Luke 12: Verses 54-59: (Do You Take Jesus Seriously??????)

This morning we see a different side of Jesus. He is a lion, not a lamb. He became a man for a very specific purpose that would bring peace to all those that believe and follow Him, but it would bring judgment for those that do not. The truth sin is a shocking rebellion against God and His laws. Jesus died as the necessary blood sacrifice to redeem us from sin and with His death on the cross demonstrating how wicked sin actually is and how much God hates it. Jesus’ physical resurrection from the dead shattered the bondage of sin and death for mankind and gives hope of redemption, forgiveness and eternal life with God for all that repent and believe. His promised return is the great hope of true Christians, but it will bring judgment upon those who do not know God and do not obey for in  2 Thessalonians chapter 1 and verse 8 NIV says He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.  In our passage this morning Jesus warns of a division caused by the gospel in the present and the necessity of being watchful of the signs of the times. 1st point: The Kingdom has come but they knew it Not: A Sign of the times Verse 54: And he said also to the people, When ye see a cloud rise out of the west, straightway ye say, There cometh a shower; and so it is. Jesus wants us to be attentive to the different signs in our lives. Some of the signs we receive are from God. Other signs or clues may come from the people in our lives, from family, friends or sometimes even strangers. Jesus continues to chastise and warn the crowd that they did not discern the times they were living in, they refuse to see the signs that the kingdom of God has arrived, and  their response should be to repent and reconcile with other’s  and with God. In verse 55; And when ye see the south wind blow, ye say, There will be heat; and it cometh to pass: Sometimes, we ignore or deny what we see, what is obvious. In those days they did not have Mickey Ferguson of Fox 6, no weather channel, No Apps, not even a weather radio,  so the common weather  pattern in Israel is for rain to come in from the Mediterranean which is to the west. Then over the years of people observing they learned that when certain types of clouds were forming to the west, there would be rain coming. For the same reason they had discovered that when a wind was coming from the south where the deserts are located, it was going to be a hot day. Those were fairly simple and common observations. Those who have lived in one place for a long time can usually make similar weather predictions for their own area. This brings us to my second point: The King has come, but they knew Him Not 56 Ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky and of the earth; But how is it that ye do not discern this time? Sometimes we need hard and harsh word to wake us up. Like a husband who says to his wife, we need to see a counselor: I can’t do this anymore; Or a doctor who says, We need to operate right now; or a firefighter who bangs on your door, yelling, “Leave everything; You need to evacuate immediately; Sometimes the situation is too dire for gentle words. Jesus uses this to rebuke them as being hypocrites. They were pretenders. Their ability to predict the weather gave them a false sense of being observant, intelligent and thinking they knew  the future, but their failure to observe the more important events that were happening in front of them proved they were neither observant, intelligent or paying attention to the obvious signs of what was coming in the future. It has been said , “They understood the winds of earth, but not the winds of God; they could discern the sky, but not the heavens.” Their religious traditions had blinded them from seeing the signs that the Messiah was in their midst. This was not the first rebuke Jesus had given for such spiritual blindness and it would not be His last for people are often easily led astray by cultural customs, family traditions, social standards as well as their own personal desires. Judaism at that time had already fallen far from a quest to know the Scriptures and the God who gave them, and how to keep the commandments,  but in reality they had usurp God’s revelation with their own rules. This was the reason for the constant conflict between Jesus and the religious leaders. Jesus kept God’s law perfectly, but in doing so He was often in conflict with their traditions, interpretations and practices. The perfect man kept God’s perfect law, but He could not and would not keep their religious rules, and they likewise would not obey God’s revelation of Himself and His will. They should have known the prophecies concerning the Messiah and easily seen that Jesus was fulfilling those prophecies. The religious leaders knew the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem, but none of them were even curious enough to travel the five miles from Jerusalem to Bethlehem when the Magi arrived looking for the one “born King of the Jews.” Now Jesus performed miracle after miracle proving His authority in Matthew 8: 1-22 , over disease and sickness, in Matthew 8:23-27 over  nature), in Matthew 8: 28-34 over  demons , in Matthew 9:1-7 over  sin, and Matthew  9: 18-26 over death, casting out a demon and healing a man who had been mute in Luke 11:14. , but now you know folks who is this man that is performing all these good things, they wanted to accuse Jesus of doing it by Beelzebul way, the ruler of demons. Jesus had already pointed out to this particular crowd that the Queen of the South (Sheba) traveled a long distance to hear the wisdom of Solomon, but they were not paying attention though one wiser than Solomon was right