Flatirons Baptist Church

"A Great Gulf Fixed"

2012-02-11T14:07:00.003-07:00

Luke 16:19 - 31

"And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us." Luke 16:26

The rich man in Luke 16:19-31 is a fine example of what many would consider the "American Dream". He had enough wealth to live in total extravagance, or "sumptuously", as verse 19 describes it. So much so, that poor Lazarus only desires the crumbs that fell from his table (verse 21). Sadly, after his death the rich man pleads with Father Abraham to help him ease his unbearable anguish, but Abraham tells him "son, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things...". One lesson we can glean from the end of Luke 16 is that our attitudes and actions here on earth are carried on in Eternity and they can be evidence of the current state of our souls. Therefore, understanding this exhorts us to examine our actions and attitudes while we still can; we must repent and embrace the love of God--first and foremost--and our actions and attitudes will rightly follow.

Listen to the sermon by Pastor Eric Ellis

"What Shall I Do?"

2012-01-20T09:29:00.003-07:00

Luke 16:1 - 13

"So the master commended the unjust steward because he had dealt shrewdly. For the sons of this world are more shrewd in their generation than the sons of light."
Luke 16:8

Throughout history gold and silver has been highly sought after and consider precious by man. In fact, gold standards have been the most common basis for monetary policies. The parable of the unjust steward in Luke 16 reveals to us that money is a tool to be used for the furtherance of God's purposes and glory. Jesus explains in verses 10 - 13 that money is the least and that the souls of men are true riches . God considers the souls of men as gold and silver. Shouldn't our goal then be to shrewdly seek these true riches and use whatever unrighteous mammon we have been given to achieve it? A believer is promised eternal life; are you planning your finances accordingly for this future? "Make friends for yourself with unrighteous mammon, that when you fail, they may receive you into an everlasting home." Luke 16:9 Maybe you will hear when you enter your everlasting home "you gave, I heard the gospel and I believed" as a part of your welcome. Oh Lord, grant it. We have two choices, as verse 13 points out, we can be a servant of God or a servant of money. We can further God's Kingdom or we can further ourselves. How incredible that we have been given the privilege to plan, strategize, and leverage like the unjust steward but for God's kingdom.

Listen to Sermon Here

Rejoicing Over Repentance: Part 2.

2012-01-11T09:01:00.005-07:00

Luke 15: 11 - 32

The definition of prodigal is wasteful, reckless, or extravagant. Also, defined as lavishly abundant. Usually we see this word used with a negative connotation, such as in prodigal spending or prodigal living. However, prodigal can be used as an adjective to describe God's love for us. His love is extravagant and abundant. In Luke 15: 11 - 32 we see God's prodigal love and mercy in the parable of the lost son, as well as our prodigal sin. This parable shows three prodigal actions. First, is the younger son and his prodigal sinful passions. Then we see the father's prodigal love and mercy. Lastly we see the elder son's prodigal wicked pride. We should run to God knowing that His response to our repentance of extravagant sin is lavishly abundant love. Rejoice in His prodigal love!

The LORD has done great things for us, and we are glad. Psalm 126:3

"Rejoicing Over Repentance" Luke 15: 1-10

2012-01-05T10:24:00.011-07:00

"Likewise I say to you, there is more joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents." Luke 15:10

What brings you joy? A good book perhaps? Maybe your profession or hobby? A deeper, more important question to ask ourselves is: what brings God joy? For us, joy is an emotion that can be fleeting depending on our circumstance, environment, or mood. God, however, is consistently and eternally joyful! Wow, how divine! He is joyful because He is sovereign.
The book of Luke chapter 15 verses 1 - 15 shows us that God rejoices in a sinner's repentance, He cares deeply for sinners, and He loves when we recognize our need for Him. God simply spoke creation, easily walked on water, and effortlessly commanded the dead to rise, yet God works hard pursuing sinners. He diligently searches for the lost, as in the parable of the lost sheep and the lost coin in verses 3-10, to bring them to where they should be--in right relationship with Him. There is joy in both being found and being the finder. Yet the greatest joy of all is God's joy in heaven. What you care about drives your actions and motivates your joy. Let's pray that we may care deeply about what God cares deeply about and that our actions would be a reflection and joy would be an outcome.

Listen to the full sermon here.

At the Portal

2011-12-27T11:35:00.004-07:00

Standing at the portal
Of the opening year
Words of comfort meet us,
Hushing every fear;
Spoken through the silence
By our Father's voice.
Tender, strong and faithful,
making us rejoice:

"I, the Lord, am with thee;
Be thou not afraid!
I will keep and strengthen;
Be thou not dismayed!
Yea, I will uphold thee
With my own right hand;
Thou art called and chosen
In my sight to stand."

For the year before us,
Oh, what rich supplies!
For the poor and needy
Living streams shall rise,
For the sad and sinful
Shall His grace abound;
For the faint and feeble
Perfect strength be found.

He will never fail us,
He will not forsake;
His eternal covenant
He will never break!
Resting on His promise what have we to fear?
God is all-sufficient
For the coming year.

--Frances Ridley Havergal

Praying Like Jesus

2011-11-30T10:01:00.002-07:00

Sermon Delivered October 23^th, 2011 by Josh D.
For sermon audio click here

For a full manuscript in PDF click here

Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest." - Matthew 9:37-38

Big Idea – We have a good Father who we can actively depend on through time spent alone in intimate prayer. He invites us to join His work in the world through depending on Him in prayer.

Introduction:

Jesus is the undisputed expert and model in prayer. Will we take to heart what He has to say?

Jesus models prayer for us:
Jesus prays all the time! In the midst of all that is going on, Jesus makes the effort to spend extended time in prayer with God. This prayer time is not burdensome to Jesus but, rather, is life giving.

Jesus teaches us about prayer:
We see Jesus teaching us: pray according to what is true. You have a good, powerful, caring Father who knows our needs and desires to give good gifts to His children. So pray! Pray in dependence on our good God.

Jesus invites us to join His work through prayer:
Jesus invites us to be a part of the amazing plan of God by having compassion on the many that don't know Him, and praying earnestly that more would go to minister among them.

Being a Part of God's Work in the World: Wrap Up

2011-11-13T14:12:00.000-07:00

As we have had many posts on missions, let's remember again where we started, looking at what God is going in the world:

Be still, and know that I am God.
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth! - Psalm 46:10

The truth is that God has a magnificent plan: He is being exalted by people from every place throughout the whole world coming to know Him. He is working that people everywhere would be reconciled, set free from sin and death and transformed to new life. Our great privilege is that God invites us to be a part of His amazing worldwide work!

We have looked at 6 ways to be involved in what God is doing around the world: Learn, Pray, Go, Send, Welcome, and Mobilize. Again, there are great resources online for these ways of being involved: 6ways2reach.org

Looking back at all the ideas and lists can seem a little overwhelming! It is a lot of information and possibilities. My point here is not to say you have to do all these things, but lets think about, how can we be more involved in what God is doing in the world. Neither do I want us to just be more busy as believers, but I want us to have a bigger perspective on God's plans in the world and our place in them. I encourage you to think about a couple of the ideas presented in these blog posts. Talk with your family or friends about them too!

Let us have Jesus' magnificent and complete work on our behalf be our motivation for all we do, and remember God's plan: He will be exalted among the nations, He will be exalted in the Earth. And He gives us the privilege of joining Him in this.

Being a Part of God's Work in the World: Mobilize

2011-11-11T14:10:00.000-07:00

In this post we will finish up the "6 ways" to be involved in what God is doing among the nations: Learn, Pray, Go, Send, Welcome, and Mobilize.

MOBILIZE Not everyone knows about missions, how God is working in the world, or the needs all around the world. There is a need for individuals to mobilize, to speak of the needs and opportunities, so that believers would know more and be more active in God's plan to bring Hope to all nations through Jesus.

A few ways to Mobilize:
Organize a missions focused weekend at your church or in your community.
Have a small group or Sunday school class focus on missions
Go to a missions conference and invite friends to come with you
Give updates to your church about a missionary or people group (during a service, missions table or bulletin board, etc)

Being a Part of God's Work in the World: Welcome

2011-11-08T14:06:00.000-07:00

Often we think of worldwide missions as something missionaries go somewhere else overseas and do. But this neglects the fact that there are many from all over the world all around us every day!

WELCOME
We have the privilege in the US of people from around the world coming to us. It is estimated that more than 20 million internationals visit the US every single year, and there are hundreds of thousands of international students who are studying at American universities. Are we welcoming, and loving them well? Are we taking the opportunity to share Jesus with them?

A few ways to Welcome:

Become friends with an international student.
Go to international holiday events to meet internationals.
Help someone learn English by setting aside a regular time to talk.
Offer rides to internationals to the store (and help them learn to shop!).
Help internationals get to know the area by giving them a tour of the.

Being a Part of God's Work in the World: Send

2011-11-04T13:28:00.000-06:00

So far, we have discussed three ways of being involved in God being exalted in the nations: Learn, Pray, and Go. In this post we will talk about another big way of being involved:

SEND Long term, and even short term missionaries, can not go on their own. There is not only the financial burden of going, but there are other logistics and emotional and spiritual needs too.

We see sending happen in the Bible at several points. Just to mention one, in 3rd John, John writes to a man named Gaius and says this:
Beloved, it is a faithful thing you do in all your efforts for these brothers, strangers as they are, who testified to your love before the church. You will do well to send them on their journey in a manner worthy of God. - 3 John 5-6

A few ways to Send:

Financially support a missionary.
Use your skills or career and give your services for free (accountant, doctor, etc.).
Donate frequent flier miles.
Lend a car to missionaries while they are back in the US.
Offer a home or apartment for missionaries to stay while back in the US.
Offer a vacation spot.
Write, email, or Skype a missionary to encourage them while they are overseas.

One of the more neglected needs here that I want to especially emphasize are the emotional and spiritual needs of missionaries overseas. Many times missionaries get so few notes and calls of encouragement when they are on the field!

Being a Part of God's Work in the World: Go

2011-11-01T13:22:00.000-06:00

Learning and Praying, as mentioned in the previous posts on missions, are things that every believer can be actively involved in. But as we learn and as we pray, we need to realize that some must Go. Are we open to the possibility of going?

Paul states the need for people to Go in Romans this way:

How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!" - Romans 10:14-15

GO
Jesus says in Matthew that there is great need for people -- laborers -- to go and minister. There is a great need for people to go, and as they do, make disciples of all peoples they encounter.

Going could mean seeking to live overseas long term, but it can be more than that.

A few ways to Go:

Go for a short term trip to support and help long term missionaries.
Take a year or two off and Go for a “medium-term” trip.
Go when your kids are grown up or when you retire.
Go by taking your job and skills and working in another nation.

Being a Part of God's Work in the World: Pray

2011-10-28T12:51:00.001-06:00

Last time, I mentioned that we can be involved in God's amazing worldwide plan by simply learning about other cultures and what God is doing around the world. But what else can we do?

In Matthew, when Jesus sees crowds of people who are oppressed, leaderless, and in great spiritual need, He responds with compassion and says this to His disciples:

"The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest."

Notice what Jesus says is the first step in responding to the need: Pray!

PRAY
If we really believe that God is active in the world, and His Spirit is the one who works to change hearts and transform lives, prayer for missions is absolutely vital. A missionary to China about a hundred years ago said it this way: “Believers at home can do as much for overseas missions as those actually on the field. I believe it will only be known on the last day how much has been accomplished in overseas missions by the prayers of earnest believers at home.” - James O. Fraser

A few ways to Pray for missions:

Pick a specific missionary, sign up to receive updates and pray for them regularly.
Start a prayer group for missions in your church.
Take a small group or Bible study you already attend and as a group “adopt” a missionary.
Pray daily through prayer guides.

Being a Part of God's Work in the World: Learn

2011-10-25T12:48:00.000-06:00

In the last missions post, we asked the question: How can we be involved in what God is doing in the world? In this post, let's look at one of the most basic ways: Learn.

LEARN As a general rule, many many of us (including myself!) are not very familiar with what God is doing in the world or aware of other cultures and the spiritual needs of other people groups. One of the most basic ways of being involved in what God is doing around the world is simply learning. Whether that is learning about people in Asia, Africa, South America, or anywhere! The more we learn, the more we are equipped to pray for missions, and the more we understand the needs among other people groups.

Here are a few ways to Learn:

Read a missionary biography (I will give you one for free if you will read it!).
Take a Perspectives course.
Check out books from the library on countries and cultures that interest you.
Read info on unreached people groups from resources like joshuaproject.net.
Pay attention to international news and pray about it.
Spend time with internationals and ask them to tell you about their families and cultures.

Exalted Among the Nations

2011-10-20T18:14:00.005-06:00

Josh is sharing with us ways in which we can be more involved in the work of missions. This is the first of seven lessons.

During a short term missions trip to Asia one of the many lessons God taught me was that my view of how He was working in the world was too small.

Here I was interacting with people and cultures I had never heard of, but God was at work there, calling people to himself. One of the verses that impacted me on that trip was Psalm 46:10. It says:

"Be still, and know that I am God.
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!"

This is humbling because God's plan isn't about me. Yes, I have the privilege of being a part of it, but God's plan is much bigger. God's plan is that every tribe, every tongue, every people and every nation would glorify Him and know the magnificent wonders of the Gospel. That every people would know Jesus, their supreme creator and savior, and would know the amazing riches of grace that are available in Him.

We came home from that trip not sure what to do next, but with the strong desire to be involved in what God is doing in the world from wherever we were at. But how can we do that? As we are motivated by the Gospel and desire to live for Christ, how can we be involved in God being exalted in the nations?

6 Ways
Two organizations, OMF International (OMF stands for Overseas Missionary Fellowship) and the Perspectives Study Program, have tried to help in answering these questions by categorizing some of the ways to serve into 6 different general groups: Learn, Pray, Go, Send, Welcome, and Mobilize.

For an overview of the 6 ways you can check out:

http://vimeo.com/17625553

I have found it helpful to consider some of these ways of serving and ask God how He desires us to be involved in His work in the world.

In the next post I will talk about the first way: Learn.

God's Unfaltering Kingdom

2011-10-18T11:02:00.004-06:00

Sermon Delivered October 16^th, 2011 by Pastor Eric Ellis

Luke 13:18-21

Perhaps several of you are familiar with the philosophical construct called the secularization thesis. More or less, what this idea entails is that as technology and scientific understanding increase, belief in supernatural reasons for existence and being will, perhaps proportionally, decrease. The Wikipedia article under this topic states the idea this way, “Secularization thesis refers to the belief that as societies 'progress', particularly through modernization and rationalization, religion loses its authority in all aspects of social life and governance.” Some well known advocates of this idea were, understandably, Karl Marx and Sigmund Freud.

Along the same lines, Voltaire, the noted 18th century French philosopher, said that it took centuries to build up Christianity, but “I’ll show how just one Frenchman can destroy it within 50 years.” Taking his pen, he dipped it into the ink of unbelief and wrote against God. (Tan, P. L. Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations, Bible Communications 1996, digital version).

So, one is right to ask, how is the secularization thesis doing? Is the world as a whole becoming less religious and more secular? Depending on who you talk to, the answer varies. Regardless, religion and, specifically, Christianity are no where near being marginalized in any way, shape or form. What is one of the primary political questions being asked today, over a year before the next presidential election? That question is “Should evangelical Christians vote for a Mormon for president of the United States?” I have no intention of answering that question today or in the near future. Perhaps this could be a topic for discussion in our home groups tonight? But you get the point. Religion...Christianity...are major players in all aspects of our society and in the world as a whole. At any rate, the secularization thesis is not moving rapidly or taking over the world.

My personal opinion is that not only will the secularization thesis not gain ground, but that in the next couple of generations, it will be dead. This thesis, along with idea of philosophical materialism and evolution, will be tossed onto the junk heap of bad thinking. The reason I hold this opinion is that I think that as scientific advances continue, proof of an intelligent designer will continue to increase to where it will be considered irrational to be an atheist. Some noted philosophers are coming around to this position already. Noted English philosopher Anthony Flew spent much of his lengthy academic life arguing against theism. In an astounding reversal, he authored a book in 2007 called There is a God: How the world's most notorious atheist changed him mind. (HarperOne 2007). Dr. Ian H. Hutchinson, head of the Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, wrote this about the book, “This engaging personal retrospective on Flew's philosophical pilgrimage illustrates that it is dangerous for an atheist to think too hard about his religious commitment – he might become unconvinced.” (Flew, preface). Unfortunately, although he wrote favorably about Christianity, there is no indication that Flew embraced saving faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and His work on the cross for forgiveness of sins and eternal life.

This leads to my next idea about the death of secularization. Although secularization will not prevail, evangelical Christianity will not be that which replaces or reigns as the dominant philosophy. There will be spiritualism, but not the rise of Biblical Christianity. This thinking comes from God's word. As we have looked at Revelation and discussed the End Times in recent months, worship and religion is dominant in those days. But it is a false religion and belief. Paul writes in 1 Timothy 4:1, “Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons,...”. So just because secularization fails doesn't mean that true saving faith follows in its stead.

However, we do know that in the end, God's Kingdom and plan will be instituted and Jesus Christ will be King of kings and Lord of lords. And this, of course, is not opinion. There are many passages that affirm this truth. Here are just a couple:

· Hear the words of the pagan king Nebuchadnezzer in Daniel 4:34-35, “And at the end of the time I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my understanding returned to me; and I blessed the Most High and praised and honored Him who lives forever: For His dominion is an everlasting dominion, And His kingdom is from generation to generation. All the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing; He does according to His will in the army of heaven And among the inhabitants of the earth. No one can restrain His hand Or say to Him, 'What have You done?'”

· Jesus in Matthew 16:18, “...I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.”

God's Kingdom, God's plan, God's perfect will will be accomplished. And, as Paul wrote the Athenians in Acts 17, God proves this by raising Christ from the dead. This, praise the Lord, is not opinion.

In the passage we are looking at today in Luke 13, our Savior develops this theme of the absolute certainty of God's kingdom prevailing. And He uses a couple of very interesting and insightful parables to do so. And, again, this is not opinion. This is not Jesus saying, “I hope my Father's kingdom comes.”, or “My Father's kingdom might come.”. No, Jesus is declaring that God's kingdom will come and it can't be stopped. Thus, from Luke 13:18-21, lets look at God's Unfaltering Kingdom as declared by our Lord Jesus Christ.

Follow along as we read Luke 13:18-21:

Then He said, “What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it? It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and put in his garden; and it grew and became a large tree, and the birds of the air nested in its branches.” And again He said, “To what shall I liken the kingdom of God? It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till it was all leavened.”

Because it is unfaltering and cannot be stopped, we should joyfully embrace and live for the furtherance of God's Kingdom

Four reasons we should embrace and live for the furtherance of God's kingdom:

1. It may appear small, but its growth is not dependent on appearances.

I continue to be amazed and blessed by God and Jesus that they have given to us Their word. Whenever we find ourselves, as Christians, in a jam or some sort or of a sorrowful heart, the word is available to us. As we look around the world today, we may find ourselves depressed at the moral morass in which we find ourselves. Indeed, without an eternal perspective, such an outlook, to me, seems inevitable. Especially as we strive to promote God's kingdom in our own lives and spheres of influence, perhaps it can be depressing. Many pastors have been marked by deep bouts of depression, Charles Spurgeon among them, wondering if they really are making a difference for the Kingdom of God. Perhaps you can relate to such attitudes? Sometimes we wonder if God's kingdom really is progressing.

I think that one of Jesus' reasons for putting forth these two parables is to address this issue of wondering about the power of God's kingdom. And when describing God's kingdom, the first thing Jesus says is that it may appear small, but its growth is not dependent on appearances. He gives us two examples of the apparent “smallness” of the kingdom of God...a mustard seed and leaven.

First of all, in regards to the mustard seed, the point isn't so much the actual size of the seed as to the size of the tree that comes from it. As you may or may not know, a mustard seed is much smaller than an apple or orange seed. The first thought that comes to mind when you see one is that it probably is the seed for a small herb or flower. But the tree that grows from it is quite shocking considering the size of the seed. There is speculation as to exactly the kind of tree in reference here. One of the proposed trees can grow up to twenty-five feet tall. But the size of the tree isn't all that important. The point is that this seed is tiny, but what comes from it is huge and able to host birds.

The same point is made regarding the leaven in verse 21. How much leaven is needed to leaven the entire lump of dough? The three “measures” or “pecks” of meal or flour, depending upon your translation, is the equivalent of about fifty pounds. So how much leaven does it take to leaven the whole lump? Well, you can put in as much as you like because the yeast bacteria grows to fill the entire lump of flour. But a pinch will do...put the pinch of yeast into the lump and it is simply a matter of time until the entire lump is leavened. In both cases, the size of the initial seed or pinch of leaven has no impact on the end result.

When you look at the ministry of Jesus and the initial start of the kingdom of God, you can see the comparison. Let's use our imaginations here for a moment. Say a man of 30 years old who has worked as a carpenter in Nederland for all his life decided one day to go to his church of 25 people or so and announce to them that He was God's Messiah and he came to save the world from sin and God's wrath. What would be the common reaction to that? Ridicule and rejection. I don't think he would get very far. Indeed, there are many self-proclaimed “Messiahs” in the world today, who even with the assistance of our modern technology and the internet, who aren't making much of an impact. If they are memorable at all, it usually is for how they left the world, so to speak. David Koresh comes to mind.

But friends, this is exactly what happened with Jesus. A thirty-year old carpenter from a Galilean back-water town called Nazareth stood up in His synagogue one day and announced that He is the Messiah who has come to establish God's kingdom. Those who heard Him tried to kill him that very day. And yet, here we are, two-thousand-odd years later and half a world away talking about that man and His impact on the world. What's going on here is being repeated multiple times all over this country and world on this day and others. What started off as absolutely tiny and insignificant has become huge and has had a massive impact. The young carpenter from Galilee is the most significant person to have ever lived.

God's kingdom is unfaltering because is may appear small, but its growth is not dependent on appearances. We'll develop this idea as we continue on.

2. The method of growth is simple, but the message is empowered by God.

Note secondly here the simplicity of the method of growth. A man takes mustard seed and puts it in his garden. A woman takes a pinch of leaven and puts it into a large lump of dough. How long does it take to do either of these tasks? Very little time and effort is put forth in this work. In fact the word translated as “put” in verse 19 is better translated as “threw”. The NASB has it so translated. The word literally means to throw or let go of a thing without caring where it falls. It has a nuance that includes casting in such a way as to not worry about the results. The picture is of the gardener and woman, in a sense, carelessly going about this work because they are absolutely confident of the result. A similar attitude and action is articulated by the Lord in the Parable of the Sower in Luke 8. The man sows the seed not being over concerned with where it lands. It is different in this case in that the gardener and the woman are very intentional in what they are doing. The gardener puts the mustard seed in a place where he is confident of its growth. The woman places the leaven in dough, confident of the result.

But what, or who, empowers the growth? With both the seed and the yeast, these two creatures grow because God made them to grow. When He created the world and universe, He specifically created seeds to grow trees and yeast to multiply and give off carbon dioxide which causes bread to rise. Give a scientist or group of scientists all the resources in the world and all the time in the world and they could never make a seed that grows into a tree. We need not ask the scientists for a forest of trees or an apple orchard. Just try to make one little seed that results in a tree or bit of self-reproducing leaven which fills an entire lump of dough. Can a man...any man...do this? No. The growth is empowered by God. God has so made the seed and the leaven to grow. All the gardener and the baker need to do is put it out there and let God do His thing.

And this is the picture that Jesus wants us to understand from these two parables. The Kingdom of God grows in an unfaltering way because it is empowered by the Word of God. God has so made His word, which in these parables is the seed and the leaven, in such a way that it grows by itself. All that has to be done is to put it out there and let God do His thing. Listen to the following passages which declare the power of God's word:

· Hebrews 4:12 ~ For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

· Psalm 119:97-100 ~ Oh, how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day. You, through Your commandments, make me wiser than my enemies; For they are ever with me. I have more understanding than all my teachers, For Your testimonies are my meditation. I understand more than the ancients, Because I keep Your precepts.

· Psalm 19:7-8 ~ The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul; The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes;...”
Specifically regarding growth of God's kingdom...the salvation of the souls of men...Paul makes this huge statement in Romans 1:16 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes,...” He rephrases this statement in 1 Corinthians 1:18, “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” This mechanism of growth is practically discussed by Paul in 1 Corinthians 3:5-7, “Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers through whom you believed, as the Lord gave to each one? I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase.”

Beloved, do you understand that the method of growth in God's kingdom is simple, but the message is empowered by God. The presentation doesn't have to be complicated and dynamic. You don't have to be eloquent or learned. You simply need to have a garden or a lump of dough to cast the seed or put the leaven. Share a verse of Scripture with a friend. Speak these words, “Christ came into the world to save sinners.” Here is another passage, 1 Peter 3:18, “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit,...” Faithfully pursue your friends and family and cast the seed and watch God work.

Here are a couple of points of application from these first two points in the sermon:

· Do you understand the power of the Word of God? The gardener understood the power of the mustard seed and the woman understood the power of leaven. Do you understand that this Bible is God-breathed and changes lives? If you are a believer here today, it is because the Word of God came upon you with power and changed you. It is the only way that people are changed. Take this word and put it to its task.

· Do you have a garden or a lump of dough? Dear friends, if the gardener has the mustard seed and leaves it in its box, nothing is going to happen. If the baker leaves the leaven in its container, nothing is going to happen. Beloved, if we don't have a place where we are actively trying to plant the word, then more than likely we won't. I have found in my life that unless I am actively seeking to evangelize and share the life-changing gospel, I rarely do so. Dear friends, find a garden, find a lump of dough.

· A third application is not to worry about the size of your garden or lump. You need not be thinking that I have to share the gospel with everyone in Boulder or my school or work place. Pick one or two. Don't close the door to others, but don't think for a moment that if you're only speaking to a couple of people that this is ineffective. You know how multiplication works. Start with one penny on the first day of the month and simply double your amount of pennies everyday for that month. By the end of the month, you will have over a million dollars. Friends, if God allows you to impact one or two people with the gospel over the next year or so and they, in turn, impact one or two and on down the line...you get the picture. Please don't think that I am saying to not think big. Share with lots of people and pray for a great harvest. But there may be times when you are planning on putting forth the word and not many show up. You have small Sunday School class or children's church group of one or two. You plan a neighborhood cookout hoping to reach your neighbors and only a couple come. If the Lord brings one, be faithful with one. Don't worry about the size of your garden or your lump. Simply cast the seed or put in the leaven of God's word and trust Him to empower the message.

3. The initial start of the growth may seem insignificant, but the long-term impacts are amazing.

Another aspect of God's unfaltering kingdom is to look at how it grows. It initially seems insignificant, but the long term impacts are amazing. As we look at this text here, we may wonder about the immediate context. We refer to Matthew, Mark and Luke as the Synoptic Gospels because they contain very similar accounts of the life of Christ. John, on the other hand, is very different. But as we've been working through Luke and comparing the similar narratives in these three gospels, we have found that Jesus repeated much of His teaching in different contexts and places. These two parables are examples of this. In both Matthew and Mark, one or both of these parables can be found, but Jesus proclaims them along with many other Kingdom parables. In Luke, they stand by themselves. Also, in Matthew and Mark, Jesus is teaching these parables in Galilee early in His ministry. In Luke, He has left Galilee and is headed to Jerusalem to face the crucifixion. Looking at Luke here, we also wonder if Jesus is still in the synagogue where He has just healed the woman with the infirmity that we looked at last week. Perhaps he has left the synagogue and is traveling again, as he definitely is in the next narrative in Luke.

