Robert McLaughlin Bible Ministries
What it means to be initiated into the secret of the mystery. Part 4. Getting rid of the garbage in your soul.
Sunday, January 9, 2005
It is to understand the spiritual life and your personal sense of destiny and the reason why you have been created.
a. If you think life depends upon your relationship with people, then your life is vain, meaningless, empty, or – nothing but smoke, Ecc 1.
b. If you are living for happiness and pleasure, your life is vain, meaningless, empty –
nothing but smoke, ECC 2:1-11.
c. If you live as though your family is the main reason for living, that is vain, Ecc 2.
d. If you think that life is just living just for today and you are not concerned about tomorrow, you are living a life of vanity, Ecc 3.
e. If you are living as though happiness from money, wealth, and prosperity is the reason for living, you are living a life of vanity, Ecc 5.
f. If you are living as though building a reputation and caring about what people say is important, you have an empty meaningless life, Ecc 7.
g. If you are living as though sex and intimate relationships is the reason for living, it is vain, Ecc 7.
h. If you are living looking for happiness in the hero image, being a success and receiving approbation from others is important, you are a vain and boring person, Ecc 9.
LUK 14:18 “I bought a house and need to take care of it.”
LUK 14:19 “I’m too involved in my job and profession, and I really need to take care of it.”
LUK 14:20 And yet another said, “I just got married and need to get home to my wife.”
LUK 12:20 “You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and {now} who will own what you have worked so hard for?”
MAT 16:26 “For what will a man be profited, if he gains the whole world, and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?”
PRO 5:12-13 [Hebrew `eyk – a howl], I have hated instruction! And my heart spurned reproof! And I have not listened to the voice of my teachers, Nor inclined my ear to my instructors!
The Church-age and its doctrine were never mentioned in Old Testament prophecy, but instead it was fully developed in the New Testament epistles. ROM 16:25-26, COL 1:25-26,
EPH 3:3-6 – this mystery is now revealed.
Mystery doctrine tells the believer WHAT he must do now that he is a believer in TLJC.
Church-age doctrine was concealed until the Christian way of life went into effect, first, through our Lord Jesus Christ, then through the teachings of the apostle Paul.
Tuesday evening, April 13, 30 AD., the night before our Lord is going to die on the cross, and TLJC now begins a discourse, designed to orient the disciples to the cross, the Church-age, the intensification of the angelic conflict, and why they are here.
His hour = the cross and really His hour of victory in the angelic conflict, JOH 12:23; JOH 17:1, MAR 14:41.
Pressure, adversity, tragedy, heartache, frustration, did not distract Him from His love and serving others.
MAT 20:28 “the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”
“Having put” – perf-act-part – ballo = to throw or to cast doubts concerning the words of our Lord or the word of God.
He tries to cast doubts and questions at others to distract them from the communication of Bible doctrine.
GEN 3:1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Indeed, has God really said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?”
Here is the devil personally present to keep the plan of God from being fulfilled, to hinder the cross.
Just before mystery doctrine is about to be taught, there is some form of satanic distraction to try to divert the communication of the mystery.
The disciples had come into the room, as was the custom in the ancient world, barefooted.
Because of the way that they used to sit in the ancient world, to recline at the table, this was like coming to the dinner table in our day and age with filthy dirty hands.
These disciples had walked through sewage, garbage and dirt.
TLJC was not going to teach anything, especially the mystery doctrine of Church-age which all believers should be initiated into, until He taught the importance of rebound before you can take in Bible doctrine.
More importantly than that – they have garbage in their souls.
LUK 22:24 And there arose also a dispute among them as to which one of them was regarded to be greatest.
Good manners demanded that they washed their feet before entering into the room but since there was no servant to do so, they extended the debate by refusing to wash each other’s feet.
Bad manners come from a bad mental attitude.
As a believer-priest, you are under academic discipline under your pastor-teacher, and your manners should be impeccable.
The greatest test of manners is not how a gentleman opens doors for a lady, or how a gentleman has good manners around the lady, it is how the believer-priest has good manners in the presence of the Lord.
MAR 9:33-34 – on the way to Capernaum they discussed with one another which of them was the greatest.
True love is what is left in a relationship after all the selfishness is taken out.
LUK 9:46 – after the mount of transfiguration an argument arose among them as to which of them might be the greatest.
MAT 20:20-23 – James and John got “mommy dearest” to ask Jesus to promote them and make them the greatest.
MAT 20:24 And hearing {this,} the ten became indignant with the two brothers.
They have literal garbage on their feet and mental garbage in their head, M.A.S.
LUK 14:34-35, “Therefore, salt is good; but if even salt has become tasteless, with what will it be seasoned? It is useless either for the soil or for the manure pile; it is thrown out. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
1. The disciples had bathed before coming to the last supper – all of them had taken a bath.
2. The taking of a bath is analogous to salvation – one bath but many washings.
TIT 3:5 He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit,
3. From walking through the streets, the disciples have accumulated filth on their feet which is analogous to the believer being out of fellowship.
4. The custom of foot-washing is analogous to rebound. If you come with dirty feet what should you do before you sit down with the Lord, REV 3:20, “and dine with Him”?
5. Before you eat the Lord’s food, which is Bible doctrine, you wash your feet, rebound.
6. This dinner was fellowship with the Lord in which food was involved, our greatest fellowship with the Lord is when we meet to dine upon Bible doctrine.
7. The feet also represent service; it is impossible to serve the Lord with dirty feet.
8. JOH 12:3 – the feet of Jesus had been anointed with oil, while at the beginning of this chapter, the feet of the disciples are washed.
9. Oil on the feet of the Savior indicates the sustaining ministry of the Holy Spirit while water on the feet of the disciples indicates the cleansing of the rebound technique.
10. TLJC will wash their feet which is a picture of Christ providing the basis of rebound on the cross.
ISA 52:7 quoted in ROM 10:15, “How beautiful are the feet of those who communicate glad tidings of good things!”
All communicators of doctrine have to keep their feet clean or be cleansed to communicate.
“Laying aside His garments”
PHI 2:6-8 Who, although He existed in the essence of God, He did not think equality with God a thing to be seized, but He laid aside His privileges, taking the form of a slave, having come to be in the likeness of men.
MAT 20:28 the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.
JOH 15:13 Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.
MAT 23:11 But the greatest among you shall be your servant.
MAR 10:43 whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant;