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The Biblical Doctrine Of Self Defense - Part 2 of 2

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• I will take a few minutes to review. But I want you to open your Bibles to four passages. Matthew 26. Matthew 26 is the first one. Mark 14. Luke 22. And John 18. Our main text is going to be Luke 22. Let's begin reading Matthew 26, and we're going to begin reading there with verse 51. Matthew 26, and notice if you would please, verse 51. Matthew 26 verse 51, "And behold, one of them which were with Jesus stretched out his hand and drew his sword, and struck a servant of the high priest, and smote off his ear. Then said Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into his place, for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword." Now if you would turn over to Mark chapter 14, and look at verses 47 and 48. Mark 14 verse 47, "And one of them that stood by drew a sword, and smote the servant of the high priest, and cut off his ear. Jesus answered and said unto them, Are ye come out, as against a thief, with swords and with staves to take me?" Now if you would go to Luke chapter 22 and, like I say, please hold these because we will turn back and forth, but notice Luke chapter 22 and let's begin reading

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• there with verse 49. Luke 22 verse 49, "When they which were about him saw what would follow, they said unto him, Lord, shall we smite with a sword? And one of them smote the servant of the high priest and cut off his right ear. And Jesus answered and said, Suffer ye thus far. And he touched his ear and healed him. Then Jesus said unto the chief priests and captains of the temple and the elders which were come to him, Be ye come out, as against a thief, with swords and staves?" One last passage, John chapter 18 verses 10 through 12. John 18 verse 10. The Bible says, "Then Simon, having a sword, drew it, and smote the high priest's servant, and cut off his right ear.

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• The servant's name was Malchus. Then said Jesus unto Peter, Put up thy sword into his sheath. The cup which my father hath given me, shall I not drink of it? Then one of the band and the captains of the officers of the Jews took Jesus and bound him."

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• Now, last week, I began a short series on the biblical doctrine of self-defense. And my text last week was basically from the sixth commandment, "Thou shalt not kill." And of course I showed you from the scripture that phrase literally means "thou shalt do no murder" or "thou shalt do no unjust violence." Then I showed you that life may be lawfully and legitimately taken upon God's terms. In fact, I showed you 18 different reasons in the Bible where God demanded that life would be taken according to his terms. And to that we added a 19th, which of course would be the biblical doctrine of self-defense.

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• Because every negative has a positive. The negative, "thou shalt not kill" or "thou shalt do no murder," has a positive, "thou shalt preserve life." Thus I showed you from scripture that self-defense is obligatory. You are obligated to defend yourself or else you would be guilty of allowing someone to murder you, which therefore would be self-murder, which of course would be a violation of the sixth commandment. So, I went through the Bible and showed you where God not only demanded that we defend ourselves, but the life of others as well. Now, it is lawful and it is right according to the Bible to defend one's life, one's family, and one's neighbors, even to the point of taking life. And I showed you where life lawfully taken certainly is not murder. So, self-defense is indeed obligatory. Now, you must fight in order to protect yourself to be obedient to the sixth commandment. You may lose that fight, but still you must fight.

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• Now, the Bible tells us in Matthew 5 and verse 17 that Jesus Christ did not come to destroy the law. Rather, He came to fulfill it, that is, to put it into full force as continuous. Now, I read four passages from the New Testament today. And we're going to be examining these passages, one at a time, hopefully to answer a main objection against the biblical doctrine of self-defense.

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• You see, so many people try to pit Scripture against Scripture. They'll read something in the Old Testament and say, "Oh, but that's changed. Now we're going to read in the New Testament and it's going to be something different." No, it's not going to be something different. Scripture does not contradict Scripture. If your interpretation of one passage of Scripture contradicts another plain teaching of Scripture, it's not the Scripture that is wrong, it's your interpretation that is wrong.

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• So you have to understand, everything must be taken in its context. So what then is one of the main objections to the biblical doctrine of self-defense? Well here it is, and let's put it in a question form because it's usually asked this way. If self-defense is obligatory, and if it is absolutely necessary to defend your life and the life of others, why then did Christ tell Peter to put his sword back into his sheath? We could also ask that question another way. We could ask, if self-defense is mandatory, why did not Peter and the other apostles just simply use their swords to hack their way to safety and deliver themselves and Christ as well? Well, I want to answer those questions. And I want to begin in Luke chapter 22.

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• And look, if you would, particularly at verses 35 and 36. We're going to begin here. Notice if you would, Luke chapter 22 beginning in verse 35. "And he said unto them," Jesus Christ, "and he said unto them, When I sent you without purse and scrip and shoes, lack ye anything? And they said nothing. Then said he unto them, But now he that hath a purse, let him take it, and likewise a scrip, and he that hath no sword, let him sell his garment and get one."

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• Now let me just make an observation. You must always interpret Scripture in light of Scripture. You must always consider Scripture in its context. And when you're talking about its context, you must remember there's not only an immediate context, that is what goes before and what goes after, there's also a remote context, which of course would include not only the entire book, but sometimes the entire Bible. So, I want you to understand. Our Lord is asking this question in verse 35, look at it. "And He said unto them, When I sent you without purse and scrip and shoes, lack ye anything," note the question, and then the answer, "and they answered nothing." Verse 35 refers back to Luke chapter 9 and Luke chapter 10, and I want you to go back there please, very quickly, just to look at these two verses. Notice, if you would, Luke chapter 9 and verse 3. Jesus Christ is sending forth His disciples, and He tells them, Luke 9 verse 3, "And He said unto them, Take nothing for your journey, neither staves, nor scrip, neither bread, neither money, neither have two coats apiece."

