Bill Link - Class 2: The Master's Voice

Automatically transcribed. Accuracy is good but not perfect, and words are sometimes wrong. Trust the audio over the text.

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   This is day two of the 2017 Idyllwild Bible School. Our third period teacher is Brother Bill Link. His general topic is portraits of the Master. Today's topic is the Master's voice. Good morning, my dear brothers and sisters. Portraits of the Master. You know, the word Master actually conveys something slightly different to our modern ears than is intended in the New Testament.

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   Basically, the word Master means a teacher. There's, I think, three different words translated Master, but one of them is Rabbi from Hebrew. One of them, the most common one, is Didaskalos, the teacher. When we speak of Jesus as our Master, it's not so much as our Commander, although there is a separate word that's used exclusively in Luke to that effect, but we're speaking of Jesus as our teacher.

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   Now, there's another word that has a slightly different sound to our modern ears than what was perhaps intended in our reading of it in the New Testament. That's the word doctrine. For us, the word tends to mean the basic characteristic beliefs and teachings of our community that make us distinct. And we're very, very thankful that we have right doctrine.

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   How many people have you met, you know, that have learned the truth, and it is such a relief to them to know that there's not some fallen angel, supernatural devil out there, out to get them. Like, it's a wonderful, liberating truth, our correct teaching on this doctrine of the devil. But I'd like to make the point that the word doctrine in its New Testament use is much broader than that.

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   In fact, it is didaskalos, where Jesus is the master, the didaskalos, doctrine is the didaskalia. So, he's the master, and the things that we're being taught is the didaskalia. He's the didaskalos, we receive the didaskalia. It's teaching generally. Now, let me bring your attention to a passage where the word doctrine is used in a broader sense than I think we would typically understand it.

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   When we mean the things that are distinctive about our, the BASF, for instance. 1 Timothy, chapter 1, starting at verse 9. Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, for whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for men-stealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine.

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   So, it's not… So, it's not… The word doctrine here is a much broader sense of teaching generally. And Jesus is our teacher. We come to hear his voice as our teacher. Jesus said in John chapter 6 in contact of the bread from heaven, he says, They shall all be taught of God, theodidactos.

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   And Paul smushes those two things into one word in Thessalonians. He says, As touching brotherly love, ye need not that I write unto you, for ye yourselves are taught of God. All one word, theodidactos. To love one another. And so, we come to our master, our teacher.

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   Do you see the distinction I'm making? For us, often, doctrine is something that has the whiff of controversy about it. And in the Bible, the word is used much more comprehensively about the teaching of the life. We are disciples if we are learning from our master. What a joy it would be to sit at his feet.

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    We'd be challenged by his uncomplicated but really profound instruction in God's ways. And so, it's our desire to be taught of God. We come to hear his voice. I often start my classes with teenagers on topics like this by saying, And let's pretend instead of Bill Link here, it's AD 90 and the old apostle John has come.

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    He's the only one still alive who was with Jesus. And you get to ask him one question about Jesus. What would you ask? And it's never, I've never had a failure until today. All the questions they had were wonderful. But people always ask the question that I would have asked is, What did he look like?

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    Because you kind of wonder, what did he look like? And yet the scriptures are remarkably quiet about that. There's, perhaps Isaiah 53 gives us a hint when it says, He has no form nor comeliness that we should desire him. We might get another hint from John 8 when he's running in with the Pharisees.

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    And they say, you're not even 50 years old. And have you seen Abraham? It'd be like saying to me, Bill, you're not even, you're not even 85 years old yet. Jesus wasn't even close to 50 years old.

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    Maybe there's a hint in that, maybe, that the difficulties of his life made him appear older than he actually was. But we're really not told anything about what he actually looked like. We're not really told anything specific about what his voice sounded like. But we know what it was like. We know what his teaching style was like.

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    The first thing that comes to my mind, thinking about Jesus' voice, is how that on certain occasions there was an amazing power and authority about it. So in the garden, John chapter 18, verses 3 to 6. Judas, then having received a band of men and officers from the chief priests and Pharisees, cometh thither with lanterns and torches and weapons.

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    Jesus, therefore, knowing all things that should come upon him, went forth and said unto them, Whom seek ye? They answered him, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus saith unto them, I am he. And Judas also which betrayed him stood with them. And as soon as he had said unto them, I am he, they went backward and fell to the ground.