But as was emphasized in the first point of this message, all of this is occurring in a way off small nation with really no significance in the greater world, at least according to the rulers of that day. Israel was a small nation in the Roman empire, far away from the capital of Rome and other centers of influence. There are indications that Roman governor Pilate hated being there and that being ordered to serve in Israel may be similar to being sent to oversee Antarctica. This was definitely not a coveted assignment. Israel was rather insignificant.

Even looking at the recent miracle that Jesus just performed really wouldn't rock the world. If we happened to hear of a crippled woman being healed, say, in La Junta, this wouldn't be front-page news in the Denver Post. It would be rather insignificant.

But again, look at the long-term benefits that have come to men because of the life and work of Jesus. Think about how Jesus' inauguration of the kingdom has blessed mankind throughout history. This is the point that Jesus is making in the second half of verse 19 when He says that the birds of the air nest in the large tree that came from the little seed. Although not as clear in the parable of the leaven, the point can be seen in that the leaven starts off only impacting one part of the dough, but then, in time, impacts the entire lump. The picture of birds nesting in a tree is a picture of God's blessing on nature and mankind. Take a look at Psalm 104:10-12, “He sends the springs into the valleys; They flow among the hills. They give drink to every beast of the field; The wild donkeys quench their thirst. By them the birds of the heavens have their home; They sing among the branches.” God provides blessing for the beasts of the field and birds of the air. The birds then sing and the indication is that this singing blesses the Lord. The heavens declare the glory of God and, by their singing, birds do to.

So, as we can see, the growth at first may seem insignificant, but the long-term impacts are amazing. A Man teaches in Israel, heals a few people and then is killed on a cross. But in His resurrection, He accomplishes benefits for mankind that are unbelievable. Lets think for just a couple of moments about those benefits. Here are several:

· Because of Jesus Christ and the gospel, you can be forgiven of all your sin. Paul writes to the Colossians Christians, that Jesus, through His death, burial and resurrection, has forgiven them of all trespasses, having wiped them out. (Col. 2:13-14). If you would believe in Jesus today, the same could be said of you.

· In that same vein, because of Jesus Christ and the gospel, God no longer has any of His righteous wrath and anger left for the Christian. He poured all His perfect wrath out on Jesus and now it is exhausted for the one who believes in Jesus. Romans 8:1 says, “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” (NASB95). If you would believe in Jesus today, the same could be said of you.

· As with the crippled woman who was healed in the previous account, Because of Jesus Christ and the gospel, those who are believers in Jesus will one day experience complete wholeness of body, mind and spirit. As blessed as that woman was, she had to go through death. And, if the Lord doesn't rapture us out of here soon, all of us will also die. But for the one who believes in Jesus Christ, listen to these words as recorded in 1 Corinthians 15:53-57, “For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality. But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, 'Death is swallowed up in victory. “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?' The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (NASB95). If you would believe in Jesus today, the same could be said of you.

· Because of Jesus Christ and the gospel, the one who believes in Him can have what is described as the peace that surpasses comprehension and a joy unspeakable and full of glory. The general tenor of the Christian's life is peace and joy because that person is restored into fellowship with His Creator. And that peace and joy will have a beneficial impact on all aspects and relationship in your life. If you would believe in Jesus today, the same could be said of you.

· Because of Jesus Christ and the gospel, one day Jesus will return and set up His complete and total kingdom in which righteousness and justice will dwell. For those who are Christians, they will reign with Christ and enjoy the blessings of a restored creation and complete rest and joy. If you would believe in Jesus today, the same could be said of you.

Dear friends, these are just a couple of the innumerable benefits and impacts of God's kingdom. And please note that all of this is possible for only one reason...Jesus Christ and the gospel. None of this occurs because of any worth or merit in ourselves. It is all of grace. When any good and glory occurs, it is because of grace. We are who we are by the grace of God...His unmerited, unearned favor. Jesus invites any and all to come into and begin to experience the long-term, amazing impacts of the kingdom of God. Would you do so today? Jesus says in John 5:24, “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.” You've heard His word this morning. Would you believe in Him who sent Him and have everlasting life

4. Once the growth starts, it is impossible to stop.

Lastly this morning, let us observe from the parable of the leaven that once the growth of God's kingdom starts, it is impossible to stop. What happens once the yeast starts to multiple in the lump of dough? Can it be stopped and can the leaven be removed? Nope, once the process has begun, it cannot be reversed. Thus, what Jesus is saying here is that His kingdom has been initiated and it will not be stopped. God will accomplish all His plans and glory and no one can stop it.

For the believer this morning, this is really good news. It has individual implications in that, as Paul stated in Philippians 1:6, “being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;...” Once God initiates His kingdom in your life, He will not stop. Praise to His glorious name. Regardless of my maturity or understanding, by His grace, His kingdom in my life continues to grow and mature because He has determined it to be so.

And, as articulated earlier, the unfaltering nature of God's kingdom has universal implications. Christ will build His church and, one day, come and establish His holy and complete righteous kingdom here. Dear friends, Christ initiated God's unfaltering kingdom in His first coming. It started off small and insignificant. But as we can see in the world, the kingdom of God is not insignificant. And not only that, it is impossible to stop

As we wrap this message up, there are several applications to consider:

· For those here this morning who are not Christians, please note that God is at work in this world and His kingdom will be established. It is inevitable and unfaltering. God through Jesus Christ invites you to join with Him in this kingdom by believing in Jesus Christ for forgiveness of sins and eternal life. To not become a citizen of God's kingdom is to face eternity out of God's kingdom and presence and that, dear friend, you do not want to face.

· For the Christian here this morning, how committed are you to God's unfaltering kingdom? Is it the driving motivation in your life? Jesus our Savior is clear in this matter of priorities. He says in Matthew 6:33, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness,...” Our first priority...that which we are to “seek first”...is God's kingdom. That kingdom is to be sought in our own lives as we grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ. And that kingdom is to be sought in how we serve and bless others around us. We are to be actively seeking to impart kingdom truth to those around us. To that end, I ask again, do you have a garden into which you are casting seeds of gospel truth? Do you have lump of dough into which you are placing leaven? Perhaps you could begin serving here, teaching the little ones of our congregation? Think deeply about those whom God has called you to interact with on a daily basis...your work colleagues, classmates, teammates, etc. If you are a believer here this morning, it is because someone in your past cast a seed of the gospel to you and, by God's supernatural grace, you believed it. Now go and cast God's gospel toward others and see what God does.

· For our church here this morning, we need to be single-minded in our desire to see God's kingdom promoted and developed in our body and in our community. This can take on so many different forms and ministries. But one thing is certain...we have a huge garden sitting right outside our door. There are several different ministries that are on going right now that you could jump on board and begin to help develop and grow. But what is most effective is when you deeply pursue God's kingdom in your life and then He inspires you to cast seed in a certain places and ways. This needs to be our commitment as a church as well as our individual commitments. Seek the mind of the Lord and ask Him specifically how you might be used of Him to promote His unfaltering kingdom. The ideas are limitless. Seek them out.

Remember Voltaire's statement from the introduction? “I’ll show how just one Frenchman can destroy [Christianity] within 50 years.”. Twenty years after his death, the Geneva Bible Society purchased his house for printing the Bible. And it later became the Paris headquarters for the British and Foreign Bible Society. The Bible is still a best-seller; an entire 6-volume set of Voltaire’s works was once sold for 90¢. Just before his death, the noted atheist swore: “I wish I had never been BORN!” (Tan, P. L. Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations, Bible Communications 1996, digital version)

On the flip side, the great reformer Martin Luther penned these words in the hymn, A Mighty Fortress is Our God...

And tho’ this world, with devils filled, Should threaten to undo us, We will not fear, for God hath willed His truth to triumph thro’ us; The prince of Darkness grim, We tremble not for him; His rage we can endure, For lo, his doom is sure, One little word shall fell him.

That word above all earthly pow’rs, No thanks to them, abideth; The Spirit and the gifts are ours Thro’ Him who with us sideth: Let goods and kindred go, This mortal life also; The body they may kill: God’s truth abideth still, His kingdom is forever.

Because it is unfaltering and cannot be stopped, we should joyfully embrace and live for the furtherance of God's Kingdom.

Discussion Questions:

· At times we may become discouraged with the state of God's kingdom in the U.S. or even our own church situation. How should we approach overcoming that discouragement?

· Should every Christian be active in sharing the gospel? What if that person is uncomfortable with discussion spiritual matters with others?

· How “aggressive” or “creative” should we be in our gospel sharing? Look at 2 Corinthians 5:20 as you consider this question.

· Do you have a garden or a lump of dough? Where are some possible areas where God might be calling you to cast a seed?

· What about God's unfaltering kingdom causes you to rejoice? How might dwelling on such a topic increase your joy?

Straightening the Crooked

2011-10-14T14:20:00.002-06:00

Sermon Delivered October 9th, 2011 by Pastor Eric Ellis
Luke 13:10-17

I'm sure that all of you at some point have heard the words, “You need to get straightened out!” Perhaps you've been the one to say these words to another? A man spent many years as a pastor and then resigned and became a mortician. When asked why he made such a change of profession, he said, “Well, I spent many hours of my pastorate counseling people. I found that I wasn't really able to help them too much with their problems or get their issues straightened out. Well, now when I straighten someone out, they stay straight.”

These words most often are used in regard to trying to correct someone or change the way they are doing things. A parent to a child, “You need to get your grades straightened out.” An employer to an employee, “You need to get your work habits straightened out.” One boxer to another, “I'm going to straighten out that ugly, crooked nose of yours.”

As we continue to work through the gospel of Luke, we have been finding that Jesus Christ was into straightening people out. He did this in numerous ways. As we have been looking at in recent weeks, He spent a lot of time teaching and correcting inaccurate theology being promoted by the hypocritical religion of the day and false ideas of why things happen to people. He also straightened out people's physical life through healings and even raising a young man from the dead. He demonstrated His power by calming the wind and the waves. Indeed, we can summarize Jesus' mission on this earth as to straighten out this mess of a world that came about due to sin. In Luke 19:10, Jesus declares His mission, “...for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.” He came to fix things...to straighten out the crooked, sinful world in which we live.

In the passage before us this morning, we have the privilege of seeing Jesus literally straighten out a woman's crooked back and then also address crooked thinking in the life of a synagogue ruler and perhaps others that were present at this time. We see Jesus straightening the crooked in more ways than one.

Please follow along as I read Luke 13:10-17:
Now He was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. And behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bent over and could in no way raise herself up. But when Jesus saw her, He called her to Him and said to her, “Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity.” And He laid His hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God. But the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath; and he said to the crowd, “There are six days on which men ought to work; therefore come and be healed on them, and not on the Sabbath day.” The Lord then answered him and said, “Hypocrite! Does not each one of you on the Sabbath loose his ox or donkey from the stall, and lead it away to water it? So ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound—think of it—for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath?” And when He said these things, all His adversaries were put to shame; and all the multitude rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by Him.

So from this text this morning, lets see that...

Because by His Word and Power, Jesus does away with dead, crooked religiosity, we should embrace vibrant, grace-filled faith in Christ resulting in deep joy and praise.

Four Crooked Aspects of Life and Religion that Jesus came to Straighten out:

1. Jesus came to straighten out Satan's crooked power in the lives of people.

As we look at this passage initially, we are immediately drawn by Christ to look deeply at the source of this world's problems. Jesus is teaching in a synagogue and we don't know what the topic of the lesson is. We may be able to surmise that the content of His teaching may have been marked by continued exposition of the points made earlier about being able to ascertain the times and the seasons.

This is the last recorded instance of Christ teaching in a synagogue. If you recall the first instance back in Luke 4:16-30, you will remember that He told his listeners then that He is the promised Messiah and will fulfill the prophecy about the Messiah as declared by Isaiah. Tying this into the current message, He has been telling the people that they should be able to read the times and see that the Messiah...Himself...is among them. How can they know this? He is fulfilling the prophecy of Isaiah as He teaches, performs miracles and heals people. This seems to be the general thrust of Jesus' entire ministry. He has come to declare that He is the promised One of the Old Testament prophecies and He continually proves it by His teachings and power. In the passage immediately following this one, Jesus talks about the Kingdom of God. Thus, we can probably accurately surmise that Jesus is declaring that the Kingdom of God is present and the need to respond rightly to this arrival. As Christ began His synagogue ministry, so His synagogue ministry ends.

But just to again reaffirm the coming of the Kingdom of God and to declare His own Messiahship, He performs this absolutely stunning miracle of healing on this woman. The indication from the text is that this miracle occurs at the end of His teaching time. Here is a woman who has been in bondage to this wicked disease for eighteen long years. Note in verse 16 that Satan “has bound” this daughter of Abraham. The verb “has bound” is active, meaning that Satan has been continually keeping this woman this way for this extended period.

But note also her faithfulness in the midst of such horrendous bondage. In the synagogues of that day, women and children sat on one side and men on the other. Recall that Jewish men looked down upon everyone else but themselves. Thus, this woman more than likely came in and sat, in her bent over state, in the back corner of the synagogue. And, although, no one intentionally embarrassed her, she felt the stares and probably heard the quiet whispers. And, although no one said as much, the assumption may have been, as discussed last week, that she did something to deserve this malady. The woman most likely has a disease called Spondylitis deformans, causing the bones of her spine to fuse into a rigid mass. R. Kent Hughes describes her this way, “She lived in a posture of forced humility, her face always toward the dust of the earth, unless she wrenched sideways and peered upward like an awkward animal. She seemed to sink lower and lower as the weight of years pressed upon her. Her gait was a lunging shuffle. 'She walked about as if she were searching for a grave.' At times she probably wished she could find one.” (Luke Vol. 2, Crossway 1998, p. 88). And yet, despite this horrendous condition, she faithfully attends synagogue worship and takes her place in the back row.

At the conclusion of His message, Jesus called her to Himself and by His word, instantaneously heals her. He says, “Woman, you are loosed...” “Loosed” in this case is a perfect verb, clearly indicating that this healing was finished and permanent. He then lays His hands on her and she is straightened up to never be bent due to this disease in her natural life again. You can hear and feel the shock of the congregation who witness this. And, of course and naturally, her first and continual response is to praise and glorify God.

And, beloved, this is what Jesus came to do. He came to straighten out Satan's crooked power in the lives of people. This woman is a figurative picture of all of mankind apart from the saving touch of Christ. Paul states in Ephesians 2 that the lost are dead in sin and under Satan's power. He again states in 2 Corinthians 4 that the lost have been blinded to the gospel by the god of this world who is Satan.

But then God, through Christ, reaches into our world and sets us free from the bondage we are in. He, by His grace through faith in Christ, straightens us out and sets us free from Satan's bondage in our lives. Note that Paul states again in 2 Corinthians 5:17 that if any man is in Christ, he is a new creation. At the point of our embracing the gospel, we are set free from Satan's power and can worship God as He intended us to do.

Please note that, again, this event is a physical manifestation of a far deeper spiritual truth and need. This woman appears to be a believer...a “daughter of Abraham”...before this healing occurs. So we must note that following Christ doesn't mean that all of our physical infirmities will be automatically fixed. I've seen times when God releases a person from some sort of bondage, such as alcoholism, drug addiction or sickness, in immediate and powerful ways. But recall that Paul, as recorded in 2 Corinthians 12, begged God to remove a thorn in his flesh...a messenger of Satan...and God said “no” and told him to rest in God's all-sufficient grace.

The more important and eternal release is from sin and eternal condemnation. And even in this account before us, there are present some who have a far worse malady than this dear woman. And we'll see them in a moment. But please note that Jesus came to straighten out Satan's crooked power in the lives of people and when Jesus does this, the straightening out is instantaneous and permanent. “Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.” (Jn. 8:36). Jesus came to do this. Let us rejoice as this woman does.

2. Jesus came to straighten out a crooked lack of compassion for people.

Next, take a look at how this synagogue ruler reacts to this awesome event. The word says that he “answered with indignation.” The indication is that he is furious...he is enraged. Now, I don't know about you, but seeing a woman healed from misery usually isn't an event that inspires rage. I guess if you are in a war and your enemy whom appeared to be defeated somehow miraculously regains strength and starts a new offensive against you, that might cause rage in you. But this woman is no enemy to the synagogue ruler nor, it appears, to anyone else. If she has enemies of whom rage at her healing would be an appropriate response, Luke doesn't point them out for us.

But this man's reason for indignation is bound up in a very clear and revolting lack of compassion for people. He, along with many of the religious leaders of that day, were much more concerned for their man-made rituals that really had nothing to do with true worship of God than they were concerned with loving people and caring for people's spiritual well-being. Listen to what R. Kent Hughes says in regard to the synagogue ruler, “What a slab of ecclesiastical granite! He had no heart to pity the poor bent woman's plight, no eye for the beauty of Christ's compassion, no soul to rejoice with the woman's deliverance, no ear for the music of her praise.” (Luke Vol. 2, Crossway 1998, p. 89).

And, dear friends, this attitude and action will always mark someone who loves legalism more than lives. The main issues that the religious leaders of the day had with Jesus was that He loved people so much that He didn't let their very stupid, man-made traditions keep Him away from true ministry. Jesus loved being with people and ministering to them. He ate and had fellowship with sinners and tax-collectors. He dressed like the common man and ministered at all times, feeding, teaching and healing anywhere. When his immature disciples thought that it would be a waste of His time to teach and minister to children, Jesus said, “Let the little children come to Me...” When the prevailing attitude was that Samaritans were less than fully human, Jesus spoke to and saw to the salvation of a Samaritan prostitute along with many of her townspeople. His bent was to love and to minister to people.

This non-compassionate legalist is much more concerned with maintaining his influence and position. He is much more concerned with performing ritual thinking he is pleasing God when in reality he is pleasing himself. He looks down his nose at others and generally carries himself as one who is above the common fray. He is a professional and, in his mind, people need to see him this way. And even in the face of great blessing, if it doesn't bless him, he is, at best, ambivalent, and, at worst, angry and enraged.

Does this not describe the man in the passage before us? He is angry in the face of great blessing because it didn't come to him...it drew attention away from him. He speaks down to the crowd...he rebukes them in the face of this great blessing. What should he have done? He should have joined with them as one of them in common praise and worship of God.

And, friends, please take note of your own heart here. Please examine your own attitudes. If you really could care less what goes on in other people's lives and are much more concerned with your own position and influence, perhaps you need to see how your attitude matches up with Christ's? Listen to the words of the apostle John in his first letter, “If someone says, 'I love God,' and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also.” (4:20-21). One of the key tests of genuine conversion and saving faith is growing love for others, especially the body of Christ. This man clearly demonstrated no love nor compassion for people. In the face of incredible blessing, he was filled with indignation. Jesus, as we'll see, calls him out and rebukes him.

Jesus came to straighten out a crooked lack of love and compassion for people.

3. Jesus came to straighten out crooked hypocrisy in religious people.

A third observation from this passage is how Jesus confronted hypocrisy in religious people. Please note that there are a couple of issues here that Jesus confronts in this man as well as other wrong thinkers in the group.

Note first of all that this man rebuked the crowd of people who were in the synagogue. He didn't come after Jesus which, we can suspect wouldn't and, didn't go well for him. For whatever reason, he doesn't address Jesus to His face. Now this is problematic in that the crowd had nothing to do with what has just happened. Regarding Jesus' presence in this synagogue, we are not told why He was there on this particular day. But regardless of why or how He came to this place, Jesus is the teacher and the one leading the services. Jesus is the one who initiates the healing with the woman. It is not her nor is there any indication that the crowd suggests that He heal her. He initiates the entire process. Thus, if the synagogue ruler had any right to rebuke someone, the person he should have rebuked would be Jesus. He hypocritically attacks the “innocent” in this event.

Note also that he states that the people should come on other days of the week to be healed. The impression one gets from reading this passage is that, well, healings occur here all the time. She didn't need to be healed today, but rather, come back at 8:00 A.M. sharp and well take care of it. Now I think it may be fair to assume that the woman who has just been healed is more than likely lost in glorious worship and revelry and probably doesn't hear or care about this ruler's statements. But think about her reaction to these words and the reaction of the others in the room. This woman has been bent over and crippled for eighteen years. There is every indication that she has been a faithful attendee of this synagogue for an extended period. If healing were available at other times, she would have taken it. More than likely she has sought the Lord's healing diligently through the years and not experienced it. How these words would have hurt and angered those who understood her pain and suffering. But the hypocrite here has no thought to needs and well-being of this woman or even this group of people.

Thirdly, note that Jesus very directly and strongly points out that this man and others love the creation more than the creator and His people. Jesus makes the classic argument of taking something less important and arguing to the more important. In order for an animal to be watered on the Sabbath, or any day for that matter, the owner had to either open stall or untie a beast and take it to water. The owner had to physically move something in order for this to happen. And the traditional Jewish laws allowed for this.

But note something here about this healing that Jesus performs. Jesus spoke on the Sabbath. There was no restriction against speaking. The woman walked to the front of the synagogue on the Sabbath. There was no restriction against walking. Jesus touched the woman on the Sabbath. There was no restriction against touching the woman. That is what He did and she was healed. Take a look at many of the healings of Jesus that He performs on the Sabbath. See how often He breaks one of their traditional laws. He really doesn't.

So Jesus confronts this man for his hypocrisy about the work, but also about loving the creation more than God's image-bearers, especially God's chosen people and this daughter of Abraham. In reality, Jesus is accusing this man of idolatry, of loving the creation more than the creator and worshipping in ways contrary to what God would have. And this pattern of sin started in the garden of Eden and repeats itself time and again. When God created the world, the order He established and Adam was to keep was God first, man second, the creation third. But when Adam and Eve fell, they listened to and obeyed the creation...the snake...and placed themselves in judgment over God and placed God third. It became creation first, man second and God third. And, generally, that is the pattern we see here. The creation is elevated to primacy where man and God are neglected. And tell me that we don't see this all over our world today. Jesus calls this hypocrisy. So the animals and the traditions of men are placed above loving worship of God.

Jesus confronts this crooked hypocrisy head on and calls it like it is.

4. Jesus came to straighten out crooked, man-centered glory.

Lastly, look at the result of this event in regards to praise and who gets the glory. The passage states in verse 17 that Jesus' adversaries were put to shame, but that the multitude rejoiced and, we can assume, worshipped God with the woman that was healed.

The religious leaders hated it when they didn't receive attention and affirmation from their crowds. They wanted the attention and glory. If you look at Luke 18, the Pharisee there prays to himself...he is directing his praise to himself.

Jesus came to make sure that worship is directed to the place it should be...to God and God alone. And, dear friends, the result that we see in this account is what the result will be in eternity. As this woman was released from bondage, we too are released from bondage. As God's enemies hated Jesus and what He did, so too today enemies of the gospel hate the message of the gospel and how it sets people free. As this woman and others worshipped God with glorious praise and Jesus' enemies were put to shame, one day all of God's children will worship Him in spirit and in truth and all of God's enemies will be forever put to shame.

The question of the day is which side will you be on? Will you be embarrassed in the presense of the Lord due to your hateful hypocrisy like this synagogue ruler? Or will you be rejoicing in the presense of the Lord due to your acknowledged release from bondage like this woman? Which will it be for you?

Jesus came to straighten out crooked, man-centered glory.

As we close this message, lets look at several applications that we can draw from it:
· Do you understand, first and foremost, that Satan is real and is wanting to keep people in bondage? For the non-Christian here this morning, this woman physically represents your spiritual condition without saving faith in Christ. You are chained and bent over in bondage to sin. Satan will do everything he can to keep you there. As he was active in keeping this woman in bondage, so he is active in keeping the lost in bondage. The Bible states as much in passages like Ephesians 2:1-3,

“And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.”

Dear friends, please know that there is a very real spiritual battle going on in which Satan is active and is striving to keep people deceived and in bondage to sin and death.
· But please also know that Jesus Christ came to set men free from bondage to sin and Satan. As he spoke the Word and healed this woman, when a person recognizes their bondage to sin and then go to Christ in faith and believing that He accomplished all that is necessary for forgiveness and eternal life, Christ saves and heals that person. And it is a done deal. As when Christ spoke these words and the woman was healed, so too when we place our faith in Christ, we are set free from sin and death forever.
· Please also note that when we are rightly related to Christ, we will be people who are marked by a genuine love and compassion for others. This synagogue ruler, a religious man and leader, really didn't care for the people of this synagogue. He cared about his position and influence. But Jesus cared for people...Jesus loved people...Jesus blessed people. And, dear friends, if you are a follower of Christ today, you, too, will be marked by growing love and compassion for people. You will want to see them blessed and encouraged and made right with the Lord. Compassion and love with a desire to serve others will mark your life as it marked Christ's life.
· Please also note that one who is rightly related to God through faith in Christ will be marked by joy and rejoicing in God. Note that this woman and many in the multitudes who witnessed this miracle were filled with joy and worship toward God. When we are brought out of sin and darkness into the light of life in Christ, joy and rejoicing should mark our lives consistently. Yes, there may be difficulty and hardship, but even in those times we should be people of joy due to the freedom and life we have in Christ.
· On the flip side, one who is hypocritical and legalistic will be a pretty dour person. Note that this synagogue ruler became greatly angered in the face of incredible blessing. And anger and frustration as a common feature in a person's life indicates wrong theology and thinking. And especially if that anger is found in the face of great blessing, something is clearly amiss.
· Also note that one who is rightly related to God through faith in Christ will be keeping God-honoring priorities and not elevating things of this world to positions they shouldn't have. Loving God and loving and serving people will be prioritized over temporal issues of this world.
· Lastly, the one who is rightly related to God through faith in Christ will be pursuing God's glory in their own life and will rejoice when God's glory is manifested in the lives of others. His/her one driving passion will be to see God and Christ exalted at the expense, if necessary, of everything. A driving fear for the godly person will be to not degrade the name of the Lord in thought, word, or deed. Instead, the godly person will be giving constant glory to God and directing others to do the same.

Are you one today who has understood the person and work of Christ? Do you see that by dying on the cross for your sins, He enables you to be right with God and direct glory to Him? Do you understand that it is for this purpose that you are alive and were created? Run to the healing and freedom in Christ and rejoice in the life He freely gives.

Because by His Word and Power, Jesus does away dead, crooked religiosity, we should embrace vibrant, grace-filled faith in Christ resulting in deep joy and praise.

Discussion Questions:
· How would you explain the concept of spiritual bondage to someone?
· In our day of materialistic naturalism, how do we go about convincing others of supernatural realities, such as angels and demons?
· Are you primarily a biblically joyful person per 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18? If not, why not?
· How is your love and compassion for people? Is it growing and developing? How do you know?
· Anger seems to be a fairly common malady, even among believers. Why is this the case?The woman in this account was in physical bondage for 18 years. How should we respond to physical sickness or other weaknesses that God doesn't take away in our lives?

Let Us Number Our Days

2011-10-14T14:14:00.002-06:00

Sermon Delivered October 2nd, 2011
Luke 13:1-9 ~ Let Us Number Our Days

The following statistics are rather sobering...The number of deaths in the world may fluctuate widely from one year to the next. A rough estimate of annual deaths is 60 million or about two every second. (Tan, P. L., Encyclopedia of 7700 illustrations, Bible Communications 1996, electronic edition).

This means that with our worship service starting at 10:30 A.M. and perhaps ending around 12:00 P.M., approximately 10,800 people will die in the world during this time. When the terrorists attacked our country on 9/11, right around 3000 people were killed. That accounts for approximately 25 minutes of deaths for a normal day according to the above rate. Around 230,000 people died in the December 2004 Indian Ocean Earthquake and Tsunami. That accounts for about 32 hours...not quite a day and a half...of the normal death rate. Someone once asked a friend of whom he was visiting from out of town, “What is the death rate in your city?” The friend responded, “100 percent.”