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• So He says, take nothing for your journey. Look in Luke chapter 10, if you would please, and verse 4. Again, our Lord says this as He sends them forth. "Carry neither purse, nor scrip, nor shoes, and salute no man by the way." So here are two instances when Jesus Christ has sent out His disciples. He's told them to take absolutely nothing with them. And so when you get to Luke 22 and verse 35, He's asking them this question. "When I sent you forth and you had absolutely nothing, did you lack for anything?" Their answer came back, "Absolutely not." They did not lack for anything because Christ provided for them in every way. He protected them. In fact, when He says, "don't take staves with you," a stave according to Luke 9 in verse 3, the word would refer to a rod, or a staff, or a walking stick. And that rod, or staff, or walking stick could be used in a multitude of ways, not just to help you walk, but also for self-defense as well.

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• But what our Lord is emphasizing in Luke 22 and verse 35, that when He sent them forth, they lacked absolutely nothing. He provided for them. He took care of them. Now, look at verse 36. Luke 22, verse 36. After He asked the question, "did you lack anything?" And they answered, "nothing."

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• Now in verse 36 He says, "Then said He unto them, But now he that hath a purse, let him take it. And likewise a scrip. And he that hath no sword, let him sell his garment and get one." Now there is a decisive change about to take place. And Christ is preparing His disciples for this change. "But now," he says, you know, interestingly, when you speak in the English language, there are some things that you really cannot emphasize like you can in the Greek.

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• For instance, I could say, "I love my dog." I could say, "I love steak." I could say, "I love my wife."

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• Now I've used the word love in three totally different ways. Obviously, I don't love my dog the way I love my wife, nor do I love steak the way I love my wife. We have totally different meanings to the word love. In the Greek, there are two little words for "but." One of them is de, D-E, and it just is translated "but" over and over in the scripture. But there is a second word.

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• It is four letters, alla, A-L-L-A, and it literally means "but." However, the distinction is this. Whenever you see the little Greek word alla, it means it is a strong word of contrast. I could say this, "I was going to town, but I changed my mind." And you understand that. I could say this, "You may think you're going to whip me, but you're going to have a fight on your hand." Now that's a strong word of contrast.

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• This is what our Lord is using in Luke chapter 22 verse 35. He said, "When I sent you forth, did you lack anything?" They answered, "Nothing."

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• Now He says in verse 36, "But now, he that hath a purse, let him take it. Likewise a scrip. And he that hath no sword, let him sell his garment and get one." So our Lord is saying, here's a decisive change. Now, when He says, "when you go forth, take your purse." The Greek word is balantion, that's how we would pronounce it. And the purse was a pouch or depository for money. And he says, "take your scrip." Now, when you and I think of scrip, we think of paper. But a scrip in the Bible here, the Greek word is pēra, which literally means a wallet or a leather pouch in which they carried food. And then he says, "above all, if you don't have your sword, you sell your garment and get one." Now, the garment that he told them to sell is called the himation. That was the most needed and most necessary garment. The garment that he told them to sell was the outer garment that could be used for a multitude of reasons and a multitude of ways.

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• They would use the garment sometime as a cover to sleep in. They would use it for cold. They could use it many, many different ways. But the garment was the most important and the most expensive garment that they had. So our Lord is saying, "Before I sent you out and you had need of nothing, but now," He says, "You take your purse with you, you take your scrip with you, and if you don't have a sword, you sell your garment and you get one."

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• Now, why in the world this demand for this sudden and decisive change? Why is our Lord telling His disciples that now they must provide for themselves, for their food, and for their safety? Well, look in verse 37. He explains it. He says, "For I say unto you that this that is written must yet be accomplished in me. And he was reckoned among the transgressors. For the things concerning me have an end." What is Christ saying? Christ is saying, "I'm about to be crucified. I'm going to be arrested. I'm going to be numbered with the transgressors. I'm going to be counted as a criminal."

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• I want you to stop and think about this. We have a certain mentality that if someone is arrested, he must have done something wrong to get in trouble. Christ was arrested. He did nothing wrong. Yet he was numbered with the transgressors. Christ was and is the sinless Son of God. Oftentimes the apostles were arrested and thrown in prison. They did absolutely nothing wrong. But what is Christ saying in verse 37? Christ is saying, "Look, the things concerning me have an end. I came to die. I came to die for my people. I am going to die. I'm going to be arrested. I'm going to be thrown into prison, so to speak. I'm going to be crucified. I'm no longer going to be around to provide for you and protect you. You must be ready to provide and protect yourself."

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• Now, if you'll look in John chapter 15, you will see very quickly what our Lord's implications were. Look in John 15 and let's begin reading there with verse 18. Look in John 15 verse 18. Here is why He told His disciples to sell their garment and buy a sword. Notice John 15 verse 18. Our Lord said, "If the world hate you, you know that it hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love his own. But because you're not of the world, but I've chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. Remember the word that I've said unto you." Here it is. "The servant is not greater than his Lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they've kept my saying, they will keep yours also." Now what did our Lord just get out of his mouth? He said, "Look, if they've treated me like a criminal, what do you think they're going to do to you? The servant is not greater than the master."

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• The servant is not better than the master. Our Lord said, "If they've hated me, they're going to hate you. If they have taken me and tried to persecute me and torture me, what do you think they're going to do to you?" So our Lord is saying, "Look, you might as well understand something. And that something is this. Troublesome times are going to be ahead of you. And you must prepare. You must be ready. You must learn to assume all responsibility for yourself."