in front of them. The Gentile people of Nineveh repented at the preaching of Jonah, but they were not repenting though they were in the presence of a preacher far greater than Jonah Luke 11: 19-33. Jesus had warned them and told them the hope given to those that would believe God, trust Him to provide and would confess the Son of Man told in Luke 12:1-12.. Yet, they were spiritually blind. They could predict the weather because they paid attention to observe what was happening. They could not discern what was going on spiritually even though the Messiah was standing in front of them and He had proved His fulfillment of the prophecies of the Hebrew prophets over and over again. They were hypocrites. My third point: The Call has come but they heed it not: In verses 57-59 Jesus concludes this section with a strong rebuke and warning. They were in great danger if they did not change. 57 “And why do you not even on your own initiative judge what is right? 58 “For while you are going with your opponent to appear before the magistrate, on your way there make an effort to settle with him, so that he may not drag you before the judge, and the judge turn you over to the officer, and the officer throw you into prison. 59“I say to you, you will not get out of there until you have paid the very last cent.” Verse 57 is a rebuke that they needed to take individual responsibility to pursue and discern what is right – what agrees with God’s requirements. Too often people defer to others even though they don’t actually know what they are talking about. I sometimes think that something in this life have gotten worse. For most people, unless it is their own expertise, they yield to the opinion of the so call “expert.  While there is some wisdom in that, you are still responsible for the outcome of your decisions you make.” For that reason you need to make sure whatever the “expert” is telling you it should be least compatible with known truth. I sometimes get irritated when people in the field of science you know the experts making claims that are ludicrous because it contradict known facts of the laws of science, their hypothesis cannot contradict the laws of Probability or it is philosophical musing and has nothing to do with science. Such is the case with evolution. Your hypothesis also has to match the historical data, and sorry, but even when the advocates of climate change – global warming by man-made causes – change the data in the historical record, they still can’t change the reality. It has been both warmer and colder in man’s historical record long before the industrial revolution. What is irritating in science and dangerous in health is absolutely terrifying when it comes to the spiritual realm because the consequences are eternal. Hell is forever and there is no “do over.” That is the challenge Jesus is giving to this crowd. You defer to the religious “experts” – the Chief Priests, scribes and Pharisees, but most of them were very far from God. This still happens in our own time as people yield  to the opinion of whatever religious teacher tickles their ears 2 Timothy 4:3). It is even dangerous if the particular teacher is good, because every teacher, including me, has their blind spots. If we knew what they were, we would change them, and by God’s grace as the years go by we do change a lot of them. But it is the word of God that is the authority. It is an analogy that is similar to what Jesus has used before Matthew 5:23-26) , but here the context makes it a direct reference to eternal judgment. What they should do in matters of this life in resolving conflict is even more crucial in matters of eternal life. You are guilty and need to be reconciled with God. He has already provided the means for that to happen by paying it Himself in Jesus Christ. Your part is to repent – change your mind about yourself, sin and righteousness – and in humility confess your sin asking for forgiveness based on faith in what Jesus has done for you, and then follow Him. If you do not, you cannot expect any mercy at the judgment. 2 Thessalonians 1:8-9) makes it clear that the Lord will deal out “retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power.” Jesus spoke harsh words of warning, the warning here is stern. Why do you not judge yourselves what is right? As you go with your accuser before the magistrate, make an effort to settle with him on the way. In Jesus’ analogy the fellow cast into prison will not get out until he pays what is owed to the smallest amount, and since he has no means to pay it or earn money to repay it, he will never get out. Jesus was not talking about avoiding a lawsuit with your neighbor, but about avoiding an eternal life-sentence in Hell. The kingdom of God arrived in Jesus, but the crowds were blind. They could interpret things like the weather, but missed the glory and splendor of the Messiah standing and speaking inches away. His words still indict us tow thousand years later. We follow fantasy-sports, we binge-watch the latest television show, we line up for the latest Apple product, but we often miss the glory and majesty of Jesus Christ in his word. Once a person is judged by the Lord, there is no escape. There is no means to pay for your sin yourself. You either believe in the Lord Jesus Christ to apply His payment of sin on your behalf, or you owe the price yourself and your condemnation will be forever. As much as you may want to believe in some kind of universal salvation or annihilation of the wicked, neither are true, so the warning must be taken to heart and heeded. If you are already a believer, thank God for Jesus Christ and what He has done for you. If you are not, take the initiative and pursue truth yourself.