These are rather discomforting statistics, are they not? I know that, personally, I don't think too much about how many people are dying around us each day. Regardless, it is happening and happening rather quickly. We have a choice when it comes to this. We can take one of two approaches. Author William Somerset Maugham gave this advice, “Death is a very dull, dreary affair, and my advice to you is to have nothing whatever to do with it.” (www.quotes4all.net). He died in December of 1964 regardless of his stated desire to avoid it. Or we can take Evangelical Theologian Jonathan Edwards' approach, “Resolved, to think much on all occasions of my own dying, and of the common circumstances which attend death.” (www.apuritansmind.com). He died in March of 1758, perhaps viewing his death as entrance into eternal glory and worship of his Savior.

Our Savior, Jesus, would have us think about death. He wouldn't have us morbidly dwelling upon this topic, but, as we've seen in recent weeks, being rightly prepared to meet Him is of vital import to the Lord. All of Luke 12 is accounts of Jesus teaching and admonishing His hearers to be thinking rightly about life on this earth and being ready to meet Him either through death, the Rapture or His Second Coming. The overall point He has been making is that this life and the things in it are insignificant compared to the next life and the things in it. Jesus states that we must be ready for that life as we live this life. Someone once said that we often ask what we want to be doing in the next five, or fifteen, years. Jesus would have us think about what we want to be doing in one hundred years, one million years and one billion years. We need to be thinking along those lines.

In the passage before us today in Luke 13:1-9, the Lord Jesus continues on with His very direct and even harsh dialogue with His listeners concerning perspectives about life and death. And again, as we have discussed, God is very good to us in that He clearly tells us, with complete clarity, the reality of life on this fallen ball and the need to view it from His perspective.

Thus, lets together see Jesus' perspective on death and how to rightly live in light of this absolutely certain event in our lives. Follow along as I read Luke 13:1-9:

There were present at that season some who told Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And Jesus answered and said to them, “Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered such things? I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish. Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.” He also spoke this parable: “A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. Then he said to the keeper of his vineyard, ‘Look, for three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree and find none. Cut it down; why does it use up the ground?’ But he answered and said to him, ‘Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it. And if it bears fruit, well. But if not, after that you can cut it down.’ ”
From this text, let us learn...

In light of God's Absolute Sovereignty over life and death, we should be ready to meet Him at any time.

Two accurate signs that we are living in light of God's absolute sovereignty over life and death:

1. We understand the fragility of life and how quick it can end.

As we look at these first few words in chapter 13, we may be able to rightly assume that those who were present and heard Jesus' words recorded at the end of chapter 12 understood what Jesus was saying regarding settling issues with God before your death. Verses 57 through 59 of that text clearly state that each man has a court date set with the Lord and that things will not go well if the issues aren't settled before that date.

But then it appears that at least some of them perhaps misunderstood and/or misapplied the statement of the Lord. Specifically, they didn't apply it to themselves. This, of course, indicates their lack of wanting to face the issue of death head-on. They assumed that Jesus was speaking about somebody else. “Surely it isn't me that has a court date with God!” is their thinking. And, in so thinking, they approached the Lord and gave the example of verse 1. Pilate, the Roman Governor of Judea who eventually orders the death of Christ, killed some Galileans who had come to worship the Lord during Passover. If we look historically at this man Pilate, we soon learn that he was a very violent and wicked man. He seems to have taken some sick enjoyment out of brutal oppression. Jewish historian Josephus records four events during Pilate's reign in Israel where he thought nothing of the shedding of blood. In the instance before us today, it appears that he had his men dressed in disguise as the huge Passover sacrifice was being offered and, during the actual sacrifice, Pilate's men attacked and kill these Galileans.

There is speculation as to why Pilate would do such a thing. Perhaps these Galileans had done something disrespectful to Pilate earlier in the Passover week? Maybe they publicly protested the Roman presence in Israel. In Acts 5:37, The Pharisee Gamaliel makes mention of a certain “Judas of Galilee” who led some sort of uprising and then was killed and his following dispersed. Perhaps this is the event referred to in Luke 13.

But of far more import than the actual event is the attitude of those approaching Jesus with this event and asking Him about it. It appears that they were drawing an inaccurate assumption based on the previous verses of Luke 12. They were saying or thinking, in effect, “Yeah, bad sinners do have to give an account to God! We saw that worked out in what happened with those Galileans who were killed by Pilate during Passover that one year. Boy, I'm glad I'm not like them!”

The Lord Jesus tackles this false thinking directly and very strongly. He asks the question of verse 2. The expected answer that these men who are addressing the Lord is “Yes, they are worse sinners and that is why they met this violent end!” And, dear friends, be honest with yourself. When something bad happens to someone, do you not sometimes think, “I wonder what they did to deserve that?” We also think in the opposite way, too. When I played football in college, if something happened that was lucky and unexpected, the response was, jokingly, “You must have gone to church last Sunday.” During one game I was out of position and was sprinting to get back to where I was supposed to be and something hit me in the stomach. In that instant, I looked down and saw that it was the football. A teammate had batted down a pass and I just happened to be in the right place at the right time and caught a game-saving interception. I was mauled by my teammates as I came off the field. My coach, as we were watching film the next night, was torn over chewing me out for being out of position or congratulating me. He said, “Eric, you must be livin' right.” This is how our sinful mind works. If we are good, good things happen. If we are bad, bad things happen. In one sense, we are all Buddhists and believe in Karma. This attitude was extremely prevalent among the Jews of that day as is attested in John 9:1-2, “Now as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth. And His disciples asked Him, saying, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”
How does Jesus approach this issue? Well, His response is pretty clear and direct. And it is very strong. “I tell you, no...” And then He goes on and tells them to repent. He tells them to change their thinking about true righteous in the eyes of God.

This statement alone would have shocked them greatly. But the Lord doesn't stop, but rather he piles on. He brings to mind another tragedy in which people died. A tower in Siloam falls over and kills 18 people. Siloam was simply a locale in Jerusalem near the wall. There was a pool near this area used for providing water to the city. The blind man of John 9 is instructed by Jesus to wash his eyes in this pool. Perhaps it was a wall tower that fell? We don't know the situation and that is part of the point. This was a tragic event with no obvious rhyme or reason for it. It was simply a tragedy. Again, although blame may have been easier to assign in Pilate's slaughter, the thinking is still the same in this event... “These people who died in this tower fall must have been doing something wrong, even if we don't know what it is.” In verse 5, Jesus uses the exact same rebuke that He uses in verse 3. He says to his listeners that your thinking is absolutely wrong and will cost you everything if you don't change it.

As we look at this account, there are a couple of applications to be drawn:

· Life on this planet is dangerous and life can end very quickly with no warning. As pointed out, several people in this interaction with Jesus were thinking that if they simply live right, God is obligated to protect them and give them long life and they assumed that early or tragic death meant that someone sinned. Jesus makes that point that this is not true. Thus, we need to be very careful in placing blame when we see tragedy or sudden death. The writer of Ecclesiastes emphasized this point, “I returned and saw under the sun that— the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to men of understanding, nor favor to men of skill; but time and chance happen to them all. For man also does not know his time: like fish taken in a cruel net, like birds caught in a snare, so the sons of men are snared in an evil time, when it falls suddenly upon them.” (9:11-12).Yes, there are temporal consequences for sin and that consequence may be death. When someone gets drunk and then gets behind the wheel and ends up killing themselves or others, we can see this. But, dear friends, our first response when we see someone tragically die needs to be compassion and not judgment. And when we see the big tragedies like 9/11 and earthquakes and such, we need to realize that we are not exempt from such events but, as Jesus emphasizes here, we need to be prepared for them ourselves.
· In order to be ready for this possible eventuality, we need to have repented and be living a life of repentance. Again, these people graded themselves on the curve when it came to the issue of righteousness. Their thinking was something along the lines of this, “I know I am not perfect, but as long as I am better than most, say like those Galileans killed by Pilate, I'll be okay.” Jesus, in this text and the surrounding texts, as well as the whole of the Bible, declares that all people everywhere are worthy of death at all times. Remember from Psalm 14 and Romans 1 that there is no one who does good, no one who, in themselves, seeks God. All are worthy of death due to inherent sin. Yes, not all sin to the same degree, but, dear friends, when it comes to the righteousness necessary to gain eternal life, we are a lot closer to Hitler than we are to Christ. One of my favorite quotes from Charles Haddon Spurgeon is this, “There is tinder enough in the saint closest to heaven to light the fires of another hell should but let a spark fall upon it.” In light of this fact, we must, instead of taking comfort in the false and wicked idea that we might be better than others and therefore safe, we need to change our thinking and agree with Christ and His accessment of our character. He has declared that all men, due to sin and wickedness, are worthy of death and eternal hell. We need to agree with Him in this. And He has also declared the means and way by which men can be saved. And that is by believing in Jesus and His infinitely perfect righteousness for forgiveness and eternal life. We need to agree with Him in this. That is what it means to repent. It means that we reject any thoughts of self-righteousness and embrace our own wickedness and need and then run to the shelter that God provides for our forgiveness in Christ. Beloved, one who is truly born again will understand exactly what Jesus is talking about here. Beloved, one who is truly born again will be abundantly aware of his/her own sin and guilt before a holy God and, at the same time, rejoice greatly at God's provision of Christ on his/her behalf. If these thoughts don't resonate with you, then heed Christ's warning in this text to repent...to take on His thoughts about your spiritual state...before it is too late.

We must understand the fragility of life and how quick it can end...and be ready for it.

2. We see His work and provision for our life and respond in faith and devotion.

Jesus then, after this strong warning and rebuke and call to repentance, states a parable to reinforce and further develop His emphasis on life and death and who is in charge. He wants us to see that not only is life fragile and short and that we must be ready for the end of it, He also wants us to see that He and His Father are in absolute control of it. And so He gives a very simple and clear word picture to help us grasp this.

He tells the story of a rich man who owns a vineyard and had his vineyard keeper plant a fig tree in it. After three years, the fig has not produced fruit and is wasting space and nutrients from the soil. The owner rightfully tells the keeper of the vineyard to cut it down. The vinekeeper asks the owner it allow one more year to try and have the fig tree produce. And the parable ends there. By itself, there is nothing particularly profound here. Were this a true story, this account would be so common as to not merit a retelling. Those of you who have grown plants or trees know that sometimes a given plant of tree doesn't produce for whatever reason and you simply replace it. Living on the western slope for several years where there are lots of orchards, this event was commonplace.

But when Jesus uses this story here, the meaning is gigantic and weighty and we need to heed the lesson well. A parable is a fictional account pointing to a real truth. And, contextually, that real truth is very clear. First of all, lets look at the characters in this parable. The owner of the vineyard is God. The vineyard is the world and the trees in the vineyard are God's people. In Jesus' day, the immediate application was to the nation of Israel, but that application extends out to the world at large. The keeper of the vineyard is Jesus and/or the Holy Spirit.

Thus, we can learn several vital lessons from this parable. First of all, God is the creator and is intimately aware of and involved in the world and has expectations for the people of the world. As the owner of the vineyard knows the fruitfulness of this particular tree, God knows the ways and actions of each person in this entire world. This parable is a direct assault on both atheism and agnosticism. God has created everything and He is engaged in what goes on around here. Not only is He engaged, He has knowable expectations. And His expectation is that His creation...His people...glorify Him. He created us and His world for the purpose of glory and worship. This is why we are here. Whatever we do in word and deed, we are to do for His glory (Col. 3:17).

But not only does He have expectations, He provides a wonderful world in which people can and should pursue this glory. As the owner determines what kind of tree will be in his vineyard, God determines who we are and what we will do. None of us controlled when we were born and, as the previous words clearly state, none of us will control when we die. We are here by His bidding and will. Not only that, the food we eat, the abilities we have, the bodies we are given, even the air we breathe is given to us by God. As Paul writes the the Athenians in Acts 17, so is true for all of us, “And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; for in Him we live and move and have our being,...” (26-28).

In light of all of this, the natural and expected reaction should be joyful worship of God for His ownership of our lives and His provision for us...fruitfulness according to the parable. But, as with the fig tree in the parable, we don't produce fruit. As articulated earlier, all of mankind fails to glorify God due to sin and wickedness. And, again, this is a species-wide problem. No one is righteous, no not one. Not only do we not produce the fruit of glory and joyful, thankful service to God, we are in rebellion to Him. Thus, God, the owner of and the provider for the world, has every right and reason to destroy us. “Cut it down” He says in verse 7. He goes on in that same verse and says, “...why does it use up the ground?” The point is that after all that God has done for us, it is despicable that men don't live in light of His amazing provision. Romans 1 states that all men can see God's hand and provision through creation, but willfully choose to supress that revelation and choose not to thank or acknowledge God. Therefore, men are worthy of condemnation, receiving exactly what they deserve for their rebellion and sin.

In the parable before us, the vineyard keeper is the Savior Jesus who willingly makes an appeal to God to hold back on His righteous judgment. Not only does He appeal, He absolutely devotes himself to the restoration of the sinful people of the world. As the vineyard keeper digs around and fertilizes the tree, so Jesus our Lord toiled on our behalf and poured out His blood for us that we might be changed and able to bring glory to God. 1 Peter 3:18 makes this clear, “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit,...”

Again, the applications from this text are many...

· First of all, you are here by God's bidding. He owns you and you were created by Him to serve Him and glorify Him.

· Please also note that God is looking for fruitfulness in our life and will righteously judge those who don't produce that fruit. The writer to the Hebrews states in 9:27, “And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment,...” That judgment will be open and fair and perfect.

· Note also the patience of God in this text. The tree hasn't produced fruit for three years. In Israel, according to Leviticus 19, when a tree was planted, the owner wasn't to take its fruit for three years and then in the forth year, all the fruit produced was to be given to the Lord as an offering. So that means that this tree in this parable may have been fruitless for seven years. But regardless, God is patient with us. He has every right to expect fruitfulness immediately and it doesn't come. And yet He waits. He goes above and beyond. He goes so far beyond so as to send His Son to make ultimate provision for us. Yes, our natural sin keeps us from being able to honor God, but God, according to 2 Corinthians 5:21, “...made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” Dear friends, the fact that any of us are alive today is a clear and bold testimony to God's patience with us. It is a testimony to His mercy...His withholding what it due us. And, to pile on, He in amazing grace gives to us Jesus to provide for us all that we need to glorify Him.

· Note also the “open-endedness” of this parable. At the end of verse 9, we are not told if the tree produced fruit the next year. There is reason and purpose in this. Jesus is clearly reaffirming His charge from the previous account. He stated that repentance is absolutely mandatory and He stated that we must embrace this. And that is the point He is making here. Will you embrace these facts? Will you embrace these vital truths about God and Christ and yourself? Repent...change your thinking about the meaning of life and who controls it and why things happen the way they do. Embrace the Lordship of God and the provision of Christ for our fruitfulness. Live your life for Him and for His glory. Don't be one who simply uses up the ground.

· What does that fruitfulness look like? It is pretty clear...love and devotion to God and Christ which will manifest itself in thankful service and obedience to Him. By grace, Christ saves us and provides us all that is necessary for us to live for Him. He takes our sin out of the way and nails it to the cross. Christ gave us everything and set us free from condemnation. Beloved, the only logical response to that is love and devotion. Paul declares such in Galatians 5:22-23, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.” Does such fruitfulness mark your life? If you are living in light of God's Lordship over creation and Christ's provision for you, then these things should mark your life. If not, then you need to examine deeply who you are. And if you proclaim faith in Christ and are not devoted to God through Christ and pursuing Him through loving, thankful obedience to His Word, then you are probably not saved.

Dear friends, do you see His work and provision for our life and respond in faith and devotion?

As I've declared before, I really enjoying reading accounts of extreme mountainneering, especially accounts that take place in the highest mountain ranges of the world. Every year, people die tragically on these high mountains. It is a risk taken when someone goes up these peaks. One of the saddest accounts involved a group of people who were simply trekking in the Himalayas. They weren't going to climb to the top of Everest, but simply were enjoying the terrain and scenery. One night, this group of seven were sound asleep in a cabin when a monsterous avalanche broke loose on a high slope above them. No remains of the cabin have every been found. They more than likely had no warning whatsoever. One moment, they were sound asleep after a beautiful day's hike. The next moment, they are before the judgment seat of God. I have no idea about their spiritual condition. Did they deserve this? Yes, but so do all of us.

Similarly, R. Kent Hughes relates the following account, “One lazy Sunday afternoon in Papua New Guinea, Wycliffe missionaries Walt and Vonnie Steinkraus were resting alongside their daughters Kerry and Kathy when their world came to an abrupt end. At precisely 3:00p.m., a half-mile wide section of the mountain on the opposite side of the river from their village broke off and buried them. They may never have even heard the sound. In a world full of vacant hillsides, in a world full of rebrobates, in a world with too few missionaries, the Steinkrauses disappeared under a mountain.” (Luke:Vol.2, Crossway 1998, p. 81)

Dear friends, this life is extreme fragile and short. Some of us in this room will more than likely die very suddenly and unexpectedly. All that we can be certain of is that God is in control of whatever our end is...our days are set by Him. And we must be ready to meet Him at any time. God, through Christ, has provided all that we need for that readiness. Are you living in light of that provision?

In light of God's Absolute Sovereignty over life and death, we should be ready to meet Him at any time.

Discussion Questions:
· How should we view tragedies? How can we faithfully prepare ourselves for them without become morbid or wrongfully fearful?
· Why doesn’t God exempt believers from tragedies? Why does He not just punish the wicked with tragedies?
· How can a Christian know if he or she is truly repentant? What are some signs of true repentance?
· Is repentance necessary for true salvation? Some would argue that it is a work and therefore not a part of believing faith? Agree? Why or why not?

Sweet Memories from Chocolate Sunday

2011-10-14T07:22:00.006-06:00

Here are a few pictures from the Chocolate Sunday talent show.
What fun!

Reality Check

2011-09-28T08:25:00.002-06:00

Sermon Delivered September 25^th, 2011 by Pastor Eric Ellis

Luke 12:49-59

B. Clayton Bell relates the following story:

Are your priorities straight? A couple I heard about in Atlanta read that My Fair Lady was still playing on Broadway in New York City. They wanted to go so badly, so they bought their tickets months ahead of time and planned their vacation.

The long-awaited day came and they flew to New York City. They presented their tickets, walked in, and sat down in wonderful seats, seven rows from the front, near the orchestra.

To the man's amazement, the entire place filled up except the seat right next to him. He was curious about that. At the intermission, he leaned over in conversation with the lady in the second seat away from him and commented how they had to wait so many months to get tickets to a performance. When there was such a demand for seats, why would someone not come. Did she have any idea? She said, “Yes, as a matter of fact, these two seats are mine. This one and that one.” She explained further, “You see, that seat belonged to my husband, and he died.” The man said, “I'm...I'm terribly sorry. But couldn't you have invited a friend to come with you?” Her answer was classic. She said, “No, they're all at the funeral home right now.” (Quoted in Charles R. Swindoll, The Tale of the Tardy Oxcart, Word 1998, p. 468).

So again, are your priorities straight? Perhaps such a story isn't a great way to start off a sermon on the issue of commitment to Christ? However, the text that we are working through this morning is made up of very weighty and antagonistic words from our Savior, Christ Jesus, and a bit of levity perhaps is helpful before we dig into this passage. I mentioned a few weeks ago that one of the editors of Christianity Today, Mark Galli, has written a book called Jesus Mean and Wild. In this book, Galli deals with all the passages in the Gospel of Mark where Jesus says some very direct and harsh statements. And those of who have read the gospels know that direct and harsh statements from the Lord are not uncommon.

This passage in Luke is another one. We are in the Travelogue section of this gospel where Jesus is moving from His ministry in Galilee to Jerusalem to face His unjust trial and then crucifixion. This section begins in chapter 9:51 where Luke records these words, “Now it came to pass, when the time had come for Him to be received up, that He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem,...” This section ends in Luke 19 with Jesus' Triumphal entry into Jerusalem at the beginning of the Passion week. In the previous section of Luke, many miracles are recorded and some teaching. In this section, the miracles take a back-seat to the teaching ministry of the Lord. And much of this teaching is given in confrontation with the religious leaders as well as the non-committed multitudes. The religious leaders were opposed to Christ and His ministry because it took away their authority and influence. Many of the multitudes were simply there to see this man who caused such an uproar. Neither group was truly interested in learning and submitting to Christ.

Christ approached these folks with very direct calls to get a grip on reality and start living in the truth of Who He was...the very incarnate, eternal God. He challenged His disciples to take Him very seriously and to embrace the reality of what it meant to follow Him. And this same call and approach is needed for us today. Perhaps there are several folks here today who are opposed to Christ? You need to hear these words and wrestle with the reality of Who He is and what He came to do. Maybe there are several here who are ambivalent to the reality of Christ and His call? You need to put aside that ambivalence and decide what to do with Him. My hope and prayer is that most here are committed Christians who desire to follow Christ with heart, soul, mind and strength. Might this passage reinforce your single-minded commitment to live in the reality of our Savior and His work and call upon our lives.

Luke 12:49-59...

“I came to send fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! But I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how distressed I am till it is accomplished! Do you suppose that I came to give peace on earth? I tell you, not at all, but rather division. For from now on five in one house will be divided: three against two, and two against three. Father will be divided against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.”

Then He also said to the multitudes, “Whenever you see a cloud rising out of the west, immediately you say, ‘A shower is coming’; and so it is. And when you see the south wind blow, you say, ‘There will be hot weather’; and there is. Hypocrites! You can discern the face of the sky and of the earth, but how is it you do not discern this time?

“Yes, and why, even of yourselves, do you not judge what is right? When you go with your adversary to the magistrate, make every effort along the way to settle with him, lest he drag you to the judge, the judge deliver you to the officer, and the officer throw you into prison. I tell you, you shall not depart from there till you have paid the very last mite.”

From this passage, let us see that...

Because ultimate reality is based upon the person and work of Jesus Christ, we must live in the reality of His call to salvation and commitment.

Four Realities About Christ that We Must Embrace:

1. Reality: Christ came to set things right.

As we look as this passage, the first reality that we must embrace is that Jesus Christ came to set things right. This, of course, means that something is wrong. And we needn't look to deeply into this world and the happenings therein to see that this world is a very messed-up place. There are wars, famines, robberies, immoralities, rebelliousness, etc. Pick up the paper or go to your favorite news website and scan the topics. This place is a disaster through-in-through. The messed-up aspect of this place entails nature where we see earthquakes and floods and storms and whatnot. Paul writes to the Romans that even the creation groans and labors because of the corruption of sin (Romans 8:20-22).

But the primary problem with this place is men...people. Because of Adam's and Eve's decision to take of the forbidden fruit, the whole of humanity has been thrust into sin and death. And this fact is abundantly manifest in what we see day-in and day-out. This is a characteristic of the entire species of men as it shows up in each one of us. The Psalmist describes men in Psalm 14:2 and 3 with these words, which are repeated by Paul in Romans 1, “The Lord looks down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there are any who understand, who seek God. They have all turned aside, they have together become corrupt; there is none who does good, No, not one.” If you are living in reality today, you understand and agree with this assessment of the character of men. You see it in your own life and it makes sense of what we see in the world today and throughout history.

The Savior Jesus came to this place to rectify this situation and He uses the picture of fire in verse 49 to proclaim this. He states that He came to bring fire on the earth and that His desire is that it would start up...be kindled. Fire is very often associated with God's judgment upon wicked sinners. Hell is where the worm does not die and fire does not go out (Mk. 9:44, 46, 48). Unbelievers will cast, along with Satan, into the Lake of Fire which burns for all eternity (Rev. 20:10 and 15). But also, fire can be association with purification and growth. Peter writes of the fiery trial that will come upon believers because of their love for Christ and how blessed one is who undergoes such trials (1 Peter 4:12). Thus, there is discussion amongst scholars as to whether this “fire” is a fire of purification or of judgment. Possibly both are indicated here, but it seem that contextually, the Lord is speaking of the fire of judgment. In all of Luke 12, the Lord is dealing with attitudes which, if not repented of, will lead to condemnation. He is actively confronting people with bad thinking about priorities and realities. And this passage continues on with that emphasis.

The text itself indicates that this fire is a fire of judgment. Note the chronological aspect of verses 49 and 50. The Lord declares His desire that this fire would be kindled now. However, in verse 50, there is a contrasting conjunction “but”. Christ is stating here that before this fire is kindled, something else has to take place. And that event is His death, burial and resurrection. And this fits with the Biblical emphases of Christ's First and Second Comings. He comes the first time not to judge sin, but rather to provide a means of being saved from sin. By this baptism that He will undergo, He will provide the means by which men can be saved from the fire of judgment which will arrive at His Second Coming. That Second Coming will be marked by the pouring out of God's full wrath upon mankind because of the fore-mentioned sin and rebellion. This is the fire that Jesus wished was already kindled. Years after the resurrection and ascension of Christ, Paul writes these words to the Colossian Christians concerning this wrathful fire, “Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience,...” (3:5-6). So the First Coming of Christ was so that He might make provision for forgiveness and grace. The Second Coming will be for judgment and the establishment of righteousness.

But note also the Lord's great desire in both cases. He strongly wished that the fire of judgment was already upon the earth. Jesus sees the sin, wickedness and rebellion of His day and desires and aches for all of this to be set right. We, too, as we see the sin, wickedness and rebellion of our day, if we are living in reality, should be aching for Christ's righteousness and kingdom. We should be dressed in readiness and desire for that very day. This past week I read of horrible abuse of infants, leading to their death and great injury by wicked people. And this is just one example of literally thousands of acts of depravity that we can see around us daily. With the Lord, let us desire that things be set right.

Let us not be like the multitudes of Christ's day and even ours who don't take Jesus all the seriously. If people think of Jesus much today, they think that He was simply a good moral teacher or some irrelevant historical figure. I have a couple of friends who even question His existence. But, dear friends, Jesus lived and died and now He is alive forevermore. And He is coming back to set things right...to send fire on the earth. Theologian D.L. Tiede made this statement, “Those who would reduce Jesus to a sentimental savior of a doting God have not come to terms with the depth of the divine passion, of the wrath and love of God which is revealed in Jesus' word, will, and obedience even unto death.” (Quoted in Bock, D., Luke, Baker 1996, p. 1196). Dear friends, please come to terms with the facts and reality that Jesus came to set things right.

2. Reality: Christ will divide the closest of relations.

As we continue on with this examination of Christ's rather divisive words, we learn in verses 52 and 53 that not everyone agrees with Christ's method of setting things right. In fact, as anyone who has engaged in philosophical and theological discussion with someone of opposing views, the disagreements about the person and work of Christ can be quite explosive and intense. And, as sober-minded Christians, we have to realize that the claims of Christ are perhaps the most divisive claims that can be had.

Fortunately for us, this is a reality that Jesus Himself is well-aware of and He does us the service of preparing us for this reality. In verse 51, Jesus makes this very clear, unequivocal statement, “Do you suppose that I came to give peace on earth? I tell you, not at all, but rather division.” Many of that day wanted a personally favorable peace. Recall from verse 13 of this chapter that a man wanted peace with his brother. But that peace involved Jesus acting on his behalf and settling a dispute between the two. Recall the militaristic attitude of many of the Jews who desired that Jesus would throw off the Roman occupiers. Those who are following Jesus are realizing that the kingdom He is talking about isn't to be found on earth. They wanted peace, but peace according to their own definitions. So Jesus straight up deals with this false sense of reality and He tells His listeners very clearly that following him will divide the closest of relations. In verses 52-53, the most intimate relations...those of parent and child...are torn asunder by Jesus Christ. The point that Christ is making here is that if following Him jeopardizes even the most intimate of relationships, don't be surprised if there are issues in the not so intimate relationships.