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• Now, our Lord is telling us, and I'm going to emphasize this a little bit later, that we must use all reasonable means in accomplishing our Lord's work, and at the same time, providing for ourselves and protecting ourselves. What our Lord is telling His disciples is this, that all of these miracles that they had previously experienced, they are not going to continue on the same level as they had previously. For instance, look in your Bibles to the book of Acts chapter 2, and notice if you would what is said concerning Christ. The book of Acts, notice if you would, chapter 2 and verse 22. Jesus Christ is called specifically a miracle worker. Notice if you would, Acts chapter 2. And notice if you would please, beginning there with verse 22. Acts 2 verse 22.

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• Scripture says this, "Ye men of Israel, hear these words. Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs which God did by Him in the midst of you, as you yourselves also know." Note the next verse, "Him being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, you have taken Him by wicked hands and crucified and slain." So Jesus Christ, the miracle worker, is going to be taken out of this world.

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• And so here's what our Lord is saying. "Before I sent you forth and you had need of nothing."

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• "Now I'm sending you forth, you have to learn to provide for yourself. It is true miracles exist, but they do not exist on the same level and to the same degree that they did during the time of Christ or during the time of the apostles."

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• Now you see, you've got to understand this. Our Lord is teaching us that we must definitely assume responsibility for ourselves. But in assuming that responsibility, there must be a proper balance. Our Lord told us to take our purse, He told us to take our scrip, He told us to take our swords. But we cannot depend upon our purse and our scrip and our sword to save us. Why? Because if we trust in our purse, our scrip, our sword, it is nothing more than a display of pride, arrogance, self-deceit, and self-conception. There's none of us that have enough money to really take care of ourselves.

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• You might think you do. I showed Alice a news article that appeared on the Drudge Report today. There is a millionaire in England who has already killed himself over the credit crisis. He jumped in front of a train. 47 years old.

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• Now, I'm going to tell you something, folks. If a millionaire can't take care of himself and if he goes nuts over something that's happening in this land, do you think our little amount is going to take care of us? No. We can't trust him. I don't care if you had multi-millions. You still can't trust in money. You can't trust in anything like that. It's an arrogant display of pride.

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• Now, let me just show you. There's a proper balance that has to be maintained. On the one hand, we must use the means that God has placed at our disposal. If we do not use those means, then it is simply tempting God and an act of blasphemy. What am I talking about that? Do you remember when Samson was surrounded by the Philistines in Judges chapter 15? What did he do?

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• He reached down and picked up the jawbone of an ass. And with the jawbone of an ass, he slew a thousand Philistines. He didn't have an AK-47. He didn't have an AR-15. He took the jawbone of an ass. In other words, that's all that God provided for him. And then he used that and God blessed it. And with it he slew a thousand Philistines.

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• Now, here's what I'm showing you. On the one hand, we must use the means that God has provided. On the other hand, we must trust in God to make those means effectual. Without the blessing and the power of God, they would be useless. So on the one hand, if you take the attitude, "Well, I'm going to just sit here and let God protect me, I'm going to sit here and let God deliver me," then you're tempting God because you're failing to use the means that He's ordained. But if you take those means and say, "Bless God, this is sufficient for me," then you're at the same time blaspheming God because you're now saying, "God, I don't need your blessing upon these means. They're sufficient in and of themselves." We have to use the means that God has ordained, but at the same time, we must trust in God to make those means effectual.

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• Now, look back in your Bibles, Luke 22 and verse 36. "Then said he unto them, But now he that hath a purse, let him take it, and likewise a scrip, and he that hath no sword, let him sell his garment and get one." Hmm. "Let him sell his garment and get one." Allow me to tell you this, when the Bible says, "he that hath no sword, let him sell his garment to get one,"

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• it is in the imperative mode in the Greek. What's that mean? An imperative is a command. So literally what he was doing was commanding his disciples to sell their garments and get a sword.

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• Now, skip down to verse 38. "And they said, Lord, behold, here are two swords. And he said unto them, It is enough."

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• Now, what do those three little words, "it is enough," mean? I can assure you these three little words have been variously interpreted. And by the way, Christ did not say that two swords were enough. He just said, "It is enough." The disciples said, "Lord, here are two swords." And He said unto them, "It is enough." Now, what does that mean? Well, let me give you three ways it could possibly be interpreted. And I will tell you the way that I think is the biblical interpretation. When Christ said, "It is enough," it could refer to the fact that He was saying that enough had been said on the subject. "Drop the subject. That's over."

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• Secondly, it could also refer to the reality that they would understand later exactly what He meant in greater detail. Thirdly, and this is the meaning that I believe is the more accurate, "it is enough" could also mean that the two swords would be sufficient to demonstrate His purpose.

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• Now, I want you to skip down to verse 49. Luke 22, verse 49. "When they which were about Him saw what would follow, they said unto Him, Lord, shall we smite with the sword?" Now, I want you to tie that in with verse 38. "And they said, Lord, behold, here are two swords. He said unto them, It is enough." Now verse 49, "When they which were about him saw what would follow, they said unto him, Lord, shall we smite with a sword?"

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• Now, it did not take the disciples long to figure out what the Lord meant when he told them to sell their garment and get a sword. Because the scripture says, "When they saw what would follow, they immediately asked, Lord, shall we smite with the sword?"

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• Now, let me show you an overall picture very quickly. If you look in your Bibles, back to Matthew 26. And we're going to look at this passage a little bit later. Then you're going to understand Luke 22 and verse 49. But look in Matthew 26 and verse 47. Matthew 26, verse 47. "And while he yet spake, lo, Judas, one of the twelve, came, and with him a great multitude with swords and staves from the chief priests and the elders of the people." Now, what has happened? They've been surrounded. Here's a great multitude.

