We have considered ‘The Nature of Divine Life’, and tonight we want to look at 

“THE QUALITY OF DIVINE LIFE”

We have pointed out that the ‘Greek word’ for ‘disciple’ means a ‘learner’, but I want to make a correction to that. 

You see, ‘the Gospels’ were not all written originally in ‘Greek’, but in ‘Aramaic’, and in ‘Aramaic’ the word ‘disciple’ does not mean a ‘student’, but an ‘apprentice’. 

And so we have to make an ‘adjustment’. 

‘Disciples’ are not just ‘students’ - they are ‘apprentices’. 

‘The Lord Jesus’ was a ‘carpenter’ and would not think of ‘His disciples’ just as ‘students’. 

‘He’ was far more likely to think of them as ‘apprentices’ learning a ‘business’. 

You may be an ‘apprentice’ to ‘engineering’ or to ‘the law’, and the idea of an ‘apprentice’ is something quite ‘practical’. 

The idea of a ‘student’ is only ‘theoretical’, and ‘the Lord Jesus’ never wanted ‘His servants’ to be merely ‘theoretical’. 

‘He’ intended them to be very ‘practical’, so ‘His training was not in ‘theory’ but in ‘practice’. 

‘He’ was training ‘His disciples’ for ‘His work’: not just to be ‘preachers’, but to work. 

‘The Lord Jesus’ was not just a ‘Lecturer’. 

‘He’ was a ‘Demonstrator’, and there is a lot of difference between a ‘Lecturer’ and a ‘Demonstrator’! 

And so ‘the Lord Jesus’ took ‘His disciples’ into very ‘practical situations’. 

We have seen how ‘John’ said that ‘the Lord Jesus’ always did ‘His works’ in ‘the presence of His disciples’. 

‘He’ took them into ‘actual situations’ and involved them in ‘the situations’ so that they became a part of them. 

We must remember that, because, as we have already said, we are supposed to be ‘disciples’. 

Perhaps you have not thought of this before - but you are ‘apprentices’ if you are related to ‘the Lord Jesus’. 

That may be a ‘new idea’ to you, but ‘the reality’ is no ‘new idea’. 

You know quite well that ‘the Lord Jesus’ is taking us into very ‘practical situations’, and is involving us in ‘situations’  where we have to learn something. 

We have to learn how to be ‘the master of a situation’, and that is very ‘practical training’. 

And so whether we take ‘the name’ or not, ‘the Truth’ remains. 

If we have come into relationship with ‘the Lord Jesus’ it means that we at once become ‘apprentices’. 

In ‘the New Testament’ there were ‘three phases’ in 
‘discipleship’.

First of all, there was ‘the call’, and it seems that this was much more general than ‘the call to the twelve’. 

It is put like this: “He called His disciples to Him; and chose twelve of them...” (Luke 6:13) 

The ‘first’ was a ‘general call’. 

‘The Lord Jesus’ was calling to people: ‘Come, follow Me’. 

A number of people responded, and then from them ‘He’ chose ‘twelve’. 

It does not mean that all the others were not faithful or that they were not suitable, but it does clearly show that the ‘twelve’ came into ‘the real business’ of their ‘calling’. 

You can see quite clearly how true this is at all times. 

There are ‘multitudes of people’ who are just ‘followers’ of ‘the Lord Jesus’.

They would take one of the other ‘names’ and call themselves ‘Christians’. 

If you asked them: ‘are you followers of ‘the Lord Jesus’? -
they would say ‘yes’, but many of these people are not really meaning ‘business’ with ‘Him’. 

And ‘the Lord’ must have those who do mean ‘business’, so ‘He’ draws ‘such ones’ nearer to ‘Himself’. 

It may be one thing to be called, but it may be another thing to be chosen. 

You remember that in the book about ‘the followers of the Lamb’: “And they that are with Him are called, and chosen”. (Rev. 17:14; A.V.) 

There is a difference between being ‘chosen’ and being ‘called’. 

“For many are called, but few are chosen”. (Matt.20:16; 22:14)

The ‘third phase’ was that ‘He’ put them into ‘His business’ and gave them ‘the Great Commission’. 

I am going to leave it there for ‘the moment’. 

Let me ask, what was ‘the work’ for which ‘the disciples’ were chosen? 

I can put that in ‘the present tense’, for we are in ‘the same Dispensation’: what is ‘the work’ for which ‘the Lord’ would choose us?  
 