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    Can you imagine that? The power of his words, the confidence. I am he. Make note of Psalm 27. We won't read it now because it would be a digression, but Psalm 27 goes beautifully with this episode. I'll just read you the first couple of verses to whet your appetite. The Lord is my light and my salvation.

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    Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life. Of whom shall I be afraid? When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell. It really fits in rather beautifully as expressing what might have been the mind of our Lord on that occasion.

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    Something about his voice that astonished them. They fell back. Was it fearlessness? Was it authority? Was it calm? Verse 4 says, Jesus, knowing all things that should come upon him, went forth and said, Whom seek ye? Another episode that's sort of a favorite of mine about the authority of Jesus' voice. And I'd like if you come to me, to come over with me to John chapter 8.

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    Seven, I mean. You remember that Jesus' brothers were goading him to go up to the Feast of Tabernacles and to, you know, make a public display of himself. I think there was maybe something of malice in their goading because in verse 5 it says, Neither did his brethren believe in him. And so Jesus demurred.

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    He said, No, I'm not going up yet to the Feast. And so at the Feast, there was some debate among the people. Verse 12 tells us there was a lot of murmuring among the people concerning him. For some said he's a good man. Others said, No, he deceives. Then in verse 14, About the midst of the Feast, Jesus went up into the temple and taught.

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    And the Jews marveled, saying, How knoweth this man letters having never learned? Jesus answered them and said, My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me. If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God or whether I speak of myself. Now come down to verse 28.

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    Then cried Jesus in the temple, As he taught, saying, Ye both know me, and ye know whence I am, and I am not come of myself, but he that sent me is true, whom ye know not. But I know him, for I am from him, and he hath sent me. Then they sought to take him, but no man laid out hands on him, because his hour was not yet come.

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    And many of the people believed on him and said, When Christ cometh, will he do more miracles than these, which this man hath done? This was all getting to be a bit too much for the Pharisees. You know, this guy, he's speaking in a way that's going to, it's going to draw away our adherence.

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    It's going to undermine our authority. So verse 32, the Pharisees heard that the people murmured such things concerning him. And the Pharisees and the chief priests sent officers to take him. They sent out officers with the goal of arresting Jesus.

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    And some time goes by, and the debate carries on. And you get to verse 45, and the arresting party returns to the chief priests and Pharisees. And they come back empty-handed. They've got no Jesus with them. They were supposed to arrest him. Verse 45, Then came the officers to the chief priests and Pharisees.

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    And they said unto them, Why have you not brought him? The officers answered, Never man spoke like this man. Well, that wasn't the question they'd ask. Why didn't you bring him? Never man spoke like him.

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    There's never anybody spoke with such authority. I love that episode because you can just imagine how it must have made those Pharisees who sent these officers out to arrest. And the men come back and they are just utterly convinced by the authority of Jesus' words. Never man spoke like this. There were times when there was about Jesus an authority and a power that put people in awe.

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    So when they were going to throw him over the hillside very early on, he just went through the crowd and passed along. No big show. There's something about him. His power and authority. And I think, when I think of the voice of Jesus, that's certainly one of the things that comes to my mind.

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    There's another time. You notice here in John chapter 7, it said that he cried out. Some of the modern versions make it a little bit less emphatic a word, but it really is a very loud cry that he cried out to the people. And there's one other time where it's used in Jesus' life of him crying out.

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    And it's from the cross. And when he gave that last cry from the cross, about which we'll speak later, it says that the centurion believed who was facing him. Brother Harry Whitaker in his studies in the Gospels argues rather convincingly that the centurion would have been face-to-face seeing Jesus. And there was something about that cry.

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    Something about Jesus' voice. So his authority is one big feature of his voice. But there's another feature of his voice, his warmth, his approachableness, and even humor. It's a feature of Jesus' voice which we might tend to overlook and perhaps even to downplay. And I think I'm going to give you a couple examples of where we downplay what is Jesus using humor or exaggeration to make a point.

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    Now, obviously, I approached the topic with a bit of trepidation because I don't want to suggest that Jesus was indulging in sort of hilarious, like, thigh-slapping kind of silliness. He was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. But sometimes I think we might paint Jesus as very doer and very other and very solemn.