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• Now they ask, "Lord, shall we smite with a sword?" In other words, it did not take them long to figure out, "We're in trouble. We're in danger." Now, what did our Lord say? But before I show you that, let me explain it a little further. These men were surrounded by an armed, angry mob. They knew what would follow. Let me put it to you like this. If you're walking down the street on the sidewalk, and all of a sudden, four men step out with Coca-Cola bottles and log chains and knives, and you're walking down the street, and you're the only one by yourself. I hope you figure out this is not wise for me to continue walking straight toward those four armed men. I think it'd be wise to cross the street or turn around and go back. It ought not take you long to figure out what is going to happen. An interesting thing is this, Luke is the only gospel that records this question, "Lord, shall we smite with the sword?" And by the way, it is unclear as to when this question was asked.

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• Was this question asked before Peter struck the first blow? Or was this question asked only after Peter had struck the first blow and the other disciples were trying to determine whether they should join in on the action? Or was this question asked and before it could be answered, Peter's impetuosity drove him to smite with the sword? It's unclear exactly when this question was asked. But I want you to look in Luke 22 in verse 50.

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• "And one of them smote the servant of the high priest and cut off his ear." Now without turning there, we've already read it, but in John 18 in verse 10, that passage identifies Peter as the man who struck with the sword. And the high priest's servant's name was Malchus.

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• Now, let me answer a question that I have been asked numerous times. The question is this, "Pastor, do you believe that Peter meant to cut off Malchus' ear?" And the answer is, no, I do not believe he meant to cut off his ear. I believe he was aiming for the center of his head, he just missed. He really meant to take Malchus out. Now, watch what happens.

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• Look in Luke 22 verse 51. "And Jesus answered and said, Suffer ye thus far. And he touched his ear and healed him."

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• Now the word "suffer" in the context simply means this. "Don't resist any further. Allow them to take me." Christ is telling Peter that his blow is sufficient, let them seize me, let them go ahead and take me. Viewed in the context, and I'm going to explain this, viewed in the context, the words of Christ are not and cannot be taken as denouncing either self-defense or condemnation of Peter's actions, and I'll explain that a little bit later. But at this point, Christ does an absolutely remarkable thing. Peter had cut off Malchus' ear. Our Lord touches his ear and heals it and restores it. Now, I don't know about you, but had I been Malchus, and my ear had just been cut off, and Christ just touched my head and restored my ear, I think I would have had second thoughts about trying to take him. I would think that possibly I was on the wrong side. You know, but our Lord simply restored his ear. Now, I said earlier that Christ's words cannot be taken to deny the biblical doctrine of self-defense or a denouncement of Peter's action, or a condemnation of his actions in using the sword.

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• Now, how can I explain this? Well, I want you to consider three things with me this morning. And I want you to look in Matthew 26, if you would please, for the first point. Matthew 26 and verse 52. I'm going to tell you, first of all, that Peter's actions were unwise. Peter's actions were unwise. Look what our Lord said to Peter. "Then said Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into his place. For all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword." Notice the only thing that Christ said to Peter, "put his sword up into his place." In another instance he said, "put your sword into its sheath." Now, Peter certainly acted unwisely in using the sword. And I will tell you that unwise is a very polite term.

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• I could have used the word stupid. I could say that Peter acted stupidly. But I'm going to stick with the word unwisely. Allow me to explain this. One may act unwisely and still not act sinfully. It is our human limitations that frequently cause us to act unwisely. Simply because something is unwise does not necessarily mean that it is sinful. I can give you an illustration. For years when we lived in Jessup, I drove back and forth to the church building every day. And I remember one instance when I drove from the church building to our house. I had something on my mind. I don't remember how many red lights I had to go through or how many stop signs I had to go through, but I know there was one railroad track that I had to cross. And when I got home, it dawned on me that I did not remember stopping for a red light or a stop sign or even looking both ways at the railroad track. Now, I probably did, but I didn't remember doing it.

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• Now, was that sinful? No, not necessarily. Was it unwise? Oh, yeah. You need to be conscious at a railroad track. You need to be conscious of a stop sign and its red light. But that doesn't necessarily make it sinful, just because you probably do it, but you do it without thinking. Very unwise.

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• Now, how in the world can I say that Peter's actions were unwise? Well, let me show you. You remember, you don't have to turn back there, but you remember in Luke 22, in verse 38, when our Lord said in verse 36, "he that hath no sword, let him sell his garment and get one." Peter said, "Lord, here are how many swords?" Two. And our Lord just says, "It is enough." Now, with that in mind, look back at Matthew 26 and verse 47. "And while he yet spake, lo, Judas, one of the twelve, came and with him a great multitude with swords, and staves from the chief priests and the elders of the people." Look in Mark chapter 14 and verse 43. Mark 14, verse 43.

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• I want you to see how this is emphasized throughout the Gospels. Mark 14, verse 43. "And immediately while he yet spake cometh Judas, one of the twelve, and with him a great multitude with swords and staves from the chief priests and the elders and the scribes." Look at Luke 22 and verse 47. Luke 22, verse 47. "And while he yet spake, behold, a multitude, and he that was called Judas, one of the twelve, went before them, and drew near unto Jesus to kiss him." And finally, in John 18 and verse 3, you'll read this, "Judas, that having received a band of men and officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees, cometh with lanterns and torches and weapons." It doesn't matter where you read, Scripture says, here's a great multitude, they're armed and they're angry. Are you listening? It is one thing to defend yourself against a multitude. It is quite another thing to start a fight with a multitude.