‘The answer’ is: ‘the work of His Kingdom’. 

Notice: “And He chose from them twelve”. (Luke 6:13)   
 
‘Twelve’ is the number of ‘the Kingdom’. 

‘The Lord Jesus’ was following the pattern of ‘the twelve Tribes of Israel’, who were to be ‘the Kingdom’ of ‘the coming Messiah’.

‘Twelve’ is ‘the Kingdom number’. 

‘The Lord Jesus’ has come to set up ‘His Kingdom’ and has chosen ‘disciples’, or ‘apprentices’, for ‘the work’ of that ‘Kingdom’.  
 
Here is an ‘important thing’ for us to notice.

‘The Lord Jesus’ knew beforehand how things were going to work out and exactly what would happen in ‘His own Lifetime’ and afterward.  

‘He’ knew that ‘Israel’ would refuse ‘Him’ as ‘the Messiah’ and as ‘the Head of the Kingdom’, and would refuse ‘the Kingdom’ that ‘He’ had come to set up. 

‘He’ knew all that beforehand, and so ‘He’ was working with this ‘foreknowledge’. 

‘He’ foreknew that the time would come when ‘He’ would say to ‘Israel’: “The Kingdom of God shall be taken away from you, and shall be given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof”. (Matt.21:43)

‘He’ was working with this ‘forknowledge’ of the transfer of ‘the Kingdom’ from ‘Israel’ to ‘the Church’.   

And so ‘He’ chose ‘twelve’. 

This was ‘the nuclues’ of ‘His new Kingdom’, which, as represented by these, will call ‘Him’ Lord. 

They will go everywhere proclaiming: “Jesus Christ is Lord!” 

They are ‘the people’ who have come to see by ‘Divine Revelation’ the place of ‘Jesus Christ’ in ‘the Appointment of God’. 

They have come to see “That God has made Him both Lord and Christ”. (Acts 2:36)

And so you have ‘the new Kingdom’ and ‘the new King’, but there is a great deal of ‘difference’. 

‘The old kingdom of Israel’ was a ‘temporal, earthly Kingdom’ and ‘the new Kingdom’ is a ‘Spiritual, Heavenly Kingdom’. 

I am not going to dwell on ‘the Kingdom’ just now, but we are moving toward something. 

‘He’ chose, and ‘He’ chooses, for ‘the work’ of ‘His Kingdom’. 

‘He’ puts us into ‘His School’ as ‘apprentices’ to learn ‘the Nature of the Kingdom’, and what ‘the Kingdom of God’ really is.    

The ‘last thing’, and where we start again, is ‘the basis’ of this ‘new Kingdom’. 

What is ‘the basis’ of this ‘new Spiritual and Heavenly Kingdom’?  
 
It is ‘Heavenly Life’, ‘Divine Life’... and now we are back again where we were in ‘the last message’. 

‘John’, introducing ‘the Lord Jesus’, said: “In Him was Life”. (John 1:4) 

Right in the middle of ‘the Gospel’ he puts ‘the words of Jesus’: “I came that they might have Life”. (John 10:10) 

And he summed up the whole of his Gospel with: “That believing you may have Life”. (John 20:41) 

‘John’, as we have seen, gathered ‘the whole of his Gospel’, his ‘Spiritual Gospel of the Kingdom’, around ‘seven Signs’, and those ‘Signs’ are a setting forth of ‘the meaning’ of this ‘Life of the Kingdom’.

You remember that ‘John’ said he selected these ‘Signs’ out of a great many more.  
 
I like to think of ‘John’ doing this. 

He said that the ‘Signs’ which ‘the Lord Jesus’ did were so many that “If they would be written every one, I suppose  that even the world itself would not contain the books that should be written”. (John 21:25) 

And so you can think of ‘John’, with this great mass of material, saying to himself: ‘now I want to convey to those who are going to read this “the real nature and meaning of this Divine Life”’.- ‘I have to select ‘the best illustrations’  out of this great mass of material’.     

And so he went through it and said: ‘that is the first one, that is the second, and so on, and then those “seven” will do’, and he put these “seven Signs” into his book, which is ‘the Gospel of the Eternal Life’. 

Remember, he called them ‘Signs’, not ‘Miracles’, although they were ‘Miracles’. 