Friends, following Christ may cost you your job, your friendships, a promotion, grades at school, etc. I have previously shared about a young friend of mine who was the starting quarterback on his high school football team but had made a commitment in following Christ that would mean he would miss a game mid-way through the season. He informed the coach of that commitment before the season and, although the coach okay'ed the absense, he didn't really think the young man would follow through with it. When he did follow through, the coach gave the starting job to another and my friend didn't get it back. Dr. James White, who was with us in June, spoke of his daughter receiving a lesser grade on a English paper in which she articulated her Christian beliefs on a divisive social issue. Several years ago, I was visiting with a friend whose family was being ripped apart due to His commitment to Christ. His heart was rightfully broken and he was deeply grieved. He kept saying, “This is not what I signed up for!” I gently but firmed stated that no where in the Bible does God or Jesus quarantee that by following Him all of our problems, including family difficulties, will be fixed. In fact, in the passage before us here and in others, we see that by following Jesus someone may lose their family.

Dear friends, the gospel is divisive. It speaks to the inner core issues of man, many of whom have no desire to explore and wrestle through. Thus, when confronted with God's perfect nature, their own perfect wickedness, and Christ's perfect sacrifice, many will be repulsed and offended. 1 Corinthians 1:18 states this, “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” The individual who is being saved by God absolutely loves the gospel. The unbeliever considers it foolishness and stupidity. Jesus knows this and warns His children that following Him may render asunder a family and other relationships.

R. Kent Hughes makes this comment on these words, “Jesus did not come to tell people that all paths lead to God. He did not come to tell people that what you believe does not matter. Jesus did not believe that all people are good, or espouse the perfectability of humanity. Jesus did not say you can do whatever you want as long as you do not hurt anyone else. His ethics are radical. He demands careful obedience and costly loyalty. And not everyone is willing to pay the price or to accept those who do....'everyone who wants to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted' (2 Tim. 4:12). And sometimes the division and persecution come from those we love the most. That is a fact.” (Luke: Vol. 2, Crossway 1998, p. 71).

Beloved, we must live in light of the reality that Christ will divide the closest of relations.

3. Reality: Christ's message is clear and present.

A third reality that we must embrace is that Christ's message is clear and present. In verses 54 and 55, Jesus uses two examples from nature to make this point. As we, too, can ascertain what is going to happen with the weather by looking to the west, so the Jews living in Israel could, and still can, tell what is going to happen by looking around. In Israel, rain storms form over the Mediterranean Sea to the west and then come over the land. Winds coming from the south pass over the Negev Desert and are exceedingly warm. As in the day of Christ, no one needs to have a college degree, work at NCAR or NOAA to be able to see what's coming regarding the weather. For those of us who have spent years in Colorado, we all have warm sweaters, gloves, hats and jackets ready to go because we know that in another few weeks, it is going to start getting pretty cold. And, sarcastically, Jesus is saying this makes you a genius!

The Lord is making a couple of points here. First of all, anyone who was attentive to spiritual things would recognize that Christ was fulfilling prophecy concerning the nature and work of the Messiah. The most helpful statement of this fact is found in Luke 7 where the imprisoned John the Baptist sends messengers to Jesus asking if He is really the Messiah. In verse 19 of that chapter, John asks, “Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?” When the messengers of John come to Jesus, verses 21 and 22 describe the scene and the response of Jesus to this inquiry:

And that very hour He cured many of infirmities, afflictions, and evil spirits; and to many blind He gave sight. Jesus answered and said to them, “Go and tell John the things you have seen and heard: that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the gospel preached to them.

The implication of Jesus in this passage is that prophecy is being fulfilled and that Jesus is meeting completely such prophetic descriptions. In the above words to John, He is alluding to Isaiah 49 and 61. Although it is not stated, this satisfied John's concerns. And, in the passage we are looking at today, Jesus' point is the same. He is meeting the Old Testament descriptions of the Messiah and the thoughtful, biblically aware Jew would see this. As they can read the weather, they can read the Bible. And as they do so, they will see that the Messiah is present and the Kingdom of God is being announced and inaugurated. It is that clear.

We, too, have very clear and present indications that God is present and will judge. In Romans 1, we are told that God's power and divine nature are clearly seen through what has been made. Psalm 19 states that the heavens declare the glory of God. But man in his sin supresses this understanding. Not only does creation attest to God, but our understanding of right and wrong does also. There is a universal right and wrong and that points to a universal Law-giver. Lastly, the person and work of Christ, specifically the gospel...His death, burial and literal resurrection...declares the fact the God is here and engaged in the world. Paul declares to the Athenians as recorded Acts 17 that God “...has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead.” (17:31). Not only do we have these obvious indicators, we have the words of Christ in the previous verses in Luke 12 telling us that we must be ready for His return. We also have passages such as Matthew 24 declaring what things will be like as the day of judgment approaches. Therefore, we should be ready for Christ's fire to come.

Another point that Jesus is making with these words is that we often focus on things that are ultimately irrelevant...like the weather...and we become experts in such trivialities. On the contrary, we should become experts in the person and work of Jesus and put everything else in its proper place. Being able to read the weather is not sin nor is much of what we pursue in our daily lives. But if that which we pursue and spend time understanding is not in its proper place, then we need to put it in it's proper place. Warren Wiersbe wrote these words, “How tragic that men today can predict the movements of the heavenly bodies, split atoms, and even put men on the moon; but they are blind to what God is doing in the world. They know how to get to the stars, but they do not know how to get to heaven! Our educated world possesses a great deal of scientific knowledge but not much spiritual wisdom.” ( The Bible Exposition Commentary, Victor 1996, Luke 12:54). Whatever else we pursue as a career or for entertainment or whatever, all of us should be theologians...all of us should strive to understand the person and work of Christ. Reality is that Christ's message is clear and present.

4. Reality: Rejecting Christ has eternal and horrible consequences.

The forth reality that we must embrace from this passage is that to reject Christ has eternal and horrible consequences. Upon initial reading, verses 57 through 59 seem to be a change of pace. Christ moves away from discussing the reality of His person and work and begins to offer free legal advice. But within the context of the entire chapter of Luke 12 and even moving into Luke 13, we can readily see that this parable-like statement fits right in with the flow and argument of the text. In these verses, Jesus is declaring that every single one of us has a court date set. And even now, everyone is on their way to the courthouse to have our cases decided. And, dear friends, we want to avoid that court date by whatever means are available. Settle out of court, Jesus says. Appease your accuser, Jesus says.

Of course, the accuser in this case is God. And as we have looked at numerous times over these past weeks that we have spend in Luke 12, we really don't want to go to court against God. He is perfect and His justice is perfect. And, dear friends, even if we have only done one thing wrong (a ridiculous possibility), that sin is against an infinitely holy and perfect God. Therefore, the smallest sin is worthy of eternal condemnation in hell. But just in case we want to compare ourselves to others and perhaps think that God won't judge us because we not Adolph Hitler or Jeffrey Dahmer, hear the words of the Apostle James as he wrote in his epistle, “For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all. (2:10). Thus, every single one of us is guilty of breaking the entire law of God. And, if we don't settle the account before the court date, as Jesus indicates, we will be thrown into prison and stay there until the entire debt is paid. Verse 59 states that the payment must be made to “...the very last mite.” A mite is 1/8 of a penny.

But the problem is this. It is impossible to satisfy a debt against infinite holiness because that holiness never stops. Each and every sin we commit is against an infinitely holy God and it cannot be paid back except by an infinitely perfect sacrifice. Thus, dear friends, if we enter into God's holy court hoping to settle accounts with Him by something we do, we will find ourselves in hell forever because there is no way to pay back what we owe...it is impossible for a finite, sinful man to in any way satisfy infinite, perfect and holy wrath. Thus, friends, reality is this...if we go to God either through death or the judgment of the Second Coming with nothing but our own ability or perceived righteousness, the consequences will be eternal and horrible.

But God, knowing that it is impossible for wicked sinners to save themselves, sent His Son Jesus to go to the cross and bear completely and totally God's wrath against our sin. 1 John 4:10 states that Jesus propitiates our sin. Jesus satisfies God's wrath towards our sin through His death on the cross. Jerry Bridges, in his great book The Gospel for Real Life, states that by propitiating our sins, Jesus' work on the cross exhausts God's wrath toward those who believe in Jesus (Navpress 2003, p. 54). Thus, for the one believing in Jesus, God has no more wrath to give. Jesus took it all.

Friends, beloved, we don't want to go to court against God. There is no way to win and the consequences are eternal and horrible. But Jesus bore in His body our sins on the cross and completely satisfied God's wrath toward those who believe in Him. In verse 57, Jesus says to “...judge what it right.” Beloved, run to the shelter of the cross and find refuge and rest there. Don't go to court against God because to reject Jesus has eternal and horrible consequences.

Those of you who are friends with Mike DeVries on Facebook know that he is quite the quote-monger. He posts a new one almost daily. Early this week, he posted one of profound depth and insight, “If at first you don't succeed, don't try sky-diving.” Along those same lines, an army parachute instructor was preparing some new soldiers for their first jump from a plane. One of the soldiers asked the instructor, “Sir, if my main parachute doesn't deploy, how much time will I have to release the reserve chute?” The instructor approached the soldier, looked him closely in the eye and said, “You will have the rest of your life, son...the rest of your life.”

Dear friends, if you have not embraced the saving work of Jesus on your behalf, you have the rest of your life to do so. Please don't take comfort in that because you are not guaranteed your next breathe nor tomorrow. The Apostle James again asks this question, “For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.” (4:14). In light of this fact, recognize that, apart from saving faith in Christ, you have a court date set with God that you want to settle before that date. Settle it now...believe in Jesus for the forgiveness of your sins and eternal life.

For those of you who are saved, are you fully aware of Christ's demands upon your life and are you willing to not only accept but also embrace that fact that following Jesus may cause division and difficulty in your life? Do you see salvation in Christ as so awesome and worthy that you count everything else as a pile of dung comparatively? (Phil. 3:8) Is Jesus your everything? If God were to call you to do so, would you joyfully and peacefully sacrifice promotions, athletic achievement, friendships, grades, and even family harmony because you love God and are so very concerned about the eternal souls of men that you will value Jesus and His message above all of that? You know your own heart and God will deal with you in just the way you need? Will you submit to His purification with joy?

Also, are you pursuing deepening love and understanding of the person and work of Christ above everything else? Are you becoming a more thoughtful Christian/theologian...one who is able to see the sign of the times and live appropriately. What have you been reading lately that deepens your love and understanding of Jesus? How are you considering and applying what you hear from this pulpit and other teaching ministries of this church? Don't be a hypocrite who is an expert in only worldly pursuits without being an expert in Christ.

Beloved, to all of us, are we living in reality?

Because ultimate reality is based upon the person and work of Jesus Christ, we must live in the reality of His call to salvation and commitment.

Discussion Questions:

· Why is the theme of judgment a vital and necessary aspect of the gospel?

· Family harmony is rather sacrosanct in many households. How might the gospel interfere with family harmony and what should be a believer's response?

· How can we make sure that when someone is inevitably offended in our gospel discussions with them that it is the gospel and not us who are doing the offending?

· Besides vital and necessary church attendance and participation, what are some ways we can become deeper and more loving and thoughtful Christians?

· How do we balance the urgent call on believers to repent with God's total sovereignty over a person's salvation?

Dressed in Readiness

2011-09-28T08:18:00.002-06:00

Sermon Delivered September 18^th, 2011 Pastor Eric Ellis

Luke 12:35-48

I have often asked the question, and often thought to myself, “What would you like to be doing when the Lord returns?” Literally, at the exact moment that the Lord descends from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and the trumpet of God, what would you like to be doing? There are lots of good answers to this question. Perhaps you would like to be reading your Bible. Talking to God through prayer would be another worthwhile pursuit, wouldn't it? You are beseeching the Lord concerning an issue and all the sudden, there He is! That would be pretty awesome, wouldn't it? Another worthy pursuit would be sharing the gospel when the Lord returns. You are speaking to someone about holiness, sin, Christ and God's future return and judgment and all of the sudden, there He is! That, too, would be pretty awesome. Maybe teaching the Bible or preaching or listening to the Bible being taught or preached would be another worthy pursuit. Wouldn't it be great that, if in the next hour, as we are looking at these particular words of Jesus where He is discussing His Second Coming, the Lord Himself came down and took us into His presence as we are sitting under the preaching of the Word?

Another worthy question is this one, “What would you not want to be doing when the Lord returns?” Maybe having a selfish, sinful dispute with your spouse would be something you would want to avoid? Perhaps using work time and resources for your own benefit, such as taking light-bulbs for your home or sending personal emails or texts on company time, would be something you wouldn't want to be doing when the Lord returns? Perhaps living in rank disobedience to parents or other authorities would be something to avoid? Cheating on tests, lying to the IRS about income levels, committing adultery, etc.,...all of these things are worthy of avoidance when the Lord returns.

Regardless of how you answer these two questions, both of them are worthy of our contemplation and thought. My fear for myself and for you is that, too often, we don't live in light of the Lord's immediate return. We don't think upon and contemplate the fact that Jesus clearly stated numerous times, along with the other writers of the New Testament, that He would be returning soon. In the two-hundred and sixty chapters in the New Testament, Christ's Second Coming is mentioned three-hundred and eighteen times. That means that one in every twenty-five verses of the New Testament mentions the Lord's return. Of the twenty-seven books of the New Testament, only Galatians and Second and Third John have nothing to say about the Lord's return. Based on these facts, we would do well to be thinking deeply about this event.

Not only is the Second Coming a major theme of the New Testament, evangelical Christianity has emphasized this event throughout its history. Arnold T. Olson makes the following observation, “Ever since the first days of the Christian church, evangelicals have been 'looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ.' They many have disagreed as to its timing and to the events on the eschatology calendar. They may have differed as to a pre-tribulation or post-tribulation rapture – the pre- and post- or non-millennial coming. They may have been divided as to a literal rebirth of Israel. However, all are agreed that the final solution to the problems of this world is in the hands of the King of kings who will someday make the kingdoms of this world his very own.” (Quoted in R. Kent Hughes, Luke: Vol. 2, Crossway 1998, p. 59).

In the passage before us this morning, we have Luke's first in-depth recording of the Lord Jesus' words regarding His return. And in these words, the overall point of the Savior is to be “dressed in readiness” for this sure event. This phrase is the way that the NASB has rendered verse 35 of Luke 12 and, I think, best conveys the attitude that is to mark us as we think about how God would have us live. The Lord, of course, elaborates in-depth upon this statement through the remainder of the passage. In the context before us the Lord has just confronted sinful attitudes of covetousness and worry. By next dealing with His Second Coming, the Lord is directing us to the fact that a clear means of not getting sinfully caught in things of this world is to dwell upon and prepare for His return. Last week, Forrest and I gathered with the saints at Capital Hill Baptist Church in Washington, D.C. for worship and the pastor, Mark Dever, while delivering a message from Second Thessalonians, stated that if we are not living with an eye to the future return of Christ, then the only recourse is despair and selfishness. Of course, one may fool himself with certain false ideas of happiness and meaning, and may do so for a lifetime. But, if we are honest with ourselves, if God doesn't exist, isn't involved in the affairs of this world, and there is no hope for final justice, then this life is absolutely banal and meaningless. Let the terrorists fly the planes into the towers all they want because it really just doesn't matter.

But in the text before us, Jesus proclaims with clarity that He is does exist, He is involved and will set things right in the end. And, again, this is the testimony of the entire New Testament. Thus, let us take in the Word of the Lord regarding His return and let us prepare ourselves accordingly. Follow along as I read Luke 12:35-48...

“Let your waist be girded and your lamps burning; and you yourselves be like men who wait for their master, when he will return from the wedding, that when he comes and knocks they may open to him immediately. Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes, will find watching. Assuredly, I say to you that he will gird himself and have them sit down to eat, and will come and serve them. And if he should come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants. But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” Then Peter said to Him, “Lord, do You speak this parable only to us, or to all people?” And the Lord said, “Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his master will make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of food in due season? Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. Truly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all that he has. But if that servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delaying his coming,’ and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and be drunk, the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the unbelievers. And that servant who knew his master’s will, and did not prepare himself or do according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. But he who did not know, yet committed things deserving of stripes, shall be beaten with few. For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more.”

From this text, let us learn...

Because Jesus is coming back to establish His kingdom, reward His children and punish wickedness and unbelief, we should live each moment in joyful yet sober watchfulness for His return.

Two Essential Ways to Watch for the Lord's Return:

1. Joyful Watchfulness

First of all, if we would be found ready for the Lord's return, then we will be marked by a joyful watchfulness. Jesus introduces this subject with three very easily understood word pictures. The first one He gives deals with being properly dressed. Now again, this is a picture not to be taken literally. We don't have to be people who dress in a particular way. But rather, the word picture puts forth an attitude and an anticipation. In the days of Christ and for the few centuries previous, the primary dress was made up of full leg length robes. If you see pictures or videos of the cultures of the Middle East, this still is the rather common form of dress, especially in the more rural or agricultural areas. And, as in our day, we don't see a woman wearing a floor-length dress running down the road. Moving quickly or with agility in such dress was difficult. Thus, when a man knew that a given task was upon him that required quick movement, he would take the long parts of his robe and pull them up and secure the loose ends in his waist belt so that his legs would be unhindered. Thus, Jesus says, “Let your waist be girded.” Again, He wasn't demanding that His disciples arrange their clothes this way all the time, but rather that they have a mentality of readiness for the Lord's return. As stated in the introduction, the NASB renders this passage “Be dressed in readiness” and I think this captures the meaning very well. “Readiness” is not a particular style of clothing, but a mindset and attitude. And the attitude is that the Lord may return at any moment and one needs to be ready. Interestingly, the verb “Let” here is a derivative of the word for “I am”. That, again, would indicate that “readiness” for the Lord's return is simply to be a characteristic that marks our lives.

The second picture that the Lord gives is the picture of a burning, well-trimmed lamp. In our modern age, we struggle with grasping this picture. In the days of the Lord, to trim a lamp would be to make sure that enough wick was extended to give off maximum light. Too much or too little wick would hinder sight. For those of you who remember the Coleman gas-burning lamps of a couple of decades ago, you can sort of get the picture here. In order for those lamps to burn really bright, you would have to make sure the right amount of air pressure was present. But the picture is clear. Jesus is stating that readiness will be marked by keeping your lamp burning brightly. Scholars think that perhaps the Lord is indicating mental readiness here in this picture whereas the “dressed in readiness” picture in the first part of the verse indicates lifestyle or moral readiness. But regardless, an attitude and lifestyle of readiness is to mark the life of the believer.

The third picture is the picture of joyful waiting for a master to return from his wedding. In the day of Christ, wedding celebrations lasted several days and then the husband would bring his new wife to his home to begin their life together. He would want his home to be beautiful and ready for his and his bride's arrival. The servants were to have their best clothes on and, continuing with the illustration, the house was to be well lit and presentable. Those of you who are into the cinematic renditions of books such as Pride and Prejudice will recall seeing the servants lined up outside the mansions as the estate owner returns from a trip. This approximates what is being stated here by the Lord.

But beyond the basic readiness, there is an attitude that is to be developed by the servant. Several months ago, Eric Laudenslager asked Forrest and I together if we would be groomsmen in his wedding. At the time, both Forrest and I expressed our joy at his asking and how much it would be an honor to stand with him at his marriage to Kelly. And, a week ago Saturday, Forrest and I, along with Josh Destree, had the great joy of standing with Eric as he and Kelly proclaimed there deep love and commitment to each other. Jeremiah was there along with Rachel Destree and they, too, got to share in that joy. I know that this is a common sentiment, but there really isn't anything too much better than a Christ-centered wedding. And when the persons getting married are near and dear to your heart and you love them deeply and you know that they are pursing God's perfect plan for them, that adds to the joy and celebration tremendously. This is the emotion and joy that Jesus is expressing here to his listeners. It isn't simply that the slave is doing his master's bidding, but that he loves his master's bidding and is overjoyed to see his master and to see his master blessed.

So for this type of love and devotion and readiness, Jesus declares that it will be met with certain rewards. Note in verse 37 that the Lord Jesus Himself will gird himself up and serve such devoted slaves. That is an astounding promise from the Lord. The King of kings himself will place a feast before his children and serve them. Hasn't Jesus served us enough? Hasn't Jesus given of Himself sufficiently and fully for us? And yet for those servants who love Him and long for His appearing, He says He will serve them.

He also will give them great and glorious responsibility. Again, these are word pictures here that are hard to understand how they will be fulfilled literally. But note in verse 43 that the faithful and wise steward is made ruler over the entire household. In verse 44, he is made ruler over all the master has. To what are these pictures pointing? It is hard to know. But one thing is certain...heaven will be a place of glorious work and responsibility of which Jesus' disciples will find great joy and satisfaction. But the satisfaction won't be in the work itself, per se, but rather that the work brings glory to God and Christ.

So, with joyful watchfulness, we are to actively ready for the Lord's return. This joyful watchfulness is to be marked by active service and continual preparation. Perhaps one more somewhat offensive illustration will help bring this point home. Paige has told me that somehow, someway, our dog, Moses, knows when I am coming home. I've heard that this is not necessarily an uncommon ability with dogs. Thus, several minutes before I am even in the neighborhood, Moses will sit by the door or begin looking out the window with ears attentive and tail wagging. And when I arrive, he becomes a 90-pound kitten, all-wiggles and wanting me to pick him up cuttle with him. He is very glad to see me, which is really pretty amazing because as much as I like the dog, he is not reason I come home. Spurgeon made this comment about the joy of dogs seeing their master, “Oh, if we loved our Lord as dogs love their masters, how we should catch the first sound of his Coming, and be waiting, always waiting, and never happy until at last we should see him! Pardon me for using a dog as a picture of what you ought to be; but when you have attained to a state above that, I will find another illustration to explain my meaning.” (12 Sermons on the Second Coming of Christ, Baker 1994, p. 141).

Beloved, although Moses is not the reason I come home each night, if you are a Christian here today, you are the reason that Christ came the first time and you continue to be a reason that He will come back. Jesus loves us, His Church...His bride, and He longs to see us and to establish His Kingdom here. And He will do it and do it with joy. Thus, we should be marked by joyful watchfulness as we look for His return.

2. Sober Watchfulness

Not only should our watchfulness be marked by joy, it also needs to be marked by sobriety. This emphasis of the Lord first shows up in verse 39 where He states that His coming will be like that of a thief. As has been observed before, the Lord is not trying to confuse us with words and pictures. His statement here is very clear. If someone happens to hear that a thief is going to break into their home at 2:30 in the morning, he will prepare himself to defend his home. In our day, we would call the police and have them park a patrol car in our driveway. In that day, the man and other adult family members would be waiting with clubs and swords. But the key phrase here is “...if the master of the house had known...” Generally, a thief isn't going to allow it to be known at what time he plans on breaking in. Theives don't do that. Thus, the home owner is to take necessary precautions to protect his belongings at all times. And most all of us do this in some way or another. This is the message of the Lord regarding His return. As you don't know the hour that a thief will attempt to break in and, thus, you are prepared for it at all times, including the middle of the night. So be prepared for the Lord's return. Again, this is not profound.

The theme of the Lord's return being like that of a thief in the night is a common theme in the New Testament. Please take note of the following passages:

· 1 Thessalonians 5:2-6, “For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. For when they say, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape. But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober.

· Revelation 3:3, the words of the Lord Jesus Himself, “Remember therefore how you have received and heard; hold fast and repent. Therefore if you will not watch, I will come upon you as a thief, and you will not know what hour I will come upon you.”

· Revelation 16:15, the words of Jesus again, “Behold, I am coming as a thief. Blessed is he who watches, and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked and they see his shame.”

Perhaps most telling is the passage found in 2 Peter 3:1-13. This passage describes well the attitude of many in our culture today toward the Lord's return. Please take a look at this passage:

Beloved, I now write to you this second epistle (in both of which I stir up your pure minds by way of reminder), that you may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us, the apostles of the Lord and Savior, knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.” For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water, by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water. But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.

Please note well the patience of the Lord and the promise of the Lord. Jesus hasn't returned yet because not all of His children have come to repentance. But then He will come and He will judge.

What happens when people don't have an eye to His return is indicated in verse 45 of our passage in Luke. The one who does this neglects his responsibility. He begins to beat and abuse those under his charge. In verse 41, Peter asks the Lord if his teaching concerns all men or just the disciples. In speaking the words in verses 42-48, Jesus clearly declares that this message of warning about His return applies to all men.

He first deals with those who should know His Word and therefore know Him best. In context, He is dealing with the religious leaders and, by extention, pastors and elders in churches. These men are given charge over Christ's flock and are to shepherd and lead it well. Again, this is a warning to the Pharisees of that day but applies to all leaders of God's people in all time. In verses 42-43, Jesus commends the servant-leader who takes good care of Christ's household. But in verse 46, he warns that the servant-leader who abuses his charge will be severly judged. In fact, by saying that this person will have his portion with the unbelievers, Jesus is clearly stating that the leader who isn't mindful of His return and lives a sinful life and abuses others doesn't know Jesus and isn't saved. The severest judgment awaits those who supposedly are under-shepherds of Christ and abuse that position and calling.

But in verse 47, Christ extends out the warning to all who would claim to know Him. In verse 42, the servant there is called “steward”. The steward is one who is given charge over the house. In verse 47, the one there is simply listed as a servant. This one isn't in charge of others, but has a task to perform from the master. But, as with the steward, he knows what is to be done but doesn't do it. Severe judgment awaits him also.

Lastly, in verse 48, there is the man who doesn't know the master at all. He will be judged for his sin even though he didn't know the Lord. Some might question the justice of this, but if you are thinking correctly, you know that every man sins and does things worthy of condemnation. The Word makes this very clear in Romans 3:23, “...for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,...” And we find that “...the wages of sin is death...” in Romans 6:23. If I had died before I was saved by Christ or had even heard of Him, I would be in Hell and rightfully so, and so would every single one of you. There is no injustice with God. He will deal with each person exactly the way they should be dealt.

In the last part of verse 48, the Lord Jesus makes a proverbial statement that we all need to take to heart, “For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more.” This very clearly indicates that at the end of life or at the Lord's return, there will be differing levels of condemnation for those who have greater or lesser understanding of the Lord's will and Word. I suppose we could spend a lot of time trying to figure out who is who in verses 45-48. But the point is this...those who don't know the Lord and don't live in light of His Word will be rightfully judged according to their deeds. Consider the following passages...

· Hebrews 9:27, “And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment,...”

· Matthew 12:36-37, “But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

· Jude 14-15, ...“Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints, to execute judgment on all, to convict all who are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have committed in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.”

Dear friends, regardless of the various levels of judgment declared by the Lord in Luke 12 here, one thing is abundantly clear. You don't want to be judged by the Lord. You don't want to stand before the Lord on the day of judgment with your unrighteousness and sin. You want to be found in Christ and with His righteousness. Paul describes well how we need to be found in Philippians 3:8-9 where he says, “Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith;...” Friends, we want to be found with the righteousness of Christ which by faith. We want to be found in verse 42 of this passage in Luke...we want to be that faithful and wise steward...who loves His master and longs for His return.

By being here today, dear friends, you have heard the call of the Lord to live in sober watchfulness concerning His return. You have already been given much, so to speak. Take it seriously and live in light of His return. And live in joyful watchfulness for His return.