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• Practically speaking, what Peter did, not only endangered himself, but the other disciples as well. Why in the world would you want to further enrage and anger an already armed, angry multitude? There are times when discretion is the better part of valor. For instance, I'm walking down the sidewalk and two men step out and they look very menacingly. And I say, "This is my sidewalk. I'm not going to let them scare me off of it."

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• "And if they start something, I believe I can whip both of them." And I keep walking. A few minutes, two more join them. I say, "There's four now. I still think I can take four. This is my sidewalk. And I'm not going to let them scare me off of it." I go a little further and four more join them. And you know, I get to thinking, "I might be good, but I'm not that good. You know, that sidewalk across the street belongs to me too. I think I'll just walk over there."

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• Now, does that make me a coward? No, I'm willing to fight. But are you listening? I'm going to fight on my terms. I'm not going to fight on their terms. Do you remember, and let me just quote it. In Genesis 34 and verse 30, what Jacob said to Levi and Simeon, you remember that Shechem had raped their sister Dinah. And then they told those Shechemites, "We can't make any covenants with you and we can't let our daughter marry you unless you be circumcised."

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• Well, they said, "Good, we'll do that." And on the third day, when all the men were sore, Levi and Simeon went in with their swords and killed every one of them and took their goods. And you know what Jacob told his sons? "You've made my savor to stink in the eyes of the people of the land."

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• "Now they're going to environ us around and cut us off." He said, "Boys, you might could have killed the men in that city, but you can't kill all of these Amorites and Hittites and Jebusites and Hivites that are around us." Let me ask you a question. How long do you think two swords would hold out against an armed, angry multitude? Not very long. Christ stopped the fight.

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• Stop the crisis by healing Malchus' ear. Now, how can I say that Peter's actions were unwise? First of all, I want you to understand that his actions were a declaration of pride. I want you to look in your Bibles to Matthew 26. Please remember now, this is right before all this takes place. Look in Matthew 26, verse 31. Matthew 26, verse 31. "Then said Jesus unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night.

  #58 | 39:33 to 40:14 | cleaned

• For it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad. But after I am risen again, I will go before you into Galilee. Peter answered and said unto him, Though all men should be offended because of thee, yet will I never be offended. Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, that this night before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. Peter said unto him, Though I should die with thee, yet I will not deny thee."

  #59 | 40:14 to 40:40 | cleaned

• Notice this next phrase, "Likewise also said all the disciples." Each one told Christ they would never be offended. They would never deny Him. They would never back down. In fact, Mark 14 verse 31 is even more emphatic. That's when the Bible says it, "Peter said, But he spake more vehemently, If I should die with thee, I will not deny thee in any wise." And then you read, "Likewise also said they all." And when you get to Luke 22 and verse 30, again, they're saying, "Christ, we're not going to be offended. We'll die with you."

  #60 | 40:41 to 41:29 | cleaned

• Now, let me explain something. There's a verse in Scripture, Matthew 21 verse 32. Let me just quote it for you. Jesus said, "For John," that is John the Baptist, "came unto you in the way of righteousness, but you believed him not."

  #61 | 41:29 to 41:47 | cleaned

• Now listen to what he said to the Pharisees. "But you believed him not, but the publicans and the harlots believed him. And you, when you had seen it, repented not afterwards that you might believe."

  #62 | 41:48 to 42:05 | cleaned

• Now, what did Christ say? Christ said, "You bunch of Pharisees and reprobates and hypocrites, you didn't believe John. But the harlots and the publicans, they believed him. And they repented and they changed. You saw the change. And when you had seen it, you repented not afterwards that you might believe." Now what is Christ telling us? He's telling us that we're obligated, we're responsible to learn from what God does in the lives of other people. You and I are responsible to learn from the lives of these disciples. What is one thing that we can learn? Here these disciples have banded together. They're brothers, they're friends. They know each other. And Christ says, "Look, all of you are going to be offended in Me this night and you're going to be scattered abroad." "No, Lord. No, no, no, Lord. No."

  #63 | 42:06 to 43:05 | cleaned

• "We will never ever do that. Lord, we'll die with Thee." Let me show you what I'm trying to point out. When we're together with folks who love us and believe like we believe, we're bold and we're brave and we're courageous and we can express our manhood and our valor. But guess what? When those disciples were indeed separated, one from the other, are you listening? Every one of them fell.

  #64 | 43:05 to 43:42 | cleaned

• I hope you are thinking of Proverbs 16 and verse 18. "Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall." I'm going to tell you folks, I've heard men say, "Well I'll tell you one thing, if this happens, bless God, I'll do such and such." You don't know what you're going to do until it happens. And it's easy to be brave when you're not in trouble. It's a lot more difficult to be brave when you are in trouble. Not only were Peter's actions a declaration of his pride, his actions were a demonstration of perceived power.

  #65 | 43:46 to 44:36 | cleaned

• Look in John chapter 18, verses 4-6. Here's what I mean by demonstration of perceived power. John 18, look at it beginning there with verse 4.

  #66 | 44:37 to 44:44 | cleaned

• "Jesus, therefore, knowing that all these 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, who betrayed him, stood with him. And as soon as he said unto them, I am he, they went backward and fell to the ground." Whoa! What did Jesus Christ say? "I am he!" And the Scripture says when he said, "I am," they went backward and fell on the ground.