He did not call them ‘Wonders’, although they were ‘Wonders’, nor did he call them ‘Powers’, although they were ‘Powers’.  
 
He left ‘Matthew’, ‘Mark’ and ‘Luke’ to call them by those names. 

He called them ‘Signs’, which meant that they pointed to something more than themselves. 

There was ‘the work’ that ‘the Lord Jesus’ did, which was one thing, but ‘the meaning’ was another thing.

‘John’ said: ‘I want to get at ‘the meaning’ through ‘the work’. 

Of course, you know what ‘the seven Signs’ are in ‘the Gospel by John’, but let us just run through them to refresh our memories: 

(1) the turning of the water into wine:  
(2) the healing of the Nobleman’s son:  
(3) the raising of the impotent man at the pool of Bethesda: 
(4) the feeding of the five-thousand:
(5) the walking on the water:
(6) the giving of sight to the man born blind:
(7) the raising of Lazarus from the dead:

‘John’ said: ‘that is quite enough’. - If I can get ‘the meaning’ of those things over, then people will know ‘the meaning of Life’.  

We shall stop here for tonight, but we shall take a closer look at these ‘seven Signs’ when we continue to consider “the Quality of Divine Life”.

In our present Lesson which concerns itself with “the Quality of Divine Life”, we have seen so far that ‘the Lord Jesus’ took ‘His disciples’ into very ‘practical situations’.   

You will recall what we have said earlier, that ‘the Lord’ always did ‘His works’ in ‘the presence of His disciples’. 

‘He’ took them into ‘actual situations’ and involved them in ‘the situations’ so that they became a part of them. 

In the same way ‘He’ puts us into ‘His School’ that we might learn what ‘His Kingdom’, ‘the Kingdom of God’ really is; and what is ‘the basis’ of this ‘new Spiritual and Heavenly Kingdom’? 

It is ‘Heavenly Life’, ‘Spiritual Life’! 

Now to understand ‘the meaning’ of this ‘Life’, ‘John’ chose ‘seven Signs’ that ‘the Lord Jesus’ did, and we are ready to take up ‘the first one’ which is ‘the turning of the water into wine’. 

We are well familiar with the incident in (John 2:1-11), and so we will not take time now to read it. 

Of course, there are many lessons in this ‘incident’, but I am going to leave them, in order to come to ‘the one main point’. 

We are dealing with the matter of ‘Divine Life’, which ‘the Lord Jesus’ came to give, and we are seeking to understand ‘the nature’ of that ‘Life’. 

I trust it is true of all of us that we have received what ‘the New Testament’ calls ‘the Eternal Life’! 

But it is important for us to know what it is we have received, that is, what it means to have ‘Eternal Life’, - ‘the Life’ which ‘the Lord Jesus’ has brought to us in ‘His own Person’.

And here we have ‘the first characteristic’ of that ‘Life’. 

“The key” to this ‘Sign’ is ‘the verdict’ of ‘the master of the feast’. 

We can take it that this man knew all about ‘wine’, whether it was good or bad. 

He was an authority on ‘wine’. 

He would not have been responsible for ‘the feast’ if he did not know what ‘wine’ was. 

Therefore, this authority on ‘wine’ gives us the secret of the whole thing in his ‘verdict’.

What was that?  “You have kept the good wine until now”. (John 2:10)  

Notice: If this ‘wine’ was intended by ‘John’ and by ‘the Lord Jesus’ to illustrate ‘Eternal Life’, then there is a ‘quality’ about that ‘Life’ which is different from every other kind of life. 

Every other kind of life is what this man called ‘poor wine’, but you never know how poor ‘the other wine’ is until you have tasted ‘the better’.  

The point is that this ‘Life’ which ‘the Lord Jesus’ gives has a ‘quality’ in it. 

Let us look again at this story and remember that ‘the heart of the incident’ is ‘the training of disciples’.  

It says: “And the third day there was a marriage at Cana of Galilee;...” (John 2:1) 

It is not quite easy to understand why ‘John’ said: “The third day” here. 

If you read what goes before you say: “Well, evidently that ‘incident’ was on ‘the first day’, that one on ‘the second day’ and this one was on ‘the third day’” - but it does not say so. 

All that it says is: “On the third day”. 

Let me ask you, does that strike a note with you?  

“...He rose again the third day...” (1.Cor.15:4)

‘The third day’ is ‘the day of Resurrection’, the day when ‘Divine Life’ triumphs over ‘Death’, ‘the day of Life’. 