In conclusion, how does one watch joyfully for the Lord's return? The answer is quite straight-forward. First of all, you must be born again...you must be a Christian. You must be one who has recognized the holiness and perfection of God and how far you fall short of that perfection. You must also recognize God's right, as your Creator and Sustainer, to judge you and condemn you due to that sin. And then you must fly to the cross of Jesus in which God-incarnate bore in His body your sins and died for you. 1 Corinthians 15:3-4, written by Paul, says this, “For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures,...” What are we to do with this knowledge? Acts 16:31 makes it very clear, “...Believe on the Lord Jesus and you will be saved...”

Upon this saving belief, a change will occur in you. 2 Corinthians 5:17 states that, “...if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” By the grace of God, your attitudes and actions begin to change and God gives you a heart and mind and desire to serve Him. You will see Jesus as Lord of all and Lord of your life and you will lovingly begin to follow Him and obey Him. This is not to say that you will do it perfectly, but your heart and mind will desire to love God with everything you are and also love people. Please note that, in our passage today, the way that love for God is manifested is in serving people and blessing them. The wise and faithful steward who is joyfully looking to His return, takes care of God's household...he cares for people. He loves God and He loves people. If you are in Christ, you will be actively loving and serving the Lord.

And you will be one who loves the idea of the Lord's return. You will be one who longs for the day when you see your Savior face-to-face. Your hope and joy is not ultimately found here, but found there with Christ. Note Paul's final words in 2 Timothy 4:8, “Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.” It is for such things that we live. Paul summarizes the entire work of the grace of God in Titus 2:11-14...

For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.

Take note that God's grace saves us. Also note that God's grace instructs us in holy living. And it causes us to joyfully watch for the appearing of our Great God and Savior Jesus Christ. If you are truly born again, God's grace will be so working in your life. If you are not one who loves the grace of God and rejoices in the salvation of Christ, if you are not growing in love for God and serving Him, and if you are not looking joyfully toward that blessed hope of His glorious return, then you need to examine deeply who you are and how you should respond to God. You don't want to fall under God's perfect and just judgment. And why would you choose to when salvation and forgiveness is available to you in Christ? If you aren't sure of your salvation or you've never considered deeply the claims of God and Christ, please speak to a Christian or a leader in this church about what it means to know Him and follow Him.

Because Jesus is coming back to establish His kingdom, reward His children and punish wickedness and unbelief, we should live each moment in joyful yet sober watchfulness for His return.

Discussion Questions:

· What would be indications that a person is living in a state of readiness for the Lord's return?

· What are some possible consequences of a Christian not living in a state of readiness for the Lord's return?

· Take a look at Titus 2:11-14 and discuss the impact of grace in these verses. How does this impact your thinking about being in state of readiness?

· What are some areas of stewardship/responsibility that God has given to you? Are you satisfied with your stewardship in these areas?

"Killing Worry"

2011-09-08T15:53:00.002-06:00

Sermon Delivered Sunday, September 4th, 2011
by Pastor Eric Ellis

Luke 12:22-34

I don't know of the accuracy of this information, but a story is told of a businessman who drew up what he called a “Worry Chart,” in which he kept a record of his worries. He discovered that 40 percent of them were about things that probably would never happen; 30 percent concerned past decisions that he could not now unmake; 12 percent dealt with other people’s criticism of him; and 10 percent were worries about his health. He concluded that only 8 percent of them were really legitimate.

Again, I don't know if such a statistical analysis of worry is accurate to the general populace, but I suspect that really much of what we worry about we really can't control in any meaningful way. Through the years, Paige and I have often wondered and imagined what certain people think about us or how a given situation is going to work out. Most often, our imaginations were misguided. Thus, we have adopted a phrase that helps us to not dwell on things that we cannot control. That phrase is “Live in truth”, and we specifically remind ourselves of it when we find ourselves deep in anxiety or worry. Once we take a deep breathe, pray about it and cast it upon the Lord per His instruction in 1 Peter 5:7, we usually find that we are thinking irrationally anyway. And we have found that, more often than not, our anxieties and worries were unfounded and the situation or attitude we feared wasn't there to begin with. Thus, we try to live in truth of what we know and not concern ourselves with what we can't control. Due to our inherent weakness and sinful lack of trust in God, we are not always successful and we then have to redouble our efforts to cast our anxieties upon Him. But as we do, we have found Him true and faithful every time.

It seems that worry or anxiety are the common fair of most of mankind. To worry is to be tormented with disturbing thoughts. It is to be consumed with anxiety or fear about something. A writer for Life Magazine, in 1981, made this statement, “Whoever isn't schizophrenic these days isn't thinking clearly.” Medical professionals associate worry with numerous health conditions including nausea, dizziness and even heart attacks.

Sadly, most often worry is the result of bad theology. It comes from not knowing nor living in light of the truth of the nature and character of God and the nature and character of ourselves. Jesus, very God Himself, is abundantly aware of this flaw that is here because of our separation from God. And thus, He continues to discuss and teach about the nature of God and man and elaborate on the need to bring our minds to correct understanding of such vital topics.

In the passage we looked at last week and the one we will dig into this morning, the Lord Jesus is dealing with two sides of the same coin. The coin is sinful preoccupation with things of this world. R. Kent Hughes makes this observation, “Greed can never get enough, worry is afraid it may not have enough. Worry is the emotional reward of material preoccupation.” (Luke: Vol 2, Crossway 1998, p. 51). In verses 13-21, the Lord confronts the sinful desire for more which is covetousness. In the verses for our study this morning, verses 22-34, Jesus confronts the sinful care of not having enough which is anxiety or worry. Regarding the issue of covetousness, Jesus issues a general rebuke to all the listeners. In regard to worry or anxiety, Jesus here offers a softer exhortation and reproof. Note that in verse 22, we are told that Jesus is speaking to His disciples. Thus, these are folks who are have determined to follow Christ with their lives. And they are seeing that following Jesus may mean leaving behind societies' standards of blessing and wealth and giving all to follow Him. Thus, in these verses, Jesus gently but firmly encourages His followers to set aside worry and anxiety and pursue devotion and dedication to Christ. Let look at how Jesus so encourages in Luke 12:22-34...

Then He said to His disciples, “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; nor about the body, what you will put on. Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing. Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap, which have neither storehouse nor barn; and God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds? And which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? If you then are not able to do the least, why are you anxious for the rest? Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. If then God so clothes the grass, which today is in the field and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will He clothe you, O you of little faith? And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind. For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things. But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you. Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell what you have and give alms; provide yourselves money bags which do not grow old, a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches nor moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
So from this passage, let us learn that...

Because worry is pointless and hinders us from glorifying God, we should kill it by thinking deeply about God's provision and desires for our lives.

It can't be emphasized enough that worry or anxiety is the result of bad theology...wrong thinking about God and ourselves. So lets listen closely to Jesus as He lovingly addressed His people regarding these issues.

Message: Six Keys to Killing Worry...
1. Remember what life is about.

Please note that in both situations, be it covetousness in the previous verses or worry in these verses, that the Lord Jesus directs his listeners to think about the meaning on life. In verse 15, He says that “...one's life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.” In verse 23, He reiterates again that “Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes.” This is two ways of saying the same thing. Life is not about what you have, be it abundance or lack thereof. In the first case, we are not to pursue abundance. In this case, we are to not concern ourselves if we have little. But rather again, we are to be thinking about the meaning and basis of life.

And as we looked at last week, the meaning of life is bound up in knowing God and loving and worshiping Him. As we looked at in John 17:3, Jesus defines life this way, “...this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” One of our favorite songs that we sing here at Flatirons is “Knowing You.” and it declares the point of the Lord, “All I once held dear, built my life upon, All this world reveres and wars to own. All I once thought gain I have counted loss, spent and worthless now compared to this. Knowing You, Jesus, knowing You, there is no greater thing. You're my all, You're my rest, You're my joy, my righteousness, and I love You, Lord.”

In these verses, Jesus reminds us again that life is bound up in knowing Him and His Father, the only true God. And knowing God comes about when we believe that Jesus Christ died for our sins and rose again to grant us forgiveness and eternal life. Life is not about clothes or food or riches. Therefore, Jesus says don't worry about these things. Rather, we should be consumed with knowing Him. It is well that Jesus repeats Himself here because we are prone to forget what is truly important. Thus, might we be diligent to remind ourselves of this vital fact as Jesus reminds us also. Don't be worried or consumed with things of the world, how much or little you have. Rather, be consumed with knowing Jesus and God because this is what life is about.

If we want to kill worry, then we will remember what life is about.

2. Look at God's faithfulness to His lesser creatures.

One can get in trouble saying this in Boulder these days, but in the verses before us here, Jesus directs his listeners to consider how God takes care of His lesser creatures as a means to kill worry. Twice, in verse 24 and in verse 27, He tells his listeners to “consider.” The word here is an imperative verb. Jesus commands us to consider birds and plants when we start to worry. It is also an active verb with ongoing emphasis. Thus, we can state with confidence that Jesus wants us to consistently be considering how He takes care of His lesser creatures when it comes to fighting against worry.

He first uses the example of ravens. This bird is an exceptionally common bird and it is found everywhere in the world. We have both crows and ravens around here and it is hard to distinguish between the two. I really enjoy reading about high mountain climbing in Asia where the really big mountains are found. I just finished a book called K2: Life and Death on the World's Most Dangerous Mountain. It was written by Ed Viesturs, perhaps America's greatest climber, and it details the various attempts to climb this 2nd highest mountain in the world at over 28,000 feet. If you have done any reading on this topic, you will soon learn that man and animals typically don't live, day-in and day-out, much above 15,000 feet. Plants and food just don't grow at that altitude and breathing is so difficult due to the lower oxygen concentration that bodies start breaking down. However, there is one animal found in abundance at these altitudes...ravens. In the Himalaya Mountains, these birds are known as Goraks and they are more or less identical to our ravens around here. But the amazing things is that these birds thrive at these elevations where very little else does.

One of the reasons that they thrive is because they will eat anything. They are one of God's garbage disposers and, therefore, serve a very useful purpose in our fallen world. Perhaps because of this garbage collection attribute, these birds were also marked out as unclean in the Old Testament in Deuteronomy 14:11-14. In this passage, ravens are listed off with other carrion consuming birds such as vultures.

Thus, in directing and admonishing His listeners to not worry, Jesus directs them to look at how God takes care of ravens...a creature of His that is considered unclean. And yet God takes abundantly good care of these unclean birds. They are found everywhere and lack nothing.

In verses 27 and 28, Christ again directs the listener to consider how the flowers of the field are well provided for also. The word “lilies” here is placed not to direct the listeners to only look for lilies, but rather to look upon all the flowers that God raises up around Israel through the year. Again, the emphasis is upon God's provision and care for His lesser creatures. Jesus directs the reader to consider the astounding beauty for which these flowers are known. And, if you spend anytime in the mountains around here in the summer, you know exactly what Jesus is talking about when He states that Solomon's wealth and beauty was nothing comparatively.

My step-dad, Bob, is an artist and he, generally, pursues abstract painting. His art isn't mean to mimic reality. I once asked him why he choose to pursue more abstract painting and he told me that one of the reasons was that he could never replicate the beauty of the real thing. Some artists are more representational in their work and they do a great job. But I would rather go to the Grand Canyon than see a painting or even a picture of it. I'd rather experience the real thing than simply see a facsimile of some type. This is what Jesus is conveying here. Solomon, perhaps the wealthiest man who ever lived, couldn't replicate the beauty of the flowers of the field.

In both of these cases, the ravens and the flowers, Jesus makes the point that neither of these creatures are as valuable to Him as His image-bearers. And yet, God abundantly takes care of them and both have very short lives. In the case of the flowers, they are burned daily to clear the fields for other plants. Thus, we are to consider consistently that God takes abundantly good care of His lesser creatures and then consider how well He takes care of us.

An unknown poet wrote these words,

Said the Robin to the Sparrow,
“I should really like to know
Why these anxious human beings
Rush about and worry so.”

Said the Sparrow to the Robin,
“Friend, I think that it must be
They have no Heavenly Father,
Such as cares for you and me.”

And another poet said this,

When the birds begin to worry
And the lilies toil and spin,
And God’s creatures all are anxious,
Then I also may begin.

Thus, the direction of Jesus to those who are tempted to worry is to go outside and look at how God takes care of his lesser creatures. Go for a hike, sit on the porch, look at a picture book of God's animals. And think deeply about how much He cares for them. In the above poem, the Robin and the Sparrow are talking about their heavenly Father. But in reality, although they have a Creator, they can't know Him as Father...they can't know Him, period. But we, His image-bearers, have the joy of knowing Him intimately through faith in Christ. And Christ says to us, don't worry. Look at how your Father takes care of these insentient creatures who neither know Him or how He takes care of them and then realize and live in light of the fact that He will take care of you.

Do you want to kill worry? Then look at God's faithfulness to His lesser creatures.

3. Consider your own lack of control over your life.

Another means by which we can overcome worry is to consider our own lack of control over our lives. I have a friend who was raised in Christian home but has rejected the faith and, in his own words, has become a militant atheist. One of his chief complaints that his free will was kidnapped by his parents and church and that he had to aggressively rescue it from such kidnapping. His contention has caused me to think deeply on the issue of free will and does a man really have it. That is for another message and place perhaps, but there certain aspects of our life over which, I am confident, we have no free will. For instance, did you have any control over where or to whom you were born? What about when you will die? Oh, some may desire to have such control, but, as you may have read in the paper this past week, two motorcyclists died in accidents on I-70 within one mile of each other and within three minutes of each other. I don't want to be heartless, but I don't think that this was in their plans when they got onto the bikes that day.

What about life decisions and choices that we make perhaps on a daily basis? Are these within the purview of our control? Doubtless this is a complex issue, but consider the following passages:

· Proverbs 16:9 ~ A man’s heart plans his way, But the Lord directs his steps.
· Proverbs 20:24 ~ A man’s steps are of the Lord; How then can a man understand his own way?
· James 4:13-15 ~ Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit”; whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.”

However these things work themselves out, it is abundantly clear that God is in control of our plans and how these plans work themselves out.

In our passage, Jesus touches upon this issue with the words of verses 25 and 26. Depending on your translation, Jesus says either that we can't, by worrying, add 18 inches (a cubit) to our height or add a single hour to our life. The original language allows for either translation, but adding 18 inches to one's height isn't generally a common desire. However, extending life is. Thus, that seems to be the proper way to render this passage. Jesus says that you can't even add an hour to your life. In other words, the days of your life are set, therefore, why waste extensive energy and health worrying about what will happen during those days? You can't control such things, so don't worry. This emphasis on God ordaining the days of our life is also found in the Bible, specifically in Psalm 139, “Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them.” So in light of the fact that our days and even hours of our life are set...we can't add to them, even if we wanted to...why worry? Rather, what should we do? The Psalmist again give us some direction here...
· Psalm 39:4-6 ~ Lord, make me to know my end, And what is the measure of my days, That I may know how frail I am. Indeed, You have made my days as handbreadths, And my age is as nothing before You; Certainly every man at his best state is but vapor. Surely every man walks about like a shadow; Surely they busy themselves in vain; He heaps up riches, And does not know who will gather them.
· Psalm 90:12 ~ So teach us to number our days, That we may gain a heart of wisdom.

Among the many lessons we can garner from these words of the Psalmist and the words of Jesus, one of them is that we really aren't in control of our lives and, thus, we shouldn't worry about our lives, what we shall eat and wear.
4. Look at the empty vanity of the world.

In verse 30, Jesus makes a short, clear statement about the uselessness of such pursuits. He states that the nations or the world pursue these things and that He has promised to give them. Perhaps there is a subtle emphasis to consider the Parable of the Rich Fool that Jesus has just finished telling in verses 16-21? There is the man of the world who is pursuing that which God gave to him instead of pursing being rich towards God. I could give all kinds of examples of the futility of the pursuit of material gain, but perhaps just a few will do:

· John D. Rockefeller, a Christian millionaire, said, “I have made many millions, but they have brought me no happiness. I would barter them all for the days I sat on an office stool in Cleveland and counted myself rich on three dollars a week.” Broken in health, he employed an armed guard.
· W. H. Vanderbilt said, “The care of 200 million dollars is too great a load for any brain or back to bear. It is enough to kill anyone. There is no pleasure in it.”
· John Jacob Astor left five million, but had been martyr to dyspepsia and melancholy. He said, “I am the most miserable man on earth.”
· Henry Ford, the automobile king, said, “Work is the only pleasure. It is only work that keeps me alive and makes life worth living. I was happier when doing a mechanic’s job.”
· Andrew Carnegie, the multi-millionaire, said, “Millionaires seldom smile.”

Now I know that all of you would like the opportunity to test the theory that riches can't buy happiness, but the God also addresses this topic in Proverbs 22:2, “The rich and the poor have this in common, The Lord is the maker of them all.” So it is up to the Lord as to whether or not He allows you to test that theory. Why not just take Him at His word and trust Him that pursuing riches is vain. And if He decides to give you more than most, find your joy in giving it away so as to glorify the Lord and gain treasure in heaven.

5. Consider God's desire and love for you.

So in the previous verses, Christ has been laying out the pointlessness of worry and anxiety. Now in verses 31-32, He directs our thoughts to what we should be focusing upon in our lives. We are to consider His desires and plan for our life and His deep love for us. Our chief goal is not to be worrying about material things such as food and shelter, which He has promised to give us, which He does give to even the wicked of the world, and that He knows that we need. Rather, our obsession to be about building into our lives His kingdom. We are to be pursuing Christ-likeness in our own lives and to be directing others to the same. As we work through these words, we may be tempted to take sort of a fatalist view on things. If God controls everything, why do I do anything? Well, in the garden of Eden, God commanded Adam to work and be a good steward of what God had given to him. And in the garden, Adam and Eve had been given everything they needed. They simply needed to go and get it. And God was and is blessed as we work, with thankfulness, for what He gives to us. In fact, to not work and simply expect things to be given to us is marked out clearly as sin in the Word. Paul writes in 2 Thessalonians 3:10, “For even when we were with you, we commanded you this: If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat.” So clearly, we are to pursue work with joy and dedication, knowing that it is through these means that God will give to us food and shelter.

But in that work, our goal isn't to be gaining material goods for their own sake. The goal is to be pursuing God's kingdom in the place where He has placed you, be it school or work or your athletic endeavors. Some of you may be called to the mission field or the pastorate. But most of you are called to proclaim the kingdom in the everyday places of this world. Thus, are you so doing? What is your chief goal? What are you about? Why do you do what you do? At the top of your list of priorities needs to be the kingdom of God in your own life and the promotion of that kingdom in the lives of others. Are you completely dedicated to the Lordship of Christ and the pursuit of holiness in your life? The natural outflow of that will be effective and vibrant impacts in your places of influence.

Christ goes on and says to not fear, little flock. This is perhaps an allusion to 1 Kings 20:26-30...

So it was, in the spring of the year, that Ben-Hadad mustered the Syrians and went up to Aphek to fight against Israel. And the children of Israel were mustered and given provisions, and they went against them. Now the children of Israel encamped before them like two little flocks of goats, while the Syrians filled the countryside. Then a man of God came and spoke to the king of Israel, and said, “Thus says the Lord: ‘Because the Syrians have said, “The Lord is God of the hills, but He is not God of the valleys,” therefore I will deliver all this great multitude into your hand, and you shall know that I am the Lord.’ ” And they encamped opposite each other for seven days. So it was that on the seventh day the battle was joined; and the children of Israel killed one hundred thousand foot soldiers of the Syrians in one day. But the rest fled to Aphek, into the city; then a wall fell on twenty-seven thousand of the men who were left.

Dear friends, this is not a call to arms for American Christians to take over the government and establish a theocracy. Jesus is simply stating that He deeply loves us and has given us all that we need to live for His glory. As we looked at last week, consider the cross and how that one, paramount event absolutely demonstrates God deep love and grace and affection for us. The 23rd Psalm starts off with the words, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.” If Jesus is your shepherd and you are part of His little flock, you have all that is necessary for life now and the life to come. Therefore, you shall not want and you needn't worry about what the world does or how powerful it may seem. God's kingdom is of another time and place and it is in your heart. Pursue it first and foremost and let Him add to you that which He determines for you to have.

6. Direct your heart toward His Kingdom.

In verses 33 and 34, Jesus again emphasizes the attitude that we are to have towards what He does give to us. As was discussed last week, we are to be constantly talking to God about what He has given to us and how that may be best used for His kingdom and glory. He isn't demanding that we sell everything and take vows of poverty. The ownership of private property is implied in the 8th Commandment which is about not stealing. Recall from Acts 5 that Ananias' and Sapphira's sin wasn't keeping back some of the proceeds of the sale of their property, but rather that they gave the impression that the proceeds given was the total price. God has given us clear instruction as to how we are to give. In 2 Corinthians 9:6-7 we are instructed by Paul, “But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.” That is very clear. We are to give not because we have to, but because we get to. We are to give cheerfully. And this is where verse 34 fits in to this instruction. Are you valuing that which is truly valuable? Where is your treasure? When you identify what your treasure is, you will find that your time, talent and money is going in that direction. So, what should I do in this regard? Identify what God views as treasure and then start directing your time, talent and money in that direction. And what is God's treasure? It is His kingdom...His purposes and His plans. Read the Word, pray about what He wants and then go to it. God values the ministry of this church and if you invest time, talent and money here, you will find that your heart is here also. If you have a missionary associated with a people group that you think God wants you to direct resources towards, you will find that your heart is going that direction, too.

Do you want to kill worry? Then direct your heart toward His kingdom and spend your time, talent and money there. God's kingdom is, ultimately, all that is valuable. Nothing of this world really is and if our hearts are set on the things of this world, worry and anxiety will find us. But, if our heart is set on His kingdom and the pursuit of it, then we'll find ourselves at peace and without worry.
If you want to kill worry, than pursue His kingdom.

Corrie Ten Boom once said, “Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow, it empties today of its strength.” (Charles R. Swindoll, The Tale of the Tardy Oxcart, Word 1998, p. 625). Here is a woman who learned this truth in ways that we will probably never understand. A survivor of Nazi Concentration camps, she held her own sister as she died during that most brutal of wars. You could do worse things than read her biography The Hiding Place. What was it that got this woman through this most difficult and trying time that anyone could ever go through? She sought first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. And the peace that surpasses comprehension was hers. She had lots of tomorrows full of sorrow. And, to some degree, we all will. But worry doesn't help any of it. Rather, in those sorrows and joys, of which we will experience much of both in this life, we need, with Corrie Ten Boom, kill worry.

How do we do so? Read and meditate on the passage we have just studied and apply Jesus' words to our given worry-inducing situation. And take these lessons from this text:

Six Keys to Killing Worry...
1. Remember what life is about.
2. Look at God's faithfulness to His lesser creatures.
3. Consider your own lack of control over your life.
4. Look at the empty vanity of the world.
5. Consider God's desire and love for you.
6. Direct your heart toward His Kingdom.

Because worry is pointless and hinders us from glorifying God, we should kill it by thinking deeply about God's provision and desires for our lives.

Discussion Questions:
· What are your primary sources of worry? How might Jesus' words here help you to deal with these issues?
· When faced with a desperate financial situation, how should you direct your mind to be able to put worry aside?
· How can a person of little faith increase his/her faith?
· Is seeking to be successful in a career antithetical to seeking God's kingdom and righteousness? Why or why not?
· How does one live out verse 33 in tangible ways?

2011-09-01T19:50:00.007-06:00

Please Join us Sunday Morning

September 4th at 8:30am for our Lord's Supper Communion Service.

We will enjoy singing, devotions, fellowship, prayer, as well as communion.

Killing Covetousness

2011-08-30T16:20:00.003-06:00

Luke 12:13-21

A story is told of Mrs. Henrietta Garrett, a lonely 81-year-old widow. On the night of November 16, 1930, she died in her home in Philadelphia and, unwillingly, started the most fantastic case of inheritance litigation in history. She had failed to leave a will, or no will was found, to her $17,000,000 estate; a mystery left unsolved. She had expertly handled her financial affairs since the death of her husband in 1895 and, therefore, she must have realized that, without a will, her fortune would become involved in many legal battles. Although Mrs. Garret had, at the time of her death, only one known relative, a second cousin, and less than a dozen friends, attempts to prove relationship to her and to claim a part or all her estate have since been made by more than 26,000 persons from 47 states and 29 foreign countries, represented by more than 3,000 lawyers. In their frantic efforts, these alleged relatives have committed perjury, faked family records, changed their own names, altered data in church Bibles and concocted absurd tales of illegitimacy. As a result, twelve were fined, ten received jail sentences, two committed suicide and three were murdered. The estate has, in the meantime, increased to $30,000,000 and is not expected to be settled for some time.

Those who have aggressively pursued Mrs. Garrett's estate would probably agree with Oscar Wilde who said, “When I was young, I used to think that money was the most important thing in life; now that I am older I know that it is.” (Charles R. Swindoll, The Tale of the Tardy Oxcart, Word 1998, p. 392).

Indeed, if life is lived with no thought toward God and His ways and plans, then financial gain and the ability to enjoy it really is all that matters. The writer of Ecclesiastes, whom we think is King Solomon, referred to this as life under the sun and called it vanity.

In the passage that we are looking at today, the Lord Jesus calls this covetousness or greed, depending on your translation. To covet is to be overly desirous of additional wealth or things that do not belong to you. And greed is synonymous...it is excessive desire for wealth and/or possessions. We of course know that “Do not covet” is the 10th Commandment and God helps us understand the meaning when He explains the word in Exodus 20:17, “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s.” Obviously, based on it's position in the 10 Commandments, we can know for certain that God looks upon covetousness and greed as a very serious sin. Listen closely to how Paul describes it his writings:

· Ephesians 5:5, “For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.”
· Colossians 3:5, “Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.”

These passages make it abundantly clear that covetousness and godliness do not go hand-in-hand. Indeed, it is impossible because, as Paul states, to covet is to be engaged in idolatry. It is to worship something other than the one true God. Jesus says as much in Matthew 6:24, “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.”

In the passage we are studying today, Jesus takes on a cultural misconception about material wealth. In 1st Century Israel, as well as 21st Century America, material wealth was and is equated with blessings or success, if one isn't prone to view life from a spiritual point of view. To be wealthy meant that God was looking favorably on your life. To be poor or less privileged or sick or lame, etc., meant that one was not living well. Regarding the issue of wealth, Jesus' entire life was a rebuke of that sentiment. He never owned anything and was the most blessed and pleasing to God person who ever lived. And, as with the whole of Scripture, Jesus speaks quite clearly to the issue of covetousness. In our passage today, Jesus puts before us the need to kill covetousness and then, through a great parable, explains the attitudes necessary to do so. Lets look today at Luke 12:13-21...
Then one from the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” But He said to him, “Man, who made Me a judge or an arbitrator over you?” And He said to them, “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.” Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. And he thought within himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?’ So he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.” ’But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’ “So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”

Because it is idolatry and will lead to condemnation, we must, per Christ's demand, kill covetousness in our lives.

So, based upon Christ's words here as well as Paul's inspired words in Colossians 3:5 where we are told to “put to death” covetousness, let us see that...

In order to kill covetousness, we must...

1. ...realize that Christ's Kingdom, thus our kingdom, is not of this world.

Although I don't think about it all that much, I sometime wonder what is going through each of your minds as I am preaching. Of course, I hope and pray that you are thoroughly engaged in the dynamic and thought-provoking sermon and striving to be a determined listener...an expository listener...to the Word of God. But I also know, looking back on my own experiences, that some of your thoughts may be engaged elsewhere. Perhaps you are thinking about where you will eat lunch after church. Maybe you have a project at school or work coming up this week and you find your thoughts wandering in that direction. It is still the preseason, but there are a couple of football games on this afternoon. If you are a younger person, perhaps your thoughts are engaged at looking at that attractive member of the opposite gender a couple of pews over. If you are married, perhaps your thoughts are engaged with the admiration and deep affection you feel for your spouse. As I said, any number of such thoughts may be going through your mind.