  #67 | 45:00 to 45:30 | cleaned

• No doubt Peter was emboldened. No doubt Peter saw the multitude fall backwards and he thought this. "Now wait a minute. Wait a minute. If just a few words will make people fall backwards, how much more would a little manly display of the sword cause confusion and consternation in their ranks? I think I'll give them a little demonstration of power myself." I've got news for you folks. Peter not only had a declaration of pride, but when he saw that little demonstration of power, he thought that he could add to it. Thirdly, we've got to understand this. I'm showing you how Peter's actions were unwise. There was really and truly never any need to display the sword. Why? Because the disciples were never really in any real danger.

  #68 | 45:30 to 46:28 | cleaned

• Look in John 18 and verse 7 again. John 18 verse 7, "Then asked He them again, Whom seek ye? And they said, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus answered, I have told you that I am He. If therefore you seek Me, let these go their way, that the saying might be fulfilled which ye spake of them which thou gavest Me, I have lost none." Ah. You see, the disciples were never ever in any real danger.

  #69 | 46:28 to 46:58 | cleaned

• Number one, they only wanted Christ. Number two, those disciples were still under the protection and the power of Jesus Christ. And Jesus Christ is not going to lose any of His people. He said, "the Scripture might be fulfilled. Those which thou have given me, I have lost none."

  #70 | 46:59 to 47:19 | cleaned

• Now, let me go back, let me remind you. What did Christ tell Peter in Matthew 26? He said, "Put thy sword up into its place. For they that take the sword shall perish by the sword." So what in the world does that mean? Well, how are we to understand those words? Once again, let me give you three possible interpretations of what our Lord meant when he said, "they that take the sword shall perish with the sword." First, it could mean this: those who use the sword to resist lawful authority may perish by the sword. And there is a lawful use of the sword according to Romans chapter 13. Secondly, it could also mean that those who use the sword against the innocent shall perish by the sword.

  #71 | 47:20 to 48:14 | cleaned

• In other words, divine vengeance will make sure that they die. You reap what you sow. And thirdly, and the most satisfactory answer to me is this, that Peter had acted rashly in endeavoring to attack a whole band of men and his unreasonable and imprudent actions might be the occasion of his own destruction. And what Christ is telling Peter is you're acting unwisely, rashly, impetuously, and you ought not to do that.

  #72 | 48:14 to 48:48 | cleaned

• Now, when Christ said, "He that takes the sword shall perish by the sword," He was enunciating a legal maxim. If you would turn in your Bibles very quickly to Revelation 13 and verse 10, you will see this principle again. Revelation 13 and verse 10, and then I will tell you where it is from and we will turn there. Revelation 13, verse 10. Notice how this principle is enunciated. Revelation 13, verse 10.

  #73 | 48:49 to 49:25 | cleaned

• "He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity. He that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here's the patience and the faith of the saints." Now, "he that leadeth into captivity must go into captivity. He that killeth with the sword must perish by the sword." That principle is taken from Isaiah 33 and verse 1, if you want to turn back there. Isaiah 33, verse 1, I'll read it for you. Isaiah 33, and look if you would please at verse 1. Isaiah 33, verse 1.

  #74 | 49:25 to 50:03 | cleaned

• "Woe to thee that spoilest, and thou wast not spoiled, and dealest treacherously, and they dealt not treacherously with thee. When thou shalt cease to spoil, thou shalt be spoiled. And when thou shalt make an end to deal treacherously, they shall deal treacherously with thee."

  #75 | 50:03 to 50:19 | cleaned

• Now let me just tell you what this is. I've told you this before, but it is known as the Lex Talionis, that is, the law of retribution. That's why God says, "He that taketh the sword will be killed by the sword. He that leads in captivity shall be led in captivity. He that deals treacherously shall be dealt treacherously with." Another way to say this principle is, Galatians 6, 7 and 8, you reap what you sow.

  #76 | 50:20 to 50:46 | cleaned

• Now let me give you just one quick illustration. Look in your Bibles to the book of Judges chapter 1 and verse 7. There was a king by the name of Adonai Bezek. And Adonai Bezek had a penchant for mutilating men. He took the kings that he captured and he cut off their thumbs and their great toes and made them eat meat under his table like dogs. You say, "What in the world would you do that for?" You cut off both your big toes and you try to run, you try to balance yourself. You cut off your thumbs, you can't grasp anything, certainly not a sword. And so Adonai Bezek was captured by the Israelites, and look in Judges 1 in verse 7, "And Adonai Bezek said, Threescore and ten kings," that's 70 now, 70 kings, "having their thumbs and their great toes cut off, gathered their meat under my table, as I have done, so God hath requited me." So he had his thumbs and his great toes cut off as well. Once again, that is just simply the Lex Talionis.

  #77 | 50:47 to 51:56 | cleaned

• That is the law of retribution. Now, all I'm trying to show you is this. First of all, Peter's actions were unwise. They were a declaration of his pride, given in a demonstration of power, there was even no need to raise the sword, because he was under Christ's protection at all times. So his actions were unwise.

  #78 | 51:56 to 52:16 | cleaned

• Secondly, I want you to look at Matthew 26 and verse 53. I want you to see that Peter's actions were unnecessary. These last two points will go very quickly. Notice, if you would, Matthew 26 and verse 53, just showing you that Peter's actions were not only unwise, they were also unnecessary. Notice if you would please. In Matthew 26 and verse 53. After he tells him, look at verse 52.

  #79 | 52:17 to 52:52 | cleaned

• "Then said Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into its place, for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword. Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and He shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels?"

  #80 | 52:52 to 53:07 | cleaned

• Now if Peter thought that his actions were protecting Christ, he was wrong. Christ informs Peter that his actions were totally and completely unnecessary. If it had been God's will for his son to be rescued, it certainly would have been done in a much different way. It would have been done through divine intervention. Christ said, "Look Peter, I can pray and my father will get me more than twelve legions of angels."