“And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee”.  

‘John’ knew what was in his mind when he was writing, for he had ‘one thought’ running all the way through: “I am working on the line of ‘Resurrection Life’, and he brought that into everything in ‘his Gospel’”.

And so this ‘verdict’ of ‘the master of the feast’ gives us the key to ‘Divine Life’. 

It is a ‘quality’ in that ‘Life’ which is quite different from everything else. 

You can see, as we say, by reading between the lines what ‘the quality’ of this ‘Life’ is. 

Notice: This was the reversing of ‘human failure’. 

Someone had ‘failed’, had made a ‘terrible mistake’: they had not provided enough ‘wine’ - it says: “And when the wine failed...”. (John 2:3)

That was a terrible thing for a ‘Marriage feast’, for ‘the wine’ was everything, and if that failed ‘the whole feast’
broke down.  
 
And what happened? 

Everybody looked at ‘the master of the feast’, and looked on him with reproach: ‘You terrible man! - You have spoiled everything. - You ought to be ashamed of yourself’!  

He was altogether ‘dishonored’ as ‘the master of the feast’. 

But ‘the Lord Jesus’, in bringing in ‘the new Wine’, removed ‘the human failure’ and took away all ‘the human shame’. 

‘He’ made it possible for this poor man to lift up his head and to feel that ‘the feast’ was a ‘great success’ and not a ‘great failure’. 

That is exactly what ‘Divine Life’ does - it takes ‘the failure’ and ‘shame’ out of ‘life’. 

It makes it possible for us to lift up our heads and say: ‘Life’ is not a ‘failure’, not something to be ‘ashamed’ of.  
 
We need not hang down our heads in ‘dishonor’.  
 
We can lift them up and ‘rejoice’.  
 
Is that not true of ‘the Life’ which ‘the Lord’ gives? 

There is a ‘quality’ about this ‘Life’ which is different - it gives character to ‘the people’ who receive it.  
 
If you think that I am just reading into this something out of my own imagination, I can prove to you that what I have said is true.  
 
I want you to notice the change which came about in these ‘disciples’ with ‘the Resurrection of Jesus Christ’. 

Look at them when ‘the wine’ failed - when ‘the Lord Jesus’ was crucified!  
 
It was as though they had lost everything. 

They were wondering if they had made a ‘great mistake’ in trusting ‘Him’, and were going about with their heads hanging down.  
 
They were afraid to meet ‘the people’ who knew they were ‘His disciples’.  
 
When ‘Peter’, the leader of them, was down in that court- yard warming himself by the fire, a little servant-maid came in and said: “This man also was with Him” (Luke 22:56), but ‘Peter’ said: “Woman, I know Him not”. (Luke 22:57)

What ‘shame’!   -   What ‘dishonor’!  
 
Yes, they were men going about with their heads hanging down because they thought ‘the wine’ had failed.  
 
But look at these men not many days afterward!  
 
Their heads were up!  
 
They looked ‘the whole world’ in the face and there is not the slightest sign of any ‘shame’ about them. 

They are boasting in their ‘Faith’ in ‘the Lord Jesus’.  
 
What a difference ‘the Life’ has made!  
 
Before, they were ‘cowards’, afraid even of a ‘servant-maid’.  
 
But now look at their ‘courage’!

It is said of ‘the rulers’: “When they beheld the boldness of Peter and John”. (Acts 14:13)  
 
From being ‘cowards’ they became ‘men of courage’.  
 
From being men who were ‘ashamed’ to be in the world they became ‘men of dignity’ - they were standing upright before everybody.  
 
From men who were always thinking about themselves and to draw everything to themselves - such as ‘the first place’ in ‘the Kingdom’ - they are men who have forgotten themselves and are altogether selfless, thinking only of ‘the Lord’s interests’ and not there own.    
 
They had been men who had very little sympathy in their hearts for ‘other people’.  
 
‘The poor Canaanitish woman’ came crying after ‘the Lord’ to help her daughter and ‘the disciples’ said: “Send her away; for she cries after us”. (Matt.14:23)

When ‘He’ entered into a certain City the people did not receive ‘Him’, so ‘the disciples’ said: “Lord, wilt Thou that we bid fire to come down from heaven, and consume them?”  (Luke 9:54)   
 
Mothers brought their little children to ‘Him’ to get a ‘Blessing’, and ‘the disciples’ drove them away.   
 
