Notes of a Private Conversation
The sermon emphasizes the wonderful thing that the Father loves believers as He loves Jesus, and the importance of faith in understanding and experiencing God's love.
John Nelson Darby discusses the profound love of the Father for believers, equating it to the love He has for Jesus. He emphasizes the importance of understanding our identity in Christ, illustrated through Peter's experience with the tribute money, showcasing God's provision and care. Darby also reflects on the nature of God's chastening, asserting that it is often to prevent evil rather than as a direct punishment. He highlights the mystery of God's existence and the limitations of human understanding, reminding us that our lives should ultimately revolve around Christ. The sermon concludes with a reminder of God's sovereignty over human affairs, despite the chaos of the world.
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Q. Should it be, "Since ye then are risen with Christ"?
A. Yes.
Q. It does not mean any doubt, does it?
A. No; just as I should say to you, if you are a Scotchman, I hope you will honour your country.
Peter is afraid to walk on the water when he saw the storm, but had it been smooth he could not have walked any better.
To me it is a wonderful thing, far more wonderful than the glory, that the Father loves me as He loves Jesus. The Lord was constantly labouring to persuade the disciples, that they were loved as He Himself was loved. The tribute money was an instance of this. People think it was tribute to Caesar - it was the tribute for the temple. They ask Peter, Is your Master a good Jew? "Oh, yes," says Peter - he was always ready to say something, you know; but we find the Lord is beforehand with Peter. He asks, "Of whom do the kings of the earth take tribute?" We are the children of the great king of the temple. Then He says, Take the fish that first comes up, you will find in it two didrachmi, that take and give unto them for me and for thee.
206 What amazing condescension, to put Peter along with Himself!
Q. Is chastening always on account of evil?
A. No; it is often to prevent evil. Paul had a thorn in the flesh to prevent evil.
I feel sure christian life is not what it ought to be. It will be seen in the end there was nothing else worth living for but Christ.
The Lord takes care of people. The Lord's work goes on in spite of all; man's thoughts and ways cross each other, but the Lord goes through all.
Q. What does that mean, the devil disputing about the body of Moses, in Jude?
A. Well, I suppose it was lest it should prove an object of superstition to the Jews, like the brazen serpent. We do not find that in the word, it is just my mind about it. The Jews might have made pilgrimages to it. The Lord buried him, and "no man," etc.
207 It is impossible for a man to understand God; we are so constituted, that when we see things, we at once see that some one made it. Tell a man in the country that nobody made his wagon, he would look out an asylum for you. We know there is a cause for everything, we cannot understand anything to exist that was not made. It is impossible for us to know God, we are only finite, He is infinite. If I can know God, He is not God, and I am not a man.
Q. What does that mean, that the disciples should not go over the cities of Judah till the Son of man come?
A. They have not gone over them yet. They were prevented by judgment.
The destruction of Jerusalem, you know, came in.
Sermon Outline
- I. The Father's Love for Believers
- A. The Father loves believers as He loves Jesus
- B. This love is a wonderful thing, beyond human understanding
- II. The Lord's Care for Believers
- A. The Lord takes care of people and His work goes on despite obstacles
- B. The Lord's work is not limited by human thoughts and ways
- III. The Limitations of Human Understanding
- A. It is impossible for humans to fully understand God
- B. Humans are finite and God is infinite
- IV. The Importance of Faith
- A. Believers should not rely on human understanding, but on faith
- B. Faith is necessary to understand and experience God's love
Key Quotes
“To me it is a wonderful thing, far more wonderful than the glory, that the Father loves me as He loves Jesus.” — John Nelson Darby
“The Lord was constantly labouring to persuade the disciples, that they were loved as He Himself was loved.” — John Nelson Darby
“It is impossible for a man to understand God; we are so constituted, that when we see things, we at once see that some one made it.” — John Nelson Darby
Application Points
- Believers should trust in God's love and care, rather than relying on human understanding.
- Faith is necessary to understand and experience God's love.
- The destruction of Jerusalem was a judgment that prevented the disciples from going over the cities of Judah.