  #81 | 53:09 to 53:34 | cleaned

• That number, I might suggest, would be quite sufficient to take care of everyone in the world. You've got to remember that a legion was 6,000. He said more than 12 legions. 12 times 6 is 72,000. If it was just 12 legions, that'd be 72,000. But he said more. And then when you consider, if you would please, in Isaiah 37 verse 36, that one angel in one night with one stroke of the sword killed 185,000 Assyrian soldiers, I can assure you that 72,000 angels would not have any trouble with the men of this world.

  #82 | 53:35 to 54:12 | cleaned

• Christ said, "Peter, you don't understand. All I've got to do is ask. All I've got to do is move my lips. All I've got to do is wiggle my little finger. And Peter, I don't need you to protect me. I don't need you, the 12, or any number of disciples to protect me. I'm quite capable of protecting myself and my Father will see to it that I'm protected if I ask for it."

  #83 | 54:15 to 54:40 | cleaned

• So Peter's actions were not only unwise, they were unnecessary, and thirdly, they were unenlightened. Look in verse 54 of Matthew 26. Verse 54. After he said in verse 53, "Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels," verse 54, "but how then shall the Scriptures be fulfilled that thus it must be?" In other words, "Peter, if you saved my life, if you rescued me, how in the world will the Scriptures be fulfilled?"

  #84 | 54:42 to 55:19 | cleaned

• Let me put it to you very plainly. Peter's actions were not only unwise and unnecessary, they were unenlightened. I can't put it more bluntly than this, Peter actually did not know what he was doing when he drew the sword and smote Malchus' ear. Evidently, Peter was still under the impression that the Messiah was not to die. Which of course was contrary to scripture. If in John 18 verse 11, turn there, just turn there, I can quote it but I want you to see this scripture in relationship to what I'm trying to point out. Look in John 18 verse 11, "Then said Jesus unto Peter, Put up thy sword into his sheath.

  #85 | 55:20 to 56:10 | cleaned

• The cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?" Peter, you can't save my life. I came to die. If you will go back in your Bibles very quickly to Matthew 16, look at beginning there at verse 21. Peter evidently was still under the same unbiblical impression in Matthew 16 and verse 21. "From that time forth began Jesus to show unto his disciples how that he must go into Jerusalem and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes and be killed and be raised again the third day. Then Peter took him at the end to rebuke him, saying, This shall not be unto thee, be it far from thee, Lord, this shall not be unto thee. But he turned and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan, for thou art an offence unto me, for thou savest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men." So when our Lord began to tell his disciples how he was going to die, Peter said, "Not so, Lord."

  #86 | 56:11 to 57:10 | cleaned

• "This can never happen to you." And our Lord said, "Get thee behind me, Satan."

  #87 | 57:10 to 57:16 | cleaned

• Now, I'll say this, "not the things that be of God, but the things which be of men." The truth is, folks, listen carefully, Christ came to die. He was predestined to die as a substitute for His people. He said, "the cup which my Father had given me, shall I not drink it?" In John 12 and verse 27, our Lord says, "now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour, for this very cause came out into the world." Do you realize that Jesus Christ voluntarily laid down His life. In John 10, in verse 17, He said this, "Therefore doth My Father love Me, because I laid down My life, that I might take it again.

  #88 | 57:16 to 57:59 | cleaned

• No man taketh it from Me. I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down. I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of My Father." No man could take His life. Christ gave His life willingly. If Peter had saved Christ, how then would the Scriptures have been fulfilled? How would redemption have been accomplished? Christ came to save His people. And in order to save them, He must die as their substitute.

  #89 | 57:59 to 58:35 | cleaned

• Matthew 1 verse 21 tells us, talking about Mary, "And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus. Why? For He shall save His people from their sins." Christ would not be saved by Peter. Christ would not be saved by all the disciples. Christ would not be saved by every man in the world. He came to die. And as Scripture says in 1 Peter 3 and verse 18, "He died the just for the unjust that He might bring us to God." Now while Peter's actions were not sinful, they certainly were unwise, unnecessary, and unenlightened. And Christ did not need protecting or defending.

  #90 | 58:35 to 59:26 | cleaned

• Now, I want you to note something. Christ did not rebuke Peter for having a sword. In fact, Christ said, "he that hath no sword, let him sell his garment and get one." Christ did not rebuke Peter for having a sword. Christ did not rebuke him for wanting to defend himself. What Christ rebuked Peter for was his unwise, unnecessary, and unenlightened actions in regard to the use of the weapon.

  #91 | 59:26 to 59:56 | cleaned

• Now, let me tie it together by making some applications. The first one is this. The case of Jesus Christ is unique. There's none like it. Therefore, it's improper to take this special case and say that because Christ would not allow Peter to defend Him that all self-defense is wrong, wicked, unbiblical, and unjustified. No. Christ is a unique case. He didn't come to be delivered. He came to die. And moreover, Christ did indeed use a form of self-defense before His death.

  #92 | 59:57 to 1:00:38 | cleaned

• He used avoidance in John 7 in verse 1. Because when the Jews tried to kill him, and of course it was not his time to die, he would not walk in Jerusalem anymore, the Bible said. He wouldn't go there. He just stayed out of their way. That's a form of self-defense. Avoidance. If I see a dozen men coming down the street with the intent of attacking me, I'm going to avoid them. That's self-defense. Again, Christ was not forbidding the use of weapons of self-defense, although He certainly forbade the unwise, unnecessary, and unenlightened use of them. In fact, the Bible says in James 1 in verse 19, "Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, and slow to wrath." Now, if we're slow to wrath, what does that mean?