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    And we might do so at the risk of not knowing what he was really like. And there are undeniable examples of Jesus using wry humor to make a point and to make it very effectively. And once you sort of catch on that that's a possibility, it really shows what a great teacher he was and the power of some of his sayings.

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    So there's one or two that I want to show you that might not be familiar. And having seen that Jesus was using humor, that they actually kind of opened up to me. But first, maybe we just look at some of the ones that we're probably more familiar with. So we come to Matthew chapter 23.

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    We read in verse 2, in verse 1, that he's speaking to the multitude and to the disciples. And he's saying to them that he's not condemning what the Pharisees taught. He's saying, do what they tell you to do, but don't be hypocrites like they are. Verse 5, he says, for all their works they do for to be seen of men.

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    They make broad their phylacteries. Everybody knows the phylactery, the little box with the scroll of the law in it, the little word of Scripture that based on Deuteronomy, telling them to keep the law bound to themselves. Sometimes they wear it on the hand, sometimes I hate it. They wear a great big one.

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    You know, great, great big one. Everybody can see, well, this guy, he's really religious. They make broad the borders of their garments, the border of blue that was supposed to remind them of celestial things. Right? They make broad the borders of their garments. Verse 6, they love the uppermost room at feasts and the chief seats in the synagogues and greetings in the markets and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi.

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    I sort of suspect that even here, Jesus is painting with a bit of a broad brush. There were Pharisees who became followers of Jesus. We know that from Acts. And there were people like Nicodemus who was one of the council who came to Jesus. So perhaps they weren't all like that, but it was enough of a caricature that people in the audience could think, ooh, he's kind of got something there.

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    Verse 23, woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cumin and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith. These ought ye to have done and not to leave the other undone. Ye blind guides which strain in a gnat and swallow a camel.

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    Now apparently, Jesus wasn't making this up about straining at gnats. A gnat was an unclean animal. And there is actually, and I even checked this out for myself. I managed to get a hold of, I think it's in the Talmud somewhere, Babylonian Talmud. Here, I've got a quote. If one eats a flea or a gnat, he is an apostate.

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    Okay? And there's one right in front of my face, tempting me. And so, and there was actually instruction about how you were supposed to strain your drink. Because, you know, we've all had the experience of being at a picnic and you have your cup of sweet soda and things are trying to get into it.

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    In fact, I even gave an exhortation on this once in an ecclesial hall and when they passed the wine, wouldn't you know it? What do we do now?

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    Now, Jesus could have said, these Pharisees, they have no sense of proportion. You know, they worry about tithing the mint plant and the anise and the cumin and they lose the bigger thing. But Jesus uses this wonderful hyperbole. He's saying, they strain out the net, carefully pouring their interpretations of the law, said you had to do it in sufficient light to be sure that nothing's flipped back in.

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    And then they swallow a camel. And in fact, I'm not 100% sure of this, but I'm pretty sure that it's a pun in Aramaic, that's gimla and gamla or something like that for the camel and the gnat. So Jesus is actually using a pun, which is kind of interesting in itself. I love what Brother Harry Whitaker says about this episode.

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    He really captures it in his comments and studies in the Gospels. Here, then, is a biting caricature of Pharisaic attitude. This pious fraud is pictured as taking his concern for purity so far that he sieves his drink through muslin to eliminate the tiny midge which has fallen in. Yet he's all indifference to the great hairy camel which flops past his filter into the cup, thence to be gulped down with sublime unconcern for its hair and dirt and fleas and ritual uncleanness.

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    You know, there's even something in the beginning of this verse, verse 24. Ye blind guides. You know, we've heard that so many times that maybe we lose the sense that there was a bit of wry humor about that. Jesus used this one several times. In fact, one time the disciples came up and said, don't you know you've offended the Pharisees?

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    Yeah, be careful. You've offended the Pharisees. And he says, leave them alone. They'd be blind leaders of the blind and if the blind lead the blind, they'll both fall into the ditch.

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    There's something in these sayings of Jesus that was very effective. Because you know, you think of this thing of swallowing a camel and you think to yourself, okay, now wait a minute. What about me? Am I capable of that kind of lack of sense of proportion? Am I capable of missing things that badly?