As a pastor, if not careful, I could really begin to worry about such things. But, ultimately, I have One person that I am trying to please when I preach and that is God. I believe that if my preaching of the Word pleases Him, then such preaching will achieve what He wants in your life, thus I make it my ambition to honor the Lord, first and foremost, in my preaching.

Another fact that keeps me from becoming consumed with people's opinions of my preaching is the fact that the preachers we find in the Bible had “less than engaged” listeners at times. As recorded in Acts 20, a young man named Eutychus sank into a deep sleep as Paul was preaching. We then learn that Eutychus fell to his death out of a window and then Christ raises him through the ministry of Paul. Although I have had many people sleep during my sermons, no one had died...yet.

In the passage before us today, we have another “less than engaged” listener to the preaching of the Word. And this preaching is from the Savior, God-incarnate, Jesus Christ. And if someone can sit under the preaching of the Lord and be “less than engaged”, I surely can't complain.

Recall that in the passage we studied last week, Jesus spoke on some of the weightiest issues imaginable. He spoke on issues of hell and hypocrisy, fear and faith, etc. These are “ultimate” issues, so to speak, and our answers to such issues determines the course of our life and eternity. And yet, in the face of such preaching, a man from the crowd speaks out and says, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” So, as Jesus is speaking, this man's thoughts are not engaged with the content that the Lord is delivering. He is thinking about cold hard cash and how he can get his hands on more of it. He is being covetous.

As we look at this passage, there is no comment that gives us any insight as to the justice of the man's desire. He could be right in his request. Perhaps his brother, in someway, is wronging him. Or perhaps he is simply demanding more than he should get. Regardless, Jesus more or less says deal with it yourself. Such things don't concern Christ. Christ's concerns are the things which He has just been elaborating upon. Issues of how a man is made right with God and can live in light of who God is, these are what consume Christ. It is the gospel that consumes Christ. And thus He tells that man that He has far more important issues to confront and teach upon that simply settling worldly disputes between opponents.

As we think about things of this world, the material things that we will inevitably have, we need to have such an attitude also. Material well-being and “things” are of a secondary nature. Issues of eternity such as sin, righteousness in God's sight, and justice are of far greater import. In verse 15, Christ makes this clear when He states that our lives do not consist of the things that we have. In the context, money and possessions are emphasized, but reputation, achievement and social status can also be addressed here. As Christ taught upon in the previous verses, who we are in the inner man and how we relate to God, these are what define us. So Christ warns his listeners to “...take heed and beware of covetousness”. Note that He gives a double warning...take heed and beware...so that we will note the seriousness of the warning. Guard yourself strongly against such thinking. This is along the lines of what is found in Proverbs 4:23, “Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life.” We must make sure that we are not defining our lives by the things we have or by what we achieve in a worldly sense. Our lives, Jesus states, do not consist of the things we possess. And we must guard against such thinking.

Rather, how are we to think? The answer is contained in verse 21. Instead of focusing on material well-being here, we are to be rich towards God. We will speak more along these lines in a few minutes. But we must realize that Christ's definition of life is what we need to be pursuing. How does Christ define life? Here are a couple of statements from the Word that help us in this issue:

· John 17:3 ~ “And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” Based on this passage, life as defined by God is bound up in knowing God and His son. This is what defines a person. Ultimately, this is all that will define a person. At the end of life, one will be known only by whether or not he or she knows the Lord.
· John 14:6 (NKJV) ~ Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” In this passage, further illumination is given that life is bound up in Christ. It is in God and Christ, and knowing Him, that life is defined.

Thus, Jesus directs this man and His disciples to be sure to define life correctly. Life is made up of issues of eternity and only when we are living in light of such truth will our lives be defined as they should be. Matthew Henry comments that, “If he had come to him to desire him to assist his pursuit of the heavenly inheritance, Christ would have given him his best help; but as to this matter he has nothing to do...” (Matthew Henry's commentary on the whole Bible (Lk 12:13). 1996, Peabody: Hendrickson.).

Dear friends, Christ, who is our life, His kingdom is not of this world. It is of the heavenly realm and we need to make sure that we are striving to define our lives according to His kingdom. Turn to Colossians 3. This, again, is one of the passages where we are directed to kill covetousness. Look at verses 1-4 which explain to us why we need put to death things of this world.

If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.

It is after this declaration that we are told to kill covetousness. Covetousness is not to define us. Rather, Christ is to define us. Friends, does Christ and His kingdom define you? Are you consumed with knowing Him and striving to live in light of His return?

If covetousness would be killed in our lives, then we must...realize that Christ's Kingdom, thus our kingdom, is not of this world.

Secondly, if we would kill covetousness, we must...

2. ...recognize that God is the Source of all things...especially material well-being.

In order to reinforce the need to be defining ourselves accurately, Christ tells this parable. Please note that verse 16 is, again, a statement with no moral implications at all. It is simply a fact. “The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully.” This is a descriptive statement, not a teaching or prescriptive statement. Christ is not saying that the rich automatically will get richer. He is simply saying that this man, in this season, received a bumper crop. Friends, it has been my experience that, although I am not rich when it comes to tax-brackets in the United States, that there will be seasons of plenty and seasons of want in our lives. Paul articulates this pretty clearly in Philippians 4:11-13, “Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Riches come and go with some people having more and some less. But again, with our first point, wealth is not to define us, but rather Christ. This particular man in the parable, at this time, was full and abounding.

And in verse 17, he asks a legitimate question, “What do I do with all this wealth?” And, beloved, this question here is a vital one that all of us have to ask. What do we do with what we have?

The first thing we should do, which this man didn't, is acknowledge from where all things come? You are familiar with Genesis 1 and 2. In these chapters, we learn that God created everything. And if we can come to grips and live in light of Genesis 1:1, then this life will make a lot of sense, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” If this statement undergirds our thoughts and attitudes about existence, we will be well on our way to living in a manner that pleases the Lord. Commentating on this passage, Paul explains to the Colossians that Christ was right there with God when creation was going on. Colossians 1:16-17, in reference to Christ, says this, “For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.” In other translations, this concept of consist is rendered hold together. In Acts 17:28 we are told, “...for in Him we live and move and have our being,...” All things come from God and our very lives are held together by God. As we celebrate the arrival of little Dutch Edward Hirai, our minds should be drawn to God, acknowledging that He “...formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother's womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” (Ps. 139:13-14). Regarding the parable before us dealing with crops, the Psalmist says in 104:14, “He causes the grass to grow for the cattle, And vegetation for the service of man, That he may bring forth food from the earth,...” Dear friends, all things come from God and are given to us by Him. Our very lives and breathe are from Him. Again, in 1 Corinthians 4:7, Paul asks, “For who makes you differ from another? And what do you have that you did not receive? Now if you did indeed receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?” Everything we have comes from God and we should never boast as if it comes from us.

This man asks a question, “What shall I do...?” The first thing he should have done is to acknowledge and reverently thank God for pouring out these crops and giving them to him. Thankfulness and humble praise to God should have marked his life. Nothing he had was because of his own ability. And ultimately, nothing we do or have is sourced in anything other than God's purposes and plans.

In 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, we are commanded to, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” Along with rejoicing and praying, thanksgiving is to mark our lives because God has given us whatever we have, be it material possessions or physical and intellectual abilities...and, of ultimate need, the grace of forgiveness and eternal life. Everything comes from Him and if we are not acknowledging this, we are, as with this man, a fool.

Do you want to put to death covetousness? Then you will...recognize that God is the Source of all things...especially material well-being.
Thirdly, if we would put to death covetousness, then we will...

3. ...talk to God about how to best use what He has given to us.

So in verse 17, the man asks a legitimate question, “What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?” He then talks to someone about it...he seeks some advice. But the problem is that he talks to the wrong person. He talks to himself. Please note in verses 17, 18 and 19 all the personal pronouns. He says “I” four times and “my” five times. He also refers to his soul twice. This man is exceedingly self-consumed and wants to self-consume everything he has.

But where should he have gone for advice? He should have talked to God about it. In light of what we have discussed thus far, that our lives are defined by how we relate to God and also by the fact the God is the giver of all things, it only makes sense that we should speak to God...pray to God...about how we use what He has given to us.

But the covetous man is consumed with self and gives no thought to God. In fact, as we have looked at in other verses, covetousness is idolatry. It is worshiping the creation instead of the creator. Thus, one of the key signs that we are covetous is that we will not talk to God, but only consult our own desires, when it comes to how we handle our things.

Along with selfishness being a sign of covetousness, my friend Steve Cole (Sermon on Luke 12:13-21, April 25th, 1999; http://www.fcfonline.org/) lists off several other signs that will warn us about covetousness or greed being a problem in our lives:

Do my thoughts more often run after material things than after God Himself? If I am often thinking about that new car or that nicer house or that better computer, and I seldom think about how I can know God better, I am tainted by greed.

Do I ever compromise godly character in the pursuit of material gain? If I sometimes cheat or lie or steal to get ahead financially or to avoid loss, I am being greedy. If I am willing to shred relationships or to take advantage of another person for financial gain, I am being greedy. If I care more about making money than about being a witness for Jesus Christ, I am being greedy.

Do I enjoy material things more than I enjoy knowing God? If my happiness soars when I get a new car, but I am bored by the things of God, I am greedy. If I rejoice when I win a raffle or door prize, but I yawn when I hear about a soul being saved, I am greedy.

How do I respond when I lose material things? When the stock market drops, do I fall apart emotionally? If I get robbed or lose some or all of my things in a fire, does it devastate me? I’m not saying that we must be stoical about such losses. We will always feel some sadness when we lose things. But if it wipes us out, then we’re probably too attached to this world and its goods.

What would I do if I suddenly came into a fortune? I presume that none of you play the lottery, but what if you won the Reader’s Digest Sweepstakes? What if a distant relative died and left you a large inheritance? Would your first thought be, “Now I can get that better house or car or boat”? “Now I can take that trip around the world I’ve always wanted to take.” Or, would you think, “Now I can support dozens of missionaries”? “Thousands of people can hear about Christ because He has given me funds to invest in the spread of His kingdom!”

Dear friends, if talking to ourselves with no thought or joy in speaking to and seeking God's will in what we do with our things...if this is what drives us, then we are covetous, greedy people.

We are also very misguided. Note in verse 19, this man thinks that his eternal aspect, his soul, is safe because of his material gain. But as we see in verse 20, God is in charge of the soul. Just as our life is defined by knowing God and our material gain in this world is given to us by God, God is in charge of the end of life issues also. The Word says that God makes alive and He kills (Dt. 32:39). All of our days, including the end of our days, are ordained by God (Ps. 139). In light of this, we do well to live with a God-ward focus all of the time.

Lastly, Jesus says to be rich toward God. In 1 Timothy 6:17-19, we are given some help in understanding what it means to be rich toward God, “Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.” So, based on this passage, how do we rich towards God? It is pretty clear. We are to trust God, acknowledge His provision, do good, be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share. This is what is looks like to be rich toward God. The attitude is simply one of outward focus with all of life, including money and service. We need to be asking ourselves, on a consistent basis, how can my life and my resources be used for the benefit of others and the glory of God?

Perhaps the greatest driving force behind our giving of our lives and resources for God will be to meditate and rejoice greatly in the grace given to us through Christ on the cross. Take a look at 2 Corinthians 8:9, “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.” What is Christ's richness? He is God and lacks absolutely nothing. He is totally self-sufficient in Himself and needs nothing. What is Christ's poverty? He, in deep love and mercy, came to earth and lived an empty life, perfect before His Father, and poured out His life for us. He died on the cross, was buried and rose again, that we might become rich in Him. What is our richness in light of Christ's becoming poor? Our richness is that we have been brought to God by Christ. We are freely forgiven and freely loved. And, by His unmerited favor...His grace...we have eternal life.

Beloved, do you want to take heed and beware of covetousness? Do you want to put it to death per the direction and admonition of Christ? Then talk to God constantly about what He has given to you and how to best use it for His purposes and glory. And also consider deeply His giving of Himself to you through Christ.
Conclusion:

The man in this parable thought he was “Somebody” because of his God-given wealth. We run that risk also. Michael Oh, president of Christ Bible Institude of Japan offers us a remedy for this. He says...
Become a Nobody for Christ
Tell the students to give up their small ambitions and come eastward to preach the gospel of Christ. — Francis Xavier
Many people leave college with the goal to “be somebody.” And this usually means getting a good job, making good money, buying a nice house, driving a nice car, attaining some important position, and helping your kids to do the same.
For the Christian, “being somebody” usually means all of that and faithfully going to church on Sundays and Bible study during the week.
But I believe that Jesus is calling for people to be a nobody for him — people who would forsake the “American dream” to be a part of bringing gospel hope to the nations. People who don’t mind if they are not recognized, respected, praised, or promoted — as long as the name of Jesus is cherished, exalted, and adored. People who understand that Jesus didn’t come to this world and die on a cross so that we could have a comfortable suburban life and enjoy going to our local church's corporate gathering on Sundays.
Jesus is calling people who could compete in the corporate rat race (and win) — but either choose not to so that they can share the gospel with the neediest in Thailand or choose yes so that by excelling in their profession they can give gobs of money away for God's global cause (something their co-workers wouldn't understand). I believe that Jesus Christ is calling for well-trained, well-educated, godly, capable, wise, talented nobodies.
John Piper reminds us that we have three choices – go, send, or disobey. And it’s my hope and prayer that the very best of this generation will go — young people who could be somebody in this world choosing to be nobodies for Jesus.
And that doesn’t mean that you have to be a preacher. There's hardly a job or profession that you can have in America that you can’t do in the mission field. You can be a musician, a physician, a professor, a dog catcher, a secretary, an actuary,...a mixed martial arts fighter (it doesn't matter). My point is that missions is simply doing what the Lord has gifted and called you to do — where there are few or no Christians — so that those who cannot be saved without believing in the gospel would hear the life-giving good news of Jesus through you.
It’s choosing to forsake the comforts and glory of the American dream to live in an African jungle, or any foreign land, and speaking in a foreign tongue, choosing to be slightly uncomfortable and really need God so that he might have have the glory he is worthy to receive.
Why choose to be a nobody when you could be a somebody? Because life is not about us. It’s not about how much money you can make; it’s not about how secure and comfortable you can be; it’s not even about living a quiet life and being a consistent church attender. And not only is it not about us, it’s also not even about the nations that are lost without the gospel. Ultimately it really is about God. God is worthy to hear from each of his servants for whom he died – "Lord I would go anywhere for you. Lord, I would do anything for you."
We must realize that we have absolutely no right to tell God, “I’ll do this for you, but not that.” We must understand how globally worthy he is to be loved and adored, how incredibly hard the task of making him known is, and how great are the sacrifices needed to see that happen. This is how much we want to see Jesus worshiped by every tribe, language, people, and nation — we are willing to be nobodies to see it happen.
He must become greater; I must become less ~ John 3:30
Beloved, let me add this, you needn't go to a foreign land to be a nobody for Christ. Boulder and the surrounding area needs nobodies like this. Go to where He has called you and use what He has given you to glorify God's grace of the Cross.
Because it is idolatry and will lead to condemnation, we must, per Christ's demand, kill covetousness in our lives.

In order to kill covetousness, we must...
1. ...realize that Christ's Kingdom, thus our kingdom, is not of this world.
2. ...recognize that God is the Source of all things...especially material well-being.
3. ...talk to God about how to best use what He has given to us.

Discussion Questions:
· How does one tangibly live in light of the fact that this world is not our home?
· Do things of God, such as salvation and missions, excite you more than material blessings of this world? How might you develop more passion for eternal riches? How does Colossians 3:1-5 help in this area?
· Take a look at 1 Timothy 6:17-19. How do we strike a godly balance of being rich toward God and enjoying that which He gives to us? Are these two things compatible?
· How can we plan and save for the future and still be rich towards God?
· At this moment, if your soul was required of you by God, are you prepared to meet Him? Why or why not?

“Fearful Love of Our Awesome God”

2011-08-23T13:02:00.005-06:00

Luke 12: 1 - 12

The Puritan John Flavel made this statement, “By the fear of the Lord men depart from evil: by the fear of man they run themselves into evil.” (Thomas, I.D.E., A Puritan Golden Treasury, Banner of Truth Trust 2000 p. 109) Perhaps you have all heard similar words before such as these: “If you don't fear God, you will fear everything else...if you fear God, you will fear nothing else.” Another Puritan, Joseph Hall, wrote these words, “The wicked is a very coward, and is afraid of everything; of God, because He is his enemy; of Satan, because he is his tormentor; of God's creatures, because they, joining with their Maker, fight against him; of himself, because he bears about with him his own accuser and executioner. The godly man contrarily is afraid of nothing; not of God, because he knows Him his friend, and will not hurt him; not of Satan, because he cannot hurt him; not of afflictions, because he knows they come from a loving God, and end in his good; not of the creatures, since 'the very stones in the field are in league with Him;' not of himself, since his conscience is at peace.” (Ibid).

In our passage before us today, the Lord Jesus deals very directly with the issue of a holy, loving fear of God as essential to walking in a manner that pleases Him. The “Fear of the Lord” is topic addressed throughout the Bible. In Proverbs, we find this affirmation of fearing the Lord; “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” (Prov. 9:10). The fear of God can be defined as profound respect and reverential awe directed toward God. In the passage that we are studying this morning, Jesus lays out several reasons why and the benefits derived from fearing the Lord. A healthy fear is a beneficial attitude in numerous areas of life. When I get behind the wheel of a car, a healthy respect for the size and speed of the vehicle that I am driving as well as other vehicles on the road will encourage me to wear the seat belt and drive conscientiously. As a trained chemist, I always wore protective clothing and eyeware in the lab because some of the chemicals with which I was working are dangerous. Please note that it is only as we gain knowledge and understanding of vehicles and chemicals that we truly respect the danger associated with them.

In an area of far, far greater importance, truly knowing God through His Word will automatically lead to profound respect and reverential awe directed toward Him. And this is a really good attitude toward God to have. Our wonderful Savior, Jesus, wants His people to develop this understanding and have such understanding ungird and direct our lives. As the Psalmist declares in 33:8, “Let all the earth fear the Lord; Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him.”, Jesus here affirms such a declaration and gives us several excellent, eternal reasons for fearing the Lord. Thus, lets spend this morning looking deeply into God's awesome Word and submitting to the teaching of our Savior Jesus in Luke 12:1-12
In the meantime, when an innumerable multitude of people had gathered together, so that they trampled one another, He began to say to His disciples first of all, “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, nor hidden that will not be known. Therefore whatever you have spoken in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have spoken in the ear in inner rooms will be proclaimed on the housetops. “And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him! “Are not five sparrows sold for two copper coins? And not one of them is forgotten before God. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. “Also I say to you, whoever confesses Me before men, him the Son of Man also will confess before the angels of God. But he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God. “And anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but to him who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven. “Now when they bring you to the synagogues and magistrates and authorities, do not worry about how or what you should answer, or what you should say. For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.”

From this passage today, let us see that...

Because fearfully loving God provides us both perspective and peace, we should seek to develop and maintain such love in our lives.

Four Necessary Benefits of Developing and Maintaining a Fearful Love of God:

1. It will keep us walking in truth ~ vv. 1-3

As you may have heard, we are starting a new study on Wednesday evening on the attributes of God. One of those attributes that we will look at is Omniscience. This is the biblical truth that God knows everything that could possibly be known. For Jesus' purposes in this account in Luke, God knows all the intentions and attitudes of our hearts and minds. Jesus affirms this in several places, most recently in Luke 11:17, “But He, knowing their thoughts,...” This is a specific example of a thorough-going attribute of God. Some other verses proclaiming this truth are these:

· Psalm 139:1-4 ~ O Lord, You have searched me and known me. You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off. You comprehend my path and my lying down, And are acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word on my tongue, But behold, O Lord, You know it altogether.
· Jeremiah 17:9-10 ~ The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it? I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, Even to give every man according to his ways, According to the fruit of his doings.
· Proverbs 17:3 ~ The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold, But the Lord tests the hearts.
· Hebrews 4:13 ~ And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.

These passages, and many others, clearly proclaim that God is all-knowing. And the simple application for us is that really we should not attempt to try to hide anything from Him. All things are naked and open to the Lord's eyes. So, in follow-up to His staunch and strong rebuke of the Pharisees and Lawyers that we looked at last week, Jesus warns his disciples to not think for a minute that you can try to be something that you are not. He says to watch out for the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. To be a hypocrite is to play a part or engage in pretence. It is literally acting...being someone who you are not. The word was associated with ancient Greek play-acting. On stage, the actor is a hypocrite. Now this is not a commentary on acting per se...feel free to audition for plays. But Jesus here is warning His disciples to make sure that your walk with God is not marked by trying to be someone who you are not. Note that Jesus indicates that the issue of hypocrisy may start small... leaven...but soon will infect your entire person if it is not repented of and left at the cross of Christ. And Jesus clearly warns his listens to not be marked by such thinking.

R. Kent Hughes makes this comment regarding hypocrisy, “[Hypocrisy] demands conscious insincerity. It is a character sin, a moral deficiency. And it comes naturally to every one of us. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle of Sherlock Holmes fame used to playfully tell a bogus tale about how he sent a telegram to each of twelve friends, all men of great virtue, reputation, and considerable position in society. The message simply said: “Fly at once, all is discovered.” Within twenty-four hours, Doyle says, all twelve had left the country! This is playful but penetrating humor, as some uneasy smiles may attest.” (Luke: Vol. 2, Crossway 1998, p. 38).

Jesus proclaims to us that developing and maintaining a fearful love of God will keep us walking in truth and hinder us from being hypocrites. In verses 2 and 3, this becomes abundantly clear. As we've seen in Jesus' other declarations, there is nothing profound or new here. It is simple a declaration that all things will be made known.

Sometimes this happens in our earthly existence and we can rejoice when this does because it reveals the greater truth about all things being made known. When I was serving as a youth pastor in another church, a teenage young man came to me very angry one day. The source of his anger was that his parents were recording his phone conversations. My young friend was filled with righteous indignation. In such a state of mind, he really didn't appreciate my next question, which was, “What on earth would compel your parents to feel the need to record your phone conversations?” His answer was somewhat jumbled, but I heard the words, “sneaking out of the house”, and “stealing cigarettes, beer and money.” I said “Ohhh. In light of such behaviors, it is shocking that they would feel the need to record your phone conversations?” My friend sort of “disengaged” from our conversation at that point. But before he left I graciously tried to explain to him the blessedness of being found out in such a way. I explained that when we are caught in such wickedness, God is blessing us with an opportunity for self-examination and repentance and that He is pointing us to the cross where the ultimate answer and solution for hypocrisy and lying is found. Then I took my friend to this passage that were are looking at here today and explained that, one day, he will have to give an account for what he did here. And not only here, but in every aspect of his life.

Dear friends, you can fool people...you can deceive others and make them think that you are someone that you are not. But you can't fool God, you can't fool Christ, you can't fool the Holy Spirit. In this passage, our Savior Christ is calling us to walk in the truth because God knows the truth and will deal with you according to you actions, perhaps in this life, but definitely in the next. R. Kent Hughes again, “The limitless capacities of divine omniscience assure perfect exposure of hypocrisy.” (Ibid). As we are clearly informed in Hebrews 9:27, “And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment,...” let us live in light of God's complete knowledge of all things, specifically the content and motivations of our heart.

Developing and maintaining a fearful love of God will keep us walking in truth.
2. It will comfort us in trials ~ vv. 4-7

Secondly, developing and maintaining a fearful love of God will comfort us in trials.

I remember in elementary school that there was a kid about three years older than me who, it seemed to me, lived to torment me. I would be having a great time at recess, but in the back of my mind I knew that there was at least a 30% chance of me experiencing a wedgie on my way back to class. This kid would lurk around my classroom door, wait for me to appear, and then the race was on. Sometimes I made it to class without him catching me, other times I didn't, which resulted in great discomfort and embarrassing adjustments of my attire. The greatest day in my elementary years was the last day of school of his sixth grade year. He moved onto middle school and, as far as I can remember, I never saw him again.

That is a humorous story, but in our account before us, with deadly seriousness, Jesus proclaims that people are going to torment His disciples throughout their lives. We as Americans, living in this great country with it's complete religious liberty...in some ways...really don't have any idea what these words mean. We really don't experience persecution in these ways and I'm thankful for that. However, these disciples of Christ would experience death and torture in very real ways. Listen to the following passages that record events in the lives of the disciples after the resurrection and ascension of the Lord:

· Acts 5:40-41 ~ and when [the Pharisees] had called for the apostles and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. So they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name.
· Acts 12:1-3 ~ Now about that time Herod the king stretched out his hand to harass some from the church. Then he killed James the brother of John with the sword. And because he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to seize Peter also...
· Acts 14:19 ~ Then Jews from Antioch and Iconium came [to Lystra]; and having persuaded the multitudes, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing him to be dead.

So these immediate followers of Christ would experience “those who kill the body” in very real ways. And, as we look church history, we can see that others have also greatly understood what Jesus met here when he spoke about those who would persecute Christians. William Tyndale, Thomas Cranmer, John Huss, Martin Luther, John Calvin, Jim Elliot and Nate Saint all experienced persecution and/or death because of their love for Christ.

We, too, will experience persecution and mocking as we go about this life of following Christ. This town of Boulder, and even the region of Colorado, is very hostile to evangelical Christianity and, if as a Christian, you publicly let it be known that you are a disciple of Christ, you can expect scorn and rejection. The Christians that are starting up a new semester at CU will be tested in their faith by hostile philosophies articulated in the classroom and licentiousness and drunken debauchery promoted by their classmates. It is inevitable that, as Paul states in 2 Timothy 3:12, “Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.”

How does Jesus address this inevitability? More or less, He tells us to embrace it. Don't let it bother you, don't be concerned about it and don't fear those who do it. As we think about this, there are several points to be extracted from Jesus' words here:

· Persecution shouldn't surprise us or discourage us because the devil and his minions are striving to stop the gospel and people being saved. The Bible proclaims that unbelievers are blinded by Satan (2 Cor. 4) and are in bondage to him (Eph. 2). And he will do all that he can to stop the promotion of the gospel and the spiritual well-being of Christ's disciples.
· Ultimately, the power of those who persecute is limited and small. If we compare the shortness and insignificance of this life compared to the life to come, the power and influence of those who persecute Christians is really pretty small. Think about John the Baptist. After he proclaims the coming of Christ, he is thrown in jail and put to death by Herod. Before his death, in what appears to be despair, he appeals to Christ, wondering if Jesus is the expected Messiah. The Lord Jesus responds by directing John to the Word of God for his comfort and solace...and then leaves him to die in prison when Christ could have spoken the word and John would have be freed. But if Christ had done that, would John have been better off? No way, no how! Upon his death, John entered into the joy of His Master and, I promise you, he wouldn't want to come back. When Herod had him put to death, Herod thought he was all-powerful. But in reality, he was setting John free. Jesus said to Pilate that he would have no authority unless it had been granted by God (John 19:11). The power of those who persecute is limited and small.
· Alternatively, the power of God is unlimited and perfect. Yes, there are those who persecute and kill in this life, but in the final analysis and judgment, what occurs in the presence of God, after our death, is of far greater import than anything that occurs here, including death. What we need to be thinking about is making sure that we are prepared for meeting the Lord and let the details of this earthly existence take care of themselves. We are not fear those who, rather insignificantly, kill the body. Rather, we are to fearfully love our awesome God who has the power and authority to judge how we have lived and to deal with us appropriately. In the passage before us, Christ warns us to be ready to meet God so that we avoid going to hell.
· Lastly, take great joy in knowing that nothing will happen to you outside of the will of God. God is sovereign over everything...the weather and other natural disasters as well as the days of your life. David proclaims this clearly in Psalm 139:16, “Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; And in Your book were all written The days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was not one of them.” (NASB95). In verses 6 and 7, Jesus speaks of sparrows which are sold two for a penny, and if you by four, a fifth one is thrown in for free. These birds were bought by the poverty-stricken for food. In another setting and teaching, Jesus declares in Matthew 10:29 that not one of these sparrows dies outside of the will of God. Jesus piles on and states that God sovereignly knows the very hairs of your head, of which you lose dozens every day, some more than others.