  #93 | 1:00:39 to 1:01:33 | cleaned

• It means we'll think things through before we act. A modern day proverb goes like this. "Don't let your mouth overload your brain." Stop and think before you speak and before you act. I want you to notice something. Christ did not say to Peter, when Peter drew that sword, "Get thee behind me Satan." He did not say to Peter, "Throw that thing away." He didn't say to Peter, "Don't touch that sword. Don't have a sword." No, no, no. He didn't say any of those things.

  #94 | 1:01:33 to 1:02:19 | cleaned

• He just said, "Put it back up into its sheath. Now is not the time to use it." Some have objected and said, "Look pastor, if everybody carried weapons, man we would turn our society back in the days of the Old West." I've heard that one. Well, let me tell you something, folks. The Old West was not nearly as bad as Hollywood makes it out to be. You would do better to trust history and do your own research than to believe the movies.

  #95 | 1:02:20 to 1:03:03 | cleaned

• Richard Schenkman, author of Legends, Lies, and Cherished Myths of American History wrote the following, listen carefully, that in 1878, the heyday of the cattle drive boomtowns in Kansas, Dodge City, remember Matt Dillon was there, Dodge City recorded just five homicides. Dodge City, Kansas in 1878 only had five homicides. It goes further, Ryan McMaken noted that all the big cattle towns of Kansas combined saw a total of 45 murders during the period of 1870 to 1885. Dodge City alone saw 15 people die violently from 1876 to 1885, an average of 1.5 per year.

  #96 | 1:03:05 to 1:04:11 | cleaned

• Would it not be wonderful if we could go back to the days of the old west? You know folks, you have to remember, listen carefully, that an armed society is a polite society. Let me give you an example. I have a friend that lives down in Florida. He's a pastor. He's a little fella. He's an ex-Marine. I don't know how he got in the Marines. I mean, as small as he is, but he was in there. And back during the days, they wore these little pouches.

  #97 | 1:04:12 to 1:04:51 | cleaned

• What do you call them, wearing them in the front there? Belly bags, whatever, pouches. I don't know what they are. He wore one, and he probably still does. But he and his wife and two children were in a restaurant. And as they were walking out, a man came by, pushed into them, cursed them, and stormed out the door. When my friend got outside, he told the man, he said, "Sir," he said, "wait a minute."

  #98 | 1:04:52 to 1:05:30 | cleaned

• He said, "You owe me an apology and you owe my family an apology." He said, "Not only am I a Christian, but" he said, "I'm a pastor." He said, "You've cursed and taken God's name in vain." And he said, "And you've run into us and you were rude and we want an apology." The man cursed him again, said he wasn't going to apologize. My friend said, "Sir, do you see my hand in this pouch? If I pull it out, one of us is either going to the hospital or the morgue, and it will not be me. Would you like to reconsider and apologize?" When it dawned on that man what was in that pouch, he immediately began apologizing, asking forgiveness.

  #99 | 1:05:32 to 1:06:25 | cleaned

• Let me tell you something, folks. If folks are armed, you will indeed be polite. I have another friend. He's a retired probation parole officer. He was going Savannah the back way. He was the third car behind the school bus. There's a little old couple in the front car, an elderly couple in the front car, a young couple in the second car, and he was alone in the third car. And a big old boy got off that bus.

  #100 | 1:06:29 to 1:07:08 | cleaned

• Looked like a football player, about 18, probably about in the fourth grade. And the bus was stopped. You know, that bus is not going to go until he clears the road. He came back to the first car where that old couple was. He drew his hand back and slapped the windshield. And of course, that old couple's trying to roll up their windows and lock their doors. My friend saw it.

  #101 | 1:07:10 to 1:07:41 | cleaned

• He just opened his briefcase, rolled his window down. The big old boy came to the second car, slapped the window again. All the kids on the bus are laughing. That young couple trying to get their windows up and the doors locked. He came back to my friend's car. And when he drew his hand back, my friend just threw that .38 right out the window and said, "Hmm, I've been waiting on you. Slap my window now." The boy threw his books down and turned and ran. You say, "Boy, that was mean." That wasn't mean.

  #102 | 1:07:42 to 1:08:19 | cleaned

• He probably saved that boy's life. Now, he wasn't going to shoot the boy. But I can assure you of one thing. You'll think twice if you have any inclination that someone is armed. An armed society is a polite society. The third application is this. Self-defense in defense of others is biblical and is required by the law of God. Taking a life in the act of self-defense is not murder if it is necessary and if it's done in obedience to the sixth commandment. Remember the positive side of the sixth commandment is "Thou shalt preserve life."

  #103 | 1:08:21 to 1:09:01 | cleaned

• There is no contradiction between the Old Testament and the New Testament. And when Christ told Peter to put his sword back up into his sheath, it was not a condemnation of weaponry. It was not a condemnation of self-defense. It certainly was not a condemnation of the law of God. For Scripture does not contradict Scripture. And Christ said He came to fulfill the law, not to abolish it. Let's pray. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we ask for Your grace and Your mercy. We do pray, Lord, that You would teach us, instruct us, and build us up in the most holy faith. Enable us, Lord, to know the truth of Thy Word, that we may live and act accordingly. Give us grace, O Lord, that we may serve Thee acceptably with reverence and godly fear. In Thy name we ask and pray. Amen.

  #104 | 1:09:03 to 1:09:58 | cleaned

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-06T03:51:14Z