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    And it works. It's a great teaching tool when we apply the thing to ourselves. ourselves. I read a book a while ago and it was a book written by a, it wasn't a Christa Duffing book but it was written by a conservative and very respectful Bible student called The Humor of Christ. Christ.

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    And he stacks up examples. And some of them are not quite as convinced about as others but he pointed out for instance about the verse 27. You're like unto whited sepulchers. We know that they did that because when the people coming to Jerusalem they didn't want to be defiled by going in contact with an unclean place.

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    But this man who wrote the book suggested that Jesus is using his wry humor here again. You're like whited sepulchers which indeed appear beautiful outward but are within full of dead men's bones. Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men but within are full of hypocrisy.

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    There's really quite a number of examples and somebody one of the young people in the class came up after the end of the class today and had one more that wasn't on my list. I was impressed. His was I've not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance. You know there's real irony in that when Jesus says that because they went around as Paul says in Romans trying to establish their own righteousness rather than submitting to the righteousness which is from God.

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    Right? He hadn't come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance. Matthew 6 I can't imagine that these teachings of the Lord were not presented with a wry smile. three times in Matthew 6 we have the phrase they have their reward. First one's verse 2 when thou doest thine alms do not sound a trumpet before thee as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets that they may have glory of men.

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    Verily I say unto you they have their reward. They did this they made their big show of giving alms so that men would see them and they have their reward. They got what they wanted. I think even in this one Jesus is maybe stretching things a bit about the sounding of trumpets. I know that in the temple there were big trumpet shaped brass things that people threw their money in and it made a noise going in and often people will suggest that's what Jesus is talking about here but this also says that it was in the streets and I did they actually go out in the streets playing a trumpet or was Jesus maybe and even if they did the point to it is to make the point it's just an incredible thing that you're doing this to be seen of men.

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    Verse 5 When thou prayest thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corner of the streets that they may be seen of men.

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    Verily I say unto you they have their reward. Verse 16 Moreover when ye fast be not as the hypocrites of a sad countenance for they disfigure their faces that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you they have their reward. Go around looking miserable and unkempt as part of your fast so that everybody will say oh Bill Link's fasting again.

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    What a holy man. You got your reward that's what you wanted fine you accomplished what you set out to accomplish. But thou when thou fastest Jesus says anoint thine head wash thy face that thou appear not unto men to fast but unto thy father which is in secret and thy father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.

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    By the way this opens up an interesting topic for conversation we won't do it now but should we fast nowadays? I would suggest that if we are physically capable of it that fasting is a very powerful way of focusing our mind on prayer. And I think we could make a pretty good argument that it's something that we might try doing.

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    But I'll just throw that out for your thoughts. Thanks. Jesus' humor. I mean Matthew 19. And we're going to talk later on I think about this occasion when the rich young man comes and says that Jesus looking at him loved him. And the man saying well what do I need to do? Jesus says keep the commandments.

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    I've done that. What do I need to do? Jesus looking at him loved him. It's one thing you lack. Go and sell all that you have. Give to the poor and follow me. And he goes away sorrowful. And the disciples are stunned by this because they take prosperity as a sign that God likes you.

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    And that's why he's got the money. God must like him. Who then can be saved is their feeling. And Jesus says Matthew 19 verse 23 Verily I say unto you that a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. Again I say unto you it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.

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    Now how many have heard the explanation that there was a gate in the wall of Jerusalem hands are up already that was a real small gate and if you had your camel and it was all loaded up with stuff that there was no way your camel could go through unless you first took off all the baggage and then the camel had to sort of crouch down to get through that gate and that's what Jesus is referring to.

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    Okay so I think that's a it's one that is why it's not just in Christadelphian circles that you'll hear that it's all over the place and it's simply not true. I think I can say that with a lot of confidence. I've looked in a number of here's here's the MacArthur New Testament commentary it says there's no evidence that such a gate ever existed.

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    Nor would any person with common sense have attempted to force a camel through such a small gate even if one had existed. They would simply have brought their camel into the city through a larger gate. Now this gentleman who wrote the book about the humor of Christ I'd like to quote something from his book as well.