Dear friends, God is sovereign over your life and death and Jesus tells us here that it is of far greater import to be prepared to meet Him in glory than meeting the men of this world. In fact, if we are prepared to meet the Lord in glory, through faith in Christ, we will be prepared to meet the people of this world who attack our Savior and God and we will perhaps be used of the Lord to bring them to glory also.

Developing and maintaining a fearful love of God will comfort, and even equip you, in the face of trials.
3. It will keep us focused on eternity ~ vv. 8-10

Developing and maintaining a fearful love of God will also keep us focused on eternity.

This point flows right out of the previous point. When Jesus declares that we need to fear Him who can destroy both soul and body in hell, He is clearly demanding that we keep in mind the issues of judgment. As we recently finished up our Wednesday night study of Revelation, the words found in Revelation 20:10-15 are absolutely essential to keep in mind:
The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.

Based on this passage, and others, we know that hell is real and eternal and a place that we want to avoid at all costs. Jesus is not shy about warning sinners of their coming doom if they refuse to submit to God and seek His remedy for sin. Thus, we are directed by Christ to be focused on eternity.

Several of us here really enjoy climbing mountains. Being citizens living in the shadow of the Rockies, this only makes sense. Although there is much joy in the hike itself, for me, the top is the goal. And when the top is reached, there is much satisfaction.

As we go through this life as believers in Christ, there will be difficulties, as Jesus declares here. And there will also be times of great joy and we will love the journey. But in this passage, and a major precept of of the whole of Scripture, is that the end of life...the goal...is of primary importance. We are to be focused on eternity. I want Jesus to confess me before the angels of God. I want Him to say to me, “This one belongs to me...this one is mine.” So Jesus explains that those who confess Him before men, He will confess them before the angels of God and, ultimately, God Himself. Jesus will own this person...He will claim him.

Dear friends, if you are truly born again, confession of Christ will be a result of that. When you are truly born again, Christ and God becomes your all-in-all. The first fruit of the Holy Spirit is love and that love is directed to God and then others. Friends, if you have truly been saved, proclamation will be the result.

What are some forms that this proclamation takes? Again, it becomes the natural outflow of one who is absolutely rejoicing in complete forgivenness of sins and eternal life in Christ. When we are brought to a place, by God, of recognizing our wickedness, our selfishness, and our pride, and then we see God's solution in the finished work of Christ who “Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree” (1 Peter 2:24), then we will live lives of thankfulness and dedication to Him. This will naturally manifest itself in talking about Jesus to others...our family, our friends, neighbors, classmates, etc. When we realize the greatness of the salvation that is ours and the eternal hell that awaits those who don't know Christ, we will be naturally seeking ways to talk about Him to others.

Another clear and biblical way to confess Christ before men is to be baptized. In fact, upon believing in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins and eternal life, baptism ought to be one of your first public declarations of your love for and devotion to Christ. By engaging in this act, the one who is baptized is declaring publicly just what Christ has accomplished for him or her and that he or she is lining up his or her life with Christ's. If you've not been baptized, what is keeping you from declaring that your life belongs to Jesus? What a great way to witness to friends and family by inviting them to see you declare your affection for Christ by following Him in baptism.

Following this positive declaration of Christ stating that He will confess us before the angels of God, he also warns his disciples against not following Him and loving Him and therefore confessing Him. Verse 9 is fairly straight-forward...if you reject Christ, He will reject you. And verse 10 ties right into it...if someone dies in a state of unbelief, they will be rejected by God and go to hell. They will not experience God's forgiveness and grace, but rather, as declared in Revelation 20, they will stand before God will all their sin and wickedness and be judged perfectly, fairly and righteously and then be cast into hell.

If we were saved as teenagers or adults, then we perhaps know what it means speak a word against the Son of Man. I blasphemed Christ many times before I was born again and I am confident that I have grieved Him and the Holy Spirit many times after I was saved. Many of you have similar testimonies. We have a compatriot in Peter, who denied Christ three times at His arrest and trial. But these sins, praise the Lord, have been forgiven.

But what does it mean to blaspheme the Holy Spirit? Some take this as Christ clearly speaking to the religious leaders of that day who are tying Jesus' miracles to Satan and his empowerment. They are saying that the power of Christ is actually satanic in origin. Others says that it was a temporal sin issue that, during Christ's life, one could not believe in Christ, but that after the Holy Spirit came in Acts 2 and inspired the writing of the Bible, one had to embrace that in order to be saved. Thus, to reject the Bible is to blaspheme the Holy Spirit.

My thinking is that it embraces both of these and does have implications for our day. More or less, if someone lives their entire life in rejection of Christ and His person and work, then they will not be forgiven of their sin. If a person can sit in church and hear the preaching of the Word consistently and reject it, they will not be forgiven of their sin. Ultimately, a person may not understand the person and work of Christ or His nature and attributes and thus blaspheme Him and speak words against Him. For that sin of ignorance, forgiveness is available. But to know and understand the claims of Christ and to see the impact of the Holy Spirit on the lives of others and the offer of forgiveness and grace available through Him...to reject that is to blaspheme the Holy Spirit. There is thinking that a person can reject this leading to the point that their heart and conscious is seared beyond hope and thus they will die in a state of sin. I don't think that you or I can ascertain that point when a person is “beyond belief” and therefore we keep on sharing the gospel with even those who seem hardened to their need.

But for you today, don't you harden your heart. Let the Word of God penetrate your soul and submit to the Holy Spirit leading you to repentance and belief in Christ for forgiveness. There is no other solution for sin but the death of Christ on the cross. You cannot fix yourself or make yourself right with Holy God. You need to believe in Jesus Christ for forgiveness of sins and eternal life. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 15:3-4, “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,...” This is the gospel that saves. Don't harden your heart to this singular, all-important truth. Don't resist the Holy Spirit as He convicts you of this truth. To do so has deadly, eternal consequences.

Developing and maintaining a fearful love of God will also keep us focused on eternity.
4. It will empower us before men ~ vv. 11-12

Lastly, as we develop and maintain a fearful love of God, we will be empowered before men.

The disciples who were listening to these words of the Lord would, in the not too distant future, know exactly to what Christ was referring. These disciples would be taken before rulers and authorities and questioned and tortured and even killed. Perhaps the most dramatic example of this would be the martyrdom of Stephen as recorded in Acts 7. Take some time and read through that great chapter. I don't think Stephen rehearsed that message before he gave it. God put it on his heart and empowered him greatly to say what needed to be said. And, you will recall, Saul, who would become Paul, was listening to that message. When we arrive in heaven, we can ask Paul the impact that Stephen's message had on him.

Dear beloved, as we walk throught this life, we are to be sharing with others about Christ. Peter writes these words, “...but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence;...” (1 Peter 3:15). There may come a day when, due to persecution, we are forced, with those from history, to give a testimony for Christ. And that testimony may be our lives. In that day, this passage promises us that God will supply necessary strength and words and we can rest there. As we watch the continued secularization of society and the normalization of sin, perhaps this day isn't as far off as we might imagine.

But in the day-to-day living of our lives, as we develop and maintain a fearful love of God, this is what will empower us before men to speak the truth of the gospel to them. As we dwell and meditate on eternal issues of sin, righteousness and judgment, this will soberly cause us to approach relationships with the priority of imparting truth to our lost friends and acquaintances. The things or people that we love usually take up a large portion of our conversation. As we fearfully love our Awesome God, we will talk about Him and be empowered to share about Him with others.
Conclusion:

As we began this message with a couple of quotes from the Puritans, let us conclude with one also. This is William Gurnall, “We fear men so much, because we fear God so little. One fear cures another. When man's terror scares you, turn your thoughts to the wrath of God.” (Thomas, I.D.E., A Puritan Golden Treasury, Banner of Truth Trust 2000 p. 108). I hope and pray that each of us are developing and maintaining a fearful love of our awesome God.

What are some signs that this love is present and growing?
· When you find sin in yourself, are you confessing it to the Lord and to those whom you have sinned against? Or do you try to hide it or justify it or blame it on someone else or God? Do you hate your sin and are you thankful that Christ has borne it for you? Listen to the Word of the Lord in Proverbs 16:6, “In mercy and truth atonement is provided for iniquity; and by the fear of the Lord one departs from evil.”
· Right along with this, are you one who lives in truth...truth of who you are and truth of who God is? If you are living in truth, no one will be more aware of your sin than you and you will be abundantly thankful that Christ has paid for it. Because of this work of Christ, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Him. And when we find ourselves in sin, we are free to go to God with it and have Him lovingly deal with it.
· Are you absolutely committed to Christ in all aspects of who you are? Do you view Christ as the absolute Lord of all and are you committed to following Him as Lord of all?
· Do you have a reverent fear of God's righteous judgment that drives you to consider and then rejoice in the gospel on a consistent basis?
· When you engage with the lost of the world, are you more concerned of their opinion of you or of God's opinion of you? Also, when you are engaging with the lost, is their salvation and forgiveness in your mind and are you prayerfully considering ways to engage them with the gospel?
· Do you rejoice and rest in God's intimate knowledge of even the hairs of your head and His complete sovereignty over your life and the lives of others? Are you resting in Him as He leads you through this life and on into eternity?

If these attitudes are present and growing in your life, then you are developing and maintaining a fearful love of Our Awesome God.

For those of you who are unbelievers here this morning or are questioning the validity of the claims of Christ, please consider deeply the Words of the Savior here. He is the only One with whom you have, ultimately, to do. He holds your life in His hands and you will give an account to Him of how you have lived. And, if you are living in reality, you don't want to go to Him with your boat-load of sin and wickedness. You want to go to Him forgiven and free. That forgiveness is free and available through faith in Jesus Christ...what He accomplished for you on the cross. Don't neglect that.

Although salvation is free, it is costly. Jesus grants you forgiveness and eternal life for free. But then he wants all of you. He demands that He be Lord of your life from that time forward. Not only is it free and costly, the need you have is urgent. This life is very short, even if you live a long time humanly speaking. Eternity awaits. You are not guaranteed the next minute or day. Don't let your heart be hardened to the point of no return. But this salvation that is found in Christ is worth it. You will find in Christ joy inexpressible and full of glory. And you will find an eternity of amazing joy wherein you serve and worship your awesome, loving God. It is for this purpose that you were created. Embrace fearful love of our Awesome God.

Because fearfully loving God provides us both perspective and peace, we should seek to develop and maintain such love in our lives.

Discussion Questions:
· How would you describe what it means to fear the Lord? How does this fear manifest itself in your life?
· How would you describe blasphemy against the Holy Spirit? If forgiveness is available for blaspheming the Son of Man, does this mean that the Holy Spirit is of greater worth than the Son? Why or why not?
· Is it possible to determine if someone has blasphemed the Holy Spirit, thus committing an unforgivable sin?
· How does a fearful love of God impact evangelism?
· Do verses 11 and 12 declare that we don't need to prepare to evangelize? Why or why not.
· How should we conduct conversations in light of verses 2 and 3?

“From Hand Washing to Hell”

2011-08-18T08:00:00.004-06:00

Luke 11:37-54 ~

I was recently asked, by a family member, if, during my preaching, I ever “get ornery?”. That was sort of an interesting question and I wasn't quite sure how to respond. I think the person was wondering if I every say things that may offend someone. If that was the question, I know that I have offended people with what I have said from the pulpit and I have done this more than once. I suspect that, for however long God has me as a preacher, I will say offensive things.

This is a delicate topic. As your pastor, I never want to be offensive for the sake of being offensive. But if the Word of God, and my accurate exposition of it, offends someone while I am preaching, then I have no problem with that. If, however, I offend someone due to an inaccurate interpretation of the Word, then I am in the wrong and would need to repent and correct that error. And, there have been times when I have felt that I didn't handle a passage as well as I should have and, therefore, corrected my error in next sermon or lesson.

But when my family member asked that question, I thought for a moment and responded with these words, “I really try not to be ornery in my preaching. But the good news is that I don't have to be because Jesus is ornery enough without my adding to it.” My family member heartily agreed with that statement. Indeed, as we have been observing and learning over the past few weeks, Jesus did not shy away from saying very pointed and harsh words to His listeners. Here are two examples from the past two weeks:

· Luke 11:23; “He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters.”
· Luke 11:29; And while the crowds were thickly gathered together, He began to say, “This is an evil generation. It seeks a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah the prophet....”

Indeed, these are less than gentle words. The passage that we are studying this week is even more divisive and “in your face”. The Lord Jesus had no problem in confronting people with their sin and need. And, as God incarnate, He knew exactly how to address those to whom He spoke. In the passage that we are examining this week, Jesus is confronting the Jewish religous leaders, the Pharisees and Jewish legal law experts, with their legalism and hypocrisy. He was confronting people who believed that attaining eternal life and righteousness in God's sight was by keeping certain rules and regulations. A legalist is someone who attempts to gain favor with God or to impress his fellow man by doing certain things (or avoiding other things), without regard to the condition of his heart before God.

Someone might accuse another of being a legalist because he tells him that he ought to obey God's Word. That is not legalism because most every book of the Bible says to obey God's Word. Parents setting curfews and other rules is not legalism. Churches deciding to conduct themselves in certain ways and with certain standards is not legalism. But if we obey commands in the Bible or any other set of rules thinking that this makes us right with God without dealing with our inner man problem of inborn sin and need of forgiveness, which can only be remedied by regeneration and faith in the person and work of Christ, then we are legalists.

It is these types of people that Jesus is confronting in the passage before us. And He confronts them in a rather “ornery” way. My friend Steve Cole makes these observations about Jesus' confrontation of legalists, “When you study the life of Christ, it is noteworthy how He deliberately did things to provoke the legalists. He could have healed people on any other day of the week, but He often did it on the Sabbath. He could have been more discreet in violating the Pharisees’ rules, but He did it openly. When a Pharisee invited Jesus to dinner, He could have gone along with their elaborate hand washing custom, but He deliberately ignored it. When they questioned Him about it, He could have been more polite, but He blasted them for their hypocrisy. When a lawyer pointed out that Jesus had offended them as well, He didn’t say, 'I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to offend you good folks.' He said, 'Woe to you lawyers as well!' Jesus confronted legalism as sin.” (Steve Cole, Sermon on Luke 11:37-54, http://www.fcfonline.org/, 04/11/1999). So let's look at Luke 11:37-54 and see how Jesus describes these legalistic religious leaders with whom He is confronting.

And as He spoke, a certain Pharisee asked Him to dine with him. So He went in and sat down to eat. When the Pharisee saw it, he marveled that He had not first washed before dinner. Then the Lord said to him, “Now you Pharisees make the outside of the cup and dish clean, but your inward part is full of greed and wickedness. Foolish ones! Did not He who made the outside make the inside also? But rather give alms of such things as you have; then indeed all things are clean to you. “But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass by justice and the love of God. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone. Woe to you Pharisees! For you love the best seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like graves which are not seen, and the men who walk over them are not aware of them.” Then one of the lawyers answered and said to Him, “Teacher, by saying these things You reproach us also.” And He said, “Woe to you also, lawyers! For you load men with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers. Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets, and your fathers killed them. In fact, you bear witness that you approve the deeds of your fathers; for they indeed killed them, and you build their tombs. Therefore the wisdom of God also said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they will kill and persecute,’ that the blood of all the prophets which was shed from the foundation of the world may be required of this generation, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah who perished between the altar and the temple. Yes, I say to you, it shall be required of this generation. “Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge. You did not enter in yourselves, and those who were entering in you hindered.” And as He said these things to them, the scribes and the Pharisees began to assail Him vehemently, and to cross-examine Him about many things, lying in wait for Him, and seeking to catch Him in something He might say, that they might accuse Him.
Because pursuing God's righteousness by legalistic works is fruitless, deceptive and vehemently condemned by Christ, we should pursue righteousness by faith in Christ alone which manifests itself in deep love for God, His Word and others.

Jesus' Seven Descriptions of the Legalist:

1. The legalist moves in the wrong direction ~ vv. 37-41

As we move into this next narrative, we see immediately Jesus' disdain for legalist thinking. He is invited by a legalistic Pharisee to eat a meal together and the first interation between the two of them is marked by hostility. This Pharisee invites Jesus to a meal and the Lord, it appears, very intentionally flaunts the ritual hand washing that was expected. The Pharisee “marveled” at this omission of protocol, meaning that he was offended by it and thought lowly of the Lord because of it.

This ritual hand washing was simply a man-made tradition which, in the mind of the Pharisees, set one a part as holy. It modeled what surgeons do before they operate on someone. It appears to have come about as a response to the possibility of having had contact with someone or something less than holy while going about the day. Thus, if by chance, the Pharisee had unknowingly come in contact with anything or anyone that would have defiled him, this elaborate hand washing would have taken care of it. And, as we can see here, it was expected that righteous men would be involved in such hand washing rituals.

Perhaps you are aware of www.despair.com. It is a website that sells “demotivational” slogans and posters. For instance, they sell one poster that shows a beautiful picture of a sunken ship with only the bow, or the front, of the ship sticking out of the water. The word below the picture is “Mistakes” with this description; “It may be that the only reason for your existence is to serve as a warning to others.” This company also has produced several videos, one having to do with keeping a healthy separation between management and the employees. In this video, it is recommend that the boss keep a small bottle of hand sanitizer with him as he greets employees around the building. Upon shaking hands with one of the employees, the boss is to sanitize his hands in front of that employee so as to maintain that healthy separation between the management and the employee.

That is a funny example of the absurdity of such thinking. But, in reality, the Pharisees of Jesus' day actually believed that by engaging in this elaborate hand washing ceremony, it actually set them apart as holy and separate from other men. This ritual made them righteous in the sight of God, so they thought.

How did Jesus view such thinking? He attacked this thinking with “both barrels”, so to speak. The word picture is quite clear. You wash the outside of the dish without cleaning the inside. Now this rarely happens in my home, but picture in your mind finding that tupperware dish at the back of the bottle shelf of the refrigerator and realizing that you have no idea how long it has been there nor what it contains. Ladies, I'm sure that has never happened to you. But now imagine very fastidiously washing the outside of that container and placing it on the table for dinner. How disgusting would that be! This is how Jesus is describing these Pharisees. The outside is clean...by all appearances, they are holy and righteous. But the inside is disgusting. Their hearts are full of sin and wickedness. In this case, pride, which God hates. They think that they are better than others. Jesus clearly states here that the inner man issues of sin and depravity need to be handled. In fact, Jesus indicates in verse 41 that they need to first deal with the inner man issues and then everything else will take care of itself. This issue of “give alms of what you have” is somewhat obscure, but it is indicating that you need to deal with who you are first and then the outer manifestation of who you are will become clear. J. C. Ryle explains it this way, “Give first the offering of the inward man. Give your heart, your affections, and your will to God, as the first great alms which you bestow, and then all your other actions, proceeding from a right heart, are an acceptable sacrifice, and a clean offering in the sight of God” (Quoted in Cole, Sermon on Luke 11:37-54, http://www.fcfonline.org/, 04/11/1999).

These Pharisees moved in the wrong direction. They felt that dealing with outside ritual made a person right on the inside. Jesus, on the contrary, says deal with the inside first and then the outside stuff will take care itself. And this is how salvation and sanctification work in our life. First and foremost, we must deal with the issue of indwelling sin which leads to righteous judgment and, thus, condemnation from God. No ritual or hand washing will take care of that. Only the work of Christ can deal with our sin. 1 Peter 3:18 states “...Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit,...” The only way that the inner man can be changed is by God which will result in saving faith and a heart that loves God and lives in thankfulness for His work. Don't you move in the wrong direction.

2. The legalist makes mole hills out of mountains ~ v. 42

In verse 42, Jesus pronounces the first of several “woes” against these religious leaders and experts in Jewish law. This word “woe” is a proclaimation of denunciation and rebuke, but it also connotes heart-break and pain. Jesus is both declaring that they are in spiritual danger and also His own heart-break at their spiritual condition. Jesus is concerned for their souls as well as warning them of their future. We do well to keep this in mind as we engage with the lost of the world. Are we genuinely concerned for them as well as being aware of their lost state and destiny in hell?

The issue that Jesus addresses with these men is their emphasis of minor issues over the major ones. These Pharisees are very exacting in how much they give and what they give. Note that Jesus states that they give of the tiniest, most insignificant herbs. And that they give a tenth...the tithe. This would indicate that they are very diligent in making sure that they are living in “over the top” obedience to the Old Testament tithing laws. They are annually giving that 23-25%, which is what God required of all Israelites in the OT...two tithes plus a third of a tithe every year...of all their produce and income. But notice that Jesus says that they neglect justice and the love of God. Note how Jesus describes this problem in another place: Matthew 23:23, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone.”

So what Jesus is saying here is that the tithe, or in our day, giving, because we are no longer under the tithe system, is comparatively less important than loving God and loving others. The weightier matters are justice, love of God, mercy and faith. The Pharisees are taking the mountain...love of God and others...and making it a mole-hill. By their actions, they are saying that love of God and others, which is of far greater import than the tithe, is less important than fastidiousness in tithing. Jesus says hogwash. Emphasize loving God and others and also, as a secondary issue, pay the tithe.
Dear friends, be sure that your inner man is in love with the Lord and what He accomplished for us in the gospel. And also make sure that you care deeply about others when you give of your resources. Make sure that your giving is directed and motivated by love and not legalism. It is easy to put a check or cash into the plate here on Sunday mornings. It is hard to faithfully serve others. It is easy to justify ourselves by giving a lot without deeply contemplating the status of our hearts before the Lord. Don't fall into this. Look at what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 13:3, “And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.” It is very possible to give greatly and sacrificially but without love. That is legalism and Jesus condemns it soundly. Listen also to these words of Jesus in Matthew 6:1-4:

Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds (“giving to the poor” in the NASB) before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven. Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly.

Your giving should never be done to impress people. This concept of not letting your left hand know what your right hand is doing means that you yourself should forget and not dwell on how much you have given because in so doing you may think of yourself better than you ought. Note also that if we draw attention to our giving, God says that we have our full reward in so doing. So, if I go to you and say, “Hey, look at how I give, what do you think of that?”, and you say, “Wow.”, that is my full reward, right there. But note also that when we give sacrificially, joyfully and secretly out of a deep love for God and others, God will reward us openly. I want God to say “Wow” when I give, and no one else.

These Pharisees made a mole-hill out of the mountain of loving God and others and they made a mountain out of the mole-hill of tithing. Make sure that when you give, which you should, you are giving out of a deep love and thankfulness to God for His work in saving you and out of a desire to bless others with the same gospel message. If you want to avoid legalism, make sure you keep mountains, mountains and mole-hills, mole-hills.

3. The legalist emphasizes reputation over quiet service ~ v. 43

In verse 43, Jesus again highlights another aspect of legalism. The legalist values men's opinions and reputation as more important than quiet service. Notice that the Pharisee loves these things. He wants to be seen and heard and made much of. Jesus has little patience for this. The legalist wants to be the center of attention, and wants to people to admire and respect him.

But what does Jesus feel about this type of attitude? He declares the proper attitude that we are to have in this regard. In Matthew 20:25-28, we hear these words,

But Jesus called them to Himself and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave—just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”

In Luke 14:7-11, Jesus again emphasizes the proper attitude in regard to others and ourselves:
So He told a parable to those who were invited, when He noted how they chose the best places, saying to them: “When you are invited by anyone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in the best place, lest one more honorable than you be invited by him; and he who invited you and him come and say to you, ‘Give place to this man,’ and then you begin with shame to take the lowest place. But when you are invited, go and sit down in the lowest place, so that when he who invited you comes he may say to you, ‘Friend, go up higher.’ Then you will have glory in the presence of those who sit at the table with you. For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Then in Philippians 2:3-4, Paul writes these words, “Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.”

These men emphasized their reputation over humble, quiet service. What do you emphasize and why? Are you willing to sacrifice reputation and worldly adulation for a quiet place of service, trusting that God will lead you where He wants and do with you as He knows best? Do you love lifting others up or do you want others to lift you up?

4. The legalist, by his legalism, deceives himself and harms others ~ v. 44

This “woe” is one of the most damaging effects that a legalist has. Not only is the legalist deceived, he negatively impacts other's walk and relationship with God. Jesus ups the intensity of the rebuke here when he adds the word “hypocrites!” And then He clearly states that the Pharisees not only don't know the Lord, they cause others to be rejected by God also, and that unknowingly. The reference to the unseen graves comes from Numbers 19:16, which says, “Whoever in the open field touches one who is slain by a sword or who has died, or a bone of a man, or a grave, shall be unclean seven days.” Jesus' application is that, by your legalist traditions, you are making people unholy and hindering their own walk with the Lord.

This is fairly obvious in how it works itself out. If someone believes that being right with God is all about doing certain things instead of paying attention to the inner man issues of love for God, forgiveness and faith in God's work on behalf of them, then that person will not be able to be of true spiritual benefit to others. If one believes that baptism is required for salvation, then that is what they will teach and that will hinder others from coming to saving faith.

Another issue is how legalism can hinder even a genuine believer's walk with God. Does any one know what Jonathan Edwards, Charles Spurgeon, G. Campbell Morgan, D-Martyn Lloyd Jones and C.S. Lewis all had in common? Yes, all of them were noted theologians and, except for Lewis, were outstanding preachers. Although there may be various opinions on their particular positions on certain issues, no evangelical Christian would ever deny that these men were godly, holy men. They had something else in common. They all smoked. Spurgeon was particularly fond of his cigars. Don't get me wrong, with our additional understanding of the medical effects of smoking, we now know that smoking is bad stewardship of your body and you should definitely consider stopping if you are and don't start if you are not. But please don't think for an instant that smoking renders it impossible for someone to know and follow God in a faithful and holy way and be used mightily by Him for the furtherance of His work.

I was once sharing the gospel with a plummer who was working at our home and he clearly stated that a baptist church he had visited had not welcomed him because he smoked. Friends, I don't want to be someone who keeps another out of heaven due to some man-made law or tradition. I don't want to be one who makes another unclean by trying to look good on the outside without dealing with the inside. Make sure that your attitudes are not leading others to the grave all the while feeling that you are helping them.

5. The legalist hypocritically doesn't keep his own rules ~ v. 46

In verse 45, a lawyer who is an expert in Jewish traditional law, states that Jesus is reproaching them also. The word for “reproach” here is the same word found in Luke 18:32-33 where Jesus declares that at His death, He will be turned over to the gentiles (Romans) and they will “insult” Him. From that, we can gather that this lawyer was highly offended by these words of Jesus. Did Jesus back down or lessen His words? Nope. But He goes after the legalist lawyers with the same energy and aggression that He had for the Pharisees.

