the two keys to knowing the gospel

luke ch 11 verses 45-53

joke -knowledge is knowing that a pineapple is not an apple

wisdom is knowing not to put it on pizza.

Q. Have you ever thought you knew something

and then you realized you were totally wrong.

usually it makes you feel pretty silly,

but once you realize your wrong you laugh it off

admit it and move on.

its one thing to be wrong about the bake time on the cookies

its a whole nother thing when your wrong about God and how we can come to know Him.

We will read about the lawyers of Jesus day

they knew of God but they did not know Him

they did not know how to please Him

or how to be saved

they could not grasp an understanding of the gospelo

and Jesus is going to give us the keys to knowing The good news

of His grace

Luke 11:45–46 NKJV

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.

A lawyer- an expert in interpreting and upholding the mosaic law

One of the lawyers felt condemned by Jesus teaching

and he let Him know

Jesus didnt hold back

He exclaims Woe to you lawyers!

because they are using Gods law to oppress the people

He says they are putting heavy burdens on the people

through their interpretation and application

yet they do not even obey the things they teach..

It has been estimated that the lawyers and pharisees added over 600 extra biblical regulations to what constitued as work regarding the sabbath

Gods law constituted a day of rest for the people of Israel

the lawyers made it a day of burdens

take off your burdens and give them to Jesus

Some of you are carrying heavy burdens of legalism.

some of you are putting these burdens on others

we see Jesus give a warning of Woe----destruction

you may have been taught by people like the lawyers

that extra biblical rules will make you closer to God.

the problem always lies in making up your own standards

but

it gets really ugly when we are the ones putting others under these burdens

we hold expectations over people that God is not holding them to.

we do this in our relationships

we judge people who dont do things the way we would do them

yet its not a matter of sin.

I used to have a saying…

are you even saved bro.

this stems from spiritual pride

because I had overcome a certain sin, or I was achieving a high moral standard

and the other person was not

it was almost always in bible reading

I would judge people who have not read the bible cover to cover

this thinking shows you are actually not all that close to God

when we think like this

it will lead us to eventually

feel like we are far from God

because we are not meeting up to the standard that we have created in our minds.

God knows you are a sinner

He knows you need grace

Q. so are you striving to please God

What is it that your doing to try to be approved by God?

what rules and expectations are you putting on yourself and others

these are the burdens that Jesus is talking about

they will not bring you closer to Jesus

they will only push you further away.

Jesus says in

Matthew 11:28–30 NKJV

Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

He was referencing the burdens of extra biblical rules that were being placed on the israelites

so

what are your extra biblical rules and expectations

what good works are you trusting in?

drop them off at the feet of Jesus

and simply walk with Him by faith

Jesus gives us a 2nd woe in

Luke 11:47–51 NKJV

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.

the second woe is due to hypocrisy

the lawyers were building tombs to commemorate the prophets

and Jesus says , your fathers are the ones who killed them

Your decieved lawyers

you are the same type of person as your fathers.

you exclaim your love for Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel

but if they were here today, you would want to kill them

just like the Jewish leaders did in the past

Christ will send out the apostles and prophets to preach the gospel

and they will do the same thing.

they will persecute and kill them.

this will prove they are of the same cloth that persecuted and killed Gods

chosen messengers

from the first martyer abel who was killed by his brother cain

to Zecheriah who was killed at the end of 2nd chronicales

and everyone in between

the blood is on their hands

therefore their generation will be held accountable

and so will all generations of people who reject God and His gospel message

We pick back up in

Luke 11:52–54 NKJV

“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.

The last woe to the lawyers is that they have taken away the key of knowledge

This is the basic understanding of who God is and how we can know Him

They have peddeled the message of pleasing God through great effort and adherence to good works.

Their message is to earn Gods favor by working and earning it.

This is the anti Gospel

this brings us to our second key to knowing the gospel

2.leave your burdens with Jesus

your flesh will always try to convince you that you need to do extra credit

in order to be approved by God.

by adding extra religious rules and good moral achievement

to the requirments needed to be approved by God

the lawyers have taken away the key of the gospel that leads to eternal life,

the key is faith in Christ alone

if you start adding anything to faith in Christ

as the means by which you can be saved

you have lost the key

Jesus is the key

not only do they loose it but they keep it from all of those whom they have successfully discipled.

you may feel like you need to add to the gospel because

because you want to earn it

but christ can not be earned

he can only be recieved.

and when you recieve Him

you get Him in His fullness

Give Gospel-----the great exchange

as far as the east is from the west

you dont need to work for Gods love anymore.

you are secure in Christ as His child.

Its too good to be true

So what does God require of you then?

micah 6:8

Micah 6:8 CSB

Mankind, he has told each of you what is good and what it is the Lord requires of you: to act justly, to love faithfulness, and to walk humbly with your God.

God is calling you to take off those burdens that are making you feel as if you are not good enough for Him.

And He wants you to keep them off.

leave them with Him

and dont take them back.

by faith you are made right with Him

let that faith lead you to walk with Him humbly

and trust that your His

not because of what you can do for Him,

But for what He has done for you,

lets pray