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    He says of all the mistakes which we make in regard to the humor of Christ perhaps the worst mistake is our failure or our unwillingness to recognize that Christ used deliberately preposterous statements to get his point across. When we take a deliberately preposterous statement and from a false sense of piety try to force some literal truth out of it the result is often grotesque.

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    Because they cannot bear the bold figure of the patently impossible they say that Jesus did not really mean by the eye of the needle that through which people put thread for sewing. He meant they say a gate in Jerusalem which was so low that a camel could wriggle through it only with extreme difficulty and even then without his load which had to be removed.

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    Thus many moderns believe they save the words of Christ from appearing preposterous. What they miss by this devious explanation is that there is good reason to suppose that Christ meant his words to sound preposterous. There was no way this is where the pun in Aramaic the gimla I think it is the gimla and the needle there is no way a camel can go through an eye of a needle.

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    There is no way that trusting in our riches so this morning with the young people I said to them okay what is the chapter about faith?

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    Hebrews 11 they were faster than you. What is the chapter about love? Right. What is the chapter baptism? What is the chapter about our attitude towards money? Ah somebody's got it. 1 Timothy chapter 6 an entire chapter and it's one that living in this prosperous society that we do and we might look around and say well look I'm not really all that well off but when we compare ourselves to what we saw on the screens last night and through history we need to be very concerned that it is difficult for those who trust in riches to inherit the kingdom of God it's like a camel going through the eye of a needle it just doesn't work just have a look at 1 Timothy chapter 6 end of the chapter verse 17 charge them that are rich in this world that they be not high minded nor trust in uncertain riches but in the living God who giveth us richly all things to enjoy that they do good that they be rich in good works ready to distribute willing to share laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come that they may lay hold on eternal life see these are really first principle doctrines we really need to take it to heart we ask ourselves like brother Phil have I been converted you know challenge ourselves with these first principles Luke chapter 18 starting at verse 9 he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous they trusted in themselves that they were righteous and as if that's not bad enough and despised others two men

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    went up into the temple to pray the one a Pharisee the other a publican the Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself that in itself he prayed thus with himself God I thank thee that I am not as other men are extortioners unjust adulterers even this publican I fast twice in the week I give tithes of all that I possess I kind of think this must have been a composite figure in the Lord's teaching that it's hard to imagine that anybody could be that brazen but he's making a point because by contrast verse 13 the publican standing afar off would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven but smote upon his breast saying God be merciful to me a sinner I tell you this man went down to his house justified rather than the other for everyone that exalteth himself shall be abased and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted there's other examples but maybe we need to to press forward but my point in illustrating the humor of Christ is to see him as a genuine real and very very effective teacher who knew how to paint a picture in the mind of his audience that would keep them thinking about things there's the moat and the beam right you know he doesn't say leave the speck in the other guy's eye his eye the judge not that you be not judged it's not it's not he's saying so that you can be like your father that's in heaven he's talking about being merciful nowadays the idea of tolerance is taking judge not that ye be not judged and distorted

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    that terribly into an excuse for anarchy but anybody who's ever had a speck of dust in their eye knows that it is not a pleasant experience and so you try to help somebody out if they've got a speck of dust in there hey look pull out your eyelid roll your eye around see if you can't get the thing out of there try to help them out but if you're staggering around with a great big beam in your eye you're not exactly in a position to be doing eye surgery that's what Jesus is help under those circumstances Jesus is saying that we should have generosity of spirit doesn't say that we shouldn't judge he actually says in John 7 he says judge not according to the appearance but judge righteous judgment well there's one last example that I'd like to get to of Jesus gentle humor it's just a phrase and at the point of it was one that I have to confess for many years I had never caught it's in Luke chapter 22 and it's at the last supper can you imagine what it was like for the Lord at the last supper first of all having Judas there knowing what Judas intention was then the the accidental I'm sure but the insensitivity insensitivity the incredible insensitivity of the disciples to at that moment be arguing about who would have their preeminence in the kingdom who was going to be the greatest among them I'm well you know you probably are number two but I'm going to be number one I mean the fact that Jesus went and washed their feet shows speak volumes