In this case, Jesus attacked the lawyers for stacking minute laws onto God's declared law. So for instance, according to the 4th Commandment, the Jews were not to work on the Sabbath. It was to be a day of rest and refreshment and worship. This is a good command of God and the principle of taking a day to worship the Lord is good and right. We honor the principle by gathering together for worship on Sunday mornings. This brings glory to God and benefits us tremendously. So out of love and thankfulness to God, we consistently gather for worship, not to earn salvation, but because salvation is given. The Jews were to have a similar mentality. Because God had saved them from slavery in Egypt, they were to thankfully honor Him by keeping the Sabbath holy.

But the lawyers here piled additional laws onto ones like this. For example, they stated that one could not tie a knot in a rope on the Sabbath because that was work. But a woman could tie a knot in her girdle rope. Thus, if one needed some water, they weren't allowed to tie a rope to a bucket to lower it down into the well. But a woman could tie her girdle rope to the bucket, and thus get water. (William Barkley as quoted in Cole). The implication from the Lord here is that the lawyers would tell the common man that he couldn't get water from the well on a Sabbath, but for himself, he would have his wife get the water.

The point is obvious...a legalist will load down others, but view themselves as above such things and figure out a way around them. But something we must keep in mind is that it is impossible for anyone to be justified by keeping any law, biblical or otherwise. And this is because we are sinful in the inner man. We must be changed by God from the inside out, not by ourselves through reformation or work. Just try keeping any law perfectly, even for a day. At the very least, you will violate it in your own mind and more than likely you will violate it in practice. Therefore, don't try to point others to law keeping as a means of salvation or even sanctification. Rather, you look to the cross and point other to it also.

6. The legalist hypocritically hates the Word of God and those who proclaim it ~ vv. 47-52

In verses 47-52, Jesus declares that these legalists proclaim love for the Word but, in reality, they hate it. What Jesus is saying is that this essential concept of love for God and His grace and mercy has been proclaimed from the earliest days onward. These lawyers claim to love the prophets by building tombs or monuments to them, but they do not heed the Word the God. Thus, outwardly, as with all these other issues Jesus attacks them for, they appear to honor the prophets. But inwardly, they hate that for which they stand. In verse 51, Jesus brings to mind the blood of Abel. Abel loved God from the heart. His brother Cain simply wanted to appease God and not have to love or care for God and His ways. Thus, when confronted with Abel's holiness and love, Cain killed him. And this pattern repeated itself through the history of Israel, all the way to the last Jewish prophet-martyr, Zechariah, who was killed by Joash as he called him to repent in 2 Chronicles 24.

The indictment that Jesus is making against these men is that not only do you have the entire Old Testament declaring that God desires truth in the inner man and not outward ritual, these men also have the accounts of how these prophets were killed. Therefore, their responsibility is greater. Not only that, it was these men would stand by as Christ was killed and approve of it. Therefore their responsibility was huge. They hated the Word because it spoke to the need of repentence in the inner man. The legalist doesn't want to be troubled with such things but rather would simply keep his ritual and appearance of righteousness.

In verse 52, Jesus declares that they have everything they need to understand who God is through His Word, but they reject it and hinder and stop others from embracing it because of their legalism.

Friends, do you embrace what God's Word says to your heart? When David writes in Psalm 51:6, “Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts, And in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom.”, does that make sense to you? Do you want God to cleanse and purify the inner man. Or would you rather simply do some duty to appease God and yet give the appearance that you are a Christian? If so, you may be a lost legalist.

Do you treasure the Word and Jesus and what He accomplished for you? Do you view the Word as necessary to your spiritual health and joy? We, again, have so much more than even the people of Jesus day. How much greater will our neglect of the Word be if we reject it? The writer to the Hebrews indicates this in 10:28-29, “Anyone who has rejected Moses’ law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace?” Don't let that be you. Don't hate the Word of God and those who proclaim it.

7. The legalist refuses to repent when confronted with his legalism ~ vv. 53-54

Lastly, look at how these men respond to Jesus' rebuke. They attack the Lord. This is clear indication of a legalistic mentality. When confronted with wrong thinking, the legalist self-justifies and begins to attack the one who addresses him. There is no self-examination, no willingness to consider the worthiness of the rebuke, no thinking along the lines of Proverbs 17:10 which states that, “Rebuke is more effective for a wise man than a hundred blows on a fool.” Nope, none of that. Only defensiveness, anger, and attack. Jesus' desire for these men is nothing but good. He is striving to wake them out of their self-induced spiritual stupor. And they attack Him.

Don't let that be said of you. When rebuke or correction comes, let it have it's redeeming, correcting work in your life. When the Word of God confronts you with your corrupt heart, submit to it's cleansing power. Don't refuse to repent when confronted with your legalism or other sin.
Conclusion:

All of us, throughout our lives, are going to struggle with incorrect and inaccurate understandings of God and His word. It is the reality of who we are. But one thing we really can't get wrong is the concept of how one is made right with God. We have to understand that God works salvation in the inner man through changing us, regenerating us, cleansing us of sin and unrighteousness by the blood of Christ.

The one place that we must constantly look is the cross. If we have our eyes fixed there and are striving to live in light of that event and all that was accomplished there, then all of our misunderstandings and weaknesses will continually be brought to light and rectified. The place to do away with legalism is the cross. No man can truly look to the cross and place any faith in himself for righteousness. Nor can any man truly look to the cross and feel that they have anything to offer anyone else except to point them to that wonderful event in which all that was needed for life and godliness was accomplished. Are you looking to the cross? Are you directing others to look to the cross? Are you living in light of God's finished work of redemption and forgiveness that was accomplished on the cross? Are you believing, by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, for forgiveness of sin and eternal life?

Because pursuing God's righteousness by legalistic works is fruitless, deceptive and vehemently condemned by Christ, we should pursue righteousness by faith in Christ alone which manifests itself in deep love for God, His Word and others.

Discussion Questions:
· What are some warning signs that a Christian may be falling into a legalistic attitude?
· It is legalistic to obey God's Word when we don't feel like it?
· How does the cross impact your motivation for obedience to the Word?
· When you are confronted in sin, how should you respond? What is indicated if you respond defensively or with anger?How should you go about confronting someone who is caught up in legalism?

“Responding to the Word”

2011-08-18T07:41:00.005-06:00

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Luke 11:27-36

Few men have made the contribution to pastoral literature that was made by Charles Spurgeon. He produced 135 books; edited 28 more; and if one counts his shorter things, he topped the 200 mark!

But in spite of this vast output, he stated: “The quarry of the Holy Scripture is inexhaustible; I seem hardly to have begun to labor in it;...” (Tan, P. L. Encyclopedia of 7700 illustrations, 1979, Garland TX: Bible Communications.)

As you know, I am a great admirer of Spurgeon. I have most of his sermons and writings in both hard and electronic form. He was truly a master of communicating biblical truth through preaching. But, in light of my, as well as many other's, admiration, please note what he said in the above quote. “The quarry of the Holy Scripture is inexhaustible;...” I love the word picture that he puts forth here. A quarry is another word for a mine, where perhaps wonderful diamonds and gold and other precious materials are found. And he states that the mine of the Bible is inexhaustible. I hope and pray that you are finding this to be true in your own life and experience with the Lord. The Bible is truly the greatest book ever written and we, if we are understanding God and His word, will affirm with the Psalmist that, “The law of Your mouth is better to me than thousands of coins of gold and silver (Ps. 119:72). In Hebrews 4:12 we learn that “...the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” And in 2 Timothy 3:16-17 we are told that, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

Based on these passages, which I am confident were instrumental in informing Spurgeon's attitudes and convictions about the Bible, it is right to ask ourselves this morning, “Do I view the Bible, God's Word, with appropriate reverence and value? Is the Word of God, to me, the inexhaustible treasure and quarry that God would have it be to me?” Can I say, again, with the Psalmist, “Oh, how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day (Ps. 119:97).

In the passage before us this morning, the Lord Jesus puts forth very strong admonitions to treasure the Word of God. And because Jesus Christ is God incarnate...God in the flesh...we do well to listen to Him. So this morning, from Luke 11:27-36, let us see how Jesus would have us respond to the Word.

Luke 11:27-36 ~ And it happened, as He spoke these things, that a certain woman from the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, “Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts which nursed You!” But He said, “More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!” And while the crowds were thickly gathered together, He began to say, “This is an evil generation. It seeks a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah the prophet. For as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so also the Son of Man will be to this generation. The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here. The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here. “No one, when he has lit a lamp, puts it in a secret place or under a basket, but on a lampstand, that those who come in may see the light. The lamp of the body is the eye. Therefore, when your eye is good, your whole body also is full of light. But when your eye is bad, your body also is full of darkness. Therefore take heed that the light which is in you is not darkness. If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, the whole body will be full of light, as when the bright shining of a lamp gives you light.”
Because the Lord Jesus directs us to embrace the Word and gives a serious warning for rejecting it, we must respond to the Word with devotion and dedication.

Four Declarations of Jesus about Responding to the Word of God

1. A Statement of the Word's Priority ~ vv. 27-28

The first declaration that the Lord Jesus makes about responding to the Word of God is to emphasize the Word's priority. The context of these two verses is attached to the previous account where Jesus makes a very strong and clear declaration of the need to decide to follow Him. Recall from the last week that this is an “either or” situation...you are either with Jesus or against Him. There is no middle ground. These statements are made in confrontation with the religious leaders who are opposed to the Lord and declaring that He and Satan are working together. It is definitely a tense situation.

Into this tense, confrontational situation, a reverent, godly woman loudly declares the greatness of Jesus and the privilege and blessedness of being His mother. So into this confrontation, Jesus receives this outstanding and strong affirmation of His character as well as his mother's blessedness. These are great sentiments declared by this woman. Godly children were a clear sign of God's blessing on a family in that day, as it is in our day. She is thinking, “Would that my children were as this man!” And, as you parents are well aware and desirous of, would that all of our children would pursue Christ-likeness and holiness. Jesus states in the Beattitudes of Matthew 5, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,...” And how blessed is the mother and father whose children do so? Her statement is an honorable and good statement to make.

Not only that, but put yourself in Jesus' sandals here. He has just been experiencing rancor and disputation with this crowd. The accusations made against him are extreme and incendiary. And here a woman stands up in the face of such vitriol and praises the Lord and His family. The temptation would be to say, “Finally! Someone is supporting me!”

But this is not what the Lord does. Note that He doesn't outright reject her statement. He says, “More than that...”. Depending on your translation, the idea is one of rejection of her statement or one of placing it in proper priority. The NASB states “On the contrary”, clearing portraying that Jesus rejects her statement. The ESV says “rather”, again drawing a contrast between her statement and what He is about to say. In light of the fact that Luke does express the blessedness of Mary in two other places (1:42 and 1:48), I lean towards the KJV and NKJV rendering of “More than that...”. Jesus here doesn't deny the blessedness of Mary and, by extension, His family. But he puts such a blessing in its proper place. Mary is a sinner just like all men and women and she needed the Savior, as she herself declares in Luke 1:47. Most blessedly in her case, the Savior was her Son.

The statement of Jesus here entails a couple of implications: It is of a far greater blessing to know the Lord through His Word than it is to be personally related to Him. In fact, Jesus declares in another place that being part of His family isn't so much about genetic relationship but rather it is distinctly about knowing Him through His Word. In Luke 8:21, Jesus makes this proclamation, “My mother and My brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it.” By extension, therefore, we today are in a much more privileged place because we have the completed canon of Scripture in our hands. Do you treasure this incredible blessing that God has given us in His Word?

In the face of being accused of working with Satan and, in refutation of that accusation, Jesus warns His listeners that it is an “either or” situation. Note that the next words out of Jesus' mouth are a declaration of needed devotion to the Word. The implication is very clear. How is one to practice devotion and dedication to the Lord as opposed to being in Satan's dominion and control? You are to hear the Word of God and keep it. And this is of far greater import than anything else. It is of far greater blessing than family and friends, activities and work, hobbies and likes. The greatest blessing you will ever have is to hear the Word of God and keep it. So doing will lead to absolute blessing in all aspects of your life from here on out and into eternity. If you are a Christian here this morning, you were saved by the hearing of the Word with God-gifted faith (Gal. 3:2 and Eph. 2:8-9). And if you are a Christian here this morning, your growth in the Lord and in holiness is dependent upon hearing the Word with God-gifted faith and then applying it to your life (Gal. 3:5). Do you have Jesus' attitude about the priority of the Word? Take on that attitude today and renew it day-by-day.

2. A Coming Validation of the Word ~ vv. 29-30

In verses 29-30, Jesus gives a very strong rebuke to the people who are gathering around Him to see His miracles and wonders. Again, one tends to be rather shocked by Jesus' methodology here. He isn't really engaged in pleasing the crowd, is He? In verse 16 of this chapter, the people want Jesus to give them a sign to prove that He is from God. In verse 29, Jesus responds to this request. He says quite clear that, “This is an evil generation. It seeks a sign,...” One is tempted to say, “Take it easy, Jesus! Lighten up a bit!”

I was once asked what was my goal in pastoring and preaching. My unbelieving friend stated that I must be really trying to encourage the people and build their self-esteem. And that is a question that I must ask myself continually. What is my goal as a preacher? I told my friend that my goal is to point people to Jesus and their abject need of forgiveness and eternal life. In many places in the Bible, this message is couched in very uplifting and comforting words. But in just as many places, this message is couched in very confrontational and convicting words.

This passage before us is one of those places where people's need of stern self-examination and repentance is clearly proclaimed by the Lord. Jesus states, “This is an evil generation.” My pastoral mentor Steve Cole makes the following observation, “Verse 29 makes it obvious that Jesus had not had the opportunity to attend a modern course on how to reach the unchurched by making your message user friendly! Clearly, He had not heard of the methods of How to Win Friends and Influence People. As the crowds were increasing, Jesus opened His sermon by saying, 'This generation is a wicked generation.' Then He proceeded to warn them about the judgment to come. That’s not how you keep the numbers increasing!”

As Jesus makes these bold, in-your-face statements, He is also being ironic. He states that “...no sign will given to it except the sign of Jonah the prophet.” The irony here is that Jesus has been giving these people signs upon signs. How many people has Jesus healed already? How many demons has Jesus cast out? Two people have been raised from the dead. Again, there has been sufficient manifestion of miracles to validate who He is and where He is from. He is clearly fulfilling the work of the Messiah as proclaimed in Isaiah and repeated by the Lord in Luke 4:18 and 19,“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed; To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.” Jesus uses similar words when John the Baptist is wondering if Jesus is the Christ (Luke 7:22). Clearly, the miracles and signs that Jesus has performed direct these people to know who He is. But they are rejecting this. And, as you can see, they are rejecting the Word, which is their primary problem.

Please note, dear friends, that signs and wonders are not that which convince a person of the reality of Christ and His work. Jesus relates the story of the rich man and Lazarus in Luke 16 and clearly states that even if someone were to raise from the dead, if person rejects the Word of God, it doesn't matter (Luke 16:31). Jesus clearly proclaims that coming to Him in order to have felt needs met is indicative of evil and wickedness. If a person's primary motive for coming to Christ or church is selfishly driven by what they ultimately hope to get out it by way of entertainment or self-fulfillment or a better life and marriage, kids, whatnot...Jesus says here that this is ultimately wickedness. No, the chief need that you and I have, and all of mankind, isn't to be happy or pleasure-filled. The chief need is to be made right with God.

And this naturally leads to Jesus' next statement in verses 29-30. This generation will only by given the “sign of Jonah the prophet.” Again, this is an interesting statement because Jesus continues to heal people and perform other wonders. He is acknowledging that such signs won't save anyone. But there is one sign that will save all who believe. And that sign is His death, burial and resurrection. This is the “sign of Jonah”. In the parallel account in Matthew 12:39-40, we learn clearly what the sign of Jonah is, “But He answered and said to them, 'An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.'”

So, the ultimate sign of the nature and work of Christ is His death, burial and resurrection. And, dear friends, this event, this sign, is the apex of all eternity...it is the paramount event of all of history. The implications of what Christ is saying here are absolutely huge. Again, He states that no sign is going to be given except this one. Well, again, He does perform additional miracles before this event. So what Christ is saying here is that all these minor miracles of healing and casting out demons, etc., are nothing compared to the preeminence of the cross and resurrection.

What was happening at the cross and resurrection of Christ? This is a huge topic that will consume a life of thought and study. But lets consider just a few aspects of this event. God poured out His perfect and just wrath upon Christ for all our sins. Christ's death satisfied God's justice and righteousness and His anger toward our sin. Christ bore in His body our sins on the cross that we might not bear them ourselves. Man's utter and complete depravity and sin was clearly displayed in the rejection and mocking of Christ. Christ was separated from God and that, as we know, is Hell. He defeated Satan and his plans and rule. He provided for us all that is necessary to be made right with God. And then, to fulfill and prove all it, God raised Him from the dead.

Friends, that is a simplistic, truncated statement of the work of God and Christ on the cross and resurrection. But, again, this is the paramount event in history and you, along with everyone else, have to confront the claims of the cross and what was accomplished there. And you cannot do so without facing head-on God's holiness, yours and all of mankind's sin and wickedness, Christ's perfect sacrifice for our sins, and our need to embrace this truth through saving faith.

Christ proclaims to these people, and to us by extension, you're going to get a sign that will make all these other signs see very insignificant. That sign is the cross and you have to confront the claims of the cross and deal with them.
3. A Warning About Rejecting the Word ~ vv. 31-32

Next, the Lord Jesus issues a very strong warning about rejecting His Word. Again, we note that Jesus is not overly concerned about winning people to His side with non-confrontational messages. He speaks of judgment and condemnation. He warns the people to be exceedingly careful with how they listen and comprehend His ministry and work. The issues here are of extreme importance and these issues will have real and eternal consequences. It is vital that the people hear and heed the word.

Not only does the Lord aggressively and forcefully warn of condemnation, He even purposely offends the Jews by giving two examples of Gentiles who responded better to the preaching of the Word then they do. This is another cultural, contextual issue that we find difficult to understand. We are a very multi-cultural society, with different nationalities surrounding us all the time. I love the fact that we have a Hispanic church that meets here on Sunday evenings and I hope and pray that our church will grow and develop into a diverse group of people from different places and ways, all loving and giving glory to the Lord Jesus Christ.

But, in the day of Christ and in the culture of 1st century Israel, multi-culturalism was not looked favorably upon. In fact, it was rather disdained. Recall from our earlier looks at the interaction of the Jews with the Samaritans in Luke 9. These two groups of people literally hated each other, with the Jews viewing the Samaritans as half-breeds...impure, and wicked. Recall in the Parable of the Good Samaritan that, when asked by Jesus who demonstrated godly neighborliness to the injured man, the lawyer wouldn't even say “Samaritan.” There was very strong racist attitudes fostered within Israel toward outsiders. The Jews, generally, viewed themselves as superior both in genetic make-up as well as religion. They were God's chosen people and God loved them and hated everybody else. Thus, so did they.

So when Jesus states that the Queen of Sheba and the Ninevites are going to fare better in the judgment, please understand that these were highly offensive statements to the Jews who heard them. But as offensive as they are, these accounts are found in God's holy Word and the Jews listening to these words couldn't get around the fact that these two examples of gentiles did respond very humbly to God's proclamation to them through His people. The account of the Queen of Sheba is found in 1 Kings 10:1-13 and 2 Chronicles 9:1-12. She comes from Arabia, many hundreds of miles, to confirm reports of Solomon's wealth and wisdom. After seeing Solomon's kingdom and having discussions with him, she makes this statement in 1 Kings 10:6-9:
Then she said to the king: “It was a true report which I heard in my own land about your words and your wisdom. However I did not believe the words until I came and saw with my own eyes; and indeed the half was not told me. Your wisdom and prosperity exceed the fame of which I heard. Happy are your men and happy are these your servants, who stand continually before you and hear your wisdom!Blessed be the Lord your God, who delighted in you, setting you on the throne of Israel! Because the Lord has loved Israel forever, therefore He made you king, to do justice and righteousness.”

Note that Jesus, in the passage before us in Luke, states that she came, from the ends of the earth, to hear the wisdom of Solomon. He emphasizes her desire to learn and listen. Thus, when Jesus confronts the multitudes with this accusation, he is confronting their lack of desire to listen to the Word. He is confronting their lack of willingness to pursue, at great cost, wisdom from God's Word. Not only that, Jesus clearly states that the wisdom and Word that is available to them is of far greater value than that which Solomon taught to the Queen of Sheba. The Jews here, have in their very presence, the incarnate Word of God and they are not taking Him seriously.

O, dear friends, let it not be said of us that we don't desire to hear and see and observe the Word of God. Again, as I have emphasized in previous messages and in this one, our ability to engage the Word of God is even better than what these Jews had because we have the completed canon. Are you like the Queen of Sheba, with an attitude of joyful sacrifice to hear and see and observe the Word? Or are you like these Jews who, with the incarnate Word in their very presence, are just not too impressed? You have the very Word of God sitting on coffee table or on your bedstand day in and day out. Is that book simply a decoration, a coffee cup coaster to protect your furniture? Or do you long to be in it and observe it and reverence it with loving worship?

In the example of the Ninevites, Jesus is emphasizing their repentance. Note that Jesus states that the Ninevites “repented” at the preaching of Jonah. Most of you are familiar with the account, so we needn't go back and read it. But please recall that Jonah walks throughout the city and simply and boldly proclaims a message of coming doom and judgment from God. And that message causes all the people of that city to repent in sackcloth and ashes and not eat nor drink, from the King to the house cat.

O, dear friends, as with the Ninevites, we cannot genuinely go to the Word of God and not be confronted with our own wickedness. If we consistently read the Word and come away not shocked or disturbed by the content of our hearts, we need to question our saving faith in the Lord. Hebrews 4:12 states this, “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” If this isn't your experience with the Word, if this doesn't make sense to you, then you need to spend some time in deep consideration of your own heart and spiritual state before the Lord.

Dear friends, hear what Jesus is stating in this passage. There is judgment coming. It will be fair and clear, leaving no stone unturned in your life. Jesus states in Matthew that every word you speak will be examined (Mt. 12:36). In regard to the Word, two areas of judgment will be considered. Do you desire to hear the Word and treasure what you have there? And do you desire the Word to have it's cleansing, reforming impact in your life? Do you repent when confronted by the Word?

4. A Declaration of the Need of the Word ~ vv. 33-36

In this last declaration, Jesus perhaps tones down the rhetoric a bit and makes a gracious appeal to His listeners. Using the example of a lamp, He refers to himself and the Word as a needed and glorious guide to life and God-honoring existence. The picture is very clear...why do people turn on a light? It is turned on so people can see. These are not profound, deep pictures and images here. What Jesus is stating is that He has come so that people can see. And this seeing isn't about being able to find your way around a room in the middle of the night. The seeing that is needed is insight into essential truth about God, Christ and ourselves. Christ has come to illuminate essential spiritual truth and to provide guidance to those who hear Him.

He gives another warning to self-examination in verse 34. Make sure your eye is good. If a man is blind, it doesn't matter what light is shining, he can't see. The implication is clear to Jesus' hearers. If what I am saying makes no sense to you or doesn't cause you to think deeply about God and yourself in light of who God is, then your are blind.

I took Calculus in college and it destroyed me. I passed the class barely. I got an F on one of the tests that was given and I distinctly remember looking at one of the derivatives and having no idea what to do with it. Upon the return of the graded test, my professor had written next to that problem, “What in the world are you doing?!” I had sat in that class five days a week for a semester and didn't get it. The professor was providing light on to Calculus, but my eye was bad. I know exactly what my problem was...the professor had stated clearly on the first day of class that if one would succeed in Calculus, one would need to devote at least two hours a day in study. I didn't believe that, and, my to my chagrin, she was right.

Calculus is one thing. But the issue of the gospel and the person and work of Christ is of far greater importance. Again, if the gospel is meaningless to you or Christ's call to devotion to the Word and application therein has little appeal to you, you are blind...your eye is bad. This is what Christ is saying to these multitudes. Many are there simply to see the show and watch the debate between Christ and those opposed to Him. If there is not deep reverence and thoughtful meditation upon God and His Word, the listener is blind to truth. Paul puts it this way in 2 Corinthians 4:3-4, “But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.” That is the status of one who doesn't take the light of Christ seriously. I pray that is not you this morning.

On the flip side, in verse 36, Christ declares the greatness and glory of reverently sitting under the Word and applying it to your life. You have guidance and peace and you bless others. God is glorified and exalted in this person's life. You are given direction and God's will is made known to you. As the Westminster Confession states, “The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.” This occurs as we take in the Word of God and keep it. May each of us commit to doing so today and always.

Donald Whitney tells of a man in Kansas City who was severely injured in an explosion. His face was badly disfigured, and he lost his eyesight as well as both hands. He had just become a Christian when the accident happened, and one of his greatest disappointments was that he could no longer read the Bible. Then he heard about a lady in England who read Braille with her lips. Hoping to do the same, he sent for some books of the Bible in Braille. But he discovered that the nerve endings in his lips had been too badly damaged to distinguish the characters. One day, as he brought one of the Braille pages to his lips, his tongue happened to touch a few of the raised characters and he could feel them. In a flash he thought, “I can read the Bible using my tongue.” At the time this incident was reported, the man had read completely through his Bible four times using his tongue! (in Donald Whitney, Spiritual Disciplines of the Christian Life NavPress 1991, p. 35).

Friends, do you treasure the Word of God. Is it life and light to you? Do you desire to have your consciences informed by the Word? If so, then this desire will manifest itself in numerous ways in your life.

· You will be marked by consistent time of personal reading of the Word. Daily you will find yourself desiring to read and learn and be taught by the Word. Young people, start this habit now. Start reading your Bible on a daily basis and take it in as you would your necessary food and drink. All of us, regardless of age, need the Word consistently. Imbibe deeply from this river of living water.
· The work of Christ on the cross will be a treasure to you and you will love thinking and rejoicing in that work. Gathering for the purpose of remembering the work of the cross in communion will be a great delight to you. You will view the whole of existence in light of the person and work of Christ and you will believe and say that you will boast in nothing but Christ and the cross. You will live a Cross-Centered, gospel-centered life.
· You will come to church with an attitude of humility and hunger as you sit under the taught and preached word of God. You will pray for such teachings and preachings and you will long to hear it.
· You will see Christ and His Word as your guidepost and light as you walk through this world. You will follow Christ through His Word and you will be actively directing others to do the same.
· You will be actively seeking to put off the flesh and put on Christ through developing Christ-like character and attitudes throughout your life.

This is what Christ admonishes us to pursue. Follow him with everything you are.

Because the Lord Jesus directs us to embrace the Word and gives a serious warning for rejecting it, we must respond to the Word with devotion and dedication.

Discussion Questions:
· Is hearing the Word of God and keeping it more important to you than anything else? What competes for your allegiance to God and His Word?
· What role should evidence (signs) play in your evangelism? How important are developing rational arguments for Christianity in evangelism?
· How would you deal with someone who stated that they would need to see a miracle in order to believe in God/Christ?
· How does the cross and resurrection impact your attitude toward the Word? How should it?
· In what ways to we have it better than the Ninevites, the Queen of Sheba and even those who heard the very words of Christ in this account?
· How can you determine the status of your “eye” (Luke 11:34)?
· What are some tangible ways that the Word has been a light to you (Ps. 119:105)?

Nature Hike

2011-08-13T19:14:00.004-06:00

Dear Flatirons nature enthusiasts,

Jen Jackson has graciously offered to take the first 8-10 people on a nature walk.

Sunday the 21st after church. It will not be a hard hike, just something that will enable her to talk about our environs, birds, mushrooms, etc. If you didn't know she knows a LOT about God's creation and she is willing to share it!

Contanct Eric W. for more information.

Get out and smell the wild roses!!!!!