers.
Grace Bible Church Pastor Teacher Robert R. McLaughlin 112920 Four characters that our LORD used to illustrate Doctrinal Believers.
There are four different agents who are Lord mentioned in what our Lord used as illustrations of doctrinal men or women who made a positive impression upon our Lord Him because of their response to Him and the doctrinal message that He was teaching.
The second one was known as a Nobleman who walked for miles to ask Jesus to heal His son who was about to die a physical death.
The third one was a military solder called the Centurion who was willing to go and beg our Lord for one of his soldiers to be healed physically because He loved His slave or his servant as one of his sons.
There was a scribe who was known as an intellectual who would say things but not do them to try and impress our Lord by saying the right thing but not do them, especially when he was asked.
There are some people who never get embarrassed even if they make a vow and do not keep it.
He wanted to go and see his family rather than fulfilling a family responsibility.
In fact, this individual probably had the most difficult choice to make according to the Lord and his responsibility to choose family over the will of God.
So we have:
The Nobleman
The Centurion
The Scribe
The Family Man.
The first one we call the nobleman who had faith and and believed the words of the Lord.
The second one we call the Centurion who was a man who had true faith which is the result of trusting the Words of God in delicate areas.
The third one is the scribes who was known for being an intellection individual who makes decisions based upon the information we have been given.
The family man is brought to the heart of the matter where Jesus said to him concerning the family funeral, “Let the spiritually dead bury the physical dead.
Once again, the doctrine that you possess, especially the mystery doctrine of the Church-age will change your life and the way you think which is the highest system of thinking in the Church-age since it is the very thinking of God; Psa 138:2; 1Co 2:16.
Both the Nobleman and the Centurion lived in these principles in the dispensation of the hypostatic Union and I am sure that they entered into the Church-age and enjoyed the new “principles” of the mystery doctrine of the Church-age.
And so, we see the purpose of the miracle is to magnify the importance of faith in our Lord and His Word at the same time
So we have:
The Nobleman
The Centurion
The Scribe
The Family Man.
You give commands that only serious students of the word of God would follow.
You reveal to them the sufferrings that they may have to go through without getting paid for what they will be asked to do.
So, the followers of our Lord will be away from the crowd and isolated under His authority and teaching without distractions and therefore, away from the mob or the crowd.
You cannot have dedication and devotion while at the same time be looking all around at the sights of distractions.
So, this order or command causes a crisis to develop in some souls because it's a crisis that demands a decision.
Many believers are going to be casualties and their lip-service to our Lord is going to be exposed, either normally or abnormally.
Many won't separate from the mob to join the congregation.
That’s because Many choose people over the Lord.
Now, back in Mat 8:19, let's notice in verses 19 and 20, we have the case of the First Distracted Disciple.
We are going to find out he was a pseudo-intellectual.
A pseudo-intellectual is simply a person who had some pride of the soul using his knowledge to rationalize away faith.
He may be an expert in his field, or his business but, he never gets with truth because he lives in knowledge and not wisdom.
He may even have a very high I.Q and be very smart, but in most cases he has no roots in doctrine.
A pseudo-intellectual is one who has knowledge that makes him or her proud.
He is attracted to Christ because of His intellect.
He loves the wisdom that Christ has but he doesn’t really believe that our Lord knows more than Him.
But, here is a man who loves to make commitments and does not care if he keeps them, he just wants everyone to know that he is the one that makes these kind of statements so everyone to know how smart he is.
"Master, I will follow you wherever you go."
First of all, the word master is didaskalos which is translated professor or teacher.
He recognizes the Lord as a teacher but not as Lord.
He is respectful but he doesn't really accept the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ and therefore He doesn’t accept the plans and words of God the Father.
He rejects Mat 10:40 He who receives you receives Me and he that receives Me receives Him that sent Me
Here is a scribe bragging of how loyal and faithful he is to Christ.
So, the scribe said, "professor, or teacher" (and here comes the dedication; the surrendering of the emotion and intellect, “I will follow you wherever you go.”
Prin: Being emotional he makes a verbal dedication.
His emotions are expressed through sincerity.
He makes a dogmatic statement in his sincerity.
In fact, it’s very interesting that when this scribe makes a statement like “I will follow you” in the original language of the Hebrew, it is just like the same things he does in the original language of the Greek, and it is a dative of advantage because the scribe considers that Jesus is lucky to have him.
Verbal and overt expressions mean absolutely nothing.
”Wherever you go, he said, “I will follow you wherever!”
He thinks Jesus is bluffing!”
Why would Jesus leave all these people?
To the scribe, the departure of our Lord is a possibility not a reality.
This type of person always says things like; “He is going to follow Jesus, but he never does.”
This type of person always says he or she is going to operate in his or her spiritual gift, but ignores the responsibility of doing so.
They see a need and say, “They will take care of it, but they are too busy to keep their vows.”
They say, “No” to the Lord’s supper. --- even if they feel like they will or they should do it.