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    of our Lord we'll talk more about that episode later but here in Luke 22 we have sort of a briefer account of this episode verse 24 there was also a strife among them which of them should be accounted the greatest and he said unto them the kings of the gentiles exercise lordship over them and they that exercise authority upon them are called benefactors but ye shall not be so but he that is greatest among you let him be as the younger and he that is chief as he that doth serve for whether is greater he that sitteth at meet or he that serveth is not he that sitteth at meet but I am among you as he that serveth I suspect that when he said I am among you as he that serveth that he is maybe referring to the foot washing that had just happened I am among you as he that serveth ye are they which have contended with me in my temptations and I appoint unto you a kingdom as my father hath appointed unto me that ye may eat and drink at my table and my kingdom and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel now the part that I have always not caught in this is in verse 25 he says the kings of the gentiles exercise lordship new American standard bible and NIV both say they lord it over them and I think they catch the sense and they exercise authority or power upon them and they're called benefactors what's a benefactor it's somebody who does good and helps out and apparently in Roman times just like

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    nowadays people want to be remembered for their good deeds and for all the benefits that they have lavished upon society one commentator says inscriptions on ancient coins bear witness to the literal truth that then as in every age dictators sought to camouflage their lust for power behind a facade of eagerness to improve the lot of their people and eagerness made worse than useless by a desperate anxiety that it be known by all the world so that rulers like Caesar could call themselves benefactors was ludicrous it was plainly not so there's one person in particular in the Egyptian dynasty of the Ptolemies the nephew of Antiochus Epiphanes who is called Ptolemy Ptolemy Sycon which means potbelly but for whatever reason he preferred to be known as Euergetes the benefactor against the Jews Euergetes had a bitter grudge Josephus tells us of Euergetes after his return to Alexandria how he tried to have a crowd of Jews trampled upon by elephants now the elephants turned instead upon the king's men all our ancient literary sources represent Ptolemy Euergetes as a monster disgusting in appearance and savage in its vindictiveness our sources also speak of his sanguinary persecution of all whom he suspected of disloyalty in Egypt executions orders of banishments confiscations on a wide scale even massacres of the people of Alexandria by his hired soldiery the lords of the gentiles are called benefactors they're called benefactors they have a title benefactor Jesus says that's not how it's going to be for you he that shall not be so ye shall not be so verse 26 but he that is greatest among you let him be as

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    the younger and he that is chief as he that does serve seems like there's a common theme in all of these times where Jesus uses a bit of wry humor that it's something about the external appearances right doing all things for the praise of men making wide the borders of the garment and the phylacteries praying publicly in such a way so that men would see them and all those things Jesus goes after them we can't our we want to worship from the heart we want to be seen by God and he will reward us openly and here at the last supper this utterly inappropriate arguing over supremacy and so Jesus washed their feet he says here's how you're to be brother Ron Hicks who I'm sure many of you know from our area on the east coast brother Ron says we're not servants unless we serve that's a good saying we want to be servants of all well we've heard Jesus voices powerful causing those who came upon him to stumble and fall confounding the opponents that had been sent to arrest him even as he spoke his last words on the cross that they were able to bring conviction we've thought about the right humor with which he taught and tomorrow morning we'll hear about the tones of compassion in his voice I want to conclude this session with a brief consideration of John 10 verses 3 to 5 well we'll start at verse 1 for the context verse verily verily I say unto you he that entereth not by the door of the sheepfold but climbeth up some other way the same is a

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    thief and a robber but he that entereth in by the door of the shepherd by the door is the shepherd of the sheep to him the porter openeth and the sheep hear his voice and he calleth his own sheep by name and leadeth them out and when he putteth forth his own sheep he goeth before them and the sheep follow him for they know his voice and a stranger will they not follow but will flee from him for they know not the voice of strangers these are challenging words when we hear bitter words spoken against brethren is that the voice of the master when we hear fanciful expositions of scripture designed to tickle the ear rather than to convict the conscience is that the voice of the master or rather do we hear the voice of the master challenging us to give more of ourselves to sacrifice our comforts and ease to sacrifice our time to give it until it hurts and then more so and then if we do so we follow him we hear his voice and follow and we know and have peace here is the master's voice speaking to us Matthew 11 verses 27 to 30 all things are delivered unto me of my father and no man knoweth the son but the father neither knoweth any man the father save the son and he to whom so ever the son will reveal it Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

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    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. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.