There was not much sympathy in their hearts for ‘other people’.  
 
But look at them now!   

After ‘the Resurrection’ and ‘the Life’ had come into them ‘the whole world’ is in their hearts, and their hearts have become as large as ‘the whole world’.  
 
They go everywhere in this great compassion for ‘sinful men’. 
  
In ‘the old days’ they could not stand up to any kind of difficulty.  
 
They began to give up altogether as soon as things went wrong. 

“This is a hard saying” (John 6:60). - “Upon this many of His disciples went back and walked no more with Him”. (John 6:66)  

These ‘twelve’ were all too ready to give up too soon when things became difficult.  
 
Now look at them!  
 
What about ‘difficulties’?  
 
Why, they are greater than anything they had known before! 

All ‘the rulers’, all ‘the world’, all ‘the circumstances’ and ‘the devil himself’ are against them, but they are going on; they are not giving up. 

This ‘Life’ has brought into them a ‘new stemina’, ‘the power to endure’.   
 
Listen, all that is in ‘the new Wine’. 
 
There is a ‘quality’ about this ‘Life’.  
 
It makes us different people from what we are ‘naturally’.
 
It puts into us that which was in ‘Christ Himself’, and we are better able to understand the word: “Christ in you the Hope of Glory”. (Col.1:27) 

There is not much ‘Hope of Glory’ in ‘the old wine’.  
 
There is not much ‘Hope of Glory’ in that old, ‘natural life’, but it does come with ‘the Life’ which ‘Christ’ brings. 

This ‘Life’ is the very ‘Character’ of ‘the Lord Himself’

You see, there was something about ‘Him’ that was different.  
 
‘The rulers’ looked at ‘Him’ and there was a big question on their faces.  

They were really perplexed and did not know how to explain ‘Him’. 
 
They saw ‘His Life’, ‘His Work’, and the wonderful fact of ‘His Life’ and ‘His Work’.  
 
They heard ‘His Teaching’ and saw how it met ‘the needs of the people’.  
 
And they said: “Is not this the carpenter?” (Mark 6:3)  

But there is something different about this ‘carpenter’, something more than just an ‘ordinary carpenter’. 

See ‘His Dignity’ as ‘He’ walked amongst them - and what ‘Dignity’ there was when ‘He’ was before ‘Pilate’!   
 
They tried to make ‘Him’ look very small, but all that they did to ‘Him’ did not take away ‘His Dignity’.   
 
What ‘endurance’ there was in ‘Him’!  
 
‘He’ endured to ‘the end’. 

What a different ‘quality’ there was in ‘Jesus’ from other men!  
 
It was ‘the quality’ of ‘the Life’ that was ‘in Him’, ‘the very Life of God’, ‘Divine Life’, ‘Eternal Life’ that explained everything as to ‘His Character’.  

Listen, you and I are supposed to have that ‘same Life’.  
 
It was released from ‘Him’ at ‘the Cross’ and has been brought to us by ‘the Holy Spirit’.  
 
Now do we see what it means?  
 
There ought to be something about us that is different. 

Anybody who has any ‘intelligence’, like ‘the master of the feast’ ought to be able to say: ‘these people are different; - they have something that we have not; - there is character about them’. 

We as ‘Christians’ ought to be marked by ‘Spiritual Dignity’.  
  
We ought not to be going about with our heads hanging down ‘ashamed’ to be ‘alive’! 

We ought to have our heads up in a ‘right sense’.   
 
There ought to be real ‘courage’ about us and ‘endurance of suffering’ in us.  
 
Yes, there is a ‘quality’ about this ‘Life’.  

I wonder what ‘the verdict’ of this world is upon us!  
 
Does it say - is it able to say: ‘Well, our kind of life is poor stuff in comparison with theirs; - their ‘Life’ is different, and it is better;- you have kept the best wine until now’?  
 
That is ‘Sign’ number one.   

How rich, how challenging it is!  
  
It comes home to our hearts with a ‘big question’.  
 
But if we have ‘the Life’, and if we allow ‘the Life’ to have its way in us, that is what it will do.  
 
We may ‘naturally’ be ‘poor wine’, but when ‘the Lord Jesus’ comes in with ‘His Life’, it will be ‘the best Wine’.